Cory Engelhardt

I'm scared of targeting only pitchers too. Yes, the Twins need help with pitching, but if Kendall or Royce Lewis really take steps forward this year, who am I to say that they would be back picks at #1. Hindsight is obviously going to be 20/20, but I fully expect the Twins to get a player that will help them at the major league level immensely for years to come.

Jeren Kendall and Kyle Wright and Vanderbilt play their first game of the year tonight! Will be fun to follow.

New article on Greene today. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/ask-ba-hunter-green-compare-hs-righthanders/#wyo6yxqPZfys9i9c.97

I just, has there ever been a high school pitcher, or player, who is a finished product? All prospects are projectability and potential. If someone at age 17 (which he will be until August) shows any feel at all for secondary pitchers (which is being reported) shouldn't we take into account that the plan would be that 4 years from now, at age 21, he will have had proper development to really harness that stuff he has to be able to compete at a major league level? That is the hope, right? The Twins aren't drafting him to be in their major league rotation at age 18. They are drafting him because with the right development, his build/maturity/current pitchability plus projected pitchability may equate to a top of the line starter in 3-4 years. To say that a 17 year old is a finished project and will not develop their talents at all in the next 3 years just doesn't make sense to me.

You are the only person I have read anywhere that is down on Greene. It just astounds me that you aren't taking projection and potential into account.

Jeremy, follow up; What do you think of Griffin Canning out of UCLA? As of 2/7/17, he is the pitcher I am really hoping falls to 35. UCLA has really turned out some good starters in recent years, and he has a good build, some above average pitches according to mlbpipeline, and has solid command.

Jeremy, whoever the twins take at #1 will be a very good prospect. With the way slitting works now, what are the chances that someone who is highly ranked (think top 15) can fall to 35 or 37? It's not like the Twins will have to use their entire slot on whoever they take at #1, right? I know it isn't as large a pool as before, but there has to be some chance of using that slot money to an advantage, right?

Thank you for this article. I appreciated it. I try to stay grounded in my rooting interest for the Twins, but in the moment (not trading Dozier, for example) I was bummed that move didn't happen. But that said, I think there are more than a few reasons to be optimistic about this year's team... 1) Castro is going to help the pitching staff and the runs allowed more than we know. The jump from Suzuki to him is immense. 2) The pitching staff we have isn't necessarily the garbage it is made out to be, if it has help from a legit catcher. Gibson and Hughes aren't far removed from above average seasons, when healthy. Santana could still be good, but assuming he will be AS good as last year may be optimistic. Overall, I think adding Castro and Murphy (or Garver) will be an enormous upgrade on defense and pitch calling compared to Suzuki and Centeno. 3) Buxton and Sano and Kepler and Polanco. They will take step forwards, some (Buxton especially) I am ready to take an enormous step forward. That will be exciting to watch. 4) The bullpen was good last year, right up until they were overworked. This will be something to watch, if the starters can give a typical number of innings (at least 5-6 per start) I think the bullpen will be better off this year too. 5) Outfield defense; Buxton and Kepler and Rosario all year is a good defense. I still wish they had a real 4th of, but Grossman can't be as bad as he was last year, can he? 6) Mauer, he is a good 1st baseman. Not a hall of famer at the level of production he gives at 1st base, but he will get on base and play good defense. I do think pairing him with Vargas (who mashes lefties) will make 1st base a better than league average position. 7) Dozier, he is a stud, and he will probably bring a good trade at the deadline. Ervin and most of the bullpen too. 8) I think the DH spot is a great spot to platoon, and hopefully the team will see that. Vargas and Grossman both murder lefties. I had hoped for a Brandon Moss or Luis Valbuena to take care of the righties, but Park may be good as the full time DH. I suppose there is still time to take a chance on Napoli or Chris Carter. 9) I don't have a lot of hope for Rosario or Eduardo Escobar any longer. They have both shown flashes in past seasons recently, but Rosario, with his inability to get on base, and Escobar, with his season last year and the lack of defense he provided (I wonder if he was healthy last year?) I think these two will be the biggest question marks on offense. 10) Sano's defense will be fine, at least good enough where he can stay at 3rd with the offense he provides. 11) Polanco's arm, I don't know. I think he will be a better 2nd baseman too. Hopefully having him at short for 3-4 months (until Dozier is probably traded) gives us a real answer if we have a SS in Polanco or not. Do I think it is all roses and sunshine and puppies? No. I am fully expecting 74 wins this year, which is a pretty big jump from last year. But I do think there are positives to be had, and if more than a few things go right, specifically in the starting rotation while also bringing up some guys (Gonsalves, Mejia, Berrios) 2018 could start to look pretty positive.

I missed this one because of having young kids at home. But the draft party, if that comes to fruition, I would be ALL for that. Sounds like a GREAT idea!

Draft slot money and team pools came out today. Twins have the most in their pool. The #1 pick is worth about 7.4 million (the #5 pick is a shade over 5 million.) #35 is about 1.8, and #37 is about 1.6. If I am reading this right, the Twins could offer the #1 pick the #5 slot money, and then have enough left to offer the #9 slot money to the #35 pick (about, it's not perfect, but about that. Please correct me if I am wrong on that math. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/2017-mlb-draft-slots-bonus-pools/#eixWvTKB42Gtj6fm.97

My pick, as of today (and this will probably all change since the draft is so far out, is... 1) Hunter Greene 35) Griffin Canning 37) Burnsville's own Sam Carlson Yes, that is 3 pitchers, but I really like all of them as of this date. Course, if someone like Royce Lewis jumps up and earns that top spot, all bets are off. And, obviously, there are people that are high on this list now that can fall.

I am all about signing a good bullpen guy to a 1 year deal. I would also love to get an outfielder who can platoon/work with Rosario and Kepler. I don't know that I love the starting options you have listed, but a DH could be a nice get as well. 1) Desmond Jennings 2) Pedro Alvarez 3) Greg Holland or Joe Blanton or Sergio Romo or Aaron Barrett or Fernando Salas or you name it. That would help a team going into spring training.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mlb-pipeline/id906717198?mt=2#episodeGuid=http%3A%2F%2Fdds.mlb.com%2Fmlb_podcasts%2Fatm%2F012017_pipeline_leon.mp3 Jose De Leon is the guest on Mlb pipeline's podcast released just now!

I think we forget how good Vazquez was. If De Leon has a Javier Vazquez type career, there are many who would argue that is hall of fame worthy http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2016/12/2/13761686/javier-vazquez-hof-hall-of-fame-ballot-omission-fwar-rwar-pwarp-dra

My opinion; Santana should be gone, and Vargas should be in a platoon where he faces (and mashes) lefties. A 1B platoon with Mauer, where Mauer faces righties, would probably help both of them.

Let's get this done. All of us have trade-dozier-fatigue. I want the trade to happen so the rest of the offseason can commence.

How much would Zack Cozart cost to acquire in prospects? If it isn't crazy, he would be great for a year. Mike Napoli at dh? A 1 year deal with an option Neftali Feliz sounds good too. Luis Valbuena! Peter Bourjos or Desmond Jennings would be great to platoon with Rosario and provide solid outfield defense. Let's make a decision on Dozier and move on to other moves!

I can see that. But, do you really think Forsythe is going to be cheaper to acquire than Dozier? Especially for a team like the Rays who as of now are wanting to compete in 2017?

But, hypothetically, if they were to get De Leon and Calhoun, they could still become a better rotation in a year or two with additions of Gonsalves, Fernando Romero, Kohl Stewart, Tyler Jay, De Leon, and the #1 pick in the draft. They don't have nothing in the minor leagues. One more, trading Dozier, isn't going completely revamp the rotation. They want to acquire assets in any/all forms. But yes, if I had to choose, I'd rather get Brock Stewart than Calhoun. But Calhoun is a top 100 prospect, so he also has value. Could trade him at some point too. Just saying.

So are you saying there is absolutely no way to acquire pitching, ever, outside of a Dozier trade? The turnaround is going to take time. Adding De Leon this season, along with 3 high picks in the draft, and another full season and offseason getting the front office in place, all the while letting your prospects grow and mature and develop, 2018 and 2019 is when the results of upgrading the rotation will take place. Brock Stewart. I like him. I'd LOVE it if the Twins got him. I think he is going to be a good major league starter. I don't think the Twins are lost if they don't get him, and will have to give up for the next 3 seasons if they don't acquire him in a trade. The big deal with trading Dozier is acquiring talent and potential. If they get Calhoun, they are getting an asset and a position player who can hit. He doesn't help the pitching, but they can always trade other prospects/players/assets and acquire pitching over the next 1-3 years to at some point get to a quality rotation.

As much as we lament Calhoun's lack of defensive prowess and foot speed, who would have thought Dozier could get two top 100 prospects back in May 2016? If this IS the deal, hypothetically, the Twins can still upgrade their roster through other means between today and spring training. And there is no one here who would tell me that adding De Leon wouldn't excite them for the 2017 season. And Calhoun CAN HIT!

Just ordered! Had to pay for Friday/payday, but I'm so excited to get it in the mail! Thanks for putting this together you guys!

http://www.talkingchop.com/2017/1/6/14189526/atlanta-braves-trade-rumors-brian-dozier-minnesota-twins More smoke?

Apparently we shouldn't rule out the Braves. Mike Berardino just tweeted this... https://twitter.com/MikeBerardino/status/817367828659654656 I really like Darren Wolfson, I know some people on this board for whatever reason need to take his reporting with a grain of salt. I have not seen Mike Berardino put out team names before now.

Does this mean it's happening? Mlb trade rumors is now saying that the Dodgers are willing to give up more than just De Leon. I suppose it depends on what the "more" is. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/01/market-notes-jays-bruce-as-plouffe-dozier-bautista-trumbo-lefty-relievers-lewis.html?fv-home=true&post-id=81959