TopGunn#22

I like the suggestions LA Vikes, CoachDW and Doc Bauer! The 2B LA Vikes is referring to would be Brandon Lowe and Gleybor Torres. Lowe is 32 years old, and a move to 1B is certainly in his future. He played for the Pirates this year, and they have 2B and 1B options they may prefer due to cost. The new CBA looming for MLB may change their thinking on that though. Lowe has excellent power. He's always been a pretty good offensive player and he could probably be an above average defensive player at 1B. Torres is 29 and a move off of 2B might be a bit premature, although he's a lousy fielder. I think the Tigers will move on though, they have younger, better options. Torres has never been a good defensive player, at any position, so his outlook at 1B is poorer than someone like Lowe. I'm anticipating Houston being called up sometime in June next year if he's hitting reasonably well for the Saints. When he arrives, it will move Culpepper to 2B. That would open a possibility to move Clemens to 1B. For the somewhat distant future, someone like Tinney or Tait makes sense, especially with Lackey expected to be the primary catcher. But Lewis is not the answer, and the sample size is ample enough to reach that determination. That means somebody is needed to open the season at 1B for the Twins in 2027...whenever baseball finally begins playing. The best option in FA would be Jake Bauers. FA estimates for Bauers suggest a 2 or 3 year deal. 3-years $24 million or 2-years for $20 million. Those are actually quite palatable. Otherwise, I'd scour AA or AAA 1B on other teams that are stuck behind an accomplished 1B on the major league team. It's impossible to predict what the Twins will do on the trade market in the off season, but Joe Ryan, Larnach, Wallner, Ober, Royce Lewis, even Dean Kremer, who the Twins hold an option for 2027 could be potential trade candidates. What players could we get in trades for these players? Would a 1B prospect or veteran catcher be among those? While the Twins have a stockpile of talent at catcher in the minor leagues, no one except Caratini can be counted on to begin the 2027 behind the plate. Jeffers would be nice, and about the time Lackey is ready, Jeffers could slide to 1B. But with Scott Boras as an agent, the chances of Jeffers accepting a QO or re-signing with the Twins are about 1%. First base and catcher are major concerns for next season. We are not a good baseball team right now, but with a successful off season of remaking the roster, in the hapless A.L. Central, the bar is LOW for contention. While my confidence is tepid that Tom Pohlad and Jeremy Zoll can do a good job making the necessary trades and FA signings to better our chances, I'd rather have them give it a try than stick with a roster that hasn't succeeded for several years.

Great comp of Rosario and Larnach, jmlease. It really is too bad the Astros owner nixed the trade because Bryan Abreu would have been a great arm to add to our BP and would have become our future Closer. I would revisit this trade with Houston and add a minor league prospect to clinch the deal. The Astros clearly need a bat like Lanach and Abreu has fallen out of favor in Houston. Every name listed in the op makes a lot of sense, and others have pointed out MANY other names that should be on the list. Unfortunately, many have succinctly explained why Zoll would bring back a guy like Bell, who has pretty much done exactly what we hoped he would do but who clearly doesn't fit on any iteration of a future Twins roster. And this is part and parcel of why this ownership and FO are so incredibly frustrating. In 2025 we gutted our BP. Some of the guys needed to be moved. Some, like Varland, clearly should have been kept. It was like the Twins started off with a plan and then went on a drunken spiral they just couldn't pull themselves out of. I still maintain BIG changes of our roster are needed, and I further maintain that even with massive changes, the A.L. Central is so mediocre that we could still contend. After the Twins failed to trade Jeffers for something useful at the deadline, it would appear a QO is essential to at least secure draft pick compensation. A $23 million salary for 2027 would be tremendously bad payroll management for Jeffers, a career .243/.328/.430 hitter with a .758 OPS. But Catcher is a HUGE weak spot and Jeffers for 2027 would be an excellent bridge to Vahn Lackey in 2028. Alas, his agent is Scott Boras. No chance he accepts the QO but at least a high draft pick mitigates the FO malfeasance. I'd use that pick on a high potential pitcher, which is what we should have been getting from the Yankees, just with a little more seasoning.

Clemens is a very interesting player mluebker. He's a solid glove glove, especially at 2B and while the batting average and OBP are low, he hits with consistent power. He should be the starting 2B next year to begin the season (whenever the season eventually begins). But once Marek Houston is promoted, Culpepper will surely swing to 2B. Clemens would still be a very capable Utilityman, but if he puts together a first half next year, similar to what he did this year, something useful could be gotten for him at the trade deadline. I think we are all just frustrated at the mediocrity of what the Pohlad ownership and Front Offices have produced for the last nearly 20 years (with the exception of 2019). We are ALL ready for change. The sooner, the better. These last 2 seasons, many of us were pretty sure the Twins lacked enough to even contend in the lowly A.L. Central. We were right. And our ownership and FO let opportunities slip by that could have made us better. For Example: Trading Joe Ryan to the Red Sox for Arias and Tolle and failing to trade Jeffers to the Yankees for a useful pitcher or two. But there is SOME optimism for 2027. We started 2026 with Brooks Lee at SS. We all knew that would go badly. But I'm encouraged by his season and his play at 3B. He's got room to grow, We started with Luke Keaschall at 2B. The kid can hit, but he and Lee were probably baseball's worst middle infield pairing defensively and with Keaschall's slow start offensively it only added to the negative ranking. Now, for next year, we will be looking at an eventual infield of Lee at 3B, Houston at SS and Culpepper at 2B. THAT is an incredible upgrade from what we started 2026 with defensively for sure, and possibly offensively. We are looking at Jenkins, E-Rod and Keaschall in an OF with Buxton instead of an OF with Larnach, Wallner, Austin Martin and Roden (or Outman for that matter). Again, this is an improvement. How big of an improvement is a valid debate, but it certainly has far more potential than 2026. Whether we have Lopez AND Ryan at the top of our rotation with Bradley or just ONE of them, THAT's an improvement from 2026. If Ryan is traded, he may not bring back an Arias and Tolle, but something useful should be acquired. Zebby looked pretty good last night. Abel looked pretty good at times before getting hurt. Prielipp has stayed healthy and had plenty of encouraging innings. If I'm moving on from Ryan this off-season, and maybe Lopez and Clemens at the deadline. Moving on from Larnach, Wallner, and Ober, as well as Lewis this off-season, and let's add Austin Martin to the list, my focus would be on upside arms that need some tinkering. Maybe there is one position player mixed in, but we have what seems to me, plenty of position players emerging in the system, but adding pitching depth to go with what I believe will finally be at least an average Twins defense, then anything is possible in the tepid A.L. Central. We need new ownership. We need a completely new FO. Something with people from the Brewers and/or Guardian-Indians organizations who are ready for bigger roles in a new organization because they are buried behind smart guys in Milwaukee and Cleveland. That's 7-8 guys we'd be trading. I'll admit, I don't have a lot of faith in our current FO acquiring the right talent in return, but let's say we add just 3 guys that could help the Twins at point next season or 2028 and they are each younger and cheaper than what we traded away. That, to me, would be a small step forward. Maybe Pablo pitches at an All-Star level. Depending on where we are in the A.L. Central and Wild Card race as the trade deadline approaches, he could either be traded for a lot more with his value re-established or possibly extended. Having Pablo around with a young staff of Bradley, Abel, Zebby, Prielipp and whoever we acquired in a Joe Ryan trade would be very beneficial. What dampens the outlook going forward are the Pohlad's still owning the Twins and the same inadequate people in our FO. This has to change for any enthusiasm to return to Twins baseball. Nothing will change until THAT changes, even though there is some young talent emerging that is intriguing. We have to get back to a pitching and defense centered team. 2019 kind of ruined that model from the Tom Kelly/Andy McPhail era. While 2019 was a really fun season for Twins fans, it's effects have dogged the Twins organization ever sense.

This is the prime reason why the Twins need to move on from several players and commit to their young talent. Trading some of Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Trevor Larnach, Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner etc...could also bring some young talent that could eventually help build a better roster. The Twins are a lot like the Chicago White Sox were for the last couple of seasons. 2026 is the year that much of the White Sox "projectable" talent started to contribute at the major league level, in both pitching and position players. This is also a great example that in the A.L. Central, you're never really completely out of contention on a year to year basis. The bar is so low in the A.L. Central that the Twins could trade Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton and possibly still contend and exceed expectations. It also shows that despite the bar being SO LOW, our ownership and FO brain trust have lacked the ability to put a competitive team on the field. There will be a Lockout/Strike that will certainly delay the start of the 2027 season. It's just the way the things are resolved nowadays. But after all that comes to end, my hope is that the Pohlad family sells quickly and the new ownership cleans house and brings in new blood, with a new vision and plan to bring winning baseball back to the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins "might" be able to do something with Dean Kremer (I doubt it) to enhance his pitches, but Bailey Ober "is who he is" at this point. He may have some value to a team who needs a "somewhat" dependable 5th SP but with all due respect to HarmonK03, who I agree with often, I disagree with Ober. We've watched Ober for some time and it's like playing 5 inning Russian Roulette. Eventually, the bullet will find him and a crooked number ensues. Plus, Ober does not represent the Twins "future." The one guy I would keep on the staff for next year, at least until the Trade Deadline, would be Pablo Lopez. Despite yet another 2nd half collapse, Joe Ryan still has more value than any pitcher in our rotation. Lopez has almost no value. If I'm the Twins GM, it's time to commit to the young talent and give them a chance. I keep Lopez and see if he can rebuild his value. If we are somehow in contention, and Pablo is pitching well, I entertain offers, inquire with his people what an extension would cost, and presumably, if we're playing baseball, the labor strife has been resolved, I determine if Pablo gets traded or extended. But I would definitely be entertaining offers for Ryan, Ober and Kremer. It's obvious the Twins FO and ownership overplayed their hand at last year's deadline with Boston. The talent of Arias was well known and Marek Houston had yet to bust out. Tolle has exceeded expectations this season, but even if he hadn't, the Twins would have replaced Ryan in the rotation with a young, controllable left handed SP with good raw stuff. It was a crime the FO wasn't satisfied with that and it underscores their ongoing, consistent inability to effectively build a roster and judge talent. I wouldn't give away Ryan. But there are at least a couple of trades out there that could still benefit the Twins for him. Ober and Kremer are in a different category. I'd give them up for an "A" ball pitcher with great raw stuff but control issues, maybe even some International Signing $. Getting a lottery ticket for either Ober or Kremer would be a win in my book.

Cody, this FO and ownership has never shown the willingness to make difficult trades. Last year's "Trade Deadline Massacre" of the bullpen reeked of panic, not a pragmatic, well thought out plan. The leadership of the Twins, whether ownership or FO hasn't shown any kind of "plan" for over 20 years. In 2006 when they had Mauer, Morneau, Hunter, Santana and Nathan they didn't have the guts to make a bold move to put a team like that over the hump. We were never going to contend in 2026. Hindsight is 20/10, but not making the Ryan for Arias and Tolle was a major blunder. The Twins FO over-played their hand. Not trading Lopez prior to spring training last year was a fail, albeit with significant Monday Morning QB vibes. Not trading Jeffers to the Yankees at the deadline is a MAJOR blunder. Consider this: Jeffers was having a career year and had come off the IL showing he could still hit at a high level. The Yankees were DESPERATE for an upgrade at Catcher. A deal SHOULD have been made. Jeffers is a career .243 .328 .430. His career OPS is .758. Once again, the Twins FO over played their hand. The Twins, under current ownership/leadership are NOT offering Jeffers arbitration leading to a potential $23 million dollar salary for 2027 heading into a lockout/strike. They just aren't. We have driven Ryan's value to it's low point. But it's not as low as Pablo Lopez. One of Ryan or Lopez should be traded this off season. I vote Ryan because he still could bring something back of value. Lopez is a better trade deadline or extension candidate if he comes back to his prime form. It is ridiculous that we still have Larnach, Wallner, and Ober. I'm still not convinced Royce Lewis can be a better 1B option than Cody Clemens once Marek Houston is up at SS, Culpepper slides to 2B and Lee is holding down 3B. For a team whose infield defense has been poor for years...THAT'S a pretty solid defensive IF. It's an off season that is screaming "major shake up" with the eye on 2028 to seriously contend. We do not have the ownership or FO with the brains, talent and guts to make that happen. The bar will always be low to compete in the A.L. Central. The twins should be looking to build something BETTER.

There is a chance Luke could improve as a fielder. He's got the speed and athleticism to improve. His arm is suspect. That usually means 2B, LF or 1B. Koskie was also a good "athlete." Hard work made him an above average 3B. But there is no doubt they need his bat at the top of the lineup. I think Greggory lays out a feasible plan for Keaschall. The Twins are at a crossroads. I think they have to shake things up and stop the doom-loop of the same basic core that can't seem to get over the hump. They have the potential to have a decent starting rotation. But one of Lopez or Ryan needs to be moved. I vote Ryan. We can get a lot more for Ryan than for Lopez. I'd start next year with Lopez pitching opening day, and depending on how the season is going for the team AND for Lopez, either trade him at the deadline or extend him. But it's time to move on from Ryan and get some young talent that is major league ready. The rotation for next season: Lopez, Bradley, Abel, Prielipp, Kremer, Matthews, Rojas and maybe someone acquired in a trade involving Ryan. The bullpen (last night's meltdown against the hated Yankees dismissed) is largely on the team now. Minter would be nice to bring back, and there's always hope for Festa (and with me Canterino) but with trades of Ryan, Ober, Larnach, Wallner and maybe Lewis there should be an influx of a few arms that can compete for rotation and bullpen spots. I think Cody Clemens is better to hang on to rather than trade. I don't think we would get sufficient value back for a versatile glove with 25 HR power. Hang onto him and start him at 2B until Marek Houston comes up and Culpepper swings to 2B. Then, possibly trade Clemens at the deadline. I am also of the mind that the sooner Zoll is shown the door and the Pohlad's sell, we can get some new blood leading this organization and hopefully start a new and better chapter of Twins baseball. The Labor Strife could either accelerate the sale or put it in limbo, but the stench of the Pohlad ownership must be cleansed before fans will give the team a chance. The Pohlad's are the weight that pulls this franchise down. You can't put the blame on some obscure scout or the hitting coach. It's the Pohlad family, plain and simple. It is time to embrace the young talent the Twins have and could add, with the trading away of veterans who no longer fit the timeline of the vision. Byron Buxton is also a player at the center of this equation. The Twins could get some serious talent in return for him. Buck wants to retire a Twin, but he's a hard guy for a team to plan around with the constant specter of injury hovering above him. There are better days ahead for the Twins. But it will take a Pohlad family sale and a complete re-ordering of the leadership and vision of the Minnesota Twins. In the division the twins play in, being a contender is a low bar to reach. The current ownership and brain trust has been incapable of meeting this bar.

At long last this finally happens! I'm on the "FIRE ZOLL" bandwagon, but I still long for the day when the Pohlad family finally sells and we have new ownership as well. We have had poor leadership from Twins ownership and FO for quite some time now. Change needs to happen. On one hand, a Twins fan could almost get excited about a Twins starting rotation next year led by Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, with Bradley, Abel, Prielipp, Zebby and Ober backing them up. That's 7 deep and you could throw Dean Kremer in there for #8. But you could also make a very compelling case for thinking "enough with the same old same old failures. It's time to blow this team up and re-tool." I can see hanging onto Pablo at least until the trade deadline in the hope we're contending and he's rebuilt his value. I'm not so sure I would hang onto Joe Ryan if I can get a good package back this off season. I also think Bailey Ober has rebuilt a certain degree of value back. I'd rather go with all the young guys and Lopez and Kremer as the stabilizing vets. It will be interesting to see what they could get for Ober should a pitching depth needy team come calling. E-Rod needs to play every day along with Jenkins and Keaschall in the OF. Larnach can pinch hit. The fact Larnach wasn't traded this off season or at the deadline is a prime example of why this FO needs to be replaced. Same with Jeffers. We were NOT a contender. Jeffers could have brought something pretty good back. Wallner has no future with the Twins either. Package him in a deal and get some other team's "Never Was" guy as a lottery ticket back.

What are the realistic chances the Twins bring back Minter? He will be a FA and he's a solid BP arm so I imagine the bidding could be intense. I'd feel better about the BP if Minter was also a part of it. I'm curious what the writers on TD will come up with for suggestions for off season additions. The IF with Lee at 3B, Culpepper at SS, Clemens at 2B and Lewis at 1B looks pretty set, at least until Marek Houston arrives and pushes Culpepper to 2B. The OF should have Buxton, Jenkins and Keaschall as the primary 3 with Emmanuel Rodriguez mixing in. Catcher looks like the biggest lineup hole with Jeffers leaving as a FA. Caratini and Jackson are O.K. but somewhat below average. Our minor league Catching prospects are as good as the Twins have ever had, yet seemingly not ready until end of 2027 or probably 2028. Catcher remains an off season problem. The BP was discussed in this article and the optimism of a starting staff of Ryan, Lopez, Bradley, Abel, Prielipp, Matthews and Ober has talent and depth. But I've got to believe some trades are in the works for this off season. How might those trades alter expectations for 2027?

I don't disagree with the general idea of the op. Buxton was hurting. He's been hurting for much of this season. The opening was there. It was clear. There really wasn't much evidence to the contrary. But it's not like Larnach, Roden and others were swinging such hot bats that the kid couldn't have shouldered his way into the lineup on a regular basis. The same was true of Culpepper. They really should have had him up sooner, but he kept getting hurt. At least both of them are getting a taste of the big leagues now. The Twins should be calling up Emmanuel Rodriguez on Tuesday and he should play RF. let Keaschall play LF. That, with Jenkins in CF is your OF of the future. Eventually, Buxton will get his hip healed, but I don't think it will be this season. He and the team should determine if he needs surgery or not. If he does, the sooner he gets it, the sooner he can begin rehabbing. If Buxton returns to CF next season, that's a GOOD outcome. If he has to play LF, I would do what I could to get Keaschall as many AB's as a LF/2B and RF if you want to sit E-Rod against certain LHP. But it's time to give extended play to younger guys and see what you have for 2027.

Guys, I have what could be a stupid question: There is no Icon at the bottom of my above comment on Walker Jenkins being called up...at least when I look at it. I'm not going to comment on my own post, but do the rest of you see the Thumbs Up Icon where you could react to my post? Is there an opportunity for any of you to react? If there isn't one there, am I in some kind of Purgatory?

It seems this move is coming about a week late, but I'm glad we finally did it. Buxton NEEDS this IL stint at the least, and I'm concerned his season may actually be over. It is probably unfair to expect a talented 21 year old to spark the team to a Wild Card spot, seeing as we have about 5 teams to jump over at the moment. But having Jenkins and Culpepper both on the team gives us Twins fans something to look forward to when we settle into our recliner to watch a Twins game at night. Getting back into serious Wild Card position won't be the expectation for me at first. Just watching Jenkins and Culpepper will be enough. But if something remarkable happens, that will be a nice outcome. A welcome by-product of almost yearning for the opportunity to see Jenkins and Culpepper wearing the uniform of a Minnesota Twin. The next couple guys for me are Marek Houston and Vahn Lackey. That will take a little more time, but Christmas finally came on Thursday, and I get to open my presents tonight.

I couldn't agree more L.A. The so/so to just plain bad is addition by subtraction. Kriedler has served his purpose but would not be missed. Taylor Rogers has somehow survived to this point with very little contributed. This is one of the frustrating things about the Twins under the Pohlad family and their FO people they've hired through the years. The team has major flaws, yet still finds itself right in the thick of the Wild Card race. This is a year of complete mediocrity in the American League. I have no illusions about who the Twins are, but the idea of NOT bringing Walker Jenkins up because he would take someone's 40-man roster spot and possibly NOT get to play in St. Paul during a Lockout/Strike next season, when he could give the Twins a BIG boost during this stretch run is disappointing. Byron Buxton is trying heroically, but his body is just not cooperating. Larnach has reverted to being "Larnach." The idea that Jenkins and E-Rod couldn't inject some life in a moribund offense and help improve the OF defense is frustrating. Get them up to the big club for Pete's Sake !!

It isn't just the contract, it's who the Twins have decided to throw their money at. Carlos Correa's contract wasn't for as long as Machado's but the average annual value was very similar. The Padres invested in Machado, a MUCH better, less risky investment than Correa. Correa had HUGE health issues prior to the signing with the Twins. Both the Giants and Mets backed off. The Twins got some decent run out of Correa, but he was consistently hurt, leading to the deal with the Astros where we basically paid them to take him off our roster. Donaldson's health was also sketchy, leading to him ultimately being a poor investment (in retrospect) as well. It's good to hear that payroll will be more next season. It almost has to be. WHO they decide to spend this extra money on will be the key. Correa was never a "smart" investment. The future is Jenkins, Keaschall, Lee, Bradley, Abel, Prielipp, Matthews, Lackey and Marek Houston. It has the potential to be a pretty good team with the right veterans embedded with them. I have no idea how much the Pohlad family can actually get for the Twins, but I do know that it's well past time for them to sell. They have lost the fan base. And it doesn't seem to matter whether it's Falvey, Zoll or whoever running the team. It just seems to me new ownership needs to bring some new people into the FO with a new perspective. I'd be looking at Brewers employees who are ready to take the next, big step in responsibility.

I would agree that the Buxton we are seeing in CF, while still pretty good, is not the Buxton we've seen in years past. This kind of thing is inevitable and happens to practically every really good CF from Willie Davis to Kirby Puckett. So I have no problem moving Buxton, or even having him play CF some games and LF others throughout 2027. The more stress you remove from him (and CF is a very high stress position) the fresher and hopefully injury free you keep him. I remember reading that Emmanuel Rodriguez was also above average in CF and could play all 3 OF positions. Maybe that's not the case anymore, and E-Rod's constant injuries have robbed him from some range. I've read Jenkins has a rifle for an arm, but don't recall ever reading that E-Rod does. But it does appear that the Twins DO need to at least start tapering Buxton's innings in CF. Both Jenkins and E-Rod should be able to help in that process. But this off season will once again be very interesting to see how the FO shapes the roster. The last several years have been disappointing despite the massive changes in the bullpen in the 2025 sell-off and failures to make deals in the winter. It's nice when you have a couple guys with cannons for arms in your OF. The 1971 Pirates-Stargell LF and Clemente RF comes to mind. But they also had guys like Gene Clines, Vic Davalillo and Al Oliver in CF who had noodles for arms. Keaschall has the athletic ability to get to balls even if his arm is sub-standard. I love his hit tool and think it will only get better. A future projected OF of Buxton, Jenkins, Keaschall and E-Rod is good for me. But where will Larnach, Roden, Wallner etc...be in 2027?