TopGunn#22

It's getting LATE. There is no doubt the Twins need a SP and at least one, probably two BP arms even with Alcala and Maeda probably being able to contribute a little "something" to the pen. I want to make a deal to improve the team for THIS year but also for 2023 and beyond. I'd be targeting Mahle and Lopez and trying to land one of of them. (maybe Rodon as well, but he's a FA after the season, I'd rather persue him as a FA than give up prospects for two months). BP options are getting kind of thin as well. Cleveland and the White Sox are hot on our tail. We can't afford to stand pat.

I'm frustrated. I think the Twins could have beaten the Yankees offer for Montas and Trevino (I would have asked for Puk). But I think Dave Overlund and others are probably more realistic than me. Maybe what we have to offer just isn't tripping the trigger of other teams, although I think Steer and Austin Martin among others are certainly worthy pieces. Maybe they'll come up with a deal for Mahle and get at least one bullpen arm. Alcala is coming and I fully expect to see Maeda at some point being able to help the pen. I know EVERYBODY has issues with pitchers and injuries, but I can't help but think the Twins seem to have an inordinate number of injuries, especially with young pitchers. At some point, Canterino and Balazovic just have to be able to go out there and PITCH.

As a Twins fan, I'm in favor of practically ANY trade that brings back a pitcher the quality of Rodon, Mahle or Montas. I firmly believe, with their starting rotation wheezing and hacking right now, that at minimum of frontline SP and 2 bullpen pieces are needed...even IF Alcala and Maeda fortify the BP in the not too distant future. That said, I'd be more focused on Montas and Mahle due to their availability for 2023 (and possibly beyond if an extension can be worked out). I think Rodon still has plenty of quality innings left, but the 2-month rental, in my opinion brings his MLB trade Value down from 13. I would offer the Giants Austin Martin or matt Wallner even up. I'd track what else is being offered and stay in touch. But like Dr. Bauer, I'd certainly kick the tires. At this point, the twins, like everyone else need to have a Plan A,B, C, D & E.

I like how you've laid that out Major League Ready. The Twins have a "core" that can be pretty competitive. But Archer & Bundy are getting by on smoke and mirrors and Smetlzer's magic is done. They need reinforcements for this season and they need them NOW. The Twins really have plenty of depth in their minor league system to sell of some assets for enhanced major league performance. Thor is interesting. He would be MORE interesting if there was ANY indication he could start throwing 98 next year year and reclaim that power slider. If Castillo, Montas or even Mahle are not brought in, I could see taking a chance on Blake Snell. Underlying metrics show he's "close" to what could be VERY effective. Someone has to unlock that talent. Why not the Twins?? I really like the Ohtani idea, but just can't see the Twins pulling off a trade like that under the radar. Dodgers, Yankees or Padres seem like more probable destinations (but Ohtani in a Twins uniform? That would be pretty Awesome). Finally, I see Palacios as a viable SS next year. He's certainly got the glove and for Pete's Sake, Lewis HAS to catch a break sometime...Right ?? But I'm not so fatalistic that Correa won't be back next year. And look, all Correa does is WIN. Retaining him may prevent the Twins from going for a stud #1 like Musgrove, but having Blake Snell and Maeda to go with Ryan and Gray is not a bad starting point, and I'd be just fine with Winder as a #5. The bullpen needs help. Badly. There is no reason someone like Barb and Moore cannot be acquired. All the better if they are retained for next year. But if something isn't done to significantly improve this BP, the Twins will NOT make the playoffs. In fact, the longer Bundy and Archer are in the rotation or throwing any significant amount of innings the Twins season is in dire peril. I'd DFA Bundy and move Archer to long relief--2-3 innings at a time ASAP.

It looks like the Twins MIGHT be shutting Winder down for the year as his shoulder is still bothering him. So now, it doesn't look like the Twins will be able to use Winder themselves OR as a trade chip. Just can't catch a break. All this "Max Effort" pitching is ruining a LOT of young pitchers.

I just feel Rocco is especially bad at "managing" a BP. Guys do not have clearly defined roles. It appears to be a "make it up as we go along" type of approach. In each season Rocco has managed, he's never had clearly defined roles in his BP.

If the Reds are willing to make this trade you do it in a heartbeat !!! They are all great prospects. I especially like what I've seen from Winder this year, but you don't add an ACE like Castillo without giving something up. And at this point, except for the limited look we've had of Winder (which has been good) the other two haven't accomplished a thing at the major league level. Did any of you NOT wanting to do this trade happen to notice the 13-K, shutdown performance against the hated Yankees a couple of weeks ago from Castillo ? We haven't won a playoff game in how many years? Going forward, a staff of Castillo, Ryan and Gray with Maeda available for 2023 would be as solid as any Twins staff they've had in their history. And in this trade you don't give up Kirilloff, Larnach, Miranda, Lewis or Martin. Come On ! Stop fretting about giving up a couple "prospects" to land a pitcher of this caliber. Sign Castillo to an extension for more money than you would ever have given Berrios, because he's 3-times the pitcher. Stop over thinking this. I would have commented sooner but I've been in Cooperstown welcoming from favorite Twins player (Tony Oliva) into the Hall of Fame. Just got home at 2:45am last night, but had to weigh in on this. Steer, Winder and SWR ? In. A. Heartbeat.

Go back to the original idea of players wearing their "Team" jersey---home or away. They also wear their team cap and batting helmet. Does MLB really NEED to sell some ugly, weird looking ALL Star Jersey ?!!?? Are they THAT desperate for a little bit more money ? One of the things that always made the Baseball All Star Game so magical was seeing Koufax in Dodger Blue, Clemente, Aaron and Mays, Gibson, Killebrew, Bench, in their TEAM uniforms. It made them stand out.

Cruz's 2019 season was maybe the greatest single season of any Twins hitter outside of 1977 Carew. I love me some Thome, but Cruz would be my pick. Don't sleep on Jim Perry. He was also pretty darn good. (so was Camilo) !!

Jim Kaat 1966 100% over Liriano 2006. How about Jim Perry 1969 or 1970 over one year of Morris as well. Perry 1969 20-6 2.82 ERA. 1970 24-12 3.03 ERA. In 1970 Perry was the American League CY Young winner. I agree with Carew at 2B (1973 ? or still 1977--he played a couple games at 2B) to have Morneau 2006, 2009 at 1B over Knoblauch.

I would have to say Kirilloff is untouchable at this point. As in the "Wonder Years" when Kevin's friend told him when trading Baseball Cards "McCovey is OFF THE TABLE !!" Larnach and Miranda, to me, are their two biggest trade chips. Hoping someone is also enamored with Ober, Balazovic or SWR. There's really no way for us TD'ers to know what players teams like the Reds or A's covet. We will find out soon enough though. I'd try to make a layup like Bard for Sabato first and then start jacking up 3-point bombs in the hope the Twins could land a Castillo or Montas.

This is why any trade for a Castillo or a Montas has to involve Larnach or Miranda as the headliner and Ober as the #2 in the deal. As Otto pointed out when listing the actual proposed trade from MLB Trade Values, that package from the Twins is actually LESS value than Castillo. Anybody acquiring either Castillo or Montas will need to overpay to some degree. And I'm fine with an overpay. We're talking PROSPECTS for either of those two guys who are bona fide Top of the Rotation ACES!! The short term benefit would be tremendous, but the long term strategy would be to spend the money and lock either Castillo or Montas up for 5-years. BOTH are FAR superior pitchers to Berrios. If the Twins can get one of these guys, they simply have to. Did anyone notice Castillo just fanned 13 Yankees and beat them just before the All Star Break ?? THAT'S the kind of pitcher the Twins need to trot out in a first round playoff matchup with the Yankees. A guy who can single handedly shut down a potent lineup and win you the game.

I do the Montas trade to get us an Ace to lead the rotation. Montas is a superior pitcher to Berrios. Remember, we were always "waiting" for Berrios to break out and be that #1 and he never quite made it. He was good but not great. Montas has been great for 3 years running. He has arrived as an Ace. I would try to add A.J. Puk to the deal to further fortify our BP. Puk is finally healthy, is very affordable according to BBTV's and is left-handed. I give a little more to have him added. I too think we'd need to give up more in the Bednar/Quintana deal and I'm not comfortable stretching THAT much for those two. But I WOULD do the Bard deal. So if you added Montas, Puk and Bard, then Alcala as well and subtracted 4 arms that have been underperforming you would have a much better pitching staff going forward in the 2nd half. And I think the Twins NEED to do something like these two deals or Cleveland or Chicago could very well pass us up and we'd be on the outside looking in at the playoffs. We had a chance to really put our boot on the necks of the White Sox and Guardians and our BP let us down. Multiple times. We're in for a real dogfight in the second half of the season. P.S. Buxton should have been All Star Game MVP. He had the "Game Winning Hit." If what he did and Stanton did was reversed, I'm still not sure Buxton overcomes the East Coast Bias and wins it. But he should have.

You can never have too many SS's and guys that play SS can always move around the diamond to other positions due to their glove and arm. After the first 2 picks which I think are HR's this pick works for me if they can sign Prielipp quickly and start developing a potential future Ace.

Yeah, I've got to agree the first night was tremendous. The obvious question now is, what will it take to sign primary the top 2 guys but also Tanner Schoebel from Va. Tech and how does that affect the Twins for the rest of this draft. While I know you can find a diamond in the rough here and there in the later rounds, the later it gets the less the leverage is for the player. I'm a believer in "quality" over sheer "quantity." In these first 3 picks, the Twins got "QUALITY."

This is a great pick. Everything I read never mentioned this kid sliding out of the top 5. Then to get Prielipp in the 2nd round and another SS (Tanner Schobel) from Va. Tech at #68...I consider this first night VERY successful for the Twins. I agree, with the trade deadline approaching, the Twins are going to have to part with some minor league talent to plug some BIG holes. Restocking with talent like this on night #1 is very encouraging. Now they need to sign them...quickly.

This is why the Twins need a frontline STUD SP (Castillo or Montas) and at least ONE solid, capable BP arm that can close or at least share closing with Duran. They have the minor league and major league capital and depth to swing a couple trades. They are a runner gasping towards the All Star break finish line right now and desperately need reinforcements soon. Let's see if the F.O. is capable.

I'm hoping the Twins can land either Montas or Castillo to front the rotation for the rest of this season and 4 or 5 more to come. We need that type of SP. Bell would great as a cleanup hitter (switch hitters are always great #4 hitters...think Mantle and Eddie Murray). But I just don't see it. We need SP and BP help SO badly and Arraez, Kirilloff and Miranda have 1B locked up. Even if Sano was traded there is just too big a logjam at 1B, and DH needs to remain flexible if Buxton is forbidden from playing CF 3 days in row (which I find ridiculous---just play Buxton, stop trying to protect him). I wouldn't trade Kirilloff or Lewis to anyone, but for a Castillo or Montas I'd consider making Miranda, Martin, Larnach or Ober available in some combination. We have talent in the minors and 40-man roster crunches coming up. Some of that young talent can certainly be moved to bring major league talent back. Right now, the twins are fading. They need a shot or two in the arm to revive this season.

"Baseball Trade Values" Snell .70 value. Duffey .60 value. Salary dump for the Padres. Inconsistent, but useful veteran bullpen arm sent and a happy reunion for Taylor Rogers with Duffey. Twins get a SP with great stuff but inconsistent performance who auditions for next year's rotation as well. By picking up all of Snell's remaining salary Twins don't give up much.

So here's your possible trade: Twins Get: Castillo 38.5 and Diaz 2.9 = 41.40 Reds Get: Larnach 28.5 and Ober 15.1 = 43.70 The Twins MUST over-pay slightly to win the Castillo sweepstakes. The Dodgers and others will be lurking. Castillo and Diaz significantly shore up two needy areas...a true Ace to open a playoff series and lead the rotation the rest of the way, and a good, young controllable arm for the bullpen. Larnach gives the Reds a Jesse Winker type bat which they desperately need. Ober replaces Castillo in the Reds rotation as a young, controllable arm for years to come.

I would be inclined to make a deal with the Reds and swing for the fences with a Castillo & Diaz pairing. I'm not so interested in 37 year old guys like Robertson. I want to deal for assets I can build around. Castillo and Diaz fit that profile. I'd have to go to MLB Trade Values to see what a deal could look like, but I think it would need to start with 2 of Martin, Ober or Miranda. (possibly a Larnach). That's a lot. But Castillo and Diaz would be foundational pieces to build from. Castillo fronts our rotation and Diaz pairs with Duran to form a young, flame throwing back end.

Thanks for thinking this through and putting all these trades together. I don't think a trade for Bell is needed with all the options the Twins have at 1B and DH. However, any and all RP and SP's should be considered. Bard and Robertson are each 37 years old so there is probably no future for them with the Twins after this season. It makes them "cheaper" but there is no long term benefit. While I agree that reinforcements are desperately needed NOW for the BP I always want to make a trade that has benefits beyond a 2-month rental.

Those are more recent examples, but it hasn't always been bad. Ron Perronoski, Al Worthington, Mike Marshall are some blasts from the past. Joe Nathan, Rick Aguilara from the not so distant past. The fact is, this bullpen is TERRIBLE. Duran has been the best, but he's just a rookie and lost the game last night. If the Twins had just an average BP they'd have 5 more wins minimum. It is their Achillies Heel. Something needs to be done sooner rather than later, or the Indi...Guardians and White Sox are going to right their ships and pass us by. It is not going to better with our bullpen by giving the current pitchers "more time." It is only going to get worse. Trading Taylor Rogers for a SP and an average BP piece was not wrong at the time. But given the circumstances we find ourselves in, it has turned out horribly.

I like the way this kid plays the game. Unless someone surprising falls that the Twins would be fools to pass on, Jett Williams is REALLY intriguing to me. I don't care at all about his size. Just like I learned not to care if I guy seems a little "chunky." Baseball is a game of "technique." If your technique is good you will succeed. Kent Hrbek. For some of the older guys on TD how about Mikey Lolich. Jett Williams looks like he knows how to play BASEBALL. If Somebody OBVIOUS isn't there, take this kid at a below slot deal and save some money for pitching. Altuve, Pedroia, Arraez. Those guys are/were BASEBALL players. Even if Williams ends up at 2B he could be a helluva 2B-man.

This is a good list. I still like Jorge Lopez, even though he blew two saves when pitching against the Twins. Obviously, Bednar is the prize and would be VERY expensive. As bad as the closers have been for the Dodgers, I see them making a play with their deep farm system, but the Twins could certainly look for cheaper options. We just simply need a deeper bullpen. I still think there are some "In-House" arms as possibilities, as Cody Pirkl wrote not long ago too.