TopGunn#22

It's certainly possible that despite what the FO is "saying" they might just be done for now. It would be true to the Twins cautious nature to see what they have and identify a deadline pitcher and/or hitter and make the move then. It's also possible that they could be rewarded with their patience if Brooks Lee has a sizzling debut and Emmanuel Rodriguez takes a BIG stride forward and they are calling him up sometime between the All-Star game and August 1st.

I'm a "NO" on both Taylor and Solano. Taylor had a career year and I do not envision a repeat. The defense is good, I'll grant him that. But if Castro ended up as the primary backup for Buxton I be more than satisfied with that. Cesar Tovar didn't have a primary position with the Twins from 1966-1968. Then in 1969, he forced his way into the lineup as a regular playing 113 games in the OF while still playing 41 at 2B and 20 at 3B. He primarily played 2B when Rod Carew was doing his weekend stuff with the National Guard. He played 3B when Killebrew was removed late in games for defensive purposes. But he played a lot of CF and LF. Castro can be a similar type of player. I like his speed out of the 9-hole in the batting order. There is also Austin Martin. I'm at the point where I think CF behind Buxton is covered internally. Solano really has no place on the Twins in 2024. He's going to be 37 during the regular season and he's a punch-less hitter. When you already have options like Kirilloff, Miranda and Julien you just don't need to waste your time on a 37 year old journeyman. He had a nice year for the Twins in 2023, but I say "Thank You" to him and Taylor and move on. What the Twins COULD use is some RH power in their outfield. Duval is a better glove than Soler, but if I had to choose between the 2 of them I'd go Soler. Again, Castro has CF covered. Austin Martin is an option. But Soler in LF with occasional stints at DH hitting in the middle of the lineup would be tremendous. He's got power and he's a proven RBI guy, something that gets underrated in today's baseball. I'm not sure what the Twins have for money to spend. I'm not sure what Soler is looking for or what he would accept. And I'd rather spend that money by taking on a contract of a GOOD SP in a trade. But Soler would be a good addition.

For the most part, I'm O.K. with this trade. Polanco was going to be pushed out by Julien and Lee so like with Arraez, we traded from a surplus. I like getting Topa for the bullpen. He's 33 but was effective last year. I like getting a 19-year old top 100 (#79) prospect for our outfield. Gabriel Gonzalez now joins Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez (as well as Rosario and Mercedes) as a quartet of young OF not named Wallner. According to BBTV a straight up Polanco for Gonzalez trade would have been fair. The part of the trade I'm not happy with at all is DeSclafani. He's just not what I was expecting or hoping for in the rotation. I'd rather roll with Varland or Canterino to be honest. The only possible silver lining to DeSclafani is that the Twins will now consider BOTH Varland and Canterino as bullpen as well as rotation options. Put Topa in the pen with both Varland and Canterino and you won't need to worry as much about the health of Stewart or Theilbar or need to use Cole Sands. With a 19-year old prospect like Gonzalez in the system now, I wonder how willing the Twins would be to trade Emm-Rod, Rosario or Mercedes in a deal down the road, maybe closer to the trade deadline?

During the regular season, Billy Wagner was dominant. That a guy his size could throw so hard was hard to believe...until you looked at his legs. THAT'S where he generated his power. He could have done better in the post season, but Ernie Banks never played a single game in the post season and nobody would argue he wasn't a HOF. Bullpens and relief pitchers have always been a little misunderstood. Some teams, like the New York Giants, figured out a guy like Hoyt Wilhelm could be better as a reliever than a starter way back in the 1950's. In almost every case, a relief pitcher has failed as a starter to begin with. There were a few blips in the 1960's when guys like Ron Perranoski went 16-3 in 1963 for the Dodgers and then Phil Regan went 14-1 for them in 1966, and of course Dick Raddatz was absolutely dominant in the A.L. for Boston in 1962-1964. But it wasn't until the 1970's that "closers" really began to proliferate. Nathan was clearly one of the best during his run with the Twins and I hope he gets another chance. I liken Johan Santana to Sandy Koufax. Injuries ended a career that could have put up more "counting stats" but for the 5 years or so that Koufax dominated the NL (1962-1966) Santana was quite comparable with the Twins and his first season with the Mets. And there is NO doubt that Colon stealing that 3rd Cy Young impacted Santana. I predict a veterans committee will put Santana in eventually. He belongs in the Hall. Jmlease: I appreciate your excellent rundown of all those relief pitchers. Very insightful. I agree with your assessments.

There could very well be movement on the 40 man before mid-April. I agree that Canterino and Staumont are head and shoulders above anyone on the list. When you have a 100 mph fastball and breaking stuff like each of them have, you've got the goods. It's just a matter of staying healthy and harnessing that stuff.

I understand where tony&rodney is coming from and I agree with his assessment. The 1987 team was special. They were the first World Series Championship team the Twins had. But the debate about greatest ever teams is always done with a world championship as a secondary consideration. It's why, even if the Vikings had won a Super Bowl in one of their appearances, we would still be debating if the 1975 or 1998 or 2009 team was their greatest. It's primarily a statistical debate regarding won-loss record and other stats like team offense versus defense and such. It's a debate that looks backward and considers the team "on paper." We know teams don't win championships "on paper." But that's what we debate when we talk of "greatest teams." This is why I feel the 1987 Twins, despite their magic, were not as good as some of the other teams we've considered. We talk about the Twins having two Aces in 1987. They didn't. They had ONE. Frank Viola. Bert Blyleven had a 15-12 record with a 4.01 ERA. He gave up over 40HR's and walked over 100 batters. He was getting by on guile and guts. His "stats" were not those of an Ace. Outside of Viola and Reardon, none of their pitchers were the least bit dependable. The offense had power and could score runs and the defense was pretty darn good. Hrbek, Gagne and Gaetti were Gold Glove caliber even though East Coast bias robbed them of Gold Gloves. Puckett was a Gold Glove CF and Bruno was solid in RF. Yet, teams scored more runs on the Twins than their vaunted offense scored. 1987 was MAGICAL. But we're not debating "magic."

I know I'm frustrated that the Twins BIG move so far is to have signed Bubba Thompson to play at St. Paul all year, but even so, I don't see the Tigers challenging them in 2024, outside of Skubal their pitching is BAD. I see a last place finish for the mess in Chicago. I see Bobby Witt Jr. as the clear best player in the division and while the Royals have made a few moves they are still a long ways away. That leaves Cleveland. THIS is the team that I truly fear and it comes down to pitching. If they hang onto Bieber and McKenzie returns to form they have two outstanding starters at the top of their rotation, great young SP's in Allen, Bibee and Gavin Williams and the best closer in the American League (Clase). They have enough offense in Ramirez, Kwan, the Naylor brothers, Gimenez and Manzardo. And a key pickup here or there could make a difference. When you can pitch like Cleveland can, you have to respect that. Especially if McKenzie returns to form. He's a real Wild Card.

Good write up. Would Luke's primary defensive position be 2nd base? As a college player, he could move quickly up the ranks if his play continues at a high level. With his similarity to Schobel this presents an opportunity to use one of them in a trade at the deadline. Having De Andrade, Miller, Schobel and Salas along with Lee is great depth at SS throughout many levels in our system. Was it Noah Miller who won a Platinum Gold Glove last season?

Varland is what Winder has NOT (so far) turned out to be. Varland demonstrated that when coming out of the pen, he could dial his velo up to near 100 mph. That's a weapon. To me, the key guy that could determine what the Twins decide to do with Varland this season is Matt Canterino. If Canterino is healthy and dazzling in spring training, with his "stuff" he could be that 8th inning guy, and an occasional closer alongside Duran at the back end of our bullpen. If the Twins are actually serious about Canterino remaining a SP and if they will actually let him approach 125 innings in 2024 then there is a stronger chance to see Varland as the 8th inning/alternate closer guy. Brock Stewart was phenomenal in his limited innings last year but the jury is out on him for 2024. Funderburk is going to have a much bigger role this year than last, and that's a good thing. Staumont was a decent signing if the proper role could be carved out for him. The other thing that will determine how Varland is used, at least in 2024, is what, if any, SP the Twins acquire in a trade or FA. Are Luis Castillo or Jesus Luzardo realistic targets? Are Mike Clevinger or Trevor Bauer or whoever is still unsigned as a 2nd tier SP even under consideration for the Twins? It makes little sense to me to sign a tier 2 SP unless that guy is at least considered the #3 guy in the rotation with only Lopez and Ryan ahead him, and Ober, Paddack, and by extension, Varland behind him. Only Clevinger and Bauer at least have the pedigree of past performance to merit being slotted ahead of Ober. But I love your analogy of Varland needing to be "water." He must be fluid and flexible for whatever role the Twins decide to employ him.

Alcantara had a negative value of minus 39.1 just last week. His negative value is now just minus 7.9. That necessitates the addition of Matt Wallner into this trade. I went with Wallner in this deal because his value is at an all time high at 26 years old. He's just this kind of power hitter Miami needs. Young and controllable. At 20 years old I thing Emm-Rod has a greater upside and I said on TD earlier this year that I would NOT trade him until I gave him 2024 in St. Paul to show me what he's got. The Twins roll with Vasquez and Camargo in 2024 at catcher. If it works out well and the OF of Kepler, Buxton, Larnach, Martin, Kirilloff, etc...needs a jolt and Emm-Rod is tearing up AAA maybe he's up by August 1st. Talented pitching is extremely expensive. The Twins are giving up a LOT in this trade. But it's a risk I'd be willing to take to have a rotation that includes Luzardo and Alcantara. Even if I have to wait a year to see Alcantara in my rotation. Could San Diego or someone else beat this? Who knows? But I'd make this offer and find out.

This is not a fantasy baseball idea. As we've all noted previously, if Miami is REALLY willing to move Arraez when they are already starved for offense to avoid paying him down the road they would certainly consider trading Alcantara when considering the future risk. A lot of this comes down to whoever is willing to accept Alcantara at $9 million for 2024 and the risk of how he will come back in 2025 from TJ. If it takes moving Alcantara and Luzardo to add offense while also retaining their best hitter (Arraez) of course they would do it. Miami is loaded with pitching prospects--Eury Perez and Braxton Garrett are already more highly prized than Luzardo. Rogers, Meyer and Cabrera are on deck and Sixto Sanchez and Ryan Weathers are as well. Here's a trade where the Twins slightly overpay just based on the values. No money is being sent in this deal so the Twins are taking on all of Alcantara's current and future contract--$9 million for 2024 and the $17 million in 2025 & 2026 with the $21 million dollar team option in 2027. Miami takes on Polanco for 2 years and Farmer for 2024 only. About $16 million. But they keep Arraez and add Jeffers, Polanco and Wallner to their lineup. Twins sell high on Wallner, keep Kepler and get another year closer to Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins. We also don't touch Lewis, Julien or Lee and have the potential to have one heck of a rotation for 2024 and especially 2025 forward. Twins 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Sandy Alcantara 28 Majors SP Low 4 57 64.9 -7.9 -9.5 -7.9 -6.3 Jesus Luzardo 26 Majors SP Medium 3 91.3 26.1 65.4 52.3 65.4 78.4 Total Value: 57.50 Marlins 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Kyle Farmer 33 Majors UTIL SS Medium 1 5.4 6.6 -1.2 -1.5 -1.2 -1 Ryan Jeffers 27 Majors C Low 3 40 11.5 28.5 22.8 28.5 34.2 Jorge Polanco 30 Majors 2B Low 2 31.9 22.5 9.4 7.6 9.4 11.3 Matt Wallner 26 Majors OF DH Medium 6 43.6 20.4 23.1 18.5 23.1 27.8 Total Value: 59.80

This is a VERY interesting topic, and something I see bubbling under the surface dialog while the remaining big dollar FA market continues to drag along. Luzardo would be the top trade target for the Twins. He checks all the boxes: Young and controllable. Talented!! Left handed. He won't come cheap. The Marlins want to compete NOW. The Braves and Phillies are part of their division and the Mets have UNLIMITED resources. Still, they earned a Wild Card spot in the playoffs in 2023. This is why they would be fine with acquiring Farmer and Vasquez. They are just what they need in many respects. Vasquez to handle a young and talented rotation. Farmer to bring a solid glove and clutch hitting to the gaping hole they have at SS. But those two guys could never get you near an acquisition like Luzardo. This is where Alcantara comes in and this is where I will disagree with JD-TWINS, a guy I agree with about 90% of the time. Alcantara is certainly worth the effort and the gamble. He's needed in this deal because his negative value due to not pitching at all in 2024 after Tommy John surgery and the risk of paying him going forward brings the cost of Luzardo within reasonable limits for the Twins. I would gamble on paying Alcantara $9 million to rehab in 2024 and gladly pay a pitcher with his talent (former Cy Young winner) $17 million in 2025 and $17 million in 2026 (there is a CLUB option for $21 million in 2027). A pitcher with his talent at a price like that, for his age 28 (not pitching) 29, 30 and a club option for age 31 years is a gamble worth taking. Imagine the Twins young lineup, pretty much at VERY affordable salaries with Lewis, Lee, Julien, Jeffers, Kirilloff, and eventually Jenkins. maybe Miranda is still around. I left off Emmanuel Rodriguez because you might need him to complete the deal. Now project that lineup with a rotation of Lopez, Alcantara, Luzardo, Ryan, Ober, Varland, Paddack, and maybe Raya. You've now opened an extended window where the Twins could be MORE than competitive. The Twins can shed some payroll by dealing Vasquez and Farmer. But to entice Miami to part with Luzardo they will have to pick up some of this cash and still be willing to pay Alcantara $9 million to rehab. A deal structured around sending Farmer and Vasquez as well as a prospect like Festa or Emm-Rod and accepting the risk of Alcantara does NOT include Kepler or Polanco. They could still be traded to cut more payroll or kept on the team where a decision would be made at the deadline whether to keep them or deal them. I may take a dive on the BBTV site to see what a potential trade like this would actually look like. I know some people dislike the site, and I agree it has some flaws, but it's at least some way to be reasonable when looking at a trade instead of expecting to trade Polanco straight up to Seattle for George Kirby or Logan Gilbert.

When year after year you control key pieces of a market, and in the case of Boras, star baseball players, you effectively have that "hammer in your hand" to bring a heavier influence to said market. He truly IS a market onto himself. As frustrating as it's been to see the Twins sit on the sidelines this off season, the truth is, it's very much a part of the Twins "character" to do so. Coming of a successful season that saw the Twins not only win the division, but also finally win a playoff game (actually TWO) just exacerbates our frustration as fans. But in all honesty, I don't want to see a trade just for the sake of making a trade. If the Twins are going to acquire rotation help it at least has to be somebody who would step in ahead of Ober, Paddack and Varland. Optimally, even ahead of Ryan. Right now, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Paddack and Varland are probably the 2nd best rotation in our division (behind Cleveland). But we are incredibly THIN. Festa probably isn't ready, but "might be" by All Star break. SWR hasn't shown me anything to believe he'll ever be a major league pitcher. Our other pitching prospects are at least 2 years away. They need to trade for a SP with a certain amount of success and a track record. They need to make a value FA signing with some degree of upside. Someone like a Mike Clevinger. It's getting late, but I think we all know nothing is going to pop for the Twins until some of those big FA dominoes fall.

THIS is the move I've been waiting all off season for !! Finally, I can end my Hunger Strike !!

Great article Nick. Now my wife and I are on to Cooperstown!! Went when Tony-O and Kitty Kaat were inducted. We're going to drive out and back this time (now that we're retired) and make some stops along the way out and way back. Maybe stop and see Gettysburg, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Niagara Falls...who knows?!!

Joe Mauer will make it in. Congratulations to him! When you consider how lucky the Twins had to be to get the #1 overall pick, and then have to choose between Joe, Mark Prior and Mark Texieria it's amazing how he ended up with us and the rest is history. Paxton will be a good #5 SP for the Dodgers, but with Buehler coming off his 2nd Tommy John surgery and Paxton and Glasnow also in the rotation, the Dodgers are playing Russian Roulette with their rotation and health. And that's not even mentioning Clay Kershaw at all. Chapman still has some gas in the tank, but to pay what they're paying for him is so out of the ordinary for the Pirates. Depending on how the season goes for them, I could see BOTH Bender and Chapman traded for good prospects as the rebuild continues in Pittsburgh.

I don't like the idea of signing a guy to what the Twins would view as "Big Money" to be a platoon player. I've never been that high on Hoskins anyway. Between Kirilloff, Miranda and Julien there is no need to bring in Hoskins or bring back Solano. We have youth covering 1B. What I think SHOULD be done with any financial benefit with a TV deal, would be the willingness to make a trade where the Twins take on a little more salary. Someone like, but not necessarily like a Luis Castillo, Corbin Burnes or Shane Bieber for example. Twins 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Luis Castillo 31 Majors SP Low 5 138.7 116 22.7 18.2 22.7 27.3 Total Value: 22.7 Mariners 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Jorge Polanco 30 Majors 2B Low 2 31.9 22.5 9.4 7.6 9.4 11.3 Danny De Andrade 19 Minors SS 0 0 0 7.1 5.7 7.1 8.5 David Festa 23 Minors SP 0 0 0 8.7 7 8.7 10.4 Total Value: 25.20 Here's an example of a deal for Castillo. Twins move the $10 million dollar Polanco salary and two good prospects for Castillo. Castillo is not a one-year rental like Burnes would be so he would be in the Twins rotation for several more years. The Mariners get some pop at 2B with the switch hitting Polanco but also a couple good prospects. A pitcher to eventually challenge for a rotation spot and a good 19 year old SS prospect. The Mariners also cut their salary by about $12-$13 million dollars. The Twins get a top of the rotation SP with an already fixed cost certainty for about 3 more seasons.

I think driveline definitely helped him and I hope he went back there. I think as he continues to develop more confidence in his sweeper and sinker and mixes them better he will be closer to the pitcher he was in the first half than anything he was in a disappointing second half. I'd like to see the Twins make a bold move to find a #2 starter ahead of him. But if that doesn't happen, I'm quite content to have him as our #2 going into 2024.

As a kid growing up, this was always my favorite Twins team. I was only 7 years old when the Twins won the A.L. pennant before losing to Koufax and the Dodgers in the World Series. I was just starting to learn about baseball and baseball cards. You're quite correct in how you described the pitching staff. Chance had been our Ace when we acquired him prior to the 1967 season and had also been good in 1968. He was to have led the staff with old reliable, Jim Kaat. Instead, Perry and Boswell had career years. Perry had always been just on the periphery of the rotation despite his consistency and success. In 1963 he started 25 games for the Twins. In 1964 that dropped to just one. In 1965, with injuries to Pascual and Boswell , Perry was a solid #3 SP for the Twins with 19 starts, 12 wins and a nice 2.63 ERA. He was the #3 SP in 1966 but by 1967 the Twins were going with Chance, Kaat, Boswell and Jim Merritt as their 4 SP's. All were younger and presumably, had a higher upside. Perry had 11 starts and Mudcat Grant had 14. Finally, in 1968 Perry was still #5 behind Chance, Kaat, Merritt and Boswell again. Boswell had always shown the talent to be a good SP. What he finally achieved in 1969 was within reasonable expectation. The fact that Perry finally won 20 games at age 33 was a surprise, and something I think the Twins never saw coming. Winning the Cy Young one year later at age 34 after years of effective pitching, but never anywhere near top of the rotation production also had to be a surprise to the Twins. By 1972 he was gone from the Twins and nowhere to be found in major league pitching leaders lists. Aside from Rich Reese's career year in 1969 the other Twins hitter to far exceeded expectations was Cesar Tovar. Killebrew, Carew, Oliva. You KNEW they would produce. Cardenas HAD hit pretty well for the Reds in the N.L. But Tovar, hitting .288 and stealing a club record 45 bases wasn't expected either. He scored 99 runs, cracked 11 HR's, 25 doubles and 5 triples. With a 34 year old Bob Allison a shell of his former self, Tovar came out of nowhere to add a different, speed based production. For an 11 year old kid in 6th grade this and the near identical 1970 Twins teams were my favorites until the 1987 & 1991 teams rolled around.

Forgot to mention Kirilloff and Miranda. JD-Twins helped with that.

I agree that the idea of trading Miami "prospects" isn't going to fly with them at this point. They want to contend for a Wild Card spot and see how far their pitching can take them. So somebody from the major league roster is going to be needed to make this deal. From Miami's perspective, I think they would require Julien rather than Lee. They need offense and Julien fits the bill if they move Arraez to 1B. The Twins may need to include Kepler or Polanco as well instead of Emmanuel Rodriguez (Jenkins is untouchable). What I like about this speculation is the addition of Alcantara into the mix as a negative asset for the Marlins. Paying Alcantara to rehab this season may not be in the Marlins plans but I would be more than willing as a Twins fan to take on that burden for the potential payoff of Alcantara in my rotation for the next 4 years at a price I think is reasonable for the Twins future budgets. Meyer is an unnecessary piece of the deal and somebody Miami needs to hold onto for present and future rotation depth. Maybe the deal looks more like this: Julien, Polanco and Vasquez for Braxton Garrett and Alcantara. Luzardo is too big a fish to land when Julien is the headliner. The Twins would still need a SP for their 2024 rotation. Garrett would instantly slide in at #3 with Ryan #2. The Marlins need a catcher as well so Vasquez makes sense. Julien and Polanco are in a 1B/2B/DH rotation for Miami and certainly upgrades their lineup while keeping Luzardo and Eury Perez at the top of their rotation. The Twins have a 2024 rotation of: Lopez, Ryan, Garrett, Ober and Paddack. Varland & Festa are in reserve, Varland is possibly in the Twins bullpen. In 2025 the rotation is Lopez, Alcantara, Ryan, Garrett and Ober with Paddack, Varland and Festa. Lee replaces Julien in 2024. Camargo becomes Jeffers backup. Twins starting pitching is deep and talented for the future as Lewis, Wallner, Lee, Jeffers, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins start to populate the lineup. BOTH the Marlins and the Twins could say "No." One of them very well could say "No." But BOTH of them just may say "Yes." And it could work out as well as Lopez for Arraez did for both teams.

While I was thrilled with the first round pick of Walker Jenkins I was very intrigued by the pick of Soto in the Comp Balance Round A. The fact that he's hitting 98 with his fastball already and has an above average change up and slider is very encouraging. I agree that the best outcome is just that he gets through 2024 healthy and continues to refine his pitches and control. He's a LOT like Marco Raya. These two give the Twins great hope for future rotation/bullpen contributors. I expect the Twins to go slow with Soto much like Raya but the wait could very well be worth it.

I think Jocko is on to something when he says "we're in the middle of a standoff." At first you could have said it was kind of subtle. Heck, when the Dodgers were spending at the rate they were, that was just one of the "haves" in baseball's economics doing what they always do. You can include the Yankees in this example because they traded for Juan Soto with the plan that they would spend what it would take to keep him beyond this season. But there IS something going on below the surface that is more than just the odd "why haven't Snell and Montgomery signed yet" speculation. Hader finally signed with the Astros just last night and while he's a tremendous closer the money was yet again insane for a team that already had a pretty good closer. I for one won't just disdainfully discard what JD-Twins had to say about the Fantasy Baseball rankings of starting pitchers either. It isn't a perfect comparison, but I'm glad he took the time to share it. It's an interesting note that shows one particular valuation of something. In this case starting pitchers. More information is always better than NO information. I took that for what it was..."interesting." Not that I would use that as my "be all, end all" evaluation of the value or market for starting pitchers. I'm beginning to agree that we might not see a trade by the Twins anytime soon. We certainly aren't going to see them sign Snell, Montgomery or Bellinger. However...with the Blue Jays just signing the Cuban pitcher, Rodriguez, this COULD open the door to an Alex Manoah deal. Was the Rodriguez signing just for depth or to open up a possible deal? We'll see. In a deal like that, Polanco seems much more likely to go than Kepler. The Blue Jays already have an OF of Kiermeier, flanked by George Springer and Dalton Varsho. They don't have much at 2B. Polanco and something else for Manoah is still a possibility.

This is precisely why it's so fun to come to TD on a cold wintry day Nash ! I am of the camp that if the purse strings are unfettered in the near future (like TODAY!!) that starting pitching is the primary need, so I would prioritize Montgomery and Snell higher than Bellinger. BUT...Belly is indeed an excellent fit. I don't care that he's left handed. A hitter that HITS is a hitter. And the fact that he plays Gold Glove defense at either CF, 1B or RF doesn't hurt either. That said, if Bellinger were signed, it would have to be a precursor for additional moves. Moves that probably involve Kepler, Polanco and maybe Miranda. At this point, I'm content to see what a Kirilloff/Miranda at 1B gives the Twins. I'd like to hold onto Kepler but trade Polanco for pitching or prospects. But if Bellinger were signed, a whole range of possible moves open up. You could move on from Kepler because you replace him with Bellinger in the lineup. If you compare their careers Bellinger is superior in every way. You could trade Wallner in a deal to improve SP. Bellinger's defensive prowess means you have a fallback plan for Buxton in CF. You could replace Kepler in RF or have Bellinger at 1B. Or, you trade Wallner and Bellinger would give you Gold Glove defense in LF. How about an OF of Bellinger, Buxton and Kepler. Best in MLB. Adding Bellinger gives the Twins a green light to move corner OF's and you would still have Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins in the near future. You wouldn't be signing Bellinger without a plan to do SOMETHING with Kepler, Wallner, Larnach, Em-Rod and Jenkins. (as well as Kirilloff and Miranda). Jenkins is untouchable. I've just GOT to see what Em-Rod does THIS YEAR in the minors. But Bellinger makes a LOT of good talent expendable for the Twins to trade for pitching. Getting Bellinger allows the Twins to still add pitching, just through the trade market. Making a deal for an impact pitcher is fine with me if he can be #2 behind Lopez and a solid bet to be better than Joe Ryan (who could still be VERY GOOD). And if the price is right, I'd still add Trevor Bauer for a one year deal, maybe two, just to give Varland, Festa and Raya a little more time to polish their rough edges.

JD-Twins, Riverbrian and Roger, great insights and dialog. I appreciate that each of you took the time to make your points and the even handed way that you made them. I am a little bit smarter about this than I was yesterday. It especially helps having JD comment as a resident of "The Natti."