TopGunn#22

2wins87, tony&rodney, BBTV's actually has Soto and Wallner at equal value, if you can believe that. Most of that is the affordability of Wallner for the next 5 seasons and the cost of Soto in 2024 and beyond. Wallner straight up or throwing in a SWR or Winder theoretically could get it done. Soto in our lineup in 2024 would be a sight to behold. Would it be worth it to give up Wallner to make it happen? Maybe. A lot of that "maybe" depends on the progression of Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins. It's possible that BOTH Rodriguez and Jenkins could be playing for the Twins in 2025. Even if it's only Rodriguez, Jenkins will be up in 2026 guaranteed. I like Wallner. But this is a classic "sell high" moment if you want to make a play for a bat like Soto. Much like trading Arraez was made possible by having Polanco and Julien (with Lewis, Lee and others) having Rodriguez and Jenkins makes the unthinkable idea of trading a young power hitter like Wallner a real possibility. I don't think the Padres are close to competing at all next season. Their payroll is maxed out and they are going to lose Blake Snell and Josh Hader. Manny Machado wants out. Darvish is going to be what, 36 or 37 next year? Who will be in their rotation after Joe Musgrove? And Musgrove is currently on the 60-day I.L. He's not even listed on their roster at this point. The Padres are going to be sellers this off season. They will build around Tatis but anybody else is fair game. Teams will make trade offers for Soto. He seems like a classic Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Phillies kind of acquisition. But for one year? He certainly COULD be a TWIN. He's just so darn consistent though, that offering a 10-year $400 million dollar contract extension doesn't seem crazy. Chaz McCormick is a much lower risk in my opinion. But Soto! Man would that be exciting.

Great article Adam ! These are all interesting possible additions. I agree with you that Correa is likely to have a big bounce back season compared to 2023 offensively. Soto is obviously the cream of the crop and he will be VERY expensive to extend. If he was 28 years old I probably wouldn't be interested at all. But he's 24 years old!! Imagine a 10-year contract with him in the #3 hole with Lewis, Lee, Correa, Jenkins, Julien, Jeffers and Kirilloff? The biggest question is how could they fit him into their payroll 5 years into that 10 year contract when guys like Lewis, Lee, Julien, Kirilloff and Jenkins will need to be paid and guys like Correa and Buxton will still be in their contract status? And that doesn't even address where we might need to be with the pitching staff. Alonso has power and would provide a much needed RH bat. What would be a reasonable contract extension for him? I like that Santander is a switch hitter and could play either corner OF. He's a better hitter than Kepler...much more consistent. The real sleeper on your list is Chaz McCormick. He is a far superior player to Taylor, who won't come close to replicating his 2023 stats in 2024 or ever again. McCormick would be great CF insurance and would give us a solid glove in LF if Buxton was in CF. Guys are clamoring for Nootbar, and he's great, but the Cardinals aren't trading him to anybody. If we acquired a Cardinal OF it would most likely be Tyler O'Neill. McCormick has power and speed and kills LH pitching. With Dusty Baker retiring, maybe McCormick would be better appreciated in Houston. But I'd be on the phone with them figuring out what McCormick would cost. Acquiring any of these players makes picking up the options for Kepler and Polanco necessary and then trading them to restock whatever talent we have to use to put together a trade as well as shedding $20+ million in payroll.

The rate at which he gives up HR's and the fact that he's been trying to find a secondary pitch other than a fastball for years, and one that tops out at 94 mph and only occasionally at that means I'd be tempted to sell high on him. He overuses the pitch and it gets him in trouble. I'm not convinced he can take the next step. I've mentioned this before, but he's only one year YOUNGER than Corbin Burnes. ONE. If Craig Counsel leaves as Brewer manager and with Woodruff set to miss all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery, the Brewers may decide to break things up. The only negative to Burnes is cost. He's going to be paid like a former Cy young Award winner. The attraction of Ryan is also COST. He's got a couple years before he's going to get paid. If the Twins would ever be in a position to afford TWO aces at the top of their rotation it would be 2024 with the youth movement in full swing. Ryan has a higher value on Baseball Trade Values only because he COSTS less. Ryan will never be a stud like Burnes. If I could trade Ryan for Burnes and get young OF Garrett Mitchell in addition I'd do it in a heartbeat. A rotation with Burnes and Lopez at the top would be outstanding. Getting a young OF like Mitchell could allow the Twins to part with Kepler and Polanco, continue the youth movement and further improve the roster with what you get back in the trades. Plus, the savings of trading Kepler and Polanco ($20+ million) could pay for most of what it would cost to extend Burnes. It would be selling high on a pitcher like Ryan. Something we all discussed in a previous "Sell High" or "Sell Low" thread we had.

The youth movement needs to continue. I agree with not rushing Brooks Lee and not necessarily adding him to the 40 man when he isn't close to Rule 5 eligible. However, if Lee shines in spring training, and he very well could, he will give the Twins good reason to add him to the 40 man and play him consistently. If I was the Twins GM I'd pick up the options on both Kepler and Polanco but I would certainly consider trading one or both (for me, more likely Polanco) to add pitching. Trading them moves their salary to other teams, and you don't just let them walk for minimal compensation. Julien won't embarrass himself or the Twins if he logs some innings at 2B. He's not a stellar defender, but he's not nearly as inadequate as some seem to think. And he could still improve. Guys like Gaetti and Koskie weren't good right away either. Martin, in my opinion is ready. He's a 4th OF who we will need to count on as a semi-regular CF if Buxton can't play the field. Taylor isn't ever going to come close to his numbers this year for the rest of his career. Take the win of 2022 and move on with Castro and Martin splitting time in CF. (unless a trade is made for a more permanent solution). Severino is a really intriguing prospect. I also see him as a 1B but in a pinch he may be able to give you some innings at 3B/2B. He will most likely start in St. Paul but I'd rather have him than Solano on the roster. At 37 years old, Solano isn't going to duplicate his 2023. He's going to regress. Once again, move the youth up. They're ready, or at least REALLY CLOSE to being ready. I'd like to see how Canterino, Festa and Raya look in spring training. I'm not sure sure how many innings Canterino has in his arm, but with his stuff and command, I'd like to see it at the major league level ASAP rather than in the minor leagues. A 2-month stint at St. Paul and if he's dominating, get him up and into our bullpen.

Soto is a guy we haven't seen or heard much about since he was drafted. It's waaay too early to consider dealing a guy like him. Gotta give us some time to see what he can do. That said, guys who are risers can and should always be considered for trades to improve the major league team. It just depends what their actual value is in the trade market and what you could get back. As a trade partner, consider the Milwaukee Brewers. Manager Craig Counsel is interviewing with the Mets. Counsel gets more out of less than any manager in baseball. He's practically the "Anti Dave Roberts." If he goes, and with Brandon Woodruff out all next season with Tommy John surgery, I expect the Brewers to trade Corbin Burnes. Burnes is 28 years old and has already won a Cy Young. He's ONE year older than Joe Ryan. Would the Brewers be interested in Festa? Schobel? Would Bailey Ober interest them? The appeal to the Brewers is money. Burnes is a better pitcher than Ryan, Ober and probably Festa will ever be. But he's going to cost a LOT. Could the Twins make a deal with the Brewers to put Burnes and Lopez at the top of their rotation? Could we afford to pay Burnes with no TV deal in the near future? It's always hard to trade the "fallers" because their value is at a low point. It's sometimes shrewd to trade the "risers" because their value is peaking. There's no way I'm trading Brooks Lee at his peak value because I'm convinced he will be a star. How sure are the Twins that Festa, Rosario or Schobel will be stars? Who will be next years "risers??"

Good point Jocko. We are in somewhat uncharted territory and it probably needs some "outside the box" thinking. My son sent me a 3 hour podcast he had listened to that I finally got around to listening to myself last night while I watch Football and Basketball on mute. It was Lex Fridman interviewing Jared Kushner. They were discussing how Kushner was able to broker the Abraham Peace Accords. Kushner said something to the effect of "Long standing problems need a novel approach. If you approach the problem in the 'traditional' manner, you will ultimately fail like everyone else did. That's why the problem itself has become a "longstanding' problem." Kushner, while having a decent understanding of the prevailing issues in the middle east approached the parties involved with a pretty common sense idea. What was the most important concern they each had if a peace deal came to pass? And then he went about making sure the primary concern of each party involved was addressed. Remarkably, no one had ever approached it that way. So there certainly needs to be some outside the box thinking. Someone has already pointed out that Hubbard Broadcasting owns Channel 45 (KSTC). As a true independent station they have zero programming obligations like the network stations do. In this case, the simplest solution would be for KSTC to take on the Twins games. Here's the issue with BASEBALL: It's a MASSIVE programming commitment. 162 games is a LOT of programming time. Regional sports channels build their programming around the baseball games. Hubbard would have to juggle the programming they've already put into place and have invested time, talent and treasure into promoting by taking on that massive programming burden. But it would be worth the risk. KSTC could see a tremendous jump in viewers to their station during the Twins season. Maybe those viewers hang around and watch the late news after the Twins game is over. That would cover the metro area, but Hubbard would need to put together a Twins network that could deliver games in some way to greater Minnesota as well as the upper midwest. THAT is a HUGE challenge if approached the "traditional" way. But Hubbard, thru KSTC channel 45 is the best place to start. They already deliver the Prep Bowl and MSHSL Winter Tournaments statewide. How would they tie in opportunities for the upper midwest?

I'll weigh in on this as a former Hubbard Broadcasting Sales Manager in Rochester. The problem with sub-channels are that very few of them allow you to sell advertising on them. They're what is called "Pass-Through." This-TV is a good example. We were not allowed to sell advertising on it with 2 exceptions: The Prep Bowl and the MSHSL Winter Tournaments for Boys & Girls Hockey and Basketball. They are each short term commitments. A two day football tournament and for the winter, one two day tournament, two 3-day tournaments and the 4-day Boys Hockey tournament. And the ONLY reason we were able to sell ads in the Tournaments was because it was grandfathered into our original deal. Not just the Twins, but MLB has a chance to come up with a model that would be cutting edge with sports. As a kid growing up, I would have loved to see as many games as I could of Jerry West and the Lakers, of Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson pitching, of Roberto Clemente hitting. Kids will grow up being Twins fans but they may have other "favorite" players on other teams. Julio Rodriguez, Corbin Carroll, or maybe Jackson Holiday. This is "somewhat" present with MLB Network, but it's still just a smidge better than the old "Game of the Week." The old broadcast TV models were changed by cable, but cable is crumbling before our eyes. We might see any of the cable providers in the near future just like we saw newspapers start to die off. We have a saying in TV "Content is King." Well, the Twins (and all MLB teams) are CONTENT providers. Could this be an opportunity to bring some kind of parity of revenue to MLB?

This is great news! Before this popped up at the end of the season and playoffs it seemed like 1B wasn't going to be a problem for next season. Suddenly it did. Now, like all of us here on TD I'm wondering what his timeline is for a full spring training and the regular season. I don't think Solano will come close to duplicating what he did this last season and it would be nice to have a RH bat to at least give Kirilloff a little time to ease in. I don't think Miranda is that guy, and I don't see him having any future in Minnesota. I'd like to use guys like Miranda and Larnach to get us something we need. It's going to be an interesting off season.

We as Twins fans will look back someday and marvel at our good fortune to have somehow, miraculously, moved UP in the MLB Draft Lottery to #5 overall. In a draft that had 5 LEGIT excellent prospects, it will be interesting to follow the 4 guys that went ahead of him: The LSU duo, Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, Max Clark, Wyatt Langford and compare how each of them do if they all make it to "the show."

This is a wonderful "problem" to have. We waited for things to turn around for Duran, both health-wise and-command wise and he didn't quite get there and he's flourished as a closer. The Twins are at the same point with Matt Canterino. You could look at guys like Winder, SWR and others. A STARTER is always more impactful than a relief pitcher simply due to the innings pitched. A lot of this depends on what we do through trades and/or free agency in the off season. I've advocated considering both Eduardo Rodriguez and Trevor Bauer. Depending on the price points, one or both of these guys could be in play. Realistically, one of those two and a smaller signing of a Jake Odorizzi-type would give the Twins adequate depth for their rotation. A bullpen of Duran, Stewart, Jax, and Funderburk is a good start. Maybe Theilbar, maybe Pagan. Guys like Varland and Canterino could be huge weapons. It's a good problem to have. I'd go into 2024 with Varland being a starter in mind, but if things fall into place or change, I liked what he did out of the pen.

I open enough room on the 40-man to protect Camargo, Martin, E-Rod and Severino and leave one more spot open if there is a rule 5 guy I just gotta have if opportunity presents itself. The others I expose and if someone takes them that's O.K. We've got plenty of young talent looking for a promotion. Move 'em up! I see the Twins exercising the options on both Polanco and Kepler. But with what we have on the roster and the pipeline I see Polanco getting traded. I also don't see any of Gray, Taylor or Solano coming near what they did in 2023. I consider them a win for 2023, but I'm reloading. With the uncertainty with Kirilloff, I'm looking for a better RH hitting alternative who maybe could play some OF as well. Farmer can be packaged in a trade for SP depth or a decent bullpen arm. I'm moving on from Theilbar. He's our most expensive arm in the pen at $3 million and he can be counted on for 2-3 trips to the I.L. for sure. I'm using that money for a bullpen upgrade and leaning more heavily on Funderburk (I liked what I saw) and Moran if he can improve his command. Finally for that additional SP, before I make any trades, I'm looking at Eduardo Rodriguez and Trevor Bauer. E-Rod would finally give us a LH in the rotation and he won't be as costly as Snell, Gray or Nola. Bauer is still a talented pitcher and he could be very affordable as well. He got a raw deal from MLB and the league needs to figure out how to handle situations like this in the future. The man is not a Saint, but now that the real story has come out, he's certainly not the arch villain he was made out to be. The Twins are in a great position with all the youth on the team and some truly interesting talent in the pipeline. After they set their starting rotation priorities, and if they signed E-Rod and Bauer they could be looking at a staff of Lopez, E-Rod, Bauer, Ober, Ryan and Paddock---you have to have six because injuries are just too predictable. Only Lopez didn't have issues or an I.L. stint in 2023, THEN you have to figure out CF. That could be where Polanco and/or Farmer come into play with the possibility of a minor league arm as well in a trade. No plan for 2024 should include counting on anything from Buxton. Whatever we get from him is pure gravy. Castro and Martin would be the last resort fallback if no trade is made.

One name the Twins could explore on the free agent market is Eduardo Rodriguez. He won't be nearly as expensive as a Blake Snell, Aaron Nola or even a Sonny Gray. Gray will not come close to the season he put up for the Twins in the coming years of his career so I'm fine with making the Qualifying Offer and getting some draft pick compensation. Rodriguez would also finally give the Twins a lefty in the rotation as well. It's pretty clear that they need to bring in at least one arm and maybe even two. Ryan, Ober, and Maeda all spent time on the I.L. and Paddock, while showing promise in the playoffs isn't a sure thing to throw 180 innings. Depth is what saved the Twins this year and they will need it in 2024. That's why I would make a strong bid for Rodriguez while still looking to make a trade. I think the Twins pick up the option year on Kepler and Polanco, but if the right deal came around for Polanco, I think they make a trade with him. Julien looks good and Brooks Lee may just make the team out of spring training. With Castro around (even if Farmer is also traded) there's plenty to work with for 2B. Pitching is going to be really tough to secure however, both on the FA market and through trades. The Dodgers and Cardinals are FULLY in the pitching market, but there are a lot of other teams that will be looking too. The Orioles will need to bolster their young pitchers with some solid vets. The free agents will be snapped up before our FO has a cup of morning coffee. They are always late to the party. This is why I'd like to see them make a strong play for Eduardo Rodriguez EARLY in free agency.

I'm with JD for the most part. A couple of thoughts: Shane Mack can back up Oliva in RF and replace Bruno. Bostock is good in LF but the RH side of the Platoon would be Bob Allison or Larry Hisle. I would replace Harper at backup catcher with Earle Battey. Gold Glove winner, All Star and hit with some power. While Jack Morris had one wonderful season with the Twins and an epic and unforgettable Game 7 win, I might go with Jim Perry in that spot. Perry won the Cy Young Award in 1970 and won 20 games in 1969, but he was also a pretty solid SP from 1965 to the end of his Twins career in 1971. A couple of arms you could add to your impressive list in the bullpen would be Al Worthington and a sleeper here...Tommy Hall. He was a slim lefty nicknamed "The Blade" and he could bring it! We foolishly traded him to the Reds prior to the 1972 season for Wayne Granger (who had been the Reds closer). Correa has only been a Twin for 2 years, so I would leave him off and revisit this in about 5 years. But there should ALWAYS be a Utility Player with every Twins "All-Time Team" and that player will ALWAYS be Cesar Tovar. He played at about 140 pounds so there would be plenty of room on the bench for him! I like JD's 1B and DH selections as well !!

Great points JD-Twins, I'll offer a couple counterpoints: There is no way I'm offering Maeda $13 million per year. At his age and diminishing performance I'll use that money elsewhere. Sonny is not coming back, but he can be replaced and possibly improved upon. Montgomery or Eduardo Rodriguez would give us a LH in the starting rotation and each will win in double digits. Blake Snell would be GREAT. But he's going to be waaay too expensive. I predict Sonny Gray never comes close to the type of season he gave the Twins this year in his next contract. Speaking of guys I think will provide diminishing returns next season and beyond: Solano and Taylor. I'd rather roll with Austin Martin or a trade candidate for CF. Payroll, without the $55 million from our TV deal is going to have an impact. We need to promote younger guys who are inexpensive at this point. That's Martin and Brooks Lee. I might move on from Caleb Theilbar if keeping him is not cost efficient. Funderburk will do just fine. Moran should improve. Plus, Caleb is always good for at least 2 I.L. stints per season at this stage of his career. The Twins may need to be especially creative on the trade market since free agency may be problematic. I want to note that I think it's a stretch that the Pohlad's will need to cut or maintain our salary structure absent the TV money. We get a TON of money from revenue sharing already. We should see an increase in attendance. They have a chance to build a winner for a long time. The TV money will eventually return in some form. Don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish. However, we all know how the Pohlad's think and operate. If payroll stays at about $150 million they should/could be fine. If they increase it only nominally, they should be fine. If they cut it, they may be squandering a chance to build a multi-year division winner. They need bats. But is was PITCHING that got them where they went. They have a lot of promising young hitters. Get at least one more GOOD SP and add one solid (not marginal) bullpen arm and I think they'll be ready to defend that divisional title.

Great article arby58! I will stick my neck out and say that despite the two CY Young seasons for Santana (and yes, he should have won in 2005 as well) the greatest pitching season ever for a Twin (and Walter Johnson doesn't count) was Blyleven's 1973. My memory as a 15 year old kid was that the Twins just couldn't score any runs for him. The 1970's were a pitching dominated decade, but as good as Bert's stats were he couldn't beat Jim Palmer out for the CY Young award. On top of that, 1973 was the year Nolan Ryan broke Sandy Koufax's 1965 strikeout record with 383 while winning 21 games and having an ERA under 3. 1973 was a tough year to try to win the CY Young in the A.L. and I'm convinced Palmer won it because the Orioles won the A.L. East. One nit pick: I'm a huge Sandy Koufax fan, so as soon as I read the stats you listed for his 1966 CY young award I knew you were listing his 1965 stats by mistake. In 1966 Koufax won 27 games (losing 9) and had an ERA of 1.73. He struck out 317 that year and threw 5 shutouts. That's from years of reading the backs of baseball cards, what can say. Sadly, that was his last year and in 1972 he became the youngest player ever elected to the Hall of Fame.

I agree "Never Seen" that at one time Ryan's value was as high as $100 on BTV's. But Burnes is only ONE year older and currently is, and probably always would be a superior pitcher. Ryan is an enigma to me. Lights out one time, giving up 4 HR's in 3 innings another. If I could spin him to the Brewers and get Burnes as well as those other two players I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd consider spending to extend Burnes so that my rotation was fronted by Burnes and Pablo Lopez. Burnes = much better than Joe Ryan until Ryan figures out how to control a breaking pitch.

First, it's only a matter of time before Lee is added to the 40-man roster. That's a lock. Farmer at 33 is expendable with what is coming through the pipeline. With the Balley Sports situation, we're probably looking at a reduction in payroll until something emerges than can replace the $55 million the Twins are losing in revenue. To even maintain our salary level is going to be very difficult. That's why I think you will see guys like Lee and Martin sooner rather than later. Farmer is a decent option for many teams needing a SS but the Dodgers won't be one of them. They let Seager and then Turner walk because Gavin Lux was always their SS of the future. He will be back and healthy in spring training. They may hold on to Rosario as insurance, but unless they plan on continuing to play Mookie Betts at 2B I can see a Lux and Rosario SS/2B combo in L.A. Because of the payroll crunch, I don't see Sonny Gray, Maeda, Solano, Farmer and maybe even Christian Vasquez back. Kepler and Polanco will have their 2024 options picked up, but one or both are probably heading out as part of a trade package. We finally won a playoff game, but there are still a lot of changes to come with the Twins roster.

Great Topic !! Selling High is always a risky proposition but should never be discarded out of hand. Buying Low is also risky but the same applies. I have no problem using BBTV's as a baseline because by and large it's a pretty good site. It has it's flaws but you've got to use SOMETHING as a baseline and I haven't found anything better. While I have to agree that trading Jeffers would be unlikely, the trade proposed by Riverbrian of Jeffers for Jarren Duran is interesting. Duran broke out this year and would solve the Twins CF problem for a LONG time. IF...IF... Buxton was ever able to return to form and play CF like he used to, you could slide Duran to LF and have 2 guys that would cover so much ground you could play a refrigerator in RF. In this trade scenario the Twins keep Vasquez and promote Camargo. Trade #1: The top rated "sell high" guy on the Twins would be Joe Ryan. He tantalizes, but frustrates as well. I sell high and deal him to the Brewers for an outstanding package. Brewers get: Joe Ryan 27 year old SP 44.8 value. Twins get: Corbin Burnes 28 year old former CY Young winner 30.5 Garrett Mitchell OF 7.4 and Peguero 5.8 RP. Total 43.70. Brewers do it for purely payroll reasons. Woodruff is out for 2024. They probably feel they can't afford Burnes. Teams will come knocking for Burnes, the Dodgers, Cardinals, Reds. Twins outbid everyone with Ryan, but they get a far superior pitcher than Ryan will ever be and he's just ONE YEAR OLDER than Ryan. In addition, the Twins add a good bullpen arm and get a really solid OF prospect in Mitchell who got hurt and missed most of 2023. His value is down but to get Ryan, the Brewers have to give him up. This will cost the Twins BIG BUCKS. But as young as the Twins are and with more youth soon to ascend to the major league club they would sign Burnes to a rich extension and build their rotation around Burnes and Pablo Lopez. How would you like to roll into the playoffs with those two at the top. Who needs Sonny Gray with Corbin Burnes in the fold?? The above deal is made with no consideration as to what the payroll will be with the ongoing Balley Sports situation. The next deal is made with the same disdain of what our payroll could or should be. Twins trade Mike Wallner 25 year old OF 22.9 value and Josh Winder 26 year old SP 6.0 value to Padres (28.90 total value). Twins get: Juan Soto 24 year old OF 22.9 value. If the payroll wasn't already over budget, this deal puts the Twins well over the threshold but it's worth it to add a bat the caliber of Soto to hit #3 or #4. And he's one year YOUNGER than Wallner!! I hate giving up Wallner but getting Soto instead is a no-brainer. All it costs you is money Pohlad family!! The Reds need a catcher but the departure of Joey Votto leaves them with no negative value contracts to move. I'd sell Vasquez to them for a bag of baseballs and promote Camargo. Or, I offer him to Miami and I pick up a chunk of his salary for Sixto Sanchez (the Marlins version of Matt Canterino). Sanchez is 26 years old and because he can't stay healthy has a net zero value. He's a gamble with a high ceiling but like Canterino can't stay healthy. I'd take the risk to shed the payroll. Imagine if Canterino and Sanchez were healthy for 2024?? I've got to think a little about what kind of deal I could make for Larnach 7.8 and Miranda 5.4 (total 13.2).

Good points Woof! It will certainly be another interesting off season for the Twins. Kepler and Polanco have earned their extensions, but once they are picked up, a trade is still possible. I could see keeping Kepler, but it would depend on what they could get for Polanco. Same with Farmer. He was a solid bench guy but is good enough to start someplace else. With Correa, Lewis, Julien, and Brooks Lee along with Castro and Gordon, it's possible the Twins make deals that could include Polanco AND Farmer. I would love to see the Twins trade Vasquez for whatever they can get, promote Camargo and use the money saved on Vasquez for a free agent SP. If you took the money it would take to bring Sonny Gray back (who I believe will regress next year) and what you saved by dealing Vasquez, you could make a bid for Blake Snell, who is 4 years younger than Gray and the likely National League CY Young winner. If you're out-bid for Snell (I see the Dodgers going hard for him) make a play for Eduardo Rodriguez. He will cost much less than Snell but would still be effective. The Twins NEED a LH starter. When you have to face teams like the Astros (Alvarez & Tucker) you need a lefty. Signing Ed. Rod would leave you enough money to add ONE solid bullpen piece. I think some combination of Castro, Austin Martin and Nick Gordon could cover CF next year. Anything from Buxton is a bonus. The injury to Kirilloff is a real bummer and complicates what we do at 1B rather than just saying Kirilloff is there. I don't think there's much of a future for Miranda with the Twins so I'm all in favor of packaging him in a trade for a SP if we sit on our hands at the outset of free agency and all the decent SP options get signed before Falvey and Levine have had their morning coffee. Maybe make a play for a Joey Meneses type of guy who could form a solid platoon with Kirilloff and play a bigger role if Kirilloff is slow to come back or suffers additional injuries during the regular season. I'd move on from Solano. He will surely regress and at 37 going on 38 should not be part of future Twins rosters. Yes, it's going to be a VERY INTERSETING off season for the Twins.

Heading out to babysit grandkids for the weekend. I'll probably add something on Monday to this. I would look to add Nelson Cruz as the Twins hitting coach. Cruz hit with power, and he did strike out, but he also put the ball in play a lot, especially when the situation warranted it. There should be very few "untouchable" players when the Twins approach their off season plan. On the surface, the "why would you even consider trading Joe Ryan" argument doesn't stand up. I'm not advocating we unload him, but earlier this year, when Ryan's "value" on Baseball Trade Values was 100 I listed several trades that would have brought back a MASSIVE return, because the Twins were selling high on him. Well, Joe's value has slipped to a still very impressive 44.8. He's 27 years old and controllable. But check out this possible trade with the Brewers" Brewers get Joe Ryan 44.8 value. Twins get: Former CY Young winner Corbin Burnes 30.5 value. Garrett Mitchell, a 24 year old LH hitting OF (7.4) and Peguero a 26 year old RH bullpen arm (5.8). Burnes is only ONE year older than Ryan at 28 years old. Yes, he's expensive. The Twins would have to pay him. But Milwaukee probably does this deal because they are hitting a tough spot where they can't pay everyone (Woodruff, Peralta, Adames) and they may want to set up extensions for some of there young talent. Would the Twins have pulled Corbin Burnes after two innings of a playoff elimination game?? No Way. THIS is why you don't simply rule out a player (other than Lewis) in a trade scenario.

Neither Paddock nor Varland will "replace" what Sonny Gray gave the Twins this season. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. Both Paddock and Varland could and will probably be pretty good next season...but not Sonny Gray level good. The Twins should be able to expect some level of improvement from Ryan and Ober but they can't count on it. Lopez will be our #1 and he'll be fine. Nicksaviking is right. The best thing our FO did this last off season was establishing tremendous depth in the rotation. And we needed it. Ryan, Ober, Maeda all spent time on the I.L. Paddock looks very good but he's several years away from a full season of starting. I would like to see them make a deal for a SP. It just depends on who and what the cost would be. Prediction: I think Sonny Gray struggles to come close to replicating his 2023 with the Twins. I like the idea of looking into Eduardo Rodriguez as a LH in the rotation, but he turned down the deadline deal to the Dodgers and with the Tigers improving I can't see them trading him to us. Blake Snell would be fantastic. But he will be coming off a CY Young season and as you saw the Dodgers post season starting staff in tatters and the Cardinals prowling for pitching this off season I just can't see the Twins winning a free agent bidding war for Snell. So while we certainly could benefit from a LH starter, I just can't see either Snell or Ed Rod. ending up with the Twins. So who else is there? Brandon Woodruff could be available from the Brewers but he'd be expensive. Still, he's been a horse his entire career except this season, and when he was able to pitch he was every bit the Stud he's been and he would probably be an improvement on Sonny Gray. But he wouldn't come cheap. If Frankie Montas is healthy maybe the Yankees would foolishly give up on him for a young LH slugger like Wallner or Larnach? There is always the possibility they sign Mahle to a cheap-team friendly 2 year contract and he's ready to go sometime in May-early June. If Mahle is healthy he's a solid #3 type SP. As was discussed in another thread, the Twins are in a really solid position with young prospects already contributing like Lewis, Julien, Kiriloff, Wallner, and guys like Brooks Lee, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins knocking on the door. They could win the A.L. Central Division for the next 5-6 seasons. But each off season it will be crucial the FO makes the right decisions on how to construct the roster and bring along prospects. They failed miserably by signing Gallo with a plethora of LH hitting corner OF and 1B already on the roster. Signing one solid bullpen arm going into the 2023 season would have helped a LOT in the regular season. They struck gold with signings like Taylor, Castro and Farmer and the trade for Lopez. They whiffed on the Vasquez signing. It's a mixed bag and no FO ever hits on every move. They need someone they count count on to play CF and that should be a top priority going into the off season so acquiring another SP may need to wait until that gaping hole is filled. Maybe Buxton will be "relatively" healthy next year, but they can't count on him. I expect Correa to bounce back and have a much better year at the plate. The future looks promising and nothing makes a promising future more likely in baseball than a deep and talented starting pitching staff. The Twins should look at any and all possibilities to add to and deepen their already promising starting rotation.

Brock is right pointing out the lack of pitching the Orioles have. The Dodgers have the same problem. I thought the Dodgers would get knocked out by the Brewers because of the Brewers superior pitching. Then Corbin Burnes laid a game #1 egg and Brandon Woodruff couldn't pitch. Texas sweeping Baltimore really isn't that big of a surprise and neither is the D-Backs rubbing the Dodgers nose in the dirt. The D-Backs simply have better starting pitching than the Dodgers do at this point. Also consider how close Philly was to putting their boot on the Braves neck before Austin Riley stepped up and quashed that dream. Philly still has the hammer in their hand with Aaron Nola on the mound facing an "undecided" Braves starter so that also shows the precarious position the Braves post season is in already. Remember, they had a first round bye. They should have known who their game #3 starter would be all along. For Pete's Sake, just put Charlie Morton out there, he's the best they have left. The Twins really squandered an opportunity yesterday with Sonny Gray on the mound. Gray simply didn't rise to the occasion but he would have had to win 1-0. Despite being gifted with 7 walks the generous Twins hitters responded with 13 strikeouts. I can almost accept the struggles of Wallner but for the life of me I can't figure out what's wrong with Kirilloff. He's just too good a young hitter to look SO lost at the plate. The Astros are sending the eminently hittable Jose Urquidy to the mound tonight. He's a RH pitcher, so you'd expect to see Kirilloff and Wallner back in there. But one has to wonder...

Very interesting take Hans. Your larger point is well taken: The Braves are REALLY good right now and will still be for at least a couple more years. The Twins won a weak division this year and even though Cleveland and probably the Tigers will improve next year, the Twins have a solid foundation to move forward with. Lewis has the look of a future All Star and Franchise Player. Julien and Jeffers look like they will be solid for years to come. Correa should bounce back to a much more "Correa like" season next year. The pitching staff has a solid core to build around. The opportunity to put themselves in a position to win multiple division titles in a row exists. But each and every off season going forward will have it's challenges. Who will replace Gray and Maeda in the rotation next year? Who will be our CF for 150 games? (it sure as heck won't be Buxton). What one arm could we add to our bullpen to handle the 8th inning and close when Duran is not available? The Twins have LOTS of bullpen options which should provide for a deeper and better BP next year, but they still need that ONE arm at the end of a game in addition to Duran. Could that arm be Matt Canterino? Possibly. But he's kind of like Buxton at this point, you just can't count on him. Each off season will have it's challenges. How does our FO meet those challenges? The Braves lost Freddie Freeman arguably the heart and soul of their team. They went out and got Matt Olson. But you are spot-on in pointing out the solid foundation the FO has built for the Twins. They should be a playoff team for years to come.

It's a rather uninteresting mix of players. Cossetti I've heard of. Sabato as well. The others, with the possible exception of Jordan Carr (who I THINK I've heard of) I don't recall reading much about them and I pretty much read the minor league report every week. The only reason I can see Sabato is there is to showcase him for a possible off season trade. At 1 for 17 with 32 K's (sarcasm) I don't think anyone will be interested. I'd rather hear about what's going on with Walker Jenkins and some of the pitchers we drafted along with him.

Ryan for Cruz was great. A young SP with talent for an aging DH. Pressley was tough in hindsight just because we've gotten very little from either prospect. Alcala may still turn out but probably not Celestino. Gray for Petty indeed took chutzpah! And I'd do it 100 out of 100 times. It will be even better if we can secure Gray for a few more years but still a win. Also, in hindsight, Paddock and Pagan for Taylor Rogers has worked out pretty nicely. I was a little surprised the price was so high for Mahle. BOTH Steer and CES in addition to a young pitching prospect was a LOT. Especially with all the injuries Mahle dealt with and his lack of positive impact. But Mahle was a solid #3 SP and at the time I was on board with it. If the Twins bring Mahle back on a very team friendly deal and Mahle, as a result of that deal is able to give the Twins a couple of 12-13 win seasons it would be a completely different outcome. But that ship has probably sailed so I'd consider that deal, with the projected future contributions of Steer and CES for the Reds a bad trade.