TopGunn#22

It could. Ryan is valued at 47.0 while Basallo is valued at 58.4 so theoretically, the Twins would need to add Kendry Rojas (10.2) or some other similar value to make it work on the BBTV model. However, BBTV is not the be all-end all, just a guide of sorts. The Twins clearly won the Pablo Lopez-Luis Arraez trade purely based on "value." But Arraez went on to win a couple batting titles for Miami, so the Marlins didn't LOSE the trade, it worked out well for BOTH teams. Ryan is a more finished product. An All Star pitcher. Basallo didn't bomb in his MLB debut last year but he didn't exactly SHINE either. His power potential is tremendous and he plays 2 positions the Twins desperately need some young talent at...C & 1B. As desperate as the Orioles are for a solid SP, they may not want to give Basallo up for anything. Trading power potential like that in today's baseball where POWER can forgive a multitude of strikeouts is hard for teams to do. It's like the Twins considering trading Matt Wallner. There is risk involved. But when the NEED of the team is so acute, as in the Orioles need for an All Star SP, or as I have pointed out in other posts, with the Twins trading Wallner for a young, Major League catcher (Teel, Quero, Ford) giving up that prodigious power to be able to fill a gaping hole in the lineup or rotation may be too tempting to walk away from.

If you use BBTV as the baseline for defining "value" (this takes production, skill, age and contract into consideration) Buxton is valued at 19.0. Wallner on the other hand is valued at 22.5. In comparison, Martin is a 2.0, Gabe Gonzalez is 8.2, Roden 10.6, Larnach 1.3, E-Rod 24.1 and Walker Jenkins 53.3. Larnach at 1.3 and someone like Pierson Ohl 2.2 would be worth a Camilo Doval 3.5 type of relief pitcher if the Yankees thought Larnach could MASH in Yankee stadium and the salary of Doval was in the ballpark of Larnach. But that's a lot of "if's." The OF with the highest trade value who probably SHOULD be traded is Wallner at 22.5. Wallner, straight up for young Catchers like Kyle Teel (21.4) Edgar Quero (14.6) or Harry Ford (12.5) would be an overpay on the Twins part, with Quero and Ford requiring additional compensation. Teel straight up works. Would I be willing to gamble trading Wallner's tremendous power for a young, everyday backstop? ABSOLUTELY. Would the White Sox or Mariners be interested in this kind of deal? But Falvey won't know unless he aggressively pursues it. The theme of this article isn't so much that the Twins are loaded with OF on the major league roster. It's that the guys on the roster have some kind of value that could be capitalized on because Jenkins, E-Rod, and Gabe Gonzalez are coming, sooner rather than later. And that Roden, Martin and Outman while not initially showing much on offense are each FAR superior defensively than Wallner & Larnach. The disquieting development in this conversation is that Byron Buxton's name has seeped into the discussion. At $15 million per year Buxton is the BEST bargain in all of baseball !! That his frustration with ownership and the FO has reached the point that he may request a trade is a crushing blow to the fan-base that has already taken enough body blows. Trading Buxton would be the knockout punch to Twins fans. Far more than trading Joe Ryan.

Nuts, none of my roster changes stuck despite "saving" it multiple times. Not sure why that happened when I tried to POST it.

I really like the Ober for Lawler trade. The D-Backs absolutely need SP and Ober would be a bargain for them. The Twins could absolutely use an upgrade at SS over Lee. This would not necessarily be giving up on Lee. He could still play 2B and/or 3B or be a 5th IF who plays 2B/3B/SS somewhat regularly. I especially like the "upside" on Lawler. To me it's worth the gamble, even with Culpepper and Marek Houston in the system and the possibility of getting Roch Cholowsky with the #1 pick. My only suggestion: With the money you are under budget, upgrade one of those $3 million dollar RP's to Ryan Helsley for $12 million. This way, you have a true "Closer" to anchor your BP. When I posted my roster, none of my acquisitions that I typed in stuck, despite "saving" them every time I made a change. Not sure why that happened. I still have guys like Eddie Julien listed...AAAHHHRRGGGHHH !!

I will make 4 trades this off season and one major and one minor FA signing. First FA: Sign Ryan Helsley to be the Closer to a $12 million dollar deal. I'd go 2-years $24 million for stability if I could. The other signing is also for the BP: Caleb Thielbar for $2.6 million. Trades: Joe Ryan to the Red Sox straight up for Jarren Duran. Ryan BBTV of 47.0 and Duran 49.5 is close enough to even. Red Sox have too many quality OF and need a #2 SP. Duran and Keaschall form a great top of the order as Buxton settles in at the #3 hole. Twins trade Matt Wallner 22.5 to the White Sox for Catcher Edgar Quero 14.6 and RP Jordan Leasure 7.8 (22.4 Total). Leasure Closed some games for the White Sox. Quero steps in as our #1 Catcher. Twins trade Ryan Jeffers 8.1 to the Rays for 1B/DH Yandy Diaz 7.2. Rays throw in a lottery pick Class A player. Twins trade Baily Ober 20.4 and Andrew Morris 4.2 to the Mets for 3B/1B/DH Mark Vientos 11.6 and young SP Jonah Tong 12.6. Twins send 24.6 in value to Mets and receive 24.2 in value back. The lineup and defense are much better, especially in the OF and behind the plate. The pitching staff retains Pablo because he's a bargain at $21.7 million and he's someone the young SP's can learn from. The big risk I'm taking is in such a young staff, but the young guns need innings. Guys like Prielipp and Abel don't really belong in the BP but I want them up with the big club, learning how to pitch in the majors. They are primarily long men who can step into the rotation if one of the other pitchers falter. The key to the BP is signing Ryan Helsley who gives the team a legit Closer. I think he'll return to form in a big way in 2026. Leasure provides closing experience and Thielbar (or Coulombe) provides a veteran Lefty with a proven track record. I believe with Quero handling the bulk of the catching Noah Cardenas is ready to take over as a twice a week backup. The defense is good. The bat...we'll see. Outman and Roden are getting the first opportunity but Walker Jenkins, E-Rod and Gabe Gonzalez are breathing down their necks. Vientos provides 30-HR potential and the ability to play 3B/1B/DH. His power replaces whatever power Wallner may have supplied (and then some). I'm still $10 million under budget so I've got some leeway...OR, Carlos Correa eats that up. C: Ryan Jeffers ($6.60M) 1B: Kody Clemens ($1.10M) 2B: Luke Keaschall ($0.80M) 3B: Royce Lewis ($3.00M) SS: Brooks Lee ($0.80M) LF: James Outman ($0.80M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Matt Wallner ($0.80M) DH: Trevor Larnach ($4.70M) 4th OF: Alan Roden ($0.80M) Utility: Austin Martin ($0.80M) Utility: Edouard Julien ($0.80M) Backup C: Mickey Gasper ($0.80M) POS: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M) SP1: Pablo Lopez ($21.75M) SP2: Joe Ryan ($5.80M) SP3: Bailey Ober ($4.60M) SP4: Simeon Woods Richardson ($0.80M) SP5: Zebby Matthews ($0.80M) RP: Justin Topa ($2.00M) RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.80M) RP: Cole Sands ($1.30M) RP: Pierson Ohl ($0.80M) RP: Travis Adams ($0.80M) RP: Connor Prielipp ($0.80M) RP: Marco Raya ($0.80M) RP: Andrew Morris ($0.80M) POS: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M) Payroll is 28.50% under budget

I will make 4 trades this off season and one major and one minor FA signing. First FA: Sign Ryan Helsley to be the Closer to a $12 million dollar deal. I'd go 2-years $24 million for stability if I could. The other signing is also for the BP: Caleb Thielbar for $2.6 million. Trades: Joe Ryan to the Red Sox straight up for Jarren Duran. Ryan BBTV of 47.0 and Duran 49.5 is close enough to even. Red Sox have too many quality OF and need a #2 SP. Duran and Keaschall form a great top of the order as Buxton settles in at the #3 hole. Twins trade Matt Wallner 22.5 to the White Sox for Catcher Edgar Quero 14.6 and RP Jordan Leasure 7.8 (22.4 Total). Leasure Closed some games for the White Sox. Quero steps in as our #1 Catcher. Twins trade Ryan Jeffers 8.1 to the Rays for 1B/DH Yandy Diaz 7.2. Rays throw in a lottery pick Class A player. Twins trade Baily Ober 20.4 and Andrew Morris 4.2 to the Mets for 3B/1B/DH Mark Vientos 11.6 and young SP Jonah Tong 12.6. Twins send 24.6 in value to Mets and receive 24.2 in value back. The lineup and defense are much better, especially in the OF and behind the plate. The pitching staff retains Pablo because he's a bargain at $21.7 million and he's someone the young SP's can learn from. The big risk I'm taking is in such a young staff, but the young guns need innings. Guys like Prielipp and Abel don't really belong in the BP but I want them up with the big club, learning how to pitch in the majors. They are primarily long men who can step into the rotation if one of the other pitchers falter. The key to the BP is signing Ryan Helsley who gives the team a legit Closer. I think he'll return to form in a big way in 2026. Leasure provides closing experience and Thielbar (or Coulombe) provides a veteran Lefty with a proven track record. I believe with Quero handling the bulk of the catching Noah Cardenas is ready to take over as a twice a week backup. The defense is good. The bat...we'll see. Outman and Roden are getting the first opportunity but Walker Jenkins, E-Rod and Gabe Gonzalez are breathing down their necks. Vientos provides 30-HR potential and the ability to play 3B/1B/DH. His power replaces whatever power Wallner may have supplied (and then some). I'm still $10 million under budget so I've got some leeway...OR, Carlos Correa eats that up. C: Edgar Quero ($0.80M) 1B: Yandy Diaz ($12.00M) 2B: Luke Keaschall ($0.80M) 3B: Royce Lewis ($3.00M) SS: Brooks Lee ($0.80M) LF: Jarren Duran ($7.70M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Alan Roden ($0.80M) DH: Mark Vientos ($0.80M) 4th OF: James Outman ($0.80M) Utility: Cody Clemens ($0.80M) Utility: Austin Martin ($0.80M) Backup C: Noah Cardenas ($0.80M) SP1: Pablo Lopez ($21.50M) SP2: Simeon Woods Richardson ($0.80M) SP3: Zebby Matthews ($0.80M) SP4: Taj Bradley ($0.80M) SP5: Jonah Tong ($0.80M) RP: Ryan Helsley ($12.00M) RP: Mitch Abel ($0.80M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($2.60M) RP: David Festa ($0.80M) RP: Cole Sands ($1.30M) RP: Connor Prielipp ($0.80M) RP: Jordan Leasure ($0.80M) RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.80M) Payroll is 18.64% under budget

Despite sending what looks like a JV team in talent to the AFL, the 5 players mentioned are what constitutes the backbone of the Twins farm system. I agree with the assessment of Mick Abel. The kid has great stuff, but to take that next step he must consistently COMMAND that stuff. His final start of 2025 was VERY encouraging. Jenkins is the jewel of our system and he really looks the part. It will be interesting to see how the Twins handle him in 2026. Obviously if he struggles at all in spring training and at St. Paul they will show the utmost patience and he wouldn't debut until 2027. But if he impresses in spring training and carries that over into St. Paul into May, what would his timeline become? June 1st? July 1st? or immediately after the All Star Game? E-Rod is very possibly the "better version" of Matt Wallner. Better speed and better defense. As good, if not better plate discipline. While E-Rod will never hit for a high average, he may be able to hit for a better average while maintaining the ability to pile up walks. Maybe E-Rod won't be as pull happy as Wallner as well. They are certainly similar in their hitting profile (basically 3 outcomes guys). But it is speed and especially defense where E-Rod really separates himself from Wallner. Culpepper's defense this last season showed he's capable of playing a better SS than Brooks Lee. I don't think there is anybody in the Twins system that can play a better SS than Marek Houston. Houston needs to continue to show offensive growth. But his defense is legitimately ELITE. Culpepper's ability to stick at SS but still provide high level versatility at 3B & 2B could really speed his path to the Twins MLB roster. Tait is simply the "Catcher of the Future." No matter what is done with Jeffers and how well Jimenez develops on the same track as Tait or even if the Twins trade for a young, MLB Catcher like Edgar Quero of the White Sox, Tait will certainly be in the mix. It's interesting to note that out of all the trades the Twins made at last year's deadline, the Twins FO seems to have made a solid deal for Jhoan Duran. The potential is there for the Twins to at least break even with the Phillies or possibly even win the deal when it's all said and done.

And he would have been a LHH compliment to the RHH Jeffers. On top of that, he came out of OUR system. We should know him better than the Reds. It made sense the Twins should have had him on their radar, but this has always been what frustrates me about the Falvey regime/era...they are always "reactive." They never seem to be "proactive." To the typical or even die hard Twins fan they seem to be caught off guard at times "Hey, did you hear Rortvedt was released?" "No, why would the Dodgers do that? He played quite a bit for them when Will Smith battled some injuries, should we give him a call?" "No...looks like the Reds already snapped him up." Hey, let's check on our guys in the AFL...I guess Mendez is tearing it up!!!" "Yeah, that was week one. He left Arizona and is taking some personal time to deal with something." Wait...What !?!?!?" I'm with you Riverbrian, I'm going to assume they have a plan and we will just have to wait and see how it unfolds. But I'm not very confident.

For an organization that reportedly has one of the top farm systems in MLB, this looks like an absolutely underwhelming group. Mendez had that good initial week but I hope everything is O.K. for the young man and his personal situation can get sorted out. Winokur is an interesting prospect, but I'm surprised he's still playing SS. With Culpepper and Marek Houston in the system and DeBarge winning a minor league Gold Glove, it's probably time for Winokur to just concentrate on playing OF and to focus primarily on his hitting. He's got a nice power/speed combo, but hitting .191 with a .582 OPS is going to get him the wrong kind of attention. Billy Amick was a masher in college at Tennessee. It's just deflating to look at an .037 batting average in the AFL. None of the pitchers we sent can throw strikes consistently. Boadas has a good arm, with lively "stuff" so at least there's that.

I was thinking Rortvedt was a distinct possibility. Looks like the Reds took care of that.

I agree that this all comes down to opportunity and there are SO MANY factors swirling around the Twins that it's hard to get a handle on who will actually get that opportunity. There's flat out earning an opportunity. I would say Fedko EARNED it last year, but didn't get it for "strategic" reasons...which I must admit I just might agree with. So even if you earn it, you may not GET that opportunity. The guys listed could possibly be in the running, but not without the opportunity. If we make trades, which I expect we WILL, you could probably add another couple names to that list. One guy that is really intriguing for 2026 is Noah Cardenas. Everything I've heard and read about him is that he's a very good defensive catcher. Seeing his OPS from last year is very encouraging. Depending on what we do with trades, like getting a MLB ready young catcher, trading Jeffers, or signing him to an extension, Cardenas could very well be in the mix. Anytime you bring talent to an area of need, your chance for the "opportunity" RISES. One thing that should improve tremendously next season is Outfield Defense. You will most likely have very few innings played in the OF by Wallner and Larnach. Guys like Roden and Outman are MUCH better defenders than either. On the horizon there is Walker Jenkins and E-Rod. Both of them are far superior defenders than Wallner or Larnach. Martin also has the speed to get to balls Wallner and Larnach can't even reach in their dreams. Our Infield may still have some defensive challenges, but our OF defense is going to improve in leaps and bounds. That's at least a step in the right direction.

Well, if we're comparing relative values, the only metric that gives us a framework to refer to is Baseball Trade Values. BBTV has the following values on these players as of Monday: Wallner 22.5 Harry Ford 12.5 Kyle Teel 21.4. Edgar Quero 14.6. And for the heck of it, Bailey Ober 20.4. I don't know what the value is for the Brewers young catcher Jefferson Quero. E-Rod is 24.1 Mick Abel is 7.0 Kendry Rojas is 10.2. Wallner, Ober, Teel, Edgar Quero and Harry Ford are as up to date as of Monday. I haven't seen any of the others suggested in a trade for awhile.

This is kind of depressing. Can we just recruit Greg Gagne off of a Senior Softball roster somewhere? I'll bet he's the fastest guy on his team.

I'm intrigued by Caratini, but the cautionary post of jorgenswest gives me pause if he's THAT prone to SB's. Other than giving up SB's at an alarming rate he seems superior to Jeffers in most other catching metrics. They are certainly similar offensively, with Caratini having a pinch more power. I'm also NOT averse to considering signing Caratini EARLY this off season and then exploring trades involving Jeffers. The long term plan is eventually to have Tait and/or Jimenez reach the big league roster and be the answer. But in the short term, at least one more catcher is needed and if a productive trade involving Jeffers is made, we need at least one more catcher. I'd still like to aggressively pursue a trade for a young catcher who's stuck behind a solid or great major league catcher. The White Sox have TWO young catchers in Teel and Edgar Quero. The Brewers have Jefferson Quero stuck behind William Contreras. The Mariners have Cal Raleigh leaving Henry Ford blocked. These are targets that need to be pursued. These are young catchers either already in the major leagues, or VERY close to the majors. A Teel or a Quero (either one) could be the primary catcher NOW with Tait and Jimenez set to join in 2 years, maybe 3. This is where a pitcher like Ober or an OF like Wallner or even Jeffers himself, could be used in a trade to plug a massive hole for the Twins...a young catcher that can start in 2026 and for years to come.

As the previous posters have alluded to, there really isn't an easy answer to this question, especially when compared to a less analytical era when your best "pure" hitter was your #3. Oliva, Puckett, Mauer. Or in terms of other teams, Clemente, Mays, Aaron. It's more like chpettit19 put it. The goal should be to find 5 legitimate big league hitters to fill spots #1-#5. That said, I would certainly be in the camp of have Keaschall be my leadoff hitter for 2026 and dropping Buxton to #3. Now, that means they still need to have someone who could still be a solid #2 hitter. Royce Lewis is of course the most obvious hope for a #3 hitter for 2026. If he can ever come close to replicating what he did for a stretch in 2023, he's unquestionably our #3 or #4 hitter. But he has to be healthy and focused to have a chance. That brings us to the most obvious possibility: Walker Jenkins. And if, for the near future, you have some combination of Keaschall and Buxton hitting #1 & #2 then the next combination is something along the lines of Jenkins/Lewis in some kind of #3/#4 alignment. Guys like Larnach, Lee and Wallner will never be true #3 hitters in the classic concept of one. Not in their Wildest Dreams. And as Nick alluded to at the very end of his piece, if the Twins are fortunate enough to luck into the #1 overall pick and they take UCLA Shortstop Roch Cholowsky, they add another young guy that profiles as THAT kind of a hitter.

Count me as one of the many who were quite disappointed that the Twins went with the "easy" the "familiar" in hiring Shelton. But I really appreciate Matthew's article and it gives me a glimmer of hope. The Twins have all kinds of young hitters who either have shown flashes (Lewis, Keaschall) or just haven't seemed to ever really put it together at the major league level (Julien, Lee). I could mention several more in the "never really seemed" category, but I'll also add Trevor Larnach. Larnach was the biggest bat in a solid Oregon State lineup that won a College World Series. Throughout Oregon State's march to the NCAA title, Trevor Larnach always seemed to get the big hit that got the Beavers over the top. Yet even though Larnach showed a little improvement, he never has come close to being that #3, #4 or #5 hitter in the heart of the Twins lineup that many Twins fans expected when he was drafted in the first round. Some of that may have been Rocco's propensity for goofy, analytic driven batting orders. But much of it was because Larnach just wasn't ever that good or consistent of a hitter. So for the first time, I'm feeling a little more positive about what Shelton may bring. I give Matthew credit for that, because I didn't come to that place easily.

Along with Valenzuela, about 10-15 years before him, the Dodgers had a pretty solid relief pitcher named Jim Brewer, whose bread and butter was the screwball. Another pitch we just DON'T see much of anymore with all the emphasis on velocity is the knuckleball. Gosh, I remember guys like Hoyt Whilhelm pitching for what seemed like forever with the knuckleball as his primary pitch. Starting Pitchers like Wilbur Wood and Phil Niekro would throw over 300 innings in a season relying almost exclusively on the knuckleball. From 1971 thru 1975, Wood won 106 games and AVERAGED over 300 innings per season. In 1972, he threw 376.2 innings !!! In today's Major League Baseball, with hitters trained to be able to hit 100 mph fastballs, I think a pitcher that could command a knuckleball, could be even BETTER than Wilbur Wood was in that 5 year stretch in the 1970's. And you'll have to look up what Wilbur did in those 5-years to fully understand what I'm saying.

There is no question the Twins have an impressive stable of young, talented arms. Can the new coaching staff get these young starters to realize their potential? That's an unknown that we can all speculate on but none of us have the answer. Unless you're the Dodgers or a handful of other large-market teams who may have one or two questions about their lineup, rotation or bullpen, EVERYBODY has all sorts of questions heading into this off season. In the A.L. Central, no mountain should ever be considered too high. We are a LONG way past the days when the Guardian Indians, Tigers and White Sox could afford to have stacked lineups (ala the 2000-2015 time frame. And in that general time frame, the KC Royals went to back-to-back World Series and won one. Maybe the White Sox will someday get back to being the highest spending team in the division, but those days seem a long time away. I think the reality for the Twins is that they would never get reasonable value for Pablo in this current climate, and I think he will get back being healthy and Ace level. Ryan is solid, he was an All Star last year. But his value will never be higher and he will be in high demand this winter. The deepest position we have is SP. I see a trade. Ober is kind of a Wild Card. He still has solid value but there are some big questions. The Twins, and any pitching needy team will be closely monitoring how he looks. I'm in the camp that the best move for David Festa is an entire season of being a relief pitcher. There is PLENTY of depth with Matthews, SWR, Bradley and Abel. Give Festa a season in the pen and see how it goes. There is already a HUGE need in the pen. I'd treat him like Duran or Jax and see what kind of health and talent emerges. And never forget, I still carry a torch for that Unicorn of Unicorns for the Twins BP...MATT CANTERINO !! I will not give up hope. The Twins released him back in April, resigned him to a minor league contract with the Saints and just activated him off the "season ending injury list" on Thursday, 11/6. The Twins need a veteran Closer, but imagine if Festa and Canterino were able to stay healthy throughout 2026? Canterino has only pitched 85 innings in the minors since we drafted him out of Rice, but his career ERA is 1.44 and he's K'd 130 in those 85 innings. Everyone get your Rosaries out for Matt Canterino !!

Spot On sweetmusicviola16. A guy like Kreidler probably won't even be on the roster come spring training. But I also refuse to believe (until they clobber me over the head with it) that this team can't afford to spend just a little more than we expect. A salary structure of $100-$110 million should be a minimum expectation...IF the ownership and FO have ANY intention of fielding a team with the possibility of contention. It's not like we have to compete in the A.L. East or N.L. West. It's the doggone A.L. Central !! For EVERY team, certain things need to happen. At the top of the list is HEALTH. A healthy Byron Buxton is a REALLY good player. Keaschall & Lewis are key offensive contributors. Any "ready for MLB" talent we acquire in a Joe Ryan or any other trades needs to be as good, or better than expected. A couple of the young SP's take a big step forward. All of these things happening is unlikely. But if enough do, they mountain in the A.L. Central isn't prohibitively high that it can't be climbed. The Twins need to get out of the gate reasonably well and be "in the picture" or the Pohlad family is going to lose a TON of money in 2026 and Target Field will be a grave yard.

It's gotta be hard digging these kinds of players out of the woodwork, and I appreciate the effort. Of the 3, Tyler Kinney seems the most interesting to me. For a 2nd lefty out of the pen, I'd rather bring back Theilbar or Coulombe. This off season really underscores the panic of the FO at last season's trade deadline. I was all for trading Ty France for a bag of baseballs (I remember reading that he was a very "sub par" 1B prior to and just after we signed him) but the Varland trade irked me at the time and still does. Varland was a young, controllable arm that was just coming into his own and would have either been our Closer or primary Set-Up man. Having Varland in this bullpen would have made rebuilding it so much simpler. The prize was Roden, and I don't think our need for Roden was THAT great. So without someone like Varland available, I think the Twins need to sign a higher profile Closer who is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025. Ryan Helsley, Devin Williams, Kirby Yates...there are actually quite a few guys who either weren't effective, weren't used as Closers, lost the Closer job, were traded to a team to be a Set-Up man... Rather than give Shawn Armstrong $5-$6 million, why not just entice one of the pitchers I've mentioned above or someone with a similar profile with a 1-year $10 million dollar deal that can bring you a much higher prospect (or prospects) back than a Shawn Armstrong could. The Twins will have plenty of Tyler Kinney types vying for a role in the Twins 2026 bullpen. But they need a guy who's been an effective Closer in the past and just needs a chance to build that value back up. With a little luck, it works out, and David Festa emerges as a viable Closer Candidate and he can be auditioned as the guy who Closes in 2027. (provided we're playing baseball).

GREAT article Gregg !! A ray of SUNSHINE for what appears to be some dreary years ahead. There's always something to appreciate if you look hard enough for it. Sometimes, it's not really THAT hard.

"Caratini’s next contract could be the X-factor here. He just wrapped up a two-year deal with the Astros that paid him just over $12 million. But he’s also two years older now, and teams remain hesitant when it comes to giving out multi-year deals to backstops in their mid-30s. Could a one-year, incentive-laden contract with an option for a second season make sense for the Twins? Would Caratini accept it to come to a team that is coming off a 90-loss campaign?" I guess "Teams remain hesitant when it comes to offering multi year contracts to backstops in their mid 30's (I would add "who don't hit exceptionally well") EXCEPT THE TWINS---Christian Vasquez.

If the Twins were going to spend that kind of money on May why not just go out and get a Devin Williams or Ryan Helsley to anchor the bullpen? The need a CLOSER. They have plenty of young arms to give innings to, and I wouldn't want to have May as a closer. I think Hoskins is cooked. There are better options at 1B/DH. Tristian Casas or Yandy Diaz would be better upgrades that would require a trade. Diaz is older (33) and Casas is younger (26). I'd go for the younger guy as my 1st choice.

With the exception of David Festa (who I think can make a Griffin Jax like transition) I don't really want to see a young Twins SP moved to the bullpen. Matthews, Bradley, and Abel ALL need to stay as possible rotation pieces. Raya is a possible BP move. But I'd like to give Prielipp just a little more time to see if he can be a legit SP. (But I agree with the idea that he could be a really interesting "impact" BP arm). But no matter how they build this "new" bullpen, it is absolutely essential to spend a little money and bring in a veteran Closer looking to rebuild his value. The 2 best guys to consider in my opinion are Ryan Helsley and Devin Williams. Each has been an elite Closer, and each had a rough year in 2025. Helsley was actually pretty good for the Cardinals until he was traded to the Mets at the deadline to be the set up guy for Edwin Diaz. It flopped in spectacular fashion for the Mets, costing them a playoff spot. Closers need to CLOSE. Williams started off pretty well but ran into all sorts of problems trying to hold on to the Yankees Closer role. I just think he's much better than he was in 2025 and a trip back to the Midwest might be just what gets him back on track. Each of these guys may sign a contract with what appears to be a non-contender (like the Twins) with the opportunity to prove they can once again anchor a bullpen. The Twins should be willing to offer a $5-$7 million dollar deal for the opportunity to close games for them. It's more than the Twins are accustomed to spending on a Closer in the Falvey era, but there are several scenarios that could play out. 1. Vet Closer fails terribly and the Twins are left holding the bag. (I don't think this is likely). 2. Vet Closer does quite well and is top five in the A.L. in saves leading up to the All Star break. The Twins however are struggling to stay 10 games under .500 and sell Vet Closer off for a decent prospect (or 2). 3. Vet Closer is "Lights Out" and the Twins pitching is surprisingly pretty good. The lineup also sees some bounce back from key hitters like Lewis and Jeffers, and solid seasons from Buxton and Keaschall. Some kid named Jenkins also makes his debut and early returns look promising. The Twins are lurking about 5 games out for the Division lead, but in the mix for a Wild Card. Vet Closer can still be sold to the highest bidder, or offered an extension. But nothing will matter with rebuilding our BP unless we have a guy that wins the 9th inning. If the Twins don't have that guy, no matter what else happens, it will look like August and September blowing save opportunities right & left.

I would make a deal with the Red Sox for Tristan Casas. I can almost guarantee the Red Sox will go out and sign a high profile 1B in FA. They have a roster that is poised to win the A.L. East with the right moves made this off season and after a season ending injury suffered in early in the year, the Red Sox probably won't have the patience to wait for Casas. The Twins could look to get Casas in a larger deal as one of the pieces, or, make a smaller trade where the teams make a player-for-player deal. Maybe Cody Clemens as a Utility Player would interest the Red Sox. Maybe a middling minor league pitcher. The value for Casas has never been lower. He's 26 years old and has demonstrated he has Major League power.