TopGunn#22

RpR, you have to get over the notion that a No-Trade Clause means the player CANNOT be traded. It's nothing more than a tool to give the player the leverage to say "no" to a trade he certainly doesn't want. Like, say, getting traded to the White Sox. Most players waive their No-Trade for a price. It's usually written into the contract. In the end, ANYBODY can be traded. A player just doesn't want to get dealt to a last place team that has no chance at making the playoffs. Correa may look at his Twins situation and think the Pohlad's, with their big trade deadline acquisition of Trevor Richards sold him a bill of goods and don't really want to compete for championships. Correa wants to compete for championships. He may think with a team payroll of $125 million, less his $35, leaving the rest of the payroll at $90 million, isn't enough to be a playoff contending team and certainly not enough to compete with the likes of the Yankees, Orioles, Guardians, Tigers, Royals, Houston, Seattle, Texas etc... The No-Trade Clause is there to benefit Carlos Correa, not the team. It just may be that Scott Boras had a conversation with this New York writer (off the record of course) to stir the pot. Finishing 4th in a 5 team division with the last place team setting a record for futility isn't what Correa thought he signed up for. (and certainly not what Scott Boras wants in trying to best market his client). Correa certainly wasn't banging the table that all the Twins needed down the stretch was Trevor Richards!!! This may prove to be nothing more than Hot Stove speculation. It may have been nothing more than a Scott Boras agitprop. But it may have been done with a purpose of forcing the Twins to trade Correa. We will just have to wait to find out.

I decided to write my comments before reading any others. But with 47 responses and counting, it's going to be interesting going back and checking how others see this. I'm sure the Hot Stove is going to heat up a little more after a post like this Nick. I've been saying since the off season began that a No-Trade Clause means nothing. It's usually just a lever for the player to squeeze a little more money out of the deal by buying it out. The Yankees and Mets make sense. The Mets only if Correa moves to 3B. The Yankees only if they plan on moving Volpe to 2B as Torres departs in free agency. One other team that could be interested in Correa would be the Dodgers. Yes, I know they boo him every time he comes to the plate in Dodger Stadium. But that changes as soon as he makes a dazzling lay at SS or knocks in the game winning run. They need a SS if they plan to play Edman in CF or they need a CF if they plan to play Edman at SS. Either way, we have something they need. $30-million dollar contracts are nothing to the 3 teams I just mentioned. Even if they are planning on bidding high for Juan Soto and a host of other FA's. If I could make a trade to move on from Correa or Buxton the player I would choose to deal is Correa. $33 million is more than twice the savings for Buxton, and I'd like to hope the new Twins ownership won't act like a $15 million dollar contract is more than they can bear. As it is, with the Pohlad's, that $33 million dollar deal for Correa is an Albatross. The biggest question for the Twins brain trust if they dealt Correa would be: #1 Who plays SS. And #2 what would they do with the $33 million saved to improve the team. When you're talking to the "Big Boys" (Dodgers, Yankees, Mets etc...) you don't have to agree to pay a portion of the big salary. We didn't for Donaldson. We won't have to for Correa. I don't think trading Correa destroys any chance of the Twins competing in 2025. It just may push the more realistic window to 2026 when E-Rod AND Walker Jenkins should finally arrive. Could the Twins just hand the SS job to Brooks Lee? Would they need a 1-year placeholder like Jose Iglesias? If Iglesias played SS would Lee play 3B and Lewis 2B? Would it be beneficial to having Lewis & Lee learn from an old pro who has a great glove like Iglesias? Jose Iglesias is NOT Carlos Correa, but he's a very good glove who hits for average without any power or speed. He will never win a batting title like Luis Arraez, but he will make plays in the field and put the bat on the ball. And then it all comes down to what does the team do with the $33 million dollar windfall? Do they sign Tyler O'Neill to play LF and give DeShawn Kiersey a chance? This gives them 2 options in CF if Buxton spends time on the I.L. And by mid-season/All Star break could Emmanuel Rodriguez be on the way? Do they spend to bring in Aroldis Chapman as a LH reliever? Do they sign Roki Sasaki in FA or maybe a Kikuchi or Flaherty? If the Twins trade Correa to LA or NY what other trades could/would that open up? The Twins FO needs to have a detailed plan for what they plan to do AFTER a Correa trade is made. The Twins should NOT trade Correa unless it's a trade that not only gets them out from under (as the Pohlad's view it) his Albatross of a contract., and they have a PLAN to revamp the roster by redistributing resources to field a more balanced ball club. Look, if the Twins chose to have a payroll of $150 million, Correa's contract wouldn't even BE an issue. But to the Pohlad's it is.

I think the Twins strength is for 2025 and beyond is SP. Lopez, Ryan and Ober (and possibly Jax) provide a solid base. SWR, Festa and Matthews will be contributors as well. I'm not really in favor of trading any of Lopez, Ryan or Ober, but the trade bean proposed with the D-Backs, Lopez for Zac Gallen and Gabriel Moreno certainly works for me. We get an excellent SP back for Lopez and we add our starting catcher for the next 10 years. The question would be, why would the D-Backs do this? The trade is fair by BBTV's standards but Arizona would have to be really high on Lopez to give up Gallen and Moreno. But it's a great starting point in conversations. Lopez, Correa and Buxton are unlikely to be traded but it's a possibility. Correa's contract may be too big to move. Lopez is a very tradable piece and would bring a large return. But unless it's a Gallen and Moreno type trade, I'm probably not interested. That brings me to Buxton. He's making $15-million per season. That is no problem for a team like the Dodgers or Yankees to add. Philadelphia could probably make it work as well. I'd bet Boston or Atlanta could, but both of them have good options in CF already. Buxton's value has improved on the heels of his 2nd ever 100 games played season. He's also entering this off season healthy, which is a big plus. I think his value is NOT negative and he could bring some real talent back. The question for the Twins is this: Buxton could have a BIG season next year if he can remain healthy. How likely is that? Probably not overwhelmingly likely, but he's not rehabbing anything major this off season. He's a fan favorite. How would the fan base react to a trade? To get the salary relief the Twins would need in a Buxton trade the talent coming back would need to be young and relatively unproven. Minimum salary guys ready to make the jump to the major leagues or young players with a season or two under their belt. Would fans accept that kind of risk? The kinds of guys the Braves or Phillies could send us for Buxton are LH hitters. Kelenic and Marsh. The Braves are not including Michael Harris in a Buxton trade. Maybe the Phil's would include Rojas. What else would the Phillies have that would interest the Twins? I think it's certainly possible one of the "Big Three" get traded but I don't think they will. Attaching a prospect to a Paddack deal will be necessary. Possibly attaching a prospect to a Vazquez deal with Miami to get an Alcantara or Luzardo is a trade that MUST be looked at. And with Farmer, Kepler and others no longer on the roster that is also some salary relief. I'm not in favor of signing Santana (39 years old) or Goldschmidt (37 years old). There is no future with either. We didn't resign Michael Taylor and he flopped with the Pirates. I take the "win" of what Santana did in 2024 and let him walk for 2025. There was a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth over the Polanco trade. He was HORRIBLE for the Mariners. Know when to cut bait.

I think the Twins have some GOOD options for 2B. Lewis at 1B has been discussed and he may be their best option. But you'd hate to put a player with his athletic profile at a position he would have to learn on the fly. Lewis at 2B could be an excellent fit, IF, he's willing to give it a shot. I also think a healthy Lewis would be fine at 3B. Brooks Lee is the best option defensively at either 2B or 3B and could probably be the primary backup for Correa if he needs a day off or spends time on the IL. Where does Lee profile to be better defensively? Could he be a Gold Glove caliber 2B? He probably profiles as a solid 3B. either way, his switch hitting bat should develop into a plus and he looks to be an answer at either 2B or 3B. Willi Castro: I think it's time to stop saying Castro "is not a full time player." He IS a full time player. He just plays a LOT of different positions. I've compared Castro in the past as kind of a Cesar Tovar "Lite." He's not the hitter Tovar was, but he provides the speed and the glove. It took the Twins awhile before Tovar rose to "everyday status" as a specific position player. In 1967 & 1968 Tovar played all over. By 1969, while he could still play a little 3B and 2B he was mostly in the OF (primarily LF until a trade opened up the CF spot for him in 1970 & 1971). Castro IS a fulltime player, just not at a specific position. Is it time to reward him with one and put him at 2B? I think this is an option with Eeles, Helman, etc... getting a chance to break in as the utility guy. To me, this is a big decision the Twins need to make this off season. Has Castro finally earned a full time, specific position or does he remain the Super Utility guy? Do we trade him to a team that offers him the full time defensive position or does the other team feel he's "just a utility guy?" I think Castro would be a decent full time option at 2B. Back in the late 1960's and early 1970's the Twins finally rewarded Cesar Tovar with a full time defensive position, while still using him as a utility guy occasionally. It paid off very well for the Twins then. Could it do so again with Castro?

I agree Fezig !! We've talked about the Twins getting faster and more athletic. This guy is the answer to that and we don't need to trade for him. Just give him a chance. I don't know how well he hit LH pitching at St. Paul, but he was an everyday player. He's the obvious answer to 4th OF on the team. Adding him to the 40 man (they have the room now) and if he makes the team out of spring training will set up a corresponding move. A trade of either Larnach or Wallner. The obvious guy is Larnach, but we could get a LOT more for Wallner. The Twins need to explore options for both and see how big the deal could be. Like Fezig said, if you set records at AAA you've probably spent too much time there. Kiersey's glove would be an immediate upgrade and his speed will be a welcome addition. The other possibility is a trade of Buxton and just putting Kiersey out in CF. Moves need to be made. All options should be considered.

Cron was actually more than adequate defensively at 1B for the twins in 2019. I think Doc Bauer does a great job of summarizing. The Pohlad's need to be careful what they do because they need a competitive team to maximize their sale. They played with fire last season and they got scortched. So far, there has been nothing leaked about potential buyers but I've got to believe some people quietly reached out to the Pohlad family as soon as the announcement was made. They will not simply just "run it back" because it's clear the division (with the exception of the White Sox) has moved past them as things presently stand. So the Twins won't stand pat, but they won't tear the whole thing down to the studs either. And they shouldn't. There is a decent core, but some glaring holes with the roster that haven't been addressed in far too long. When you have a glut of LH outfield bats, you don't sign Joey Gallo. You just don't. I could see one major surprise trade like Doc Bauer suggested. It won't be Lopez. It won't be Correa. It probably won't be Ryan or Ober. But I think it could be Buxton. His $15 million dollar salary is treated like an albatross by all of us here on TD. In reality, it's a drop in the bucket to many teams Buxton just might drop his no-trade. The Red Sox don't need him, they have Duran, Abreu and Rafaela. They have plenty of options. But I'll bet the Yankees would love to move Judge back to RF and Soto to LF if they could get Buxton. The Dodgers would be interested if they decided to make Edman the starter at SS. They could find somebody to make the move. Buxton's value has never been higher. He finally played in 100 games for the 2nd time in his career. Consider this: If a guy plays in 100 games that amounts to just 62% of the total schedule. No matter how good a player is (or could be) a team like the Twins cannot win and SUSTAIN winning, if one of their "Stars" is only available about half the time. A team like the Dodgers or Yankees CAN make that work, because they have the extra payroll to have a solid backup. Buxton will never be more marketable than he is right now. It's time to move on. If there is a SP that I think they could move, it just might be SWR. His value is at an all-time high. They have Festa and Matthews behind him with Jax being a Wild Card as a rotation option if the Twins give him the chance. I'd rather hold onto Lopez, Ryan and Ober and look at what kind of return I could get for SWR. Maybe the Twins offer Wallner, SWR and Paddack for Teel and something else? I think tony&rodney and I agree as do several others that we need to acquire a Catcher who is young and on the verge of making the big leagues. Jeffers isn't the answer. Vasquez to Miami is a strong possibility. A major overhaul of the roster is not going to happen. A couple of minor moves around the fringes will not move the needle to the point that there is sufficient fan excitement to facilitate a favorable sale for the Pohlad family. Each trade should be made with a plan for what the NEXT move is going to be. It's Chess. Not Checkers.

I would say that for an article like this to have more meaning, we need to see some sort of example (or 2 or 3) of what trading Wallner could bring and an explanation of what hole would be filled. Or if Ober were traded, what's the return and how does that balance out the roster. THEN we can have a chance at more informed responses. Otherwise, guys that respond with a comment only have about 25-33% of the information they need. Not that any of these trades would work, but it needs to be something like: Twins trade Vasquez and Wallner to Miami for Jesus Luzardo and Ryan Weathers. This opens up a hole in RF and at catcher, but allows the Twins to consider trading a SP. Twins shed $11 million in salary and take on Luzardo $6 million and controlled for an additional 2 years and Weathers (salary ? but it can't be more than 2.5 million). Twins trade Ober to the Red Sox for Tristan Casas. Hole at 1B filled. Ober's spot in the rotation is filled by Luzardo. Twins trade Griffin Jax and Chris Paddack to the Dodgers for Dalton Rushing C and Dustin May SP. Rushing fills the hole at C and forms a tandem with Jeffers. Paddack's $7.5 million off the books. Dodgers get a rotation candidate or bullpen guy in Paddack and their new closer in Jax. Twins sign Tyler O'Neill to play LF and spell Buxton in CF occasionally. This is very disjointed because I'm babysitting grandkids and someone wants me to play a game with them. But someone could do a better job with some more realistic trade scenarios. Unless you have some sense of what you'd get if you traded someone, it's all just Hot Air.

We're throwing darts at a dartboard here but my dart lands on Stewart. He's got the best stuff of the three. I'd spend what it took to add Aroldis Chapman or AJ Puk and settle on quality. Rookie relief pitchers will only cost the MLB minimum of about $800,000. Stack up quality with Duran, Jax, Chapman/Puk and Sands (maybe Alcala). Give Varland the 2 innings at a time role and with Stewart you have 7 guys. Funderburk makes 8 and I'd expect Jovanni Moran as #9. There are a LOT of guys currently in our minor league system who could fill in, or guys we invite to camp (like a Jeff Hoffman type). So I say Stewart, but target a veteran LH who brings a track record of quality like Chapman or Puk.

He had such a sweet looking swing !!! Maybe he will attempt a comeback when he's been away from the game for two years. Maybe he'll be tearing the cover off the ball for some town team and a major league team will come calling. This happens for pitchers with some degree of regularity. Less so for hitters. I wish him a full recovery and all the best.

He's never going to be a Gold Glove catcher, but the look they gave him in the OF wasn't because he was horrible defensively, it's that for the 2024 season they were set with Will Smith and Austin Barnes and the kid can flat out HIT. Diego Cartaya has always been the heir apparent at catcher for the Dodgers. Within 2 years, Cartaya will be the primary catcher with Will Smith moving to 1B when Freddy Freeman retires (Smith will still probably catch one game per week in this scenario). I've mentioned the Twins going after Rushing in several trade scenarios already this off season and I think he should be a top trade priority that could set dominos falling in a positive way for the Twins roster. If I could get him for Keaschall I would do it. Assuming that this could very well be the final year of the "Rocco Reign" as manager, acquiring Rushing would be to play him 75% of the time in 2026 and beyond.. Sure, Rocco would platoon him with Jeffers, but Rushing is a LH hitting catcher. He'd play more than Jeffers, even with Rocco. A full time catcher with a plus bat ultimately is more valuable than a full time utilityman. Considering the Twins have a rather bleak outlook at the catcher position in their farm system, acquiring someone like Rushing would be a huge plus. The Dodgers also need a closer and I expect they will go get one. However, if the Twins want to compete next year I'm giving up Keaschall, not Duran or Jax. Maybe I dangle an arm like Alcala to seal the deal, but he'd just be another arm in the Dodger pen, not the closer. This move frees the Twins up to jettison Vasquez and I maintain the Marlins are still interested in having him handle their young pitching staff. Vasquez for Jesus Luzardo who is only projected to earn $6 million in 2025 and is arbitration eligible thru 2026 at 27 years old old is a trade that could happen. Luzardo has to fully recover from some nagging injuries, but he will. A Twins team with Luzardo in the rotation, Rushing & Jeffers at catcher and Duran & Jax still holding down the back end of the bullpen has exciting possibilities. There would/should be some other moves made as well. But those two moves secure the catching position for the short and long term and makes for a rather formidable rotation for the Twins.

Good article and lots of interesting comments. My 2-cents: E-Rod is very talented and certainly seems to be on the fast track. If not for the injuries, he might have been a full time player this past season. There are some "slight" similarities to Julien. My worry for E-Rod is that he will end up taking called 3rd strikes at an alarming rate much like Julien. But I agree that in terms of sheer talent, Julien can't hold a candle to E-Rod. A similar situation is unfolding for the Yankees and Jasson Dominguez. He is also uber-talented, has battled numerous minor league injuries and I'm betting he's the Yankees starting CF right out of the gate in 2025. And he's 21 years old. Even if the Yanks re-sign Soto, I think he's moved to LF and Judge slides back to RF. Aaron Boone's failure to get Dominguez in the lineup in place of Alex Verdugo in the World series will probably cost him his job this off season. There is no denying we have an absolute glut of LH hitting OF's. Wallner, Larnach, Kirilloff, E-Rod, Jenkins, and even Kiersey (he HAS to be included because his defense and baserunning alone would have translated to more wins than Margot in 2024). Wallner, Larnach and Kirilloff are each limited to a corner OF spot. If the Twins really believe in the talent of E-Rod and Jenkins, no matter what the timeline for them, something has to give. Either Larnach or Wallner should probably be moved. Getting a 1B, RH hitting OF, C (or catching prospect close to a major league promotion) a #3 or #4 type SP...any of these positions is worth giving up Larnach or Wallner. To me, Larnach will never be more tradable than NOW. Kirilloff has no value and is very below average as an OF. 1B is where he will play or he won't play. I'd HATE to give up Wallner. But what could he actually bring back? I'd test the waters. Ultimately, you can't play Jenkins, E-Rod, Wallner and Larnach at the same time. Especially if you still have Buxton and Kirilloff. There's a part of me that says if Buxton would waive his no-trade to a contender and you also deal Larnach, depending on what RH hitting OF you bring back in those trades or other trades, I could see an OF of Wallner, E-Rod and a mystery RH hitting OF with Kiersey as my 4th OF in 2025. Then, in 2026 when the expected debut of Walker Jenkins happens you'd have to live with the ups and downs of a pretty young OF. But you'd have Correa, Lewis, Lee in the INF and a pretty affordable roster with the exception of the pitching staff as Lopez, Ryan, Ober and maybe a mystery 4th SP acquired in a trade age into higher contracts as well as Duran and Jax. And maybe by that time, Ober or Ryan have been traded away to make room for Festa, Matthews, Morris etc...There is ALWAYS churn for baseball teams. The Twins have a roster that is out of balance. Some bold moves need to be made, whether it's by Falvey in the final season of Pohlad ownership, or by a new GM and FO with the new ownership.

I don't mind the alleged "click bait." It's why we come here, to offer our opinion and see what other guys think. All that's missing is a beer or other adult beverage and eye contact. Come to think of it...some of you MIGHT be having a beer while reading this. They will 100% tender him. That much we all agree on. But even though Mike Sixel threw it out there about tendering and then trading him, THAT'S the article I would have preferred. Everybody is tradable, depending on what your getting. So how would a trade of Duran straight up for Tristin Casas be received?? Jax moves to the closer role and Casas is our 1B for the next 10 years. I could maybe live with that. I have no idea how that deal would stack up on BBTV's. What if you dealt Duran and either SWR or Miranda for Casas and Wilyer Abreu? You add a Gold Glove nominated OF in Abreu who has some speed and pop and Casas. I could live with that. Boston needs a closer, SP and a replacement 1B for Casas if they trade him. Duran, SWR and Miranda for Casas and Abreu? How do the values of THAT trade stack up? That's the kind of article I would have preferred. And frankly, every one of our arbitration guys could or should be considered as a trade chip. I'm not advocating for trading Duran. He has been a dominant closer. But what could we get for him if we traded him. The Red Sox actually profile as a good match for a possible trade. Who else does??

With non-roster guys like Eeles and McKusker I wonder if there may be "some" guys currently on the 40-man roster who may be on thin ice. I hope the Twins are willing to consider guys like Kiersey, Eeles and McKusker and not joined at the hip with certain guys. I also think that with the aforementioned guys the Twins should be VERY active in moving some prospects currently on the 40-man in trades to help balance the roster. That would open up some spots for guys who look to be figuring things out and who should be included in conversations about "internal" options.

The Twins have some young prospects pushing for an MLB debut. They also have a couple of corner OF types who need to produce if they are to stave off the eventual arrival of E-Rod & Jenkins, namely Larnach and Wallner. This would also include Kirilloff who probably needs to crush it in spring training and in April and May or his time in Minnesota will be done. This type of upward pressure from prospects in the minor leagues also opens up trade possibilities for the aforementioned Wallner, Larnach and Kirilloff and to some extent, Miranda if they decide Wallner would look awfully nice at 1B. There are other prospects who have value as well who could be packaged in trades. As someone else mentioned, the challenge for Falvey this off season will be in consummating a couple of trades to better balance out the roster. This is something Falvey failed at miserably this past season with his lone deadline deal bringing in retread Trevor Richards. You can blame it on budget restraints, but a trade involving our minor league talent and depth for young major league or minor league talent close to breaking into the big leagues should have been pursued with a vengeance. It's not like there were zero opportunities. It's Falvey's job to find and execute those possibilities. We've had an unbalanced roster for 3-4 years now. It's time to address that.

These are the "Big 3" that have been talked about for much of this last summer and no into the fall and pre-winter. I'm excited about Jenkins but agree with those that don't expect a major impact in 2025. He will begin at either AA or AAA but he would really need to blow up at St. Paul to have any chance at half a season with the Twins. That's not likely, but I COULD see Jenkins get that "cup of coffee" call up in September. Emmanuel Rodriguez is another story. He's one year ahead of Jenkins due to his very early appearance in the Twins minor league system. Even with a good spring training, I see E-Rod at St. Paul for at least April and May. Depending on how he's doing and the Twins OF situation he could be up as early as June, but more likely a July, post All Star Game promotion. As young as E-Rod and Jenkins are, I think it's too early to dismiss any action in CF. They may both end up in the corners, but with Wallner firmly planted in RF and E-Rod and Jenkins both being LH (as well as Larnach) CF has to be an option, especially if Buxton misses time. Keaschall is a very interesting prospect whose situation is complicated by Tommy John surgery. He's versatile and athletic and while he seems to be more profiled as an infielder, I think CF is a distinct possibility (as well as LF). There is an opening for a RH utility bat on the opening day roster. I'll be very interested in any and all news regarding Keaschall prior to and during spring training. One other guy I'm curious about is Brandon Winokur, the 6:6 kid who played both SS and CF for Fort Myers. His stats were decent but not great. Will he begin at Fort Myers or one level higher? He's a guy that is just outside the fringe of the Jenkins, E-Rod, Keaschall level, but with the athleticism to play SS and CF at 6:6 he kind of sounds like a Bob Allison throw back. I also think the Twins have a lot of depth in the minor leagues and should certainly look to move some pieces not named Jenkins, Rodriguez or Keaschall this off season in an effort to add some young, controllable, major league talent, at catching, infield or outfield.

Very nice article Al. I would also echo that Ron Perranoski should always be mentioned when talking about good Twins RP's. Perranoski came to the Twins in a 1968 trade with the Dodgers along with John Roseboro and Bob Miller (another effective Twins RP) in exchange for Zoilo Versalles and Mudcat Grant in what was then kind of a blockbuster trade. Zoilo and Mudcat had fallen off their previous greatness, but the Dodgers had foolishly traded Maury Wills to the Pirates and were badly in need of a SS. The Twins won that trade...BIG TIME.

Matthew, this is an interesting article, but clearly, you don't watch enough basketball games, especially college basketball, though even in the NBA a key play or two can change momentum. The play Ohtani was injured was just kind of a freak thing. The man stole 59 bases this season and he played in all 162 games and every playoff game. As it is, he probably dislocated his shoulder but I believe it's been popped back into place and that he will be right back in the lineup tonight for the Dodgers. I could be wrong, but he hasn't been ruled out for sure. It would be interesting to see Ohtani in batting practice to see how he's swinging. The Yankees have their back to the wall but the real key to this game is which Walker Buehler takes the mound for the Dodgers. Will it be the guy who has been a shell of his former self since his Tommy John surgery? Or will Buehler be able to give the Dodgers 5 solid innings, like, only one run given up. The pressure is on New York, especially Aaron Judge. If he doesn't come out of his funk, the Yankees chances are not good. If he suddenly gets hot, the entire series could change.

This is puzzling. Why would the Twins send De Andrade to Arizona if he wasn't completely healthy? They hoped he would get a few at bats?? These spots are supposed to be prime. An opportunity for a young prospect to show his stuff. The pitchers are all all no-names. TD does a great job of having weekly recaps on the farm system during the season. Doc Wu and I are saying we have no clue who these pitchers are. They've either thrown one inning or very little, so the guys running the show down there aren't impressed, and frankly, it's a rather unimpressive group. I would have liked to see Emmanuel Rodriguez (seeing how he missed some time) or Walker Jenkins (seeing how he missed some time--Is he too young for the AZ. Fall League??) or Luke Keaschall, or the 6 foot 6 kid that mashed 3 HR's in one game who plays both SS & CF (can't recall his name, it happens to us Senior Citizens...it will come to me about 2pm today)! :) It just seems like a really lackluster group of players from the Twins. Maybe Rosario will play well enough that he would make a good trade chip this off season. We seem to have a LOT of OF-types stacked ahead of him.

That's a good list Nick, with a diversity of cost. I'm not sure what Chapman would cost and he's not the elite guy he once was. But he still strikes guys out at an impressive rate and he's got tons of closing experience. If I was to give Griffin Jax a chance at joining the rotation, I'd be very interested in Chapman. On the days that Duran would be unavailable to close, Chapman could fill in. Otherwise, Chapman could fill the 8th inning role if Jax was holding down the SP #4 slot. If the Twins somehow add a SP who is talented and not very expensive (there's a very short list of these, but not even a handful of pitchers who could fill this profile) and you kept Jax as the 8th inning guy, Chapman fills the 7th inning and you've got a plethora of power arms to cover the 7th, 8th and 9th. Bummer would be the clear #2 choice for me. I think instead of signing 4 fringy guys like last season, adding ONE quality arm, especially if LH, would be a solid strategy. This way, Funderburk and Moran don't have to be counted on, but if they perform they are critical, quality depth. Someone like Varland could be groomed to be a 2 or even 3-inning guy. Sands and Alcala provide quality arms on what would be a deep BP. But it won't matter who we sign if Rocco doesn't have a bullpen plan with clearly determined roles for his pitchers. Duran only closes. Jax/Chapman close on days Duran is not available etc... Duran will never have a season like Emmanuel Clase for the Twins until we put him in the same role as Cleveland puts Clase. CLOSER !!

I will add this...I've been critical of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, often saying he does the least with the most. But I have to give him credit this season. His pitching staff was wrecked with injuries. He really didn't have a solid closer all season and yet he still led the Dodgers to a Division Championship and a World Series berth and they are currently up 2-0. Yes, he's had an epic season from Ohtani and a very good season from Mookie Betts to lean on. But Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith were nowhere near what a typical season is for them. He's done a masterful job of navigating all the pitching injuries. Well done Dave Roberts. Now you need to seal the deal.

There's still plenty of coastal elitism to go around but it doesn't apply to Dodgers vs Yankees in the World Series. Since 1965 the Dodgers have been my 2nd favorite team and Sandy Koufax one of my All Time favorites. I read every book I could about Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier and his Brooklyn Dodger teammates. That just carried over to L.A. Dodger teams as the years went by. Disappointed to see Koufax need to retire early, guys like Don Sutton, Bill Singer, Orel Hershiser and Clay Kershaw came along. So now that it's clear I'm rooting for the Dodgers it's time to tip our cap to all the classic battles these two teams have had. Through the 50's when the Yankees won them all except for 1955, to the 60's where Koufax dominated again and the Dodgers beat the Yanks in 1963 to the 70's when the Yankees won back to back against the Dodgers in 1977 & 1978 to finally 1981, where the Dodgers prevailed in a kind of weird strike interrupted season, it's always been entertaining. The star power of the two 2 teams always made for must see TV. Right now the Dodgers have won the first 2 in L.A. but don't think they've got it locked. They flashed a graphic up last night that I remembered immediately. The last two times the Dodgers and Yankees met, the team that started off 2-0 LOST the series. Dodgers in 1978 and the Yankees in 1981. The star power is there for a great World Series. The only thing lacking right now is Aaron Judge's ongoing post season slump. If he busts out, everything could turn on a dime.

I would move Joe Ryan and Bert Blyleven up and ahead of Tapani. Ryan had more wins and K's and a better ERA. He's GOT to be higher than Tapani. A couple other rookie pitchers that could be mentioned are Dave Boswell (1965) and Tommy Hall (1968). Ohhh, what COULD HAVE BEEN for Francisco Liriano !!

Interesting Red Sox trade proposed by JD-Twins. Even though I'm a guy who would like to see Jax get a chance at joining the rotation, his idea of making him the closer and trading Duran to get a young, slugging 1B like Casas would really be a shot in the arm to the Twins offense. I like keeping Duran, but only if Rocco decides to use him exclusively as the closer. I think Prielipp still looks like a SP to me, but I'm not against giving him some time in the bullpen to get his feet wet at the major league level. Morris has SP written all over him. He's built to carry a decent inning load. Raya could very well be a BP piece. They've handled him with kid gloves since he's been in the system. The Twins have some solid pitching prospects and the depth is improving. I think we have enough depth that a trade or two could be made to balance out our roster. Casas is a great target, but he won't come cheaply. The Red Sox are a great trade partner for the Twins and I'd like to see something happen on that front.

It was truly a "team" meltdown for the Twins this year. Starters (Lopez) were not nearly as good as we anticipated. Hitters we expected a lot more really regressed. Injuries had a profound effect on the eventual collapse, and finally with three rookie SP's in the rotation by the end of the season and a BP operating on fumes things just fell apart. It's true that the BP actually had a decent year statistically, but Duran was clearly less than we expected, although if he had been used exclusively as a closer, his stats would have been just what we had expected. I thought Cap'n Piranha had a really interesting idea, going to a 4-man rotation and keeping the pitch count to 80 or so. He laid it out nicely with what each RP's "role" would be and how the innings would be allocated. Just yesterday, Tony Clark, the President of the Players Union was commenting that pitchers nowadays are doing what their told, with Max Effort on each pitch. There is a reason SP's regularly went over 200-250 innings in the 60's and 70's, with some even topping 300 IP. Pitchers were taught to "pitch" not just throw it as hard as they could. Clark was pointing out how the "Max Effort" philosophy was leading to far more Tommy John surgeries and wasn't really in the players best interests. It's not that Tom Seaver or Bob Gibson didn't throw hard back in the day. They cranked it up for certain, high leverage situations, but their goal was not only to pitch effectively, but to get through the 7th inning or beyond. When it comes down to it though, I just don't think Rocco is capable of managing a bullpen no matter what the philosophy would be. He's never had clearly defined roles for his BP and the inconsistent usage of Duran is the best example. I think the Twins do far too much dumpster diving for pitchers AND hitters. The excuse is always budget constraints but what could they have done with the roster if they hadn't paid Farmer over $6 million? If the Twins picked a preferred target, one hitter and one pitcher, instead of "flooding the zone" with long shot relief pitchers I think they'd have more success. This shouldn't blow the budget up completely, but let's say they can make a few moves and trim a little budget. What if they targeted Tyler O'Neill as their RH hitting OF target. He can play all 3 OF spots and has 20 HR 20 SB talent. What if they targeted AJ Puk as the premium LH pitcher for the BP? I'm not sure what either player would be expected to make for 2025, but add those two players to the roster, put Miranda at 1B fulltime and Lewis at 3B fulltime, and add a gloveman like Jose Iglesias to cover innings at SS, 2B and 3B. We too often go for QUANTITY over QUALITY hoping we might catch lightening in a bottle. That strategy doesn't give you much of a chance for success and frankly it hasn't worked very well.

Tony Oliva's rookie year was really one for the ages. Maybe a better OF bench bat or possibly someone who could challenge Cordova or Hall would be Bob Allison in his rookie year of 1959. Allison played in 150 games, hit .261 with 30HR's 18 2B's and 9 3b's. He scored 83 runs and drove in 85. He also chipped in with 13 SB's. He played all 3 OF positions so other than Oliva in RF, Allison could could be considered for LF and CF. His power easily puts him ahead of Puckett, and after all, Allison won the 1959 Rookie of the Year award. He won it as a Washington Senator though, and I don't know if that disqualifies him from consideration.