TopGunn#22

Even if we end up with Roch, Houston's glove makes him the better SS. Roch could play 3B and you'd have Lee and Culpepper at 2B.. Keachall in LF would be fine with me. But this is a GREAT problem to have. I think we actually end up with Vann Lackey at #3 and are rock solid at Catcher in the future. Houston should be moved to AA (SOON). It's clear he's mastered this level, maybe ahead of the Twins original timeline but he's earned it. I'd probably have him finish this season at AA and if he's earned it, he could begin 2027 at St. Paul.

You really should have included Morneau in some way, shape or form. He WAS the A.L. MVP. It's kind of like writing an article about the 1969 Twins and highlighting Oliva, Carew and Jim Perry but failing to mention Harmon Killebrew. Still, I appreciate the article. It's always nice to take a trip down Memory Lane, recalling the players that made Twins teams so fun to watch and root for.

I would love it if Hill was pitching better. But while I do have some degree of worry about his lack of control/command at this stage of his career, I'm not anywhere near giving up on him. I still think he's our future Ace. I agree with bean5302. I'm more worried about Hunter Townsend, the Cedar Rapids pitching coach. He's got a sports car in his garage but he can't find the keys. There is more pressure on him to fix Dasan Hill's control issues than anybody.

This is a tremendously INTERESTING development. Honestly, I'd be happy with ANY of Roch, Lackey or Grady Emerson. Still, I would also be shocked if the White Sox, who already have Teel and Quero as solid young catchers, passed on the standout SS's and took Lackey. I'm prepared for Lackey to be our choice and would still like it. But I'd be running to the podium if Roch Cholowsky was sitting there. I also fully expect to see Culpepper promoted sometime this season and be our SS at the end of 2026. And yet, I expect to see Culpepper shifted to 3B when Marek Houston keeps hitting and becomes our full-time SS sometime in 2027. So where does this leave a guy like Cholowsky? A guy that has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr? And if Cholowsky has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr. then how can Brooks Lee's lack of athleticism even compare? This MLB draft should be pretty interesting.

This is a good topic and worthy of discussion. The Twins are NOT contending this year. They are probably not quite ready to contend in 2027 and how much "baseball" will we miss with the Lockout/Strike? It's a great idea to trade Cody Clemons for the best return you can. The 2 NL West teams suggested are prime candidates. I'll admit, Cody Clemons has exceeded all expectations I ever had. I think he's a solid ballplayer. He's a reliable glove in a number of positions, usually better than the primary player at the position. But it is probably time to see what teams are willing to give up to get him. Especially if it's a hard throwing RP with closing potential.

This Cy Young vote was one that, if you could go back and change it, you should. It's kind of how I feel about the 1966 Cy Young when they only awarded ONE across all of MLB and it rightfully went to Sandy Koufax in his incredible final season. But Jim Kaat won 25 for the Twins that year and should have been the A.L. Cy Young. Would an extra Cy Young Award have helped Santana? Certainly. It's hard to ignore THREE of them. Johan would have been the A.L.'s version of Koufax in the 1960's. Would one Cy Young have helped Kaat get in sooner? Quite possibly. But it was also kind of fitting he went in the same year Tony-O did. My wife and I were there for that and it was tremendous to see the former teammates go in together. Cy Young Awards are probably very impactful in getting HOF votes. But Juan Marichal never won one, and he got in. As fat as Santana vs Colon that year, it is what it is and there's no changing it. Maybe Johan eventually gets in like Tony Oliva did, through a veterans committee.

If the FO was serious they should have extended Jeffers last off-season. I can't see them doing it now at the price. Just too "un-Pohlad like." The best case scenario is he hits just enough in the time he comes off the IL before the trade deadline that the Twins can extort a pretty good deal for him. As to next season, I'm fine with bringing in someone like Stephenson or Heim if the price is right. In 2028, the Twins will probably have Lackey and Tait. That may be the best catching tandem they've had since 2006-Mauer & Redmond. 2027 will probably be a fractured season anyway and one the Twins don't contend in either, although with a healthy Lopez and if the young SP's continue to improve, good pitching is the ultimate equalizer. Just look what the White Sox young pitching has done for them to date. Another thought for 2027: We've been getting a BARGAIN for Byron Buxton up to this point. Once the Lockout/Strike is resolved and if there is indeed a cap and floor, I'd like to see Byron Buxton get a brand new deal that pays him something like $90 million for 3 seasons. He's earned it.

Culpepper and Houston just keep hitting. That's encouraging. Gotta get Jenkins and E-Rod healthy.

I would just add that the reason I don't think the Twins had much interest in SWR in the BP is that he doesn't have anything dominating in his pitch arsenal. Most BP pitchers throw mid to upper 90's or have a tremendous spin rate on a breaking pitch. Everything in SWR's arsenal was pretty mediocre.

This HAD to happen. SWR has been horrible. You just can't keep giving guys chance after chance and get the same way below average result. I can't believe Chris Paddack is still pitching. Why is Outman still on the MLB roster much less the 40-man? There is no upside to SWR if he is exclusively a SP. The fact that our BP is in the sorry state it is and the Twins don't even consider him an option is telling. As to the 2 "open spots" on the 40-man roster. The Twins don't seem to be in a hurry to fill them. Maybe some future trades may require a couple additional spots on the 40 man.

I think the owners made a shrewd move in the Public Relations War by getting this out there this early. It is most certainly going to get more ugly. But this is an excellent piece by Cody that points out a number of things that should be viewed as a positive to Twins fans. And this should also be looked upon favorably by other fan bases. Here are a couple of examples: The Guardian-Indians absolutely need to pair Jose Ramirez with another STAR caliber player. The Royals absolutely need to retain Bobby Witt Jr. The Tigers should absolutely be able to retain back to back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. The Pirates should be able to build around Skenes, Griffin and Bubba Chandler. The Devil is in the Details, but I'm fairly certain any agreement with a cap and floor would need to be phased in over 3 or so. You can't take a wrecking ball to the situation and just expect immediate and total compliance. But, for as dead set as the MLBPA is against a cap and floor, how loyal would their rank and file be if you could maintain paying the superstars big money (like the NFL does with QB's or the NBA does with "Max Contracts) while raising the minimum MLB salary as well as some higher level minor league salary structures. If fans in Pittsburgh could have a sense that Skenes and Griffin could (and would) be long term cornerstones of their franchise, I think that's GOOD for baseball. If miserly owners like the Pohlad's would be terrified at a $175 million dollar salary FLOOR and this would "motivate" them to sell SOONER rather than LATER, I think 90% of Twins Daily would be in favor. Baseball needs a new financial structure. I wouldn't expect it to be a magic pill that fixes everything, but I would appreciate small market teams being able to keep their star studded core together longer, much like the Big Red Machine or Pittsburg Pirates of the 1970's did. The Dodgers will always be the Dodgers, but maybe they get back to the 5 consecutive Rookies of the Year (1992-1996) or the 4 consecutive (1979-1982) instead of buying every All Star they can get their hands on. The Yankees will always be the Yankees. But a Twins team that rewards Buxton with an extension, does the same to Joe Ryan (and probably Pablo) and spends to bring a true Closer on board to build a bullpen around, while getting ready to welcome Walker Jenkins, E-Rod, Culpepper and Houston to the ballclub in the near future is a team I can get excited about.

Tough outing for Dasan Hill. Still, it's just one outing. I remain VERY high on his potential. Command at his age is a common problem. Gosh, do the Twins have a LOT of top prospects hurt. Gotta get these boys healthy. Seems like Quentin Young is scuffling.

Jeffers is a must trade for me tony&rodney. He's not signing an extension and if he comes back and looks good they could get some nice talent back. I wouldn't trade Joe Ryan unless the return was substantial. Same with Buxton. With those 2 guys there is Shouldn't be any pressure to deal them. They would be key pieces in a rebuild and could allow the Twins to be contenders much more quickly, especially with the expectation that Pablo Lopez comes back strong in 2027 (whenever MLB is actually playing baseball games). But as nice as it is to see a team just one game under .500, while my heart says "YEAH!!!" my brain says a team like the Red Sox, over 162 games SHOULD be better than us. We are not serious playoff contenders. This is about evening up the roster and accumulating talent to fill in the cracks and improve the overall depth when injuries happen. And yes, maybe even making the team leaner and meaner to better facilitate a sale. Ryan and Buxton are our best assets because they make us better and would make any other team better. Jeffers would qualify as well, if his agent wasn't Scott Boras and he wasn't a FA at the end of this season. But when you have a chance to draft the top catching prospect in the draft and Tait and Jimenez in the pipeline Jeffers is, as I said, a must trade. We have young pitchers starting to emerge and an asset in Ober that has built value back up. I don't know how Ober has done it to this point, but yesterday's game vs. the Red Sox showed that Ober's recent success could end sooner rather than later. To me, Ober is a must trade as well. There are teams that will give up something of value for the allure of a good #4/#5 SP to fill out the back end of their rotation. I would make an Ober trade SOON. The other guys that were discussed in the op, and some that weren't originally suggested, like Larnach are all prime candidates for a trade. I like what Larnach has done this season. He's certainly built a little more value up. But Jenkins and E-Rod are coming, and Gabe Gonzalez is already here. Even a Kyler Fedko could/should get a chance. Larnach, Wallner and Lewis should be shuffled off for something that fills out organizational depth more effectively.

It is NOT too early to be discussing this. Reality Check: The Twins are a bad baseball team with serious roster holes. We are a half game out of a Wildcard spot by playing in the worst division in baseball. We'd get destroyed in said Wildcard game. Reality says we need to be aggressive and smart in dealing for young talent to retrofit this roster. There were a couple of players NOT mentioned in the article who should be included. 1. Buxton-He's 32 and now has 10 and 5 rights. I do not trade him unless he requests it. There would be teams, with the Braves at the top of the list, who could and probably would provide a handsome return. But he's the face of the franchise and deserves the chance to be a one-team player, It's got to be Buxton's choice. 2. Ryan-After the injury scare, the loss of Lopez for the season, the near deal with Boston last year and with the emergence of Bradley, Abel, Prielipp and hopefully Matthews, it's time to cash in on Joe Ryan. He will start getting more and more expensive and he will bring a solid package back. 3. Jeffers-The injury is disappointing, but further points to the need to move him. he should have been traded a month ago. With Boras as his agent, he's never signing an extension. He's having his best season ever. Smart FO's see this opportunity and move on it. We have Caratini. We have some emerging catching talent in the minors and the chance to draft the top catcher with the 3rd overall pick. Find the team willing to give up some real talent and make the deal. 4. Josh Bell is a release candidate. Trade him for anything you can get. 5. Ober-His season to date offers a tremendous chance to maximize the return. While Ryan could be a All Star caliber #2 on a contending team, Ober is an intriguing #4 or #5. I'd trade him right now to open up spots for younger pitchers. From this point forward, his value can only decrease. 6. Lewis and Wallner-Lewis is still just 26 years old. Wallner is 28. Each has flashed a tantalizing future only to look so lost it's maddening. There are younger players who are making them less and less of a Twins future. EVERY TEAM in MLB has players just like Lewis and Wallner. It's time for the Twins to move on and take a chance on getting a Shane Mack type back in return who thrives on a change in scenery. 7. Larnach-He's having his best season at age 29. But I'd move on with the young OF we have coming up. I wouldn't give him away, but somebody may give up a nice piece if Larnach would be a good fit for them. 8. SWR-There are younger players who have far greater upside than SWR. If the Twins move him to the BP and he does well I'm hanging on to him as a 25 year old. He's got no spot in a future Twins rotation, but has a chance to be a decent BP pitcher. With a labor stoppage sure to affect at least SOME of 2027 and the hopes that the Pohlad's will finally sell this off season the tear-down should continue with enthusiasm. The Twins are NOT a contender this year. Trade the guys who no longer have a place on a 2027 roster, get the team in a good sale position and build for 2028 & 2029 with young players. It's 1981 all over again.

Clearly, the Twins don't REALLY have concerns with swing and miss. Just look at how long the leashes have been for Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis. Throw in a Miguel Sano for the Hat Trick. This is one of the more disappointing and mystifying things about being a Major league Baseball fan. Especially in an era where so much more information and discussion of minor league players exits. By all accounts, Fedko SHOULD HAVE been up last year, probably around August 1st. But the call never came. We've watched Wallner and Outman flail away consistently and even with Wallner sent packing, no call for Fedko. Outman has struck out 20 times in 54 AB's and is hitting .185 with a .524 OPS. Who are we kidding here?? Fedko would offer more defensive versatility and couldn't possibly be worse than Outman. And this is where it gets disappointing. What else does Fedko need to do? Have another 3 HR game? It's not like the Twins are holding off on starting his Major league clock. It's not that he has a limited number of options left. The Twins organization has predetermined what and who he can be. I was actually surprised no Major League team made a run at him in the Rule 5 draft last year. I thought the Twins has dodged a bullet. But with all the offensive disappointments the Twins have trotted out there this year, couldn't a 2-3 week look at Fedko at least be a consideration? Kiersey ended up being a flop offensively but he didn't put up numbers at St. Paul like Fedko. FREE KYLER FEDKO !!!