GNess

Up to a point what other reasonable choice do they have? If the top draftees aren't worth an extended look it brings the entire scouting/evaluation operation into question. Plus, optimistically all three seem to have some legit promise.

No sir. I don't want to dump three quality starters - I suggested if any are moved as part of a deal the Twins would be wise to seek a near ready prospect as part of the return. This is because I don't see as much potential in the current crop of young pitchers that you apparently do. As for my opinion just being noise - sorry to present a view that is not as well thought out as your view.

Given the apparent lack of near ready SP in the minors the Twins depth such that it is might be over estimated. Moving Ryan and/or Ober and/or even Kremer hopefully is part of a deal that brings back at least one near ready young SP.

I like that the Twins might be thinking out of the box, but extending a player in A ball is too far from the box!

The Brewers also deal prospects for proven players such as Yelich and Contreras. Simply put, the Brewers FO is just better at their jobs and the Twins' FO.

I wonder if the day will come. for the Twins in which reclamation projects, bargain bin specials, and recent under performing players are not their top targets in the off season.

Evaluating talent (scouting) and developing talent are two different skill sets. So it is not a surprise that there is a disconnect. Part of effective evaluating is doing all you can to assess the drive and work ethic to improve. Not all prospects are equally coachable - something that the team could demand, but it's easier to coach the eager and willing! (I don't want to judge character from afar, but I suspect. a number of Twins prospects were/are a challenge to coach.) The Twins spotty record at developing talent is a reflection of inconsistent and ineffective instruction and creating a forward thinking culture of improvement throughout the organization.

Roden doesn't appear to be better than the 4 outfielders that are ahead of him. Buxton, Jenkins, Keaschall and Rodriguez. (Perhaps Gonzalez and Martin as well?.) This leaves him in a tough spot for playing time/ AB's to. prove he should be higher in the Twins OF pecking order. Spring training success would certainly help his cause. But a surplus of players is not a bad thing for the Twins - they don't have too many positional surpluses so to speak on the roster as things stand. How might the Twins benefit? Trade or insurance policy/depth or Roden elevates his game to the point he has earned more AB's.

Since here on TD there is awareness of Gonzalez's underlying metrics are cause for concern, but somehow other MLB teams aren't aware of this and will value him enough to trade for him?

Agreed. Quality young pitchers rising in the system seems to be lacking.

The question to tender or non tender Ober seems secondary. Do the Twins have enough SP quality to contend? Likely not, consider Lopez and Ryan at the top of the rotation. Both have major qiuestion marks - Lopez coming off another surgery and Ryan yet another disappointing second half. Bradley seems set as the # 3 without any significant addition or movement on Lopez or Ryan. The 4 / 5 Spots would be held down by Kremer and Matthews/Prielipp/Rojas. Thst's a surplus of two SP. The Twins need to add a dependable starter that raises the level of the overall rotation if possible. Having Ober in the rotation doesn''t move the needle much in either direction, But if Ober cracks the top 5 on opening day - it means a number of other pitchers likely failed. ( e.g. Matthews, Prielipp, Rojas, Kremer)

8 of the top 10 in mlb payroll qualified for the post season in 2026

8 of the top 10 in MLB payroll qualified for the 2026 post season.

Given the Twins SP depth despite being unproven trading Ryan seems to make sense. It is unknown if Ryan would be willing to sign with the Twins on a fair market contract. (Depth = Lopez, Bradley, Prielipp, Kremer, Ober, Matthews, Rojas, Abel etc.) If he isn't going to sign an extension then trading him makes sense. Yes, he is coming off yet another poor second half, but there is no way to rehabilitate that feature because he has to be traded by the deadline in 2027. Seems. pretty straight forward needs to be done.

While I don't agree that a culture of scarcity will likely remain dominant for the Twins as many seem to insist to be the case expecting the Twins to outbid the Yankees for Bednar seems even from an optimistic viewpoint a bridge too far.

The Twins FO and ownership are naturally going to attempt to put their best foot forward when engaging with the press and/or community because they are promoting their business. I understand their posturing in this manner. The reality is the third wildcard and division championship typically require 88+ wins to earn a berth in the playoffs.. So the simple truth is the Twins are about 12+ wins away from a postseason type record in 2027 - assuming there is a full season. The best path to that level of improvement in the short term is to identify a core group of players, and add to that with winning games as the focal point rather than just filling spots. Certainly, this is not tough to grasp and it will require some strategic spending and perhaps a key trade or two to accomplish. Pohlad says the Twins will spend in pursuit of qualifying for the playoffs. A. What else is he supposed to say? B. What choice do they have at this point of declining trust in the franchise?

Given that Jenkins was playing in actual MLB games at 21 speak to his obvious potential and talent. I suspect he has also worked really hard to reach this point. My take is he will spend the off season further developing his game and during Spring Training he will earn his spot on the opening day roster/lineup as a result.

Seems like the 20+ homerun power with a touch of speed earns praise and promotion despite averages like the .203 and ..226 which one would see as potential concerns

The Twins should put less value on positional flexibility and more on positional excellence. Players need to more fully develop the fundamental skills, understanding of the position and confidence on task - these require more players focused on one position.. (Certainly there is value in having a few utility players that can handle moving around such as Clemens.)

Rebuilding like any other approach requires adept player evaluation and development. prowess for it to be successful. Promising young players in the system are not projecting as elite or even all star MLB players at this juncture. Perhaps a few may rise above their current projection based on their actual performance in the minors. Culpepper, Jenkins, Rodriguez etc.) The. team the Twins regularly put on the field in 2025 were gritty and battled, but ultimately proved to be middling at best. While it's still early the great sell-off of 2025 has brought to the Twins one player having an impact (Bradley). A few have shown promise (Rojas, Abel, Mendez) but are not certain to be significant contributors going forward. In Duran and Varland alone the Twins gave up two of the better RP in the game in the sell-off as the Twins BP dragged the team down in the first few months of the 2026 season. The FO has yet to prove they can execute trades in a way that truly moves the needle. I acknowledge a rebuild might be the prudent path for a franchise with the limited collection of star potential. The assets most suggest need to be moved this offseason include two SP one with an injury concern (Lopez) and another with a 2nd half issue (Ryan), a meh corner OF (Larnach) and who else? Ober? So the hope for the future is that a FO leader (GM) and. ownership with an unproven track record are going to turn those three-plus assets into something special. Yikes. It appears to me no matter where you stand on. rebuild vs direction hope is really the best Twins' fans have right now. It's a tough assessment but fair imho.

In the up to the moment futile search for "elite" performers why basically undervalue 1B as the Twins have since the days of Mauer/Morneau? Consider the following off the top of my head, list of current !B providing impact offense for their respective teams: Matt Olson, Vlad Guerrero, Rafael Devers, Freddie Freeman, Pete Alonso, Bryce Harper, Yandy Diaz, Spencer Torkelson, (Others?) Are there any promising internal or external plausible options for hitters like this to place in the middle of the Twins batting order?

Fans are not partners with ownership they are brand loyal consumers. Lack of star quality players has been a product recently of suspect drafts, development failures especially on defense, poor trades and lack of purposeful participation in free agency. That's a formula for sustained mediocrity or worse. It isn't what the Twins FO does so much as it is mostly how they do it. Optimistically, the Twins need some of the current crop of youngsters Jenkins, Rodriguez, Culpepper, Lackey et al to emerge as above average and the Twins will have to get better at things listed above that successful teams do. Realistically, not confident. they can draw to an inside straight like will be needed for short term success. Not sure if Ryan and Lopez are up to carrying the club. One caution. - the Chisox have been held up as a rebuilding model once in a while here on TD. They are now just 1 or 2 games above .500 and the Guardians (ugh) have passed them in the division. The Guardians seem like the most consistent winner in the division for quite some time now. They have figured it out - hopefully the Twins can and will.

A lot of comments which put Jenkins as the starting CF next season. So far he is not hitting at all - I would think he would need to show some improvement in the final games of this season and have a decent spring training for him to start the year in MLB..

There are some similarities in the question around a position for Keaschall like there were for Arraez. Arraez was as a Twin and is now a better hitter than Luke. Of course, the Twins traded away Arraez despite his obvious prowess at the plate for Pablo Lopez. Players who are all hit no field become problematic in finding them a defensive position - perhaps it makes them seem more expendable as well.

Emma's enthusiasm was a highlight!