Cory Engelhardt

Loved the article. Great job!

Yeah I have to admit, this looks pretty cool. I play video games maybe an hour or so every two weeks, but it's fun to have the option.

Thanks Tom! Have a great day!

I think Mauer can and should go year to year as long as he wants to play. He still gets on base at a healthy clip, gives you good at bats, plays well above average defense (which helps the other infielders who are on the younger side make their way) and is still the face of the franchise in many respects. You mention Sano and Rooker; we all love the potential with their bats, but there is no guarantee they will be able to field as well as Mauer in 2019 or 2020. Rooker may be a career DH they hide in LF for a few years, and Sano may be a career DH by that point too. Defense is important. If Mauer wants to retire that is his choice. If he wants to continue playing (and is still productive, which I think is probable) I hope it is with the Twins. Oh, and lastly, congrats on the first post!

Awesome article Jamie! Great job!

I LOVE your product, and I would love to try and write some articles at some point, even though I don't have a ton of time (who does really?) and I'm not confident in my own writing abilities, at least as of yet. Here are some ideas I have to cultivate more writers; 1) Work with schools to offer a writer(s) position as paid or unpaid internships. The student could then use some of their work in a portfolio a year or two later on? They could have the opportunity to be brought along and learn about the business model. Maybe advertise that you are looking for writers in a few online school websites (MN daily for example?) 2) Allow for other types of content to be on your website. If people want to express themselves with a video blog, or a podcast, or a youtube channel talking about the Twins, reach out to that demographic too. You may find people who are comfortable in one mode of communication who, with the right guidance, would be open to try writing. Writing, really, is the best model long term for a website that people wish to read, but have the other options available for people to share their thoughts as a way to get people involved? Like a gateway drug, but for writing for the site? 3) I do think people come here and enjoy the work because it is a community feel and it is a way to break away from reality and talk baseball and the Twins. I also think you would have an easy time selling "stock" (think like Packers stock) to fans for some amount of money, where they would get a stock certificate to say they are a part owner of Twins Daily. Could help boost some revenue in the short term, and help people even more so feel like they are a part of the family/community/Coop. 4) More and more local brewery events, and Saints games, and Twins games. I think more presence is a good thing, and I have enjoy some of those in the past year or so. Thank you for that. But also, instead of you John always being in charge of the events, open it up to others to take the reins if they feel up to it, or at least have a hand in the planning to bring people along that way?

I do think adding the analytics guys teaching pitch sequencing and how/when to use players in what role will help a ton, (similar to what Jeff Pickler did last year with the outfield defensive alignments) and some of that will be gradual changes throughout the year and ongoing. I also think getting guys healthy (like Chargois and Jay, for example) will be a huge boost to the amount of swing and miss stuff that is coming from the bullpen on a daily basis. Hopefully then, ongoing, the Twins can build a bullpen that is at least league average as far as production, all the while not spending a ton of money to bring guys in when relievers can be so volatile year to year.

I like this concept no doubt. I think acquiring a 100+ million dollar starting pitcher may be difficult (with all of the other teams out there also needing pitching) but adding a solid reliever or two is smart. I wouldn't mind the Twins trying to go unconventional in their starting pitching acquisitions and find someone who isn't an ace yet, but can be. I don't know if that makes sense.

MLB Trade Rumors listed Juan Nicasio as going to the Twins. I think I like the guys you mentioned even a little more than Nicasio, but hopefully the Twins can be aggressive this offseason in adding to their MLB roster, as well as their front office.

I know he hasn't shown a penchant for strikeouts yet, but I would put Stewart in the must keep territory for one more offseason at the very least, just to be able to say for certain that Falvey et al can't get him turned around. I'd even do it over Jake Reed, as there are a number of minor league options for relievers, and with the Twins inability to develop starting pitching, I'd rather keep guys that have a potential to start over guys that don't.

I REALLY loved your blueprint Seth. This would be a really fun offseason if all of this could take place, especially your bullpen additions and the extensions for a lot of the younger core. LOVE IT!

Hopefully May can be healthy and hold down a starting rotation spot. Frankly, even when all pitchers are healthy most teams use 8 starters in a year anyway. May will have a chance to start, and if he is healthy he will take it.

It's Lewis to me, and that's with a bullet. 1) Lewis 2) Gordon 3) Romero 4) Gonsalves 5) The field

I really like this thought. The Twins absolutely need pitching help and would be smart to look into the market to see what would be available if they were open to trading one of their younger position players. If they are deciding to extend (or at least play out 2018 and possibly offer the QO) to Brian Dozier, then looking to move Polanco makes a lot of sense, depending on the return.

What do you think about Zack Granite? Is he a given to stay on the 25 man next year? I just, if I were in charge, it's tough to write his name in pen when he doesn't have a logical platoon partner and isn't a better defender than arguably any of the current outfielders provided they stay healthy.

I at least want to have the conversation and see how much gutting needs to take place. If you are comfortable with the potential return, then go for it. For Lamet specifically, what would you deem a reasonable offer? Gonsalves/Gordon/Kiriloff?

I love the Lamet idea! That would be expensive but he could be amazing. How much would a Lamet/Brad Hand package cost? Probably doesn’t hurt that Lavine and Preller know each other well.

I LOVE the idea of Kris Davis. And I agree that I don't think Oakland wants to start paying him big bucks through arbitration. May at least ask what it would take to make a deal happen. And, hopefully, Miguel Sano is back and healthy and playing a league average 3rd base for years.

Just curious; is walk rate that pitchers can get better at? If the Twins were to sign someone like Chatwood (his numbers outside of Coors, other than walks, do look promising, and I fully believe the Twins outfield defense would help his overall numbers) is there any real hope that his walk rate would decline as well? That many walks, to me, screams a lot of 5 inning starts.

Couldn't one of them slide over to 3rd if Dozier is resigned too?

I think you do have to consider the idea of an extension. Dozier has been really amazing, and the part of baseball when it comes to salary is you ALWAYS pay for the production that has already happened, rather than the potential production ahead, at least with 2nd contracts (in my opinion.) Dozier still has at least a few good years ahead of him. I believe that more after this year than I did even after the 42 homerun season a year ago, mostly because he started to show power to all fields rather than just as a pull hitter. I also like how you pointed out that Dozier didn't get great offers for trade after this past offseason. I do believe that if 2-3 teams had been in the market for a 2nd baseman a trade would have been made. But if the Dodgers were the only team talking trade last offseason, the deal/offer that was necessary to move Dozier never was put on the table. And a good-enough offer with only 1 year left for Dozier isn't going to be there this offseason. If you are trading him now, you are basically selling him for less than his value to the Twins for 2018. And Gordon certainly isn't ready to start the year with the MLB club is he? I would rip up his 2018 contract and offer a 3 year extension with an option spanning the years of 2018, 2019, 2020 and the option year of 2021 that would trigger with games played. I would offer him a higher salary (18, 18, 17 and an option year for 15 million) and hope that he takes it. If he does, GREAT! If his agent comes back and demands 4 years with an option (so, 6 more years potentially) I would have a hard time agreeing to that, but the salary would be lower per year more than likely, (say 14, 15, 15, 14 and option year or 13) and the option year would probably not have a huge buyout number. That said, if the agent comes out and demands a 5 year deal for 18-20 per season, (which he has earned if you are paying for past production) I probably do go into 2018 being the last year of his deal and plan to offer him the QO after this upcoming season. Then he has another year if he agrees to the QO, or the Twins get a draft pick for him. We'll see. Thanks for the write-up Seth. Much appreciated!

Can't argue with the best pitcher of the year in 2017. That said, I had high hopes coming into this year for Trevor May, as well as Gibson, to be able to help in the rotation. Gibson was really good (better than Santana to some extent) for the August and September push. Hopefully the rotation as a whole is better 2018 ongoing.

Buxton I would absolutely. I would bring it up with Kepler as well. Rosario is a probable, but it would depend on the years and dollars. Sano, I think, I would put him in the absolutely yes crowd if I see how he looks in spring training after he has (or has not) had the surgery. Berrios too, maybe right?

Seth, you mentioned that the Twins bunted as much or more than any team in baseball. Is there a source somewhere to show how much the Twins did bunt as a team, either sacrifice or otherwise, to compare to the rest of baseball? I'm curious if it really did happen more than other teams do. I'd almost have to imagine national league teams bunt more often with the pitcher hitting, but I don't know how to find that data. Thanks!

Moya, he is your 2nd lefty. And this is a great writeup once again. Thanks!