TopGunn#22

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.

The argument could be made that with all the guys on innings limits the Twins have, that those guys (Winder, Ober, Canterino, Henriquez and even Archer) could eventually be moved to the pen if a proven #1, innings eater, was added to the top of the rotation. (Castillo/Montas), Gray, Ryan, Smetlzer and then Winder/Archer as the #5. Then Ober, Canterino, Henriquez (and hopefully Alcala) in front of Duran. I'd keep Pagan around for the 7th inning and be done with Duffey & Theilbar. Maybe either could be included in a deal to get one more bullpen arm like a Lopez from Baltimore (giving the Orioles a BP arm to replace what the lost to finish the season). They absolutely need BP help. But they may have a LOT of guys who could transition to the BP in the interest of limiting innings and protecting arms. I like Winder as a SP. I'd rather have him as my #5 than Archer. But I don't know what the Twins short term-long term plan for Winder is. I would be O.K. if they started Archer and then used Winder right after him him as a piggyback. That would be good for 7 innings consistently. With Montas experiencing some shoulder tightness and being removed after just one inning yesterday, that really muddies the water for a LOT of teams. But I'm just offering a counter-argument that a #1, top of the rotation, consistent innings eater could still get the Twins to a better BP as well.

AMEN Cody !! I don't move Winder to a BP role. He's starting for me when Bundy eventually flames out. BUT...Henriquez and Sands I'm all for. I see Henriquez as kind of a Jorge Lopez type of pitcher. A guy who struggled as a SP but blossomed when moved to the BP. The Twins have gotten to Lopez in two consecutive games, but check out the guys stats. He's been outstanding and I've been advocating for a trade to bring him to Minnesota. Henriquez should just be transitioned to the BP and brought in to replace Duffey. Sands should also be brought up immediately to replace Cotton. I still think adding an arm like Lopez at the deadline is wise, but it's clear the BP as it's currently constituted is untenable. Start tapping into the talent you have in the minors. Now I hear Canterino is hurt...again...I would love this guy to eventually be a SP but maybe it's just never going to happen. Maybe this season, since he's already going to have an innings limit, once he's healthy, he should be promoted to St. Paul and handed the closer role for a month. See how it goes and if it goes well promote him to the big club and put him in the BP. This guys arm is just too electric, his stuff too good to be wasting it in the minor leagues. I don't want Canterino to be one of those guys who never sees a major league mound because he could never stay healthy. The great Johann Santana began his Twins career as a RP. Canterino should be in a Twins uniform before the end of the season. Henriquez, Canterino and Sands. Three guys who could help the BP immediately or at least eventually. Think of the difference those three guys could make.

I've been advocating the Twins trade him for 3-years. Now it appears that others have simply moved past him on the Twins depth chart. The only question left to answer is "can the Twins actually get anything of value for him?" Sano currently carries a negative trade value (-8.5 on MLB Trade Values). But I would argue that he "has" value to certain teams. The question then is how much ? A team like the Rockies has always been an intriguing destination for Sano. That power, in that ballpark ? The Padres need "juice" in their lineup. Hosmer, after a torrid start is reverting to "Hosmer" once again. He's a punch-less Judy at the plate. Are there negative assets the Padres have that could benefit the Twins? The Orioles or Red Sox could see some benefit from Sano, especially if JD Martinez and Trey Mancini get traded. I just don't see any place for Sano on this team any longer. He may be too difficult to trade this year so he may get some DH AB's. But come 2023 his buyout will happen and he'll be gone for sure.

Time to make some deals. This BP is imploding before our eyes on a night by night and consistent basis. Rocco stuck with Colome for far too long last year and this year it's Duffey and Pagan who are the main culprits. I just don't understand throwing Duran for two innings of a tie game. Good managers have clearly defined roles for their BP. Rocco has always been LOST when it comes to BP's. He wouldn't use Taylor Rogers as his primary closer and the first thing the Padres do after they get him is make him their closer. I rest my case.

I agree with Tony & Rodney: Every prospect is movable. It always comes down to what you are getting back.

There are solid arguments for both sides. $12 million per year even for a back end (#3-4-5) veteran starter who is dependable and can be counted on for a level of innings and production per season is decent value. The counter argument is what the Twins have in the pipeline. If the cupboard was bare, I'd pony the money up NOW. But the cupboard is hardly bare. So that brings us to a couple of modern day baseball axioms. Since nobody pitches 300 innings anymore and almost no one pitches even 200 innings, and you can't count on having 5 starters make 30-35 starts for you in season...Signing Gray now for $11-$12 million for 4 years or $13 million for 3-years makes sense. Some of the Twins pitching prospects will pan out. Unfortunately, some will not. And each year the draft will put a few more into the pipeline. There is also the potential to add a Montas/Castillo type at the trade deadline and/or add a Musgrove/Rodon/Taillon next year and of course Kenta Maeda isn't dead and buried, he's very much alive and working to get back. I'm not anxious to summarily move a guy to the bullpen who finished #2 in A.L. Cy Young voting in 2020. For me, he's a SP until he pitches himself OUT of the rotation. The idea is to build a staff that has a blend of youth and experience and that has depth from which you can fill holes as bumps in the road occur and trade from said depth if an opportunity presents itself. $11-$13 million per year for a solid SP is worth more to a team than having a Miguel Sano. "You can never have too much pitching."