Nick Nelson

I agree as a general principle. However, the Yankees ranked second in reliever fWAR this year (behind Tampa) and three of their top 5 RPs, including the top two, were high-end free agent signings -- two of 'em signed last offseason. We saw how much of an advantage NYY's deep, experienced, proven pen was against the Twins in the ALDS. If the Twins can't spend that money productively elsewhere, why not use it on short-term deals for relievers with monster upside?

I didn't mean specifically pairing pitchers with personalized catchers or anything. I just meant that in the quest to drive quality pitching results, it's important to have good receivers. My premise is that Rosario's worth more than his 2019 numbers suggest on the surface. I don't think it's a huge reach to believe. I discussed the matter in detail here. Should go without saying that Balazovic is the key to making the deal I proposed work. (And I'm not sure the Twins would even need to go quite that high; Iglesias is coming off a down year.)

Could definitely swapped in for Betances with the same overall impact. My assumption is that Smith will accept the QO from San Fran. I had thought so too, but we determined that he's qualified for a fourth option in 2020, which is a huge relief (no pun intended).

If we're being honest with ourselves, the Minnesota Twins probably aren't going to go out and sign Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg this winter. Based on its history and tendencies, the front office will more likely explore creative ways to strike favorable values, while aiming to gain an edge through innovation. The bullpenning trend has seen fledgling traction around baseball, but has yet to fully take root. The Twins, for several reasons, are uniquely positioned to lean into a bullpen-focused mindset as they fill the numerous gaps in their pitching staff.First, let's establish why it makes sense for Minnesota to fully embrace "bullpenning" as a general philosophy and team-building guideline: There is going to be a ton of money thrown around at the top end of the starting pitching market. Even with aggressive spending intentions, the Twins may have a hard time hanging with big-market powerhouses in the rotation bidding wars.The addition of a 26th major-league roster spot, starting in 2020, makes it easier to carry eight relievers at all times.Minnesota is already off to a head-start with the bullpen, after seeing a quality core emerge convincingly in the second half.In essence, the Twins would be following Tampa Bay's lead. The Rays had only one pitcher, Charlie Morton, make 25+ starts in traditional fashion this year (Ryne Stanek made 27 as an opener). They had 10 different relievers make 30+ appearances (the Twins had four). Tampa ranked sixth among MLB teams in starting pitcher fWAR, but led the way in reliever fWAR. It all added up to 96 wins and a wild-card berth in the rough-and-tumble AL East, despite a paltry $52 million payroll. The Twins, with ample resources at hand and free rein to build upon a strong foundation, should theoretically be able to do it better. Here's how I'm assembling a 2020 roster capable of taking the next step in October, while following a bullpen-first strategy and staying within comfortably realistic spending constraints. 1. Tender all arbitration-eligible players. Sam Dyson is already out, but each of the nine remaining arbitration-eligible players comes back, amounting to somewhere around $35 million total. 2. Sign Jason Castro to a one-year, $6 million contract. Pairing pitchers with the right batterymates is critical. Castro was a perfect complement for Garver this year, and he's still only 32, so a one-year reunion makes plenty of sense. Castro has an established rapport with the incumbent pitchers, and the veteran confidence to quickly build it with newcomers. 3. Sign Madison Bumgarner to a four-year, $80 million contract. While this rotation will mostly be tailored to accommodate heavy relief usage, we do need one more horse at the top alongside Jose Berrios. Bumgarner fills that role and checks off plenty of important boxes: experience, durability, ace upside, postseason pedigree. 4. Sign RHP Jake Odorizzi to a three-year, $36 million contract. This contract estimate, via the Offseason Handbook, works under the assumption that Odorizzi declines his qualifying offer, but finds a lukewarm market while tethered to a draft pick, and comes back to negotiate a multi-year pact. He's only 29 and coming off an All-Star season, and Odorizzi's biggest weakness (lack of length – he completed six innings in only 10 of his 30 starts) is negated by the bullpenning model. 5. Sign RHP Michael Pineda to a one-year, $10 million contract. He looked very good before the suspension, and from the perspective of the team signing him, there are silver linings to be found in that unfortunate development. You don't have to pay for the 39 games he'll miss, and a late start means Pineda – whose workload will forever be a consideration – can keep his innings total in check, remaining strong into October. The Twins, with some young rotation depth and the ability to simply run bullpen games once a week if needed, are equipped to get by until Pineda can join at the end of May. 6. Trade OF Eddie Rosario and RHP Jordan Balazovic to Cincinnati Reds for RHP Raisel Iglesias. "We want to be able to maximize the value of Iglesias," said Reds' president of baseball ops Dick Williams last year after signing the Cincinnati closer to a three-year contract, buying out his arbitration. What if the best way to maximize Iglesias's value is to deal him right now? The Cuban native is a very good pitcher, with a 3.17 ERA and 10.4 K/9 rate over 388 major-league innings. He turns 30 in January. The Reds surely won't be eager to part with him, but this is a team that's finished in fourth or fifth place for six straight seasons. A great closer making $18 million over the next two years is a needless luxury for a team that can't escape the cellar. My proposed package here sends back immediate major-league help in Rosario, and also a legitimate top-line pitching prospect in Balazovic, who isn't all that far off. It's a tough ante for the Twins, but Iglesias adds a key piece alongside Taylor Rogers at the back end of the bullpen. And we're not done yet. 7. Sign RHP Dellin Betances to a two-year, $25 million contract. There are question marks surrounding Betances: he gives up walks in bunches, he missed virtually all of 2019 due to injury, and he'll be returning from Achilles surgery next spring. These factors all figure to keep his price tag in check, to an extent. But the right-hander is still gonna get paid based on his electric upside and dominant stuff. In this blueprint, we can afford the risk with the relief depth we're building, and if he returns to form Betances will add an elite weapon to Rocco Baldelli's late-inning repertoire. In seven seasons since joining the Yankees bullpen full-time, the 6-foot-8 righty owns a 2.21 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 14.7 K/9 rate. 8. Sign LHP Drew Pomeranz to a two-year, $7 million contract. Here's our blurb on Pomeranz from the Handbook: "The overall numbers are undeniably ugly, but they don’t tell the whole story. After going 2-9 with a 6.10 ERA in 17 starts, Pomeranz moved to the bullpen, where he posted a 1.99 ERA and 53-to-9 K/BB ratio over his final 31.2 IP, experiencing a big uptick in velocity. He has also held lefty hitters to a .625 OPS in his career." We had a hard time pegging his projected contract. If enough teams zero in on his relief upside, he could get considerably more than $7 million guaranteed. Then again, the reality is that he's 4-16 with a 5.36 ERA over the past two years, and was traded for a modest return in July. If he costs more, I'm ponying up. Pomeranz looks like a great fit for the Twins: at worst, the solid situational left-hander they need; at best, another reliable all-purpose weapon in high leverage. SUMMARY With the lineup, my approach was, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The Twins can bring back their record-setting offense in its entirety, and I chose to do so minus Rosario. His spot will be filled by Gonzalez, Cave, and Wade Jr. until someone from the Alex Kirilloff/Trevor Larnach/Brent Rooker group is ready. Download attachment: offense.png Download attachment: bench.png On the pitching side, I'm calling for a fundamental shift. Bumgarner and Berrios are your two traditional starters, aiming for 200 innings and 20 wins. Meanwhile, Odorizzi will have a 5-to-6 inning routine, asking him only to continue the formula he excelled with this year. That'll roughly be the plan for Pineda as well once he joins, after having his spot filled by someone like Randy Dobnak for two months. In the final rotation spot I've penciled in Brusdar Graterol. I'm of the opinion that you need to leverage an arm like this while at its peak strength. Unleashing him as a regulated starter with restricted pitch counts seems like a happy compromise between relieving, which reduces his impact, and starting, which may be too physically demanding. Download attachment: rotation.png The deep and versatile bullpen is the straw stirring this drink. With 26 roster spots, the Twins can perpetually carry an eight-man unit. And if they use the final spot as a rotating door, like they did throughout 2019, it's essentially nine. This enables the team to plan around routinely short starts from Odorizzi, Pineda and Graterol. It also sets the stage for frequent bullpen games. Rocco Baldelli will never have a shortage of fresh arms, and the addition of multiple high-caliber backend relievers prevents overuse of any one guy in big spots. Meanwhile, with developing options like Stashak, Sean Poppen, Lewis Thorpe and Fernando Romero opening in the minors, the Twins will have reinforcements at the ready. Download attachment: bullpen.png We end up with a final payroll of around $140 million, which is well within reason. If Odorizzi accepts the QO, or the free agents cost a little more than we've guessed, bump that number up $5-10 million, but the core premise remains valid. Long-term spending flexibility is mostly preserved, and in 2020, you've got a roster that (in my opinion) is well poised to succeed in the regular season and playoffs. ~~~ What would your blueprint look like for the Twins this winter? Download your copy of the Offseason Handbook and use it to construct a champion. Share your vision for discussion in our Create a Blueprint forum thread. Meanwhile, stay tuned to TD as our writers will be formulating offseason plans from different perspectives all week long. Click here to view the article

Yes, this is the downside you have to deal with in order to play in FA at this level. If you could sign Bumgarner to a 2-year, $60M contract I'm sure teams would be lining up to do it. But adding that security blanket is what makes it work. At $12M/yr, you could comfortably afford to do something like move him to the bullpen, or deal with him being just an okay mid-rotation SP. I have to think the odds that he's completely useless by age 32 are very low. (But high enough that he'd value that security; this is a guy who nearly had his career derailed by a freak dirtbike incident.)

The Twins find themselves with a lot of freed up money to burn this offseason. What we've learned about this front office is that they don't mind spending, but strongly prefer to avoid long-term commitments and backloaded contracts. Which... can make it kinda hard to spend on premium talent. Thinking beyond your typical high-profile free agent contract, however, there are a number of interesting possibilities.In his Payroll Analysis feature for the Offseason Handbook, John Bonnes surmises that the Twins could plausibly push payroll to around $140 million this winter, giving them up to $70 million in spending flexibility. That total would push them past their 2018 and 2017 payrolls, but only modestly so. It's a reasonable target for a team that's in championship contention and experiencing a wave of renewed fan investment. In three shorts years since taking over as general manager under Derek Falvey, Thad Levine has already made some of the boldest free agent splashes in Twins history. The contracts given to Jason Castro, Addison Reed, Lance Lynn, Nelson Cruz and Marwin Gonzalez may not be lofty signings relative to the rest of the league, but judged against the standard set by Terry Ryan, they were tremendously aggressive signings. With the exception of Castro, however, none of these pacts were for more than two years. The Twins reportedly backed out of the Yu Darvish derby two winters ago because of his contract length demands. Minnesota epitomizes baseball's general aversion to bulky free agent deals, and to committing enormous guaranteed sums to players in their 30s. You know what? It's undeniably smart, especially for a team with finite payroll constraints. Ongoing flexibility is a worthy aspiration and directive for this front office. Let's explore some ways the Twins could maximize their present cash surplus while staying true to their strategically prudent ways. Frontload a Free Agent Contract Are the Twins going to sign Gerrit Cole to a deal pays him $40 million as a 34-year-old in 2025? Probably not. In fact, they're likely aiming to avoid any huge financial obligations down the line. But let me throw a theoretical scenario at you. Say Minnesota is targeting Madison Bumgarner. (You can insert the name of another high-end free agent starter as you please.) He has a five-year, $100 million offer in hand from another team, with salaries evenly dispersed across the length of the contract, maybe even backloaded. Pretty standard framework. Okay, Twins might not want to go there. But what if they proposed this contract: five years and $96 million, with $30 million salaries in each of the first two seasons, followed by an opt-out clause, and then $12 million salaries in each of the final three seasons. This gives Bumgarner the ability to make an extra $20+ million over the next two years, then hit free agency again at age 32 for another big payday. Meanwhile, if things fall apart on him, he still has three years of solid paychecks guaranteed. Basically it gives him the ability to bet on himself while maintaining security. From Minnesota's perspective, the extra money up-front doesn't matter much, and they ensure they won't be saddled with a major payroll drain just as guys like Jose Berrios, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Taylor Rogers are getting expensive or reaching free agency. You can tinker around with the specific terms and numbers, but in general I think the heavily front-loaded opt-out contract is a model that could help the Twins compete for prime talent in free agency while remaining nimble. Trade for a Hefty Salary Teams that are willing to take on a burdensome contract often give up less in prospect capital to acquire a player. As it happens, there are several teams looking to shed payroll this winter, even – if rumblings are to be believed – heavy hitters like the Red Sox and Cubs. With considerable short-term flexibility, might the Twins be able to land a player like David Price ($32M/yr owed through 2023) or Kris Bryant (due around $40 million his final two years of arbitration, pending his service time grievance) for a relatively light return? Frontload Internal Contract Extensions This might not be as exciting as flashy outside pickups, but team-friendly extensions for core players – like the ones inked with Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler in the spring – are critical to the franchise's long-term health, enabling the front office to making impactful additions year after year. In the cases of both Polanco and Kepler, the Twins gave large immediate raises in exchange for reasonable rates and team options during the latter portions (which also happen to encompass the players' primes). It'd be great to see the front office take a similar approach this offseason, maybe even bringing it a step further. Earlier this week, Cody Christie looked at five extension candidates, and of course Berrios was at the top of the list. The 25-year-old is projected to make somewhere around $5 million in his first turn at arbitration this offseason, but what if the Twins bumped that up to – say – $9 million, with an ensuant raise the following year? What kind of discount might that score for his first few years of free agency? The bottom line is that Minnesota has a ton of spending flexibility right now, but it's a fleeting reality if the Twins hope to keep their core intact. They have at least seven key players in the arbitration process now, which puts those fixtures on a rapidly rising pay scale. Moves like the ones above will serve the team's short-term and long-term goals, aggressively pursuing a winning window while maintaining the freedom to keep the band together. Click here to view the article

That's strange that it won't accept yours. Did you choose it on the dropdown menu? I just checked out with an AmEx and it went through. You can set the price to zero and checkout for free, we don't mind at all, please enjoy!

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As I look over the free agent starting pitcher landscape (charted in detail within the 2020 Offseason Handbook, now available for instant download), there is one single name that stands out to me as a clear value opportunity – a relatively young and accomplished lefty offering front-end potential at a likely bargain. Could the Twins land Alex Wood, the most intriguing player in this year's robust class of available starters?When I use the word "intriguing," I mean it in a specific way. Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg are of course far more appealing, because both are at the peak of their powers and coming off excellent seasons. The same is more or less true of the next starter tier – Hyun-Jin Ryu, Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, Jake Odorizzi, etc. That's why they're all going to get paid handsomely. As he enters free agency for the first time, Wood does not find himself in such a favorable position. Here are some things to know about the southpaw and his crooked path to the present: A second-round pick out of college by Atlanta in 2012, Wood immediately thrived in the minors and reached the big leagues less than one year after being drafted. At age 22 he posted a 3.13 ERA and 77-to-27 K/BB ratio, allowing only three homers in 78 innings for the Braves. He followed up with a 2.78 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 172 innings as a sophomore.In July of 2015, he was shipped to the Dodgers as part of a massive three-team, 13-player deal dubbed by Minor League Ball as "one of the crazier trades in baseball history." Atlanta's motivation in the deal was to get Cuban star Hector Olivera, but he quickly proved to be a total bust.As Atlanta looked on regretfully, Wood continued to excel in SoCal. Over the next three seasons he posted a 3.29 ERA, 3.38 FIP and 1.15 WHIP over 364 1/3 innings in 74 appearances (62 starts). During that span he averaged 8.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 while allowing just 34 homers total. In his career year of 2017, he won 16 games, made the All-Star team, and finished ninth in Cy Young voting.Wood's greatest challenge in LA (other than some occasional injuries) was consistently staying in the rotation fold, pressed by the Dodgers' enviable depth of established high-quality starters. This ultimately prompted Los Angeles to deal him to Cincinnati last winter, one year ahead of his free agency. The trade, mostly designed to shift salaries around as the Dodgers sought to get under the luxury tax threshold, also sent Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp the Reds.Wood's lone year in Cincy was simply a loss. Plagued by back issues, he was limited to seven starts and 35 innings, in which he posted a 5.80 ERA and 1.40 WHIP – both the worst marks of his career. He didn't pitch until the end of July and was shut down again a month later.Clearly, Wood is a medical enigma, and assessments made on that front will ultimately dictate whether he is a target worthy of pursuing. But assuming there is reasonable confidence in a few months of rest getting his back right, Wood looks like a major value buy, and he should attract his own competitive market for that reason. His circumstances remind me of Phil Hughes back in the 2013-14 offseason. Like Wood, Hughes hit free agency at a relatively young age, by virtue of debuting in the majors early (Hughes was a free agent at 27, Wood is 28). Like Wood, Hughes had enjoyed quite a bit of success for one of baseball's perennial powerhouses, making an All-Star team and pitching well in the postseason to boot. And like Wood, Hughes headed into FA with a thud, struggling to a 4-14 record and 5.19 ERA in his final season with the Yankees. With this stock down, Hughes settled for a three-year, $24 million contract with the Twins – one of Terry Ryan's finest signings ever, as the right-hander delivered an historic first season in Minnesota. Degenerative shoulder issues and a needless extension turned the narrative around on his tenure, but the thought process behind Hughes's acquisition was more than sound. If he doesn't take a one-year deal to rebuild value and try again next year, Wood will likely end up with a contract similar to the one Hughes signed back then. In the Offseason Handbook, we projected three years and $33 million. Were the Twins to get him at that price, and make him their second- or third-biggest starting pitching addition of the winter, fans would have to be feeling pretty good about the effort. His strong track record, October pedigree, and relative youth all make him a nice fit for a team staring into its contention window. Who strikes you as the top value target on this year's free agent market? Click here to view the article

It does seem strange. Suggests to me they don't have a lot of confidence in his elbow to rebound. I heard his velocity has been down too.

The Minnesota Twins' offseason officially kicked off on Monday, with the club announcing several significant roster moves. Nelson Cruz will be back, Martin Perez will not (at least not on the same contract), and Jake Odorizzi faces a tough decision. Meanwhile, another key instructor was extracted by another (dreaded) team, and a pair of former top pitching prospects exited the organization. Read on for more detail on each of these developments as the Hot Stove begins to spark.NELSON CRUZ 2020 OPTION ACTIVATED This barely qualifies as news. Activating the ultra-reasonable $12 million club option on Cruz was a total no-brainer, and the club's intention had already been announced via media reports. Nevertheless, it's now official: Boomstick is back. I've always heard good things about Swanson. My appreciation for him grew upon reading Parker's excellent spring training feature on his efforts to refine Mitch Garver's receiving technique, only to be crystallized as I saw those efforts pay off magnificently during the summer. Swanson is the real deal, and another tough loss in a young offseason that has already seen Minnesota lose hitting coach James Rowson and minor-league hitting coordinator Pete Fatse. If there's any silver lining to be found in this scavenging by rivals, it's that having baseball powerhouses like Boston and New York hiring out of your ranks says a lot about your eye for talent. The Twins' newly reassembled baseball ops unit is becoming a hotbed, and that's about the highest praise you could give Derek Falvey as he enters his third year on the job. (Speaking of which, let's us all just breathe a sigh of relief that Minnesota has evidently missed the biggest potential bullet: I wondered openly if the Red Sox would come calling on Falvey to replace fired GM Dave Dombrowski – turns out they did, and he said no.) How are you feeling about this smattering of moves to kick off Twins' offseason? Anything you'd have done differently? Sound off in the comments. And now an odd request from the Twins Daily community: if you found this page via Facebook, can you please add a comment telling us from which Facebook Page you followed it? It's getting quite a bit of traffic, and we would love to know who is sharing it. Thanks. Click here to view the article

The World Series is over. Time for Hot Stove SZN to commence. You'll be fully prepared for all that lies ahead with your digital copy of the Twins Daily 2020 Offseason Handbook. It's now available for immediate download here. This is a donation-based product – you can set your own price, including zero, then receive it right away. Read on for a little more information about the ebook.This comprehensive overview of the 2019-20 offseason landscape is narrated through a Twins-centric lens, with in-depth coverage of every key storyline and possibility. Inside, you'll find: Explorations of important offseason focuses from Twins Daily writers like John Bonnes, Parker Hageman, Seth Stohs, Tom Froemming, Jeremy Nygaard, and myself.Guest features from R.T. Rybak (former Mpls mayor), Glen Perkins (three-time Twins All-Star closer), Dan Hayes (beat writer for The Athletic), and Matthew Trueblood (columnist at Baseball Prospectus).Beautiful design throughout, courtesy of Twins Daily's Brock Beauchamp.Profiles on dozens of free agent and trade targetsBreakdowns on payroll, organizational depth, arbitration decisions, and more.Unique stories on the team's evolving defensive strategies, their systematic overhaul in pitching development, the new catching workload philosophy, and more.A create-your-own blueprint exercise, challenging you to assemble a championship roster within feasible resource constraints.If you have any questions about the product, you'll likely find them answered by checking out:A full rundown of everything that's inside this year's Offseason HandbookOur Offseason Handbook FAQLast year's full editionDonations of any size are welcome (recommended amount is $10) as a token of gratitude for the hard work that goes into creating this robust, colorful, comprehensive digital guide to the Twins offseason, as well as the free content we publish every day here at Twins Daily throughout the year. But above all, we want everyone to enjoy the Handbook. We know you're going to love this Handbook, and it'll serve as the backbone for much of our offseason coverage here on the site. Your instant download is only a couple clicks away. DOWNLOAD TWINS DAILY'S 2020 OFFSEASON HANDBOOK Download attachment: Screen Shot 2019-11-03 at 12.37.25 PM.png Download attachment: Screen Shot 2019-11-03 at 12.38.07 PM.png Click here to view the article

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The Twins are going to make a trade this offseason. They will very likely make several. And you'd be hard-pressed to find a single player more likely to be moved – or at least dangled – by Minnesota than Eddie Rosario. What does his market look like, realistically?Yesterday Cooper Carlson published a good piece on Rosario's downward trend, which basically makes the case for a trade on Minnesota's end. But to sum it all up, here's why the Twins likely view Rosario as an expendable piece: Top prospects Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach and Brent Rooker have all reached either Triple-A or Double-A. It's all but certain at least one of these advanced bats will be ready for the big-leagues by the middle of next summer, if not sooner.Jake Cave and LaMonte Wade, Jr. have both proven capable of filling in until a prospect arrives. Marwin Gonzalez can also play in left. All are superior defensively to Rosario.Entering his second turn at arbitration, Rosario is only two seasons away from free agency, and his salary is going to rise significantly from this year's $4.2 million. The extent of his raise could become a point of contention, for the same reason his trade market is so tough to peg: Rosario epitomizes the philosophical divide between traditional and modern schools of performance evaluation.Batting cleanup all year for the most powerful offense in baseball history, Rosario launched 32 homers and drove in 109 runs, both career highs. But these baseball-card fixtures overstate the quality of his performance. Rosario made outs in 70% of his plate appearances. Statcast's Outs Above Average metric rated him as the worst defensive outfielder in baseball. He ranked 11th among Twins hitters in fWAR and his wOBA sat in the vicinity of Jason Castro, Ehire Adrianza, and C.J. Cron. Having said all that, Rosario's strengths and track record should not be entirely downplayed. Paul Molitor liked to say you always want one guy in your lineup who can thwart a pitcher that is totally dialed in. Eddie brings that "strike anytime" dynamic. When he gets on a hot streak, he borders on unstoppable, leaving pitchers with nowhere to hide. He's also a charismatic fan favorite, an energizer in the clubhouse, and a relentlessly fierce competitor. Although his reputation as Mr. Spotlight felt a bit miscast in the second half – amid futile "Eddie" chants – it is a well earned one. His pinch-hit walk-off homer at Target Field and game-ending gundown at Fenway were among the unforgettable 2019 highlights. He batted .340 with runners in scoring position and had a .983 OPS in Close & Late situations. Count the Twins and their analytically-inclined rookie manager among those who buy into Rosario's mystique: Rocco Baldelli wrote Rosario's name into the cleanup spot for all but five of his starts (he batted third in those). To what extent is this sentiment shared around the league? Do other increasingly sophisticated front offices view Rosario as a player whose presence and impact transcend the overall numbers and analytical conventions? It's no secret to anyone that his defense and speed have declined sharply, but Eddie is still only 28. His athleticism is still high, and he hasn't quite reached his ceiling. Any team acquiring him gets the two final years of his 20s. It seems fair to say that Rosario will be an appealing trade target – for the right buyer – but his market will be tempered. Who is that right buyer, and what might they be willing to offer? Let's try and whittle down to some prospective trade partners that make sense. Presumably they won't trade him within the division. That removes CLE, CWS, KC, DET. It can't be a team that has no real hope of contending during Rosario's remaining two years of control. Cross off BAL, SEA, MIA, PIT, CIN. We'll dash every team that is already loaded on offense, and/or easily capable of spending freely to get more of it: NYY, BOS, HOU, LAD, ATL, CHC, WAS, PHI, NYM, STL, COL. Okay, that leaves us with nine teams. I'll go through them one-by-one to assess the specific matches. TAMPA BAY RAYS Tough to see the team that viewed Corey Dickerson as expendable giving up much for Rosario. This just isn't a Rays-like move, and they've got ample outfield depth anyway. No match. TORONTO BLUE JAYS I was tempted to include them among hopeless non-contenders, but they have enough young talent that they could turn the corner in a hurry, particularly if they address the pitching staff with gusto. Problem is, left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was their best hitter this year, and right fielder Randal Grichuk (a very similar player to Rosario) is under contract through 2023. No match. OAKLAND ATHLETICS This one rather intrigues me. Oakland's primary corner outfielders – Robbie Grossman and Stephen Piscotty – combined for 19 homers and 1.4 fWAR in 2019. The A's have no outfielders among their top eight prospects, per MLB Pipeline. There's a fairly obvious need here, and acquiring Rosario would enable them to make an impact add without tying themselves up in a bulky free-agent contract. The A's are deep in arms that could appeal to the Twins. Maybe Chris Bassitt? Keep in mind that Rosario is pretty much the antithesis of a Billy Beane "Moneyball" specimen.. TEXAS RANGERS I'm sure Eddie would LOVE to play in this park 160 times before hitting free agency. He's a career .328/.349/.517 hitter in Arlington, a notorious hitter's haven when the temps heat up. Unfortunately for him, it's tough to see the Rangers having a need, with solid corner outfield depth headed by Joey Gallo and Willie Calhoun. No match. LOS ANGELES ANGELS Hmmmm. Urgency is increasing for the Angels to do SOMETHING during Mike Trout's fleeting prime, lest they carry the burden of wasting one of baseball's greatest careers ever. Kole Calhoun is a free agent. They're gonna making some moves to set up new manager Joe Maddon for success; wouldn't be crazy to see a Rosario acquisition among them. Would reliever Cam Bedrosian plus a low-level prospect be a sensible return? MILWAUKEE BREWERS The thought of Rosario playing opposite Christian Yelich is fun. Only one problem: Ryan Braun, who remains under contract through next year, with a 2021 option. No match. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Rosario's old partner in the Ed-n-Eddie duo, Eduardo Escobar, thrived during his first year in the desert with 35 homers and 118 RBIs. The D-backs, who sorely lacked for corner OF punch this year, could well be interested in reuniting them. Were Arizona to be open to something involving closer Archie Bradley, who like Rosie has two years of control remaining, this could be a good fit. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS If there's no bad blood from the Sam Dyson fiasco, this could work. I'm not sure the Twins would be enticed by anyone on San Francisco's big-league roster, but the Giants have a number of promising arms in the minors – some close to MLB-ready. SAN DIEGO PADRES Over the past two winters, the Padres invested $450 million Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado. The returns thus far have been less than great. Nevertheless, GM A.J. Preller is now tasked with building around them in a reasonably efficient way. Above all, this team needs cost-efficient offensive production, although their decision to give up Franmil Reyes at the deadline in July clashes with this assumption. If they're high on Rosario, I'm sure they could easily put together a package of arms to make it worth Minnesota's while. If you had to put your money a landing spot for Rosario, where would it be? (And that can definitely include "Minnesota.") Click here to view the article

The World Series might end on Tuesday night. The release of the 2020 Offseason Handbook is imminent. Today, we're providing a glimpse of everything that awaits in this robust guide to the months ahead.We are working hard to finish up this year's edition of our annual Offseason Handbook. It will be released to preorders later this week. Anyone who does NOT preorder by the last out will have to wait unhappily for an extra three days. So preorder your digital copy now, and join the early birds. (Disclosure: If you do choose to wait, you can download it free, or $1, or $5, instead of paying the $10 preorder minimum. Pay whatever you're comfortable with, including nothing. We just want you to get it.) Here's what you'll find inside this downloadable PDF once it hits your inbox: Foreword, by R.T. Rybak: We sampled the former Minnneapolis mayor's poetic prelude last week.Introduction: You can read the entire thing in our post setting up the 2019-20 Twins offseason.Five Offseason Focuses: These stand out as the five most critical areas to address in the next few months.40-Man Roster: A snapshot of the Twins' roster as it stands heading into the offseason.Organizational Depth Charts, by Seth Stohs: Breakdowns of the system's current depth, and most promising upcoming prospects, at each position. This is what you're working with.Arbitration Decisions: With 10 Twins players eligible for arbitration, we analyze their situations and project a 2020 salary. Stay or go? That's up to you.Payroll Analysis, by John Bonnes: Geek presents all the details around spending in 2020: what's committed, what's realistic in terms of flexibility, what's possible if the purse strings really open up. He goes into greater depth on the #3Pitchers70Million framework shared here.Free Agents: Profiles and blurbs on dozens of available free agents, along with estimated contracts. We dive deep on the clear positions of need – catcher, rotation, bullpen – while also touching on other noteworthy names.Trade Targets, by Jeremy Nygaard: The creator of our Roster & Payroll tool, Jeremy has a strong grasp of MLB rosters and their technical management. We asked him to come up with some trade targets and scenarios for the Handbook, and he came through with 16 names. You can warm up with my list of four off-the-radar pitching targets not on Jeremy's list."Could the Twins Actually Sign Gerrit Cole?" by me: Even if he ends up receiving the biggest free agent pitching contract in MLB history, it's not totally outlandish to envision the Twin as realistic players for the crown jewel of the market. I'll examine this topic from five angles: the player, the need, the fit, the cost, and the impact."Could the Twins Find the Next Gerrit Cole?" by Tom Froemming: Offering the flipside of the previous feature, Twins Daily's head editor states his thesis off the bat. "Gerrit Cole was built, not bought." Tom follows with a thoughtful look at how the Twins might uncover the next rotation revelation, rather than paying the highest of premiums."Breaking Down the Bullpen Picture," by Glen Perkins: Third on the all-time Twins saves list, number one in our hearts. Who better to weigh in on the state of the Minnesota bullpen than a man who was recently its chief ambassador? Since retiring two years ago following a 12-year playing career spent solely wearing the TC, the three-time All-Star closer now lends insight as a TV and radio analyst. We appreciate him weighing in on the current setup."Fickleness of Free Agent Relievers," by me: As we put together another list of enticing-on-the-surface free agent relief options this year, I felt compelled to include a "buyer beware" warning. So I went back to last year's Handbook and reviewed how each one panned out: where they signed, for how much, and the ROI on their cost relative to their production. Not to get all clickbaity but... the results may shock you."How Rest, Rocco and Recovery Won Over Mitch Garver," by Dan Hayes: The Athletic's Twins beat writer delivers an extremely informative story on the team's enlightened handling of catcher workload. You'll learn why Mitch Garver played in just over half the team's games, and how his initial reluctance turned to advocacy by season's end. This dynamic will greatly affect offseason planning at catcher, with Jason Castro heading to free agency."The Revamped Twins Pitching Development Engine," by Parker Hageman: Building a championship-caliber staff is about more than trades and signings. It's about embedding an infrastructure that maximizes what you have, and unearths hidden gems. Through his uniquely perceptive lens, Parker unpacks the franchise's systematic overhaul in arms development under Derek Falvey."Shifting Plans for the Twins Defense," by Matthew Trueblood: Improving run prevention isn't exclusively the domain of pitching. Minnesota's defense struggled in the second half of 2019, contributing to key losses (especially in the ALDS). Matthew, a staple at Baseball Prospectus and welcome addition to our writing rotation here at Twins Daily, submits a data-packed rundown on the team's defensive strategy.Twins Daily Cheat Sheet: The Handbook closes with an open-ended exercise. Using all the preceding information (plus your own unrepresented ideas), create an offseason blueprint that turns the Twins into a World Series contender, while adhering to reasonable parameters. Share it here on the site.Preorder your digital copy now and be among the first to explore all this awesome content! If you have any questions, check out the Offseason Handbook FAQ or shoot us an email at twinscentric@gmail.com. Click here to view the article

That's the problem in adding impact starting pitching via free agency. Which is the premise of this article! The Astros got Cole for 2 years and $20 million. The Red Sox got Sale for 3 years and $40 million before they extended him. Trades are where the value is found. If you think 3 of the 4 guys in the article are nonstarters, I won't argue with you. You're probably right. But the point is that the Twins should aim high, and be open to giving up a "king's ransom" for the right player.

I've heard his name mentioned a lot, but I guess I just don't see why the Rockies would trade Gray. They don't exactly come up with pitchers of his caliber often.

Sorry to hear that. Just trying to generate some fun discussion as we wait for the offseason to actually get started. If you want, you can submit some of your own names and rationales here in the comments. I bet people will be nicer to you even if they find 'em implausible!