Cory Engelhardt

Polanco will more than likely start the year at AAA Rochester, and probably do well. He more than likely won't be brought up outside of injury to either Dozier or Escobar, or complete domination by Polanco. That said, I would totally be in the trade Dozier camp as well, if a good opportunity arose and Polanco was showing he could hit a little and take a walk. What would a Dozier trade look like? He is, in a way, the face of the team right now (or one of them) and if the Twins are doing well, that would be tough to trade him away, even if statistically it is the right move.

Jorge Polanco, your thoughts? Where does he go from here?

I'd go 2 years, with a 3rd year option if he hits certain escalators. Yes, all of the minor league guys have potential, but Bastardo is someone you can count on and IS solid. If all of the guys in the minor leagues (or even 4 of them) in a year or more absolutely are out-performing Bastardo, you can trade him then. But all of these guys, none of them could absolutely work out. You never know. It would be nice to have certainty, and Bastardo would help with that. That said, I am still holding out hope for a Jake Mcgee or a Will Smith trade. That is probably naïve.

C Murphy, 1B Sano, 2B Polanco, SS Gordon, 3B Escobar, LF (not on this team yet, we trade prospects for a good veteran outfielder, but I'll throw out Ryan Braun or someone like him) CF Buxton RF Kepler, DH Park. Bench will have Mauer who will still play 3-4 days a week. Bench will also have a catcher, like Navaretto/Turner/Garver (whoever can help the team the most at that point) and probably Vielma and maybe Walker. I don't see Arcia making it through 2016 spring training, let alone staying with the team until 2018.

Thank you for this interview. It was great to be able to hear a little about him and his thoughts. Sounds like a great player. I saw him play at Cedar Rapids a couple years ago, and he was impressive defensively. He also looked like he weighed 90 pounds soaking wet. Hopefully he can become a great player.

Am I the only one that thinks it would be best for Arcia to move on regardless? Even if his bat comes back to 2013 form, he is such a net negative in the of, (especially if Sano has to also be out there) that the team would be worse off with him attempting whatever he calls defense. The team would give up way less runs with him manning a corner spot, and dh-ing, for another team and having Buxton/Rosario/Sano and Davis cover the field. No? I mean, if the best reason to keep him is because he is out of options, is that really worth it?

What are some good trade options for the Twins as far as controllable left handed bullpen options? Will Smith is my pipe dream, but there have to be other options out there that will be more reasonable to acquire.

I can see this line of thinking. At the same time, isn't this the highest Plouffe's ceiling, in terms of value in a trade, will ever be?

What would a trade to Milwaukee for Will Smith look like? Wouldn't he be a dream bullpen upgrade? I know it would take quite a haul in the current market, but man that would be a bold move. Younger and better than the other free agent options for sure.

So, they should not sign a good free agent bullpen arm, like a Tony Sipp or Antonio Bastardo? I would be disappointed if they didn't attempt to get better with real true strikeout guys. Assuming that Darnell will become a good reliever against lefties doesn't mean he will become that.

Yeah, sign Holland to a back-loaded 2 or even 3 year deal

Maybe Benson as the 4th outfielder, until Kepler is ready. Unless of course Arcia can hit again, then he'd be 4th of and bench bat.

Corey Williams and Felix Jorge, to me, seem like better adds than Pat Dean and either Rosario or Landa. But what do I know.

I do really like the idea in some ways. That said, let's say Buxton and Kepler are the starting CF and RF come June or July (which they should be) would you have Span take over for Rosario? Or would a trade be the best idea?

In a Plouffe trade, why not Cam Bedrosian like the Angels writers seem to think the Twins are interested? He is Steve's kid, so there is that angle, and he is young and throws hard too, along with a good fastball/slider combo. And really, if Neil Allen can teach him a changeup, could be a good thing. Maybe Bedrosian and another low minors high upside arm? As far as De Aza, I'd rather pursue a corner outfielder who can hit lefties, maybe someone like Jonny Gomes to platoon with Arcia in right. Arcia would face righties and hopefully do well enough to bring in something in trade if/when Kepler takes over right for good. I love the Sipp signing. I don't know that Storen will definitely be better than JT Chargois, especially just one year of Storen. I'd rather have the bullpen look like May/Bedrosian/Sipp/Jepsen/Perkins/Meyer or something to that effect, and then let Burdi/Reed/Chargois take over at some point too.

Or even Bedrosian and Victor Alcantara. Huge upside arm who hasn't pitched much about low A, but he did throw in the futures game. Would that be too much for Plouffe back? We would get a potentially good late inning arm, and a high upside prospect arm to start at Fort Myers and see where it goes.

You don't see Plouffe headlining a trade for a Derek Norris/Austin Hedges/Kevin Plawecki or similar catcher? That would solve the catching issue as well, and be a good haul for a good-but-not-great hitter in Plouffe.

5 million is nothing. And if the Twins want the veteran leadership that someone of AJ's age can provide, I can see this happen can't you? Especially if Arcia is traded this offseason.

Agreed. But, then, we tweak it. Kepler probably would still have a place on the team. At the deadline, other players could be traded instead of Kepler, and go out and get a guy that is maybe a free agent at the end of the year, and/or has one more year of control. That would all depend on how they are playing and who is available. I don't know if Sonny Gray is available, but he would be fun. That said, I'm with you, no to Berrios and Kepler going. That said, if Kepler is a force like he was this year again, he will play his way on to the team regardless.

I debated that too. See, I look at AJ as more of a DH at this point against righties, what with trading Plouffe and all. I see Zunino as more of a catcher with Suzuki, and AJ would be the emergency 3rd catcher and DH against righties, as well as a pinch hitter off the bench. Gomes would be the DH against lefties and could play the outfield until Buxton and Kepler are ready. I am still thinking that Millone probably gets traded for pitching instead of the prospect I had. But still. I don't love having Danny Ortiz on the roster. My absolute dream would be signing Jason Heyward to play in right and then using Kepler as a piece to get a #1 pitcher. But I don't think that is realistic.

1) Trade Oswaldo Arcia, Travis Harrison and Felix Jorge for Mike Zunino. I do think Zunino is a buy low. He is good defensively. He is young (he will be 25 in March) and he has some power. Yes, contact has been a major issue, but I believe he will cost a LOT less than some of the other catchers potentially out there, and could be a step up from Suzuki at some point. The 3 players traded away are all guys that would have to be added to the 40 man roster this offseason. They all have some potential, which Seattle would like. I could see making it a 2 for 1 or changing out who is traded though in case Seattle wanted pitching more. 2) Trade Michael Tonkin and Jorge Polanco for Will Smith It is a LOT to give up for a bullpen arm, but man, what a bullpen arm. He is a healthy Perkins, basically. This solidifies the back of our bullpen. Tonkin should probably get a chance to be somewhere else, and Polanco may or may not have a spot here in MN at any point. That said, if Dozier falls off the table in the next year or two, the Twins may regret this move. Still, Smith is young and this move helps in so many ways. 3) Sign AJ Pierzynski, 1 year 6 million. Get the band back together. He is a good DH option, and can catch once in a while. Yes, that looks like we have 3 catchers on the roster, because for a little bit we will. That said, AJ would mostly start against righties DHing, and catch once or twice a week. I view Zunino as catching 3-4 days a week, and Suzuki catching 1-2 days a week. Giving everyone more rest will help throughout the season, and I don't know that I see Suzuki on the team after July. And then, Turner or Garver can be ready to go midway through the year or for sure next year in a tandem. 4) Sign Jonny Gomes, 1 year 4 million 4th outfielder, DH against lefties. Bench bat. The Twins haven't had a good bench bat/pinch hitting option for a few years now. Now, they should have a couple. 5) Trade Trevor Plouffe to Arizona for LHP prospect Cody Reed Reed is 19, Left Handed, 6'3" 245 and can throw 95. He has potential for a 3 pitch mix, and could be a potential starter long term. He would probably start at Cedar Rapids. He was a 2nd round pick for Arizona in 2014, and is in the lower half of their top 10 prospects. Also, Arizona's 3rd baseman was bottom 3 in MLB for WAR in 2015, so they may want an affordable upgrade. 6) Trade Tommy Millone to Philadelphia for C prospect Andrew Knapp You can never have enough catching prospects either. Knapp will turn 23 next week. He was a 2nd round pick in 2013 out of Cal, and he had tommy john surgery that offseason. He played at the A and AA this year, and combined hit 308/385/491 with 13 homeruns, 84 rbi's and 51/106 bb/k rate. Maybe start the year at AA or even move to AAA. He is a top 20 prospect for Philadelphia. C Mike Zunino 1B Mauer 2B Dozier SS Escobar 3B Sano LF Rosario CF Hicks (to start the year, Buxton at some point) RF Gomes against lefties, Danny Ortiz to start the year against righties (Kepler will be up at some point) DH AJ/Gomes Bench AJ/Gomes DH/Pinch hit Suzuki C Nunez Backup INF Danny Ortiz Rotation Santana Hughes Gibson Duffey May Bullpen Perkins Smith Jepsen Pressly Taylor Rogers (against lefties, maybe long/swing man) Nick Burdi (Arizona Fall League and end of year gave him confidence, and he has quite the fastball/slider combo Alex Meyer (long man, low leverage to hopefully show he has learned control) I do think Buxton, Kepler and Berrios are all up at some point. In that case, May probably moves back to the bullpen to give it another piece, as well as Danny Ortiz and Danny Santana probably move on, unless Nunez is faltering or Santana playing well. Then, of course, if the Twins are playing well in June or July, then the Twins would make a run at a potential ace for the rotation. Think Stephen Strasburg. What do you think?

What would it take for the Twins to acquire Mike Zunino? I know he has been BAD offensively, but he is good defensively no? He is young (25 in March 2016) and even with the contact issues he has power. Would an Arcia trade, along with other parts, be enough, or am I dreaming. If he can learn some tips to help with contact/less striking out from Brunansky, he could be solid. I don't know if he'll be a star, but he could potentially be cheaper to acquire than Lucroy would be, right? Maybe Arcia and Polanco. Is that too much?

How about Rosario and Gibson for Lucroy and Will Smith? At least as the start of a package. I don't know if they would need more, but Lucroy is a stud that Milwaukee doesn't NEED to trade.

This is really awesome. Thank you for sharing!

So when does Kepler make an appearance at Target Field? The Twins could use offense any way they can get it.