TopGunn#22

Great Post Doc Bauer ! I had forgotten about Dason Hill after initially being excited we picked him. It's far to easy to lose track of all the guys they pick year after year. Even the ones that you think might be pretty good. Could you clarify something you've posted a couple times? Do you KNOW the Twins are not inviting Eeles or McCusker to spring training? Or are you just hoping they do? I can't imagine a couple of guys that reached AAA St. Paul and performed well (especially Eeles) wouldn't be invited. And with the status of 2B up in the air (is it Lewis, Lee, Julien or Castro) a guy like Eeles, with his apparent elite bat to ball skills and his 41 SB's over the entire minor league season he played, I can't imagine they WOULDN'T give him a long look. I realize Eeles has really only had that one season last year, but it was a very IMPRESSIVE season. I'm very excited about some of the guys we have in our system and I would think it's better to have potentially high impact guys than a lot of "depth." I would like to see the Twins do better in Latin America and internationally in general. I'm a dreamer, so I'm still dreaming of Roki Sasaki. HOW MLB measures a farm system matters. But I think it's obvious MLB thinks the Twins farm system is loaded with some high upside potential as well as good depth throughout the system. I can understand how a certain level, in this case AA may be a little short on talent to begin the season, but a number of those lower lever guys may get promoted fairly quickly and reinforce AA. I think Winokur is a more athletic right handed version of Matt Wallner. Wallner is a corner OF who might play some 1B despite having a cannon for an arm. A young, LH version of Frank Howard. Winokur could end up anywhere in the OF at 3B or 1B. But the raw power both have is intriguing. Can they have a reasonable K rate and hit enough HR's to justify the K's??

I agree with the idea that we as Twins fans still have a lot to be excited about. Even with the lack of anything of note so far in the off season I'll put this in the positive column because we haven't traded anybody like Correa or Lopez and...WE'RE GOING TO HAVE NEW OWNERS SOON !! Jenkins is the prospect at the top of the list but many of us won't have much opportunity to watch him play. TD will need to give us daily updates. There will be an appetite for it. I don't see Jenkins playing with the Twins until 2026. Let him spend all of 2025 conquering the minors at various levels. If the Twins think he's ready, give him a cup of coffee in September. I think Wallner and Larnach will show improvement, even if it's modest. I think E-Rod will play well enough in St. Paul that he will be up by the All Star Game. Whether he plays well enough to stick with the team is the question. E-Rod will certainly be a future major leaguer. But he may need some time to figure out how passive he can be at the plate. His defense will play just fine. The two guys I'm most curious about are Eeles and Keaschall. They both seem to have a very good idea of the strike zone and I like the speed that Eeles could bring. I think Miranda will do just fine at 1B. But each of Wallner, Larnach, Miranda and Buxton have had injury issues throughout their major league careers. E-Rod can cover all 3 OF spots. Keaschall can cover 2B, 1B and LF. Eeles 2B, SS, 3B. I've been critical of the Twins FO in the past. But I have to give them credit for the current condition of the minor league pipeline. Some of it was luck: The Twins getting the #5 pick in the draft where Jenkins fell to 5th. But most of it has been finding and drafting guys like E-Rod, Lee, Wallner, Keaschall, Larnach, Eles, Miranda, even Julien. I think the ascension of Keaschall and Eeles makes Julien somewhat expendable. His value hasn't completely cratered. Maybe a trade could bring something of value back.

I'm always interested to hear what others have concocted as possible trades for the Twins. I will accept the argument that Vasquez is the more likely traded catcher and that Jeffers, with greater value would bring back more. But in each of these trade proposals the Twins get back far less than the value of Jeffers. I vote "no" for both trades. I wouldn't rule out a trade of Jeffers, but the Twins need to get something back far better than a left handed relief pitcher who's locked into a $4 million dollar salary for the next 4 seasons. Remember the current regime's philosophy on RP. They don't pay ANYONE close to $4 million. Jax and Duran are FAR SUPERIOR to the guy the Padres would be sending us and current ownership would be more likely to trade Jax and Duran before paying THEM $4 million per season. While the acquisition of Cartaya is interesting, he's at least a solid season in the minors away from even being considered as a possible catching option. Too much to fix with him right now. Any trade of Vasquez/Jeffers needs to have a young catcher coming back or another trade would need to be completed, either before said trade to ensure the 2025 season was covered for the Twins behind the plate.

I agree Fatbat. I'm also surprised but very happy that this potential sale is progressing so rapidly. I hear there are groups other than the Ishbia brothers who are interested, but I'm skeptical due to the lack of ANY other names being mentioned. Especially with the rumor that the Ishbia brothers would like to bring guys like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau into their group. But I think you (Fatbat) hit the nail on the head. Every move or non-move made to this point has been quite inconsequential. Vasquez and Paddack (and to a lesser degree Castro) have not been moved to dump their salaries. Lopez, Correa and Rod Carew (kidding about Carew) have not been moved. If the Twins actually had someone in their FO named "Pat" I would suspect something deeper than "Standing Pat" was taking place. I and several others have already mentioned that a sale by opening day would mean that the roster is practically set in stone at this point to begin the season, but with new ownership in place, this COULD auger a possible major deadline deal if the Twins were in contention. But I also wonder, if the negotiations have progressed to the point that a sale could be finalized on or before opening day, have their been any conversations with the Pohlad's, the Twins FO and the Ishbia brothers about the $130 million dollar 2025 payroll level? Could a FA signing or trade for a 1B be a possibility? Could signing Kirby Yates for the BP be a possibility? Who could be a possible RH hitting corner OF/1B? Is there a FA SP or a trade possibility for a SP being considered? Despite SWR's performance last season and Festa's potential, adding one more solid, dependable SP would lessen the need to rely so heavily on 2nd year pitchers in the #4 & #5 rotation slots. The news of an agreement for a sale coming soon is ALL GOOD. The Ishbia brothers aren't going to move the team. There is zero percent chance of that happening. But expanding the payroll to something above $130 million could greatly enhance the Twins chances of either winning the A.L. Central or qualifying as a Wild Card.

Good point Twins Fan in NJ. Once again it points to the absolute wealth the Dodgers have in their farm system, especially when it comes to catchers. Now, to a high degree it may just be the "Dodger Bounce" that prospects get, the predictable overhype. L.A. has been living on that since 1969 when they drafted Buckner, Cey, Garvey and Bobby Valentine. So there's a very real possibility that Cartaya is 95% hype. It's hard to contain the Dodger prospect hype machine once it gets rolling. But the Twins literally have ZERO catching prospects in their farm system. If they did, we would have at least heard about one or two that "Twins Insiders" discuss those that have a real chance. This is a deal that is a pure lottery ticket but is worth the minimal price we paid for the ticket. It's also why they sent a LH RP out for Mickey Gasper, a resource that every major league team is desperate for. Boston bought a lottery ticket with Jovanni Moran. Good for them. Maybe it works out. I'm glad WE were the team that ended up with Cartaya. If it works out it will be a shrewd deal made by Falvey/Zoll whether they are still in their present positions or long gone from Minnesota.

This is a decent move. Vasquez was a nobody in the Twins system. Not one team will miss whatever innings he would have pitched. My expectations are low for Cartaya. But he was once highly regarded. There is "potential" there but a lot needs to be improved and refined. He's literally a lottery ticket, literally. If you scratch off and get nothing, you shrug your shoulders and toss the ticket away. If you win, well, it was against the odds but the investment was worth it.

At least going into THIS year, Wallner has to be considered above Larnach despite the fact that Larnach was a 1st round draft choice and starred in leading his Oregon State team to an NCAA title. Wallner's OPS these last 2 seasons are much higher than Larnach's. His arm is certainly better. Their gloves could be considered equal. My post is not meant to slight Larnach. I think both players are showing signs of figuring it out and should each show improvement in 2025. But Wallner's "upside" is just higher. If Wallner even shows some regression and finishes with an .800 OPS after playing as the primary RF all season his final stats will be very impressive. Yes, Wallner K's too much. So did Killebrew. So did Dave Kingman. The Twins have to hope that Wallner can be a Rocky Colovito left handed hitter without the glove. Wallner is probably more Kingman than anyone else. Kingman career 162 game averages: 557 AB's 20-2B 2-3B 37-HR 101 RBI 152-K's .236-BA .302 OBP SLG .478 OPS .780 OPS+ .115 With Wallner, the strikeouts are baked in. But the Power always played. The Twins can't be a winning team with a lineup of Wallner's. But if other guys supply on-base skill and there are a couple other consistent power sources, Wallner can be an excellent #6 or #7 hitter with 30 HR power.

I find the Payton Eeles conversation and comparisons to Brooks Lee very interesting. The key stat that jumps out to me regarding Eeles is the low strikeout rate. It shows he's got a command of the strike zone and has a good bat to ball contact rate. And that's a quality the Twins could use more of. It's one of the reasons that I mentioned Eddie Julien would be a trade chip I'd be looking to cash in on if I had any say in the Twins FO. Julien is already being talked about for a position change to 1B, yet the Twins just signed Ford for St. Paul. How does that get Julien reps at 1B? For a guy who was supposed to have a command of the strike zone, Julien struck out too much his first year but walked "just enough" to make it somewhat tolerable. His 2024 season was one of the most messed up I've ever seen for any major league hitter. His most current BBTV is listed at 16.5. With Lewis, Lee, Castro, Eeles, Keaschall. Culpepper etc...his chances to remain at 2B seem slim in the Twins organization. With Miranda, Lewis, now Ford and the possibility that Wallner or Larnach buys a 1B mitt in the near future, where does Julien fit on the Twins and even St. Paul? That 16.5 value is quite a drop form the 35 range value Julien had with BBTV after the 2023 season. But I think 16.5 is about as high as you'd get for him right now. Brooks Lee, if memory serves me, has had a BBTV around 30-40. I don't have any problem with the Twins wanting Eeles to prove it again, maybe for an entire season at St. Paul. But he's clearly better than Julien, and he's certainly worth the conversation/comparison with Lee. It's kind of like when the Dodgers drafted Mike Piazza in the 40th round or so. They had no idea he would blossom into the hitter and HOF catcher he became. But they figured it out soon enough. Imagine if Eeles and/or Keaschall turn out to be pretty good. Julien has no future with the Twins. We're already talking like Lee can't handle SS and will be a 3B/2B in the future. What could the Twins bring back if they were willing to deal Lee and Julien within this 2025 season?? Reports are leaking out that the Twins sale could happen by or before OPENING DAY. If that happens, the roster we have now will probably be very close to the roster we break camp with. But come the trade deadline, when a large chunk of the season will have been played, the Twins are going to have a better understanding of where Eeles, Keaschall, Julien, Lee and Lewis are at. And I could see the new owners being willing to make a BIG splash at the deadline if the Twins were in contention. I could imagine a trade of Julien before the end of spring training. I could also imagine a trade of Brooks Lee by the deadline if Eeles and Keaschall are impressing at St. Paul making a promotion to the Twins possible. I agree that an asset like Correa shouldn't be judged by what he could bring back in a trade, even though it should be pretty good. But players like Julien, Lee, Lewis, Miranda, Jeffers, Wallner and Larnach absolutely need to have some of that trade value factored in. This includes any "young" asset like Jenkins, E-Rod, Festa or SWR.

I'm nitpicking here, but even though Jax had a great season last year (and the year before that) I would switch him and Duran in the #10/#11 spots. Duran is 3-years younger and he's the 104 mph beast that is our closer. I think Eddie Julien is a prime trade piece with Lee, Lewis and Keaschall all ahead of him and his value still decent. One more poor season out of Julien and his value will crater. With someone like Culpepper coming up behind him, Eeles and whoever we draft 1st, 2nd, 3rd in June, Julien to help us get a young catcher prospect or a LH arm for the rotation or bullpen. I would be looking for a trade opportunity.

Am I missing something? We have the maximum amount of international signing money ($7.55 million). I guess we have zero chance of signing the closest player to a "sure thing" in Roki Sasaki, but whoever gets him will probably have to blow their entire signing pool money, leaving some good potential talent available to sign... And the highest rated prospect we are in on is ranked 24th?!?!? Plus, we have two SS's and an OF. Who is the highest ranked catcher?? Do we have no interest in any highly ranked catchers? I'm pretty sure when we signed Emmanuel Rodriguez he wasn't the 24th rated prospect. If the 24th, 26th and 43rd ranked prospects are the expectations for the Twins why not just go all in on Roki Sasaki? With the money we have, shouldn't we have a shot at someone in the top 5 ??

I'm surprised that Seattle's rotation wouldn't be right there with the Dodgers and Twins (Castillo, Kirby and Gilbert with Bryce Miller and Brian Woo holding down #4 & #5). In fact, I can't believe Seattle isn't #1. I think the Twins have plenty of talent to compete and I think Cleveland is worse without Gimenez and Naylor at 2B & 1B. Yes, they have some highly thought of prospects moving into those spots although Manzardo will probably DH more with Santana at 1B. But I think Santana is primed for a fall off a cliff and we in Minnesota are all to familiar with the mercurial nature of Rookies (Julien, Lee, Lewis). There are highs...and there are lows. As good as Clase is, can he come close to repeating his phenomenal 2024 in 2025? And how about the rest of Cleveland's BP?? Sure seems like there could be some regression. So yes, I think we can compete if we don't make any moves. Especially if one of those moves is trading Pablo Lopez or Carlos Correa. But we have an unbalanced roster with noticeable question marks at 3B, 2B and 1B and maybe a RH hitting OF (although I would personally like to see Wallner, Larnach and eventually E-Rod get AB's against LHP). Where Lewis lands will determine where Lee lands. I'm O.K. with Miranda at 1B. I wonder how much time Julien will get to learn 1B with the signing of Ford and acquisition of Gasper. I'm really curious what will be done with Keaschall and Eales if Castro is traded. If it was up to me, I'd just roll with a rotation of Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Festa and SWR with Zebby in reserve. I hope Funderburk can bounce back but I'd feel better if they landed someone impactful as a LH relief pitcher. If cutting payroll is paramount than I just dump Paddack for whatever to trim $7.5 million. I think Cleveland is due for some regression unless Tristen McKenzie and Shane Bieber are healthy and pitching like they were 3 years ago. If Detroit gets Bregman I'm worried. The Tigers have been moving with a purpose this off season. The Royals scare me because they've got Bobby Witt Jr. He's a level of AWESOME that nobody on our team comes close to. So yes, if we make no moves at all, I can live with that because that means Pablo is still leading our rotation, Correa is still our SS and Duran is still our closer. But I would like to see a couple moves made that don't involve any of those 3 guys.

I'm with you on this Doc Gast. Last season, the Twins were in the drivers seat for a Wild Card spot but the engine light was on and screaming at the driver (our FO) that attention was needed. "Prospect Hugging" is a great way to put it. Plenty of trades get made without giving up the prime prospects a team has. Puk's value was way down because of the failed SP experiment and then he struggled at the outset of his move back to the pen. His value literally cratered. I'm always amused by the criticism of BBTV. Of course it's not the be all and end all. But it at least gives regular guys like us who are not privy to the rankings of players throughout every organization in MLB "SOME" kind of idea of what a reasonable trade could look like. Some of our mid-tier prospects could have been packaged to make a better deadline acquisition than Trevor Richards. There is no way anyone can put lipstick on the pig that was our FO's ultimate move when that engine light was screaming that disaster was imminent. It's like holding out for a "better prospect" for Chris Paddack. Waiting isn't going to see any kind of major upgrade on the prospect we will ultimately get for Paddack. His entire $7.5 million dollar salary should have been cleared at the Winter Meetings. If the Twins are to have any hope that a Profar signing or Mountcastle/Yandy Diaz trade gets completed nothing can get started until that first payroll slashing domino falls. And the easiest domino is Paddack. On the one hand, I admire what our FO has been able to do in building a pitching pipeline to the big leagues as well as position player prospects like Jenkins, E-Rod, Keaschall, Winokur and guys that have already been with the Twins like Lewis, Wallner, Lee, Miranda, Julien, Martin, Larnach, Jeffers and more. But acting decisively has never been a strong suit of this FO. They constantly wait until opportunity after opportunity passes them by. Maybe that mindset will change with new ownership. Or maybe they will never get the chance because new ownership wants their own people in place.

I agree a little but disagree a little with Linus. We do have a pretty good 1-2-3 in our rotation and young guns like Festa, SWR and Zebby Matthews who could take big steps forward. Griffin Jax is a Wild Card. I think he could make the transition to starting pitcher and be pretty good, but he's pretty darn good coming out of the bullpen, that's for sure. I'm not buying Fangraphs #1 bullpen, but I'm hopeful the Twins have a top 5. I agree that hitters like Lewis, Wallner, Miranda and Larnach need to take the next step and Linus threw in Jeffers as well. But for the Twins to challenge for the division or a Wild Card spot, they need Correa and Buxton to be healthy and productive. Yes, the young bucks need to step up, especially Lewis, because he's the most impactful. I rank Wallner as the next most impactful young bat because if he gets 475-550 AB's and has an OPS of .800 THAT'S IMPACTFUL. I think in addition to the self imposed $130 million dollar payroll, this FO and ownership remains very committed to the players on the current roster. Adding Yandy Diaz or Ryan Mountcastle in a trade would be interesting. But you could also feel that Miranda could give you similar production at 1B. Right now, I view 2B as the Black Hole. I'm not sure how committed the Twins are to Lewis at 2B, but if it helps him stay healthy, it will be a big plus offensively. I'm almost more inclined to see Brooks Lee at 3B or 2B which takes either of those off the table for Lewis. I have little confidence in Julien right now. His glove is still suspect and his once interesting offensive potential took a big hit last year. Luke Keaschall probably won't break camp with the team, but the idea of adding him sometime this summer to play 2B, 1B, LF, maybe even a little CF is interesting. E-Rod will certainly be up at some point as well. Both of those young guys could inject some "juice" into the Twins lineup. Free Agency will simply not happen this year with the current ownership group. But there is still talent in the minor leagues and major league roster that could be leveraged in a couple trades to improve the "balance" of our talent.

The only reason I would give up somebody classified as a slightly better than "marginal" prospect would be to gamble on the upside of adding a player at a position that the Twins seem VERY THIN...CATCHER. Camargo by all accounts had garnered interest because of his bat. Not his glove. That was always the shortcoming of Jair Camargo. He was a marginal catcher, but he had a big bat. After struggling last year, Camargo needs to regain his "Thunder" to get back to being a relevant prospect. But my impression of him is that he's still deficient as a catcher. Cartaya seems to be a decent to good catcher, whose once promising bat has seen 2 consecutive seasons of a massive falloff of what his potential once was. I can't name the specific prospect I would offer, but if, as Doc Gast says, his value on BBTV has fallen to the mid 2's, I'd offer a prospect in the 2.0-2.5 range. If that prospect is a run of the mill 2B or OF we're much better off taking the risk of adding a catcher like Cartaya. First and foremost, it seems Cartaya just needs to regain his confidence. A change of scenery to the Twins, an organization crying out for catching prospects just may be what Cartaya needs.

The news on Cartaya is VERY interesting. The word on Cartaya is that he struggled mightily in AA (Tulsa). He hit .189 .278 .379 in 93 games. Evaluators in 2022 thought his hit tool was much better than it actually was, as is often the case with hitters in the low minors. In AA at Tulsa, his swing was far too long and his hitting mechanics fell apart. Sliders down and away just killed him. BBTV's has dropped his "value" all the way to 4.3. That's dirt cheap. For an organization that is bereft of ANY high potential catching prospects this screams "GET A DEAL DONE WITH THE DODGERS !!" NOW !! It's likely that with the catching position locked up for the foreseeable future in L.A. and the rise of Rushing in the system, Cartaya just tried to do too much, got in a rut, and it ate him alive in 2024. The Twins should make a minor deal and bring him in and show him we will be patient in getting him back on track. His defensive skills didn't fall apart...his hitting did. He very well could see a resurgence in 2025 but the Dodgers don't have the patience for that. This is an opportunity the Twins should exploit. There is no guarantee the shine will come back, but this seems a lot like when the Twins picked up Shane Mack for a song and the gamble paid off. Cartaya is just 23 years old. He's got time on his side. The Dodgers signing Hyeseong Kim for 3 years probably kills any interest they would have had in Willi Castro. I admit, the idea of adding Rushing's bat always appealed to me. But he may very well push his way into the Dodgers lineup primary as a LF and eventual possible replacement at 1B for Freddie Freeman (provided Freddie ever shows signs of slowing down). A long term spot as a catcher on the Dodgers is not likely for Rushing.

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.