tony&rodney

The Twins are investing in a rebuild. Easy to imagine that the Twins have a low team salary number after they complete 4-7 trades before the new year. If the roster looks like it can play baseball, there is a chance that a couple of relief pitchers are added to stabilize the team. The rationale for adding to the bullpen from free agency would be as support for an inexperienced starting staff. All of Bradley, Matthews, Festa, Woods Richardson, Abel, Morris, and others (including any experienced guys left) could be helped by knowing there are a few bodies in the bullpen to hold leads. The current group is not sustainable. The payroll can be below $100M and a few relief arms added. We will see this unfold in whatever direction the front office meanders.

I'm curious why he has never been used at any level at first base. What is your best guess? Do you think it is possible that no manager or coach ever even thought about trying Wallner at first base in the last decade?

Would Boston trade Ceddane Rafaela, Marcelo Mayer, and Payton Tolle for Ryan and Jeffers? This is a bit of a hybrid MLB/prospect bundle.

We are making educated guesses. I coached for decades. A natural part of coaching is to try players at many positions. Sometimes great outfielders cannot play in the infield because they think everything happens too fast. I believe we saw a quote from Byron Buxton to that effect and he did pitch in high school but didn't really like it. I have known of players who were uncomfortable at first base simply when the ball and a base runner were happening at the same time. There are a ton of variables that eliminate a player from playing a position. It was really hard to convert a player to catching. Most hated it or were fearful. A few found it to be a blast and became very good catchers. We really don't know about Wallner and first base. It is extremely unlikely and would be in very poor taste (something I would never do to a former player) if a former coach gave quotes on Wallner and any attempts on his transitioning to first base. We do not know though.

All things considered, I would expect both of Gabriel Gonzalez and Walker Jenkins to produce more than Wallner. There are others. However, it is the job of the front office to find the players. The last two years the Twins stood pat. In late July the front office sent off a pile of players (was it 10 or 11). What remains is a 100 loss outfit. Some changes should occur. It would be strange if the front office did nothing. There are going to be people who think highly of Matt Wallner. Some people like him because he is from Minnesota. I think he might be useful as strictly and only a DH. Others will disagree. That is the nature of comments and fans. Ultimately we hope the Twins are better .... later .... or eventually somewhere down the road. How the team improves is a natural point of disagreement.

A first baseman must have some reflexes to defend themselves. Big Matt can be pretty quick with a bat in his hands. He seems like he is unsure or doesn't see well in the outfield. His reactions are glacial. Many people have floated this idea. Wallner has never played an inning at first base since he went to college. There is little doubt in my mind that some coach tried him out at 1B in practice on several occasions. Maybe that never happened but that would be very weird if no manager thought, hey maybe Wallner can play first base. While this seems like an idea to try, I'm going to suggest it was already given a trial run.

Exactly. Is there a team that imagines that Wallner is as valuable as many on Twins Daily posters see him? I have no idea what team or why they would trade for him. However, we continue to read how valuable Wallner could be for the Twins. Right? I'm merely wondering if another team feels the same way as many TD posters.

This does change the conversation from already having success in the majors to prospects, but it seems natural as well. Wiggins and Alcantara is a thought that includes adding talent. The idea was more towards adding guys who the Twins might identify as reliable for 2026. I do think the exchange is more likely to be for high end prospects.

Cory, this is a good exercise. It is what the front office should be (and may be) doing on a regular basis. While it would be more likely to target a Top 10 prospect, I totally get the idea to look for players who have already managed to show in MLB. Start with this - the Twins are a 90 loss team that projects to be even worse next year based on their current talent. What can be done? Most of us like both Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez quite a bit. It is completely unclear what teams or value other clubs place on these two pitchers or other Twins for that matter. Earlier this summer in some comments regarding values and trades, I posited a Ryan, Ober, and somebody else (maybe Lewis or Soto or EmRod .... I can't remember) for Nick Kurtz. That was just a crazy idea and would never happen, especially from the Athletics side. However, it seems quite certain that Ryan will be traded. If the Twins stand pat with their current roster after the purge in late July, ..... well that would be very strange. The Cardinals idea that you propose looks good. Would St. Louis trade their shortstop? There are a couple of prospects who may be ready for MLB. Sticking with the Cardinals, I like JJ Wetherholt. Detroit needs a starting pitcher. Would they give up one of their top prospects? It will be difficult to pry away an accomplished bat and perhaps Boston is the club that best matches up with the Twins.

The biggest contribution Wallner can make for future Twins teams is if another MLB club feels his powerful bat is important to their own team's improved offense. Who will offer a decent player for Matt Wallner? I do think Wallner could be a reasonably ok DH for the Twins. Can we guarantee that Baldelli will not put Big Matt in the outfield? Finally, the headline above the video, "Matt Wallner is a building block ....". The Twins will finish 2025 as a 90+ loss team. Without some strategic moves in the offseason, fans should expect several more or worse performances. Winning teams are not built around .204 hitters.

Josh Naylor will cost somebody $80-100M over 4-5 years. The Twins are not going there. There will be some potential for 4-7 trades this offseason. The roster churn will continue. The current roster is a surefire 100 loss outfit. The late July purge will continue rendering most of the guesses from this article and the comments far off. We should take another look in a couple of months. Until then, I hope everyone is enjoying watching the current Twins and finding a little time to follow the last week of regular season games across baseball.

Wow, plenty of comments about a guy hitting .237 with a .680 OPS and just 0.9 WAR for the season. While it would be marvelous if Lewis managed to become a halfway decent baseball player, the Twins need to see if any other MLB clubs have any infatuation with Royce. The Twins don't exactly have a fantastic infield but Lewis is the weak link right now.

Kaelen Culpepper was playing his first full year of professional baseball and was a key cog for Cedar Rapids before his promotion to Wichita. A number of other players had good seasons but Culpepper is a solid choice. Certainly others, Carson McCusker, Kyler Fedko, Kala'i Rosario, would have been decent picks as well. Connor Prielipp is a little bit of surprise but his health was maintained which was a big deal. Jose Olivares might have been deserving among a few others. The Twins will have a different set of criteria than many of us fans. Good to see these awards and looking forward to Twins Daily choices.

I gave you a thumb's up on your reprimand of my hasty comment. I should have replied to the poster who wrote an irritating inaccurate comment or just ignored it. Yes, anyone can comment. It was not fair to make that sweeping statement. I will say though that I am frequently surprised by both positive and negative comments that don't exactly jive with a minor league player's play. Looking merely at statistics doesn't tell much of a story. That said I was set off by one specific comment and I was remiss to not just skip/ ignore it.

No reason not to let Matthews go in the 8th inning. Pitch count is good and it is his last game.

Hot damn. There are still five games to go but Cleveland caught the Tigers after being 15.5 games out and they came back against Tarik Skubel. The Guardians are going to win the World Series. At least I hope so.

Simply a move to keep Manfred in the news. If the technology is accurate, use it all the time. What has happened on occasions (too many times) in the minor leagues is that when a team runs out of challenges the zone gets bigger. MLB thinks these little moves will draw fans to the game. Baseball fans don't care about umpires or Manfred, they want to see good baseball. Something to consider is that often these challenges/ ball and strike calls are determined on pitches a fraction of an inch either way. Losing a challenge by a hair and then having a strike called on a pitch 3-5 inches out of the zone happens. Some will call that strategy. FWIW, I'm fine with the umpires calling strikes and balls. However, that ship has sailed. I would prefer just using the ABS system. Eff the challenge b.s.

Matthews can be a good starting pitcher. He supposedly has good control. four of his first seven pitches were middle, middle. This is not where an MLB pitcher wants to earn money. Some guys can go an entire game without putting the ball middle, middle. He was more in line with all of his pitches to Burger. Matthews is going to be fine but he must get out of the whomping zone to make money.

Ryan surely wants an opportunity to win. He seems to be hyper competitive. It is really hard for a guy like that the get pumped up to pitch for a 90 loss team. The Twins are going to struggle to get back to anything relevant in the next couple of years. If the Twins kept Ryan he is a free agent after the 2027 season. Either sooner or later he is gone and his presence does not mean the Twins will reach a .500 record. In other words ... he gone. Thus, the best result possible is that several teams are super interested in acquiring Joe Ryan this offseason and the Twins maximize the return for him. I would even add a player or two for the best return or package of players. Looking around baseball at the contending teams it is obvious that a starting pitcher like Joe Ryan should be in huge demand. Ryan can answer whatever questions need to be answered with his next club.

It is more realistic for Wallner to be a relief pitcher. Did you know that?

Might be a better idea to guess on the 2027 roster with so many unknowns for next year. Was anyone else surprised to see the resurrection of an idea to sign Rhys Hoskins? What about Jordan Montgomery? Two minor requests - 1. Can people who have never seen a player play please refrain from making comments on their skills? 2. Is it possible to end any and all discussions/suggestions of moving either of Larnach or Wallner to first base? Neither has ever played the position (Larnach 1 inning in 2017) and no doubt their travel ball, high school, summer league, college, and professional coaches have already run them through the drills and put all thumbs down to the idea.

Looks like you were right .... way too early. It is completely realistic that only half of those named in the post are on on the roster next season. We can wait until Spring Training to put together a roster, although the suggestions will begin in November.

The Twins will want to hold on to Royce Lewis because they picked him #1-1 in the 2017 draft. The club should be open to conversations from other teams, however, if there are reasonable offers that would benefit the Twins club. Either way, the increase in speed and a small improvement in defense is hopeful for a better performance going forward for Lewis. Currently, Lewis sells out to pull most pitches which leaves him very susceptible to failure versus good pitchers. I'm hoping Royce has a great offseason and returns fully healthy and ready to fulfill his potential in 2026.

Payton Tolle and Franklin Arias are good prospects. Password Garcia is a definite no. The Twins should not be considering any additions to their team that cannot field and run at an average to plus level. Now, I am interested in a Tolle, Arias, and Rafaela for Ryan deal. Maybe Boston is interested in Ryan Jeffers for Franklin Arias, which will be seen as an overpay by Boston. Detroit needs starting pitching, has a young dynamic team full of position players, and also has a number of excellent prospects in their minor league system. We all like Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, but it would be very odd to destroy the bullpen in late July and do nothing in the offseason. The Twins need talent. They are facing a tough year next season, but rolling back the current roster would be a disaster for several seasons .... think 100+ losses for a stretch. One thing that should happen this winter is conversations between the Twins and multiple teams. The Twins put huge stock in Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait. We do not know what other offers, if any, were discussed with different clubs but there will be demand for experienced pitching. Someone mentioned Peralta and Gray. The former is on an inexpensive bargain deal, which means he isn't going anywhere. Gray, the latter, isn't going anywhere either because he is due $35M next year and he has a full no trade provision in his contract. Lopez, Ryan, and Ober to a lesser extent will all have value in the trade market this winter.

Pitching and defense are usually the core of winning teams. Teams will have as many top bats as their budgets allow but paying attention to pitching and defense matters. The Phillies have guys who hit but they signed Kepler and traded for Luzardo and Duran to strengthen their team. The Twins have a poor defensive roster. They traded away their bullpen. The results were immediate and the team has played to their talent since August 1. Keaschall has been a bright light and we won't know if he can be trusted at second base until he is fully healed. Lewis has been better at third base but we need a better bat than he has shown. Can Lewis deliver corner infield numbers? Buxton has a no trade clause in his contract. Will the Twins move him to a corner outfield position if there is a better centerfielder on the roster? Austin Martin has played like a guy who wants a job. Can he maintain or even improve his performance in the last 6 games to leave an impression that he is a guy for 2026? These are the three guys, plus maybe Martin, that are more or less set for 2026, unless one or more of them are traded. In addition to improved health and a big step in effectiveness from the young/inexperienced starting pitchers, the Twins need to build a bullpen through signings or otherwise. The staleness of the roster is merely the expected outcome of a philosophy on how to play baseball by the guy who puts together the roster. Can that change? Yes, people can change and 4-7 moves this offseason could bring about a different concept of what winning baseball looks like on the field. Doing the same thing over and over, such as returning the same roster, is madness. The current roster is a guaranteed 90+ loss outfit. We shall see what steps are taken to address the shortcomings in the next months.