TopGunn#22

Absolutely bring Nellie back ! And give him 2-years to boot. He's far and away our best hitter. His next contract will be his last. TRADE SANO ! It's already time for Kiriloff, Rooker and Larnach and it's pretty darn near the time for Royce Lewis. Sano, Rosario, possibly Polanco, Romo, May, Adrianza, Marwan, Avila, possibly Clippard (possibly not), and more should be traded or DFA'd. We can revise our payroll and move foward.

wabene, we fumbled the Wheeler deal by simply being out bid. By writing "fumbling" I may have chosen a poor descriptor. Wheeler was pretty good this year, so I would have liked to have had him. If Bauer is serious about one-year deals, there is no long term risk. I'd love to see him fronting our rotation. ashbury, You are CORRECT ! Rosario is probably not a good fit for the red Sox, but Sano at 1B in Fenway has to be tempting for the Red Sox and Polanco as their SS replacement would be needed. So if it's Sano and Polanco what if anything else would be needed in the way of minor league talent ??? Polanco has been a pretty steady hitter so far, but this year his hips were flying open and he was stepping in the bucket so badly on many swings I just couldn't figure out if he just wouldn't listen to any coaching. If he can't get back to being "Polanco" I'd rather move him and either bring in Jose Iglesias or go all in for a major upgrade like Bogaerts. He's making BIG bucks with Boston so the Twins would need to be willing to go with a lot of youth in Kiriloff, Rooker, Larnach Jeffers and others to absorb Bogaerts salary, and that would also be a big benefit to the r\Red Sox.

1. I thinks Rosario will be gone and if we can get anything for him fine, but with Kiriloff, Rooker and Larnach knocking on the door it's time to move on and employ financial resources elsewhere. 2. Utility---I'd like to see Lewis get an opportunity. He may not be ready, but he gives the Twins more and in more areas than they currently have. He can play SS, 2B & 3B and more importantly CF. He's FAST. So he's that late inning pinch runner if you need it. He may not be completely ready offensively, but what did we get from Cave, Adrianza, Marwan et. all this year?? .200 batting averages with embarrassing OBP's and slugging. We can do better. I like Blankenhorn as a replacement as well. 3. Rotation---Rosario will be gone, Sano should be discussed at length, may other players will not be back ($18 million for Odorizzi). So they have Maeda, Berrios, Pineda. I'd look at another affordable one-year deal for Hill. He'll be 41. He spends some time on the I.L. But when he's out there he's pretty reliable. There is also Dobnak. But I would like to see the twins use $30-million to get Trevor Bauer to front our rotation. If he's serious about one-year deals going forward, the team has zero long term risk. If we fumble Bauer (like we did Zach Wheeler) then take a run at James Paxton. 4. Cruz. Gotta keep him. He's simply the most professional hitter we have and even though he faded down the stretch he STILL was the only hitter who showed up in the postseason. He will need more rest than usual and will miss stretches but we simply have to keep him. BP---Rogers, Duffey, Wisler, Alcala, Stashek. There's 5 of 7. Colina and Chalmers are strong possibilities. They are young power arms. Romo is gone. Clippard is fairly dependable but is not overpowering. May is tantalizing, a power arm, but someone will over-pay for him and I'm tired of being frustrated by his inconsistency. I would prioritize a RH arm that has been a closer. Rogers had a miserable year, but I think he's talented. The RH'er could form a compliment to Rogers closing, or just take the closer job and leave Rogers to late inning-high leverage situations. Lastly, I'm going to propose a TRADE. Is Boston serious able listening to offers for Xander Bogaerts ??? How about some combination of Polanco, Rosario, Sano, minor league talent ? Sano could play 1B, Rosario RF...this would be a way for the Red Sox to contend more quickly. Bogaerts would probably cost more than the combined salaries of whoever we give up, but would any of us be disappointed with having Bogaerts at SS ?? Something to explore. If we don't do that, sign Jose Iglesias. He's a very good glove at SS and his hitting has improved.

As a Twins fan growing up, Al Worthington was the first Twins "Fireman" I remember, but Ron Perronoski was the first I remember being really good. His 1969 and 1970 seasons were very good with him leading the way in 1969 and teaming with another former Dodger, Stan Williams in 1970. He's also the Dodgers pitching coach credited with molding Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser into the dominant pitchers they were. Perranoski didn't have overpowering stuff (and neither did Hershiser or Fernando, but Perronoski "knew' how to pitch and he instilled that in both Hershiser and Fernando. It's been a tough year for a guy my age and players I admired as a kid passing. Just off the top of my head: Bob Gibson & Lou Brock, Gale Sayers, Tom Seaver and Al Kaline, Ron Perranoski, and I know I'm leaving several out. Prayers to those that have passed, their families and their friends.

Whoops ! Listed Wisler twice in the bullpen. (Darn Math !!). Doesn't change my overall outlook for the bullpen. Keep stacking up power arms that are young (ala the Royals in their back to back World series years). We've got talented young arms to unleash. Do it.

1. Eddie won't be back. It will be addition by subtraction. I would hope they could get something for him in a trade, but if not, let him go and make way for Kiriloff/Rooker. 10+ million saved. 2. Utility---Royce Lewis. it's time. He's also the RH bat 4th OF'er type that the team needs. He could play SS, CF, 3B and 2B. I like Travis Blankenhorn as well. These guys replace Marwan and Adrianza. However, I also like the idea of looking into a guy like Jose Iglesias. Good glove at SS (massive defensive upgrade from Polanco) and his bat has improved the last 2-years. I've said this in another post, but if Boston is really considering moving Bogaerts make a deal. Sano and Polanco for Bogaerts ?? Sano's bat in Fenway has to be tempting for the Red Sox, especially after they move on from JD Martinez. Polanco slots in at SS or 2B for Boston. Bogaerts would cost move than Sano and Rosario combined but if you're looking to bring up a LOT of our young talent we could afford it. Who wouldn't want Bogaerts instead of Polanco ??? 3. Rotation: Maeda, Berrios, Pineda, (Hill or Dobnak). Not a bad start. How would Trevor Bauer or James Paxton look in this rotation ? If we swung a deal for Bogaerts maybe this wouldn't be possible. But...maybe not. If we go out and get a Bauer or Paxton, somebody PLEASE tell Rocco not to take either out of the game after 5 innings, 80 pitches, zero or one run allowed and 8 or 9 K's !!! 4. Cruz. Any cost for Nellie is short term. You gotta have him back. He's our only truly professional hitter. He will need more frequent rest, but you have a wealth of young hitters who could get added AB's by rotating them through the DH. 5. Bullpen: Duffey, Rogers, Wisler, Theilbar, Stashek, Wisler, Alcala. That's 7 out of 8 guys. Bullpens are notoriously inconsistent year to year but 7 out of 8 spots look good "today.' I like May's power arm but he's getting more somewhere else and frankly, I'm tired of the frustration. Romo and Clippard are guys who get by on guile, I'd rather take a chance on a power arm like Colina or Chalmers. But I'd also look at a RH guy that can close---Liam Hendricks?? I want someone I can count on in the 9th inning for 2021. Taylor Rogers needs to prove it to me all year in 2021. Hendricks closing and Rogers in the 7th or 8th is something I like.

Lots of interesting discussion and speculation. My 2-cents: I'd look for more of a re-tool (after all we've won the division 2 years running). But not a "light" re-tool. I'd be aggressive. They need to create a pathway for younger, affordable players like Kiriloff, Rooker and Larnach. The idea of trading Sano to an NL team to be their DH is an excellent start. There is no denying he has tremendous power, but for me his AB's are just too "all or nothing--inconsistent." The same with Rosario. Moving Sano and Rosario while replacing them with Kiriloff and Rooker frees up up payroll and actually benefits the lineup with a couple of hitters who would look to have more consistently effective AB's. The unknown here is what could you get for each of these guys ? SP's ? RP's ? Other prospects ? That's speculation that will manifest itself more once the cold winter months are upon us. But moving on from Sano and Rosario are moves which not only must be contemplated, but eventually executed. Cruz MUST be brought back. He's the only truly professional hitter we have. We simply cannot be out bid for him if the feelings are mutual that he'd like to come back. Moving on from Sano & Rosario helps you sweeten the pot for Nellie. However, he's going to need more rest and he will probably have an injury or two, so Donaldson, Kepler, Kiriloff, Rooker etc...all need to be ready to DH as well. Buxton is vexing. The talent and importance to the Twins is obvious. But they need a RH 4th OF'er to guard against the inevitable. Kevin Pillar is a good suggestion and many here have mentioned him before. Perhaps there are a couple other, similar players. Polanco REALLY took a step back this year. I like the idea of a glove-first guy like Iglesias (who has become a better than average hitter). Is Boston serious about moving on from X. Bogaerts ??? If so, package Polanco and make a deal, even if it means giving up a Larnach, Balazovic etc...in the process. Would anyone disagree that Bogaerts would be a massive upgrade ?? There is no way the Yankees let DJ LeMahieu go. He's just been waaaay too good and after all, they're the Yankees. Like Cruz staying in Minnesota DJ staying with the Yanks makes too much sense. That said, Arraez needs to be our 2B-man and leadoff hitter. He's DJ without the power. He's just what the lineup needs...a table setter. I like the prospect of a rotation with Maeda, Berrios, Pineda and possibly Rich Hill on another one-year deal. Hill will miss starts, but when he's on the mound, he's effective, and we have Dobnak and others to pick up the slack. BUT...how would that rotation look with Trevor Bauer at the top ??? He's going to cost $30-$35 million. How serious is Bauer about one-year deals from now on. I'd talk to him. With the injection of Kiriloff, Rooker, Jeffers, Alcala, Colina, maybe Duran, possibly Lewis and Larnach the team friendly deal of Kepler, the fact that Arraez is affordable for the next several years etc...the Twins can afford to go big for a guy like Bauer. He will have plenty of suitors after an NL CY Young award so I hope the Twins don't get out-bid in the end like they did for Wheeler. Finally Rocco. As good as he was when balls were flying out of the yard in 2019 he was frustratingly BAD in 2020...especially in the post season. Look, we don't go out and get a guy like Bauer if the manager says "Nice job Trevor, 5 innings, 80 pitches, zero runs and 9 strikeouts?? Go sit down, Cody Stasheck has this going forward.

I don't disagree with the idea of shaking things up. They should "consider" any of these possibilities. 1. Re-sign Cruz for two years. He's worth it. he's in great shape. Good grief, he was the only hitter they had in this playoff. 2. Sign Trevor Bauer and pay for it with the 18-million you will save from Odorizzi and then some. It may take $25-$30 million a year for Bauer. Bauer, Maeda, Berrios & Pineda would be a tremendous #1-#4. Figure out #5 & #6. 3. Explore trade possibilities for Rosario, Sano & BUXTON. It's time to move on from Eddie. It just is. Sano is SO wildly inconsistent. I thought 2019 he learned a lot from Cruz. In 2020 he showed he hadn't. Buxton is my controversial choice. He's a tremendous CF and his power seems to be emerging. Still, his SPEED is his #1 asset and he and Rocco can't figure out how to apply it. He's ALWAYS got something physically ailing him and it always affects his play and/or ability to get on the field. I'm ready to move on from Eddie and Sano, but I'd like to see what other teams would give up for Buxton. If I don't like it, he's my CF'er. If I do, Kepler is in CF, Rooker in LF and Kiriloff in RF. 4. Is Boston serious about trading Bogaerts ?? If so, I'd talk Polanco and others. Maybe Boston would be interested in Sano as well in a blockbuster. 5. The bullpen has pieces but May, Romo, Clippard etc...probably won't be back. This was a strange year. Maybe the Twins shouldn't "overreact." But as a fan I've seen the same crap out of Sano, Rosario, Polanco over and over again. You have 3 young emerging hitters in Kiriloff, Rooker and Larnach. They play corner OF spots and 1B. Moving Rosario and Sano opens up two of those spots. You can afford Bauer if you leverage the lower salaries of the rookies for a couple of years. Be bold this off season. Consider nearly EVERYTHING.

It's just been kind of an "off" year for Rogers. His stuff still looks nasty, but he just isn't finishing guys off like he did last year. I've been wondering for 3 weeks when Tyler Duffey would get a chance to close. He's got great stuff. I know they use him for high-leverage situations, but i'd like to see him close a couple of games out.

Interesting article, but I agree with with helgay, we didn't "develop Santana in our minor league system, but we sure as heck coached him to be the pitcher he was in the big leagues. With pitching, it's hard to compare "eras." There used to be 4-man staffs and guys threw 250-300 innings a year. Even with the great strikeout pitchers like Koufax, guys didn't strike out a lot of guys back then, it was more about "pitching" and not just "velocity." Check out the strikeout numbers for guys like Palmer, Marichal, Cueller, McNally, Tommy John, Catfish Hunter, Don Sutton, etc... they were "modest" compared to today's pitchers. Hitters weren't supposed to strike out.

There is no comparing the hit tool of Byron Buxton to Kiriloff or Larnach. Buxton has MANY wonderful talents, but the biggest question mark is putting the bat on the ball. There's no question Kiriloff and Larnach can put the bat on the ball...with authority. The Twins are who they're going to be THIS YEAR. They will not call up Kiriloff or Larnach this year. But in 2021 Eddie will be somewhere else and Kiriloff will be playing LF and MASHING !!

I think Doc Bauer made a lot of good points. I have a couple thoughts that are different but as usual, Doc's reasoning is solid. I also agree with Mike Link that Odorizzi taking the QO wasn't horrible for him. He obviously doesn't have an arm like say, Zach Wheeler (ask anyone on Twins Daily if we could wave a magic wand, who we would choose...hint...WHEELER). Because there are young arms the Twins are intrigued with, guys like May, Romo, Clippard, might be elsewhere next year. Odorizzi seems to be fairly dependable, but is there a trade in the off season in the works to bolster our starting pitching. If Rooker shows well, and he is so far, I still see an Eddie Rosario trade to add pitching. I then see Rooker and finally Kiriloff playing corner outfield and some 1B in a revamped roster. Sano moves to DH on days Cruz rests. (the Twins MUST sign Cruz to a 2-year deal. He's amazing, but more frequent rest could be necessary in the future). 2021 is time to get Nick Gordon up. But I agree with the general opinion that if the Twins can sign a number of these guys back to "team friendly" deals due to 2021 uncertainty then I think they will do the best they can to keep the band together.

Yeah, I agree. It's time to get Rooker up to the Big Club.

Mike, you're barking up the wrong tree. The split in the democratic party in 1948 was between supports of President Truman's military integration and those who rejected minorities in the armed forces. The Dixicrat party that resulted wwwstood for Jim Crow laws. The Dixicrats added a plank to their platform legalizing racial segregation. They were DEMOCRATS...not Republicans. The 1948 Republican National Committee Platform stated: Constant and effective insistence on the personal dignity of the individual and his right to complete justice without regard to race, creed or color is a fundamental American principle. We aim always to unite and to strengthen, never to weaken or divide." As the Dixicrats of 1948 worked for codified segregation, Republicans said ""We favor the abolition of the poll tax as a requisite to voting. We are opposed to the idea of racial segregation in the armed services of the United States." In 1964, 78% of congressional Democrats opposed passage of the Civil Rights Act (including Senator Robert Byrd of West Va. aa former KKK "Exalted Cyclops"). Of the "nay votes in the house, 74% came from Democrats. 82% of Republican Senators voted "Yea" for the Civil Rights Act. Only ONE of the 21 Democrats who voted against the in the Senate became a Republican. So much for the myth of the big switch. The better comparison is how far the democrats have moved since John F. Kennedy. Again, I say that jackie Robinson would have had nothing to do with Black Lives Matter. He would probably have had feelings similar to Jason Whitlock (outkick.com) or Herschall Walker.

Good stuff Indiana. Thanks for researching and sharing.

Baseball did indeed help break the color barrier. I type this wearing my Jackie Robinson T-Shirt and glancing at my framed 8 X 10 plaque of Jackie Robinson on the wall of my "sports den." But Baseball has no connection at all with Marxism and anti-American philosophy. Jackie Robinson wouldn't be advocating burning cities to the ground, many of them minority owned. Jackie Robinson wouldn't be demanding to defund police departments. I don't know what Larry Doby's thoughts on all this would be. But I know Jackie Robinson would not be a supporter of BLM, Antifa or any of this. Jackie was a lifelong Republican. Anybody that knows anything about Jackie Robinson would know this.

There's no way the Twins should include Lewis in that deal. Since Kiriloff and Larnach are duplicates of each other, one is probably going to have to be dealt at some time, and that's even after they trade Rosario.

Hill or Odorizzi could always come back for the right price (or not) but why not make a deal for someone like Trevor Bauer and even though he says he wants to sign only one-year contracts, see if you can get hi for 2 or 3 years. We've got the mashers, we've got a pretty good bullpen, so lets try to solidify the starting rotation with a frontline stud.

At this point another 2-year deal for Cruz is a no-brainer. Marwan and Adrianza are good for depth, but I can only see one of them coming back...if at all. May is a key piece in the bullpen but someone could pay him more than we're willing. Other than Balazovic, I don't see a LOT of prime starting pitching in the pipeline, but there are a LOT of bullpen options that could make it tough to bring back May. I really don't see a spot for Astudillo. We have catching prospects, infield prospects and outfield prospects that all have far more potential than him. It's not that he's bad, it's that there's more talent than he has on the way. I'd still like to see Kiriloff this year instead of Wade.

Babylon Bee to the T !!!

I'd like to see the Twins be active before the trade deadline. Dylan Bundy & Tommy LaStella from the Angels are interesting. Trevor Rosenthal as a RH closer compliment to Rogers is interesting. It's kind of maddening to see how long it's taking Donaldson to get back on the field. I have to believe at some point the offense will pick back up, but with Sano struggling, Buxton and Garver HURT and struggling and Kepler, Rosario, Arraez and others also struggling I'm not so sure. The one guy you can count on is Cruz...they better sign him to an extension SOON. What are some of the rumored deals we could be considering? Is Kiriloff close to a look ??/

I would take a chance on him. For some reason, things have just gone south on him the last couple years in Atlanta. Maybe a change of scenery would benefit him.

I'm 100% in the camp that Arraez should hit leadoff. Yes, he's not the fastest, but remember the Big Red Machine lineups of the 70's. Pete Rose wasn't faster than Joe Morgen, Bobby Tolan or Caesar Geronimo, but he hit leadoff (even though Morgen was an on-base machine as well and a far superior stolen base threat). My Twins Lineup: 1. Arraez He's an on-base machine. A tremendous table setter. 2. Donaldson Also great on-base to go with power. Still above average speed. 3. Cruz I'm a believer in your BEST hitter hitting #3. Cruz is our BEST. 4. Kepler Time for some LH power. Kepler keeps improving. Give him a chance to drive in 100+ 5. Polanco This is a more traditional spot for power, but Polanco is a very good hitter and gives us switch hit ability. He's kind of the glue to hold the entire lineup together. 6. Sano This is a traditional power spot and Sano is starting to show signs of being a monster. 7. Rosario At times I've had Eddie 8th, but I think #7 fits for him. Gives us a LH power bat behind Sano 8. Garver ridiculously low for Garve-Sauce, I know. I expect him to be close to what he did last year but Garver hitting 8th lets us plug Avila into the 8-hole when Mitch takes a break. 9. Buxton Ever since he arrived in the big leagues I've wanted Buck to hit leadoff. Arraez is just better suited, and Buck in the 9-hole as has been stated before, with Arraez behind him gives Buck a chance to RUN. A LOT more than he has so far in his career. Straight steals and hit-and-run action with Buxton and Arraez is exciting baseball. That's my lineup. Guys like Kiriloff, Lewis, Larnach and Rooker could make this exercise even MORE interesting.

If baseball can actually begin, play through the season and have a complete post-season...here's what I'm excited about: Josh Donaldson as a Twin. He's the Jewel of the off-season. A healthy Byron Buxton. (OH BOY) Can Kepler & Polanco replicate and even improve upon last season. also Arraez !!) Berrios. Is this the year he steps up?? Our Bullpen. It could be one of the Twins best ever. There are literally TONS of things to look forward to. These are a few of mine. Just watching baseball will be fun. The Dodgers, Yankees, Astros and I think the the Oakland A's will be very good teams. I like the Reds in an upset in the N.L. Central.

I'm very excited about the potential of this bullpen. The Twins have had some really good bullpen's in the past...2009 with Nathan the closer comes to mind. but this crew looks to be REALLY solid.Power arms, nasty sliders, it is really one of the best in the majors.