TopGunn#22

Did anybody NOT expect Ohtani to sign with the Dodgers? He hasn't been to a post season in his entire MLB career, now he'll be in the playoffs EVERY year. I'll admit, I was surprised at $700 million, I thought it would be $600 million. And I'm convinced the Dodgers know Ohtani may only pitch for 4 years or so of that contract. He is an elite hitter. There was really no other destination for him. Toronto, New York, San Francisco...not. a. chance. The entire industry wants to see Ohtani in the playoffs. I'm going to start a rumor that the Twins were actually in the bidding as one of those under the radar teams, but pulled out when the contract reached $650 million, $65 million annually. Even the Pohlad's knew they couldn't handle that. By the way, don't for one minute think the Dodgers are done. Yamamoto, Snell, Corbin Burnes...they still need SP. The Dodgers have become the poster child for a team that knows how to spend wisely to insure a playoff spot (they're the Anti-Mets) but still can't win a World Series unless the season is cut in half because they continue to employ a manager who if nothing else is elite at getting the LEAST out of the MOST. Yet despite this "HAVES" and "HAVE NOT'S" in baseball, the Dodgers haven't won a full season World Series since 1988. The Yankees haven't won one since the early 2000's. Last year saw Arizona and Texas battle it out with Texas winning their first World Series ever. Despite a money disparity that is truly appalling, baseball still finds a way to buck the odds. When you consider how boringly familiar it is to see the same teams year after year compete for College Football's National Championship, you realize that baseball is a lot more like the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. I don't know how that is. But I can at least cling to that hope as a Twins fan.

JD-Twins, I know you have been advocating for the Twins to acquire Devin Williams and I agree he would be a tremendous and worthwhile acquisition. But I just can't see the Twins getting him. I look at who the Brewers may be willing to trade and I just don't see the Twins being able to out bid a team like the Dodgers if the Brewers were willing to deal Williams or Corbin Burnes. The Dodgers have the young talent to give up a LOT to get those guys and the deep pockets to ensure that they would forgo FA to remain with the Dodgers. Williams and Burnes would amount to about 50-52 points of value on BBTV. The Dodgers could offer Michael Busch 2B (17.2) Miguel Vargas 3B/1B (19.1) and Emmett Sheehan SP (29.2) total value 65.5. That package would still allow the Dodgers to ask for get Garrett Mitchell OF 8.7 value. The Brewers get their starting 2B, 3B and a SP to replace Burnes with Sheehan and years of team control. The Dodgers get a Cy Young SP candidate to go with a returning Buehler and Miller, Pepiot and Stone. They get Williams to close pushing Evan Phillips to set up man. They also get Mitchell who would step in to RF with Betts at 2B. If I'm the Brewers and I'm really willing to move Burnes and Williams I do it in a blockbuster together, not one going here and the other going there where I get two immediate infield starters and a solid, young SP whose already had a taste of the major leagues. The crazy thing is that the Dodgers, in addition to Will Smith at the major league level, don't even touch their 2 minor league catching phenoms in Cartaya and Rushing. With Mookie moving to 2B I'll bet Doc Bauer would be interested in a package led by Max Kepler to acquire one of those guys if we traded Jeffers or Vasquez.

We always start with the assumption that Polanco will be traded for pitching. I know I surely do. But the Twins could also trade Polanco to the Brewers straight up for Garrett Mitchell, a 24 year old OF who would be our CF of the future. He's 6:3 225 pounds and is 25 years old. He's a big guy who moves very well. He can play all three OF positions. He was the Brewers #1 OF prospect until they drafted Jackson Chourio and injuries held him back these past two seasons. With Chourio set to start in CF next year the Brewers have an excess of OF (Yelich, Weimer, Frelick, Perkins) and not much talent at 2B. With the Red Sox stealing the opportunity for the Twins to trade for Tyler O'Neill (they got him for a couple of middling minor league pitchers) the LH hitting Mitchell would be an intriguing power/speed option for CF. Even with Wander Franco possibly missing all of 2024 for the Rays, they've got a ton of IF prospects and would not appear to be a team interested in getting Polanco in a package for Glasnow.

The Marlins make this trade because it gives them three useful pieces. They get Polanco's switch-hitting bat at 2B (Arraez plays 1B now). They get a swing pitcher in Winder who gives them some depth in their rotation after trading Meyer and losing Alcantara to Tommy John surgery for 2024, and they get an aging but effective when he's healthy LH in their bullpen. They are considering building AJ Puk's innings as a possible rotation guy instead of closer. The Twins do this trade because it gives them a young pitcher that slots in as a Ryan/Ober type rotation piece. Meyer is 24 and he would be part of the Twins plans and rotation for a minimum of 5 years. The Twins also effectively shed Polanco's $10.5 million dollar salary as well as Theilbar's $2.9 million (Caleb is the Twins most expensive relief pitcher by far). This Frees up $13.4 million of salary that the Twins could apply to a Giolito or Bauer level SP. Funderburk is replacing Theilbar's innings in the Twins bullpen already. This leaves the Twins needing to replace 30-35 innings (that's all Theilbar is going to throw this season) and they can do that with Headrick.

Cory, here is what a trade for Max Meyer from the Marlins would look like based on BBTV ratings. Twins 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Max Meyer 24 Minors SP 0 0 0 16.7 13.4 16.7 20.1 Total Value: 16.7 Marlins 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 Josh Winder 27 Majors LRP SP Low 5 7 3.1 3.9 3.1 3.9 4.7 Caleb Thielbar 36 Majors RP Medium 1 6.6 3 3.6 2.8 3.6 4.3 Total Value: 16.90

Festa is on the timeline. But the most intriguing arm in the Twins system to me is Canterino. Whether he starts as an opener with his new arm, or is a Twins 2024 bullpen piece the guys raw stuff just looks NASTY. He's a Wildcard for the 2024 season. I'd like to see him up sooner than July or August.

Thanks Steve! Thanks Seth! I probably read his name several times but never realized the totality of the numbers he was putting up. I really should just google the "stats" of the various Twins farm clubs one in a while to take in more than just who may have had a hot week. Again, thanks for pointing this out !!

tony&rodney, regarding Sixto Sanchez...I've read he is throwing again but had not read about such a loss in velocity. I guess they finally got him to throw a bit at the end of last season but have nothing about him throwing in winter ball at all. he's had a consistent 97mph fastball that can touch 99-100. But if he's throwing in the low to mid 80's that's like Sam McDowell losing his fastball after the 1970 season and never really getting it back. Fatbat...I would probably work up a similar trade for Garrett as he and Luzardo are close in value. Garrett's value is 8 to 10 points lower, so maybe instead of Emm-Rod the player you replace him with would be Festa. As much as I am excited to see Emm-Rod in a Twins uniform, with Jenkins on the fast track I can see myself knuckling under and including him to get a young, controllable SP like Woo or Miller from Seattle. The problem with dealing Emm-Rod for either of them in my opinion is that I think the Mariners want immediate offensive contributors as they expect to contend NOW. Not someone that may be a season to season and a half away. And Seattle would be much more interested in Polanco for that immediate return. Maybe a Polanco-Miranda-Garrett Jax gets you Miller or Woo?

Would you do this trade? I would. I'm selling high on Jeffers and going with the veteran Vasquez with Camargo. I'm willing to give up Emmanuel Rodriguez to be able to bring in a top of rotation talent in Luzardo who finally also gives the Twins a LH starter. Jenkins on the fast track is the only reason I trade Rodriguez. We need this pitching. I insist on Sixto Sanchez as a thrown in. Kid has an electric arm. Think Matt Canterino. If he and Canterino can stay healthy (a big if, I'll concede) the Twins could have one end up in the bullpen and one in the rotation. But even if both ended up in the bullpen, can you imagine a pen with Duran, Sanchez and Canterino??? It's a big gamble to trade Jeffers and risk that Vasquez/Camargo flop. It's also a big gamble to trade Rodriguez. But the dividends Luzardo and Sanchez could bring to Twins pitching with Lewis, Julien, Lee, Jenkins, Kirilloff and maybe Miranda to build around offensively with Lopez, Luzardo, Varland, Ryan, Ober and Paddack is worth the risk in my opinion.

I can't see the Red Sox being interested in Taylor. They already have a young CF (Jarren Duran) who had a breakout season last year. The other clubs, maybe. Not Boston. I predict Ohtani signs with the Dodgers. Soto in Yankee Stadium will be interesting. Good trade for both teams. If the Marlins really are willing to trade Luzardo the price would be steep but it would be a tremendous opportunity for the Twins to add a 26 year old LH starting pitcher with electric stuff. He and Pablo Lopez at the top of the Twins rotation with young hitters coming up and maturing would make the Twins contenders for years. Here is a trade I proposed on BBTV. As I said, the price would be steep, but it's a classic "sell high" for both the Twins and the Marlins. Jeffers is the key piece going to Miami. Twins NAME POSITION SURPLUS Jesus Luzardo SP 63.3 Sixto Sanchez SP 0.0 Total Value: 63.30 Marlins NAME POSITION SURPLUS Ryan Jeffers C 28.5 Jorge Polanco 2B 9.4 Emmanuel Rodriguez OF 19.7 Josh Winder LRP 3.9 Total Value: 61.50 TWINSMARLINS

I just don't see the ROI for Hoskins. That $18-$20 million needs to go toward acquiring a SP. I'd look for improvement from Correa. A full season of Lewis and improvement from Kirilloff to improve our offense. I'd rather add Tyler O'Neill who could put up similar numbers to Hoskins while playing Gold Glove defense in LF and logging some innings in CF.

The only baseball player I can think of who actually DID get healthier in his older years was Paul Molitor. But he was almost exclusively a DH once that happened. Molitor was a supremely gifted hitter. Buxton is not in his class and he never will be. For Buxton to approach the WAR numbers to justify his salary, he has to play in the field. If it's purely offense with Buxton he may get to break even or a little higher in WAR. His defense combined with his hitting is when he approaches a really GOOD WAR.

The fact is, when you have a player with the physical skills like Buxton who is hurt ALL THE TIME you are going to find yourself on this endless loop of discussion. It's unavoidable. As a guy who likes to come to TD, I don't mind it. It's like going on The Daily Norseman and having endless conversations about Kirk Cousins. It comes with the territory. "WHEN HE'S HEALTHY..." That pretty much says it all. It's been correctly pointed out how "blah" his overall numbers are career wise. It's been correctly pointed out how "good" his numbers and impact are when he's "healthy." There is no denying that a HEALTHY Byron Buxton would be fantastic for the Twins in 2024. However, it has also been correctly pointed out that players like Correa, Lewis, Kirilloff, Miranda, and others are probably more important to the Twins in 2024. Buxton is a Wildcard. Anything we get from him should be considered a bonus. He should not be prominent in any of their plans. To fall into the never-ending trap of EXPECTING him to provide anything is refusing to learn from history and to continue to make the same mistake over and over again. It should get someone fired. It has also been correctly pointed out how many guys we played who were injured last year. That's gotta stop. This is why I've advocated going after Tyler O'Neill in a trade with the Cardinals. He gives you Gold Glove defense in LF and a power bat in your lineup capable of stealing 15-30 bases (provided Rocco lets him run). When Buxton gets hurt (and he will, the only thing in question will be how severely) O'Neill could slide to CF if needed. I think the "plan" should be to give Castro the full time job in CF once the inevitable injury happens. Many years ago, the Twins traded for Cesar Tovar from the Reds. In 1967 and 1968 he played EVERYWHERE. By 1969 they decided he was good enough to be the fulltime LF and he also played a lot of CF in 1970 & 1971. I think Castro has earned the opportunity to be a fulltime player until he plays his way out of it.

I don't know if ANY of these guys will make it. But Fajardo hit .305 and stole 50 (FIFTY!!!!!) bases for Wichita. I don't think I heard anything about him for most of this year in the minor league write ups. He was probably mentioned prominently in those reports but I had no idea we had a guy with stolen base ability in our minor league system. Good Get.

I'm not sure where Trov came up with the idea that O'Neill is bad defensively. TWO Gold Gloves in LF would put that speculation to rest rather quickly. I've been advocating for the Twins to trade for him for some time here on TD. One trade I had proposed on BBTV was a one for one deal of O'Neill for Connor Prielipp. Both have a value of 5.7. O'Neill is 28 years old and in 2021 he posted a WAR of 6.3 with an OPS of .912. He hit 34 HR with a .286 BA and also had 15 steals in 19 tries. He was/is a legit 30 HR 20 SB guy. His last 2 seasons have been marred by injury and an increasingly crowded Cardinal OF especially with the arrivals of Lars Nootbar and Jordan Walker. He's a great buy low candidate. He slots in as the starting LF with Gold Glove defense. He is a capable CF in case of Buxton unavailability (and nowadays that's about as likely as Joe Biden needing "notes" to get through a press conference). But a deal like that doesn't happen unless a Kepler deal happens first, or is very close to completion. You acquire O'Neill if you plan to move Wallner to RF and have Larnach be a LF/RF backup. You can't have a roster with O'Neill, Kepler, Wallner, Buxton and Larnach. The Cardinals are desperately trying to add pitching depth to their 40-man roster and big league club. Prielipp or Winder or SWR could get a deal done. O'Neill would be a good acquisition.

Switching Julien in for Lee is what Twins fans would want, but the Rays would want Lee. They already have Lowe to play 2B and with Wander Franco's MLB career in serious jeopardy at age 23 they would be looking for a SS if Junior Caminero doesn't work out in 2024.

Above is what BBTV would accept as a reasonable trade with the Rays. I don't think many people on TD would be interested in this. We need a SP. If we're going to go big enough to acquire someone like Paredes why not just go "all in" and get Glasnow as well? I like Paredes, just not enough to do this trade.

Twins NAMEPOSITIONSURPLUS Tyler GlasnowSP12.8 Isaac Paredes3B64.9 Total Value: 77.70 Rays NAMEPOSITIONSURPLUS Brooks LeeSS48.1 Matt WallnerOF23.1 Marco RayaSP6.9 Total Value: 78.10 TWINSRAYS

I've been mentioning that Detroit is getting close to getting over the hump and actually being a contender in the Central. I like their young hitting a lot, but it's their young pitching that I think will make the difference. Having a healthy Skubal all season as well as Casey Mize is a key. Throw Matt Manning in there and they're off to the races. But I still view Cleveland as the #1 competitor for the Twins, even with Francona's retirement. They suffered so many pitching injuries last year and STILL came up with 3 young guys that did very well. They have enough depth and talent to trade Shane Bieber and still have an excellent staff. Trading Bieber for Tyler O'Neill and signing Teo Hernandez would give them 2 corner OF who could hit 30 HR. Pair that with Ramirez, Kwan and Gimenez and that might be just enough. The questions Cleveland has are these: Are they REALLY going to trade Clase? He's a difference maker. A trade of Clase sends shock waves through their bullpen. No matter how well their SP do, their pen would cost them. Also, what version of Tristen McKenzie does Cleveland get? If he's "prime McKenzie" they will be tough. Any version less and their ability to contend diminishes. But Cleveland and the Tigers are clearly the competition. The Royals and White Sox are horrible. It is not a given the Twins will successfully defend their division crown. Every off season is crucial for every team. This is a particularly crucial off season for the Twins because, while we won the division last year, we have some significant holes to fill and questions to be answered all under a budget cutting, austerity imposing strategy. It's Wednesday of the Winter Meetings and there hasn't really been anything "major" that has gone down. That should change within the next 24-48 hours. What are the Twins going to do?

No.

Johnny Ringo, anytime a guy can mix in a quote from Indigo Montoya that's a thumbs up from me every time !! I think Doc Bauer has boiled this all down the best. It helps to have a core, a "Big Three" if you will, but CHAMPIONSIP teams always have solid contributors throughout their lineup. The T-Wolves will rely heavily on Edwards, KAT & Rudy, but guys like Conley, McDaniels and Naz Reid MUST step up for them to truly make some noise. Heck, Troy Brown is saving them in McDaniels absence in the here and now. Doc bringing up Kirilloff is something I whole-heartedly agree with. The kid has the swing of Will Clark if he could just stay healthy. Correa will just simply have a bounce back year and it will be huge for the team. Royce Lewis in my opinion is the real deal. He's going to hit .285-.310 and knock 30 HR's out of the park. But in addition, there is room for guys like Julien, Jeffers and Wallner to grow. One or more may suffer a sophomore slump, but the guy I would bet my house mortgage on NOT slumping is Julien. I love his approach. If he can improve a bit against LH pitching he will score 100 runs. And then there is the Brooks Lee question. Does he break camp with the Twins? If not, when does he arrive? Because he's going to arrive sometime in 2024. How big will his impact be? I also agree that we still haven't seen the best of Lopez but that finding a solid #2 or even a guy who could challenge Lopez for #1 is vital. Teams that pitch are always in a ballgame and that's when guys like Lewis, Correa or Kirilloff can get you the big hit to come out on top. It's frustrating as a fan to wait like a kid at Christmas to see who the Twins will gift us for that #2 SP. Maybe they end up giving us a lump of coal. The groundwork is being laid at the Winter Meetings for some moves to be made.

This is essentially the Twins FO task. How to "effectively" replace those lost innings. I have no problem with the plan being what it was...letting Gray, Maeda and Pagan walk. Even if we weren't committed to reducing payroll going from $21 million in expenditures to $47 for 2024 just isn't efficient. Paddack will absolutely step in for Maeda. Remember, Maeda did not begin the season with the Twins. I think Paddack can match him in IP. We've lost Pagan in the pen and he had a statistically good season. But others have pointed out almost all his IP came in low leverage situations. He earned some high leverage opportunities with his performance and when the pen had some injury issues (losing Stewart for an extended time for example) but Pagan's performance in those higher leverage stints was mixed. I'm excited to see Funderburk get more innings, I was very impressed with him. I'm also saying decades of the Rosary that Matt Canterino can actually stay healthy and will be up by May. His arm is electric. Envision another Duran type arm with 99-100 velocity instead of 104. But every pitching staff needs DEPTH. You can mix and match your bullpen to a degree but nothing makes a managers job less stressful than having 5 to 6 guys he can count on to start games consistently. With the team the Twins have now the J.A. Happ, Shoemaker, Bundy days have to be over. I want a guy, maybe two, that have a proven track record of having been GOOD at some point in their careers. There are a couple guys that fit this bill on the FA front. Lucas Giolito, Trevor Bauer and to a lesser degree, Frankie Montas. Giolito is a horse who eats innings. He profiles as the top candidate at 29 y/o.. An elite K rate who has been a Cy Young contender in the past. Can we get him back on track? Trevor Bauer, a former Cy Young winner with great stuff. He's not a choir boy but MLB certainly did him wrong. He's 32 years old so a 1 year to 3 year deal fits a timeline. He was a decent pitcher early in his career but really started to put it together in Cleveland in 2017 & 2018. He won the N.L. Cy Young in the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season and then in 17 games with the Dodgers in 2021 went 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA. Frankie Montas is a bigger risk but has great stuff. The question will come down to cost. What would Giolito, Bauer or Montas cost per season and is it a 1-year prove it deal or something along the lines of 3-years with options? I can't see the Twins shelling out $25 million per year for Glasnow although I would be much more willing to give Glasnow 3-years $25 million per as opposed to Gray. I base that on age and the pure "stuff" Glasnow has. Sonny's strength was dependability. Glasnow's weakness is his lack of it. I would pay more for any of Giolito, Bauer or Montas than the Tigers signed Maeda for. I would want more dependability if I was shelling out $25 million per season. What is that level of spending that a Bauer or Giolito would fall into? So I think a trade for someone will happen first, and after most of the pitchers in FA are picked over, maybe the Twins get a Trevor Bauer for 2-3 years and $15 million per season.

Doc, I like this trade more than the other one. I'm Tony0 on BBTV and as I commented there, while I hate giving up Julien, getting a young SP like Miller from Seattle is key in giving up a talent like Julien. And getting a solid young catching prospect as well as an OF prospect is excellent. The SS is relatively unnecessary as we're stocked at SS. Maybe an arm would be a better 4th piece but I'd do this trade even with the Carrigg.

I agree that none of these contracts is a backbreaker. And they are only "problems" in so far as the Pohlad family allows them to be. Correa plays. he didn't hit in 2023 but I could see a rebound in 2024. He also brings intangibles that good teams need. Buxton seemed like a win-win for player and team at the time. What can we truly expect from Buxton in 2024 and beyond? None of us has a clue and that's the mystery wrapped in an enigma that is Byron Buxton. It's $15 million a year. That's "difficult" but it sure as heck isn't a Kris Bryant/Giancarlo Stanton disaster. Vasquez is a minor problem for an older catcher extremely good at handling a pitching staff and calling a game. And his problem contract is helped by the emergence of Jeffers being what the Twins hoped he'd be. Cory E. put it best when he said Dobnak is nothing more than a rounding error on a spreadsheet. So if this is a "problem" in any way, it's only a problem in that the Pohlad's allow it to be. They could easily handle a $150 million dollar payroll for 2024 but choose to treat it as an issue. There will be some sort of TV/Media deal. Their pockets are deep enough to trade for Corbin Burnes and give him a contract to keep him. But they choose not to. Their pockets are deep enough to put in the high bid for Yoshi Yamamoto and add a 25 year old #1 or #2 at the top of the rotation to pair with Lopez. They will choose not to. Because it's the Pohlad way.

Jacksson very succinctly defined what life for a Twins fan under Pohlad ownership is like. When we had the Mauer, Morneau, Santana years we had a team with 2 MVP's and a multi time Cy Young Award winner. Yet we never made "the big move" to get the team over the hump to go to a World Series and possibly win it. In 1987 they made no such move and still won it. But they were lucky Vince Coleman was hurt and missed the World Series. In 1991 they made two key off season acquisitions, Jack Morris and Chili Davis and both came through. The Pohlad's have never made a trade deadline deal of any great magnitude. Never a pitcher to be the one-two punch to Santana. Never the high profile RH hitter to hit between Mauer and Morneau. And if you think of it, The Twins have only ever been run by two families...the Griffith's and the Pohlad's. Even with Killebrew, Carew and Oliva and Jim Perry (two MVP's and a CY Young winner and a HOF RF) the Twins just couldn't get past the mighty Baltimore Orioles in 1969 & 1970. The Orioles won 109 games in 1969 and 108 in 1970 (and they "slumped" to 101 in 1971 but still had FOUR 20-game winners). The Orioles were just better than the Twins, but Calvin never made a big trade for an expensive star in 1969 or 1970 at the deadline. Off-season 1970 we acquired Luis Tiant and Stan Williams from the Guardians, but Luis was coming off arm problems and wasn't quite healthy yet and we gave up on him too soon. He ended up with the Red Sox and had a lot of good pitching left in that arm. Now, Twins fans see a team with potentially a really good future, coming off a division championship. In some respects, I don't mind that they let Gray and Maeda walk. Maeda is on fumes and the Tigers paid him more than I would have, and Gray, while spectacular in a Bert Blyleven sort of way last season will not come close to what he did for the Twins in any of his upcoming 3 years with the Cardinals. In my opinion, we cut bait at the right time. The problem going forward is what the plan is to fill those holes while dealing with a self imposed cut in payroll? I maintain that there are trades and signings to be made that not only could enable the Twins to defend their division crown in 2024 and beyond, but also contend for a World Series. What precisely those moves could be is what we all love to debate day after day here on TD. Money is great. It helps a sports team absorb some of the personnel decisions that go bad. The Dodgers and Yankees among a few others have that luxury. Teams like the Twins, Cleveland, Milwaukee or the Reds give themselves very thin margins. Could the Twins allow themselves a little bit more of a margin compared to the teams I just mentioned? Absolutely!! But the wealthy Pohlad's by choice do not. One team that to me appears to have tremendous potential and is on the verge of being a dominant power for several years is Seattle. They have a bona fide superstar in Julio Rodriguez. Twins fans "hope" that Lewis or Jenkins (or both) could be that guy. The Mariners are flush with pitching, some established, most of it young and controllable. As thirsty as virtually every other team in MLB is for pitching, the Mariners are a lemonade stand in the middle of the desert. And they have both the reigning N.L. Cy Young Award winner (Blake Snell) and the hottest pitching prospect since Ohtani (Yoshi Yamamoto) clamoring to sign with them (provided the dollars are commensurate with the market). Even Shohei Ohtani has mentioned he'd be interested in playing for them. They are NOT the Dodgers or Yankees. How much money can Seattle afford to shell out? They're suddenly the prettiest girl in school and prom is just around the corner. As much as I'm curious to see what the Twins will do, I can't wait to see what the Mariners decide to do. I can't believe I'm saying this, but in some ways it must be excruciating to be a Mariners fan right now. SO MUCH POTENTIAL !! But how to maximize it?