roger

Didn't talk about it in the article, but following his graduation from Boston College he worked for MLB in NYC for several years. Don't know what he did there and not certain how long it was. But believe it was more than an internship. So I expect he has been in training for this role for the past 20 years.

Thanks, Nick, for a great review of where this team is on November 27, it is appreciated. I have two comments. The biggest need, IMO, is a good starting catcher…not a backup. Doesn’t have to be a great hitter, but should hit more than .220 average. What he must do is control the running game and block more pitches than Jeffers. They shouldn’t be looking for a backup, they have him. They also need a third catcher, although he could be on a minor league deal. As for total budget, you aren’t gonna get both Correa and Rodin. That’s at least $60M which would push them up to $155M before adding the catcher(s) and any help for the pen. So they may get one, but not both.

Interesting. Also, true. Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best for this young man.

Damn, Doc, I wish I could express my thoughts as well as you have for me. Thanks. Have been talking for awhile that an ACE isn’t what is important. Give me a staff with #2-#4 better than the team I am playing and I am gonna win series, lots of them. And great #2-#4 are a lot easier to find/develop. And a heck of a lot less expensive. Come to think about it, this may be what the FO has been doing this past year or so.

Doc, don’t know if you saw my comment above. Go to the Twins site and the post about Cruz working with Arraez again this year. They work from 7-4 and again at night. The point I got was their talking about his hamstring injury this year, not knee.

Thanks for saying this. Totally agree.

This is one of the belief's in baseball that drive me nuts. Yes, a good team has a mix of on base guys, power guys, and guys that can do both. But what I don't understand is what difference it makes where they play in the field. If my on base guy is a first baseman and my power guy is a shortstop, who cares. Remember back when most of the shortstops were light hitting with zip power. Then there was Ernie Banks. Where the guy plays in the field shouldn't have any effect on his value as a hitter. edit. Read something on the Twins website about his injury this year. It wasn’t his knee, rather his hamstring. Talked about his going to the D.R. To work with Cruz on his conditioning. He was lighter and healthier this year. Sounds like he wants to take another step next year.

Interesting. Arraez seems it should be higher. But he also jumps on the first pitch a lot if he likes it. Expect that evens it out.

Have been a huge Arraez fan since he was in the low minors. Kid can flat out hit. Yes, he doesn't have a lot of power, but he will get on base at a very high rate. And let's give this young man credit for something he does that nearly no other Twins do, work the crap out of pitchers. I don't know the numbers, but I'll bet there were some games where the opposing starting pitcher threw a quarter of his pitches to Arraez. In today's game where the most important piece of equipment is the 'pitch tracking gigmo', having 7-8-9-10 pitch at bats is an asset, a huge asset. I also am uncertain to what the problems are with his knees. I don't recall seeing a lot written about the real medical problem. Is it something that is expected to be permanent? Or has he had a couple years where he developed some problem. So the knee problem may not (or it may) be a major concern to a longer term contract. For a kid who was elated when the Twins scout returned and told him they had found what was it, $40,000, I expect a reasonable extension can be worked out. In my opinion, get it done.

Great topic and great young player. I say, yes, get it done. Must disagree with one of your comments, however, I believe he does have a defensive position and that is first base. For not having played it, he did a heck of a good job. Also got a good smile from your comment that FanGraphs had his value at $38M. As Rodney Dangerfield once said, they should probably be renamed to FantasyGraphics.

Early in your post you state that neither Polanco or Arraez have been particularly valuable on defense. Seeing the number of innings Arraez had played first prior to last year was a handful, if any, it is understandable that he made some mental errors . But the player I saw got better as the season went on, until his knee limited him to part-time DH the last several weeks of the season. But wasn't Arraez the runner up for the AL gold glove at first base? That sure as heck seems to me that he would have to add some value to earn that consideration. Spring training was so short last year and I doubt they expected Luis to be their first baseman, so I suspect he had minimal reps at first, if any. With the off-season and normal spring training I can see Arraez being an excellent first baseman, even though he isn't built like one.

Heck GKuehl, with our Manager they need three or four of those long relievers.

You nailed it Doc. They have no opening day starting shortstop, other than moving Polanco which they don't want to do. But they have at least 2 third basemen. As you said, this type of move makes a ton of sense, although like many I really liked Urshela.

The Twins must take into consideration who Maeda is. I have seen him as a very serious person, perhaps some of that has to do with his Japanese culture. So I expect he worked hard on his rehab. None of us know whether or not he could have returned for a few starts or relief appearances last September. But the Twins were out of it and "why push him." There is a realistic chance that Maeda can return as the starter he was before his injury derailed his 2021 season. It is also likely that his elbow was the reason his velocity and performance declined well before being shut down. This guy has always appeared to me to be the ultimate professional. So I expect there is a strong probability he will return as the pitcher we knew in 2020. I expect the Twins have him penciled in as one of their starters and where that fits into the rotation will be decided in spring training. I also expect they are aware that there will need to be some limitation on the number of innings he can throw. Should he not perform in spring training, they can easily move to Plan B with either Winder, Varland or SWR moving into the rotation on opening day.

Must disagree Matt. I expect the Twins know they aren't getting Correa and are planning on Farmer being their starting shortstop until Lewis is ready come June or July. Farmer then moves to a super utility role for the balance of the season, starting somewhere every time they face a lefty.

Question. You begin talking about the Twins needs. Yet, you fail to mention catcher which I maintain is their greatest need, perhaps three catchers needed. There are three veteran starters who all should be considered for extensions. What the pecking order is for that group is hidden in the minds of those who make these decisions. Timing is also a question. Do they talk to one or more this winter? Or do they wait until spring training to get a feel for their respective health?

I expect the Twins believe that Royce Lewis will return healthy and be the shortstop we all have hoped for since whenever. I also expect they know they will not be resigning Correa, although I expect they are making a real attempt to do so. So that puts your plan A front and center. I believed that the Twins biggest need entering the offseason was signing two or even three catchers. They need a solid starter and a Leon type on a minor league deal at St. Paul to be an injury backup and to work with several exciting young pitchers. They also need to find a solid young prospect who will be at AA or higher. Their other needs, IMO, include a short-term shortstop to fill the position until Lewis, or Lee, is available. Their only other need on my to do list was getting a top quality late inning reliever. Although I knew nothing about him prior to Friday, he seems to fill the bill for need #2. They certainly have a ton of money available for the catcher(s) and bullpen arm. The truth, however, is there is no way they can spend enough to get them anywhere near last year's total. So I expect the wolves will be out as we go thru the winter and their spending remains below what most of you expect. The bright spot of having those dollars, however, should enable them to have serious conversations with several of those starting pitchers and a few of the young guys like Arraez, Miranda, et.al. Spend those dollars wisely and the Twins may again be set to compete for the next five plus years.

Hell of a trade.

Interesting guestion, Nick. We were all both surprised and disappointed when Wes moved on mid-season. I wasn’t impressed when Maki got the promotion. But, I knew less than nothing about him. And how could he succeed, replacing a guy so many here and elsewhere were raving about. Reading your comments, it appears Maki was successful working with Pagan. So my question, is Maki better than we feared? Could he be more effective than Wes?

Will begin by saying I like this move, actually both moves. But I have a couple questions. First, is his defense at short good? Second, is it possible that Legumina was added to the 40-man to complete this trade? Could a player have more value in a potential trade because he was added to the 40-man? As for what this means. Miranda is their 3B of the future, short, medium and long term. Farmer is their starting shortstop. When Lewis/Lee is healthy (Lewis) or more experienced (Lee), either becomes the Twins' starting shortstop with Farmer moving to the utility role that he seems well suited for and at a reasonable salary. This also means that most of us need to understand, what I suspect the FO already does, that Correa ain't signing with the Twins. I can live with that. Now let's see them move on to their pressing needs, a starting catcher and top bullpen arm.

Interesting, very! Count me among those who's eyes told me he was better defensively than some of the new numbers suggest. I thought he was fantastic. Also was pleasantly surprised at how well he hit. But this trade accomplishes a lot: 1) opens third base for Miranda, full time; 2) takes Miranda out of the mix at first, clearing it for Arraez, full time, or in some type of platoon with AK; 3) Takes another $9+M off the books; and 4) returns a young prospect who it appears doesn't require a 40-man spot, ie, opening another spot on the roster. That's the type of move many here appear to like, I sure as heck do. Should Miranda not be adequate at third, the Twins have both Lewis and Lee on the verge of taking that final step. Sure seems responsible for management to have one penciled in at short and the other at third, should Miranda not be entrenched there. I don't know what the future holds for the kid coming back. But he is young and hopefully, will contend for a spot in the rotation three or so years from now. Ranked at #22 at his young age must mean that he has some promise. But we Twins fans should also BEWARE! This is the type of move one would expect should the Front Office have decided to rebuild.

Many forget, however, that one of Eddie's numbers that was better were RBI. Some of us still believe those are important.

Love your proposal, Seth. Especially for a guy so many here consider to be worthless. I am confident he will return to the pitcher he was and be a valuable piece of a Twins rotation that is built to win games 2 thru 5.

I am puzzled, Sherry, every time I read a post saying the Twins should sign ACE pitcher X. Have never responded with the reasons why I believe it isn't needed. To sign any ACE free agent pitcher the Twins are going to get an aging starter who has performed well for at least a few years. They will likely need to pay top dollar for many years. Looking back at this type of pitcher signed over the recent past indicates many aren't all that great for their new team. Furthermore, there is a strong chance they will be mediocre over the later years of the contract. in reality, there are bloody few Jason Verlander's out there. And the truth of this Series win by the Astros is that their pitchers #2-#4 were the reason they won. And that is both my point and question. Aren't starting pitchers #2-#5 equally important as the #1? Assuming good health, which is both unpredictable and unlikely, winning games two and three of any three game series is as important as winning game one. Mathematically winning 2 of 3 is more important. So my position is to have a solid #1 starter, which the Twins have with Sonny Gray. Then I want the Twins to be able to have their starting pitcher be equal to or better than the opposition over the next four days. With Mahle, Maeda, Ryan and Ober, I expect the Twins just may have that. Add Paddack who should return late in the season and two young guns, Varland and SWR, and I see a starting rotation that I like a lot. And the good news is that they aren't paying $20M-$30M for five or more years to one guy who is close to the downside end of his career. Their starting rotations had a lot of problems over the past years. But trades for Maeda, Ryan, Gray, Mahle and Paddack together with their development pipeline beginning to arrive should make 2023 an exciting year.

Question, MGM. What does this comment have to due with the Twins adding four to their 40-man roster?