Cory Engelhardt

I actually really like this idea. I hadn't thought of it, but they should have the payroll room. And they could certainly use some stability both at 1B (occasionally) and in the middle of the lineup. He doesn't strike out, he takes good at bats, and has a little pop. If you look at him as a souped up version of what Solano provided last year, it makes all the sense in the world. Plus I'd IMAGINE they bring in a starter via trade (so his salary for 2024 will be lower) and I would also guess at least one of Polanco/Farmer/Kepler (if not all 3) are traded. They will have ample room for a move like this, a good reliever, and probably more. I'm not going to worry and say the sky is falling for payroll purposes. I'll choose to wait until the end of spring training to complain or not about what the salary will be for 2024.

Deal!

The more I think on it, the more I'd rather give money to someone who can be a 1b/dh than to Gurriel. Ugh. Might have to change this again now :)

Just throwing it out there; I'd totally be ok with signing Lopez to a minor league deal this offseason.

I'm with you. And really, in the end, a full year of Lewis AND (hopefully) healthy years from both Buxton and Correa, and the payroll number will mean less than zilch.

Here are the primary steps I have taken for this blueprint. 1) Sign Lucas Giolito, 3/48. Have year 2 be a team option and year 3 be mutual. He has all the ability to be a playoff level starter. 2) Sign Lourdes Gurriel Jr, 2/28. Left Fielder and crushes lefties. 3) I would also sign Brad Keller, formerly of KC, to a guaranteed minor league deal with incentives built in. Depth move, and if healthy would be able to start in St. Paul. This would add 2 million to the total. 4) Trade Jorge Polanco to Pittsburgh for pitching prospect Thomas Harrington. 5) Trade Max Kepler to Seattle for reliever Gabe Speier and 1B/DH Ty France. 6) Trade Kyle Farmer to Chicago White Sox for a ptbnl. 7) Turn off injuries in the settings menu :) C: Ryan Jeffers ($2.30M) 1B: Alex Kirilloff ($1.70M) 2B: Brooks Lee ($0.77M) 3B: Royce Lewis ($0.77M) SS: Carlos Correa ($33.33M) LF: Lourdes Gurriel, Jr ($14.00M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Matt Wallner ($0.77M) DH: Edouard Julien ($0.77M) 4th OF: Willi Castro ($3.20M) Utility: Austin Martin ($0.77M) Utility: Ty France ($7.90M) Backup C: Christian Vazquez ($10.00M) SP1: Pablo Lopez ($8.25M) SP2: Joe Ryan ($0.77M) SP3: Bailey Ober ($0.77M) SP4: Chris Paddack ($2.53M) SP5: Lucas Giolito ($16.00M) RP: Jhoan Duran ($0.77M) RP: Brock Stewart ($0.77M) RP: Griffin Jax ($0.77M) RP: Josh Winder ($1.00M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($3.00M) RP: Louie Varland ($0.77M) RP: Gabe Speier ($1.00M) RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.77M) Payroll is 8.25% under budget

I know, It sucks having a really good player on our team.

This isn't a video game. He has a full no trade clause.

I'll take that bet.

C: Ryan Jeffers ($2.30M) 1B: Alex Kirilloff ($1.70M) 2B: Brooks Lee ($0.77M) 3B: Royce Lewis ($0.77M) SS: Carlos Correa ($33.33M) LF: Lourdes Gurriel ($14.00M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Matt Wallner ($0.77M) DH: Edouard Julien ($0.77M) 4th OF: Willi Castro ($3.20M) Utility: Trevor Larnach ($0.77M) Utility: Austin Martin ($0.77M) Backup C: Christian Vazquez ($10.00M) SP1: Pablo Lopez ($8.25M) SP2: Joe Ryan ($0.77M) SP3: Bailey Ober ($0.77M) SP4: Chris Paddack ($2.53M) SP5: Lucas Giolito ($12M) RP: Jhoan Duran ($0.77M) RP: Brock Stewart ($0.77M) RP: Griffin Jax ($0.77M) RP: Jorge Alcala ($1.00M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($3.00M) RP: Cole Sands ($0.77M) RP: Jovani Moran ($0.77M) RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.77M) Payroll is 21.94% under budget

C: Ryan Jeffers ($02.30M) 1B: Alex Kirilloff ($1.70M) 2B: Jorge Polanco ($10.50M) 3B: Royce Lewis ($0.77M) SS: Carlos Correa ($33.33M) LF: Matt Wallner ($0.77M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Max Kepler ($10.00M) DH: Edouard Julien ($0.77M) 4th OF: Willi Castro ($3.20M) Utility: Trevor Larnach ($0.77M) Utility: Kyle Farmer ($6.60M) Backup C: Ryan Jeffers ($2.30M) SP1: Pablo Lopez ($8.25M) SP2: Joe Ryan ($0.77M) SP3: Bailey Ober ($0.77M) SP4: Chris Paddack ($2.53M) SP5: Louie Varland ($0.77M) RP: Jhoan Duran ($0.77M) RP: Brock Stewart ($0.77M) RP: Griffin Jax ($0.77M) RP: Jorge Alcala ($1.00M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($3.00M) RP: Cole Sands ($0.77M) RP: Jovani Moran ($0.77M) RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.77M) Payroll is 26.85% under budget

Regarding #1; they like to trade for starting pitching instead of buying it in free agency. I'm happy that Sonny will probably get a 4 year deal elsewhere (he earned it) but I don't know that I can personally bank on him replicating his 2023 again. Regarding #2, it'll be good to have insurance again for Buxton. IF he can play some, great. That said, I wouldn't be shocked to see them start to move him to a corner at some point, even given health. Bringing in a Kiermaier to platoon with Martin (or even Keirsey, and Castro) is fine for depth. But it still all really depends on if Buxton's knee is healthy for 2024. If it is, then having a lower payroll truly won't matter. That is a big if it seems. Regarding #3, Brooks Lee. And if Kepler can bring back a good reliever for example, this isn't really truly a problem for production in 2024. Regarding #4 Farmer is a good utility player. So is Willi Castro and presumably Austin Martin. If you can get a B prospect for Farmer's last year on his current contract/team control, that is a big win. Regarding #5, my favorite current Twins prospects are Brooks Lee and Walker Jenkins. Those two aren't going anywhere. Regarding #6, this is the first one I truly agree with, at least for bottom line. Winning will solve this though.

He got divorced in July 2023 and then was traded from a mess of a team that still was the only major league team he had known. He clearly quit at that point. If he has a clear head, he was better at the deadline last year than arguably everyone on the Twins after Lopez and Gray. And honestly, he threw more innings and struck out WAY more than Gray had at that point too. I'm in.

For reference, after he was traded, he went 2-9 with a 6.96 era. Oof.

That would have been interesting to see, right? Through the end of July (prior to being traded the first time) he was 6-6 with a 3.79 era for the White Sox. In that time he had throw 121 innings with 131 strikeouts. Hypothetically if he hadn't been traded, and his overall numbers didn't crash and burn like they did, I wouldn't have been shocked at all to see Chicago offer him the QO. Just my 2 cents. Doesn't take away that he did in fact crash and burn. More just saying.

I'd be super excited for Snell too, and having Rocco on board doesn't hurt their chances. But Snell is older than Giolito, and his walk rate of almost 5 batters per 9 scares me, along with having only 2 seasons in his career hit 180 innings (and only 5 over 128) has me questioning his durability a bit. That said, we get Snell that would be exciting. I'd also be excited for Giolito at a MUCH lower cost.

Maybe that's true. He is still 29 (5 years younger than Gray) and by my count is the only free agent starter who has thrown over 161 innings in every full season back to 2018. Even his xfip last year was only 4.45. Obviously his numbers last year were not good. But I'd prefer to bet on him compared to most of the other free agent starters who are available. Almost all of them are older than he is, and most don't have the track record of innings that he does.

Don’t look at what Gray pitched like in New York.

I am 100% in favor of signing him, and maybe even more so than any other/most free agent starters. He has too much talent and ability to perform like he did last year. Plus, coming off a year when the White Sox were a MESS and he divorced his high school sweetheart, I'd imagine a fresh start in a new organization with a solid infrastructure in place could get him back to his 2021 levels. I also love the health and how he has thrown a number of innings consistently for each of the past 5 years. Sign me up.

Well, Can Kirilloff ever play 100 games? Is Julien good defensively anywhere? Can Larnach play? Severino struckout 36% of the time at AAA last year, so is he a full time option? If I can get a full time regular at 1B, I do that. I figure out the rest later on.

Could be a lot of places, but you are right in that corner OF and 1B make the most sense given where their roster is. And there are certainly needs for right handed bats, arguably at both corner OF and 1B right? Doesn't have to be Bellinger. He would look good here. But they do need more oomph in the lineup.

My guess is they spend money on hitters, and they spend prospects/capital on trading for pitching. But any of these names would sure be fun :)

Agreed, and maybe if they don't trade him Emmanuel Rodriguez could figure into these plans sooner too, But for 2024, maybe it's Buxton? Maybe it's Austin Martin/DeShawn Kiersey (with Buxton in a corner?) Maybe it's a free agent? Hard to say.

The good/decent news with regards to tv contracts is that the rest of MLB, or at least the majority of it, is also dealing with this right now.

Something like Polanco + Emmanuel Rodriguez could get a really good pitcher I'd imagine. Someone who is maybe young, a #3 or even #4 or so level starter on another team who the Twins could build up here.