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I thought Cingrani's numbers were pretty great. If Sano or Buxton is too much, who would be reasonable? Arica? Kepler plus Hendriks?

Cincinnati has a bevy of starting pitching. Any chance they'd entertain moving Cingrani? Not that I'd do it, but what if Buxton or Sano was in on the deal?

Good FA pitching rarely comes to market and when it does, the cost is out of the Twins range. Who might be available in trade. It seems the Twins have the prospects to get anyone available, but who would you be willing to trade, and for who (realistically because of people like Kershaw are not going to be on the market).

I'm as excited for the Sano/Buxton era as anyone, but the pitching prospects still seem a ways off. Is there anyone you'd trade them for? What if David Price was available?

I think it depends on what TR plans to do with Gardenhire at the end of the season. It seems Sano would NOT be a Gardenhire guy - brash, confident, not a light hitting middle infielder, etc. If Gardy will be gone by 2014, I think it would be better to wait to call up Sano until the new manager arrives so Gardy doesn't insist on him slapping singles to right field..

Sorry for the old terminology. Will Morneau be ranked high enough by Elias to be subject to compensation?

Is Plouffe still suffering from a sore thumb or a low BABIP?

Where would Morneau rank in terms of potential 2014 1B free agents? What determines Type A and Type B free agents? Not that the Twins would be in on it anyway, but is there anything to get excited about in terms of starting pitching for 2014?

Question for the HS vs. college pitcher debate. Is it reasonable to assume that a HS pitcher has a good chance to pick up a couple ticks on the FB with growth and a higher level of coaching than a college pitcher who is already 4 years older? Meaning, could Stewart who now maxes at 97, increase to 99 and be on the same level as Appel?

Depending on the injury, I think/hope Manaea is being undervalued by everyone except the Twins. Despite losing a couple of ticks on the fastball, he's still dominating everyone put in front of him this year. Even if you take away everything he did on the Cape in 2012, Manea is still a 6' 5" 230 lbs lefty with a lower ERA and better K/9 rate than Appel or Gray. Also, Manaea showed his best stuff in the summer of 2012. Maybe it's reasonable to think it takes him longer to find his groove and his summer of 2013 will be just as good as 2012. Maybe not the right strategy for someone trying to make millions on draft day, but for a professional, isn't it better to be lights out in the summer vs. March and April?

I'd take the under. I think the division will be better with the Royals added to competitiveness. Plus the Twins are in rebuild mode so Willingham and Morneau could be gone by July. Their best starter may be hurt to start the year. About the only spots on he roster that you could predict with confidence to be above average are a catcher that's only a half time catcher and the closer. And I don't foresee many opportunities for Perkins.

That's exciting about Cuellar and the chage up. I wish Berrios (and everyone else within the Twins system) could have a change up like Pedro/Johan. As far as Slowey goes, I used Verlander as an example of a similar age college pitcher (Maddux skipped college). And, I only brought Slowey/Verlander into the conversation to illustrate that stats are only part of an evaluation. Obviously there's nothing else to compare between them besides great numbers in the low minors. My question would be, are there other similarities at age 19 between JO and Pedro besides RK league stats, physical build, and a good fastball? What did the RK level scouting report say about Pedro and does the RK level scouting report on JO say the same things?

That's the reaction I predicted. Maybe I should have asked my question differently. If JO puts up the same type numbers, SHOULD he be pitching at AAA by the end of the year? My argument would be, how do you argue with the successful blueprint the Dodgers put together with Pedro. I assume Pedro had a PLUS fastball when he was 19, but where were his secondary pitches? I suppose it comes down to makeup and stuff to determine if a prospect is ready. But, throwing hard and throwing strikes looks like a good start, right?

I also want to ask another question. If JO Berrios puts up numbers in his 19 year old season comparable to the numbers Pedro Martinez put up in his 19 year old season, will Berrios be pitching at AAA by the end of the year like the 19 year old Martinez?

First I want to write that I realize Pedro Martinez is one of the best pitchers of all time who put up video game-type numbers in an era of offensive explosion and will no doubt be elected in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibiltiy to rightfully join the likes of Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, et al., among the inner circle of all-time pitchers. I also know that JO Berrios is not anywhere near shouting distance of any conversation for the Hall of Fame. But, I did compare stats from the 18-year old seasons for Martinez and Berrios. Same level of competition, same physical-type build, born about 23 years and 250 miles apart in the Caribbean. Berrios: 30.2 IP, 1.17 ERA, 49K, 4BB, .620 WHIP Martinez: 77 IP, 3.62 ERA, 82K, 40BB, 1.481 WHIP By the numbers, it appears Berrios compares favorably (albeit with less than half as many innings pitched). What I want to know is what made Pedro Martinez develop into the pitcher he was. Did the "experts" dream about the potential he had when he was 18 years old putting up numbers in Rookie ball? What was his pitch repertoire? What did his fastball average? Is there a web site somewhere that archives scouting reports that would help us common folk compare current prospects to past Major Leaguers? Does the JO Berrios current scouting report compare with any scouting report written 23 years ago about Pedro Martinez? I also want to say that I researched stats for the 22 year old seasons for Kevin Slowey and Justin Verlander. Both at high A and AA. Slowey: 148.2 IP, 1.88 ERA, 151K, 22BB, .834 WHIP Verlander: 118IP, 1.29 ERA, 136K, 26BB, .902 WHIP I think we all know who the better MLB pitcher is. I just wanted to inlcude that info so people know that I also realize that a MLB career is not based off of minor league numbers.

Great trade for the Twins. By the time the Twins are relevant, Shields will be gone but Myers will still be 5 years away from free agency, but playing in the East.

Sheesh, you people are mean. I guess I was way off to think for even a second that a 24 year old with a 1.102 OPS at AAA and some time in the majors had any sort of value. And to be sooo ridiculous to actually put him in the same sentence as Wil Myers and his .932 OPS in the historically hitter-friendly PCL is plain outrageous. Yes, Babe Myers did hit 7 more home runs during his time at AAA, in 106 more at bats (thanks for the tip to use google, that came in really handy to find that out). Yes Wil Myers is an extremely highly regarded prospect, higher than Parmelee, I acknowledge that. But is it so fantastical to think that had the Twins not rushed Parmelee to the majors to sit on the bench at the beginning of 2012, and kept his prospect status, that he might be mentioned in the same Twins Daily message board Forum thread? And another thing. I believe I also mentioned that the Twins would have to throw in an outfielder as well to possibly be mentioned. I don't know if that's enough, maybe not, but the Rays and Red Sox both need a first baseman and an outfielder. It seems that some of the threads I've read on this site suggest that the Twins have depth in those two positions. But, I'm probably wrong about that too.

MLB Trade Rumors writes that the Royals are dangling Wil Myers to try and aquire James Shields or Jon Lester. Could using Parmelee generate the same sort of interest? Literally they're in the same league/ballpark, but maybe not figuratively when it comes to trade value. Parmelee is 3 yrs older than Myers, but Parmelee's 2012 numbers at AAA are superior. What if the Twins threw in a CF prospect not named Buxton or Hicks?

Aquiring good starting pitching for 2013 and the future is priority #1, but I'm scared that Span's likely successor in CF and the lead-off spot has a career .319 OBP. I think that is the biggest case against trading Span.

If the Twins could get Shields for Span and Johnson for Revere plus a couple low prospects, do both deals and let Mastroianni handle CF until Hicks is ready.

I found myself cheering for Baltimore vs. the Rangers because somewhere inside me I thought it may help the Twins. Does the Rangers coming up short make them more desperate to overpay for Greinke thus make them decide to not resign Hamilton and then look for a more cost effective OF solution in trying to trade for Span? What about the Cardinals? Does their success make them more confident in their team so they are more willing to deal from their pitching prospects?

Would make sense, given how quickly it happened. I'd guess the Twins would have paid Hanshin some cash to take Nishi, but don't MLB teams need to pay cash to the Japanese clubs for the right to negotiate for players under contract? Does the system not work both ways?

If I was making the selection, I'd have no problems selecting Appel and giving him a fair offer for the #4 selection. I wouldn't go over slot. Then, if he doesn't sign, I believe the Twins would receive the #5 pick in the 2014 draft - hopefully a stronger draft than either 2012 or 2013. I also think Appel would be a great pickup for St. Paul after he declines to sign with the MLB team that drafts him.

My guess is the best player available will be a toolsy high school outfielder.

Who would bring back a greatest return in trade: Span, Revere, Willingham, Morneau, or Parmelee?