Chance

http://wapc.mlb.com/min/play/?content_id=31211711&topic_id=7617858 This is the highlights (bat by bat) of his 5 2/3 one hit outing.

Another name missing is Lewis Thorpe. He should be showing up in the 2016/2017 crop.

What if we went with Ramon Hernandez? He is a vet that can mentor Pinto for about 2-2.5 million. Last year he made 3.2 million but I don't see him making that again at 38. You can sign him to a 1 year deal and than let Herrmann and Pinto take over after that. He isn't a guy that will demand 4 starts a week so the Twins can still get Pinto and Herrmann plenty of games at catcher (assuming the Twins will want both on the MLB roster). He is also a guy that, if Pinto is playing acceptable, you can release or trade for a D prospect or just cut. He has hit for average in the past with some pop and has thrown out would be base stealers at a 30% clip. He would merely be a bridge to Pinto/Herrmann, he doesn't have to be great and he could just go away when Pinto is ready. There is no reason to sign someone who will block a promising prospect on a team with 3 straight 90+ lose seasons. What do you think?

So far Giolito has looked the part of a number 1 pick.... Yes he got hurt and fell but the talent appears to be where he was projected. So yes these guys can get hurt, but they can also get hurt a week before the draft. It's good to know who to pay attention to when they start playing ball this spring.

Half the guys on our team can't do that. If we have a bench guy that can and play SS he would immediately.

I do like Melotakis up higher. Nice group. Is there any particular reason you have Lee at 15? I don't know a great deal about him. Are you thinking he makes it as a starter or that he will be a closer soon?

20. Baxendale 19. Z. Jones 18. T. Rodgers 17. Goodrum 16. Harrison 15. Kepler 14. May 13. Vargas 12. Santana 11. Walker 10. Polanco 09. Berrios 08. Gonsalves 07. Pinto 06. Thorpe 05. Stewart 04. Rosario 03. Meyer 02. Sano 01. Buxton

Some guys need to step up and do better than last year. For those that don't, replacements are on their way. That's way it doesn't make sense to add a bunch of bats. The same can be said for the pitching staff, however, I think that Ryan and Co. want to look like they are serious for once and attack the free agent market. There are many options out there for them to consider and sign. I don't believe that 4 pitchers is that crazy of a thought. They can always trade some to make room for others. Each year we seem to run out of pitchers anyway because of injuries or lack of production. They might as well sign some guys that can (anchor) our rotation until June/July when they can then flip them for prospects if we are terrible and let Meyer, May, Gibson take a spot, or if we are somehow competitive they can use the surplus to acquire missing pieces.

I could agree with Gibson at #6 if eligible. Out of players that qualify, I would move Thorpe up to #6. Polanco hasn't had continued success that you would like to see at #6. If he has another year at Ft. Myers as he did at Cedar Rapids this year, I'll change my mind completely. JO Berrios looks like a very real bet to land in the Twins rotation for years. I am, however, a little concerned about his endurance as a starter. Does his body project as one that can handle 200+ innings for several years without fatigue and injury issues? I'm not confident about that. Kepler just seems to dangle on the side of the fence representing bust, more so, than the quality MLB everyday player. That may just be me. I, right now, don't see him being much more than a Plouffe. Please note: As I mentioned with Polanco, all my opinions could drastically change with steps in the right direction this season. I fully respect and enjoy Seth's takes. If I was to be a General Manager he would surely have a spot on my staff. I admittedly know next to nothing to Seth, but I have my baseless opinions none-the-less and voice them freely. Thanks Seth!

Thank you! We will see Mike, we will see.

I agree with the both of you on Deduno and Gibson. I like both guys and feel like they deserve a chance and this would be the best year for them to get extended playing time and develop. When I do my blueprint, I try and consider both my ideas and what I believe are reasonable moves the Twins will make. I believe that the Twins will add 3 average starters this off-season. Those being Arroyo, Hughes, and Kazmir. I fear that they will accually add Pelfrey back to the mix. I am not completely opposed to this, however, I would rather let Gibson or Deduno get the last spot. This would make a rotation of: Arroyo Correia Kazmir Hughes Gibson/Deduno (I hope they take Johan on a flier and wing it from there).

That is a bold and cutting edge opinion. It's that crazy thinking that wins divisions!

I would do Burton and a Danny Ortiz type player. Are we significantly undervaluing what it would take here? I think so.

1. Sign Scott Kazmir - 2 years 20million 2. You want an innings eater? You got him! Bronson Arroyo - 3 years 32 million. I think the extra year is what will pull him away from the Giants and land him in Minnesota. He would be 40(close enough) at the end of the deal. With his history, at least 32 starts per year since 2005, there is no reason to think he will be a waste of money. 3. Fine, everyone is doing it, Phil Hughes - 1 year 12 million. 4. Resign Pelfrey - 2 years 14 million. This isn't what I want but it will happen regardless so why fight it? That concludes the additions segment. Now on to the team outline! 1B- Parmelee and Colabello will platoon at 1B. This stops when one of the following things happen; One of them out preforms the other and looks like an adequate first basemen, One of them is just so terrible that the other will be forced into extended play at the position, Sano comes up and Plouffe has been playing better than the both of them so he takes over at first, or Mauer needs to stop catching because of health issues/risks or Pinto is dominating as the back up. (What?! Pinto is the back up?! When did that happen?!) Well I'm getting to it, so calm down Baseball Junkies! You will get your fix. Unbelievable. Mauer would be playing first on his days off, obviously. 2B- Dozier has clearly earned this spot. I would however have him play some shortstop in spring training for when Rosario comes up... Call up Rosario as soon as he appears ready. I think that will be in June. He is a terrific average hitter and he didn't seem over matched during the WBC against some MLB pitchers. I don't see him having any troubles at the position defensively, either. When he comes up he is the new starter at 2B. That is his future with this team, not the OF. SS- Florimon begins the year as the starter but is moved to bench duty when Rosario comes up and Dozier takes over at SS. Yes, this is assuming a lot but it's my Blueprint so back off. I honestly believe that he will be an above average SS like he was in the minors (unless one of you pulls up a stat from his minors that proves that statement wrong). I believe that his rookie year was a fluke and that the problems he experienced on defense were more from mental issues from his struggles in general. He's past that, let's all move on. 3B- This goes to Plouffe and there is no reason to sign a third basemen because Sano will be up in about July. My guess is after the Futures Game and that is based on absolutely nothing. Sano becomes the regular 3Bman while Plouffe moves to first or the bench. C- Mauer sucks and should be the back up. Did you see Pinto's numbers in September?! I kid, of course, but I do think that Pinto has enough plate discipline and plenty of offense/ work ethic/talent/defense to back him up so we never see Doumit back there again. RF- Arcia. He is a beast and his numbers will be amazing this year. I truly believe that. No need for a back up, but Doumit/Parmelee/Colabello are available. CF- Presley will start the year in center. The only way he is moving from this position is if either Hicks or Buxton explode onto the scene and force him to move to 4th outfielder duty (Mastroanni to start with). I don't see Hicks doing enough to get a call-up, unless there is an injury, prior to September. Buxton will debut in 2015. LF- Willingham with Mastro/Doumit/Colabello/Parmelee/Arcia backing him up. Willingham will improve this year and be trading for something that we will all be underwhelmed by at the deadline (along with Doumit). DH- Doumit for the most part until the trade deadline. Starters! 1. Arroyo (The Twins Bulldog Vet will be the opening day starter. Write that down.) 2. Hughes 3. Correia 4. Kazmir 5. Pelfrey Bullpen. It's obvious. Alright! There you have it! feel free to rip me apart in the comments. I enjoy it. Also I might have over paid for a few pitchers but we have the money and if we want them than that is what it takes, pay the man!

I agree that Duensing is expendable, but either way, I don't think this is a major role for next season's team. If he's gone someone else can step in and perform as well as Duensing. It's not like his money is going to make a difference. So either way, doesn't matter.

I agree with you that he looks great in the Youtube videos. I would also like the Twins to consider him, my only hesitation about your plan is that you are relying on him being a number 2 (for us) which even given our poor pitching is expecting a lot from a Korean pitcher who didn't work solely as a starter in his own league. Otherwise I will be very pleased if we sign him and see what he can do as long as we are signing other pitchers and not planning on him being a sturdy starter for us.

I respect your opinions, but I don't agree with some of this. 1. I don't like because of Parmelee's involvement. 4b. He is a big unknown (not sure if he can start) and you have him as our #2 starter? 5. Well that's just silly. Bonus: no Burton? after double checking to make sure my responses were correct and I didn't misread, I noticed that Trevor May was on that Trade as well. You really had to be joking. Breaking down this trade: Meyer is a better prospect in mind than Mauerer. Than you would like to trade ROSARIO and MAY for another reliever as if we this is a position of need. It just had to be a joke.

I've heard this before, but I'm not sure if that is a bad thing, good thing, or just a thing. Is there any significants to this delivery?

Seth, you're awesome. Thanks again for your hard work and dedication to TD. Is there a chance, with a good showing in EST, that he could join Cedar Rapids without going to E-Town? I know that you want players to develop, and take their time (he's only 18ish!), but 66-6 K:BB is pretty filthy. Why not challenge the kid a little? He seems to have the right mindset. Would it really stunt his development if he goes to A-ball after a few weeks in EST and experiences some growing pains? It may actually be good for him, because right now it's coming to easy for him.

Buxton hit a homerun today (3) while going 2-5. Rosario added another hit and has posted a .277 average, thus far. Zach Jones continued to struggle. He failed to complete one inning of work. Jones gave up 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 homeruns. He also had one strikeout. AJ Achter pitched another perfect inning with a strikeout. He now has 7 shutout innings in the AFL.

What I gather from this is, we can over spend and still not end up at where our payroll should be. This has always been my stance. if I was to be the GM and found out that I needed to overspend to land some top talent then I would. You should set a cap for the team not each player. If you over spend on a guy to get what you want, who cares?! You got what you wanted without raising your cap! Plan out 100,000,000 for the team and spend what it takes to get players like Tanaka here. Don't go cheap or scrape the bottom line and hope they choose you. Pay the extra million or 2 more than the other team or give the extra year on the deal to make it happen. That way, you don't end up at spring training explaining to fans that players like other organizations better or they went for more than you thought they were worth. Sorry for the rant, but my goodness, it's frustrating.

Well, Buxton did homer yesterday. His second in the AFL. I think he will continue to heat up as he gets more familiar with the league. Kepler accually seems to be keeping up for the most part which is encouraging.

That's exactly what I was thinking while looking over his minor league stats. He has limited MLB experience so he could end up much better than Plouffe by the time he his 26 or 27. I really thought it was funny that they would give up that potential for Plouffe.

phillies1102 • 21 hours ago I remember the Ben Revere deal, I also suggested Phillies should have also attempted to acquire Plouffe. We might've needed to add on Asche (who would have been blocked anyways) and Lindblom or Bonnilla (who we dealt for M Young ), which would not have been a steep price considering the ability of Plouffe, and his massive amount of team control. Fastfoward a year, instead of worrying about lineup balance and uncertainty with Asche entering 2014, we could have had a fairly safe bet in Plouffe, who has had a powerful year in back to back seasons. A solid run producer who would be quite the RH 7 hole hitter (which requires less OBP and more SLG) and an average defender, I think acquiring Plouffe would have been smart. However, the option remains to acquire him, dealing Asche and a pitching arm for him, and use him a 3B for a year before smoothly transitioning to a new position (as he has in the past), making way for Franco. This is a comment posted on mlbtraderumors. Cody Asche's statistics. Cody Asche Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com Would have been interesting if the Twins (and Philly) granted this fan his wish. I would prefer the arm thrown in with Asche but that's just me.

I have a sneaky feeling the Twins will sign Chris Narveson to a minor league deal with the opportunity to compete for a spot in the rotation. Anyone else see this as a good possibility?