Doctor Gast

Brook Lee is part of the future INF with Correa & Lewis. He should not be rush to benefit everyone concerned.so he shouldn't be planned to impact the '24 club. Due to Polanco's absence, there's a big hole left at 2B which nobody can fill for '24. Julien lacks the range & DP smoothness to be a primary 2Bman, if overstretched there, it'd affect his overall performance plus he hasn't been able to hit LHPs. Farmer will be overstretched subbing the other INF positions including 1B if Miranda doesn't work out as the 1B RH platoon. But because of need, Farmer's main duty will be the RH platoon at 2B. Heaven forbid to continue the Gordon's INF experiment which was a total failure, Keep him in the OF. Castro will be busy in the OF but at times could be lent to the INF. Julien profiles much better at 1B so that's where he should be rotating there & DH with Kiriloff plus Kiriloff can play RF, and Miranda hopefully will become the main RH 1B platoon.

I just watched Polanco's '23 highlights video on Youtube. '23 was supposedly to be a down year for Polanco but the video was jammed packed with big hits & references to Polanco as the heart & soul of the Twins & Mr. Clutch. Made me sad & miss him already.

Thanks Greggory. Polanco had the makeup to be the Twins' best clutch hitter throughout the years. Which makes it difficult & confusing to see him go. Who had great difficulty saying no when asked to play hurt that greatly hurt him in his performance & make people question his overall health. And to play a difficult position that he never played before, making him look incompetent on a national level while yielding his position to Julien. While being taken advantage of with his salary. The only reason why I can see to let him go is that all that abuse on his body has become a chronic injury that shouldn't be on him anyway. We weren't over budget so why trade him now? To free up some money so they sign a short-term Gallo-type bat/ 1Bman or OFer they are enamored with? I'd much rather have Polanco's bat & glove instead of the unneeded prospects & players (that SEA were willing, & more than willing to give up) with a lot of red flags. I'm not against trading Polanco but this was not the time. What is done is done, but Polanco will be greatly missed especially in a clutch situation during the postseason when most everybody are striking out.

My point has been most of his problems are related to continuously playing him hurt which never gets a chance to heal & quite often aggravates something else. His back injury they took seriously & gave him some time off & he bounced back very quickly & never had any more problems with his back. But his knee injury they never took seriously & ran him to the ground. I hope to God that this abuse on his knees would not result into something chronic. Even if it is, it's not on him & it can be managed

If we sign Solano as a stop gap for Lee & trade Julien & Jeffers for Luzardo, I'll be all in for that. That'd be the only thing that'd save this FO's ?#%*@!

We have a great line-up we don't need another big bat. We need a postseason SP, let's take care of that 1st & forget about the frivolous BS. Because w/o a postseason SP, it will be a very long season for the Twins & very short postseason.

Of course, there's a cost for a premium SP. Luzardo is the best out there & I gave the 2 that I'm fine to let go that fit MIA's needs & requirements. IMO Lee is our top prospect, and there's no rush to bring Lee up & I think it's to everyone's advantage if we wait to bring him up, that's why I'd like to hold onto Polanco a little longer. I'm much more hesitant to put Lee on the block. Trading Lee will downgrade our INF for the next 6+ years & Lee + Jeffers is an overpay for Luzardo. I'd probably turn it down & lower my standard to Rogers or Cabrera for Jeffers. Mahle was a deadline trade, they tend not to turn out well That's what they said about Happ & Shoemaker, Desclafani reminds me of Shoemaker.

The problem with Alex as with Arraez & Polanco is that they don't fit the Twins-hitting type. They don't strike out enough. '23 was a good sign for Kiriloff that didn't have any wrist problems, that's what we need to focus on. It took Kiriloff much longer to get back to MLB shape. Thrown into RF right away after a long absence with very little ramp-up time explains his shoulder problems that shouldn't be an issue this season if he gets plenty of ramp-up time. '23 is a terrible season to get a real picture of what kind of hitter Kiriloff is. So I don't agree with your assessment of Kiriloff using '23 stats. Kiriloff still has the tools to be a great hitter & 1Bman. Julien is a 1Bman hopefully Lee will come up sooner than expected to take over 2B, so that Julien can rotate with Kiriloff at 1B/DH/ & Kiriloff to RF. Together with the platoon of Miranda & Farmer, 1B will be probably our best-covered position which absolutely doesn't need to waste money or trade bait for a Gallo-type player.

Thanks, Hawkeye. MIA has (LHP) Luzardo that they are actively putting out there for trades. MIA wants a catcher, SS & move Arraez's contract that they can't afford. Luzardo is a potential ace (maybe more so than Lopez) who fits very well alongside fellow Venezuelan & friend Lopez. MIL has a need at 2B, they love Arraez and they have Adames (SS) they could move. We could have traded our over-stretched 2Bman Julien who doesn't have range or can turn a smooth DP & Jeffers who swoons when given sole primary catching duties & doesn't have an arm, both are at peak trade value. We trade both straight up for Luzardo. I'd then pick a high MLB-ready catching prospect which are a few, but my favorite is Romo (CO) Luzardo is a type of pitcher that can elevate the rest of the rotation. Every great performance would challenge the next SP to do better. Alas w/o our best 2Bman & having only Julien as our sole 2Bman we cannot trade him.

Of course, it depends if the deal is loaded with unneeded prospects & players like in the Polanco trade. But if SEA was really interested why not further pursue a Polanco/ Kepler trade that actually included a player we needed like a viable SP. It'd make me feel better to fill a need & have Polanco & Kepler together at the same time.

Twins like to waste time stretching some prospects defensively. If Schobel has the tools why not give him the opportunity to have a go at SS? Where he could be more valuable to us.

Very good point. But IMO it's already a lost cause to find one this off-season.

Our absolute need is a postseason SP but now because of this Polo trade, IMO has seriously jeopardized our chances of landing a front-line SP. Because they refused to put Julien where he belonged at 1B, it'll give this FO an excuse to get a Gallo-type 1B/ DH they are enamored with.

Our #1 need is a postseason SP & we aren't over budget so the main focus is landing that SP that'll vastly improve our team. The SP that lines up best with our needs is LHSP Luzardo. Our best trade baits are over-stretched players at their positions (C) Jeffers who has no arm & swoons when given sole primary catching duties & Julien, below average range & doesn't turn a smooth DP (prerequisite for a 2Bman is range & turns a smooth DP). You can spin stats & temporarily make them look average defensively but boiling it down to what is necessary & long-term they are not. Plus their trade values are at their peak with Jeffers at BTV (28.5) & Julien at BTV (34.5) matching up with MIA's needs & Luzardo's value perfectly. Polo is our best option at 2B, trading him away we are trading away muscle & making us worse plus does nothing to fill any of our needs. FO lied when they said they would accept no prospects for Polanco, our main exchange are prospects. Also, we are stuck with inferior Julien as our sole 2B which prevents us from ever having a chance to land Luzardo unless we offer up Lee (which would be an overpay) who has much more upside defensively & even offensively than limited Julien. Which would affect us dramatically in the INF in the future from advancing in the postseason. IMO in trading Polo we have jeopardized any hope of landing a much-needed bonafide front-line SP. much less a potential ace.

Please show me that record, because it doesn't make any sense to me. Like I said Polo when given the proper time he bounces back faster than most. Just a personal observation.

Only most have been reported as a matter of fact. There might be some minor deals like Romo or Dwyer. that they initiated but not major ones. Even this Polanco trade SEA was the major instigator. Often you hear FO saying we pursuing this FA or that FA, or we're taking offers. How often have you heard this FO say we pursuing this trade? I have never personally heard them say that. It's a matter of observation & using common sense.

I tend to agree with you but Polo isn't injury prone. when given the proper time to heal he bounces back pretty quickly so he'll start with a clean slate. But could he be HBP & get a concussion? yes but so could Julien. Any of those pieces of the trade wouldn't have any impact of getting the front-end SP that we need if Polanco couldn't by himself. We don't need a CF, certainly not a 1Bman. We have Julien, Kiriloff, Miranda & Farmer. I'd rather have Polanco than any player obtained to jam into CF or 1B.

I guess I'm just frustrated w/ this FO inability to initiate a trade deal. Years past fans complained about lack of trades & they'd make the excuse that "there were no trades out there", translated meaning no one is approaching them with offers or offers they liked (although those trades would greatly help the team). The truth was there were a lot of trade opportunities to be & were gotten but this FO refused to do so, they'd rather waste money on expensive loser FAs. There are still good trades out there this offseason but our FO is waiting in their office waiting for an offer to come to them that they like. Note: This FO has made a few good trades but only when they were approached with the offers never vice versa.

Very true. But when will that prospect be ready for MLB? Maybe '26 at the soonest. Vazquez is gone after '25, how does that help? I don't trust the Twins catching coaching staff to offer much more development than what you can get from YouTube catching tutorials. Vazquez has much more to give a prospect which is very hard to find anywhere else. And I still don't trust FO to sign a catcher even when it's obvious it's the best choice.

Future catching upgrade that can be feasibly done now by getting a very good MLB-ready defensive + catching prospect to be mentored by Vazquez so he can be ready to take over when he leaves, Otherwise when Vazquez leaves we overpay an expensive FA catcher to have above par tandem or overpay a FA back-up for a below par tandem that hinders any WS aspirations.

Polanco has been abused most of his career, Playing SS with bad ankles (that disappeared when he was moved off SS). Constantly playing hurt when it was obvious to most that he was really hurting until he couldn't go out to the field any longer, instead of promptly taking care of the problem. Polanco isn't damaged goods, management is, When Polo is healthy he puts up monster #s, Polo is in his prime & healthy. FO gains $ on this deal so they can go to FA to pick up another Gallo, Happ, Shoemaker, Colume' type FA & if they unload Farmer, Vazquez, & Kepler, maybe they can put enough $ together to sign a Donaldson type FA. Twins weren't over budget, their roster was great only missing a Pablo Lopez-type trade so why the need to trade Polo? Hats off to SEA who gave up some unneeded fat to fill a gaping need. Boo to our FO for losing muscle to gain nothing. Thanks, Polo for many memorable moments, sorry for the abuse you suffered that really brought down your stats, Hope you're treated well in SEA & many years of fantastic baseball

I wouldn't even think about an extension until he debuts. FO has made a move to make Julien the full-time 2B, is this wreckless move only temporary until Lee is ready for MLB? None of this makes sense so it's hard to try to understand what's the FO's plans are. Correa, Lewis & Lee should be our long-term INF, but I don't put it past this FO to go a different route.

The Twins were entering this off-season in good shape, They mainly needed a front-line SP. I didn't mind FO not doing anything during the off-season, I was afraid that they'd do something stupid, like this. Polo was coming into his prime finally entering the season healthy, when that happens Polo would have a monster year. Polo has been our best clutch hitter and switch hitter to boot. I have sink in my gut much like '21 when FO punted while signing Happ, Shoemaker & Coulome' instead of going out & trading for a viable SP. This trade has made us worse by weakening our INF & missing Polo's bat while doing nothing to contribute to our main needs of front-line SP & catching upgrades. I know Polo's time in MN was limited but now is not the time. We weren't over budget so why get rid of Polo? We may get to the postseason w/o Polo but where we will absolutely miss Polo is in the postseason. So far I grade this offseason as an F-. The atmosphere of the fanbase is swelling, a perfect opportunity to make another Pablo Lopez-type trade (yes it was hard to trade Arraez but Arraez was fat & Lopez was an absolute need) to further grow the excitement. '21 there was some excitement after '20 & '19 and FO got some fans drunk on their Kool-Aid but when the reality from the Happ, Shoemaker & Coulome' signing took effect, it killed any excitement that was gained & then some. Pohlads wonder why attendance is low. This is why. Post Kool-Aid hangover, it's hard to overcome Hats off to SEA for trimming their unneeded fat & filling a gaping need that improves their chances of advancing into the postseason. We lost a great clubhouse guy, clutch switch hitter & above average, 2Bman & gained nothing. That's not how trades are supposed to work. It's time to get rid of this FO.

SWR is a tough kid, I haven't given up on him, he's still young. I expect him to have a good season. They should go with Canterino in the pen until his arm gets in shape then think about SP. I've been high on Ricardo Olivar he has all the tools to be a pretty good catcher, IMO the coaches need to work with him a lot more & more reps at catching. Until Prielipp has proven himself I believed he was ranked too high. here he fell a lot.

Thanks. I guess I'm used to having him overlooked. So it didn't dawn on me that he made the top 20. It's kinda comical. I'll be looking forward to seeing that article.