TopGunn#22

I'm not predicting World Series Champs. You need to be the Astros, Dodgers, Mets, to have that kind of confidence. But there is no question the Twins are better NOW than they were same time last season. I've been very critical of our front office. (yup, my trade of Kepler for Frankie Montas looks REALLY good about now). I think despite a very slow start (as usual) they finished with a great off season. I'm looking for a tremendous pennant race between the Twins, White Sox and Cleveland. All the White Sox need is health. Sound familiar? They lost Abreu but what happens when they get healthy, productive seasons out of Luis Robert and Eloy Jim? Chicago clearly won last off season and then injuries ruined them. Tony&Rodney is right, a new manager will be very helpful. The Guardians are the defending division champs and have the best pitching in the division and added power to their lineup. It's their division until someone takes it from them. The Twins had a GREAT offseason, but health more than anything else will determine success. I just like the feeling I have for the coming season better than I have for awhile.

I think the Paul Molitor and Pete Reiser comps are excellent. With Reiser, he wasn't able to overcome it, with Molitor he was, all the way to a HOF career. I also agree with Dave the Dastardly that sitting Buxton when he's healthy in an attempt to "prevent" injuries is bad strategy. Play him every day he's healthy. If he's "injured" then sit him until he and the team are confident he's 100%.

Great article Luke! Great conversation as well. Tony-O is my guy, but I can't quibble with your four. Killebrew, Carew and Puckett are the sure things. Killebrew was the face of the franchise. Carew was the greatest player in Twins history and Puckett led the Twins to their 2 World Series Championships. Where it gets tough is that last person. If we were counting the Senators era it would be the Big Train. But several have pointed out why it should only be the Twins era. I agree with the comparison of how the Dodgers and Giants moved out of New York but stayed with their brand and maintained their rivalry and in contrast, Griffith did everything he could to market the "Twins." The Senators brand was horrible. So that leaves us with that last person. Mauer has an MVP. Tony-O does not. Mauer played the more difficult defensive position. BOTH suffered injuries that shortened their careers. Once Carew arrived on the scene, Oliva was going to have a hard time winning any batting titles. I just wish he would have had the ability to put up more counting stats. Each of Puckett, Oliva and Mauer saw their careers shortened somewhat by injury. It's too bad, but we all got to enjoy them in their prime.

Great points Doc. I see them as 1 and 1A as well. I put Lee #1 because he's had no injuries yet and he was such a steal falling to the 8th pick that his hit tool could very well have him up this year. It will be later in the season, maybe August, but it could very well happen. I thumbed "UP" on so many comments I felt like I didn't really even need to type something, but heck! Where's the fun in NOT commenting? Correa is a Gold Glove SS. He stays there until he NEEDS to move. Lewis and Lee will probably get reps to show what they can do as well on days off for Carlos or if Correa DH's. I like our future infield!

I would have liked to have Moore as a Twin, but not for over $7 million. I'm glad the Angels got him and would also like to see them make the playoffs just to see Ohtani and Trout in the post season. I'm fine with Hand at $2 million if they go that way and I think Moran will be solid no matter what.

I really don't want to trade Lewis, Lee or Rodriguez. But I like that you put this out there. It makes for interesting conversation. Burns is easily a top 5 pitcher in all of baseball. If a team is going to get him, my guess is that the Dodgers would put together a package and land him for the front of their rotation. The Dodgers have been uncharacteristically "frugal" this winter while the Padres keep pushing more and more chips to the middle of the table. And then as Kershaw ages out, I could see the Dodgers going all in on Ohtani next year (if not at the trade deadline). They've got the money to just keep chasing stars. I like Mike Sixel's suggestion of going after Aaron Nola next year with zero prospect loss. We will probably have some SP openings and Nola would be tremendous. I feel the Twins are on the verge of finally seeing great things from Lewis, Kirilloff, and Larnach. In addition, Brooks Lee is probably closer than many of us think as well as Julien. Then there's Rodriguez. I want to see some extended run by this young, up and coming core before I deal any of them away. We sold high on Arraez and got a top of rotation SP. We had Polanco on board already, with Kirillofff, Julien, Lewis and Lee. We fleeced the Fins with the addition of the 2 lottery pick prospects. If the Pohlads are willing to spend money like they haven't before (and there are indications this could be the case within reason) then stick with the kids and see what we've got.

I wouldn't be opposed to signing Hand, but I much prefer Matt Moore or Will Smith. I think Moran will be a solid BP piece and having 3 LH's in the pen isn't a bad idea.

TREMENDOUS Hans! This was a fun read and everyone's suggestions are very interesting. I would also bat Kepler 9th in any lineup construction he's in. Gallo lands at 7th, maybe 6th, but no higher. I have to admit, my favorite lineup is the Lewis & Lee one, just because it's pretty cool seeing their names on a lineup card. In my "Let's Dream" lineup, which would probably be more 2024 (although September could possibly see Lee up) and if those two guys are truly taking no prisoners, here's what it would look like: 1. Buxton CF 2. Polanco 2b 3. Correa SS 4. Kirilloff 1B 5. Miranda DH 6. B. Lee 3B 7. R. Lewis LF 8. Gallo/Larnach RF 9. Vazquez C Kepler has been traded for Frankie Montas just prior to breaking camp. The starting rotation as we move into the playoffs is Montas, P. Lopez, Ryan, Gray, Mahle. Maeda and Ober long relief. Duran, J. Lopez, Alcala, Theilbar. If Gallo has a decent year (30HR's good OBP) he's in the lineup and on the team. If not, Larnach is in there. This doesn't account for a big trade at the deadline, but it fulfills my fantasy that Lewis and Lee are up and on there way to being All Stars. A guy can dream can't he?

I wish we had a sense of what has been offered for Kepler and what the Twins have countered with. I believe if the Yankees are willing, a trade of Kepler for Montas even with Montas missing most of April while he gets his should right would be a great trade to add a top of the rotation arm if we're willing to be patient. If the Yankees has zero interest in that then I can understand the Twins unwillingness to trade Max at this point. But I firmly believe Max will be dealt. Maybe if the Twins had singed Adam Duval as a RH hitting complement to all the LH hitting outfielders we have the roster would look better. We sold low on Gio so it's not a reach to label it a mistake.

I would add Jorge Lopez to the list. Since Rocco will not make Duran the teams "closer," instead choosing to use him in high leverage situations as needed, that means Jorge Lopez will be getting plenty of closing opportunities. If he's "Jorge, the Baltimore Oriole" pitcher from the first half of last season he will have a much larger impact than Ober or Alcala (who are still good pitchers to list). If he's "Jorge the second half of the season Twins pitcher" we will have issues once again at the end of games. He's a key member of our bullpen and MUST have a good season to provide stability and certainty in the back end.

Great article Nick!! I have been very critical of this Twins Front office in back to back years, complaining that they seemingly approached each off season either without a plan or a slave to a specific priority and thus chained to inaction while mid-level FA's that could have been a good fit flew off the board. However, I think this has been by far their BEST off season and while there was some luck involved with Correa this F.O. displayed patience and resolve as the Correa situation evolved and eventually came out the winner. I could nitpick and say that Adam Duval would have been the RH bat counter to Gallo but I won't. There are still "ifs" that need to pan out, primarily the health of Buxton and Correa, Kirilloff and Larnach, and just about everybody on the pitching staff, but This F.O has built a team with a LOT more depth and better options to begin spring training and with a pipeline that includes Royce Lewis, Eduard Julien and Brooks Lee there could be impact bats that augment the lineup at some point this season. I still don't think the Twins are done either. I'd like to take a flyer on Alex Reyes, the quintessential "boom or bust" arm in a bullpen and I still think Kepler gets traded before spring training. It could be a fun baseball season in the upper midwest.

This is a good topic Nick. We already have a lights out closer and that's fine with me. But the prevailing wisdom is that a dominant SP is always worth more than a dominant closer due to the higher number of quality innings delivered. I don't think the Twins should completely settle on Duran as a closer but it depends what happens with other guys on the team and in the system. Alcala is pretty much a bullpen guy now. What if he explodes this year? Jorge Lopez has shown he can be a quality closer. And what about Matt Canterino? He's also got lights out stuff and due to HIS durability concerns will probably be a bullpen guy going forward and who could also be a lights out closer. I would probably leave Duran where he is for 2023, but if Lopez returns to form and Alcala impresses the calculation may change on Duran. By 2024 we should have a good idea about Canterino's health and the quality of his stuff. Heck, I'm happy to leave Duran as our closer. But going into 2024 we could be looking at different scenarios depending on which starters were effective in 2023 and determining who is going and who is staying. Duran's role could stay the same, but it could change as well.

I think it should be Buxton but I respect the arguments others have posted for Polanco. In all honesty, the perfect guy is Julien. But he will need a little time at St. Paul to show he's ready so someone other than Julien will have to open the season there. Once Julien is up, he's at the top and Buxton slides to #2. So if it IS Buxton, Rocco and the Twins need to stop treating him like a "very fragile...handle with care" kind of player. Bigger bases. A pitch clock. Limited pickoffs to first base. Just let Buxton play and let him RUN. He should have 40 SB's this year with these new rules. Rocco has to stop waiting for the 3-run HR. It's not 2019 anymore. I want to see more aggressive baserunning and a hit and run from time to time.

I've been wanting this for a LONG time. He's affordable and the stuff is electric. It's worth a gamble to start him in low leverage situations and see how things play out. Who would you rather the Twins spend money on, Pagan or Reyes? To me, it's 100% Reyes.

I'm totally in the Julien camp. If he hits and gets on base in St. Paul at the level he has previously, he will be up whether it's to play 2B or 1B. He would also be a perfect leadoff guy. Would love to see Balazovic at some point. That would indicate that he's made a significant turnaround. But the Twins have a LOT more pitching depth than before and Winder, SWR and Varland would certainly be up before him. And if each of THOSE guys are up we've probably suffered another round of pitching injuries. Brooks Lee is a guy I could certainly see up at some point. The kid can hit and is a switch hitter to boot. Lewis will need about 3-4 weeks in St. Paul once he's cleared to play to knock off the rust, but he's a lock to be called up. Finally, my great white whale of a prospect, Matt Canterino!! If this guy can EVER stay healthy he could become the lock down closer that allows Duran to start. OR, the two of them flat out dominate the 8th and 9th innings and they headline one of baseballs BEST bullpen for several years.

I think the Twins are far from done and the roster, while looking fairly set is not. I don't see any blockbuster moves but I could see a RP being signed, possibly Chafin orFulmer. I still would like a flyer on former Cardinal Alex Reyes. I could see Max traded straight up to the Yankees for Frankie Montas. The Twins, with the addition of Pablo Lopez, would have the depth to wait for Montas to be ready by May 1st. If Montas is healthy, he becomes our #1 with Lopez our #2. The Yankees would be selling low on him but it's clear they have a need for someone like Max and with the short porch in RF and his ability to play CF & RF they could keep Judge in RF full time.

I would want to leave him as a starter. I think last year was a fluke and good health will prove that. I look at Balazovic and Canterino as 2 pitchers that could really help the Twins in the near future but health and durability is key. I see Canterino as a dominant back end BP piece and Balazovic as a SP. As others have said, Balazovic needs at least half of this season at St. Paul to show he's healthy and that he can be an effective starter. This is probably a make or break year for him in the Twins organization. Patience can only be shown for a finite time.

AMEN Alex!!!!!!!! I've been saying this for years and couldn't agree with you more. This feeble attempt to somehow "protect" him is a fools errand. Just. Let. Him. Play. You cannot "guarantee" an injury won't occur by trying to play Buxton in 80 games when the season is 162 plus playoffs. And with the new rules on pickoffs, a pitch clock and larger bases can we finally unleash him and let him steal 40-50 bases??? I firmly believe that the only way the Twins overcome their plague of injuries is to stop walking on egg shells with worry when the next injury will occur and just play the game, all out, with fierce abandon. When I saw your "headline" with Rolls "Royce" in it, I thought it was an article about Royce Lewis. I feel the same way about this talented young kid as I do Buxton. Just play him. SS, LF, 3B, CF, 2B, RF? I don't care. Thinking one position is more risky than another is just adopting a mindset that something "bad" is going to happen. Just. Let. The. Play. And let them play all-out, with no restrictions or caution.

Great article Nick. It certainly does seem this is the strategy. I would expect to see small or large departures depending on the player who is in play. And I don't think the Twins are done making moves just yet. It feels like something else will happen prior to spring training. A Kepler trade? A BP signing? But depending on how some of their prospects develop, there could be the aforementioned trade deadline deal by tony&rodney for someone like Corbin Burnes or Brandon Woodruff depending on how the Brewers season is going.

They finally got an outfield RH bat!! I like the glove and the speed. Gallo can play CF on days Buxton DH's or sits. Taylor the same. This has been the best offseason this F.O. has had. Pray the rosary for good health! :)

I was surprised Lee fell to #8. He was the top college bat in the draft, a switch-hitter and a SS. Even if the Twins have good health this year if Lee, Lewis and Julien are raking and playing well in the field, they will each be up at some point. Starting Lee at AA is a good idea and if he's sizzling there he could very well skip St. Paul or have a quick cup of coffee and be on his way up. I see Lee up in August at the earliest and September more likely. But he WILL be a Twin in 2023.

This was a GREAT trade. Yes, probably no trade will ever compare to AJ for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and don't forget BOOF Bonser. According to Baseball Trade Values which is a decent tool to measure "value" Arraez for Lopez straight up would have greatly favored the Twins as Lopez is valued at 38.8 and Arraez at 26.6. To have gotten Salas (valued at 20.5) is shocking. To have further gotten Chourio (.50) as well is almost overkill. Chourio is only valued at .50 but that has more to do with his youth and uncertain projectability at this point. He's simply a lottery ticket, but as long as you're holding a lottery ticket you have a chance to win. I still do not understand the opinions on TD that Lopez is a mediocre pitcher. He's not Juan Marichal, I'll grant you that, but he was Miami's #2 starter last year. He threw 180 innings and struck out 174. His 3.75 ERA wasn't Verlander-esque but would have been really solid for the Twins. Just having a guy capable of throwing 170-180 innings is a huge benefit to the Twins and every man in the bullpen. Arraez was a fan favorite (and a fav of mine as well). But we sold him at max value and crushed on the return. As soon as I heard the Cardinals were looking to get in on the Lopez sweepstakes I was concerned. That FO doesn't mess around and I think ours knew it. At that point a deal was completed quickly. Maybe we were holding out for Sixto Sanchez to be a throw in, who knows. And we have LOTS of people who can fill the Arraez void. Lewis, Lee, Gordon, Julien, Martin not to mention Polanco who IS our starting 2B-man. Julien, "The God of Walks" can play 2B and 1B and with his on base skills could be up sooner rather than later if he does well at St. Paul. Yes, we all hope Kirilloff will be ready to go and rake right out of spring training, but Miranda at 1B and farmer at 3B to begin with is a decent "Plan B." I hope this trade works out well for BOTH teams, but I REALLY like what the Twins F.O. pulled off here. I wonder if this means we're done or whether Kepler or Larnach is still in play. We made this trade without addressing our logjam of LH hitting outfielders. There could be more at play. For example: A trade of Kepler straight up for Frankie Montas would be quite interesting. Montas will miss the first month of the season but having Lopez allows the Twins time to get Montas ready and for Maeda to open the season in long relief while Ober holds down the #5 spot in the rotation. Having both Lopez and Montas at the top of our rotation while opening playing time for Larnach is a WIN-WIN in my book. You can NEVER have too much pitching. Stockpile those arms and at the trade deadline or the end of 2023 see who you want to retain and who you deal or let walk.

I like this idea Seth. Certainly worth considering. The Twins would be gambling on "potential." But comps like Mack, Hunter and Gomez are reasonable for the "upside" potential of Adell. Not completely, I'll grant you that, but reasonable.

Matt you've hit the nail on the head. It's not that I'm on fire with enthusiasm to trade away Arraez. I love watching him hit. But Rocco refuses to hit him at the top of the order consistently and with all the injuries our young pitching pipeline has endured it's time to add some young pitching talent, especially with the uncertainty of Mahle, Gray and Maeda for 2024. And with Lewis, Lee, Julien, Kirilloff, Gordon, and Julien the Twins could replace Arraez. When teams pitch, they are always in games. When you struggle to pitch you're getting blown out early more often than you'd like and it's a domino effect to the entire pitching staff as you cobble together a way to finish games day after day after day. Again, it's not that I'm desperate to trade Arraez, it's just that he's a piece that could help bring back some good, young, controllable pitching. And I'm always up for that.

This is a great topic and will continue to generate comments well after some kind of trade is made. I will start by saying I'm willing to trade for more pitching and even willing to include Ober in a trade if it brings back a pitcher or two as part of the package. I'm not willing to trade Lewis, Lee, Kirilloff, Rodriquez or Julien. I'm also not willing to include Balazovic because his value is so depressed I've got to give him one more year to show me he's a keeper. So with that said, even though I'm a big fan of Arraez, with Julien waiting in the wings, I'm more than willing to trade Arraez to Miami if it brings back Cabrera and either Luzardo or Max Meyer. Julien's on-base skills project to be on a par with Arraez plus he's got more power. With health always a concern for pitchers and with injuries holding back the pipeline our F.O. was supposed to be building, I stockpile young, controllable arms. I determine who of Gray, Mahle and Maeda (if any) that I want to keep going forward (at least one should remain). But young bats like Lee, Lewis, Rodriguez and Julien are vital to our future lineup. All but Rodriguez are highly likely to be up at some point this season, and Rodriguez is probably knocking on the door for 2024 at some point.