jmlease1

I'm all in on this one too. There's a little risk that age will finally catch up to him, but the contract makes that a manageable risk. The upside is absolutely worth it, and he's likely to be a serious middle of the order threat that should make the guys around him better. I love the fact that his platoon splits are so solid. He crushes LHP (.927 career OPS) but RHP don't exactly get a day off (.835 career OPS) so you don't worry so much about stacking a couple of righty hitters together. Home vs. Away? makes no difference. First half vs. second half? He just keeps on hitting. It's a good signing. I wanted us to go there as soon as the rumors started, and I'm glad we did it. Hope it works out!

I agree with pretty much everything in this article. The only real downside to this move is probably needing to deal Tyler Austin or lose him. Sorry, that's just not much of downside to adding such a dangerous bat.

I love this kid's hit tool. He's going to be a really tough out and has the strength to absolutely punish a pitcher who hangs a breaking ball or grooves a fastball. It will be interesting to see how well his defense goes this season; I agree he's more athletic than we probably have thought of him and it would be wonderful if he improves that aspect while continuing to just hit everything in sight.

Responding in order: 1. I don't know what this means. Yes, there's room for improvement for just about every position, but the team undoubtedly had a need to fill some positions. 2. First, if there's a team option (as rumored) then it's not a 1 year rental. But when you're a team that has talent coming up out of the minors the short-term deals can position you well and give you flexibility. Plus they're easy to deal. The Twins didn't get enough out of the DH last year and this is a significant upgrade. Cruz adds power and patience, both are nice improvements. Morrison & Grossman got most of the time at DH last season: you can't possibly be suggesting that Cruz isn't a significant upgrade over the 2018 versions of those guys. 3. Cron is going to start at 1B. Austin is probably gone, and frankly it's not all that great of a loss. Sano plays 3B. Garver backs up C and fills in a little as needed in the OF, 1B, and DH as needed (and may start at C quite a bit), assuming he's ok after the concussion. Rooker hasn't taken an AB above AA; he's probably a Sept callup in 2019 unless he absolutely kills it with the bat and pushes an underperforming OF out or Cron away from 1B. and if that happens, ok. you can eat Cron contract if he sucks, or deal him if he's good but you want to open up a space for Rooker (Kepler too). There's no real problem here in the short-term for spots, unless you're convinced that Tyler Austin is this wonderful gem that we can't bear to lose. Me, I'm not sold on him. I'd rather have Cruz & Cron. I'm confused with the idea that our roster is suddenly going to be old in 2 years. Most of the lineup we're talking about will still be in their 20's (Polanco, Rosario, Buxton, Sano, Kepler...heck even Schoop & Garver.) And we're expecting some prospects to keep pushing in to keep the roster balanced. I like the signing and advocated for it even after signing Cron. I'm not sold on Austin at all I think he's big power and little else. Cruz has been a great hitter, a dangerous power bat who makes the other hitters in the lineup better. I love that we got him at this price, and hope that we really do have a team option on a 2nd year.

I think it's great for the Twins to see what they can do on Kikuchi. What do we think the contract would have to look like to get him here (not seeing a lot of numbers here). You have to assume it'd be north of what Mikolas got, right? Is he going to want to go a shorter term to a) see if he likes it in the US, and set himself up for a really big, Darvish-style deal? or is it going to be longer out the gate? (bigger risk for everyone: the teams takes on risk not being certain how he'll translate to MLB, he takes risk on being underpaid not knowing how he'll translate to MLB...) 3 years, $42M? 2 years, $30M? More? less? I'm definitely interested: LHP who should be hitting his prime and could fit in well with Berrios and could easily be better than Gibson. (that's what I want for starting pitching for the Twins: better than Gibson) Rotation of Berrios, Kikuchi, Gibson, Pineda, and Odorizzi seems pretty solid. Maybe Romero goes to the 'pen this season to work on his offerings and be a power arms who can go 2-3 innings? Gonsalves and Stewart are the next dudes up for the inevitable injury? He could be a great fit. Let's take a run at it.

That's good to know and makes me feel even better about him as a prospect. Hopefully the additional weight and strength will increase his stamina along with the velocity and allow him to get deeper into games. 220lbs seems about right for his frame, and it'll probably help him to not need to keep adding weight and just get used to being this size. It could be that was one of the triggers that helped him have such increased success with the twins.

Kirilloff can compete. Buxton and Kepler are superior fielders, but Kirilloff's record shows a more advanced hit tool than either of them. He's tracking as a hitter with Rosario pretty well too (frankly, i think he'll outhit Eddie because he's just not the same kind of free swinger). And considering that Kepler has 3 years under his belt in MLB, the odds of him reaching what we used to think was his ceiling are shrinking rapidly. Rosario probably is who he is too (and that's a really nice player, but hardly out of reach for someone who can hit like Kirilloff). Buxton is the one who we still don't know about. Can he be the guy who was a 5 bWAR player in 2017? Can he be that guy without needing an insane second half to get there? Can he stay healthy enough to be that guy? I sure hope so. Maybe Baldelli is the guy he needs to get there. maybe the expectations getting ratcheted down a notch will help him out. Maybe coming in a little mad and having something to prove helps. There's nothing really standing in the way.

He's an interesting prospect to be sure. How big is he? This piece lists him at 220lbs; BRef has him at 175lbs (as does Puckett's Pond, but they might be drafting off BRef). Did he really add that kind of weight and fill out that much? I think that secondary tier is the right area for him, because while he's got a lot of things that are encouraging, there's still plenty for him to work on as a starter. (getting deeper into games, cutting down the BBs, etc) He's been awfully hittable in other stops, so we probably need to be a little careful about putting too much emphasis on 6 starts in Cedar Rapids. I mean, in his 15 starts before he became a Twin he barely averaged 4 innings an outing and was eminently hittable. I don't think I'd have him in my top 10, but I like having a guy with his upside in that 10-15 range...

It's a heck of an argument. I dunno if I buy it or not, but it's a great argument and definitely some out of the box thinking. It's a really good discussion to have if you're going to continue to try and be more forward-thinking with your pitching staff, I think.

Thorpe may not be a consensus top 10 prospect, but he had a nice season and looks primed to reach the majors no later than 2020. Solid prospect that continues to rise. Right now it doesn't look like dealing Palacios is going to hurt the club much. My 2019 breakout pick: Ben Rortvedt. The skills behind the plate all seem to be there, and there was very little dropoff on his hitting when he moved up a level, making me think he's getting a handle on his hit tool as he's gotten more comfortable behind the plate. Maybe a bit of a longshot, and I'm sure there are players with sexier skills but a catcher who can play every day and add value at the plate as well is an important prospect. That's the guy I'm rolling the dice on.

It's certainly possible that moving Romero into a relief role while he adjusts to MLB hitters could make him more effective. Maybe he's a prime choice to pair with an "opener" strategy as a guy who really doesn't go deep into games currently? I honestly don't know what the right way to manage him is, but he seems like he needs to be part of the equation with that fastball and the wipeout slider. Buchholtz and Pomeranz do nothing for me. Buchholtz has one of the weirder careers out there: when he's healthy he's...not all that great. When he's not healthy he's darned good in the limited time. (except for 2017, when he basically didn't play) he's had exactly 1 year where he made over 20 starts and was above average. I don't understand his career, but it's hard to think he's a guy you can count on for...anything. Pomeranz...I guess he might have a bounceback year, but he looks awfully hittable, walks too many guys. Doesn't look like someone to push Kyle Gibson for the #2 slot on the staff, more like someone to fight with Odorizzi/Gonsalves, Romero, or Stewart for the 4/5 slot. Pass.

The MLB portion is always a little odd because you have to keep that guy on your 25-man MLB roster or offer him back to the team you yanked him from and roster spots there are at a premium. I'm sure several of the guys we exposed to the MLB Rule V draft would have been snapped up if the drafting team could have assigned them to AAA. I would have been intrigued by Tyler Jay if I were running a club that was tanking/terrible because the investment is minimal and the upside is still there if he's healthy. But it's a lottery ticket move that you can really only do if you have roster spots to burn (say if you don't want to start the clock on a better prospect of your own while you know the team is going to be awful). And the Minor league portion really is about much more fringe-y guys.

I thought someone might take a flyer on Tyler Jay, which wouldn't have been the worst result in the world, other than confirming he was a failed draft pick. but it's good that with as deep a system as we have that no one got picked up, shows that the FO is making some pretty sharp evaluations on guys. Wonder if getting passed over under rule 5 will light a fire under any of these guys?

I think this is the problem with both Cave & Austin. Their approach at the plate is a little suspect: what worked for them last season maybe not be viable consistently. It's easier to give Cave more rope, because he has positional flexibility: you can drop him out into any of the spots in the OF and feel fine about him defensively. Austin looks serviceable at 1B, but otherwise he's DHing it. Oh, btw, Cave's BABIP against RHP is .382. Small Sample Size? Good utilization of his speed? Ability to hit 'em where they ain't? I dunno, but there's a reason we talk about the sophomore slump and I fear it in his case. I still like Cave as a 4th OF option; he's helpful in a lot of ways to balance the lineup, give guys a rest, play solid D, etc. But Nelson Cruz hasn't had an OBP under .333 in 6 years. Neither Cave nor Austin has cleared .320 in their careers, and could very easily regress. Even with a pessimistic further age regression, Cruz is likely to have an OBP around .330 and SLG around .485 (which would be the 2nd worst year in his career since becoming a full-time player).

Because Cruz gets on base? Because there's pretty good odds Tyler Austin just isn't that good? Because Cruz doesn't have bad platoon splits that suggest he needs to be protected against tough righties? I'd rather spend the roster spot on Cruz than Austin, who I'm just not that impressed with. He's a lesser version of Cron in my opinion and I'd much rather have Cruz getting those ABs at DH. I'm not that worried about Sano "needing" to move to 1B in the next 1-2 years: his defense at 3B is good enough and if he's not hitting it's not going to get better at 1B or DH.

I'd be interested in all of them, especially Cruz who gets on base in addition to hitting the ball a mile. I certainly wouldn't pass up Cruz in order to hold a roster spot for Tyler Austin, who I think ain't gonna be anything other than a guy. I don't see Ramos happening, but considering the concerns over whether Garver can continue to catch with the concussion issues and Castro coming off a significant knee injury it's worth exploring. (I hate hate hate the fact that teams are running with 13 pitchers. Especially considering at least one of those guys isn't going to get used more than once a week and occasionally will go 2 weeks without an appearance and possibly 3 without a meaningful one. I'd rather see a rule limiting the number of pitchers on a roster to 12 than banning the shift.)

I get both the strategy and the frustration. With the division weak and the talent that the twins have, I absolutely understand a desire to be bold and make a play for some of the FA that are/were out there that would fill some of our roster holes very nicely and position us better to compete. But some of that perception of talent is dependent on things like: Sano being healthy and being 2017 and not 2018, or Buxton finding a way to hit enough and stay healthy enough to stick in the lineup, or 2nd half Polanco being the "real" Polanco, or Kepler finally having a breakout season. Which is why I can understand the "wait & see" approach, because if 1/2 those guys fall flat again, we ain't nearly as good as we think we are. If Lewis and Kirilloff had played AA last season and we felt more comfortable they were really breaking down the doors... If Romero was a guy you felt confident could start getting consistently out of the 5th inning... man, I just don't know. I'm worried we have too many hackers who don't get on base. I'm worried we don't have another power arm in the bullpen we can count on. Would I feel better if the Twins made a big push on Machado, even if they came up short? I dunno. I mean, they made a big push on Darvish last season, missed on him, and it might have been the luckiest thing that happened last season. (that 6th year is looking dreadful to have tacked on now).

I hope he's ok. If he can catch, he's a nice player. If he can't...he hits like Kepler. Great behind the plate, not so great in other positions. Would be a shame if concussions drive him out from behind the plate (and possibly out of the league). I'd like to see him as the primary catcher the next 2-3 season.

It's a fair critique of Kepler, and the fear we all should have on him: this may be exactly the hitter he is. but there's also been enough bursts to tease people. He's still only 25 (same age as Cave). Look at his splits from 2018: crushed it in March/April. Below average in May. Awful in June. Killed it in July. Average in Aug. Poor in September. He's all over the place as a hitter, but he's got all these peripherals that suggest he's capable of being good as well as a track record in the high minors that makes you think he can hit. And the D is stellar (better than anyone else on the roster save Buxton). This could be a make or break season for him. It's also why the people suggesting moving Kepler to 1B need to stop. His hitting his the problem. It's fine in CF. It's questionable in RF. Even if he's as good a defender at 1B as Mauer became, it's just not enough at 1B. Kepler has interesting trade value because he played enough CF to be attractive to other teams. His D there isn't one of the high elite but it's darn good. He can play other OF positions and not be too much of a drag on your offense. But since we don't know if Buxton is going to make it he's also got value to the Twins who know they can slot him in there and not have to worry about Cave being a fluke. certainty is really helpful in baseball. We know Kepler's floor, I think. The question is does he have much more of a ceiling?

meh. not loving Schoop. doesn't get on base, strikes out a lot. fills the hole (and definitely means Polanco is staying at SS), but he wasn't a guy I was hoping for. I think he'll be better than last year, but not nearly as good as 2017 Schoop. I'd project him to be a lot like 2016 Schoop and that does not get me singing the Schoop Schoop song.

I'm baffled by the over-love for Cave. He's a useful piece and we got him for a lottery ticket pitcher, but he profiles like a 4th OF. Yes, he hit well this season, but dude had a .363 BABIP. Do we really think he's going to be hitting balls hard enough consistently enough to sustain that? he's got a grand total of 300 PAs in the majors; are we sure he is who we think/hope he is? It's very possible Kepler never hits enough to be a great corner OF. Maybe his best position is CF, or maybe he's a 4th OF who is ok at the plate, great defensively, and can play all three spots. But it's hard to see Cave as being the answer with any confidence. (maybe Kiriloff is in another year)

That's all fine and good in a vacuum, but the FO has to deal in reality. Most proven, starting quality players aren't going to sign somewhere if they don't see a job opening. So what are we talking about here? A manager problem who kept going to the well with a vet like Morrison who sucked? That manager got fired. You're not going to have a roster with 25 starters on it. And you're going to have a problem if every guy on the roster thinks they should be starting and isn't willing to fill a role. You have to have guys on your roster that fill roles, not just for pitching but for the lineup, especially when you only get 12-13 spots for the guys in the field. Adrianza fills a role: positional flexibility with at least adequate defense and hitting that's respectable for middle infield. You bring up Jake Cave and suggest he competed for Kepler's playing time, but the reality is, with Buxton hurt/ineffective there was an opening for a guy to get some OF playing time. He didn't take away any time from Kepler, who had a career high in games played and plate appearances. Cave's a useful player, but he also had a BABIP of .363 which probably isn't sustainable. He's still a useful player because he can't be an effective CF for you if Buxton repeats last year and be a nice defensive replacement in the corners. but he's not pushing Kepler out of RF. The problem the Twins have right now in the OF is they don't know if Kepler can hit enough to be an every day RF or Buxton can hit enough to be an every day CF.

bWAR thinks Adrianza was better than Neil Walker last season, and at 4 years younger I think it's a decent bet Adrianza will be better this year too. The year before Neil Walker was getting paid $17M (and was probably not better than Adrianza; the difference in their bWAR is mostly attributed to playing time, as Walker got double the PAs). Walker looks like an ok starter who has gone into the decline phase of his career and will be out of the league within the next two years if he doesn't have a significant bounceback because no one wants to pay $4-5M to an aging backup whose D is slipping and hit tool is vanishing. Brock Holt was better than Adrianza last year, worse the year before. Holt has a better track record overall, Adrianza is younger and cheaper. Odds are pretty good that they'll be pretty similar players this year. As a backup Adrianza is a useful player, especially at this age and at this cost.

he's got good positional flexibility and does fine with limited playing time. A useful player with a good floor and a marginal ceiling. I look at a player like Adrianza like this: if you're feeling really good about your regular lineup, you like him and feel fine about him as a bench guy who can stop up the cracks. The worse you feel about your every day lineup, the less you like him. The last two years he's been an effective sub for us as he's gotten more playing time, but that's almost certainly the limit for him. That said, I still think he's a perfectly fine guy to fill out the back end of the 25-man roster.

Schoop's BABIP in full MLB seasons (at least 135 games): .249, .305, .330, .261 The .330 feels like the flukiest of these. (admittedly, he put up a .329 once as well, but it was also the season he only played 86 games...) I just don't think he's a guy who can sustain a high BABIP and it leaves him vulnerable. JMO. Kinda feel like a reunion with Dozier is a better idea than Schoop.