TopGunn#22

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.

There is no "down side" to the Ishbia brothers ending our time in baseball purgatory with the Pohlad ownership philosophy. NONE. In our wildest Twins fever dream we would have just this type if scenario where "winning" and "fan engagement" would be the priority rather than "profitability and right-sizing."

That last point about Ohtani and not pitching last year and how that affected his SB attempts is excellent chpetitt19. If he pitches this year, and all indications are he will, I doubt he steals over 20 bases. It's why I think the Dodgers would be wise just to have him HIT. He's such a unique offensive player that if they got 50 HR's and 35-40 SB's again this year from him, with that lineup but zero innings pitched I think they would repeat as World Series Champions. I get that he's a remarkable unicorn doing both, but I'd take that kind of offensive production any time I could. I also missed the style of baseball where the running game was evident and baseball had truly gotten stale without it with the preponderance of the "three outcomes." Still, we can all see how slow the Twins have been to embrace the opportunities the recent rule changes presented. In 2023 Rocco's Twins didn't even attempt to steal bases until Willi Castro started getting a LOT of playing time. And that didn't happen until practically June. The Guardians had tons of SB's by the end of May and Rocco's crew had attempted something like 5 stolen bases. We were WAY LATE in taking advantage of the rule change. It was almost like the Twins weren't aware there had been a rule change. Buxton NEVER runs anymore from a SB standpoint. They're too worried about him injuring himself because he's never really mastered the art of sliding. A guy with Buxton's speed and ability should fall out of bed and get 20 SB's per season. I'm not surprised Martin rated well. That was his game in college and the minors. I WAS surprised that Margot was rated on the plus side. He just seemed really slow in outfield all season. Just take a look at the body Royce Lewis has now. For a guy that when drafted, had a run tool rated very close to Buxton he's just way to "thick" to have anywhere near his old athleticism. It's why he cannot play SS anymore and doesn't have the "cannon" of an arm like he did when drafted #1 overall. That's fine for hitting HR's, but no wonder he's looking to "get looser" in 2025. He's bulked up to the point his muscles are no longer "free and easy" like they once were. He's stronger for sure. But he's not nearly as flexible and it's why he continually has issues with muscle pulls (aka soft tissue problems). Many years ago, baseball players had an aversion to heavy weight training. They felt it bound up and tightened their muscles too much, leading to an excess of muscle pulls and arm issues. Maybe it was foolish that ballplayers in "the old days" eschewed lifting weights. But maybe it wasn't. Flexibility has always been valuable, as has strength. Finding the right balance is the key. It also makes a lot of sense that hulking HR hitters aren't always going to be the best defenders. Let's agree that Willie Mays and Hank Aaron were "special." They were not "common" in any way. But for every Rocky Colovito...a slugger who was a good defender with a cannon for an arm, there were 20 Harmon Killebrew-esque sluggers who were not above average defenders. The Twins need to get some better "defenders" and by default, younger and more athletic. Some of them might be in-house. Some may need to come from outside the organization. Maybe with a infusion of this type of player, Rocco will be more open to being aggressive on the bases. I don't know. Rocco debuted in 2019 and waiting for the 3-run HR is really his comfort zone. And with Tommy Watkins back for another season of getting guys pegged out at home and third I'm not optimistic.

I'm of the same mind as nicksaviking. I don't think SWR's ceiling is as high as Festa or Matthews (or even Morris) but he was a pretty solid #4/#5 last year. With the list of teams looking for starting pitching a mile long, I think NOW is the time to trade SWR while his value has never been higher. If we didn't have in house options with higher ceilings, Festa, Matthews, Morris...even Jax, or an outside possibility like Roki Sasaki, I wouldn't be advocating to deal SWR. But we do, and there are teams with some interesting pieces we could get back. Two teams I'd be talking to would be the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox. Both of them are in the mix for Corbin Burnes but still have open rotation spots even if they land Burnes. I'm doubtful Westburg, Cowser or Kjerstad would be available unless the trade was expanded to more than just SWR. But the Orioles have major rotation concerns and guys like Mountcastle and O'Hearn are certainly available who could be 1B options for the Twins. I'd be interested in seeing what a deal for Westburg/Cowser/Kjerstand would entail. But Mountcastle and O'Hearn have value. The Red Sox don't have as many interesting young players as the Orioles, but 24 year old Ceddane Rafaela has always interested me. His OPS was an unimpressive .664 last year, but he cracked 15 HR's and had 19 SB's all while player stellar defense at SS & CF as well as 2B. He would be the young, athletic, superior glove man at 2 key positions (especially for the Twins, with Correa and Buxton) who if he stops swinging at everything (15 walks, 151 K's) has 20 HR/20-30 SB potential.

I wouldn't do the proposed trade in the article for Castro but I'm glad Cody introduced an interesting player in Canario. While Canario bats RH and is a player with power potential is he really the type of player the Twins should be looking at acquiring with E-Rod on the way and Walker Jenkins close behind? Especially if the trade involved a key player like Castro. Lurking behind the scenes in any trade is the possible ownership change. What kind of team do the Ishbia brothers want to inherit from the Pohlad's? If the Ishbia brothers were our owners, we could very well be looking at trades of Vasquez, Paddack and Castro anyway. Or maybe we wouldn't. But it's clear to me that the Ishbia brothers have a very different outlook and plan than the Pohlad driven vision. Doogie Wolfson on Skor North reports that the interest by the Ishbia brothers in the Twins is STRONG. While that is very good news, it makes me wonder how involved the brothers would be/would be in any major moves prior to a sale. I think it's safe to say that Correa, Lopez and Buxton aren't going anywhere. This is somewhat similar to the potential sale of the Timberwolves and the trade of KAT to the Knicks. Did A-Rod and his partner have any input? I would rather package Castro in an attempt to get a young "Catcher of the Future" like Dalton Rushing or Diego Cartaya from the Dodgers. I could entertain a Canario for Paddack straight up trade where the Cubs take on ALL $7.5 million of Paddack's contract. The Cubs could use Paddack as their #5 SP or as a BP arm. Canario, while intriguing, is just a guy who is out of options. You salary dump an affordable pitcher for that kind of guy. not an All Star Caliber "Super Utility" guy.

I've made my feelings clear on Roki Sasaki. A situation like this rarely, if ever, comes around where the smaller-mid market teams have a reasonable chance to add a 23 year old player like Sasaki without the $50 million dollar posting fee and a $300 million dollar contract. The Twins should be willing to commit every penny of their $7.55 million dollar International Pool signing money to Sasaki. That by itself won't get the deal done. But it at least puts the Twins on equal footing with the other teams that also have $7.55 million (Tigers, Reds, Mariners etc...) and it sends the message to Sasaki that the Twins value him above any other candidate for that money. The Twins cannot let the Tigers get this guy. I'm not sure what else would be permitted by MLB. I've suggested furnishing him with an awesome fishing boat and a rotating group of local guides to show him all the hot spots for whatever it is he would like to catch. I'm not sure what MLB would think of that. Our current ownership problem is a hurdle to clear. But I'd try to turn it into a positive. I'd point out the Ishbia brothers willingness to invest in the team and the community and the likelihood of an extension to stay with the Twins long term for Sasaki with the Ishbia brothers ownership. But a sale would have to be announced quickly to leverage that. I for one wonder what the Pohlad family thinks they're going to get out of this season. The quicker they sell, the quicker they can start counting their money and go away. A Pohlad ownership probably means a LOT of empty seats. Whether any trades have been made to pair down salary...Vasquez, Paddack, Castro...(Correa???) The Twins need to be on Sasaki with a vengeance and quickly. The Pohlad's need to be consulting the Ishbia brothers as to what kind of team they are interested in buying. One whose payroll is "right-sized" but a roster gutted?? Or something else. There is no future for the Pohlad's in baseball. The quicker they sell the team, the better. For all parties concerned.

There is no downside to this potential ownership change. NONE. The Pohlad Family is worth $3.8 billion. The Ishbia brothers have a combined net worth of $12-$14 billion. As an ownership group, the potential positives of the Ishbia brothers far outweigh any of the Pohlad family. The huge disparity of the scale of wealth aside, it's the willingness of the Ishbia brothers to use that wealth to better the ballclub and the baseball viewing public that sets them so far apart from the Pohlad family. Consider this: It was the Pohlad family that nearly had the Twins contracted. And this happened after the Twins had won 2 World Series Championships in a 5 year period. After all the angst of failing in the playoffs throughout 2002-2010 and then the wandering in the desert years of 2011-2018, then the 2019-2020 resurgence and fall of 2021-2022, only to see the playoff curse broken in 2023 and then to see the shocking "right-sizing" of the payroll and eventual collapse of 2024, leading into the off season winter of discontent that a roster with talent but some obvious holes needs FURTHER "right-sizing" the Pohlad's are finally on their way out. It was pointed out by Jud Zulgad in a Skor North episode that the whole idea of "right-sizing" began when Jim Pohlad handed the keys over to Joe Pohlad following the tremendous 2023 season. It became obvious very soon after the season ended that Joe Pohlad and the rest of the family weren't interested in owning the Twins any longer. Rather than "right-sizing" the business in the 2023 off season, the Pohlad's should have just put the team up for sale right then. Instead, what followed was a detonation of any good will toward the Pohlad family by the fan base and the writing was plain to see on the right field wall of Target Field that the Pohlad family would never again have any trust or good will from this fanbase. In our lifetimes as Twins fans we've had the Griffith family and Pohlad family who became famous for their penurious ways. Now, there is a glimmer of hope that a couple brothers, whose net worth dwarfs the Pohlad family, may be interested in buying the Twins. I hope their interest is serious. The Pohlad's have not left themselves in a very strong position to sell the team. They are coming off a season with an historic collapse on the field, destroying any positive energy the brothers could have inherited with the fan base, and the Pohlad's still have a team that in "their business model" is too heavy on payroll. This to me means the Pohlad's should be motivated to sell. And sell quickly. Get their money and slink out of the public spotlight. They should be consulting the Ishbia brothers about any major moves/trades/signings. Trade Carlos Correa?!?!? Better ask the brothers. Make a trade for Yandy Diaz?? Better ask the brothers. Go all in for Roki Sasaki??? Better ask the brothers !!! And if I'm the brothers, I want input on any of these moves if I'm going to give the Pohlad's anything close to their hopeful/desired price. Absent a sale, what are the Pohlad's budgeting for ticket sales this year? Have the Pohlad's done ANYTHING to compel anyone to come and watch their team?? Absolutely Not. As far as their FO and current manager? I don't know if Falvey could do more with a different ownership group or payroll flexibility. Would the Twins under Falvey with the Ishbia brothers be more aggressive in making moves during the off season as opposed to being purely reactionary? In fact, I don't even think I could characterize Falvey and Co. as reactionary. It's more like a "Wall Flower" strategy. Hang by the wall in the shadows until the dance ends and then just go home having danced with nobody. This FO more often than not simply dumpster dives. That's not a strategy and it's terribly frustrating. It's not a given anyone in the FO or Rocco would be around for the 2026 season if a sale was made. Anyone who has amassed the wealth that the Pohlad's or Ishbia brothers has, has probably stepped on a few toes. That's business. Always has been, always will be. But for the billionaire owning the teams I cheer for...Twins, Vikings, T-Wolves, Wild, I want MY billionaire to care more about a winning team and interesting product than what the profit margin is. Ford Motor Company, Target, etc... are NOT the Minnesota Twins. Ford has never won a World Series, and they never will (theoretically). But I want the Twins to win the World Series, The Vikings the Super Bowl. The T-Wolves the NBA Championship and the Wild the Stanly Cup. So I want those ownership groups to put winning and an exciting product FIRST. Not Profit Margins. This sale can't happen soon enough for me.

Neither of those 2. I like the suggestions of Yandy Diaz or Lamonte Wade Jr.. But I'm done with 39 year old/40 year old worn out one year patches. If the Twins are not willing to give Miranda a shot or consider moving Royce Lewis to 1B to try to maximize his health and high end offensive production I want a fix that gives the twins 2-3 years or more with a guy. Santana and Turner are about ready to drive off a cliff in terms of offensive production. They are not Paul Molitor. They aren't hitting .341 at 40 years old. Yandy Diaz, Lamonte Wade Jr or a trade with Boston for Tristin Casas. Let Santana and Turner join a Senior Softball League.

Good point on Tommy Herr tony&rodney. I think it stung him even worse that he was traded to the team that had just beaten his FORMER team in the World Series. A question for the TD community, and I apologize ahead of time for my ignorance. Is there any reason why my earlier post has no button to like/dislike or agree/disagree with my comment? Everyone else has had some sort of feedback for their comment except me, and it appears there is no way to do so. I commented on a number of things. I mentioned Trevor Bauer because he was brought up in several other posts. I have been warned about my commenting on Bauer in the past so had refrained for a long time until this post because others had made a point either in his favor or against. Is there any kind of statue of limitations for this? If my post upset anyone, I apologize. But I didn't think I said anything over the line. I still maintain that for a team that is so overly concerned about payroll while putting out a questionable desire to compete for a divisional title, that a pitcher of his talent who would sign for the league minimum is beyond rare. His baggage/clubhouse dynamic is undeniable. But so is his talent. If others have injected his situation into a thread what sets my initial comment apart from the others? I'm just looking for guidance from other TD posters that might have some insight into this.

Mack is my only "hitter" vote. I'm adding Boswell, Chance, Reardon and Worthington for pitchers.

I have no interest in bringing Santana back, just as I had no interest in bringing Michael Taylor back last year. There comes a time when you have to give your young players the chance to succeed or fail. Like I said with Taylor, take the "win" and move on. Taylor crashed and burned in 2024 and the probability that Santana will dramatically fall off in 2025 is just too high. I'd rather see what Miranda can do. I must admit though, if Yandy Diaz is available for trade, I'd really like to find out what it would take to swing a deal for him. The guy can hit, of that there is no doubt. His career BA is .288 and his career OPS is .806. He's 33 years old, so there is a chance of a fall off. But his contract only runs 2 more years so all your on the hook for is his age 33 & 34 seasons. After that, you're probably looking at Royce Lewis or Luke Keaschall. Those two years would allow Keaschall to get his feet wet and Lewis to determine if he's a 3B or a 2B a 1B or maybe even a LF. Miranda could still be used as the primary DH and spell Diaz on occasion, or possibly traded.