kab21

350 AB's is a pretty small sample size especially considering inconsistent playing time.

Vargas has his flaws (nearly zero defensive value or flexibility) but he has shown a pretty good ability to hit the ball at all levels. He doesn't possess the upside of Sano or even Kepler but there are several paths that lead to him being a .800 or even .850 OPS DH. I certainly am willing to start him 5 games/wk to see what the Twins have. Especially if the other option is a scrap heap pickup or Park (whom I think has fairly decent potential also but is 30 years old).

My thoughts on Park (and the other subtractions) is that he would be a great waiver claim for the Twins rosters at various points in the last decade (lacking a power hitting DH or really anything resembling a DH). Right now the Twins have Vargas and also Palka to fill the role and still some uncertainty regarding if Sano can stick at 3B. Too many guys that should be playing DH on the team. I was really hoping that he would stick though because I live in Asia and root for any Asian player to make it with the Twins so I can start seeing the locals wearing Twins apparel.

I am against moving Santana simply because he won't be here in 2 years and before then he might fall off in performance. I am 100% for adding a prospect that would rank in the #75-100 range overall and in the Twins top 5 for him because of those two reasons. I don't like it when teams (like the 76er's) make their team as bad as possible for no reason but adding another very good prospect is exactly what this team needs.

And this is the reality. The bright future of this article will likely result in 2 good starters at best. That is great except that it leaves 3 more rotation spots. And that is why the Twins should be adding as many decent to good to great pitching prospects as they can. Someone mentioned that the Twins had enough good but not great pitching prospects in another thread and only cared if the Twins were able to trade for a legit front of the rotation arm. I disagree.

It seemed to be swept under the rug if that is what you mean by over. Fortunately/Unfortunately social media has been exposing things exactly like this and blowing them up. A video of a girl being gangbanged by ten men and supposedly saying stop on the video can instantly turn into the next Ray Rice/AP/Brock Turner disaster. The UM has chosen not to be on the 'didn't do enough' side. They might have handled this poorly due to the team threatening to boycott but this story is just starting I am afraid.

Perhaps amazing how the difference of there being a videotape or not can change the course of lives but participating in a 10 on 1 gangbang with a girl that was not enjoying it is not a little moment.

Nobody is telling anyone how to have sex. The biggest part of this is that you definitely shouldn't videotape yourself doing it. And don't engage in acts that are WAY out of the norm. And during those acts ignore a girl that apparently has said stop at some point. What seems to have occurred in that video (I have no interest in watching it) is 100% not acceptable. And just because they aren't charging the players doesn't mean that they can't face university disciplinary action. There are a lot of things that aren't illegal that can lead to university dismissal or probation.

No, these players are representing an organization. And that organization is a university. They can be held to a higher standard and that is not a bad precedent. There is nothing wrong with releasing all of these players from their scholarships and cutting them loose. From the sounds of it - they were videotaped in a 10 on 1 gangbang and that is completely not cool for the vast majority of parents and the young adults potentially attending the school. The situation that is not a problem is if they are able to keep this kind of stupidity secret. I am certain that all kinds of stuff like this is going on but nobody knows about it.

Actually there is pressure. It is very difficult to match team need, trade chip availability and willingness to make the big trade for a player at a specific position. The Dodgers are that match and it is unknown if another team will match up before next offseason at which point he will be a one year rental player. In addition to that Dozier is notorious for being streaky. He could have a cold start and his value could be lower at the deadline even if his overall yearly stat line ends up at 3-4 WAR. But the Twins have to get a good deal for him. They can't just auction him off and take the best deal. Deleon and Bellinger would be a great deal because at the end of the day this is going to look like a more prospect rich version of the Span trade (Dozier is a better player). That one of course didn't work out but getting two top prospects would be great to balance the risk.

It was kind of unfortunate timing for this article since it was published the day of the Castro signing but it is a pretty good article. After the Castro signing I think the Twins are in a solid place with their catching depth. Castro will be the starter and Garver or Murphy will compete for the backup position. If either plays well then Castro's playing time could be reduced from 75% of the starts down to 60%. Garver certainly has the upside of being an average or better catcher though which hasn't been said (or even considered) about any catcher since Mauer moved. He has potential with the bat and the reviews of his defense are mixed. I wish he had caught more games during his development though.

I see Grossman as Gene Larkin. He isn't great but that is why he is a bench bat. And I can definitely live with a .350 OBP and a little pop from a backup. I am of the opinion that a player like Palka should be up in a starting role or in the minors until a starting role opens up. It doesn't bother me if Grossman sits for 4 or 5 straight days with just 1 PH appearance. He isn't developing whereas the younger bats need playing time.

Stuart Turner is the surprise for me on this list. the Twins have no catching depth. I have always been a pessimist about Turner though. He kept getting mentioned as promising catching prospect but he has never been able to hit. Still he could have been a 30+ game backup or emergency depth when an inevitable injury happens. lol at the Danny Santana comments. Why couldn't he be remotely competent hitter? His IF/OF up the middle versatility is quite useful on a roster with 4 bench players but he just can't hit.

Plouffe was a streaky hitter (similar to Dozier) that just didn't get a hot streak last year. I think he will be a good pickup for a team with a 3B hole but he just didn't have a place to play on the Twins. With this move the Twins have confidence that Sano is healthy (his elbow) and capable of playing 4-5 times/wk at 3B and a day or two at DH. In addition unless Dozier is traded Escobar/Polanco are a solid backup option at 3B. I hope Plouffe finds a great situation and does well but it was time to see what Sano can or cannot do. I would disagree that Vargas's 4th option year opens the door for Park at DH. Park has options also and it will be a competition that Vargas is currently leading. This FO doesn't have a vested interest in Park's contract and needing to make it look good.

Video game trade ideas are trading everyone on the roster for exactly what you want. The board is upset that Suzuki, Plouffe, Kintzler and Brian $#%^^%#$^#$^ Duensing weren't traded at the deadline. It also seems like the Twins are going to be able to get exactly what they want for Santana and Dozier. I can almost guarantee that the only suitable trade package for one of them (if not both of them) won't include a MLB ready starter. This team needs to take talent first and worry about positions second.

So what is your alternative? Sign an overpriced mediocre FA because the FA market sucks? There is also only one significant trade chip that the Twins have (Dozier). The Twins are in this position because they haven't hit on any significant successes on pitching prospects. This changes if the Twins hit on 2 or more of Berrios, May, Gonsalves, Mejia, Jay or Duffey. That is the path out of this mess. Next year the rotation needs to survive and guys like Gibson and Santiago are part of that. And believe me that any remotely good pitching prospect will his chance.

Twins starters have a 5.48 ERA. If those players perform to their averages and the offense takes another step forward with improved play from young players then this is a greatly improved team. It isn't awesome but there are constraints in the offseason (terrible FA market and a general lack of trade chips).

Your game failed. We have a useful but not great SS in Eduardo Escobar. And yes our options for the spot that Santana occupies in the rotation is him or more starts by AAAA pitchers like Pat Dean. We have holes behind Santana to be filled and there is very little available in FA and there are few trade chips available. I asked this question in a different comment 'Do you decline a Santana trade for a very good prospect if that prospect doesn't pitch?' There might be a team that will pay for Santana but when you start making position specific restraints on the prospects then it becomes a lot more difficult to get top value. But at the end of the day I completely agree that they should both be shopped. If a top trade package is there then make the deal and live with the pain in 2017. But I am not in a hurry to trade the only decent starter the Twins have for what is likely a borderline top 100 prospect at best. The bounty for Dozier is possibly 3-4x Santana's value. If I were to make a trade that would be the one.

Except the Twins have signed starters in the past. They haven't gotten an elite starter but they have spent money in FA so this is kind of a tired criticism.

Start suggesting a FA starter that they should sign. This is a dreadfully awful year for starters. I am for trading prospects for veterans but not when you are coming off a 100 loss season and optimistically you are shooting for .500. Perhaps if you were targeting a Sonny Gray type (younger with upside) but most likely it would be a 30+ starter (like Santana whom some want to trade).

Stewart is the new Duensing of prospects. I am certain that no GM's have noticed is 5 K/9 rate. And veteran plus prospect trades for MLB ready starters trades are rare. Yes, there are exceptions but usually teams are looking at going one direction (rebuild or contend) or the other.

The options to improve the starting pitching: A) FA - this wouldn't be a great option even if there were decent starters available trade - the Twins have very few significant trade assets available. Dozier is the big one but you need to find a match. A team might trade a bounty for Dozier but do you decline that trade because they don't have the starting pitching that you want? Santana might get a good prospect but same question? The team would be foolish to trade prospects for MLB starters at this point. Nobody is saying that it is awesome but there are restrictions as to what is possible to do this offseason. The biggest hope for 2017 is that Berrios completely reverses his 2016 and pitches like he is capable of and the Twins get some solid pitching from someone else like Gibson, May or Duffey that can carry over to 2018. The biggest though is that Jay, Gonsalves and/or Mejia (and other prospects) take big steps forward and are ready for 2018.

Trade Dozier and replace him with Polanco. A step back but Dozier can get a pile of good prospects potentially. Trade Santana and replace him with Pat Dean (or another mediocre AAAA starter) and hope to get one good prospect. That is the problem with trading Santana. I am for it if there is a good prospect involved but the rotation goes from questionable to much worse.

there should be no illusions that the Twins will field a great rotation next year. These are unfortunately the restraints that the Twins have with regards to starting pitching. The FA market is terrible and the Twins really only have one trade chip (Dozier) that will bring back a good MLB pitcher or really good prospect. Next year the Twins starting rotation needs to survive (not be historically bad) and give the Twins something to build on in 2018. I am willing to trade Ervin if there is a legitimate good return available (like a top 100 prospect and an upside lower level prospect) but making the team (and especially the rotation) worse isn't something that this team should be doing. Unless of course a really good prospect is coming back. Berrios - I agree that you just keep sending him out there. He has shown that he can handle AA/AAA and hopefully an offseason to reset himself. His stuff should work really well in the rotation. Gibson - In fairly typical Twins Daily fashion I was not nearly as excited about him last offseason and I am not nearly as down on him this offseason. He should be back. If I had real plans to add TWO very good MLB starters then I wouldn't mind sending Gibson somewhere else but realistically this isn't going to happen. Santiago - His role is to take up rotation space for next year so the team doesn't get killed in the first few innings. It is nothing special and many will hate it because for some reason they want to see the likes of Pat Dean and Andrew Albers making starts. The upper minors starting pitching gets really thin really fast. If the Twins are serious about adding one legit MLB pitcher (not a one year flyer or a pitcher that has once thrown >50 MLB IP in the last 5 years) then he can easily be gone. Trevor May - this is the spot that can be competed for in spring training with May penciled in. Unfortunately only Mejia is a real threat early in the season. Mejia is the plan B if any of the shaky starters above falter or someone gets injured. Gonsalves has only started 13 games in AA with a 4.5 BB/9. I like his potential but he shouldn't be an option until at least midseason. Jay has only started 2 games in AA and he shouldn't be an option until late in the season. Stewart continues to post nice ERA's and awful K rates. perhaps he is an option at some point next season but I hope he is nothing more than the #5+ option to be called up. This definitely isn't impressive but this can be a solid (still below average) enough for an improving offense.

the Twins aren't really hurt if Rosario is their third best OF though. The Twins are hurt if he is their best OF or if Santana is their best starter. The difference between 3rd and 4th in either situation isn't that big of a deal.