TopGunn#22

Thanks Doc ! It looks like I'd have to drop Dustin May from that trade to have a chance. I'm not sure how the Dodgers feel about May. He's kind of their Matt Canterino except he's actually pitched in the major leagues and was VERY IMPRESSIVE while he was healthy. But this information and example shows how expensive Dalton Rushing would be. You've been on the BBTV's web site, so you've probably seen a number of trades where the White Sox trade newly acquired catching prospect Kyle Teel away. Teel's value is 32. The Twins could get him for Julien (16.5) and Zebby Matthews (16.0). I'd do that in a heartbeat. We have Brooks Lee or Royce Lewis to play 2B/3B and Festa, SWR and possibly Andrew Morris. We are bereft of catching prospects who could help in 2025. Teel will play this year in MLB. I'm not sure how willing the White Sox are to trade him, but it seems like White Sox fans are initiating some of the deals. The White Sox would be focused on prospects or MLB ready prospects. Julien and Matthews fit the bill. When it comes to Rushing, the Dodgers are in a posture to defend their World Series Championship. They would want key contributors like Duran and Castro (and Dustin May if they didn't have to give him up) as part of any deal. "Prospects" won't cut it for the Dodgers. I'd much prefer Teel or Rushing. Teel's defense is superior and while Rushing's offense is better, Teel seems like a Jason Varitek type. Varitek couldn't hit like Mike Piazza, but he was clearly a better defensive catcher. I'd much prefer to acquire someone like Teel or Quero for "prospects" rather than give up a Duran or Castro.

I'm with chpettit19 on his Sasaki take. What I was hoping to read in this article was something deeper than the "we have interest" that Falvey uttered some time ago. Have we actually met with him??? I understand that we have some positives going for us. #1 a soft media with minimal acrimony or criticism. #2 an organization that has made pitchers BETTER. #3 despite the late season collapse, the Twins have a talented roster that, with a couple of adjustments could be even stronger. #4 New Ownership is on the way. While it is an unknown at this time, the current ownership would not have inspired Sasaki to cast his lot with us. But if, as it's been mentioned, Sasaki is taking a longer term view, the prospect of new and a much more proactive ownership would bode well. I agree with tony&rodney that any BIG moves will come after the Sasaki sweepstakes are completed. Whoever WINS the Sasaki sweepstakes will be in a much stronger position. Everybody who doesn't will need to re-assess. For example, if the Twins won the Sasaki sweepstakes, they could roll with a rotation that would be Lopez, Sasaki, Ryan, Ober, SWR & Festa. I'm going with a 6 man rotation because that's what Sasaki is probably accustomed to. SWR & Festa would be just entering their 2nd seasons. It's arguable that one or both could use a little more time in St. Paul, but Sasaki, while technically a rookie, is no rookie. That would be a heck of a rotation. But it could also open a trade possibility. Like Lopez (47.8 BBTV), Kaelen Culpepper 8.2 and Julien 16.5 (64.3 total value) to the Orioles for Jackson Holliday 56.6 and Ryan Mountcastle 8.7 (65.3 total value). Anyone who doesn't think Baltimore would do this doesn't realize how desperate their rotation looks without Burnes and how many prospects they have screaming for an opportunity. Holliday was the #1 prospect in baseball a year ago but Gunnar Henderson has been Rookie of the Year and an All Star at SS in his first 2 seasons. And the Orioles have Westburg, Mayo, Bassalo and others as IF prospects. Holiday allows the Twins to play him at 2B for a couple years and then move him to SS when Correa moves to 3B. Doc Gast had posted a trade to BBTV on Dec. 30th that was interesting. He traded Eddie Julien (16.5) and Billy Amick (7.0) to the Brewers for 21 year old catching prospect Jeferson Quero (22.7). I like that deal and the Brewers could be shuffling their IF with Willie Adames no longer their SS. I won't pay BBTV for the privilege to post trades anymore, but from what I've been able to discern from player values in other suggested trades the Twins could do a couple deals that would look like this: Ryan Mountcastle has an 8.7 value. If you didn't want him as part of a huge trade involving Lopez and Holliday you could trade a AA/AAA pitcher to Baltimore, OR, given their glaring rotational needs offer Paddack (3.7 BBTV) straight up with the Orioles taking on all $7.5 million of Paddack if we take the entire $6 million for Mountcastle. That trade fills an acute need for each team. You want a younger 1B with BIG offensive potential but so-so defense? Eddie Julien (16.5) and Zebby Matthews (16.0) 32.5 total to the Red Sox for Tristan Casas (29.9) Ceddane Rafaela (-- 5.1) and Dave Sandlin a 23 year old SP (5.2) total value 30.0. Rafaela has a negative 5.1 value because the Red Sox signed him to an 8 year, $50 million dollar contract that runs thru 2032 with a club option. He swings and misses too much and doesn't walk enough, but he's actually a steal at that contract. He's tremendous defensively at both SS and CF and he's already a strong candidate for 20 HR/20 SB seasons. His defense, at 2 crucial positions for the Twins with the Correa and Buxton health risks going forward would be a key for the Twins. It could also be a pre-cursor to another trade... Jhoan Duran (24.7) and Willi Castro (value unknown) to the Dodgers for catching prospect Dalton Rushing 36.3 and oft injured but HIGH potential RHP Dustin May (value unknown). Without knowing the values of Castro and May it's hard to quantify this trade. But May could be a SP or could replace Duran as closer or, be the 8th inning guy if Jax becomes the closer. Castro is expendable due to the acquisition of Rafaela who is far superior to Castro at SS and CF. Rafalea can also play 2B. It's fun to speculate on all of this, but I agree that none of this takes place unless AFTER the Sasaki sweepstakes is decided. If the Twins get him, they will have a stud, All Star Ace for years and either just add him to an already strong rotation. Or this could open up trade possibilities that otherwise wouldn't have been considered.

JD, it's not that I (or even "we") want to just cast Wallner or Larnach aside. Larnach made some solid progress last year. Wallner showed tremendous improvement in the 2nd half of the season, just as he did in 2023. There is REAL talent with Larnach and Wallner. But there is also reality. Emmanuel Rodriguez is VERY talented. He's a good defensive CF with prodigious power and an extremely patient approach. It's pretty much a forgone conclusion he's with the Twins by the All Star break if not before. All three of E-Rod/Larnach/Wallner hit left handed. Something's got to give. On top of that, the Twins #1 prospect, Walker Jenkins, who could very well be Major League Baseball's #1 prospect to begin 2025 is also a left hand hitting OF. It's possible he gets a September callup and if he doesn't break camp with the Twins in 2026 it won't be long before he's up. Again...Something's got to give. On top of that...(Yes, there's more)...Luke Keaschall has the ability to play the OF and Brandon Winokur does as well. They are both RH hitters. Both are very good prospects. All of these guys could crash and burn and turn out to be bums. But that's highly unlikely. ALL of them could turn out to be All Stars...that's also highly unlikely. The more likely outcome is that 2 of the 4 turn out to be pretty darn good. So that means...yup...Something has to give. This is just the nature of baseball. Younger, talented and cheaper players push out older, more expensive players. Especially on teams operating on payroll constraints. It doesn't mean the players who are on the major league roster are bad. It just means they are assets who can be used to make the team better in an area or areas where there are deficiencies. A good example would be the trade between the Marlins and the Twins of Pablo Lopez for Luis Arraez. The Twins needed better pitching and had Jorge Polanco at 2B and an up and comer in Edward Julien. The Marlins had a boatload of young pitching talent ready to ascend to the majors and 2 pitchers they deemed better than Lopez in their current rotation (CY Young winner Sandy Alcantara and Trevor Rogers) as well as a young stud named Eury Perez who like E-Rod/Jenkins in the near future, was ready to make the MLB ballclub. They needed offense. Arraez won a batting title with Miami and Pablo got CY Young votes for the Twins. The trade worked for both teams. The Twins, when E-Rod, Jenkins, Keaschall and Winokur are ready to make the MLB ballclub don't have room to play everyone. E-Rod's ETA is THIS YEAR. Jenkins could be 2026 after a possible cup of coffee in 2025. Keaschall is expected in 2025, maybe sooner than later. Winokur's ETA is probably early to mid 2027. Without knowing how the 2025 season starts and goes for the Twins, I expect Larnach to be the odd man out. I think Wallner is ready to take another step and even if his OPS falls a bit to say, .800 that would still be REALLY GOOD. I expect Larnach to also continue to show improvement. But if E-Rod is tearing it up in St. Paul (and Keaschall for that matter too) something has to give.

The focus of this article is on Rocco and I will say that unless we have a very fun year as Twins fans, and the possibility is there with the core talent we have and the expected bounce back by certain key players like Lewis and Lopez to name just 2, there is also the real chance we finish 3rd or 4th and out of the playoffs again. In that scenario, Rocco is toast. New ownership will probably want a fresh start with "their guy." But I don't think anybody can make the assumption that Derek Falvey is secure in any way. Again, if the Twins battle for the division crown and make the playoffs, both Rocco and Falvey probably stick around, but on a short leash. If we finish 3rd or 4th and out of the playoffs once again, I expect Falvey to be packing his bags as well. Many of us don't think Rocco is a good "in game" manager. I've never liked the way he handles his bullpen and the 2nd inning pinch hitting drives me crazy, especially after the opposing manager changes pitchers and renders the platoon PH move null the next inning. But with all the "holes" the Twins need to fill this off season and the lack of action as we hit the New Year, a failure to make the playoffs will fall squarely on Falvey's shoulders. New ownership could rightfully determine that Falvey should have pushed the Pohlad's harder to allow him to fortify the weak areas. I'm not really sure Falvey himself understands that HIS JOB is more at risk than Rocco's.

This is an excellent list. Remember, the headline says "Twins Top Prospects on New Year's Day 2026." (Happy New year Everybody!!) I think Clear Lake guy made a good point that our #1 pick this June, #16 overall, could very well make this list. The question becomes, who gets bumped from the 5 Cody listed?? It's possible Jenkins gets a call up in September, but that still doesn't drop him from the list as he would still be a rookie even if he broke camp with the Twins at the end of March, 2026. Raya could possibly be called up after the All Star break as bullpen arm. I don't think it's likely, but it's possible depending on a lot of things. Raya may never have the stamina to be a SP, but his stuff says he could be a closer. (there's always my annual "hope" for Canterino as well). Winokur is the quintessential prospect. With his size, speed, power and athleticism (plus he's a RH bat in the midst of the LH Jenkins, E-Rod, Wallner, Larnach stack) he's probably due for all of 2025 and at least half of 2026 in the minors. He could start striking out way too much or bulk up too much like Royce Lewis and lose a chunk of his athleticism. But the kid really intrigues me. Soto and Culpepper are destined for at least 2 more years in the minors and will need to make it to St. Paul and play/pitch well so 2027 or 2028 is more their trajectory to me. Whoever that #16 pick in June ends up being, he'll have to be pretty good to bump someone off this list. It will also depend on what kind of player the Twins pick at #16. Is he an advanced college player with a couple of really solid tools who fell short in a couple areas and that's why he was available at #16 instead picked top 5? Is he a high school pitcher or SS who is REALLY TOOLSY, but scared some teams off because he was committed to a power college baseball team, and the Twins paid enough above slot to get him to forgo the college path? When you're picking #16th, those are the types of players who could fall to the middle of the draft. Seeing this list, and with the real prospect of E-Rod joining the Twins by the All Star break or sooner, I wonder what the Twins will do about the Wallner/Larnach situation. I'm going to speculate that the Twins swing a trade with Baltimore for Ryan Mountcastle. The prospect cost to acquire Mountcastle won't be prohibitive and his cost for the next 2 seasons is manageable. I think we could also offer Baltimore Paddack in a Mountcastle deal. That means neither Wallner or Larnach are picking up a 1B glove anytime soon. The Twins won't pull E-Rod up to sit him 50% of the time, especially since he, Wallner and Larnach all hit LH. To me, one of Wallner/Larnach gets traded around the time E-Rod arrives in Minneapolis. There are other spare parts like Julien and Miranda as well, especially if Brooks Lee performs to expectations and/or if Luke Keaschall is destroying pitching in AAA. If E-Rod/Keaschall/Lee do well Julien and Miranda MUST be moved. I'm not sure how confident the Twins are in E-Rod, Keaschall and Lee, but Miranda and Julien sure aren't blocking them if each of those 3 perform. Miranda would probably be safe if Mountcastle were not acquired, but I think if the Twins get Mountcastle he makes Miranda immediately tradeable. The Twins have too much depth in their minor leagues for them to be sitting so quietly on the sidelines this off season. Something's got to give. Sooner better than later.

Sometimes the best trades you make are the ones you don't. However, the glacial rate this FO moves at only inspires doubt that they even have a plan. The moves they've made to this point are so far toward the fringe that we as fans have every right to be frustrated. Throughout their ownership of the Twins, the Pohlad family has never given off a vibe that winning clearly outweighed the bottom line. That's why the Twins as an organization, in the current environment doesn't deserve any benefit of the doubt. There are opportunities out there for the Twins to shake up their roster and clearly improve the team. The fact that we as fans have to cling to the hope that acquiring a 29 year old minor league C/1B from the Red Sox in the hopes that THIS is the move that lights a fire under our off season shows how deep in the gutter of despair we are. New ownership can't come soon enough. But this is our reality at this time. I love coming on here, reading the articles even if I don't like what is suggested. It's talking baseball !! And to me, that's never a waste of time. But I do have to admit, it's sometimes frustrating, and the current ownership /front office doesn't give the TD staff much to work with. I'm at the point where I'm expecting an article on losing Caleb Thielbar and how badly that will affect our future bullpen. Wait...WHAT ?!?!? Anyway, how about an article that takes a deep dive into the chances the Twins have of signing Roki Sasaki and/or if there is absolutely NO chance. We're within 2 weeks of a decision and when you factor in the cost of acquiring a talent at his level, he's the biggest FA available this off season...including Juan Soto. EVERY team could possibly end up with him. What are the Twins chances?

The idea of trading Duran to the Dodgers has merit. It's just that this package is no where near what could or should be extracted. The Dodgers have a real need for a top shelf closer. It's their biggest question mark heading into 2025 and defending their World Championship. They could go out and sign Kirby Yates. But landing Duran would be far more attractive to them. This deal starts with Dalton Rushing, a 23 year old catcher with a loud bat and the ability to play some 1B as well as catch. And as Otaknam stated, young LH starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski would be a good add as well. Acquiring Rushing, who is major league ready, would allow the Twins to trade Ryan Jeffers, who would return far more than Vasquez. It leaves the Twins with a defense 1st primary catcher and a solid hitting, offensively talented backup who could paly a little 1B and DH to get his bat in the lineup. The Twins could work out a better contract with Vasquez for another 2-3 years and be set at catcher for the near future. Adding Wrobleski just gives the Twins even more depth with young pitching. Wrobleski could be traded in another deal to add something or allow the Twins to dangle SWR, Matthews or Festa in a deal. I agree with the concern that our BP may not be as solid as we think and that trading Duran would weaken it further. But I also think Jax would accept the closer role and the contract extension that would come with it. Maybe with a Dodger deal that brings the 2 players I've mentioned and subsequent trades that could clear Paddack's $7.5 million, the Twins could sign Kirby Yates to replace Duran at the back end. Maybe the Dodgers would take Paddack if Willi Castro was included as part of a larger deal and the Dodgers added something else. I like the Dodgers as a trade partner. I just think Cody's deal falls far short of what the Twins should get if Duran was the centerpiece of a deal with the dodgers.

I was just thinking about the Pirates as well High heat. They have Davis, a resurgent Joey Bart and a seemingly healthy Endy Rodriguez. Davis (OF) and Rodriguez (1B) can play other places but both Davis and Rodriguez are considered CATCHERS. They play other places because their bats compel managers to get them in the lineup more often. I wonder what it would take in a trade with the Pirates to acquire a Rodriguez or a Davis? I know the Pirates could have interest in guys like Miranda or Julien, and certainly someone like Wallner or Larnach if they move Reynolds to 1B. The suggestion of Elias Diaz is also interesting.

I would be fine with McCann. I still think a team with young pitchers who would benefit a lot more with someone like Vasquez instead of McCann would be the Miami Marlins. Their catching situation is horrible. Vasquez would be an offensive superstar compared to what they have for catchers. But Vasquez's game calling and pitch framing would be hugely beneficial to the young pitchers the Marlins have. The same qualities that Vasquez would bring to the young Marlins staff are probably good reasons to just roll with a Vasquez/Jeffers tandem again in 2025 and then just let Vasquez walk at the end of the 2025 season, or spin him off at the trade deadline if the Twins are not contending. The guy I would have liked the Twins to have added had they been more aggressive early in the off season was d'Arnaud. He could have helped at C/1B/DH and is by far the best offensive threat of anyone mentioned in OP. Plus, he's no stranger to playoff baseball either.

The 3 guys highlighted are spot on, and I would have added Lewis. Correa is just a good baseball player. He will perform at a high level if healthy. Have to hope that new orthotic shoes does the trick for him. And you can't understate his defense. Health is also the #1 concern for Buxton and whenever Byron has been healthy and played half the season, he hasn't disappointed. Would Buxton ever be able to approach 130-140 games played? Probably not, but maybe he's got just ONE of those 130-140 game seasons in his career somewhere. It IS nice to know he's having a "normal" off season. Buxton's defense cannot be overlooked as well. So with Correa and Buxton, the more they play, the better their WAR will be. But this is one of the issues with having your two best position players a 50/50 roll of the dice if they will even be in the lineup. When you just stop to consider how we've been conditioned to accept 80 games from Buxton as a reason to break out with the "Hallelujah Chorus" it just shows how low the bar has been set for Buxton. Wallner is a very interesting player. On the minus side, he strikes out way too much. On the plus side, he's shown improvement every year he's been up with the Twins. Will he ever be able to just be average against LHP?? Rocco has kept Wallner on a short leash every season. But with no Kepler or Margo-esque player to siphon at bats away from him, is this the first season Wallner could see 500 AB's at the MLB level? He had an .859 OPS in about half a season last year. If he "regressed" to an .800 OPS and hit 30 HR & 30 2B's I would be very happy with that type of "regression." Even with the strikeouts. But to me, the real key for 2025 is Royce Lewis. At the top of the wish list is HEALTH. Lewis, if healthy, will produce and in a big way. Depending on who leads off, you could see Lewis hitting 2nd, Buxton 3rd, Correa cleanup and Wallner 5th. That has the potential to be a very productive heart of the lineup. Yes, the Twins need Jeffers to be more consistent and Larnach to continue to improve. Lee and Miranda are players with offensive potential, but they don't come close to what their fellow younger teammates Lewis and Wallner's ceiling could be. Lewis has looked at times, like a Superstar in the making. A clutch hitter that comes up BIG in the big moments. Whether Lewis is at 2B or 1B or somehow finds himself back at 3B, his bat is crucial to success in 2025 and beyond. Once E-Rod makes his appearance, maybe by the All Star game, and if he doesn't disappoint, the Twins must determine between Wallner and Larnach, who they should keep and who would be traded at the deadline. With E-Rod expected to join the Twins THIS year and Walker Jenkins not too far behind, one of Wallner or Larnach should really be traded. This year will be crucial to determine the Wallner/Larnach question. It will be crucial to get Lewis back on track. It will be crucial to see HEALHTY seasons from Correa and Buxton. And it will be crucial to see continued improvement from all sorts of guys like Lee, Miranda, Jeffers, Julien, Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, the other young SP's and Jhoan Duran. Some will succeed. Some will disappoint. The Twins will not have complete answers on all these players at the end of the 2025 season, but they will have a lot more information. The roster in 2026 will not be the same as what breaks camp in 2025. In fact, it could be radically different. New ownership will certainly come to pass sometime in 2025. With an ownership that wants to compete, how will a willingness to spend above $130 million affect the moves the Twins could make?

This was my first impression of Gaspar as well jorgenswest. He's got the contact skills, he's got the mustache, the only difference is that Mickey switch hits. Brain Harper accomplished what he did with the Twins despite the long shot odds. He was never a "good" catcher and his throwing was the weakest aspect of his game, but for a handful of seasons, Brian Harper caught a lot of games and did better than many people ever thought.

I agree with sweetmusicviola16, Baltimore may step up their pursuit of Pablo. First: The Orioles do not have the $7.55 million at their disposal that the Twins and 6-7 other teams do to make a strong play for Roki Sasaki. Further, no one in their organization has publicly stated that they even have interest in pursuing Sasaki (However, Falvey HAS stated the Twins "have interest"). Second: The young talent that the Orioles have is just starting to matriculate to the majors, but they don't have room to play everybody. Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holiday, Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo and Sam Basallo are all in the IF. Heston Kjerstad, Colt Cowser, and Enrique Bradfield are all in the OF. The Orioles also have Tyler O'Neill and Ced Mullins and for the time being, Anthony Santander in the OF as veterans. Something has to give. And in their starting rotation, CBS Sports only lists Gray-Rod, Eflin and Kremer. The Orioles have a massive need for SP. A trade of Lopez AND Paddack wouldn't out of the realm of possibility. Holiday is an elite SS. The problem he has is that Gunnar Henderson is ALSO an elite SS. Right now, Baltimore has Holiday penciled in at 2B with Westburg at 3B, but that's an awfully young IF to compete for the post season with. You'd have to go back to Cey, Russell, Lopes and Garvey to get a similar comparison, but Russell had been up since 1969 in several stints and had played more OF than SS. Bradfield is an intriguing CF candidate. He'll be 23 this season and has reached AA. Last year in 469 PA's he hit .272 with an OPS of .729. He walked 50 times and K'd 72. He also stole 74 bases. The only slight drawback is that he's a LH hitter. With E-Rod and Jenkins on the way the Twins would be looking at an all LH hitting OF. But Bradfield could be that leadoff hitter. Luke Keaschall would be the RH hitting complement to them if he wasn't already starting at 2B/1B. The other team the Orioles are sure to talk with is Seattle with the target being Luis Castillo. Castillo has seen his velo dip a bit and his K rate slip a bit, but he's still an Ace-caliber SP. Seattle, like the Twins also has the full bag of $7.55 million to go after Roki Sasaki to replace Castillo with should they decide to pillage talent from the Orioles. If you think CBS is being harsh by only listing 3 SP's on the Orioles depth chart, ESPN only adds the injury prone John Means to the rotation leaving only 4 somewhat viable candidates. The Orioles are in a desperate situation. Some of that young talent will need to moved. What if Jackson Holiday could be had in a Lopez & Paddack deal? Play him at 2B and Lewis at 1B for 2025, see how it goes and maybe move Correa to 3B for 2026 and Holiday to SS? Lee at 2B and Lewis at 1B? The only way I do this is if I end up with Sasaki to replace Lopez in the rotation. That should be determined around the middle of January. If Baltimore hasn't made a deal for Luis Castillo by then and Sasaki is a Twin, the Twins could get quite a bit back from Baltimore and further "right size" the payroll.

EXCELLENT article Gregg. This, in essence, is what I've been wondering about even before the Ishbia brothers emerged as a potential buyer. I wonder about it more now that they have, because instead of some, fictitious new owner, there is a tangible, possible, new owner. What kind of team do they want? And how much input would the Pohlad family allow the ishbia brothers to facilitate a sale to their liking? I don't claim to be a better business person than the Pohlad's. After all, THEY are the billionaires, not me. But with the reputation the Ishbia brothers have, they wouldn't want a team with clean books that's been stripped down to a shell of what they expected to own. The Ishbia brothers didn't mandate that Devin Booker be traded before they could acquire Kevin Durant. So that leaves us with the off season we're currently suffering through. Opportunity after opportunity to improve the ballclub has slipped by the current ownership and front office. How different would our off season to this point if the Ishbia brothers already owned the Twins? To me, there are two big areas where there are major opportunities to improve the Twins. To date, the FA market at 1B is down to one impact player. Pete Alonso. I have to believe that if the Ishbia brothers were in control right now, they would have signed Alonso and the Twins would have a new 1B and cleanup hitter. Failing that, a trade for someone like Yandy Diaz would be a good move. But nobody moves the needle quite like Alonso would at 1B. The other move would be preparing to make the best pitch I could to Roki Sasaki. Sasaki represents a tremendous opportunity to add an elite talent at a fraction of the normal cost. This is why I'm surprised the Pohlad's haven't shown more interest other than Derrick Falvey saying "we have interest." A player of Sasaki's ability, available for the initial cost would add value to the Twins franchise in a myriad of ways. From a "Pohlad" point of view, Sasaki would be adding an asset that no other team in MLB could match. I don't expect the Ishbia brothers to be ordering the Pohlad's to "do this, or do that." But I've got to believe if the Ishbia brothers are serious buyers, the Pohlad's would need to realize that dealing Correa, Lopez or Buxton just isn't good business when trying to maximize their sale price. Yes, they are high priced ballplayers. But they are also very important assets of the franchise, at salaries that are now considered bargains in the industry. So for the Pohlad family, from a business standpoint, entering the season with the current level of apathy that the fanbase has, (which is actually worse than anger) when Target Field is selling 25% of capacity, how attractive is buying this team? Contrast that with the excitement and anticipation if, in the next 2 weeks, the Twins signed Pete Alonso and won the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes?? As Gregg pointed out, the Twins don't really have a LOT of bad contracts. Yes, Correa needs to stay healthy, but he's a good baseball player. Lopez and Buxton are bargains for what they could provide. And there are some potentially very good players coming within the next couple years. The only major expenses in the future are what Ryan, Ober and Lewis could cost as well as Duran and Jax. But if each of those players produce according to their perceived ceiling then things are going quite well for the Twins. I'm not sure I understand how spinning off real assets, or failing to plug a major hole at 1B with Pete Alonso makes the Twins more attractive to the Ishbia brothers or any other possible owner. The Pohlad's should be looking to strategically invest in the Twins to reach their desired sale price.

Players I remember as Twins Killers throughout my fandom: Carl Yastrzemski, Rickey Henderson and Cal Ripken Jr. Those are the ones that instantly come to mind at least. The greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history and a personality and persona that was unrivaled. I heard Steve Phillips talking about him when he signed him to the Mets as a FA at 42 years old. Phillips was saying that on one hand he was a little irked at Rickey for wanting bonuses in his contract for N.L. MVP, breaking Babe Ruth's all time walks record and breaking Ty Cobb's all time runs scored record. "Imagine, said Phillips, here's a guy who at 42 years old who thinks he's going to win the N.L. MVP?!?!?" But then he said, "but here's a guy who is chasing records set by BABE RUTH and TY COBB!!!" "That's why I'm signing this guy!!!" There will never be another Ricky Henderson in MLB. We were lucky he played while we were fans.

Merry Christmas everyone on TD !! I guess this is about as good an exchange as we could have hoped for in trading Moran. Let's hope this is a precursor to a Vasquez trade and will be the catalyst to making some of the other talked about moves (moving Paddack etc...). Here's to hoping we all see better results for the Twins in the New year...starting with NEW OWNERSHIP. Again, Merry Christmas everyone !!!

I think the wisdom on signing Polanco doesn't hinge at all on what he could could command, because it won't be a lot. The wisdom in signing him hinges on what he actually has left. He had a myriad of problems with his knee and other ailments as a younger player with the Twins. He's 32 now and will never be the Polanco of 2021 again. Not even close. Wade's on base skill interests me. He's had about a .375 OBP the last 2 seasons and he could be a passable 1B/Corner OF. But he hits LH. So while he might provide a decent platoon with Miranda at 1B, Miranda hits RHP better than LHP and we already have 2 LH hitting Corner OF. Wade isn't as good a fit as we'd think. At this point, with fan enthusiasm lower than if we'd come off a 100 loss season, why not just shake things up and make a serious play for Pete Alonso?? Why not just shock the fan base in a good way? At some point in 2025 the Ishbia brothers should take over. They should just step in and tell the Pohlad's "go ahead and sign Alonso, we're O.K. with it." It would be kind of like the Correa signing without the medical issues. Alonso would check so many boxes. Need an above average 1B? Check. Need RH Power...hold it...how about "PRODIGIOUS" RH Power?? CHECK !! Another article on TD asked "Who should be the Twins cleanup hitter? I would have said Correa. Sign Alonso and it's him along with 35-45 HR's. He might strike out a lot, but he'd be the closest thing we've had to Harmon Killebrew...since, Harmon Killebrew. Maybe it would be for a one-year deal, though I would prefer something a bit longer. But signing Alonso would change the entire vibe and conversation in Minnesota and throughout "Twins Territory." The Twins would still need to look to jettison the contracts of Vasquez and Paddack. That $17.5 Million could go a long way in netting out an Alonso signing. You could make a point that Castro should be retained as well since we'd be "All In" on competing in 2025 even though Castro may be needed to get a young catching prospect.. It's Christmas. Hope springs eternal.

I'm on the same page as you. The Twins are not bereft of talent. They have enough to be competitive but their roster is too rich in some areas and woefully thin in others. Unless you're a team like the Dodgers, with unlimited resources that enhance both their major league roster as well as their minor leagues a LOT of things need to break favorably for teams to be competitive year after year. The Braves are probably the best example. They got caught cheating with their minor league talent acquisitions and paid a price. Like each of us has said, for us as Twins fans, it's going to probably take a minimum of 2 moves but more likely about 4 moves to clear the unwanted payroll players and add talent in areas where we are thin. Yet the FO and ownership of the Twins just sit idly by as more and more pieces are removed from the game board. Options are shrinking and we are left with the article I just read this morning on TD about what the Twins options are in the FA market for 1B. It's truly depressing. The Twins best options at this point are to hand the 1B job to Miranda, which I could live with more than the other options, or trading for someone like Yandy Diaz. The primary reason we as Twins fans can hope that a trade for someone like Quero is that he's blocked by an All Star in William Contreras who is backed up by veteran Gary Sanchez (and Quero's shoulder injury to some degree). The prospect of being able to deal for Rushing or Cartaya from the Dodgers are positive in that both are blocked by All Star Will Smith and his solid back up, Austin Barnes. Because Rushing has a loud bat, the Dodgers have been playing him at 1B and LF in addition to C. That's stunted his development as a catcher but the kid can hit and LA could use him to back up an aging Freddie Freeman and supply some pop as a LF. Ohtani owns DH so there is not much opportunity there. Cartaya was once one of the Dodgers top prospects. It appears he could be acquired for a much cheaper price than Rushing. What is holding this FO back from being more aggressive? Ford is currently blocked by Cal Raleigh. Mitch Garver is his backup. While Ford would be a nice pickup, I think the Mariners are much more likely to want to hang on to him and say farewell to Mitch Garver. Garver hasn't been good since 2019. All of the trades you mentioned, whether for Quero, one of the Dodger duo, or Ford, if there is interest from the teams, these deals should have been done at the Winter Meetings along with sending Paddack somewhere. The Twins would then have had time to carefully work through a Christian Vasquez trade and other moves. Instead the Twins FO is like the kid who didn't study for the upcoming test nor finished the homework that is due and that never bodes well for the kid, or in this case, the Twins needed moves and decisions to try to bring some excitement to the fan base that we could have a nice spring, summer and hopefully fall of Twins baseball.

I like the "idea" of signing promising young players to long term, team friendly contracts. The Braves have done a GREAT job doing this, primarily with position players. They don't take the risk on pitchers. The other idea that is the elephant in the room is "who is the kids agent?" If it's Scott Boras the opportunity to do something that could favor the team diminishes greatly. Royce Lewis is "exhibit A." The other undeniable obstacle to this is our current ownership situation. Signing anybody to this type of contract has an immediate impact on the current payroll. If we are currently at $142 million with a mandate to get down to $130 million this makes the idea dead in the water. You could explore it after this season, once an ownership change has occurred. That would also get you an additional year to track the progress of Jenkins, E-Rod and Keaschall. It's never going to happen under the Pohlad regime. It has a chance under the Ishbia brothers. This is a topic better revisited after the team is sold and we've had more time to track the progress of Jenkins, E-Rod and Keaschall.

Good points T&R. I certainly hope the plan is not just to sit still and run it back again with the current roster. I think we have the talent to compete for a divisional crown or at least a Wild Card, but tweeks are needed to make that a greater possibility. Quero is probably the best #1 target based on his superior defensive ability. Ford probably #2. Rushing can hit. On that we agree, and I think we each agree that Quero and Ford are far superior defensively. I had always thought the Dodgers viewed Cartaya as the total package, but again, they are very satisfied with Barnes as the backup to Smith. With Turang and Ortiz at 2B & 3B the only reason I could see the Brewers going for Lee is if he would become their starting SS. Adames won't be back so the Brew Crew has a HUGE hole at SS. Would SWR be enough to get Quero?? If so, I'd make that deal in heartbeat, before even dealing Vasquez. As much as I like Festa, I'd even give him up straight up for Quero.

I agree T&R, that's why I would try to keep Keaschall out of any deal for either Alcantara or Luzardo. I think Keaschall is a future answer at a number of positions...2B, 1B, any of the 3 OF positions. His bat will force him into the lineup, possibly even in 2025 at some point and if he's even just average at the positions he could play that would be an upgrade on many of the gloves the Twins currently employ. According to BBTV Julien has a value of 17. (Big Thank You to Bean5302!!!) That's a nice piece to bargain with and since I don't think he's got a future with Lee and Keaschall ahead of him in my mind, I'd be actively looking to trade him this off season. It is very interesting that a month ago, Alcantara had a value of 27 and now it's shot up 20 points to 47. To me, that indicates knowledge that he's looking fully recovered from TJ and is ready to begin the season on time. In effect, the package you could have offered for him a month or two ago would now require Festa to get it done. I'd rather not trade Festa, but if it meant getting a former Cy Young winner who was clearly the #1 in Miami when Lopez was a #3 I would do it. I'd also do it because I have confidence in Zebby Matthews eventually turning a corner to be a solid SP. The problem with my proposed trade is that you would have to make some trades before or after this deal. As long as the $130 million salary total is etched in stone, even if you're sending Miami a badly needed, actual major league catcher in Vasquez, his $10 million still puts the Twins $7 million more in the hole when taking back Alcantara's $17 million. But a rotation of Alcantara, Lopez, Ryan, Ober and whoever the #5 would be is hellish good. If Lewis and others bounce back offensively and Wallner is closer to end of season Wallner as opposed to his ice-cold start, E-Rod/Keaschall come up at the All Star break, the Twins could be a darn good team. No single trade is going vault the Twins to the top of the division. There are at least 3 trades that would need to be made involving Vasquez, Paddack and Castro clearing $23.5 million in salary. Also needed would be the addition of another catcher to pair with Jeffers. But not just some vet retread. A prospect ready to make his MLB debut like Dalton Rushing or Diego Cartaya from the Dodgers. I'd love to know what the BBTV is for Rushing and Cartaya (Bean5302 can you help me???) as well as Castro and Jhoan Duran/Griffin Jax/SWR. I feel like it's going to take something like that to get one of Rushing/Cartaya but I'm flying blind on if it's even realistic. The Dodgers would certainly have interest in Castro as well as either Duran or Jax (they may be looking for a closer to replace Evan Phillips). Even SWR is a possibility as the Dodgers have talented SP that's tremendously injury prone (Kershaw, Glasnow, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Yamamoto. Buehler and Paxton are probably gone. Someone like SWR could be VERY attractive to them for back end rotation stability. The Dodgers aren't going to be interested in minor league talent. They want to defend their World Series Championship. Neither Rushing or Cartaya is cracking their catching depth chart with All Star Will Smith and capable backup Austin Barnes. If they can get something that helps them NOW, I think a deal can be made. OR...the Dodgers just trade Rushing or Cartaya in a package to Miami for Alcantara and...end of Twins trade rumor.

I would offer this compromise to chpettit19 and cmoss84: Sandy Alcantara (47) for Festa (20), Julien (17), C. Vasquez and his $10 million,(Value Unknown, possibly negative, but Miami desperately needs a real Catcher). Gabe Gonzalez (7), Marco Raya (4). (Marco Raya seems low, but that could be because he profiles to the BP. He rarely makes it past 4 innings per start). Raw Value is Alcantara 47 Twins give up 48.0 and C. Vasquez with his entire salary. I don't know what Nardi's value is. If I did and I knew some values on other Twins players I would try to weave them in to include Nardi. Miami is getting some very nice talent. Some of which has played at the major league level already and some that is getting close. The Twins get an Ace potential SP who should be fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and would be ready to go to begin the 2025 season. This deal must be followed with a trade to acquire a young catcher from the Dodger organization. Willi Castro is a perfect fit for what LA likes to do. I don't know what Rushing or Cartaya are valued at with BBTV or what Castro, SWR or Jhoan Duran as possible pieces for Rushing or Cartaya. Miranda plays 1B. Lee/Lewis at 2B/3B. Correa at SS. Wallner, Buxton, Larnach in the OF. Jeffers and Rushing/Cartaya at C. DH would revolve depending on whatever other trades were made. Paddack is dealt for a nominal return to off-load his $7.5 million. Rotation: Alcantara, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, ?? The #5 spot could be Jax. It could be Zebby Matthews. It could be someone else from outside the organization.

I like the concept of a trade like this. The biggest problem is making the money work out for the Twins in their current "self imposed" $130 million dollar budget. I would haggle this trade around avoiding giving Keaschall up at the risk of blowing the deal. He had an elbow issue that pretty much limited him to 2B/1B/DH in 2024. He will overcome that in 2025. His IF/OF ability along with his steady and consistently above average BAT is what I'm loath to send away. At one point, Eddie Julien was supposed to be the guy at the top of the order for the Twins in the future. Now, that guy seems to be Keaschall. I don't mind the trade idea being for Luzardo. Every year is a roll of the dice health wise. Especially for SP. Do we, as Twins fans, think the value of Joe Ryan has plummeted due to his season ending injury? Absolutely Not. Look what "oft injured" Matt Boyd just got paid on the open market. You can never have too much starting pitching and solid starting pitching keeps the BP fresh and effective. Acquiring an upper tier SP would allow the Twins to keep Jax in the pen and allow them to package SWR in a trade to get a young catcher like Rushing or Cartaya from the Dodgers. The target I would have with Miami to open discussions would be Sandy Alcantara. You can argue that Luzardo is a #2 or #3. But Alcantara is a former Cy Young winner. he's an Ace. A true #1. He's also making $17 million per season for the next 3 years, about double than Luzardo but still an incredible bargain in today's arms race of MLB starting pitching. Yes, Alcantara is coming off Tommy John and missed the entire 2024 season. But reports on him are very positive. He'll be ready to start the season without a problem. Miami also owns the worst catching situation in MLB...it's terrible. I would put together a deal in which Vasquez and his entire $10 million went to Miami and would be off set by Alcantara's $17 million. I would include Gabe Gonzalez, Kal Culpepper, the competitive round A draft pick and Eddie Julien as an opening gambit. Nardi is also coming back to Minnesota. We could haggle from that point. All this would be contingent on sending Paddack away for next to nothing and packaging SWR and Castro to the Dodgers for one of those two young catchers. If I had to swap SWR out for Duran, I'd do it and make Jax my closer. My rotation would be Alcantara, Lopez, Ryan, Ober and SWR/Festa (I can still dream about Roki Sasaki). Jax is my closer. Nardi from #1 lefty. If I shed Vasquez, Paddack and Castro and bring in Alcantara and Nardi I'm ahead about $4 million. Maybe I sign Jose Iglesias to be my SS/2B/3B insurance for Correa, Lewis, Lee, Miranda and eventually Keaschall. I'd sign Iglesias for 2-years. If I had to include Brooks Lee in the deal to get Alcantara and Nardi I would absolutely sign Iglesias. I would have a potent rotation for several years with young pitchers waiting in the wing if there were injuries. I would have some good hitters with E-Rod, Keaschall and Walker Jenkins on the way. I think it would be a pretty solid outlook. And once the ownership issue was resolved I'd be in a position to address any issues that came up without having to sweat a self imposed $130 payroll limitation.

I just think the better option is giving Keirsey a long look to see what we have. Can the kid hit in the big leagues? We won't ever know if we sign a middling vet and never give him a chance. The positive, even if Keirsey flops, is that there is not a Margot-esque veteran blocking or complicating things when E-Rod is ready to go. Over these last 2 seasons, I think Keirsey deserves a chance to show what he can do. The guy had an injury and then Covid wiped out an entire minor league season. I think what he's done these last 2 seasons have earned him the opportunity. Who knows? he may just prove valuable enough that when E-Rod is ready someone like Larnach could be an interesting trade piece.

Until COST is no longer THE primary concern with assembling a ballclub, I think Bader just doesn't fit into our current reality. He made $10 million last year. His offensive stats were not so horrible that he'd be desperate to take $4 million from the Twins. He's a great CF. There is no question of that. In fact, he's so good that against LH pitching, I could almost see the Twins putting Bader in CF and start experimenting with Buxton in LF to see how that looks with the expectation that E-Rod and/or Walker Jenkins begins their career in CF. At this point, you couldn't count on Keirsey giving the Twins the offense that Bader would, but the defensive ability Keirsey would bring might come somewhat close, at a price of $760,000. Bader seems like the kind of guy a big market team would pay $8-$10 million for if they needed a RH platoon option for CF along with late game defense.