Cory Engelhardt

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

Curious if the bullpen will be upgraded simply by switching out Duffey for May. Also, any chance a free agent arm (Drew Storen?) is added? Will be interesting to see if the starting rotation can pitch long enough into games (on average) so the bullpen isn't overused this year.

But, he is a top 100 prospect. None of us have seen him play, and all we can go by is the scouting report and stat line. He hit a LOT of homeruns in a hitter friendly league with an ops that wasn't great (with the number of homeruns involved) and has below average ranks on defense. Still, if he is part of the trade, who is to say that he couldn't become a good player with the twins, and/or used to get a different player at a different time?

Agree 100%

But he is an asset that they could use or trade too

De Leon and Stewart and Will Smith and Sierra sound good to me. Let's make it happe

What I don't seem to understand; why would the Twins need a 3rd piece if those two are on the table? For me, if those two are being offered, I take it and run.

But, you have to be honest with where you are at, and who your best players are both today and in the next 2-3-5 years. Dozier is their best player. That is not up for debate. He was in 2016, and more than likely would again be in 2017. He also is turning 30 in May 2017, and is only signed through the 2018 season. With him specifically, would you... 1) Keep him through his contract, and let him leave as a free agent 2) Sign him to an extension, covering his age 32-36 year old seasons 3) Trade him now for value, since you believe option 2 isn't wise. Same with Ervin. I would absolutely listen because he also isn't going to be around after 2018. He just turned 34 a couple of weeks back, and the Twins have him for his age 34 and 35 season, his contract ending after 2018. Would you... 1) Keep him through his contract, hoping he still provides similar value for the next two seasons when he is 34 and 35 2) Sign him to an extension, paying him for when he is 36 and older 3) Trade him now for value, since you believe option 2 isn't wise. I do think the Twins can and should build around their youth. Buxton, Sano and Kepler are all really good young players to build around, and Jorge Polanco is right in the mix. They are also cheap, and should be good for the next 4+ years. If you can supplement and add to their core (these guys) by trading off your aging veterans, that is a very good move both for now and for the next 4+ years.

I think a deal could be made that would get the Twins interested in working with the Cardinals. De Leon is a GREAT prospect, but he isn't a given. Will be nice to have more teams talking.

You think trading 1 player for 2-3 younger players is a tear down? I think trading/cutting more than 5 players is a tear down. Using 1 asset to improve the whole of a team is smart management, not a tear down.

Fair. I wasn't saying your opinion was wrong (how can an opinion be wrong?) I just didn't know where it was coming from is all. He seems like a genuinely nice person, and works hard at his craft. I just have a hard time faulting someone for that is all.

Agreed. The prospects listed here would all be playing at some point in 2017 or 2018 more than l likely. These offers, if they are on the table, would help the Twins very soon and for the forseeable future. Trading Dozier isn't a tear down. It is using an asset at its highest value to gain more assets that have longer term value than Dozier will have WITH the Twins.

They may have been in on them or scouting them. The latest one, Norge Ruiz, was just signed by the A's. I don't know why the Twins did or didn't sign a guy that Wolfson reported they sent a scout out to watch. But man, I have a hard time holding that against the messenger. If there is something else, then fine. But just because the twins scout a guy and choose not to sign him, and that is reported on, that doesn't mean he is a bad reporter.

I'm missing the whole part on not taking Darren Wolfson seriously. What is at that I am not seeing?

I keep seeing people say that we have plenty of 3 and 4 type starters. I feel like this isn't really accurate. We have 3 and 4 starters for what the Twins have been over the past 6-10 years, but I don't feel like we have many "league average" 3 or 4 starters. We all HOPE that some of our pitching prospects at AA and lower currently will become at least #3 or #4 starters, but man, in our current rotation, who would you quantify as #3 or #4 starters? Ervin Santana. To me, that's the entire list. I don't feel like the Twins have any other CURRENT DAY #3 starters. We all hope Berrios will become that, and I think he can based on his minor league numbers. But man, to poo poo the idea of a #3 starter coming back, when that is a MASSIVE upgrade to what the Twins currently have in the starting rotation, that to me isn't really a negative. I'm not saying we shoot for mediocrity; the Twins should always shoot for top of the rotation level type talent. But to say someone like Luke Weaver or Brock Stewart are guys who wouldn't upgrade our rotation, to me, that is crazy.

Weaver, Alcantara and Delvin Perez is a great offer. Is that crazy from the cardinals side?

I hope you are wrong. He isn't going to be more valuable at the deadline than he is now.

Are you certain Rosario and Palka are even average Mlb players?

De Leon would be a great get, and would be a staple in the Twins rotation for years to come. Brock Stewart is another name that is being mentioned. I've seen up and down reports on him, down mostly because some scouting reports peg him as a #4. What do people think of him as a prospect?