TopGunn#22

Yup, if he retires they still have to pay him. Maybe some form of insurance could pick up a portion of the tab (I would expect the Twins have an insurance policy with Lloyd's of London or someone to that effect). The big thing a retirement would accomplish is the ending of all the speculation. Just a couple days ago, one of the Twins Daily writers had projected the Twins 26 man roster for 2024 and each player's salary and there was Byron Buxton, listed as our CF! Any projection of the 26 man roster needs to have Buxton placed in a parenthetical category, off to the side, listing his salary, but with 26 actual contributing, warm bodies making up the roster. ANYTHING they get from Buxton should be considered a bonus. But a flat out retirement just removes the fog of confusion as to where he actually fits in the plan going forward. The comparison to Jacoby Ellsbury by Aerodeliria hits the nail on the head. The Twins need to have a plan that Buxton is not a part of, because to count on him for anything, yet again, is poor analytical thinking.

This is the problem with trying to do something like this unless you have something to use as the arbiter of a players "value." I usually go to BBTV. What Doc is proposing seems reasonable, until you see that the 27 y/o Kirby has a value of 73.9 and the 26 y/o Kirby has a value of 98.6. As a comparison, Polanco has a value of 4.5. Larnach a value of 7.8 and Urbina a value of 2.3. All of them together are nowhere near the value of either Gilbert or Kirby. You'd more likely be able to trade for Luis Castillo who only has a value of 20.8 because the Mariners just signed him to a big contract. Guys with big contracts or who are expected to get a big contract are much easier to acquire if you're willing to take on the contract. That's why I proposed this trade about a week ago or so: I don't know what the reaction was on BBTV. Stuff gets buried there pretty quickly. Maybe I should re-post it. Brewers get: Joe Ryan 39.1 28 years old and cheap for a couple more years and Jorge Polanco 4.5. Total Value: 43.6. Twins get: Corbin Burnes 32.0 29 years old. Makes a decent salary for 2020 but will make BIG BUCKS in 2025 and beyond. Twins also get CF of the future Garrett Mitchell 11.3 value 25 years old. Total Value: 43.3. The Brewers do it because they need a 2B and they are going to undergo a major rebuild with Craig Counsell leaving to manage the division rival Cubs and they will be cutting payroll. Mitchell is quite talented but one area the Brewers have a plethora of young talent is outfielders. The Twins do it because they know Burnes is better than Joe Ryan will ever be and he's just one year older than Ryan. They also know they have a window opening to be a very good baseball team and they can't "cheap out" and waste that opportunity. So we're willing to throw a lot of money at a 30-year old Burnes after he has a fabulous 2024 at age 29. They want Burnes and Lopez fronting the rotation for the next 5 years. They want to win a World Series.

Doc Bauer, it's never a "bad" thing when you write a longer than usual response because you always make good points and your logic is well thought out. :) What was the main reason The Twins won their division and broke the playoff losing streak? PITCHING !! The top target would be Snell, but the bargain, and someone who over a 4 to 5 year contract might be more consistent is Eduardo Rodriguez. I wouldn't spend that kind of money for a "crafty" pitch to contact left handed starter. I'd like to see the Twins actually be aggressive on TWO F.A. pitchers. Ed-Rod and Lucas Giolito. Ed-Rod would finally give the Twins a lefty in the rotation and he would slot right behind Lopez as #2. I'd slot Giolito at #3. He's an innings eater who strikes guys out. Outside of the toxic environment of the White Sox I think he could go back to being Lucas Giolito. I've got Ryan and Ober interchangeable as #4 & #5. Paddock is needed as a depth SP for the expected trips major league pitchers make to the I.L. At least guys like Lopez and Giolito are pretty dependable to give you 170+ innings. This allows you to move Varland to the bullpen for 2024. It also allows the Twins to use Polanco, Farmer, Theilbar, Larnach and Miranda to shed payroll, acquire a better CF option and replenish minor league talent where the Twins feel they are lacking. This team is coming off a divisional title and is set to compete for several years for divisional titles and maybe more in the playoffs. This is no time for the Twins ownership or F.O. to take their foot off the gas. Was talking to a Brewers fan this morning who was lamenting the loss of their manager to the divisional rival Cubs. He hearkened back to 2018, after the Brewers had knocked the mighty Dodgers out of the playoffs. He was saying "that was the beginning of our 5 year window to maybe bring a World Series Championship home to Milwaukee. Instead, ownership tried to get by on the cheap and ended up squandering the chance. Now look where we are, it's time to break it all down and start over. Five year window is closed, and how long will it take us to build back up to compete in the N.L. Central?" He's spot on. The Twins have a bona fide window. The key is not to get cheap and squander it. Don't take your foot off the gas !!

I'm moving Varland to the bullpen for 2024, so Ryu, who is one year younger, a better pitcher, LH and would cost $8 million for one year vs $21 million for TWO of Maeda? If that's how it's laid out, and I also go sign a FA like Giolito at 3 years $36 million to fill a rotation spot, well, that's not too bad. I believe Ryu is a better pitcher than Maeda. The Dodgers did as well, because Ryu was always in their rotation while Maeda was always pushed to the bullpen come playoff time. One year of Ryu at that price is much less risky than 2 years of Maeda, especially with Ryu one year younger. A rotation of Lopez, Giolito, Ryan, Ober, Ryu and Paddock with Varland bolstering the pen would be a pretty good plan if it all came to fruition.

Despite his age, Kiermaier still won a Gold Glove this year. In fact, if you think Buxton's a great CF (when healthy) he's never been the equal to Kiermaier. But as FireDanGladden guy said, it all depends on what KK would cost. If it's reasonable I could be on board. I've been saying Taylor will never come close to 20 HR's for the rest of his career. I like that KK doesn't strike out nearly as much and has equal speed and base stealing ability to Taylor. I could live with a KK platoon with Castro and maybe Martin. I disagree with the notion that the only way to improve our pitching is through a trade. There are some decent "value" free agent possibilities. Giolito, Eduardo Rodriguez, Trevor Bauer. But as I said in another thread, EVERYBODY is going to be looking for pitching this off season. Many teams are looking for "several" rotation pieces. So even "value" signings could turn out to be pretty pricey. I also disagree with the idea that 29-31 year old pitchers are past their prime. I'd offer a contract that takes them through age 35 but not beyond. Sonny Gray is 33, but I'm not giving him a 5 or 6 year deal at that age. But if you trade Polanco ($10.5 million), Farmer ($6.6 million) and Theilbar ($3.00 million) that's $20 million saved that can be used on a FA starting pitcher or to acquire a SP that while costly, would be a #1 SP (even with Lopez on the staff) for the Twins. That kind of trade acquisition should be someone like 29 year old Corbin Burnes.

One thing I know for sure: Pitching is going to cost more than anybody is projecting at this point. The Dodgers probably need THREE starting rotation arms. The Cardinals are desperate for SP. The Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies and Mets ALL need help in their rotations due to free agency, injuries or ineffectiveness. Throw the Reds, Braves, D-Backs, Padres and Orioles in as well. Pitching will be at a premium this off season, probably more than usual. EVERYBODY needs pitching. It's going to cost and there are only a finite number of real options to go around. I want to move Varland to the pen. Not necessarily "forever" but certainly for next season and then we'll go year to year. Adding Varland to the pen lengthens it and really sets it up to be dominant. I cut $3 million in salary by including Theilbar in any trade and let Funderburk replace Caleb. If I'm moving Varland to the pen, I need to acquire TWO SP's to have adequate rotation depth heading into 2024. We know Lopez, Ryan, Ober and Paddock are 4 SP. So lets look at some of the options or guys who will fit the Twins BUDGET, because we all know we generally don't pay "top dollar" for starting pitching. Ed-Rod: Probably gets 5 years and $20 a year. Your paying for age 31 thru 35. That's acceptable if you agree 35 is the age cutoff where you need to be careful. Lucas Giolito: An excellent lower priced candidate. He's a horse (184 IP last year). He strikes people out. But he's been in a tremendously insane situation with the White Sox. He's only 29 years old. A four or five year deal at $15 million per would be a bargain in my opinion. He'd be a candidate for a major comeback with a stable Twins organization and Pete Maki's tutelage. I'm strongly in favor of this. BOTH Japanese pitchers will be good. They will both cost waaaay to much. Especially Yamamoto. He's signing a $200 contract for sure. He's not coming to Minnesota. Trevor Bauer: He's 32 and he is still a pretty good pitcher. I have no idea what he would cost or who would be interested in him. But with a gazillion teams needing pitching, people will be interested in him. I could see him going back to the Reds. He won a Cy Young there, it's in the midwest, out of the spotlight. And that's why I think the Twins should be giving him serious consideration. The heck with the "he's a cancer in the clubhouse" speculation. He can still pitch. A 3-year $12-$13 per year contract would pay dividends far beyond what Kenta Maeda would. Tyler Mahle: After what the Twins gave up in a trade to get him, it's been speculated that we would resign him at a team friendly deal to at least give us the chance to even the trade out a little bit. The problem with Mahle is when would you get him back? I've heard talk not until the All Star break. That's too long and too risky for me. Hard Pass on Mahle. Frankie Montas is also a guy I've been pushing for going back to last year's trade deadline. I believe he's a free agent now and that his shoulder issues that sidelined him when the Yankees acquired him at the deadline in 2022 are healed. EVERYBODY will be looking for buy-low deals. What is the price to sign him? How many years is realistic? He's heading into his age 30-31 season. By my age 35 rule, I'd offer him a 4 year deal. And finally, there's the trade market. Who would possibly be available and what kind of package would be needed to get them? One name that is sure to be available is Corbin Burnes. Counsel will leave for another managerial opportunity. Woodruff will miss all of 2024. It's time for a rebuild in Milwaukee and Burnes is going to be traded. I've mentioned several times previously that the age difference between Burnes and Joe Ryan is ONE year. Here are two deals to acquire Burnes from Milwaukee. Twins Get: Burnes 32.0 BBTV and Garrett Mitchell 11.3 24 y/o OF Total Value: 43,3 Brewers Get: Joe Ryan 39.1 and either Jorge Polanco 4.5 value Total: 43.6 or Jose Miranda 5.1 value 44.2. The choice for Milwaukee is between Polanco and his superior ability to Miranda but Jorge's $10.5 million contract for 2024 and an option year beyond that, or Miranda, a younger hitter with defensive limitations but still on a minimum contract. To be sure, other teams with certainly deeper pockets will be bidding for Burnes. But if the Twins were looking at trotting out a rotation featuring Burnes, Lopez, FREE AGENT, Ober, and Paddock that would be interesting. Plug in Giolito, Bauer, Ed-Rod or Frankie Montas into that F.A. #3 spot in the rotation. With Duran, Varland, Jax, Stewart and Funderburk for certain and probably Moran and Alcala filling out the pen. You'd have one season of Burnes for sure and the chance to try to extend him before free agency for 2025. He's pitched for the Brewers. If he finds success with the Twins could he decide he'd rather be here than the insanity of L.A., New York, Philly or wherever? There is no comparison between Burnes and Ryan. Ryan has potential but real issues if he'll ever be able to ascend to the next level. Burnes is a former Cy Young Award winner who just is, and probably always will be, a far superior pitcher than Ryan. The only benefit to Ryan right now compared to Burnes is cost. And someday, Ryan will want to get paid, but he'll never be the pitcher Burnes is. I'd sell high on Ryan, bring a Cy Young SP into the fold and add a FA SP who will be seen as a bargain to the guys who will get outrageously overpaid this winter. But what a pitching staff that would be, from the rotation to the bullpen. It could win a World Series. Texas just did it. Why couldn't the Twins.

He's a part of the Twins future. Until he isn't. You've got Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins on the fast track. There are a couple other young OF prospects as well. Right now, Wallner's value has never been higher. The mere idea that his value is equal to Juan Soto's in BBTV is amazing. San Diego is going to have to blow it up this off season. They will lose the N.L. Cy Young Award winner in Blake Snell. They will lose ace closer Josh Hader. They can't trade Manny Machado, his contract is atrocious. The only guy left standing will be Fernando Tatis (and Machado). I'd trade Wallner, Winder and Headrick for one season of Juan Soto. I know I'm the wet blanket in the delirium of Matt Wallner's season. But we're talking Juan Soto. With reinforcements coming that will probably be better than Wallner. You want a World series Championship? Swing for the fences.

Not a chance. He hasn't exhibited anything I'd be interested in keeping. We have PLENTY of better prospects to develop. If I could throw him in as part of a multi player trade to get it done I'd do it in a heartbeat.

O.k. Finally watched the video. EVERYBODY is signing with the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Phillies or Giants. That's how these things usually go. But I have to agree, that of these free agents it is very "Twins" for us to be signing Giolito and Mahle. Mahle, because we invested some serious prospect capital in him and we're motivated to show some kind of positivity with the trade. Although with Mahle not being able to contribute until "late" 2024 and what I perceive as an urgent need in the rotation with a move to the bullpen by Varland, I wouldn't go in that direction. Giolito however is a quintessential Twins "buy low" type of signing and I'm on board with it. He eats innings and strikes guys out. Holding down the #4 or #5 spot in our rotation is a good plan. I like Eduardo Rodriguez but even though he refused an end of the season trade to the Dodgers, he's predicted to sign there. And the Dodgers need about THREE SP's so that's certainly a possibility. They even predict Maeda goes back to the Dodgers. They mentioned Rhys Hoskins as a possible Twins signing but predict he will be one of 44 hitters that will sign with the Mariners. One other sneaky Twins signing could be Luis Severino, the former Yankee SP. Does he have anything left?? They predict he will sign with the Reds. The 40-man roster was interesting. I see Polanco traded, and maybe Farmer and Theilbar traded as well. Each represent a spot on the 40 man. Theilbar is going to be 37 years old next year and spends half of each season on the I.L. now. I'd rather roll with Funderburk and Moran. Depending on what other Rule #5 guys the Twins project to be available and what needed positions they play (CF, bullpen) I could see several other guys dropped from the 40 man.

Where would Trevor Bauer rank in this list cost-wise? In addition, it would be nice to see a list of potential SP that could be acquired in a trade and what their current contract status is. This is an excellent topic, and Bowden's list is a good starting point. This is something we're all going to be commenting on for the entire off season. So if anyone has some additional ideas of where Bauer fits into this and possible SP trade targets that would be great.

That's a great baseline to begin with Jon. Thank You. Here is where I differ: I trade Polanco $10.5 and Farmer $6.6 and Thielbar $3.0 in trades. That aggregates to $20.1 million of savings. I put Varland in the bullpen. With Varland providing a boost to the pen, I make a decision at the conclusion of spring training whether Cole Sands or matt Canterino breaks camp. I'm leaning Canterino. The bullpen is now: Duran, Varland, Jax, Stewart, Funderburk, Moran, Alcala and Canterino. If Moran can't throw strikes, or Alcala/Canterino can't stay healthy, I could look for a veteran this off season to fall back on. Think of a Jeff Hoffman type who we let go this spring. I sign Eduardo Rodriguez for 4 years and $17-$17.5 million per. I now have a younger SP with more upside than Gray, a LH at that and I save an additional $6 million per season. I look to add someone with major league experience to play CF. Maybe Tyler O'Neill is acquired from the Cardinals for Winder and Theilbar (just an example). O'Neill would probably cost $6-$8 million. Byron Buxton isn't even on my roster sheet. If everything is GREAT for Byron, I can play O'Neill in CF to give him rest and play O'Neill in a corner OF spot against LH pitching. But I'm not counting on a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. from Byron. Whatever I CAN get is a bonus. With Varland bolstering the bullpen I look to add another SP via trade (Polonco, Farmer, Miranda, Theilbar, Winder, maybe even Max Kepler) are trade possibilities. One other option is to resign Mahle at a team friendly deal to add depth for later in the season. We will call this guy "SP-X." Off season plan: Move on from some veterans and make way for some more youth. (check). Provide for a plan without Buxton. (check). Bolster the bullpen with talent from within (Varland, Canterino, Moran, Funderburk) and maybe one arm from outside the organization. (check). Acquire at least one, but probably two SP's Ed-Rod and SP-X) to allow Varland to fortify the bullpen. (check). That's a rough outline of my plan. Would it allow for a splashy move like trading for Juan Soto, Josh Hader? That would depend on how much the Pohlad's give me to work with and what other moves I would make.

There really was no surprise in the Twins extending both Max and Polo. They are bargains at those prices. But how do both fit into future Twins rosters? Many of you you have already listed all the depth at 2B/3B where Polo would slot. Even if we move on from Farmer or Gordon (which I think we will) we've got plenty of younger and cheaper options than Polo. He will be traded before spring training in a deal to bring a SP or a CF. Depending on Polo's current value and the value of the asset we bring back, someone like Larnach or Miranda or Winder may need to be included in the deal. Max is a little different, but only from a timeline perspective. It sure was encouraging to see "2nd half Max" as opposed to "Max, post 2019." He will remain our RF for 2024. After that, it's a little more murky. E-Rod will play most of 2024 in the minors. It's possible he could get a call up in August or September. Walker Jenkins. How fast is that kid gonna move? They say both Jenkins and E-Rod project to be corner OF even though both are playing a lot of CF. What if one or both of them could play 3-5 years of CF before they move to a corner? And then there's Austin Martin, who could be an excellent #9 hitter type with on-base skills and speed? And there's Rosario and others. Max probably only has one more year in Minnesota.

I agree. I'd rather just read about it. But if the hot air helps raise the temp in my house by one degree...

That's too rich for Pagan. Currently, the highest priced relief pitchers on the Twins roster are Pagan and Theilbar. Caleb will be 37 next year and usually has about 3 I.L. stints in the course of a season. If it were up to me, I'd look to trade Theilbar before his production completely goes off a cliff. I'd go with Funderburk, Stewart and Moran at a fraction of the cost to keep Theilbar/Pagan. Add to that, the potential move of Varland to the pen and the potential electric stuff of Matt Canterino and I don't see the Twins throwing big dollars at any relief pitchers. More likely, I see them looking to add a couple SP allowing for the Varland move to the BP. One via trade and a lower priced SP like Eduardo Rodriguez (who looks to cost about $5 million less per year than Sonny Gray). A move to the pen for Varland in no way ends the chance he wouldn't ever be a SP again. But if Moran can throw strikes more consistently, Funderburk just does what he did this year and Canterino stays healthy the bullpen reinforcements have arrived.

Ruvan: I think 1965 and 1991 are the top two. In 1969, Allison was just a shell of his glory days. In 1987, Gladden was nothing special and Bruno was above average. 1991 had the great Kirby Puckett who had a good but not great year. A very good Shane Mack and the aforementioned "nothing special" Dan Gladden. 1965 is probably the best of your list, but if you look a little deeper you'll find Allison was so/so, Hall hit .285 with 20 HR's (decent, but not great in a pitching dominated decade) and Oliva won the batting title. One other consideration: The 1977 Twins OF. LF: Larry Hisle .302 28 HR 119 rbi (led the A.L.) 21 SB's and a .533 slugging average (Really Good) CF Lyman Bostock .336 14 HR 90 rbi 16 SB's and a .508 slugging average. (Really Good) RF "Disco Dan Ford" .26711 HR 60 rbi but only a .467 S.A. (Cleary not good enough to be on an All Time Best list). So upon further review, I nominate the 7th place finishing 1964 Twins. LF Allison .287 32 HR 87 rbi 90 runs scored SA of .553 or Killebrew .270 49 HR 111 rbi 95 runs scored .548 SA (both played 1B and LF) CF Jimmie Hall .282 25 HR 75 rbi 61 runs scored SA .480 RF Tony Oliva .323 32-HR 45-2B 9-3B 94 rbi 109 runs scored (led the A.L.) .557 SA (and ROY). On pure stats, that's probably the best. Unbelievably, I think Killebrew played more innings in LF and Allison more at 1B that year. What was Sam Mele thinking???

As with any trade, what are we getting? At this stage of his development, I would be very hesitant to trade E-Rod, but it would depend on what we're getting and how we can fit the acquired player into a current and future payroll. The guy we would get in a trade for E-Rod would have to be an established, productive big league player. For the sake of discussion, let's say that player is Brewers SP Corbin Burnes. Now, the Brewers would never trade Burnes for E-Rod because they already have a plethora of young OF's who are just reaching their major league team. But I'm using Burnes as an example. Burnes is 29 years old (only one year older than Joe Ryan). Matched with Lopez atop the Twins rotation they would be quite a combo. Burnes would realistically be able to give the Twins 5 good years. A 5-year $125-$150 million deal might keep him in the fold. With Wallner, Rosario and Walker Jenkins in the pipeline (and in Wallner's case, already on the big league roster) you COULD make a deal like that to establish a top notch rotation with an exciting core of young, good hitters. But I'd want to see how E-Rod starts next season and how quickly he could earn a trip to St. Paul. AA could be a challenge. But if he continues to perform his value will only increase and the lineup that has him with only an aging Correa making a good chunk of money allowing the Twins to buy pitching if they need it. It's a great problem to have.

Steve Lein pretty much laid this out. One (1) outing of 5 innings or longer in the minors doesn't make him a SP. That ship has sailed. The point now is this: The guy has crazy good stuff and what I've heard has better command than Duran. Stop wasting any time on minor league innings and get what you can out of him at the major league level. With his innings limit in 2024 he's NOT going to be a multi inning RP. He's a one inning guy who has the chance to be a DOMINANT one inning guy. Honestly, he doesn't need to prove it to me that he can get AAA hitters out. His stuff will play at ANY level. What he has to prove to me is that he can pitch 50-60 innings in a season and stay healthy. Pagan threw 69 innings last year. Jax threw 65. We drafted him in 2019. Next season will be 2024. Get him to spring training and let him showcase what he can do. If he's blowing guys away why waste time throwing pitches in St. Paul? Get what you can out of him at the major league level. The Twins have been drooling over Canterino since they drafted him. I think once he's up, only durability will hold him back (as it has throughout his minor league career). But I see him sticking on the big league roster. His stuff is simply THAT good.

Lee is ready. That comparison of minor league hitting stats was with the Rangers Evan Carter. Carter is a young hitter I'm REALLY impressed with. Here's MY hot take: Polanco and Kepler have their options picked up. With Julien already in the fold to play 2B and Castro on the roster, Polanco is packaged in a trade to add pitching. Lee, if he doesn't make the team straight out of spring training will be up by May 1st or June 1st. The Twins just aren't, nor should they, hold Lee back. Depending on what the Twins decide to do about CF (Lewis, Castro, a trade) and the other flexibility they have, Lee will be playing 2B or 3B and bringing his switch hitting to our lineup. In my opinion, he's going to be doing it sooner, rather than later. I think he breaks camp a big leaguer. If not, he's up by May 1st. June 1st at the latest.

twinsfan02, you completely missed my point, but I apologize if I didn't make it clear enough for you or anyone else. I'm not in favor of rushing any prospect. But I'm even more against holding them back for whatever reason, be that service time or that some small improvement in a facet of the prospects game still needs refinement. If Brooks Lee dazzles in spring training he will absolutely force the Twins hand. Polanco either won't have his option picked up, or he will, and then he'll be traded for pitching soon after. There is sufficient depth at 2B to move on from Polanco, much like there was with Arraez last year. The Twins have two rotation spots to fill. Free agency is one avenue. A trade is another, and the 3rd would be to promote someone from the minors. I think at least one of those spots is filled via trade and Polanco is a prime piece to move. So I apologize if I confused you, but I'm all for moving some of these prospects who are "on the cusp" up. That means I want to see Lee and Martin up, and a parting of the ways with guys like Taylor, Solano and Farmer.

This is no shock to us Twins fans. The Twins FO historically (no matter who has been in charge) moves at a snail's pace. We here on TD have called it "dumpster diving." It's always been frustrating because it makes the FO appear to have no plan or strategy going into the off season. Certain players appear to be a good fit to fill a need at a decent price (talking the "mid tier" free agents here) and one by one they get snapped up and we're left "dumpster diving" for the JA Happ's and Dylan Bundy's of the world. There are two SP that I would like the Twins to make a bid for this off season: Eduardo Rodriguez (finally a LH starter??) and Trevor Bauer. They are both classic "mid tier." Not Blake Snell. Not Aaron Nola. Those guys will bust a budget for sure. But I have a feeling the Twins will be out to lunch while these two potential rotation pieces are snapped up. I get the TV deal uncertainty but there's ALWAYS an excuse to go dumpster diving for the Twins. They broke that mold by trading for Lopez and Gray and finally had a good rotation. The Twins are on the verge of some 2004-2009 division dominance with an outstanding core of young players making an impact. But to remain competitive, they need to pitch, and that means one or two rotation acquisitions this off season. Waiting won't yield "quality."

I totally agree with darin617, When the T-Wolves moved in a different direction I was...apprehensive. Michael Grady is excellent !! I really like him. I just wish I didn't have to watch 2nd halves like their latest debacle in Atlanta.

He's an all time great in the pantheon of Twins Broadcasters. I'm glad he's retiring on his terms. He and I are each former St. Cloud State University UTVS/KVSC "Sports Directors." Dick was a couple years ahead of me. I will miss him. He's been a trusted and admired presence in my "sports den" for years. I really like Cory Provus. If there is somebody I wouldn't mind replacing Dick, it would be Cory Provus.

While I agree with Doc Bauer to a degree in his post (and generally agree with him on most things) I'm with tony&rodney and chpettit19 on the Juan Soto issue. I think San Diego is a mess, and I'm not so sure they finished very strong last year. They will almost certainly be missing their Cy Young Award starter Blake Snell and their All Star closer Josh Hader next season. Manny Machado wants out. They will most certainly be open to trading Soto. Soto is the same age as Vlad Jr. They will both be entering their age 25 season. Machado is almost impossible to trade with the negative value his contract holds so he's not going anywhere. The Padres are stuck with Machado and they will attempt to rebuild around Tatis and him. But they ARE cutting payroll. For the Padres like any other team, it's not just the $33 million Soto will make next year, but the "expected" earnings of his next contract. Vlad Jr is different because Toronto is not in payroll hell like the Padres. There is no need for the Blue Jays to move him. So it comes down to WHO will be bidding for Soto? I doubt the Dodgers will be. They're focused on Ohtani and maybe Josh Hader. The Yankees could be interested but do they have the ability to come up with a better trade offer? And they still have that massive Giancarlo Stanton contract. Ughhh. The Red Sox would have to trade Verdugo or Yoshida to open up a spot for Soto. Yoshida already has a large contract and Verdugo will cost as much as Kepler. Not really what San Diego is looking for with salary relief. So here you have the Twins. Looking for an elite bat with potential openings at corner OF. If there is truly some kind of equivalence with Soto's value considering his present and future "cost" and Wallner, with his potential and minimum salary for the next 4-5 years the Twins really should consider it. Right now, both wallner and Soto carry a BTV of 22.9. Throw in a Josh Winder 6.0 and maybe even Sabato and I think Soto is a Twin. To me, this is a classic "sell high" on Wallner. It's not that I don't think he can continue to improve. It's that with Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins and Severino/Rosario I can trade Wallner to get an absolutely "ELITE" hitter. Hit Soto behind Lewis and see what kind of pitches Royce has to see. Hit Soto ahead of Lewis and see how often Royce comes to bat with Julien and Soto on base. The other interesting thing about Soto is that he's 24 years old!! He'll be 25 during the season next year. The Twins would have Jenkins and Rodriguez on the way, but if I'm ever going to give a guy an 8-10 year contract, I do it for a guy who's 25. Not 29. With Soto in LF next season, I'd be fine with Kepler in RF, or if we traded Max, Soto would be in RF and maybe a platoon of Larnach and Severino. With Soto in the lineup, the Twins could accept a slightly below league average LF production. If Brooks Lee makes the team out of spring training you could see more of Julien at 1B and Kirilloff in LF. When it's all said and done, Losing Wallner for even ONE year of Soto would be worth it.

I agree. I'm locked in on Brooks Lee. Can he impress enough in spring training to break camp with the team or does he need a month or two in St. Paul? Emmanuel Rodriguez is another I'm excited about. Does he make it up to the Twins some time this year or is 2025 the target. Finally, like everyone else, I'm interested to see how many levels Walker Jenkins conquers next season with an eye on arriving for good with the Twins in 2025. Charlie Soto is my final guy. Heard great things about him after we drafted him, he seemed like a steal. Then virtually nothing, as was expected. How does he do out of the gate and how many levels does he move next year? Is 2 the limit if he meets expectations? The other thing is how well do guys like Lewis, Julien, Wallner and Varland do in their 2nd MLB season? I think it's safe to say that expectations for each of them are very high. Will anyone suffer a sophomore slump? Who, if any of them will exceed expectations? Will Varland start or come out of the bullpen? We're all expecting Lewis to be a superstar and hope he can play 150 games. That's not really unreasonable. But Lee and Wallner are key guys in that, if the Twins have a lot of confidence in them, they could very well pick up the options on both Polanco and Kepler and then trade one or both to cut payroll and fortify other areas. And as I write this I realize I should probably mention Austin Martin. Is he a viable option in CF? How close is he? I don't think Buxton can be counted on for anything but I also don't want to pay Taylor $8 million a year when I expect his offense to fall off a cliff next year. Should a trade for Tyler O'Neill be made? Can Martin step in and play good "D" in CF and hit 9th? I'd like to see Martin go play CF for a team in the Dominican and see how it goes.

Well, you can cross Chaz McCormick off that list if you go by BBTV's. McCormick had a nice season last year but he's 29 years old and his value is 47.2. That would require a trade of either Joe Ryan 44.8 or Brooks Lee 48.2 and neither of those is going to happen. I think BBTV's needs to "reevaluate" the value of a 29 year old OF who had a good year last season but had been a below the radar guy before that.