TopGunn#22

This is GREAT NEWS !! These guys seem very similar to the Wilf brothers and most Vikings fans have been very happy with them. The Twin Cities is Media Market #15. We have never been a "small market." We are, and will continue to be in the near future a "mid-market." The way they went right out and found a way to bring Kevin Durant to the Suns is encouraging. It augers that they would bring that same, competitive posture to the Twins. This is also great news in that it really rings the bell for any other prospective owners that they better get in the game. We as fans were just hovering in limbo until this point. Now that this bell has been rung the process will begin to unfold. I can't offer an educated guess as to how quickly this could play out. But if I'm the Pohlad family I'd like to entertain an intense bidding war for a relatively short period of time. In other words, the posture of the Pohlad's in my estimation, is to sell this team as soon as possible, cashing in, and leaving the toxic mess they created last season in their rearview mirror. As always, to the Pohlad's...it's all about the money. The hope that the Twins could have a payroll of $150-$160 million is legit. I just don't ever see us having a payroll in the $240 million dollar range based on values right now (2024-2025). That just seems a little "RICH" for us as a mid-market team. But having the money to spend and spending it wisely are two completely different things. I'm still not securely confident that our present FO can make these decisions to our satisfaction. But I would like them to at least have the chance. My dissatisfaction with the Pohlad ownership started LONG before last season's debacle. I was disenchanted with them throughout the 2000 thru 2010 seasons when with 2 MVP's (Mauer & Morneau) a multiple CY Young Ace (Johan Santana) and the greatest closer in the history of the Twins (Joe Nathan) the Pohlad's never once made an impactful off season or trade deadline acquisition to get the Twins over the hump and into the World Series. The Pohlad's wasted a decade of Twins baseball that truly could have been special if they had just had the "go for it" mentality that was needed. I think Tom Kelly actually retired earlier than he would have liked because he understood the Pohlad's were just going to be immoveable on this subject. Ron Gardenhire has the ignominy of losing all those playoff games, but with just a little help from the Pohlad's his legacy could have been so much different.

I find your article very interesting Gregg. This has always been a mystery that is seldom understood and very often misunderstood. Linus brought up a great point about the 70's Oakland A's having a lot of conflicting personalities yet still winning 3 consecutive World Series in 1972, 1973 and 1974. They may have even won a couple more had their owner not traded or sold off the core of the team. I would also add to the example Linus provided that the Oakland Raiders of the 1970's and 1980's were LEGENDARY for welcoming every malcontent or misfit onto their teams. The Raiders were probably the winningest team of the 70's. I think Ashbury's point about OOTP employing a team chemistry feature that rates players on various traits is interesting. I wonder if he has ever had Trevor Bauer on a team and if he did, what was the impact? Was he a highly effective pitcher?? (which he probably would be if an MLB team signed him) Or was he a major problem who also was a lousy pitcher? Ashbury, if you have anything to share on this I'd be interested. Could the Twins have stopped their collapse and made the playoffs if a pitcher of Bauer's talent had been in the rotation instead of a rookie like Festa or Matthews? I believe that any of us on TD who are perfect in every way are welcome to cast the first stone when it comes to a guy like Bauer. So all you "perfect people" are welcome to pick up your rock and loosen up. From a pure on the field standpoint the only player I can think of that has as big of an upside as Bauer, performance-wise, at the lowest cost possible, is Roki Sasaki. For a team that is pinching pennies like the Twins they have still been reluctant. Bauer and Sasaki are 2 completely different people, but the trait they have in common is that they are top-flight PITCHERS. I predict SOMEBODY is going to sign Trevor Bauer for the 2025 season. The Tommy Herr for Tom Brunansky trade made sense on paper. The Twins were not happy with Steve Lombardozi's lack of offense at 2B and felt they had enough potential to come close to Bruno's production in the OF with Randy Bush, Mark Davidson and Johnny Moses collectively replacing Bruno. Bush and Moses did O.K, but Mark Davidson as the RH hitting part of that collective was not the prospect the Twins thought they had. Herr was REALLY disappointed in the trade, and while he didn't play at the level he played at in 1985 for the Cards, he was much better than Lombo. The Cardinals also had a 24 year old Jose Oquendo ready to step in for Herr. We always hear about how tough the New York, Philly or Boston media is on players and how soft our Twin Cities media is. But there were certain media scribes who decided to make Tommy Herr the primary reason the Twins were passed by the Oakland A's in 1988 following the Twins World Series Championship. The Twins didn't lose because of Tommy Herr. They lost because the A's became a juggernaut that would have passed the Twins in 1988 no matter what. Bruno was a shadow of what he had been for the Twins when he played in St. Louis and was gone from the Cards early in the 1990 season. Bottom Line: Chemistry IS important. The Minnesota Lynx had tremendous chemistry this last season. The New York Liberty clearly had more talent. The Lynx had more grit and better team chemistry and in the end, the Lynx were simply robbed of the WNBA Championship. But could the Lynx have won the title if they hadn't made the draft trade with Chicago giving up the chance to add Angel Reese and getting little used Alissa Pili instead. Reese was much more impactful than Pili in their rookie seasons. Maybe the Lynx win the title with Reese. Or maybe Reese clashes with Collier and the Lynx never even make it to the Finals. It's an interesting debate. Talent vs. Chemistry.

bean and Linus, you both make very good points. There certainly appear to be several "better" possible destinations for Sasaki. But I never thought Carlos Correa was coming to the Twins. Not the first time and not the second time. It is a major negative in terms of signing Sasaki, that the team is for sale. That uncertainty alone makes pulling this off very difficult. The fact that if the Twins stumble and bumble this coming season, we will see an entirely new FO and coaching staff is also a major hurdle in getting Sasaki. But I believe there is a chance. And I HAVE to believe that our FO and Rocco know that if they don't at least make the playoffs this year, they are all gone, and that should be motivating them to do everything they can do improve this ballclub and to me, at the top of that list is winning the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes. Am I pinning my entire off season hopes on this? Absolutely not. I've seen much more bad than good from the current brain trust, even with Dave St. Peter finally out of the mix. The point I'm making is that the Sasaki sweepstakes is one of the more unique opportunities I've ever seen in baseball where a truly impactful starting pitcher could be had at such an affordable price. For an ownership group that values profit over on field success, even the Pohlad family should be intelligent enough and properly motivated to capitalize on this. The Twins could have sellouts every time this kid pitches. He's a tremendous asset at the price. I admit, I have little faith this current ownership group and FO can pull this off. But they should be smart enough to see the obvious benefits getting Sasaki could bring.

To me, the strength of the Twins in 2025 will be their starting rotation, assuming Ryan comes back healthy and Lopez and Ober remain healthy. If Lopez, Ryan and Ober all throw 170 innings or more it means they are healthy and effective. Stable and effective starting rotations are the foundation for winning baseball. That said, there is one Wild Card that hasn't been mentioned in the comments that could possibly influence a trade of one of Lopez, Ryan or Ober for an offensive player like Jarren Duran. That would be winning the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes. I had mentioned in an earlier post that the Twins along with a handful of other teams have the most International Pool cash...$7.555 million. The agent for Sasaki just mentioned AGAIN, that Sasaki may be more interested in a "soft landing." What he means by that is a small-mid market team that doesn't have a constant and oppressive media situation. The Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Giants and Red Sox, as well as the Cubs would normally be considered the presumptive destination. That is now completely up in the air. Several of us have commented on TD that even though Sasaki won't command the $50 million dollar posting fee and $300 million dollar contract, he'll end up with the Dodgers for the endorsement money he could make on the side. That may be true, but I also commented that the Japanese people, coming from an Island nation LOVE to fish. Minnesota has over 10,000 lakes (actually, over 15,000) many of them in and surrounding the metro area. I say spend every penny of our $7.555 International Pool money AND gift Sasaki with a tricked out fishing boat with a series of fishing guides in the metro area on retainer by the Twins to show Sasaki around the lakes and teach him where the hot spots are for whatever he wants to fish for. Sasaki may decide he loves it here in Minnesota. If the Twins somehow won the Sasaki sweepstakes you could roll with a Lopez, Sasaki, Ryan, Ober and SWR/Festa rotation. You could even put Jax in the #5 spot. THAT would probably be the deepest and best rotation the Twins have ever had. If you had a rotation like that, you could be in every ballgame all season long. OR...You could trade one of Lopez, Ryan or Ober to let's just say, the Red Sox for 28 year old Jarren Duran. He would become the everyday CF and lead off and Buxton would move to LF. Larnach becomes the DH. Duran had a WAR of 8.7 last year. I do not think it was a career year. He's capable of much of the same production for at least the next 5 years. He does NOT need to be platooned. He had 671 AB's and 735 plate appearances last year. This kid PLAYS. MANY teams are desperate for SP. Look at the prices for mid-rotation guys like Severino, Boyd and Montas !! Someone like Ober or Ryan could bring a LOT on the trade market. Someone like Lopez in a package with Jhoan Duran could bring back Jarren Duran AND Triston Casas. How would a rotation of Ryan, Sasaki, Ober, SWR and Festa (with Jax closing) look with a lineup that would have Casas at 1B, Lewis at 2B, Correa at SS, Lee at 3B, Buxton in LF, Jarren Duran in CF, Wallner in RF, Jeffers at C and Larnach at DH. And this would essentially be the lineup for the near future with Em-Rod, Keaschall and Walker Jenkins on the way and Matthews/Morris/Prielipp on the way. You could have a contender for the short and long term. I agree that for the Twins to truly be a contender for the division and to make deep runs in the playoffs that Correa, Buxton and Lewis need to be more consistently healthy and productive. But you add the bats of Jarren Duran and Casas to the lineup and missing Buxton or Correa for 50 games is a lot easier to take. I'm not advocating that we trade Lopez, Ryan or Ober. Especially with the COST for SP and the VALUE those 3 currently represent for the Twins. But winning the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes is going to benefit one major league team immensely, and it could open up a LOT of interesting possibilities for the Twins...no matter who owns them.

I had actually posted that the Red Sox were a good possible destination for Vasquez before the trade that sent Teel out to bring Crochet in, and I stated it again after the trade was made. Matthew...are you reading my posts??? Yes, the Red Sox Sox did make a minor deal with the Yankees to bring Carlos Narvaez in, but this is CARLOS Narvaez...NOT Omar Narvaez. Omar was a solid catcher who could hit a little. CARLOS is a bit of a mystery. He has all of 13 AB's in his major league career at 26 years old. I must confess I know little about Carlos. I've never seen a scouting report etc... Still, I think the Red Sox are desperate to compete this year, and Vasquez would be a major upgrade. It's a certainty that the Twins should expect very little back if Boston were to take on the entire $10 million. I would think Boston would be interested, and really, when it comes to Vasquez and a trade with our current ownership and FO, the primary objective is to shed the $10 million. Since Narvaez has all of 13 AB's as a major leaguer, maybe Boston would swap him straight up for Vasquez. That would give the Twins a bit of a backstop (pun intended) until a more consequential trade with the Dodgers centered around Rushing or Cartaya could be made. The Red Sox are familiar and comfortable with Vasquez. He makes sense for them. Boston does NOT have to be the destination for Vasquez, but it's one of the better ones. I would actually like to see the Twins move Vasquez this year, bring in a Rushing or Cartaya, and then move Jeffers after the 2025 season, especially if Jeffers has a slightly above average offensive year or better. I have never been a fan of Jeffers. Too inconsistent offensively. Too obviously lacking defensively. Get a young guy to build around, see who has developed in our minor league system after this next season. Has Cardenas improved his hitting? Has Camargo improved his defense? I'd like to see an entirely different catching tandem at a low controllable cost going forward starting in 2026.

Cody supplied three questions, but I agree with Fire Dan Gladden, there are a bunch of additional questions and each question that is answered leads to additional questions. I can honestly say I was never a fan of Calvin Griffith other than bringing the Twins to Minnesota and I've never been a fan of the Pohlad family except in 1987 and 1991. Tony&Rodney summarized this quite well. Does current ownership and FO consider the Twins roster once they've cut the payroll to $130 million to be a clear contender for the division championship if not the favorite? Do they think this while factoring in how much the Royals and Tigers improved last season and knowing that Cleveland is always in the hunt? Clearly, Cleveland, Kansas City and Detroit have figured out how to do MORE with LESS than our FO has. Or, does current ownership/FO feel that they can pull off a Seattle Mariners type of miracle? I'm referencing when the Mariners in back to back seasons said goodbye to A-Rod, Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson and then went out and set an American League record with 115 wins. If the Twins were able to dump the Vasquez and Paddack salaries for whatever they could get back and then trade Correa, Lopez and Buxton while completely revamping the roster with what they got back for those trades involving the "Stars" as well as investing the massive amount of payroll $$$ saved in additional players...would the Twins be better in 2025 and beyond??? That's the either/or question. And it certainly could fall somewhere in between, but that's essentially the debate.

That's why I like Jose Iglesias more than Rosario. Especially if Castro is packaged in a trade to save money and add to an area we have an acute need. Iglesias would really help our IF defense and as I've said, if Lee and Julien falter, or Keaschall needs a little more time with the elbow, the Twins could get by with Iglesias starting a 2B for an extended time and benefit from the defensive upgrade immediately. Depending on what trades the Twins actually make, Iglesias and Austin Hays be two solid signings from a depth perspective for the IF and Corner OF/RH hitter standpoint. Hays has been a good OF in the past who slipped a little in 2024. I think it's more a matter of nagging injuries last year than his defensive ability falling off a cliff. On a one-year deal, he fills the bill as a RH Corner OF bat who provides a platoon option with Wallner, Larnach and eventually E-Rod when he gets promoted. I consider Hays a much better alternative than Refsnyder, Gallo, Margot et all. But guys like Hays and even an affordable Iglesias ($1.5-2.0 million) cannot be added until the Vasquez/Paddack and even Castro moves are made. The Twins wouldn't really be adding Iglesias unless Castro was traded or given the fulltime LF position with Larnach DH'ing.

Year after year, the "Arms Race" in baseball gets more and more intense. The contracts guys like Montas, Severino and Boyd are signing are just mind-boggling. I can understand what a guy like Snell or certainly Corbin Burnes would get. But you look at those middling SP's and their price tag and I gotta say, I'm hanging onto Pablo Lopez for sure! The Red Sox just acquired Crochet and the primary piece needed to get him was TD trade favorite Kyle Teel. I still don't really care what, if any, value we get back for Paddack or Vasquez, but I'd love to see how $17.5 million dollars could be used in filling in some big needs/question marks. We are still looking at a probable trade of Vasquez. The FA price of catching is showing that Vasquez is slightly overpaid at $10 million. Even with the acquisition of Crochet, the Red Sox could still use a #5 SP until Giolito is ready. Paddack could work for them, especially if he could be used in long relief once Giolito is back. In trading Teel, the Red Sox could be interested in a reunion with Vasquez as a backup to Connor Wong. But there has to be a plan, where the groundwork is already laid to get a young catcher in a trade once Vasquez is moved. With Teel gone, and with the extraordinary catching depth the Dodgers have with Will Smith and Austin Barnes on the roster, and Dalton Rushing and Diego Cartaya in the minors knocking on the door, a deal needs to made with the Dodgers for either Rushing or Cartaya to pair with Jeffers. If something like this can come to pass, the other big move that is no sure thing, but would be the biggest splash the Twins have made in free agency since Nelson Cruz that MUST be pursued is leveraging ALL of our $7.555 million dollars of International Signing Pool money for Japanese RHP Roki Sasaki. His agent, Joel Wolf just commented yesterday as the Winter Meetings wrapped up, that his client might prefer a "soft landing" (meaning a small-to-mid market team where media isn't as hostile as in a big market). The Twins have the most International Pool money along with the Reds, Tigers, Brewers, Marlins, A's, Mariners and Rays. This is not the first time Sasaki's possible preference to playing in a small-to-mid market team has been floated. I think there is steam there. The team that concerns me the most in that group is the Tigers. They are a division foe and we cannot let them be the eventual winners. I could live with a National League team like the Reds better than a division foe, but really, the Twins have to dig in and pursue this tooth and nail. A window of opportunity has been opened. Can you imagine a staff of Lopez, Ryan, Sasaki, Ober and SWR/Festa?? This would allow the Twins to keep Jax in the BP and either keep Duran, or package Duran and Castro in a deal to the Dodgers for Rushing and something else. Sasaki is a unique opportunity to get a bona fide ROY/All Star Game candidate at a ridiculously low price. Skip a year of signing multiple players and get an impact guy without having to spend a $50 million dollar posting fee and a $300 million dollar contract. Japan is an island nation. Their people love to fish, and I would bet that Sasaki, coming from a small, rural town is a fisherman. In addition to the $7.555 million in Pool money, I would include a tricked out fishing boat, and get a bevy of local, Twin Cities lake guides to guide him around the metro lakes and show him the "hot spots" for Walleye, Northern and Muskie. THAT would be "getting creative" from an ownership and front office standpoint. Sasaki could find he LOVES living and playing in the Twin Cities area. And if we only have him for a couple of years, he becomes a tremendous trade asset. There isn't much optimism for the Twins this off season. We just left the Winter Meetings with barely a whisper. There is enough talent on this roster to compete for a division championship, but with a limited budget and obvious needs to fill there needs to be a "will to find a way" from our soon to be gone ownership group and very likely gone FO group if the attitude is toward "standing pat." Get what you can for Vasquez and Paddack. Clear the $17.5 million. Make a BIG trade that brings back a catcher of the future who is ready or near ready to start playing in 2025. And shock us all by landing the biggest fish at the most affordable price in Roki Sasaki.

2028 is a long ways away, but this is how Cody wrote it up so here's my 2-cents worth. I'm going to stick with the majority of his projections but will allow for some of the positional flexibility for several guys. Lets start out with catcher... AGE C: Dalton Rushing 27 acquired in a trade with the Dodgers. Jeffers & Vasquez long gone. 1B Royce Lewis 29 He will hit and stay relatively healthy. And settle in at 1B. 2B Luke Keashcall 25 His elbow will be fine and he will make a better 2B than Lewis. 3B Brooks Lee 27 He could also be at SS if Correa continues to battle foot problems. SS Carlos Correa 33 At 33 he's still young and athletic enough to play SS. Unless he's not. LF E-Rod 25 Could also be in CF as well. He and Walker Jenkins in the OF is "EXCITING." CF Walker Jenkins 23 Jenkins will still be in CF unless a Jarren Duran type of CF is drafted. RF Matt Wallner 30 Big Matt will be in RF mashing HR's for the Twins and hitting 6th. DH ???? I think Byron Buxton will be gone by this time, but if he's he's not he makes a good DH/4th OF kind of guy. At 34 years old Buxton will have lost a step, but he would still be pretty fast. And as a RH hitting 4th outfielder he could rotate easily with the "all LH hitting" OF of Jenkins, Wallner and E-Rod. In fact, you could make a case that Wallner would be the primary DH and that Buxton would still be a regular, perhaps playing LF on an everyday basis with Wallner filling in at either corner and Buxton playing occasionally in CF to provide a rest day for E-Rod or Jenkins while one of them DH's. What you cannot project with this type of exercise is who the Twins could end up drafting in 2025 and 2026 who could elbow their way into the OF mix. I think either Jenkins or E-Rod would be fine in CF. But like I said, if a LH hitting or RH hitting Jarren Duran type tore up for the Twins in the minor leagues and projected as the proverbial "pure CF" then E-Rod and Jenkins would make for a very athletic duo of corner OF's. And Wallner, if he's mashing HR's from 2025 thru 2027 would seem to be someone else still in the mix.

I have mentioned two players that I thought would be good options for the Twins in the event that we package Willi Castro in a trade to someone like the Dodgers in an attempt to acquire a young catcher who is ready for the majors in 2025 (from the Dodgers, someone like Dalton Rushing or Diego Cartaya). Those two players are Amed Rosario and Jose Iglesias. Rosario is 29 years old and has the ability to play some OF, primarily LF in addition to being able to play all 3 IF positions except 1B. He also has good speed and makes consistent contact without striking out a lot. Those are all qualities the Twins could benefit from when considering the current makeup of their roster. Iglesias is 34 years old and is clearly the better IF defender without the ability to play OF. Iglesias has decent speed, just not "Rosario" speed." He won't steal bases like Rosario, but won't clog them up as a station to station baserunner either. Iglesias is also a great contact hitter who doesn't strike out much but and has "doubles" power and that's about it. The Twins aren't teaching him to hit with more power. At 34 years old, he is what he is. But he brings excellent defense to SS, 2B & 3B no matter what. If our options for 2B fall flat in their faces, Iglesias would at least bring great defense to the position as a bridge starter until Lee, Julien or others show they're ready. Spotrac puts Iglesias at a $1.5-$2.0 million dollar salary. You could make a case that if Castro were traded the Twins could sign BOTH of these guys though I think that's highly unlikely. I prefer Iglesias for the defensive upgrade at SS/2B/3B. Especially of Correa were to miss extended time with any type of injury. But if the Twins signed either Rosario or Iglesias I think it would be a solid baseball move.

I also loved watching him pitch. I believe he belongs in the Hall, but he may never get there. It was good to see the veterans committee add Dick Allen and Dave Parker to the HOF. As a 12-year old, I was thrilled when the Twins made the trade for Tiant for the 1970 season. The broken scapula was a tough injury and he clearly wasn't healthy in 1971. Two of the biggest blunders Calvin Griffith ever made came in the early 70's as the Oakland A's began to separate themselves from the Twins. It may not have mattered with the A's winning 3 straight World Series in 1972, 1973 and 1974. But Calvin didn't have the necessary patience to wait for Tiant to get healthy and he went on to be very effective with the Red Sox starting in 1972. The other blunder Calvin made was again motivated by his love of money rather than winning baseball came in 1972 to 1973 and involved Twins Hall of Famer Jim Kaat. Kaat was off to a great start in the 1972 season with a 10-2 record and a 2.07 ERA. Unfortunately, he got hurt and his season was over before the All Star break. Calvin wouldn't wait for Kaat to show he was healthy for the 1973 season so Kaat signed with the White Sox. Kaat went on to win 20 games in 1973 and 1974 for the White Sox. Again, I don't think the Twins could have beaten the A's in those years, but just look up what Tiant and Kaat did in 1972 thru 1977 and what the Twins could have had for starting pitching with Blyleven and others. None of Calvin's blunders compare to Rod Carew. But Tiant and Kaat rate right up there with Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle as players Calvin should have valued rather than looking to "right size" his payroll.

With the rapid improvement of the teams in the A.L. Central and the Twins current ownership not allowing any additional expenses to try to keep pace it's fair to question if the Twins indeed ARE in a competitive window for 2025. How can you really be considered in a competitive window if ownership, and by extension the FO isn't in a position to add to the talent but only hope that the talent on hand simply improves?? I do believe the Twins have enough talent to compete. But to get there you have to hit on a LOT of question marks: Correa & Buxton are both healthy and play in over 130 games each AND produce at the expected level offensively. Royce Lewis has a major bounce back and performs at 2023 and early 2024 levels for a minimum of 130 games in 2025. That Wallner, Larnach, Lee, Jeffers, and Julien are ALL more 2023 versions of themselves than 2024...and that you get the 2024 version of Miranda. Do the Twins have full, injury free seasons from Lopez, Ryan and Ober? Does Duran perform at 2023 levels instead of 2024? There are far too many questions about each of these variables. This is where having the financial ability to go out and sign a Profar to play LF and secure a solid vet #4 SP so that Jax remains in his current role. Absent that kind of mindset or ability I think it's fair to ask "are we really in a competitive window??" If I trade Correa to the Red Sox for the package I laid out and the Twins use the $40-$45 million saved properly, I'm excited about our ability to compete in 2025 and beyond. If the plan is just to run it back and HOPE that all the variables I listed come true, well, that's just hoping for too much.

I would think the "Big Market" teams would have interest in Correa. In other words..."the usual suspects." Correa is a winner so I can see the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers (if Edman would be primarily in CF) and others having interest. Tony&rodney has mentioned Arizona as a possible trade partner, but I can't see Jordan Lawler being a part of a trade and Arizona would probably be less likely to take on ALL of Correa's contract which mitigates the savings the trade would bring back. I don't see a bloated contract that would have value talent wise to the Twins coming back from the D-Backs either. The players the Twins would probably be focused on from Arizona would be starting catcher Gabe Moreno, who they acquired from the Blue Jays in the Varsho trade a couple years ago, and starting SS Geraldo Perdomo. Moreno is 24 years old. Perdomo is a switch hitting 25 year old with a slick glove at SS. Those 2 would take over starting catcher and SS duties for the Twins and allow for a trade of either Vaquez or Jeffers. The D-Backs would need a catcher to replace Moreno but would they be interested in Vasquez or Jeffers? I still like my previously stated trade with the Red Sox better, but this could work. Perdomo gets the Twins younger and at least as good defensively at SS but he's quite a drop offensively from Correa. Perdomo would bat 9th in the lineup but could probably be counted on for being in the lineup more consistently than Correa.

I have no problem considering a trade for ANY player on the Twins as long as I'm happy with what we get back. I wasn't especially happy what we got back for Johan Santana. I was O.K. with what we got back for Frank Viola even though I was sorry to see him go. BOTH Santana and Viola had a 20 win season for the Mets after those trades were made and you could agree with any Twins fan who wondered how much better the Twins could have been if they had their star lefty winning 20 games for them. But the Viola trade brought back Kevin Tapani and Rick Aguilara (and lefty David West) so when you look at how integral Tapani and Aggie were to the Twins 1991 World Series Championship team, it made it a lot easier to accept that Viola threw an N.L. best 250 innings, struck out 182 and won 20 games with a 2.67 ERA in 1990 for the Mets. Correa is the most expensive player on the Twins, and it's not even close. He's a very good player at a premium position (SS) that could leave a huge hole for the Twins if he was dealt. Right now, the best option the Twins have on their roster to replace Correa would be Brooks Lee. Many of us on TD think of Lee as more of a 2B/3B option going forward than a SS. So a key to a Correa trade would be who is coming back in the deal to become the Twins SS going forward. Let's just speculate that the team that wants Correa is the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox want to compete for the A.L. East Division crown and at least be a playoff contender. They look at the Yankees losing Soto and see a weakened Yankee ballclub. They look at Baltimore and see young talent but a team that is losing their Ace in Corbin Burnes and a 44 HR outfielder in Anthony Santandar. The Red Sox see an opportunity. The Red Sox are also thinking of moving Rafael Devers off of 3B. Correa and Trevor Story could lock down the left side of their IF. What if the Twins traded Carlos Correa, Christian Vasquez and SWR to the Red Sox for young catcher Kyle Teel and SS/CF Ceddane Rafaela. The Red Sox are big market. They can absorb Correa's $35 million and Vasquez's $10 million. They have a history with Vasquez that was very successful and he would make a great backup for Connor Wong. They are also desperate for SP so a young, affordable and controllable SP like SWR would be very temping to them. The Twins get a young catcher with tremendous potential who can split time with Jeffers. Rafaela becomes the starting SS. He's quite good with the glove at both SS and CF. He has 20 HR-20 SB potential for years to come. He's already signed thru the 2031 season for $50 million. He's just completed the first year of that extension for the Red Sox. His average annual salary is $6.25 million per year. That's a perfect contract by Twins standards. He's only 24 years old. He would be part of the Twins for at least the next 7 years of his contract. He doesn't walk enough but he's got room to grow. And his defensive skill either in the infield or CF is elite. The other thing this does is open up about $39 million in salary relief/opportunity. How would the Twins utilize this? Would they sign Profar to play LF? Would they bring in a Kirby Yates to help anchor the back end of the BP? Would this allow the Twins the ability to be more aggressive in signing Ryan and Ober to contract extensions keeping the top 3 SP's in our rotation together for the next 5 seasons or so? If you throw in the additional $7.5 million the Twins could save with a Paddack trade (for whatever you could get if cutting the salary is the primary objective) that would give the Twins over $45 million to re-work the roster. I'm not advocating that the Twins trade Correa. But if the trade scenario I laid out with the Red Sox were to be a reality I'd be thrilled with a trade like this. Correa's durability has been suspect these last couple years. Coupled with the Russian Roulette the Twins play with Buxton this puts the Twins in a continuous loop of uncertainty for each of their big stars. Rafaela is NOT Carlos Correa. But he's much younger, probably as good or better than him defensively and about $30 million per season cheaper than Correa. The Twins would emerge a younger, more athletic team with some serious money to burn to re-order the roster. It would also ultimately make the Twins a more attractive franchise for a buyer. Under these conditions, I could see myself fully on board with a Correa trade. I don't want to trade him. But what exactly do you get back and what do you eventually do with the significant payroll reduction to improve the Twins for the 2025 season and beyond?

I'm pretty sure the "Garcia, the esteemed leader" writing was just made in jest. And yes, while I'm waiting for a big trade during these winter meetings...something that brings in a Daulton Rushing/Kyle Teel "Catcher of the Future" kind of deal, I kind of like this under the radar move. It really has no risk but could prove to a beneficial signing. Every year, Major League teams make these kind of under the radar signings and a couple of them end up being very successful. With the possibility that the Twins will actually give Griffin Jax a shot at the starting rotation, this kind of signing can't hurt at all. This kind of move is far more beneficial than a risky Rule 5 move because Ynoa has the ability to be called up/sent down that is not readily available for a Rule 5. We're ALL hoping for something bigger during the Winter Meetings. But this is a decent move and I like it.

Grichuk would certainly be a better option than signing a LH hitting Gallo or Margot, Refsynder et al. He checks a lot of boxes...murders LH pitching. Capable of not only playing a corner OF at an average to above average ability but also capable of logging some innings in CF (just as long as it's not for an extended period of time). With E-Rod probably making his debut around the All Star Game, Grichuk is that RH outfield platoon bat the Twins need to balance out there roster. He's not as good an option as Profar, but that's why Profar will be paid significantly more than Grichuk. And with money the primary focus of this ownership group I, as a fan, need to temper my expectations of a Profar vs Grichuk move and understand that Grichuk is not a bad option. If Grichuk didn't have a couple warts, he would still be an everyday player. He's not. But he DOES clobber LH pitching, he has power (his HR totals since 2019...31, 12-Covid, 22, 19, 16, and last year 12. Those HR totals have gone down as he's settled into more of a platoon role, but that's the role we would want him in anyway. Last year he hit .291 and in 254 AB's hit 12 HR's and 20 2B's with an .875 OPS. He's 33 years old so his production shouldn't fall off a cliff. Signed to a 2-year contract, he would be a nice platoon/bench bat as E-Rod eventually cracks the starting lineup and the Twins determine who they keep and who they deal between Wallner and Larnach. He could be signed for $1.75 to $2.00 million per season. For a team pinching pennies this kind of signing is a Godsend. The sooner the Twins move to make this a reality, the better.

I have been intrigued by this idea since it was first floated. There are positives as well as negatives. If Jax is slotted in as the #4 SP in the Twins rotation, but pitches like a #2 SP then it's a WIN. If Jax pitches like an equivalent #4 or #5 SP to Festa, SWR or Matthews than it's a LOSS. Because the Twins would be forfeiting the A+ pitcher Jax is in high leverage, late game appearances. But the idea that his value accelerates if he makes a successful transition to the rotation is valid. That helps the Twins rotation and as DJL44 pointed out, if he's really good, the Twins can determine which of Jax, Ryan, Ober or Lopez gets spun off in a blockbuster trade. We are currently marooned in "Pohladville" where it's an absolute certainty all of Lopez, Ryan, Ober and Jax will not be Minnesota Twins in 2027. If the Pohlad Family is still around, there is no way they're paying for each one of those 4 pitchers in addition to a host of other position players as well as Duran. If Jax has more value after 2025 & 2026 that is a good thing. A new ownership group "might" have a different philosophy. But we all currently live in "Pohladville" so there's no point in speculating. Another thing to consider is that it's MUCH EASIER to add a RP than it is a SP. For example: Kirby Yates just led the A.L. in Saves last year and had a great year for Texas. He will be 38 for the 2025 season. Spotrac estimates his Free agent 2025 salary to be 1-year and $6 million. My Rochester, Minnesota public school math tells me that $6 million is LESS than $13 million. And a LOT less than the $20+ million Luis Severino just got. With the contracts guys like Severino and Boyd got (not to mention Blake Snell) the escalating costs of SP's each year in MLB is just mind boggling. And if starting doesn't work out for Jax he can always be moved back into the BP. If Jax was inserted into the rotation, and the Twins were able to trade contracts like Paddack, Vasquez and Castro, they would have the room to bring in someone like Yates. Now, it doesn't have to BE Yates, but if you look at his salary as a match to Castro's and you coupled these moves with a signing of Jurikson Profar to play LF and hit at the top of the order, I would say a lineup with Profar in LF and Yates holding down the back end with Duran and a rotation that would go Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Jax and Festa, would be something I could feel pretty good about going into 2025. I think there is some steam to Jax heading to the rotation. I think the positives outweigh the negatives. Jax has really made himself into a very good pitcher. His work ethic is VERY GOOD. I'd be willing to bet on him working out pretty nicely in the rotation.

That would be the hope Fezig. But a player who would have been a good fit (Tyler O'Neill) just signed with the Orioles. One "moderate" FA that could help the Twins a LOT that was recently mentioned by a baseball insider as a good fit for the Twins is Jurikson Profar. Profar played LF for the Padres this past season, is a switch hitter who is effective from both sides of the plate, and hit .280 with 24 HR's and 85 RBI. He scored 94 runs and had an OPS of .839. He is projected to get a 3 year, $39 million dollar contract. That's "moderate value" in today's MLB. The Twins would need to find a way to clear some payroll. Paddack ($7.5 million) Vasquez ($10 million) and Willi Castro ($6.2 million) have been mentioned. Moving any or all of them makes Profar that much more affordable and having him at the top or hitting 2nd in our lineup would be a real positive addition to the Twins and and solve the LF problem. It would also open up a possible trade of Larnach. The Twins core is certainly good enough to compete in 2025. But an addition of Profar and swinging a deal for a young catcher like Dalton Rushing (Dodgers) or Kyle Teel (Red Sox) would go al long way to adding a little excitement to the Twins off season. After having the fan base get their hopes crushed by an ownership that is more focused on profit margins than winning, it would be a breath of fresh air. I think anyone in the front office has to know that they are battling to keep their jobs with a new regime coming on board in the not too distant future. A 2nd consecutive 4th place finish will ensure they will all be looking for a new job in 2026. A division championship or playoff appearance at least gives them a chance of retaining their positions.

As much fun as it was to watch Arraez hit, I don't think there is a guy who comments on TD that regrets getting Pablo Lopez. Jocko87 nailed it by quoting himself from some time ago. If Arraez either had the speed or OF glove of Tony Gywnn he'd be a hot commodity. If he had the power of David Ortiz same thing. But he doesn't. To me, his closest comp to some degree is Matty Alou. All Alou could hit was singles. He might get 25-30 doubles in a season but he had 31 CAREER HR's. In 1968, "The Year of the Pitcher" Alou hit .332 with an OPS of .758. In 558 AB's he walked just 27 times for an OBP of .362. With teammates like Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Don Clendenon he only scored 59 runs and knocked in just 52. He did steal 18 bases but was caught 10 times. Among his 185 hits were 28 doubles, 4 triples and ZERO HR's. What set Alou apart from Arraez is that he was a pretty decent CF. He had a sub par throwing arm, but that was mitigated with having the cannon arms of Clemente and Stargell on either side of him. Alou could catch the ball and he could run, two things Arraez can't do as well. But all Alou could hit was singles. It's why despite a .307 lifetime average, Matty Alou is not in the HOF. Alou didn't win batting titles. That's tough to do when you're in the same league as Clemente, Rose, Aaron and Billy Williams (among a host of others). But in the 60's and early 70's when pitching dominated, he was a pretty valuable guy. The one similarity that I see with Arraez and Alou that is a deficiency, is they both should have scored more runs. Alou got 185 hits and had Clemente, Stargell and Clendenon hitting behind him in 1968 and he only scored 59 runs. How is that possible? The one thing that Arraez could do a little better to raise his value is score more runs. 83 runs scored is not bad, but 100 runs scored in a season is the gold standard. It just boggles the mind that you can have a player who wins 3 CONSECUTIVE batting titles and nobody wants to keep this guy on their team. On the current Twins team, playing a below average 2B and maybe an average 1B Arraez would be a better option than anybody we have hitting leadoff of 2nd in the lineup. Another comp with Arraez would be Rod Carew. Carew was a better 2B and 1B than Arraez will ever be and Carew certainly had much more speed, from stealing bases to legging out doubles and triples. If Arraez just had "some" of the speed Carew had his value would soar to a 20 SB and 100 runs scored guy. I'm a little intrigued by JDTwins idea of trading for Arraez and Padres catcher Luis Campusano. I just cannot imagine the current Twins ownership or FO finding room for a $14 million dollar singles hitter. That's a sad reality, but true.

It's an interesting suggestion but even taking back Vasquez and Paddack, throwing someone like Duran/Jax in seems like too much for me. And the benefit of moving Vasquez and Paddack is to have that $17.5 million available to plug a couple of holes. Suzuki is a solid RH bat. But he's not a plus defender. He could play "some" OF, but at $15-$18 million per season for the next 2 years, while he would make the lineup better, Our OF defense would suffer without anybody above average in our corner OF at all. I'd like to see how BBTV's would break down the deal Eric suggested as well as a couple of variations. What if SWR was included instead of Duran or Jax. I'd rather keep Duran & Jax at the back of my BP than a #4 or #5 SP. Heck, I'd give Jax a shot at the rotation and come up with a BP option. SWR's value has never been higher. Sell high on him and go with Festa, Matthews and Morris who probably have higher ceilings. Thanks for the example though Eric. It is an interesting idea.

I don't think signing aging SP's like Verlander or Scherzer is a good strategy going forward. They are guaranteed to break down, and they won't be cheap. In the short term, the idea of trading Pablo Lopez could make sense. But it all comes down to what you're getting back. If you traded Lopez and Jeffers to the Red Sox, what else would it take to get Jarren Duran and Kyle Teel back? Boston has an acute need in their starting rotation. They also have a good catcher in Connor Wong but Jeffers would give then a solid hitting option in a time share and allow them to consider moving Teel. What else would it take from the Twins to make this happen? SWR? Matthews? Paddack? If the Twins could somehow acquire a dynamic leadoff hitter and CF (allowing them to move Buxton to LF, solving the LF problem and possibly allowing for better health for Buxton going forward, AND acquire their Catcher of the Future" how big of a win would that be for the Twins?? Boston gets an Ace level SP and a solid catcher. The Twins could roll with a rotation of Ryan, Ober, Jax, Festa and SWR/Matthews. The Twins would probably need to come up with a #3 or #4 vet option for their rotation. Maybe Jose Quintana? It would lower payroll immediately, but a plan would need to be in place to make the team better going forward. I would argue Jarren Duran and Kyle Teel could do just that.

This is a legit article. The only thing missing from this article is a couple of examples of what Ryan or Ober COULD bring back in a trade. I agree with chpettit19 and tony&rodney and others who make it clear "It Always Depends on What is Coming Back." And teams like Cleveland and Tampa Bay have shown this kind of approach can very successful. So while I don't advocate for trading either, but I'm not going to turn my face to the wall and throw a fit over the idea either. It could be debated whether the Twins are actually "IN A WINDOW" of being a contender. With an ownership group who tanked a potentially promising 2024 by cutting payroll and then gifting the team and fan base with Trevor Richards at the deadline, and continuing to shout from the mountain top that "WE'RE CUTTING PAYROLL AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN..." it's fair to wonder if we are contenders. Ryan and Ober are both good pitchers. It's safe to say that we would be in a less competitive position for 2025 if we traded one of them. But again, it depends on what you're getting back. tony&rodney mentioned Ober for Jarren Duran. I would do that trade in a heartbeat. Duran is a very good CF who can also play either corner. He's a dynamite leadoff hitter who posted an 8.7 WAR season in 2024. He's 28 years old and after being a top Red Sox prospect for a few years really put it together in 2024 after having a good 2023 season. He led the A.L. in doubles (48) and triples (14) while cracking 21 HR's and had 34 SB's. He would look absolutely fabulous at the top of our order and in CF. You could shift Buxton to LF where his defense would still be outstanding but there would be less wear and tear. Why would Boston trade him? They are absolutely desperate for SP and their top prospect is a CF. They could fall back to Rafaela Ceddane to play CF in 2025 with Trevor Story playing SS. Rather than pay $20-$30 million or more for multiple rotation pieces, Boston may view Ober or Ryan as a perfect, low cost fit. You could then replace Ober in the rotation with Griffin Jax. After seeing what salaries pitchers are getting on the FA market already, does anyone think that has dampened Jax's determination to be a SP? Heck No! It's enflamed it. And it's probably time to start using that pitching pipeline we've been developing anyway. The Twins are going to have to pay Ober eventually. The Twins would have to pay Jarren Duran as well, so that's a wash. Ober is 30. Duran is 28. I like the idea of getting a solid CF, dynamic leadoff hitter on our team. I for one appreciate what the staff at TD churn out on a daily basis. That's not an easy job, but it's fun to read about baseball and what the Twins "could" or "might" do during a long, cold off season. Rather than criticizing and spouting off about what a terrible idea everything is, put a little time and effort into considering the positives and negatives of the proposed moves and state your case with a well thought out response. Don't just say "I didn't even read the article but..." That's just lazy. I don't mean to call out the specific guy who wrote that. It's the general uproar that follows when an article like this gets posted and people type before they ponder. I have concerns the Twins are still in a competitive window given the strongly negative vibes our ownership has sent the fan base and I'm not sure how much confidence I have in Falvey to even pull of a trade of this magnitude. The Twins do have some talent and could be competitive. A lot of that depends on young talent, Lewis, Lee, Julien, Jeffers, bouncing back, guys like Wallner, Miranda and Larnach continuing to improve and become more consistent and The health of Correa, Buxton and the starting rotation being able to stay healthy enough to produce like they're capable of. But, one way or the other, it's either going to happen or it isn't. Nothing I post on here is going to influence what the Twins eventually end up doing. The debate to me is always fun, even if it appears to some on TD to be an absurd waste of time.

Interesting names, especially the LHP Webb from the Guardians system that jorgenswest just mentioned. It's not often that a Johan Santana or Shane Mack are available in the Rule 5. Did anyone notice if Crash Davis was on the list? I understand he's a switch hitting catcher with power, who is a good handler of pitching staffs. He's also a fan of long, wet kisses, which would probably help him fit in the clubhouse well.

They also have 3 open spots on the 40 man roster. I can't see them picking more than one player (if any) in the Rule 5 Draft coming up. Seeing how that player has to remain on the big league roster all season, unless it's a player with great promise at a position we need, I think it's unlikely we add anyone. If we are planning to spin Paddack off for next to nothing if the other team picks up all $7.5 million (possible) I can't imagine that player would even be someone who is a 40 man roster contender.

RV78 really hit the nail on the head for me. Nick said it as well. My biggest frustration with Twins leadership in the past (Pohlads and FO) is that they wait...and wait...and WAIT until all that is left is table scraps. That's why year after year, they appear to have no plan. Things with this organization are just too haphazard. They are constantly dumpster diving but then go out and sign Carlos Correa for big money. Correa is a signing you make when you decide your window is open and you're making a bid for a championship. When 2023 comes around, and you win the division and actually win a playoff game for the first time in nearly 2 decades the decision is suddenly made to "right size" your payroll. As fans we then realize "There Really Is No Plan." They collapsed at the end of last season and finished 4th in the division. The only team worse than the Twins was the all time MLB loss record setting White Sox. But there is still a LOT of talent on this team even though they have some concerning roster holes. The division is getting better and better. I agree with RV78 and Nick Nelson that I would "LIKE" to see the Twins be more proactive. I'd like to see evidence of an actual PLAN, not just reactions to the market. I think at $7.5 million a LOT of teams would be interested in Paddack. And with the recent price of pitching Paddack has real value. The Twins SHOULD be able to make a deal with him, even if it has to be a little later when several teams look at their rotations and see they are coming up short. I think there is more value to Vasquez, even at his price than we're allowing for. There are a host of teams that have a need for a Vasquez type of catcher. Texas is not a possibility after they signed a catcher but there are others. And I think there are a lot of teams that would look at the cost of Paddack or Vasquez as not a problem to take on the entire contract. Especially if a little sweetener like a minor league prospect was attached. Finally, I see Nick has Willie Castro penciled in as the starting LF. That makes sense. Castro would be following the same career path as Cesar Tovar for the Twins. Castro is actually very good defensively in LF. Heck, the Dodgers just gave Tommy Edman 5 yrs and $75 million (and we've been conditioned by our ownership and FO to beg for smelling salts at the thought of $15 million per year for Byron Buxton). I imagine Edman will play either SS or CF fulltime depending on what other moves the Dodgers make. But I still think Castro would be someone they would be interested in. I want to see the Twins swing a deal for Kyle Teel or Dalton Rushing. THIS is the BIG TRADE I want to see happen during the Winter Meetings. I think Rushing is more likely with the Dodgers extreme abundance of top catching prospects and All Star Will Smith firmly entrenched as the starter. I'm not sure what the deal would be, but I would have Castro as part of it. The Dodgers are in WIN NOW mode. Why not get an integral piece like Castro right now when Rushing is blocked by Will Smith for several years. Not sure what else would be needed. Would the Dodgers push us to include Jhoan Duran? How big could the deal go? If you acquired Rushing from L.A. and had a plan to trade Paddack later, you could make a deal with Miami for Vasquez where you would take back more salary (Alcantara $15 million). He's coming off Tommy John but after missing all of 2024 he will be ready to pitch in 2025. In this type of plan you would cut $23.7 million and add $15.75 million with Alcantara and Rushing. That leaves around $8 million left to invest in the roster. Spend $1.5 million to sign Jose Iglesias to cover the infield spots Castro would have and you still have $6.5 million to work with. This ownership group and FO has the means to make some moves to fortify this roster while cutting payroll. They just need to have the guts to be aggressive in implementing their plan. But waiting "for the market to shake out" isn't going to work. It will reduce options and Plan B, and Plan C and Plan D.