TopGunn#22

GREAT comments Riverbrian !!! Bloom was brought in to clean up a "Win At All Costs" mess (which proved to be successful since the Red Sox DID win a World Series in 2018) and his first big deal was completely unpopular in trading Betts. But he's been able to super-charge the pipeline of talent to the major leagues for Boston and I think the Blue Jays and Red Sox are going to be forces to be reckoned with for "a while" in the A.L. East. It is time for Boston to contend "for real." Not just make the playoffs. They may need to replace Bregman at 3B, but if they do, they'll just plug in Marcelo Meyer and make a run at Pete Alonso or Naylor to play 1B and be better for it. This is why Casas seems like a good target for the Twins. He's not a Gold Glove candidate at 1B but at least he's a guy who primarily plays 1B, as opposed to guys like Miranda, Julien or even Cody Clemens. And he's got legit 30-HR power if he can stay healthy. tony&rodney: You're point about Soderstrom is well taken. The kid plays a Gold Glove caliber LF and is also above average at 1B. He'd be a perfect cleanup hitter and a clear defensive upgrade wherever the Twins would play him. And I agree with your idea that the A's have plenty of hitting, but that they need someone like a Joe Ryan at the top of their rotation to take a clear step forward toward contending in the A.L. West. Joe Ryan is a tremendous asset. He will never be more valuable than this off season, especially if the Twins can ignite a bidding war for him. A lot of this will be determined by a couple of other FA (or soon to be FA) pitchers on the market. This Twins FO should have clear goals and targets of the players they want to acquire and settle for nothing less. There is no pressure of a trade deadline to contend with. If teams won't meet the Twins demands (and they should be demands) the worst case scenario is that they keep Joe Ryan. I can certainly live with that. But with all the young arms the Twins need to give opportunities to, it certainly seems like a trade of Joe Ryan is highly likely.

The idea of Soderstrom from the A's is certainly worth having a conversation. I do think there are a LOT of teams that would have interest in Ryan and I think the slower pace of the off season as opposed to the chaos of the deadline works to the Twins benefit. I still think the Red Sox are a good candidate with a number of players that would work for the Twins. However, I think the conversation with the Red Sox Sox need to start with a Major League player, probably one of their FOUR outfielders. According to BBTV Anthony and Jarren Duran are the highest values. Duran is valued quite a bit higher than Ryan. Wilyer Abreu and Ceddane Rafael are each valued significantly below Ryan. But each of them won a Gold Glove last season. Abreu won his 2nd consecutive as a RF and Rafaela won his as a CF but he's also a pretty darn good SS. Which of those OF would the Red Sox be willing to part with? First off, Anthony is of the table, so the list shrinks to Duran, Abreu and Rafaela. Duran would be a great fit for the Twins because he'd be a defensive upgrade at either corner spot and a reliable backup option in CF for Buxton. He's also be a great top of the order catalyst with Luke Keaschall. But the Twins need more than one player and with Duran valued higher than Ryan would it need to be one-for-one? As good as Duran is, one-for one doesn't work for the Twins, they have more holes to fill. I'm not sure how the Red Sox value their own players, especially those OF. But a trade of Ryan 47 and Wallner 22.5 (Total: 69.5) for Duran, 73.1 Tolle 13.9 and Casas 0.0 (Total 87.0). The Red Sox need a proven, veteran SP. Wallner provides a DH/Power option. The Red Sox are probably going to add a FA 1B so Casas is expendable. They can afford to give up Tolle because they will have Ryan. Casas finally gives the Twins a young power hitting 1B they can build around. The Twins need to move Ryan to the highest bidder who has the right pieces. If they engage with multiple teams, an overbid should materialize. Tolle is just another young, talented arm that would challenge for a spot in the starting rotation. He may also provide the Twins some flexibility to consider trading more pitching for hitting and defense.

This was a quintessential move by the current ownership and FO of the Twins. Go with probably the least inspiring hire to the fan base because it's the most "comfortable" hire for the Pohlad's and Falvey. The hope of the fan base after secret investors pumped a pile of money into this team was that maybe they would have some input into creating a new philosophy and direction for this franchise. Because to us in the fanbase, the Twins play a rather boring brand of baseball and they lose a LOT of games. Before the Vikings brought Fran Tarkenton back, they won a lot of football games, but they won in boring fashion. They played great defense and were a dependable "3 yards and a cloud of dust" offense. But they lacked that special player at QB to get them to a Super Bowl. At least the Vikings were winners. The Twins, under the current regime are losers, and in an especially boring style. If the Twins get off to a rough start, they may very well fall short of 1-million fans for attendance. Derek Shelton represents too much of the "same" approach to inspire any confidence in the "brand" of baseball the Twins will play. Nothing Shelton accomplished in Pittsburg screamed "HIRE ME" to the rest of the baseball world. Did Shelton interview ANYWHERE else?? Whether it would have been Flaherty or even Vasquez, they at least would have offered a different style and some hope for change in the organization. Say what you will, but the collective "YAWN" on Twins Dailey about the Shelton hire speaks volumes about the fan base in general.

There is reason the Twins haven't considered Toby for the job. What has he done at St. Paul that jumps out? How many championships has he won? As much time as Wallner, Larnach, Julien, and Miranda spent there, how has he unlocked their true potential? How many "finished products" has he delivered to the big league ballclub? Once you've answered that question, you should then consider why hasn't ownership or Falvey contemplated finding a NEW manager at St. Paul? Gardenhire has been mediocre at best. But if there's one thing the Twins do extremely well, it's striving for mediocrity. Toby is PERFECT for the Twins in St. Paul. I read recently that the most likely candidate to eventually end up with the Twins managerial position is someone they are "familiar" with. That would leave Rowson and Shelton. I'm not enthused with either. We don't need "familiarity," rather, we need a different approach, a different philosophy. Some people made a good point that Rowson, with Ron Washington could be a good outcome. Yes, our hitting is a major disappointment. But I want a manager who's a MANAGER, not a hitting coach who needs a security blanket with his bench coach. With the exception of 2019, the Twins can't be the powerhouse Yankees. Power costs money in a normal baseball season and 2019 wasn't "normal." We need to be more Brewers than Yankees. I'd prefer a good manager and the hire of Nelson Cruz as hitting coach. Servais would be my 2nd choice. He's experienced and solid. I was also surprised that Vasquez didn't make their final 4. He should have replaced Shelton. My #1 choice would be Flaherty. He checks most of the boxes that I'd be looking for. But "Inside Sources" are saying it will most likely be someone the Pohlad's and Falvey are "familiar" with. That points to Rowson or Shelton and that knocks me over the head with pessimism. Once again, we all need to wonder what the expectations are of the mystery people who pumped about $400 million into this team. I just can't imagine they would part with $400 just to sit at the table and say, "by all means, just go with who you are "familiar" with, we LOVE this stay the course mentality and approach." The Twins are not going to get where we all hope they can with a safe, comfortable, "let's keep doing what we've been doing" strategy. "Familiarity" is not going to break this cycle of under-achievement."

I think I know what is written inside his helmet, tarheel, but it's just an educated guess...SWING...HARD...!!! I think just about every seasonal evaluation of Matt Wallner has been somewhat incomplete and subject to a small sample size. Whether it was health or ineffective play, Wallner has never spent a full season with the Twins, and his inability to hit LHP cuts into his AB's as well. But his power is prodigious and should be intriguing to a number of teams. I fantasize about trading him to the White Sox for one of their young Catchers. Someone else suggested trading him to the Pirates for a talented, young pitcher coming off a season ending arm injury (Jared Jones) who should be ready sometime in early-mid May. I like that trade as well. Because the Twins have Walker Jenkins, E-Rod, Alan Roden and Gabe Gonzales all on the cusp of debuting in the Major Leagues I view both Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach as superfluous. They also have Austin Martin and even Winokur, not to mention whatever college OF bats they draft. The Twins have huge holes at C, 1B and bullpen. I'm fully in the camp of trading Wallner while his allure of BIG POWER can be cashed in on. I see more value in what Wallner can bring in a TRADE to the Twins.

This is a very valid question SteveLV. There is nothing that compels any of us to accept that BBTV is even in the ballpark in valuing players. In fact, I wouldn't be the least surprised if many teams had wildly different valuations on very high profile players. Another flaw in BBTV is that it overly values "prospects." If you are young and put together a good major league (or even a minor league) season, your value absolutely SKYROCKETS in BBTV. As soon as your salary starts to ascend, your value goes down...a LOT. It's how you can have a probable "back to back" Cy Young Award winner like Tarik Skubal with a value of 51.6. I'll bet Walker Jenkins has a higher value. The allure of BBTV is that they have a somewhat understandable formula and, it's basically all we've got. Otherwise, we're all just looking at the back of baseball cards and proposing trades that are ridiculous. With BBTV we can at least propose trades that are "mildly absurd." In my case, I don't pay the premium to propose the trades on the sight. But I love to go there and see what other people propose. From there I can see what various players are worth, like Joe Ryan at 47.0 and Nolan McLean at 21.6. I just like to dream up trades. It's kind of like a mental exercise. What would the Mets want? What do the Twins need? But I don't have the complete listing of players and values the Twins or Mets have, so what I'm proposing is limited by what players values I've seen. I am operating on limited information. That's why from time to time I'll throw out a request to Doc Gast to propose a trade. Because he pays for the right to see all the values and frequently posts trades on the site.

The current Baseball Trade Value for Joe Ryan is 47.0. That's down from an All Star break high of 73.0 The current value for Nolan McLean on BBTV is 21.6. The Mets pitching staff and their ages as of today: Senga 32, Holmes 32, Peterson 30, Manaea 33, McLean 24, Tong, 22 and Sproat 25. Tonga has a value of 12.6 and Peterson 7.0. Peterson is on the last year of his contract paying him $4.625 million, quite a bargain for how he's pitched and he's a FA in 2027. Maybe the Mets would try to extend him. The Mets don't have a SP under 30 other than their "prospects" McLean, Tong and Sproat. Ryan has the talent and the track record they can depend on NOW. McLean showed promise last season, but he's 24 years old. (he's not Doc Gooden or even Noah Syndergaard). His sample size is small. Yes, he's promising, but if the Twins insist on a package headlined by McLean the Mets would have to think long and hard. The Mets OF is old: Marte 37, Mullins 31, Nimmo 32, Soto 27, Tyrone Taylor 31. Marte is on his last legs. Why not offer the Mets Trevor Larnach (1.3 value) to play RF along with Ryan (47.0) and Andrew Morris (4.1) and Cody Clemens (4.5) Total: 56.9 for... McLean (21.6) Jett Williams (23.1) and Mark Vientos (11.7) 56.3.

Lots of interesting takes. None more insightful than bean5302. I have always complained that Twins Front Offices, whether it was the old Terry Ryan regime or the latest Twins executives, NEVER seemed to have a "Plan" going into the off season or the trade deadline. We always seemed RE-active rather than PRO-active We've heard from past and present FO's that there were no restrictions on the FO from making a trade to improve the team. Yet we as fans could see that to believe the "company line" was illogical. This lack of a clear plan left the Twins with some strange off season additions (Joey Gallo, Mike Shoemaker, the list is LONG) or deadline deals that had no impact or that were made just to say "see, we did something." This is the path of a FO that really doesn't have a plan. And the Pohlad family has never seemed to hold a FO accountable. This would be a large indicator of why their other business interests are not doing well. This is always why we feel the team is dumpster diving. You dumpster dive if you have no alternative. If you have enough money to go to McDonald's and buy a cheeseburger off the value menu, you don't dumpster dive. If you have enough money to go to Pittsburg Blue, you don't consider the value menu at McDonalds. The Front Offices of the Twins have repeatedly lied and the Pohlad family has repeatedly lied to Twins fans. There is no logical reason to trust them or trust they will make a deal for Ryan that would be beneficial. But even though they don't "HAVE" to trade Ryan they have a chance to make a deal to significantly improve the team. They should be trading from a position of strength with Joe Ryan. If they aren't getting what they want from a team, hang up the phone and move on. Bean5302 is correct, they should trade him in December either AT the Winter Meetings or shortly thereafter. The idea that we should not expect an accomplished, productive major league player as PART of the package is essential. Prospects will always be a part of a trade like this. But the Twins need to find a good, young major league hitter who is also a good defender to enhance their lineup. Someone who fits the profile of, but not necessarily "IS" Wilyer Abreu of the Red Sox. The Red Sox have too many OF. They can't play them all, even if they DH one of them. Abreu has won a Gold Glove. His career OPS is .791. He will turn 27 years old mid-2026 season. It isn't necessary to make the Ryan trade the 1st trade of this off season, but his trade should be the foundation for all the other moves the Twins make. Making a trade or 2 before trading Ryan reshapes who we might be interested in for other trades. It makes other deals possible. Note: Seth, I think you meant to type LOGAN Webb (SP Giants) not Brandon. And if you're going to mention Tong in the list of pitchers the Mets have, you certainly need to mention Nolan McLean. I imagine we will revisit this topic multiple times between now and the New Year.

I agree that every player on the Twins roster should be open to discussion with other teams regarding possible trades to reshape the roster and current talent distribution. But the "Sell High" and "Buy Low" mantra is a solid philosophy. I know I constantly bring up BBTV, even though I don't pay to have the privilege to post suggested trades, I like to see how players are valued. BBTV is the only kind of rating system available to fans like us. Lewis currently has a value of 11.0, which is kind of a neutral value primarily because he's not due to make any kind of salary for several years. There ARE guys who's current value as judged by BBTV is just too low to make a trade with any chance of decent value coming back. Pablo Lopez at 7.3 is a great example, and his $21 million dollar salary is very acceptable for what he could deliver. Guys like Julien or Miranda have such a low value that you'd question what, if any value you'd get back. A guy like Wallner at 22.5 could still bring something pretty darn good back. The glimpse of greatness that Lewis showed Twins fans tells ME that I wouldn't trade him this off season. With the exception of his hitting, EVERYTHING he did over the last 77 games he played was encouraging. His glove and range were noticeably better. He was actually able to RUN. He stole 11 bases in 12 attempts. You just don't do that if you have any doubt that your legs can do it. He finally just "played the game" without reservations in the back of his mind. In terms of possible outcomes for 2026, I was ENCOURAGED. His swing is still messed up, and that just reinforces my belief that hitting a baseball is HARD. And that hitting a baseball thrown by a Major League pitcher is REALLY HARD !! He will have a new manager and a new hitting coach (Nelson Cruz??) and the hope is that with a better approach he will stop being so pull happy and use the entire field. I hope the new hitting coach can convince him that he doesn't need to pull everything to hit the ball out of the park. We've been saying this for a couple year now on TD, but I think 2026 is truly a make or break year for Lewis. The 3B job is HIS. He's healthier going into this off season than he's been in years. He will have a new manager and hitting coach to work with. There is opportunity there if he seizes it. If I was a potential Twins manager candidate or batting coach candidate, I would have showed up to my first interview having studied Royce Lewis above ALL other Twins players. I would have a plan specifically for Royce Lewis detailing how I intend to turn this guy into the #3 or #4 hitter the Twins need him to be. While I'm excited to see Walker Jenkins in the near future, no player on the Twins other than Byron Buxton duplicating his 2025 season has the ability to affect the Twins more positively on the field than Royce Lewis. In the always winnable A.L. Central, Royce Lewis having a great season could put the Twins right back into the thick of contention. It's what we've ALL been hoping for, ever since that wonderful second half and post season of 2023.

Diaz is worth giving up some kind of talent in a trade for the following reasons: 1. Our hole at 1B/DH is so darn big. 2. The cost in talent in a trade would not be prohibitive. Diaz currently carries a 4.7 value in BBTV. That's like trading Andrew Morris (4.1) or Ricardo Olivar (4.9) or even Cody Clemens (4.5). The Twins can live with that, especially when you're talking about a hitter who posted a .300 average, 29 Doubles, 25 HR, 79 Runs, 83 RBI season with an OPS of .838 and an OPS+ of 136. Now, Diaz will be 35 years old in August of next year, and with the ascent of Jonathon Arranda, Diaz only had 36 starts at 1B last year, the rest were at DH. He's a decent/capable 1B, but nothing special. But his bat alone, whether for 1B, DH or both would be such an upgrade it would be worth the salary cost to the Twins. If I was staring at a 1B/DH problem like the Twins are, my plan would be to make a low level deal with the Rays for Diaz. I would then look to make a deal with the Red Sox and get 25 year old Tristan Casas as a throw in as part of the package coming back, (whether I'm trading Joe Ryan or Bailey Ober to them). Diaz and Casas provide the Twins with a RH and LH hitting option at 1B/DH and an older and younger option as well. There is no one in the Twins system who can provide an immediate option.

Signing Hoskins would be a major letdown because he doesn't move the needle at all. Yes, he would be a better option than Clemens, Julien, Miranda, Ty France and a 40 year old Carlos Santana, but being a better option than this listed dross is NOT a compliment. While more expensive, the best option for the Twins is Josh Naylor. The trouble with Naylor is that he's an awfully GOOD hitter. Other teams are sure to be interested. A trade for Yandy Diaz would be infinitely better than Hoskins. Diaz turns 35 next August but is a far better hitter than Hoskins. And the Rays just might be willing to trade him because 27 year old Jonathan Arranda is now their 1B and Diaz makes $12 million per year. I would pay Diaz $12 million. NOT Hoskins. Even getting 25 year old Tristan Casas as a throw in as part of a trade with the Red Sox is a far better option than a 33 year old, declining slugger like Hoskins. Casas is expected to be ready for opening day next season, but the Red Sox may not want to wait for him. Pete Alonso is on the FA market, his wife is from Boston, and can you imagine Alonso hitting in Fenway? Casas at least gives the Twins a guy with a FUTURE. As good as Diaz is, I can't see him playing more than a couple years with him turning 35 next August. Diaz and Hoskins are just part of the never ending band-aids this FO has rolled through 1B. Hoskins is certainly an option. But he's one of the worst options out there.

I agree with tarheel. When you have a pitcher with the "stuff" that Zebby Matthews has, he shouldn't be getting hit at the rate he is. He needs to mix his pitches and change speeds more often. It's said he's got as many as 6 or 7 pitches. And with a fastball that averages 96/97 and hits 99 on occasion that's a good foundation to start with. Maybe Matthews needs to narrow his pitch selection to 4, dropping the 2 worst pitches he has. His fastball is a solid foundation. Focus on commanding it better, especially elevating it for strikeouts. You will get no argument from me that our defense is rather slow and unathletic. At least to begin the year, we can probably count on Lewis at 3B, Lee at SS and Keaschall at 2B. Buxton is solid in CF. Once some trades are made, I would expect our corner OF to look much better defensively in 2026 when Larnach is subtracted and Wallner, is either traded or playing DH on a full time basis. That still leaves the Twins lacking defensively at Catcher and 1B, so we will just have to see how the off season plays out. The formula has always been pretty simple for pitchers: Those that can command and effectively locate their pitches are successful. Those that consistently fall behind hitters, or make non competitive pitches at 0-2, 1-2, and 2-2 usually struggle. They are consistently...inconsistent. SWR really seemed to turn a corner in his last 3-4 starts. Matthews, Abel and Bradley all finished the season on a high note, giving Twins fans a glimpse of hope. It will also be very interesting to see once the Managerial hire is made, who this new Manager brings in as pitching coach and how he fills his staff. The right pitching coach could unlock the tremendous potential several of our young SP prospects possess.

Anyone who thinks there's been an overwhelming amount of "HATE" for Wallner should have read some of the posts regarding Kirk Cousins on Daily Norseman. Please, let's just stop with labeling anyone who would consider trading Wallner on TD a "HATER." It's over the top, and lazy. Wallner has decent value as evidenced by the 22.5 value assigned by BBTV. He has prodigious power...when he actually puts bat on ball. He's a poor fielding, lumbering RF with a cannon for an arm. He has strengths that could attract interest from any number of teams. He also has warts that could scare a lot of teams off as well. If the right trade was presented for the right player or players, I'd consider it. Wallner to the White Sox for Teel or Quero would fill a big void for the Twins behind the plate. But a major reason the Twins could consider trading him other than the potential return is who we have coming up from the minor leagues. We have depth there, with guys that play the same position as Wallner (and play it much better). They're younger and more athletic. Having Wallner exclusively DH might be a good plan. Rooker showed absolutely no capability of becoming the player he has. He was 27 when we traded him to the A's and he did very little to show he should have been kept. Wallner will be 29 this next season. How much do those 2 years factor in? Wallner could turn things around and become "Rooker Part II." But that's why he could bring a solid young catcher back or even a very intriguing young pitcher like Jared Jones (if he's healthy). We currently have a LOT of young pitchers with potential, so it's debatable if that's our biggest need. But if Jones were to regain his health, with the price of solid pitching in baseball today, that would be a big win for the Twins.

Seeing the highlights on TD of this kid fielding is a real treat. The defensive wizardry is REAL. He looks to have all the tools...range, arm, agility. I just don't want to see the Twins mess with him like Austin Martin. Martin came out of Vandy as a great contact hitter, good base runner and able to work a walk. His power was deemed to be insufficient. I'm not sure if the Blue Jays tried to change his swing and approach, but there's no doubt the Twins did. It wasn't until Martin went back to what worked best to him that he became a viable major league prospect. Martin was never going to be a 15 HR guy. Houston, ironically, is also a Vandy product. He comes to the Twins as a Gold Glove caliber SS. His hit tool and profile is very similar to Martin. I say just let the kid be who he is. I'd have no problem if Houston was a 5-10 HR HR guy but hit .280 with an OBP of .360-.380, hit 30 doubles and stole 20 bases. THAT'S who I think and hope he is. I think Houston's FLOOR is that of Mark Belanger, the ancient Orioles SS. The Orioles had the lineup to make Belanger a comfortable #8 hitter, but those Oriole pitching staffs LOVED having him backing them up. Culpepper is an excellent prospect with exciting potential. But if the Twins somehow WIN the draft lottery and we add Roch Cholowsky, it's possible that Culpepper becomes the 3rd best fielding SS the Twins would have in their system. In that scenario...let the best man win !! That would be quite an exciting future IF with Roch at 3B, Houston at SS and Culpepper at 2B. Add the defense that Jenkins and E-Rod could be providing in the OF (with an aging Buxton in LF) and the Twins could transform from a defense of DH-types to something truly exciting. Even if we don't end up with Roch, having a defensive wiz like Houston and a solid prospect like Culpepper is reason enough to be excited for the future.

At some point the Twins need to give Bradley, Matthews and Abel the innings needed to turn the corner to becoming a solid MLB pitcher. Frank Viola needed it, Bert Blyleven needed it, Dave Boswell needed it. As DJL44 said quite succinctly, "their time in AAA is over." Bailey Ober is an ASSET. One lost season is not going to cost him the value he still has as a 30 year old pitcher with a solid track record and attractive affordability especially when he was mentioned as a "Dark Horse Cy Young candidate" coming into the 2025 season. His BBTV of 16.6 is not as high as it once was, but that value would be more than enough to trade even up for White Sox 22 year old Catcher Edgar Quero (14.6). Quero is already an excellent defensive catcher. He hit .268 in 111 games and 365 AB's as a rookie. He only hit 5 HR's and his OPS was only .689 but he showed a lot of promise. He played 72 games at Catcher and another 29 at DH. If the Twins wanted to go for broke, they could offer Ober (16.6) and Jeffers 8.1) to the White Sox for 23 year old Catcher Kyle Teel (24.8). Teel is not quite as good as Quero defensively, but still better than Jeffers by a mile. Teel is the better hitter at this point, hitting .277 in 297 PA with an excellent .375 OBP and .786 OPS. Teel hit 8 HR's last season. The Twins also wouldn't be under the pressure to pay Jeffers more than they'd like. If the Twins did this, they could re-sign Vasquez for $2 million per season for 2 years giving the Twins a solid bridge until Tait and/or Enrique Jimenez are ready. With Teel and Quero so young, in addition to prospects like Tait and Jimenez, the Twins catching situation would be solid for years to come. I just don't see a scenario where Ryan, Lopez and Ober are all on the Twins to begin the 2026 season. I think they are selling too low on Pablo Lopez, so the highest chance of a trade where solid value could be realized in return rests with Ryan and Ober.

I will also add that one of the biggest flaws in BBTV is how obviously GREAT players are evaluated. As NYCTK pointed out, Skubal and Skenes are clearly the best SP's in baseball and they will be for quite a few more years. They are at a level above everyone else. Yet, BBTV has Skubal valued at 51.6 (his high that I can remember this year was 68.6). Joe Ryan's high at one point was 73. Ryan finished the season with a value of 47. Even with a few more years of control and relatively cheap prices for Ryan, there is no way Ryan should ever have been valued higher than Skubal. There is NO circumstance where that is possible. I cannot envision Skubal NOT winning his 2nd straight A.L. Cy Young award. Yet somehow, he went from a value of 68.6 to a value of 51.6 at the end of his season. How is it possible to LOSE value when in all probability he defends his CY Young Award.?? Would Sandy Koufax have fallen in value in 1966 after winning the Cy Young in 1965?? I think there is a VERY HIGH probability that the Tigers are never going to come close to paying Skubal. He will be a Met or a Dodger or Yankee or Philly either sometime this off season or certainly sometime in 2027. This is just how baseball's economics are structured at this time. Maybe a prolonged strike prior to the 2027 season will solve this problem but I'm not sure. The Tigers are going to HAVE to trade Skubal at some point and it's going to feel a LOT like it did for the Twins after the 2007 season Johan Santana) for the Tigers.

This was in response to an earlier comment by NYCTK.

Well, I'd just point out that you're saying after 8 starts and 48 innings pitched, that Nolan McLean is already an established major league SP. I think that statement is a little shaky. I could counter with "The Mets won't trade McLean because they don't want to repeat a previous mistake with a pitcher whose first name was "NOLAN." That might be absurd as well. I was very VERY impressed with McLean's debut. And I will be surprised if the Mets trade him. But Joe Ryan has 46 career WINS (as opposed to 48 career INNINGS) and 641 career innings. I stand by my point of view that unless McLean is a part of the package for Joe Ryan there will be no further discussion. It would also be interesting to see teams like the Phillies, Cubs and a few others profiled as well.

Of all the candidates mentioned so far, I also like Vasquez the most. He's young and affordable, but also multi-lingual and he's got some managerial experience. I'd love the idea of Nelson Cruz as the hitting coach. I think he would benefit from being a hitting coach FIRST before jumping head-first into managing. I'd love Tori Hunter as the OF coach and 3B coach. But I wonder how "committed" Tori would be. I'd offer him the 3B Coach/OF Coach job and based on his response, gauge his overall commitment. Guys like Rowson and Shelton are just taking the lazy way out by trying to rekindle 307 HR "Bomba Squad" days. Those days are long gone. Would Punto be interested in coaching Twins infielders and 1B or 3B? He's not my manager yet, but I'd start with him as a coach on the staff, just like Cruz and Hunter.

I agree Hubie. I would take McLean straight up. Baseball Trade Values be damned !!

I'm with jorgenswest on this. There is no conversation with the Mets unless McLean is in the deal. I had the opportunity to see the 24 year old McLean pitch on MLB Network 2 times this past season and I was IMPRESSED. He was easily the most intriguing pitching prospect I saw this past season. (and there were some really interesting pitching prospects). It was a very small sample size and I'm sure there will be some ups and downs as he establishes himself in MLB. The Mets need to win NOW. Ryan is a proven MLB pitcher. He's an All Star who looks like he still has some room to get even better. "Normally" the Mets would never part with a pitching prospect like McLean. But the pressure to win NOW and (hopefully) a Twins FO that is firm that McLean is in the deal would get things done. Jett Williams is ready for the majors but he's blocked by Lindor. I imagine he'd have to play 2B or CF. I'm more interested in Mark Vientos. He's 25 years old. In 2024 he blasted 27 HR's for the Mets. Nagging injuries brought that down to 17 last year, but he's got legit power. His 2024 OPS was .837. In 2025 it fell to .702. He's primarily a 3B but has played a little at 1B. He could be our 1B/DH and also provide some Royce Lewis insurance at 3B. Plus, with Culpepper and Houston on the way (and hopefully Roch Cholowsky) we don't need a SS in this trade. My trade would be: Ryan (47.0 BBTV) for McLean (21.6) Vientos (11.6) and Jonah Tong (12.6) Total 45.8. McLean rides into spring training as our #2 SP behind Lopez. This opens up a potential Baily Ober trade with a rotation of Lopez, McLean, Bradley, SWR and Matthews. Tong provides depth but with his fastball/change up, 2-pitch mix, he could be a pretty good BP piece. I still say the Twins need to spend some cash and sign a veteran FA Closer, but arms like Tong, Festa and Prielipp and maybe Abel in the BP is a good start on rebuilding the pen. I think any trade involving Ryan should include some pitching prospect with the potential to replace him. That could be McLean from the Mets, Painter from the Phillies or Tolle from the Red Sox. What I like about the Mets as a trade partner is that it gives the Twins a potential All Star SP in McLean, a position player in Vientos who adds power to the lineup and might just be the answer at 1B (or certainly DH) and it still gives the Twins another arm like Tong. Yes, there is no Catcher coming back to the Twins. But this kind of trade allows the Twins to dangle Baily Ober and maybe get that Catcher. Ober (16.6 value) straight up for the White Sox Edgar Quero (14.6) at least on paper and in perceived value gets the Twins a Catcher for NOW and the FUTURE.

This will be our primary and hottest topic this entire off season. It's really hard to get a handle on what the Twins will or won't do regarding Wallner, Larnach, Jeffers, a veteran Closer or any other potential FA signing until the questions of Ryan and Lopez are resolved. I don't think there is a poster on TD who doesn't like watching Ryan or Lopez pitch when they are healthy and "on their game." A true strength of the Twins is having Lopez and Ryan at the top of their starting rotation. Not many teams can boast having 2 guys with that kind of talent at the top of their rotation. Good starting pitching remains the single most sought after commodity in major league baseball. Even better than that is AFFORDABLE good starting pitching. "Affordable" is fluid, because if it's "GOOD" it won't be "affordable" for long. As has been pointed out, the Twins do not have to trade either Ryan or Lopez. For that reason, the expected return for either should be outstanding. But the decision of which one to trade is crystal clear. One would be traded at close to "peak value" while the other would be traded at the lowest I've ever seen him valued. We've discussed Baseball Trade Values several times. I'll admit, there are times I see valuations of players, where I see a precipitous drop or huge gain, and I can somewhat understand a raising or lowering, but maybe not as extreme as the site suggests. Ryan going from a value of 73 down to 47 is one of them. Yes, his 2nd half wasn't stellar, but there is still his age, affordability and talent. From 73 I could see a value of about 65-66. That's the lowest Ryan should be. Pablo Lopez on the other hand is under contract at about $22 million per year for 2026 & 2027. When he pitched this year he was VERY good. He did have to battle thru some injuries but none of them are career threatening. Pablo is also 29 years old, yet his "value" is only 7.3. To put this into context, the latest value I've seen for Baily Ober is 16.6. That's more than double Lopez and Ober STRUGGLED this season. Given the choice, I'd rather keep Lopez and trade Ober. The Twins have Bradley, Matthews, SWR, Abel, and Prielipp. I'm not counting Festa because I think it's clear his 2026 will be spent in the BP. There is also LHP Kendy Rojas and Marco Raya at St. Paul. There is certainly depth in their rotation candidates. The 47.0 to 7.3 value advantage Ryan has over Lopez makes Ryan the clear choice to return a solid major league hitter and additional value on top of that. The Twins would be selling HIGH on Ryan. But something that jumps out to me is the value Baily Ober still carries. If he's at 16.6 on October 16th, his value isn't going to change much between now and the Winter Meetings. I for one have never been a Ryan Jeffers fan. His catching ability is below average and his bat is overrated (In my opinion). Jeffers holds a value of 8.1. If I could acquire a younger, better catcher who also hits better than Jeffers, I could see trading Jeffers rather than signing him to a pricey extension. I'd love to see an Ober (16.6) trade to the White Sox for Edgar Quero (14.6). Ober gives the White Sox stability in their rotation with a vet arm and the Twins get a Catcher that can play 100-120 games per season. The other deal to consider: Wallner (22.5) and Ober (16.6) for Kyle Teel (24.8) and relief pitcher Jordan Leasure (7.8) Twins are trading 39.1 of value and are receiving 32.6 so maybe the White Sox throw something else in, but I may take that deal straight up. Either Teel or Quero gives the Twins a solid major league Catcher who can play 100-120 games behind the plate for years to come. They are both better Catchers than Ryan Jeffers will ever be. Having Teel or Quero with Tait and Jimenez coming within 2-3 years allows the Twins to sign Vasquez for 1-2 years at $2.5 million per year. With a young durable catcher like Teel/Quero and a lot of young SP in the rotation, I think retaining Vasquez at a price significantly lower than $10 million makes sense for the next 1-2 years. Even if he can't hit himself out of a paper bag. Like most of us, I wish I had more confidence in our current president of Baseball Operations to make the shrewd kind of trades to restructure the talent on our MLB roster. But if you would allow for a trade of Ryan to the Red Sox and Wallner & Ober to the White Sox you could have the rough equivalent of the following without even considering what you could get for Jeffers. Lopez, Bradley, Matthews, SWR, Abel, Payton Tolle, Prielipp (rotation candidates). Bullpen: Leasure, Funderburk, Sands, Lawyerson, Festa, Topa, Coulombe and Ryan Helsley($7.5 Million) Lineup: C Teel 1B Casas 2B Keaschall 3B Lewis SS Lee LF Martin CF Buxton RF Wlyer Abreu DH Yandy Diaz (via trade $12 million) Bench: Vasquez, Clemens, Roden. Guys like Walker Jenkins, Culpepper, E-Rod if they show out in spring training and continue to play well at St. Paul would be just a phone call away. At some point, the Twins are going to rely on all this young SP they have from their own system and trades. There is a lot of potential and a lot of doubt. But the lineup is woefully insufficient and the fielding is sub par. New bats in the form of Abreu, Teel, Diaz and Casas as well as Keaschall and a bounce back Lewis make the lineup potentially far more productive with better and harder contact. Buxton staying healthy is always a key. If he's healthy, he WILL produce. Jenkins in particular could inject some dynamic offense and defense into the lineup. There is opportunity waiting to be realized with the right kinds of trades for the right kind of return.

The 1B for Tampa Bay going forward is Johnathon Arranda. Yandy Diaz is pretty much a DH for the Rays at this point. Diaz is listed as the FOURTH string 1B on their depth chart. I'm not sure Tampa wants to pay a DH $12 million a year. For "most" MLB teams $12 million is a reasonable expense. For Tampa Bay, I would think it's an extravagance. But I would love to see the Twins find a way to trade for Diaz. He's 33 years old but had a really solid year at the plate last year. I think he's still got 2 good years in him. I'd want him to be the Twins primary DH who would play 1B a couple times a week. Maybe log 40 or so starts at 1B. While Naylor or Pete Alonso would be the most "impactful" signings, the Twins need to be smart and economical in filling 1B so they have enough money to bring in a Helsley or Williams type of vet to be our Closer. Andujar is an interesting name, and aside from his tremendous 2018 with the Yankees he finally showed signs of being a solid hitter again last year. But he's only played SEVEN games at 1B in his CAREER. Only 4 of those were starts. He's more a shaky LF and primarily a DH. I think he'd be a bit too much of a risk. 2026 is the immediate issue, but I'd LOVE to know what our esteemed brain trust has planned for 2027 and beyond. The configuration of our IF could look radically different if a couple guys keep developing and we end up with the #1 overall pick in July. Brooks Lee has the biggest bullseye on his back. Presumably, he'll enter 2026 as the starting SS. But some of that depends on what trades the Twins make this off season and who we get in return. It also matters that the Twins currently have 2 excellent SS prospects in Culpepper and Marek Houston and would add a "Bobby Witt Lite" SS in Roch Cholowsky if they win the #1 overall pick. All this points to a short life for Brooks Lee as a Twins SS. Even if Lee improves to begin 2026, his time at SS is ending soon. The idea he could be a Utility Guy with the ability to cover all 4 IF positions is interesting. He might be more useful as a trade chip with the talent coming up behind him. Even with Royce Lewis moving better at 3B, his future could very well be at 1B. For 2026, I'm leaving him at 3B and maybe for several more seasons. I really think it's high time the Twins make some moves to shore up 1B. Bringing back a 40 year old Carlos Santana is NOT the answer. Trying to jam the square peg into a round hole (trying Wallner and/or Larnach there) is not the answer. In a make believe world, I'd just sign Alonso and bat him cleanup. Unfortunately, we Twins fans live in the real world. I would trade for Yandy Diaz. The cost would NOT be prohibitive and I think Tampa will look at the $12-million for a primary DH as not cost effective. I would also trade Joe Ryan to the Red Sox and get Tristan Casas as a throw in for the overall package. Diaz and Casas are not quality fielding 1B. Their forte is hitting. But between the 2 of them the Twins would upgrade 1B & DH, a big step toward getting a better lineup. And at least both Diaz and Casas are actually 1B, as opposed to Wallner, Larnach or even Andujar. The Twins just don't have a 1B prospect close to being major league ready. That guy was supposed to be Sabato (maybe even Rooker). In 2-3 years they "might" have a 1B prospect but waiting until 2028 is not an option.

Keep these reports coming Jamie !! They make for interesting reading. I wonder if a few of these hitters could also be picked with comp picks at the end of round #1 or in the 2nd or 3rd round as well. It will be interesting to see how some of these guys do in 2026 and what the Twins plan is for drafting in 2026. If the Twins are lucky enough to end up with #1 overall, and they pick Roch Chololsky, how will that affect what their plan would be for rounds #2-#4?

This is a topic that certainly needs to be addressed and will be, at least several more times throughout this winter. The Twins FO burned their BP to the ground at the deadline. But they do have some interesting options. First and foremost, I agree that the Twins will need to spend for at least TWO veteran arms this off season. The most important will be in convincing a veteran arm (Helsley, Williams, Yates...?) to sign a pillow contract to be our Closer to rebuild their value. EACH of these guys has been a dominant Closer MULTIPLE times throughout their careers, yet found himself not Closing at all after the deadline, or in the case of Yates, all season. If one of these guys could be signed for 2-years, even better. The next key guy for next season's BP is David Festa. I wouldn't compare him to Duran as much as I would Jax. But either is a valid comparison. Festa's stuff is NASTY. But he can't stay healthy. The Twins should commit to putting him in the pen for the next two seasons. I would start Festa out in the 7th inning and allow him to bully his way into the 8th inning set-up job if he earns it. Yes, he could very well be a future All Star type Closer, but this is why a vet is needed for at least 2026. Give Festa the time to grow into his role. Connor Prielipp: He's 25 and like ALL young Twins pitchers just can't seem to stay healthy. But the glimpses of wipeout stuff have ALWAYS been there. Have him (and Festa) start preparing for one inning bullpen roles this off season. It is not etched in stone that a pitcher cannot slide back into a starting role once a few years of BP dominance has been achieved. MLB has had more than a few guys do it in just the last 3 years. For guys with wipeout "STUFF" Festa and Prielipp MUST be given BP opportunities in 2026. We have more than enough rotation depth/candidates at this time. (Side Note: I have to get my annual Matt Canterino Rosary out right now as well). "STUFF" is impressive. "STUFF" is undeniable. It's never a bad thing to possess as a pitcher. But many guys who have "STUFF" are just "throwers." They aren't "pitchers." Cody Lawyerson strikes me as a "pitcher." To me this is something that can never be underrated. I for one, want to see him get a solid opportunity to earn a BP spot. When everybody coming out of the pen throws 98-100mph, I think it's nice to have a "change of pace" guy like Lawyerson who seems to me to be a guy who just knows how to pitch. There are some attractive options to consider in a Twins BP rebuild, and I didn't even mention someone like Marco Raya, who seems to have been destined for the BP his entire minor league career with outings capped at 40 pitches. They need ONE solid vet Closer to provide stability at the end of games. They have several options. It should really be the Twins #1 priority this off season because I don't think they can effectively rebuild the BP until they have one. Once they check this box, they can focus on trading Joe Ryan and reshaping their lineup and defense.