Doctor Gast

What the Padres lost in the Snell trade they almost made up on the Darvish trade. The trade would've been fairer if the Cubs left off Caratini in the trade. That shows me they really want to cut salary even if they take a loss. Of all the SS that's out there Baez excites me the most. If the Cubs are interested, we could get a good deal + a great SS. For those who think that it's a good idea to trade Polanco for Baez, have no idea how to value a trade. You need to look at history & potential but also the salary & # of years of control. Polanco is also an all star + better salary + I think 3 more yrs. of control than Baez which makes Polanco's value around 4x greater than Baez

There is further thoughts I'd like to probe about this subject. To do this I'd like you to review this prior thread below http://twinsdaily.com/blog/1318/entry-13744-lets-bring-back-the-87-twins/ To summarize, the Twins began w/ pinstripes & were competitive. In '65 they won the AL Championship & went to the WS. In the 1st 2 yrs. of the start of the Western Division '69 & '70 they won. Shortly afterwards they quit the pinstripes & the drought began & became frequent bottom feeders. Out of this era came the Twinkees. It lasted until '87 when they (can you guess it) brought back the pinstripes & won their 2nd AL Championship & 1st WS. Thus starting their MLB prowess, (which I won't list again) which lasted until 2010 when (can you guess) they started to phase out the pinstripes. Which they haven't won a PS game since & seldom qualified. I'd like to note 1 more thing that came to mind. Before 2010 season, concussions were unheard of for the Twins. But in July 7, 2010, Justin Morneau received a concussion through a knee to the head while breaking up a DP. Iron man Morneau was having a HOF career, winning the 2006 AL MVP. In 2010 he was having a phenomenal season, was second in the AL with a .345 average, seventh in home runs with 18 and 10th in RBIs with 56, led the AL in on-base percentage (.437) and second in slugging percentage (.618). Many players have concussions & never suffer any negative symptoms but Morneau (noted for his durability) never came back as a Twin although he had some good years away. The other half of the M&M boys, Mauer suffered a concussion that knocked him out of the catching position & hindered greatly his performance drove him to early retirement. W/o the concussion, Mauer is a lock at HOF but now there is some doubt. Buxton coming through the minors was constantly the #1 prospect. A 5 tool guy that excelled in all of them. Maybe many don't know but he was a HR threat. He was MN HOF hopeful but here he too was bitten by the concussion bug & has yet put up the #s that he was projected. Since 2010 MN has been plagued by concussions, is there any correlations that can be made? What's the big fuss about uniforms? How can success or lack of it be contributed to them? They are only uniforms, right? When researching the confrontation between Yankees & Twins, the Yanks were frequently referred as the pinstripes. Why is that? I beg to argue that the Yankees' pinstripes are linked to the Yankees' prowess, tradition & heritage. I believe the Twins' pinstripes are linked to our success. That's why I'm advocating to stop wearing the "baby blues" & bring back the pinstripes & M insignia. Thank you for your time

Yeah, just think of the camaraderie, camaraderie is always a good thing & the motivation to sign mutual extensions would be great. A trade like Sabato, a future power bat which have plenty & Gordon should do it. These are low valued prospects which wouldn't affect any trade attempt to get a top of the line pitcher

I imagine that they think that they get a little more from his fastball, improve his slider so he can pitch it more often. Not what I have been waiting for but they know what they're doing. Who knows he could bounce back better than ever

Totally agree w/ you that our priority should be a really good defensive SS. Simmons has been a great defensive SS & I'd love to have him, my only concern is his ankle injury, SS can be murder on ankles

Matthew, I was thinking the same thing. W/ his poor 2020 & last year of arbitrations his trade value is low. A couple of lower prospects should do it. I love his defense his hitting is icing on the cake.

I fore see starting this year, Polanco is no longer SS, he's moved to 2B & will be there in 2024. I'm thinking out side the box & have Arraez at DH, I see Sano after he's completely comfortable at 1B, gradually transitioning back to 3B, switching w/ Donaldson occasionally to give him a break there until Sano stays at 3B & Donaldson at 1B. Lewis could play any where but he'll end up where he's most needed & that would be SS Crucial CF, I'd love to have Buck there w/ Celestino as back up but if Buxton isn't extended, Celestino will do. The only 2 players we agree upon Cody is Kepler in RF & Jeffers at C Unfornately Larnach as 4th OF & subbing at 1B & after Donaldson is gone, he'll start there Pitching will be very interesting

Padres had one of the best if not the best farm system in MLB. They just bet the farm on these 2 guys. If they are depending that Snell will pitch much more than 5 innings/ game, I believe they'll be disappointed

If Donaldson goes down I'd rather keep Semien at SS & transition Sano back to 3B. Hopefully Sano could be comfortable enough at 1B to be able to make that transition back & forth. I'd then like to play Arraez at 1B in that situation. I`d prefer Sano/ Semien combo than a Semien/ Polanco.

Do I think that Polanco should start at SS? NO. Do I think that Polanco should be the utility? NO. Do I think that Polanco should start at 2B? Yes Do I think that the Twins should sign Semien? Dunno? I believe that the Twins are looking for a SS & they've stopped in to let Semien know that they are interested & if he would accept $xxxxxxxxx/ year, they are just kicking the tires. I believe Semien wants much more than the FO is offering. As far as FAs go I'm more interested in Hernandez because as a utility player he'll be much cheaper. He be the full time SS and is available to help out CF. He's motivated to prove that he can start full time + he has fire, which Twins need. He's also a clutch hitter w/ a lot of PS experience

Dozier was a struggling SS but was moved to 2B & became a gold glove all star. Polanco's natural position is 2B, he was to take Dozier spot but after we went through D. Santana, Nunez & Escobar, Polanco was forced to SS. He has problems w/ adapting to the different throwing motion at SS thus suffered throwing errors. Polanco has suffered at SS being overstretched taking a toll on his ankles thus effecting further his fielding & hitting. Last year I advocated an upgrade at SS because that's not his natural position but I was ridiculed saying Polanco is an all star. 2019 there was talk of him as top candidate for MVP. Longer he played SS further his performance fell. If he is kept at SS, he'll play at a fraction of the potential he has. If he's kept at 2B he'll be relaxed & healed. He is an all star w/ high hitting & fielding ceiling at 2B.

Article is indeed hopeful. New Year wish is MN can set up an ace factory like CLE, TB & LAD. It's still a few years away but hopefully is near although a little disappointed in this year draft. Agree we need to establish well in the minors our starters so they can develop their pitches & not to rush them by putting them in MLB BP too soon. Where MN has had great success is recycling pitchers into effective SP & BP at least temporarily & not going after big names.

I'd like to note 1 more thing that came to mind. Before 2010 season, concussions were unheard of for the Twins. But in July 7, 2010, Justin Morneau received a concussion through a knee to the head while breaking up a DP. Iron man Morneau was having a HOF career, winning the 2006 AL MVP. In 2010 he was having a phenomenal season, was second in the AL with a .345 average, seventh in home runs with 18 and 10th in RBIs with 56, led the AL in on-base percentage (.437) and second in slugging percentage (.618). Many players have concussions & never suffer any negative symptoms but Morneau (noted for his durability) never came back as a Twin although he had some good years away. The other half of the M&M boys, Mauer suffered a concussion that knocked him out of the catching position & hindered greatly his performance. W/o the concussion, Mauer is a lock at HOF but now there is some doubt. Buxton coming through the minors was constantly the #1 prospect. A 5 tool guy that excelled in all of them. Maybe many don't know but he was a HR threat. He was MN HOF hopeful but here he too was bitten by the concussion bug & has yet put up the #s that he was projected. Since 2010 MN has been plagued by concussions, is there any correlations that can be made?

IMO Polanco is overstretched at SS, physically & emotionally. More he plays there more his injuries will occur & more pressure he'll play under which has effected his hitting. We need an upgrade at SS & I agree Polanco shouldn't be delegated as utility. He should be put at 2B which is more natural for him & where he could relax & recuperate. In time he could become a gold glove. Polanco & Arraez could both play there until they're both 100%. I like some one like Hernandez as an upgrade because he can start at SS & back up Buxton when needed.

This is my hope also but what I hear is that they are not in a hurry to bring him up. Hernandez or Taylor would be for 1yr. by that time Lewis should be ready.

Thank you Nash for bringing up a subject I'm passionate about. We don`t need another Gonzalez (although he's an above average utility player that played quite a few good games for us). What the Twins need the most is a super utility who is an upgrade SS & back up CF glove W/ at least average bat. We've been hurting so long there. Some one who I can start at SS & sub for Buxton. I don't care Profar has progressed to to slightly above average bat if his glove isn't up to par, I wouldn't be interested. Hernandez is a much better fit, I like his athleticism to play SS & CF, clutch hitting, his fire which would be even greater because he wants to prove he's an every day player to the MLB. This motivation we would also see an improvement in his defense as well as his offense. So Hernandez is my choice of FA utility. Even though I really like Hernandez he is my #3 choice. My first 2 choices are trade options. #2 is teammate Chris Taylor, he's a better bat & excels at SS besides being as solid CF as Hernandez. He could be motivated also to get in more games as a starter role, he could improve. LAD sees the importance of super utility & has a deep supply so he could be available. He'd be cheap in salary & would take a low prospect in trade. #1 is Ketel Marte, he's a great hitter as well as an upgrade at SS & solid in CF. His salary is desirable as stated but we have to give up a lot in trade. A common utility who doesn't play an adequate SS or CF is not acceptable. These 3 fit my criteria & I'd be happy w/ any of them it depends how deep FO wants to go in trading prospects

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm very optimistic this year because there is a lot of options out there. FO has to wait for the owners & players to decide if they'll have the universal DH, how many games will be played, etc. That's what holding up the process plus the Twins love to wait for a good deal to shake loose at the end. There could be some good deals coming from the Reds, the FO may need to be actively pursuing right now but in the FA market it is best to be patient I believe FO now knows our priorities & has now finally seen the need for an upgrade at SS. We can't rely on Donaldson to constantly take up the slack from SS & 2B. Even if Donaldson is healthy the management sees the need to periodically break him. Therefore strengthen the argument of an SS. We can go w/ a fulltime SS via FA or trade or we go the way of a super utility who can excel at SS & can admirably fill in at CF when necessary. An upgrade at back-up CF is just as important priority as SS. We'll need a super utility either way because we have a glut of corner OFs, to seek another pure OF that can sub adequately Buxton would be redundant. We have holes to be filled at SP & BP but we have a lot of options & I'm confident that FO will weigh & wait out for the best deal. Good things comes to those who wait

This is my hope also. But to my astonishment in what I hear, is that Lewis wasn't put one time in CF during 2020. Although they might think that w/ all the time Lewis spends w/ Tori Hunter away from the system, he doesn't need it

When Buxton is in CF, we have the best CF defense in MLB. But there is a sharp drop off when he's not. Kepler is OK but he is stretched there & then RF suffers. Celestino is listed at AAA but in fact he hasn't been above A, his last 8 games were at A+. Celestino has good potential to cover CF but according to management timetable he's far from ready. The Twins seems like when Buxton came up that he`d be always great defensively, offensively & never get hurt. There has never been an adequate plan B & we have been limping around at CF since & even before waiting for Buxton. Plan B at CF never has been a priority much less plan C or D. We are presently, near future & future lacking very much depth at CF. Our priority has been big bats & neglect CF, that should change. If we don`t draft high CF prospects we should trade for them. In a couple of years Buxton is eligible for FA, we should make every effort to extend his contract or we're up the creek

I'm wondering if they can program prospect's time pitching injured or pitching while recuperating from injuries because that could effect their performance therefore their rating. Many top rated prospects have injuries like Tommy John, struggle through some stages during time playing injured, down time & recuperating time therefore have terrible Sparkman rating but bounce back & have terrific careers

Although it's interesting, I'm not a believer. They state that these stats shouldn't be substituted for actual scouting & their ranking seems off to what IMO what they should be. Even though these stats favor some of Twins prospects. If Thorpe out shines Sixto Sanchez this year I'll reconsider

Wade Miley might not be enough to coax away Castillo but maybe Sonny Gray. Larnach/ Gordon should be a fair trade for Gray. If Cruz doesn't materialize I'd reluctantly consider Castellano in hope to obtain Castillo as another option

Corner OF is where we have an abundance of quality players. Although Kiriloff will make a jump to AAA St.Paul to start 2021, he has the starting ML LF position. A pure hitter that has shown he's athletic enough to improve his defense. He's the present & future LF to match up w/ Kepler in RF. Rooker should be used as platoon, Larnach should be called up sometime into the season . Unfortunately the future of Cave & Wade will be stuck at AAAA although they are capable to start for a different MLB team

I'm not a one to advocate signing a big name reliever, especially multiple years. But I've made an exception to Brad Hand. I echo the sentiment to bring home a MN son & to embrace him w/ him a multi-year contract if that what it takes (agreeable contract w/ incentives & options). I believe he'll pitch his heart out for MN family, friends & fans

We are blessed w/ a lot of good catchers but it might a good idea to find a great prospect in the upcoming drafts