TopGunn#22

Having Max WILLING to play a little CF would be helpful but isn't an automatic fix either. I for one think Castro could be a Cesar Tovar type, who, while playing multiple positions to begin with, eventually settled into a CF/LF regular position. I'm not saying Castro will be a .300 hitter like Tovar. Just that his early versatility shouldn't preclude him from becoming a regular LF or CF. Buxton's health (or lack of) will determine how many games/innings of CF need to be covered. As to Wallner being destined to be a RF because of his arm. This is true, to a point. The Pirates played Willie Stargell in LF because they had Clemente in RF. Stargell had a cannon. The Tigers played Rocky Colovito in LF because they had Al Kaline in RF. Colovito had a cannon. Yaz played LF and he had a better arm than Tony Conigliaro who played RF from the time he came up for the Red Sox. Guys with cannons for arms sometimes end up in LF. Once Kepler is gone, Wallner probably moves over to RF. But it wouldn't shock me if he stayed in LF either. Castro might be the best LF the Twins have right now. I'd be fine with him in LF and Wallner in RF if Keplar was traded. for pitching. I don't know enough about Emmanuel Rodriguez's arm or Walker Jenkins, but they seem destined for an outfield position sometime in the not too distant future either.

I second that emotion Doc !! Let's all pray for a Blessed and Happy New Year ! Karbo, I'm with you on that World Peace and our country becoming less divided and more unified. It doesn't look so good for that right now, but it's an ideal to strive for.

The collection of possible 2B & 3B players that Seattle has are tremendously underwhelming. That's why Polanco to Seattle is such a persistent rumor. Ryan Bliss is not going to be the A.L. Rookie of the Year. He probably won't even make the team out of spring training despite the lack of decent players at 2B & 3B to compete with. France is a decent bat, but as others have pointed out, I have a hard time believing they would trade a hitter when they need offense so badly. If I'm the Twins, the Mariner I would be most focused on would be Luis Castillo. And I would rather see what a presumably healthy Miranda can do as opposed to acquiring France. This is always a dangerous time of year for assumptions. Because every year we hear how "healthy" everyone is prior to reporting to Fort Myers. Polanco has never felt better, Buxton is pain free, Kirilloff looks great! Miranda has a new body! Canterino is finally 100%. Correa was seen dancing with his wife!! And on and on. Then when spring training begins, all those aches and pains have a tendency to creep back into the picture. I'm just as anxious as everyone else to see what the Twins will do. Because they're going to make some moves for sure. But nothing of note is going to get done until they fill their #2 spot in the rotation. At seasons end, I was pretty sure Polanco and Kepler were BOTH getting traded. I still think Polanco will but I'm not so sure about Kepler. We could very well keep them both at the salaries each will be at in 2024. Polanco still has gas in the tank, and I thinks a number of teams of interested in him. Seattle just might be at the top of the list.

Don't forget the Twins just signed Nico Goodrum and he's a very good glove, especially at SS. Goodrum could make Farmer expendable and for the right return I think the Twins will trade him. Another FA out there who is a RH hitter that has defensive versatility is Nick Senzel, formerly of the Reds.

I have always LOVED Canterino's stuff. He throws hard, but that curveball is knee-buckling. I had settled on him being that 8th inning guy that allows Varland to remain a SP or at least be piggybacked with Paddack. I hadn't realized that doctors had told him 125 innings was possible for 2024. I really thought the bullpen was his only option. Interesting. I STILL see him as an 8th inning guy and when paired with Duran would be a lock down back end of the pen. I just wonder WHEN the Twins would call him up? Even if he shines in spring training, I've got to believe they want to see him dominate in St. Paul for 2--months. Maybe June 1st-10th? I had no idea Paddack hit 99 mph last year !! I knew he had a good fastball from when he came up with the Padres but 99?!? That's exciting. Paddack and Canterino are two pitchers who could be true difference makers for the Twins in 2024.

Great points Doc. To me, the key to Meneses is where can he play defensively for you? He can be adequate at 1B. He DH'd 130 games last year because the Nats had Dominic Smith playing 1B and Smith is excellent defensively. He played a little OF in 2022, but almost none in 2023. We need a RH bat in the OF. In any scenario, Meneses would be a defensive liability in the OF. I like that he's a super-charged version of Solano. Solid contact hitter, more power. Meneses would be very limited defensively. It was mentioned in another post that an interesting possibility for the Twins could be SF Giants OF Austin Slater. He's 31, very good defensively in all 3 OF slots and he clobbers LH pitching. The Giants need a SS in the worst way. Crawford has retired and their young SS isn't quite ready. They need at least a one season bridge. Slater is being pushed out of their plans after they signed Jung-hoo Lee and still have Luis Matos, Mike Yaz and Mitch Hanniger. A straight up one-for-one of Farmer for Slater would solve both teams problems and save the Twins about $3 million in payroll. I think the signing of Nico Goodrum means the Twins WILL trade farmer.

I would! He's younger and doesn't strike out as much as Adam Duval and would fit in to our OF as that RH platoon against lefties and backup/insurance for Buxton in CF. A trade with the Giants sending them Farmer is a good one. it saves us $3 million dollars and adds a solid RH hitter to our OF mix. Great Suggestion !!

I have mentioned Duval several times because I think he fills the bill of someone who can play a good CF but who also has power. Drawbacks are, and always have been, high strikeout rate and injury prone. Riverbrian is spot on with that assessment. I have been considering Meneses as well. He's a similar hitter to Solano except he's got pop (13 HRs and 36 Doubles in 600 ABs). He doesn't walk a lot, but neither did Solano. He's much younger than Solano and has more power and would be a good addition as a bat that consistently makes contact. The drawback is that he was a DH for 131 games last year. His time at 1B and in RF really diminished from 2022 to 2023. Some of that was due to injury in 2022. We can't really afford to sign someone to be primarily a DH with Buxton. I'm not sure what the assessment is of Meneses at 1B and LF/RF.

This is why, even though the Twins haven't shown a willingness to do this, I think having Paddack start the game and Varland piggyback with him is the best way forward. Both Paddack and Varland fill innings for the Twins, hopefully effectively, and putting less stress on the bullpen when they get the Twins through the 7th or 8th inning. They both stay "stretched out" and depending on pitches thrown, either could fill up to 5 innings in an appearance. This also leaves the "Wild Card" of Matt Canterino available to fill the 8th inning role eventually. Canterino would have to prove his health and effectiveness FIRST. But let's say he does BOTH. After the All Star break or by August 1st, Canterino could be filling that 8th inning set up role. Guys who were VERY effective last year--Funderburk, Stewart, can continue to grow into a bigger role if performance dictates they should. Jax, not being overused, would see his effectiveness improve. Theilbar is effective when healthy, he's just on the I.L. more and more frequently as he's aging. But none of this makes sense or is possible if the Twins fail to add someone who truly should slot in the #2 SP spot. If that guy is not BETTER than Ryan or Ober, there is an acute need for Paddack and Varland to be used separately as "stand alone" SP's and that presents a domino effect stress on the bullpen if one of both aren't pitches well, or reasonably deep into games.

When you're the 44th or 45th guy to comment on a topic, most everybody else has made any points you would have earlier. That said, this is a good conversation piece. I don't think moving Varland to the bullpen is "malpractice" but I understand Greggory using it to make his point. My point or points is that this is a very fluid situation that has a number of "dominoes" that need to fall before we finally land on what the strategy will be. And even then it may be a bit muddled. Starting Pitchers always have more "value" because they throw more innings. However, relief pitchers that throw high leverage innings can still be VERY valuable. Top flight closers and elite set up guys like Devin Williams was before Hader was traded fall into this category. Varland has the potential to be one of these elite set up guys. He also has the potential to be a solid #3 or #4 SP. I'm one of those guys who would really like to see Varland in that 8th inning role. He's more durable than Stewart, who was lights out last year. He's more talented than Jax who suffers when he's overworked. But Varland is only an 8th inning guy if the Twins come up with one or two SP options to replace what the rotation lost. We're all in agreement that Paddack replaces Maeda. The question we're all waiting to see answered is WHO is going to replace Gray? A trade for a Jesus Luzardo or Luis Castillo caliber SP just doesn't seem likely. While I would like to love to see it happen, Twins fans may have to be willing to accept a Julien or Lee caliber player being sent out to accomplish that. That's certainly true for Luzardo. Castillo could be had for less, but then the Twins have to figure out how to absorb his salary for 2024 while only sending a Polanco sized contract out (necessitating a cost efficient minor league player like Emmanuel Rodriguez or even a Wallner to be included). The other option for the rotation is a FA signing. Giolito seems to be getting too expensive, so in order to get a guy with a #1 or #2 pedigree at a somewhat affordable price, they would have to settle for a Frankie Montas or Trevor Bauer. In my opinion, they need to add a #2 (maybe #1) type of SP. My targets would be Castillo or Montas/Bauer. If they did that the rotation would look like this: Lopez, (Castillo/Bauer/Montas), Ryan, and Ober. That's 4 SP's. If they only add ONE good SP I'd like to see the Paddack/Varland piggyback. If Paddack and Varland are calibrated to pitch 3-4 innings each outing they can, or should be able to get to the 7th/8th inning each start and reduce the stress on their bullpen. Having Paddack/Varland as the #5 could be very effective. To me, THAT is the most productive strategy and outcome for the Twins in 2024. Varland is still stretched out enough to throw a good amount of innings. Paddack is being protected and hopefully thriving under a carefully managed number of innings/pitches thrown. If the Twins need to dip into the St. Paul rotation for a spot start or three, Festa, SWR, etc...can provide. A "Wild Card" in all this is the guy who may have the BEST or 2nd BEST stuff in the system. Matt Canterino. If Canterino can get thru April and maybe half of May healthy and pitching effectively, HE becomes the 8th inning guy Varland COULD be. This way, the Twins protect the viability of Varland as a SP. They also don't waste innings for him down in St. Paul. Varland has been up with the Twins for parts of the last 2 seasons. It's time to make him a Major League pitcher. The Twins also do not waste potential innings for Canterino in St. Paul. If he's firing on all cylinders in St. Paul, get him up in mid-May and get him Major League innings. For any of this to happen, we have to see what the Twins do for that #2 SP spot. That domino has to fall before any others do. Once that happens, we may finally see a clear path forward for how the Twins plan to stock their rotation AND bullpen for 2024.

There has ALWAYS been disparity in sports. Especially in "Baseball." Do any of you think the New York Yankees have won all those World Series Championships because they DIDN'T use their economic might? Of course not! They BOUGHT Babe Ruth from the Red Sox. They basically STOLE Roger Maris from the Kansas City Athletics, who were really nothing more than a major league farm team for the Yanks. I don't like the present system either, but it's NOT going to change. At least not radically. The Players Union has drawn their line in the sand and the owners are never going to cross it, ever again. Strikes are bad for business. Most of us on here are probably 50+ years old. We are the sad saps who will keep coming back to baseball no matter how many times they mess with us. We grew up with the game. We are hooked and that's never going to change. Kneeling for the National Anthem didn't drive us away. Unfairly taking the All Star Game from Atlanta didn't drive us away. Different rules for the American and National Leagues for decades didn't drive us away. Various strikes and work stoppages didn't drive us away. Our generation will accept the game as it is no matter what, because we love baseball. Love can be irrational, but love is capable of overlooking a lot of stuff. But here's the mystery of "Baseball." Take out the Covid season and the Dodgers haven't won a World Series since 1988. All that Star Power hasn't led to even ONE World Series Championship outside of the Covid season. The Yankees haven't won since 2009. Last year we had the D-Backs and Rangers. Despite certain team's ability to buy any player they want, "Baseball" just doesn't work that way. Vegas thinks the Dodgers will it all in 2024. And they probably will. But they didn't in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. And those were some LOADED Dodger teams. The games will be played, and at the end of 2024, about the same time we find out who the President of the United States will be, we'll have our World Series Champion. Anybody wonder what the Vegas odds are for the Presidency??? I don't. I'm not betting on that.

If Luis Castillo is really a potential trade piece I think the Twins should be very interested. I would propose the following trade. Based on BBTV it's a slight overpay for the Twins. I would think you'd have to overpay somewhat to "win" a trade for Castillo. The Mariners get a much needed 2B, a power hitting OF and a young SP to restock the farm with the loss of Castillo at the top of their rotation. If Seattle truly wants to keep their young, controllable SP (and I can believe they do) this deal checks a LOT of their off season needs boxes. Castillo simply moves right in to the top of the Twins rotation pushing Lopez to #2. A rotation of Castillo, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Paddack and Varland would be better than 2023. Remember, Castillo and Gray both pitched for the Reds. Castillo was CLEARLY the Ace. Sonny won us 8 games last last year. Castillo would be a significant upgrade. The Twins take a bit of a hit salary wise as Polanco & Larnach cover some, but not all of the cost of Castillo in 2024. But Castillo's contract is a bargain compared to what the current SP salary landscape is looking like. I for one would LOVE to enter a playoff series with Castillo and Lopez pitching games #1 & #2. Twins 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Luis Castillo 31 Majors SP Low 5 138.7 121.6 17.1 13.7 17.1 20.6 Total Value: 17.1 Mariners 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Trevor Larnach 27 Majors OF Low 4 9.2 5.6 3.6 2.9 3.6 4.3 Jorge Polanco 30 Majors 2B Low 2 31.9 22.5 9.4 7.6 9.4 11.3 Connor Prielipp 22 Minors SP 0 0 0 5.7 4.6 5.7 6.8 Total Value: 18.7

Whitey & Hosken Powell are possibly a little harsh in their assessment but honesty is the best policy. The Twins should "COUNT" on absolutely nothing from Buxton in 2024. Whatever they get should be considered a BONUS. Now, this could be a pretty significant bonus depending on what he's actually able to do, but to plan on him as a key contributor is managerial malpractice. Once the Twins have made their move to fill their rotation holes the CF position must be addressed. I've advocated a signing of Adam Duval as he provides solid defense in CF (and LF & RF as well) and a RH power bat. I think it's safe to count on Correa being "better" in 2024 as compared to 2023. His whole track record suggests that. Buxton's track record is that he's off the field more than he's on the field. But I agree that he MUST be able to play the field. His Platinum Glove level defense is a HUGE part of his value and the WAR he accrues. I'm not in favor of moving him to a corner OF position. He's a CF. That's where he's most comfortable. As long as he has his speed, he should be in CF. I wouldn't want to etch in stone how many games he needs to play in CF but I feel as if 80-81 (half of the season) is a reasonable expectation and a necessary expectation. 80 in CF and another 20-40 at DH. Buxton can't do much worse than last season. He could very well do "as poorly" as last year, but I don't think it's unrealistic to expect some kind of improvement. But it is vital to come up with an Adam Duval, Nick Senzel, maybe a Garrett Mitchell type of "Plan B" who may have to play A LOT of CF. I think Castro can more than adequately cover innings in CF and Martin could also turn out to be a solid option. But some type of veteran needs to be added just to hedge their bet. The Twins will need better seasons in 2024 from both Correa and Buxton. Correa is, to me a sure thing. Buxton, very much uncertain. Hope for the best. But have a plan this coming season just in case.

Great Post and great stories. I grew up in the 60's (born in 1958) but the 60's weren't much different than the 50's. We had a neighborhood full of kids, but with Little League teams you got to know a bunch of other kids, so once my brothers and I had finished our chores we were out the door "recruiting" kids for that mornings games. We had several Little League fields and a school nearby, so we never lacked for a place to play. Since there was a wide discrepancy in ages in our neighborhood, anywhere from 6 yrs old to 14 or 15, we often played "Tenny Ball." We used a tennis ball instead of a baseball. That way, a kid could play catcher and didn't mind too much if he got nailed in the face on a foul tip. Older kids pitched, and they were allowed to "bring it." I credit that with my never having an issue dealing with pitchers who threw hard. But as kids, you had to be flexible and creative. The number of kids playing was constantly in flux, so some sessions were "Pitchers Hand Out." Others we used a first baseman. We only used baseballs when we had neighborhood "practice sessions" usually administrated by the older kids. It's always a thrill for "little kids" to be included in the games of the "bigger kids." I loved it when I was little and I took that responsibility seriously when I became one of the older kids. Collecting baseball cards was a big deal in my youth. I never worried about having an entire set. I was focused on STARS. I started out as a Twins fan, so when it was time to select a favorite Twins player I had to give my older brother first choice. He picked Killebrew. I breathed a sigh of relief, I wanted Tony Oliva all along. My younger brother settled for Zoilo. Whether it was radio or TV, I always hung on every Tony O at bat. On rainy days, we would deal out baseball cards and debate who was better...Oliva or Clemente? Mays or Aaron? Koufax or Gibson or Marichal? Our Dad hated seeing the mess in our room, so he would order us to pick 5 baseball cards to keep and the rest went into the garbage. I would routinely risk saving the better cards by putting them in a certain place in the garbage in a paper bag. I was caught several times and paid the price for disobedience but it was worth it. Years later, my Dad asked me if I still had any of those Baseball Cards. He'd heard they might be worth some money. I answered, "yeah Dad, I do. But not as many as I could have had." My brothers and I still talk about.

As was just mentioned by a poster, you can probably scratch the Dodgers off the list to acquire Burnes after signing Yamamoto for 12-years and $325 million. Yankees or Mets, maybe Philly or Boston would seem to be the eventual destination for Burnes. He WANTS to test FA. He WILL test FA. In that scenario there is zero chance he would sign an extension with the Twins. A big market team with deep pockets is in his future. That said, what the Twins are sending to the Brewers in this deal falls far short of what the value would be to have Burnes, even if it would be for just one season. I do this trade in a heartbeat. The Twins are in a competitive window. A rotation that boasts Burnes and Lopez at the top, supported by Ryan, Ober, Paddack and Varland with a lineup stacked with young hitters and bounce back seasons expected from Correa and maybe Buxton IS a World series contender. Heck, Texas and Arizona made it to the World Series last year. Does anybody think the Twins would stand no chance in a playoff series with Burnes and Lopez throwing games #1 & #2?? Prospects are lottery tickets. Some you win with. The greater percentage by far, you lose with. And every year you restock your minor league talent with LOTS of guys. Some shine, others never pan out. I would never part with prospects easily and there are a couple I would deem untouchable (Lewis, Jenkins). But a pitcher the caliber of Burnes is rare. He's only available because he pitches in Milwaukee (at least for now). If he was a Dodger or a Yankee, he wouldn't be anywhere near this kind of situation.

Trevor Bauer is 32 years old and has won a Cy Young. Giolito is 29 years old and has a track record of having been a very good pitcher. Frankie Montas is 30 years old, has been quite effective in the past and appears to be healthy. These are the kind of guys the Twins traffic in. They aren't signing a 25 year old pitcher like Yamamoto for $325 million. They MIGHT trade for a younger pitcher like Luzardo or Cabrera from Miami or Miller or Woo from Seattle but that will cost prospects...good ones. I'm willing to risk a contract with a pitcher up to about 35 years old. After that, it gets kind of dicey. Exactly who are YOUR top targets Battle ur tail off? And what are will willing to do to acquire them, either in FA money spent or prospect capital ??

This is how the Twins operate. There has only been two players signed that I would have liked the Twins to be in on: Eduardo Rodriguez and Luis Severino. Otherwise, the market has moved very slowly with only "BIG" moves for the most part. Dodgers: Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow. Yankees: Soto (Verdugo is kind of "meh"). The guys I want the Twins to be engaged with: Giolito, Bauer, Montas on the FA pitcher front. Adam Duval on the RH hitting OF front. Bieber, Luzardo, Cabrera, Castillo, Miller or Woo on the trade front, are all guys that are going to end up somewhere, but none of them are guys I've seen or heard about something happening imminently. So while I'm impatient that the Twins haven't done anything yet, I'm not panicking because I've seen this movie before. However, my "concern" is that once the dust settles on the "BIG" stuff (and we still have Snell, Montgomery etc...to resolve) the Twins will be slow on the trigger and good options will fly off the board and our big move will be to bring in Kikuchi or something similar.

I agree Dman. LOTS of questions but none of us has a Crystal Ball. The Twins "window" probably DID open in 2019 and back to back division titles in 2019 & 2020 proves that. 2021 & 2022 are prime examples of injuries and lack of depth slamming the window shut in a given season. The White Sox example was excellent. If ever a team was decimated by injury, they would be the poster child. The fact that a team in a market/budget size that the the Twins are in just doesn't have anywhere near the margin of error that a Dodgers, Yankees or Mets has is, and always will be a "very major league baseball" kind of thing. And even the Mets, with all the money they spent couldn't recover last year. Now, you can fairly point out that the Mets got what they deserved by signing to pitchers on the homestretch to 50-years old to ridiculous contracts. That's indisputable. The Twins have to be much more sensible than that. That's why I think a Polanco for Bieber swap makes a lot of sense for both the Guardians and the Twins. Bieber ($12 million) and Polanco ($10.5 million) are close enough in salary and each fits a team need to a "T." I'm much more willing to hang onto Kepler than I was at season's end given that Rodriguez and Jenkins are not quite ready. Maybe Rodriguez takes a BIG step forward, and crushes it at St. Paul. Maybe the same is true for Brooks Lee. But the guys the Twins had playing outfield at the end of 2022 (Cave, Contreras etc...) should never be confused with the talent the Twins have in Lee, Rodriguez, Jenkins or even Wallner. But I think the Twins MUST do something to replace Gray & Maeda and picking up an Adam Dunn or Nick Senzel to cushion the blow of trading a Larnach or Kepler needs to be done. Standing pat is not going to defend the divisional title. It's not an easy job being a part of an MLB front office, and every year brings new challenges and uncertainties.

I'm currently a Charter customer because I can watch Twins, T-Wolves and Wild games thru Balleys. The Wolves and Wild are supposed to be guaranteed until the completion of their regular seasons. Twins baseball will overlap that. I'm just waiting to see what my options are once a Twins decision has been reached. I have Prime, and I'm pretty sure I would like to find a way NOT to pay $275 per month to Charter. I get my internet and cable TV from Charter so that $275 is not just TV. But something's going to change around April 1st for me. As fans of a smaller than large market team, and if MLB ends up taking over all of the teams broadcasting rights as RSN continue to go bankrupt and cable TV as we've known it ceases to exist, I wonder if some form of revenue sharing of all broadcast fees/income is ultimately possible? It would be nice to be able to see the Cincinnati Reds retain their players. Or Tampa Bay having the financial ability to keep a Glasnow if they wanted to. This is why the Giants and Jets or Chargers and Rams don't just gobble up all the high priced talent. Would that mean a salary cap would come to baseball? I doubt it. The Players Union has made it abundantly clear they would rather see the sport burned to the ground than accede to a salary cap. But with this tectonic change in broadcast revenues throughout MLB happening I wonder where all this is headed.

The difference between Castillo and Glasnow though, is that Castillo has been a horse in the past and Glasnow has never had a season in which he didn't miss significant time, Riverbrain. That's why I think Castillo would be an excellent target for the here and now as well as through his age 34 season.

This is a very interesting proposition and not out of the realm of possibility. I'd be VERY interested in Luis Castillo. In Cincy, he was CLEARLY the staff Ace, rated far more highly than Sonny Gray and clearly better in every respect. And he's younger than Gray by several years. With Seattle looking to hoard their younger, controllable arms yet still needing to add offense (have you looked at what their potential lineup looks like if the season started today)? I think it's very much "in play" that Castillo could be traded. Seattle would need to "win" the trade as well as have a savings of at least $10 million. Here's a trade I would propose: Twins 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Luis Castillo 31 Majors SP Low 5 138.7 121.6 17.1 13.7 17.1 20.6 Emerson Hancock 24 Majors SP 6 7.7 3.9 3.8 3 3.8 4.5 Total Value: 20.90 Mariners 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Trevor Larnach 27 Majors OF Low 4 9.2 5.6 3.6 2.9 3.6 4.3 Jorge Polanco 30 Majors 2B Low 2 31.9 22.5 9.4 7.6 9.4 11.3 David Festa 23 Minors SP 0 0 0 8.7 7 8.7 10.4 Total Value: 21.7 Seattle gets Polanco and Larnach. Two bats that give their lineup a jolt. Polanco takes over at 2B and Larnach in RF. Polanco could play 3B if the Mariners wanted Ryan Bliss to play 2B. Polanco replaces Suarez and Larnach replaces Teo Hernandez in the currently punch-less Mariner lineup. The Mariners also get a promising young SP (Festa) to replace Emerson Hancock. Robby Ray is set to come back midway through the 2024 season. Instead of getting a questionable #2 to replace Gray and slot behind Lopez, the Twins get a #1 who pushes Lopez to #2. How exciting would it be to go into a playoff with Castillo and Lopez pitching games 1 & 2? Hancock enters the mix for a depth #5 SP with Paddack and Varland. This could also free Varland up for a year as the Twins 8th inning guy. Larnach will be passed up by Emmanuel Rodriguez by the end of 2024 or early 2025. Walker Jenkins is lurking. Even Mercedes, a young 18 year old OF is lurking. The Twins still have Kepler for at least half of 2024. The Twins would have to overpay slightly to make this happen and they could still deal Kepler for prospects if they felt they had to cut more payroll to accommodate Castillo's contract. The Twins also get cost certainty for the life of Castillo's contract and at $23 million per and his talent, he'll be worth it to age 34-35. Castillo, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, then Paddack, Varland, Hancock. That's talent and depth in the rotation, for several years. Adding Varland to the bullpen with the chance that Matt Canterino joins at sometime is also quite intriguing.

I agree Fatbat. The easiest avenue to filling that #2 hole in the starting rotation would be to just go sign someone like Giolito, Bauer or Montas. Bauer has been a Cy Young Award winner. Giolito and Montas have each been the #`1 SP on their team. They are veterans who, while having question marks also offer a track record that gives some sort of projectability for future production. It is, as you so succinctly put it, hitting the "Easy Button." By going this route, the Twins remove all the pressure of needing to trade Polanco, Kepler, Vasquez, Farmer. It also allows them the option to trade for prospect capital rather than exclusively focusing on someone who would be an immediate contributor. Let's play this out for the sake of discussion. Rotation: Lopez, Bauer, Ryan, Ober, Paddack. Varland-bullpen or St. Paul SP. Festa-pitching at St. Paul. SWR-pitching at St. Paul. So there are 5 SP's and depth at St. Paul with Varland the obvious immediate call up. But what if Varland is deemed the Pagan replacement? To me, Varland becomes the 8th inning guy and closer when Duran is unavailable. Jax becomes my Pagan replacement. Canterino is also in St. Paul. All he has to do is stay healthy and he's got a ticket to a Twins bullpen spot. The Twins could then do a trade like this: Maybe the Twins don't get BOTH Sixto Sanchez and Ryan Weathers as throw ins. But they could get one of them. The Marlins get Polanco to play 2B and strengthen their lineup. They also get a promising young OF who is expendable because the Twins have Jenkins and Rodriguez on the way with Wallner, Martin, Larnach and possibly Kirilloff either already on the team or on the doorstep. The Twins get a 26 year old SP in Cabrera who takes the #5 spot in the rotation and pushes Paddack to the #6 SP role which frees Varland to be a beast in the bullpen for 2024. Cabrera has STUFF. He just needs to be more consistent with his command and become more efficient. Maybe the Twins can unlock that. Getting Sanchez and or Weathers just adds more pitching depth to the Twins. Weathers could find his way into the bullpen right away and at 24 years old still has SP potential. This also allows the Twins to just hang onto Kepler and see what 2024 brings. If Kepler has a year like 2023 it would be tremendous. When 2025 rolls around Emmanuel Rodriguez could very well be taking his place. The Twins now roll into 2024 with a rotation of Lopez, Bauer, Ryan, Ober and Cabrera. The bullpen is Duran, Varland, Stewart, Funderburk, Jax, Theilbar, Alcala. Kepler is still in RF. Wallner in LF. Buxton--who knows, maybe Adam Duval is signed as a RH OF bat to play CF/LF allowing Wallner to sit against LH pitching and as Buxton insurance. But the rotation and bullpen are division champion caliber. You haven't moved Julien, Miranda, Kirilloff, Lee etc...so you've got another year to see what unfolds. But as Fatbat stated, all this is possible if the Twins just hit the "EASY BUTTON." Twins 00 NAME AGE LEVEL P1 P2 AVAILABILITY YEARS AFV SALARY SURPLUS LOW MEDIAN HIGH Edward Cabrera 26 Majors SP Medium 5 31.6 15.7 15.8 12.7 15.8 19 Sixto Sanchez 26 Majors SP Medium 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Weathers 24 Majors LRP SP Low 5 3.5 3.1 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 Total Value: 16.1 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 Yasser Mercedes 18 Minors OF 0 0 0 8 6.4 8 9.6 Total Value: 17.4

If I operate under the assumption that Miami was willing to trade Luzardo, a 26 year old LH starting pitcher with 3 years of team control, even up for Pasquantino (.832 OPS in 2023)I know the Twins can beat that deal. Julien (.839 OPS) is as good if not a better hitter than Vinnie and he plays a more difficult position. And Julien is 2 years younger than Vinnie. If I traded Julien, I'd be fine with Polanco to begin the season at 2B and when Brooks Lee is ready I can always trade Polanco at the deadline. Maybe Jorge is having a great season, nothing says I can't keep him for 2025 ! The Marlins need a catcher. If I could deal Jeffers one for one to Miami for Luzardo I do it in a heart beat. We have two more years of Vasquez who will bounce back "somewhat" offensively this coming season. I can live with a catching tandem of Vasquez/Camargo if it puts Luzardo #2 in our rotation. Having a catcher that can hit is a luxury for most teams. I'd love to see Jeffers carry that hitting stroke forward. But if I can leverage him for Luzardo? Hello, Jair Camargo!! I do not believe there is any truth to the Vinnie for Luzardo possible one for one deal. But if there is, I'm calling the Marlins and I'm going to be a pain in the tush until I get a deal done. A LH starting pitcher, 26 years old, team control for THREE YEARS. Yup. I'm on board with that.

I agree with those who have posted something to the effect that "If we trade valued assets, let's not settle for a #4 or #5 SP." Kremer is a back of the rotation guy. In contrast, if you traded for someone like Bieber, or gave up a little more for a Miller/Woo type of young, controllable Seattle SP you would at least be acquiring a pitcher who has the potential to be a #2 or #3 as opposed to someone who will never rise above Ryan, Ober and Varland, and probably not over Paddack & Festa. As Twins fans, we all HOPE Ryan can figure out how to limit HR's and finally take that step to be a #2 or even a #1. He hasn't been ale to put a full season together yet. Ober looks to be solid. Paddack flashed some ability once upon a time as did Louie Varland. But the stated goal of the FO is to bring in a #2 to slot in behind Lopez and allow the Twins more time to gauge whether Ryan will ever take that step. Bieber could be that #2. He's not even 30 yet. But the velocity drop last year concerns me. Giolito could be that workhorse #2 that K's 200 guys and keeps you in enough games to win a lot of them. Montas and Bauer would also be potential fits. The question with our FO is always "who is going to be left when we finally decide to join the party?" If all the pretty girls have been taken, we will find ourselves dancing with JA Happ or Dylan Bundy. We've got to decide WHICH GIRL we want to dance with, before we end up disappointed. Sometimes I just think the Twins philosophy isn't that we're too shy to ask that girl to dance. We just can't decide WHO we really want to dance with.

The 3rd trade is not realistic. I had listed some trade options for Luzardo in another post that were very similar to these and came to the conclusion that he's just too expensive a piece to go after. I view Vinnie Pasquantino much like Kirilloff. A great swing but injury prone. Vinnie alone wouldn't be near enough to bring back Luzardo. site We have guys on here (myself included) that post some pretty unrealistic stuff. I don't mind. Swapping ideas back and forth is why we love this site. Nobody goes to jail for a "bad take." So in my post, after determining that the price for Luzardo was just going to be too high, I recalibrated to lesser targets with a suggestion on Trevor Rogers (in the hopes that the Twins get the 2021 version and NOT 2022-2023). Or that we should set our sights on affordable but unproven pitchers like Miller or Woo from Seattle. The problem with that, is that the Twins stated goal is to find a #2 to slot behind Lopez. Miller and Woo wouldn't even slot ahead of Ryan. Someone like Logan Allen (Cleveland) would also be more affordable but even though he's young and talented, still wouldn't begin the season starting ahead of Joe Ryan. Acquiring Alcantara would be a brilliant move for the future. He's got a REALLY affordable contract for the next 5 years for a guy with his kind of talent. But he's out all of 2024 following Tommy John. The Twins have a division crown to defend and Alcantara doesn't help them in 2024. How about trading Polanco to the Guardians for Shane Bieber. Bieber is going to be dealt by Cleveland. He battled through some injuries and velo issues last year, but he's just 29 and makes an affordable $12 million in 2024. But in 2022 he was 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA and solid WHIP. if he does well we can try to convince him to stay but at least we're not giving up young talent for potentially one season. Polanco's $10 million dollar salary is pretty even match. Cleveland just shifted Gimenez to SS after trading Rosario at the deadline last year. They need offense and they need a 2B. Julien and Lee have 2B covered for the Twins in 2024. If the Guardians like Polanco, they can pick up his option for 2025.