Danchat

Kriske at least had some very good AAA numbers earlier this year... I'll take him over Davis, Ramirez, and Urena. The bar is below the floor.

McCaughan was just selected yesterday, and didn't get to pitch in a game before getting DFA'd.

I just don't get the Roden part of the deal. We've spent so much time trying to develop Larnach into something and now you trade for a little bit younger version of him... lefty corner outfielder who isn't a plus defender having a rocky debut in the league, and having an issue with power this season. I really wonder about Falvey's talent evaluators especially when it comes to hitters. I'm a lot higher on Rojas, not sure if he can be a starter but if made into a one-inning reliever I could see him being a quality high leverage arm. I would bet heavily on him providing more value than Roden.

What has Erasmo earned from pitching 11 innings in AAA and giving up 8 runs?!

He looks more like a rehab project than a prospect…

Holy cow, he crushed that pitch. It goes without saying Davis is a not MLB quality talent.

Feels like a miracle that this collection of pitchers only gave up 4 runs! This team is going to win some random games, I don't think they make it to 100 losses.

Well, that's one way to get out of a jam.

This reminds me back when Falvine had a thing for old relievers like Matt Belisle. Now he's got 4 relievers at age 34+ in the pen and Topa is by far the best of them...

I could see Festa ending up as a high leverage reliever... question is, are they going to wait it out and keep him as a starter for depth? They have to start moving some starters to relievers.

This was 100% Falvey's move, the Pohlads had nothing to do with forcing him to make moves like this. He better be right about Roden and Rojas replacing five years of a dirt cheap quality reliever.

My prediction for Correa's next few years in Houston is a mix of good and bad, I think there is some life in his bat but it's not going to be consistent and who knows if his power comes back. And there will be more injuries, I'm surprised he's played as many games this year as he's had. But there's a reason Houston is willing to pay him $25M per year, which even for them is not chump change...

I forgot that was a rule... everyone said Rocco was stupid for using Jax there, but what else was he supposed to do? Maybe his pitchers could have pitched better and not put them in that situation.

I get that relievers are fickle and individually aren't "core" pieces, but wasn't this bullpen that had been built up over the past few years part of the core? Especially when four of them had 2+ years of control.

Ohl and Adams should be tested in the bullpen to see if they can work as middle inning relievers, the rest of the group is just placeholders. Also, this has to be the oldest bullpen in the league, right? Tonkin is 35, Topa is 34, and the two new AAA guys are mid 30s.

Yup, I guess the logic is they're going to play Austin Martin in the majors every day, so Outman will get Martin's AAA reps. Not how I'd do it... especially since this is it for Outman in the minors as his options are out in 2026. Unless they're going to risk DFA'ing a guy they traded 2.5 years of Stewart for.

Ramirez and Urena... two mid 30s relievers who haven't been good for years. Tonkin is legitimately their 3rd best guy. Yikes, man. They have to start moving some AAA/AA starters to the pen if they want to field even a mediocre pen for 2026.

Source: Fangraphs RP Erasmo Ramirez contract selected from minors RP Jose Ureña contract selected from minors SP/RP Pierson Ohl recalled from minors OF Alan Roden recalled from minors

They definitely don't think he's worse than Kiersey, given his 2023 season in the majors. It has to be about playing every day, which is why Kiersey collects dust on the bench most games. Austin Martin is going to get Bader's ABs for now and Outman will get Martin's AAA reps.

I assume they definitely believe in Jenkins and Buxton isn't going anywhere yet... so I think Larnach is toast, Wallner will get chances but maybe he starts getting more DH reps. Outman gets auditioned for the 4th OF/Bader role. I have to think one of these guys - Roden comes to mind first, then Gonzalez - ends up playing 1B because they still have nobody to play that unless Julien/Miranda turn their careers around. I dunno about Rodriguez, just seems like he can't stay healthy. They probably believe in him to a degree but far less than Jenkins. On Austin Martin, I'm guessing they're close to waiving the white flag on him. He has to show he can be able to handle playing the outfield first.

Their relievers weren't mediocre, but they got mediocre returns for them compared to other deals that were and have been made.

As one who was all for a tear-down... I just never expected it at this level, I didn't think Falvey had it in him. And while I think the Pohlads had a hand behind the Correa move, I think the rest of it was all him, especially the Stewart and Varland trades. As mentioned by others, it's a strange mix of very young and MLB-ready fix-er-uppers. I just don't like the returns for the Duran, Jax, and Stewart trades (Coloumbe and Correa trades also stink but that figures). I think the Varland deal reveals the intention behind the deal, there simply aren't enough reinforcements coming from the minors the next couple years when Falvey knows he won't have much FA money to spend, so he's got to try and split one quality player into two. Our minor league system before this week was frankly not very good and needed depth. What I don't get is the choice of return in some of these deals... the biggest piece in the Duran trade is a non-consensus top 100 prospect whose future at catcher is shaky and is only 19? Don't get me started on the Twins' success rates with international prospects at that age, who remembers the likes of Wander Javier and Misael Urbina? How does Jax go for a straight-up one-for-one trade for a starter that the Rays can't figure out and will be up for arbitration soon? The heck is the plan for the outfield with adding three lefties in Outman, Roden, and even Mendez? I just wonder if Falvey and his minions have a strange taste for prospects because I wholeheartedly believe that other teams made offers for Duran and Jax that we would have liked a lot better.

Seems like a fair return for two months of Castro - I think the Bader and Castro deals have had the best returns based on what we gave up.

The plan is obvious: 1) Sport an outfield of all lefties with Larnach, Wallner, Outman, and Roden 2) ??? 3) Profit!