Seth Stohs

The first topic of this show from after Monday's game was Eddie Rosario. I think it was a good back and forth about what there is to like about Rosario, and what can be frustrating. Ultimately, I think most probably agree on the direction it should go in this offseason.

Good question... It would be hard to go against the Tigers prospects. It'd be also tough to go against Giolito/Kopech/Dunning. Like Tom commented, Cleveland just keeps finding quality pitching all over. The Royals have had a very clear strategy with lots of high upside talent that could move quick. And, the Twins have some upside guys with what we hope will be a Falveyan way to develop more talent

Corrected... and uffdah... Guessing his status wouldn't be so shiny if he had 19 walks to four strikeouts. HA! Thank you!

There are three American League Central teams with a record of .600 or better, and the Tigers were above .500 until they lost four out of five games to the Twins over Labor Day weekend. The Minnesota Twins, to the surprise of most, have been led by terrific pitching. Their starters are solid. But a quick look around the division tells us that offense might be difficult to come by for a while as there are several quality pitchers and pitching prospects who are close.Here is a quick look at what AL Central starting rotations could look like in the years to come. I haven’t included any pitchers who will become a free agent after the 2020 season. I think that you will find that the Twins, and each of the other teams in the division, have a plethora of exciting pitchers and more coming in the near future. Minnesota Twins The Veterans Kenta MaedaJose BerriosMichael PinedaMaeda had been really good for the Dodgers the past four years, but he has probably never been better than he has been in his eight starts for the Twins this year. He is under team control through the 2023 season. Berrios, the 26-year-old, two-time All Star struggled early in the season but he’s proven himself over time and should remain in the Twins plans for years to come. He could be a free agent after 2022, but the Twins may want to lock him up before then. Pineda just came back from his 60-game suspension. The Twins signed him to a two-year deal last offseason, so he’ll be back in 2021. Rich Hill and Jake Odorizzi will be free agents after this season. The Newbies Randy DobnakDevin SmeltzerLewis ThorpeAll three of these guys made their debuts in 2019, each showing enough promise to compete for roster spots in 2020. Dobnak was given the first shot this season and has made the best of it. He is 6-2 with a 2.72 ERA going into Tuesday’s start. Smeltzer has filled the role of long reliever or “primary” pitcher. He was optioned on Monday. Thorpe has struggled, but most would say he’s still got some ceiling. The Prospects Jhoan DuranDakota ChalmersJordan BalazovicDuran and Chalmers were easy choices last fall to add to the team’s 40-man roster. In one of the televised intrasquad games of Summer Camp, both pitched and showed Twins fans just how exciting their futures are. Both have big potential as top-of-rotation starters. The Twins top pitching prospect is Balazovic, who joined them at the Twins alternate site in St. Paul this weekend. All three could debut in 2021. And Jorge Alcala sure looks like a high-leverage bullpen arm for years to come. Cleveland The Veterans Shane BieberCarlos CarrascoSimply put, Shane Bieber is the best pitcher in the American League. Yes, even (possibly) better than Gerrit Cole (maybe). Bieber won’t even be arbitration-eligible until 2022. He’s still just 25, as well. Carrasco has been good throughout his career when he is healthy. He’s signed for two more seasons plus an option for 2023. The Newbies Aaron CivaleZach PlesacAdam PlutkoCivale and Plesac are two examples of the pipeline that Cleveland has developed. Neither was a big-name prospect and both have shown early in their careers that they will be effective MLB pitchers. Neither will even be arbitration-eligible for two more years. Plutko hasn’t had the same level of success, but he has had several strong showings. The Prospects Triston McKenzieJames KarinchakWe’ve seen what James Karinchak can do out of the bullpen. Clase came to the organization in the Corey Kluber trade. He got suspended, but his stuff is on par with Karinchak. Triston McKenzie has come up and been very impressive. The supplemental first-round pick in 2015 is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings over his three MLB starts this year. He has 19 strikeouts and four walks. Lefty Sam Hentges, from Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, reached Double-A in 2019. Chicago White Sox The Veterans Lucas GiolitoDallas KeuchelReynaldo LopezGiolito has reached the potential that made him a possible #1 overall pick in 2012 before having Tommy John surgery his senior year of high school. It took awhile with the Nationals and the White Sox, but he has become an All Star, been consistent and recently threw his first no-hitter. Keuchel is in Year 1 of his three-year deal and continues to live on control and command. Lopez has been around a bit and hasn’t been able to harness what is really good stuff. The Newbies Dylan CeaseAfter struggling to a 5.79 ERA in 14 starts as a rookie last year, Cease has settled in in 2020. He’s 5-2 with a 3.29 ERA despite 20 walks and 28 strikeouts in 41 innings. The Prospects Michael KopechDane DunningGarrett CrochetBlessed with a triple-digit fastball, Kopech has long been a high-ranking prospect. He debuted with four games in 2018 but then underwent Tommy John surgery. He was set to return this season, maybe even opening day, Dane Dunning also had Tommy John surgery in 2018. He missed 2019. In three starts for the White Sox this year, he’s got 18 strikeouts in 14 innings. In addition, the White Sox took lefty Garrett Crochet from the University of Tennessee with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, and he could be a fast-mover. Detroit Tigers Matthew BoydMichael FulmerSpencer Turnbull,Boyd has struggled in 2020, but he has experienced a lot of success the last two seasons. Michael Fulmer has missed time due to Tommy John surgery and is just coming back, but he was great when he won the Rookie of the Year award a few years ago. Turnbull had a bad record in 2019, but having watched him a lot, he’s got good stuff too. The Prospects Casey MizeTarik SkubalTyler AlexanderMatt ManningAlex FaedoThe Tigers have some very impressive pitching prospects. Casey Mize was the top pick in the 2018 draft out of Florida and he has now made four MLB starts. Tarik Skubal was their ninth round pick in 2018 out of Seattle University. He sure has looked good against the Twins these past two weekends. Those two are Top 100 prospects. So is Matt Manning who spent 2019 in AA and is in the same prospect category. In addition, Tyler Alexander is another left-hander with good stuff. Also in the Tigers bullpen is Kyle Funkhouser who has struggled with control, but he was very highly touted earlier in his college and professional career. Alex Faedo (nephew of former Twins great Lenny Faedo) was their first-round pick in 2017, and he reached AA in 2019. Oh, and they just added Coon Rapids native Logan Shore to their 60-player pool. Kansas City Royals The Veterans Danny DuffyBrad KellerJakob JunisDanny Duffy has been a part of the Royals rotation for more than a decade. He’s got another year on his current contract. Keller has gradually taken on a bigger role the past three years, from bullpen work, to back-end starter to being strong in 2020. Junis has won nine games each of the past three seasons. He won't get anywhere near there this year as he is yet to earn a win. The Prospects Brady SingerKris BubicAsa LacyDaniel LynchJackson KowarJosh StaumontThe Royals have certainly gone the direction of college pitchers with high picks in recent years and those picks are just starting to show up. Brady Singer (18th overall, Florida) and Kris Bubic (40th overall, Stanford) were both selected in the first 40 picks of the 2018 draft. They are a combined 1-9 right now, but both have shown enough to be considered part of the future. Also from the 2018 draft are Jackson Kowar (33rd overall, Florida), Daniel Lynch (34th overall, Virginia)and Austin Cox (5th round, Mercer) all have potential and have pitched at AA already. In addition, we have seen what Josh Staumont can do out of the bullpen and they just called up another prospect in Carlos Hernandez and pitched him in the bullpen. Oh, and they took Asa Lacy with the fourth overall pick in June from Texas A&M, and he has the potential to move very quickly. So, while the Twins have seen some strong pitching in 2020 from AL Central teams, there are a lot of really good, young pitchers who will be in the division for years to come. As talented as some of the pitchers who have debuted so far ini 2020 have been, there are many more high-ceiling prospects who should be debuting in the near future too. The Twins have a lot of high-ceiling hitting prospects. We have already seen Ryan Jeffers and Brent Rooker. We know that Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach are likely not far behind. But the Twins have high-ceiling prospects such as Jhoan Duran, Dakota Chalmers and Jordan Balazovic to counter the great pitching prospects from other division teams. The AL Central is already a solid division, and over the next several years, it may be able to compete with others for the best division in baseball. Click here to view the article

Kirilloff is getting a lot more at bats against live pitching now than he would be if he came up to play sparingly. Tortuga is unplayble, except as a pinch hitter, and I guess when you're down to needing to play your 4th catcher once in a while. Jeffers is really, really good though. While I don't necessarily agree with all of your thoughts, I love this concept and hope you'll continue to post these. I enjoyed reading each one and either agreeing or disagreeing. It's fun. Thanks Troy!

I would think most would say take the two outs... I probably would. Justin Morneau certainly suggested he thought going home was the right play. I think that it's not really bad either. If you go after the guy at third, and he stays in a run-down, you suddenly have 2nd and 3rd with one out... but no runs scored yet. Tough decision. I don't think that Skubal made the wrong decision, but it's possible there might have been a better one, but i don't think it's 100%

I love seeing a good two-seamer... Like the Maddux one.I think that's such a tough pitch.

Twins fans have been clamoring for it, especially over the last few weeks, and on Friday morning, it happened. The Twins selected the contract of outfielder Brent Rooker, calling him up to the big leagues. He started both games of the Twins doubleheader sweep of the Tigers.On Thursday night, Brent Rooker received The Call that every ballplayer dreams about. Twins minor league director Alex Hassan was on the phone. He was busy at the time, but seeing Hassan’s name made everything else not terribly important. Click here to view the article

I'd throw these out for consideration: 1.) Jorge Alcala fastball 2.) Trevor May fastball 3.) Trevor May changeup 4.) Randy Dobnak one-seamer 5.) Kenta Maeda splitter thingy 6.) Tyler Clippard's changeup

I'm guessing "They" knew, whoever that is... Blyleven, FSN, the Twins, etc.

While many may not have seen it, Bert Blyleven announced on Twitter that tonight will be his final game as a broadcaster with the Twins.Blyleven posted a two-part note to Twins fans saying that tonight will be his final game. The 69-year old Dutchman was the Twins 3rd round draft pick in 1969 out of his California High School. The next spring, he was a 19-year-old big leaguer. He spent parts of 11 seasons in a Twins uniform and became the best pitcher in the organization's history. He returned to the Twins late in the 1985 season and was a key member of the 1987 Twins World Series championship team. He is a member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. After spending 23 years in the big leagues, he joined the Twins broadcast team in 1996 and became one of the more popular color analysts to work alongside Dick Bremer. Twins fans today seem to either really enjoy his analysis or not, but I think as Twins fans, we all wish Bert the best as he and his wife Gayle live in Florida. It's good to read that he will now "transition from the broadcast booth into a Special Assistant position within the organization." According to the team's press reliever, Blyleven’s duties will "include engaging with fans and partners by making special appearances on behalf of the organization throughout the year. In addition, Blyleven will continue to serve as an on-field instructor for the Twins during Spring Training." Twins President Dave St. Peter said the following in the team's press release. In case you missed it, here are some highlights from Bert's final Twins broadcast: Click here to view the article

They just add Triston McKenzie in his place and call it good.

2020, y’all! Last year, the league went to just one trade deadline, the July 31st deadline. This year, the regular season didn’t even start until July 24th or 25th, so that wouldn’t have worked. Instead, the lone trade deadline in 2020 is today. Check out this thread throughout the day for rumors, links and more about the trade deadline. Should the Twins make any deals before the 3:00 pm central deadline, we will be sure to publish articles on each.This year, the expectation was that there would be few meaningful trades just due to timing and also because of not being able to see prospects play this year. While there haven’t been any real big names traded (yet), there have been quite a few mid-level trades. And there are definitely rumors that some big-name players could be dealt by today’s 3:00 deadline. So what does that mean for the Twins? Again, until recently, the thought was that the Twins had a strong offense, solid starting pitchers and a well-above-average bullpen, with depth in each of those areas. Right now, the Twins are on a five-game losing streak and with a plethora of injuries and under-performance, that depth is being far overused. Instead of leading the division, the Twins find themselves in third place in the American League Central division. AL Central Standings Chicago 21-13 Cleveland 21-13 Minnesota 20-15 (-1.5) Detroit 16-16 (-4.0) Kansas City 13-21 (-8.0) Following a sweep in Detroit at the hands of the Tigers, the Twins now head back to Target Field, but they get to play the red-hot Chicago White Sox. The Twins will not only face the White Sox young, powerful offense, but on Monday night they will face Lucas Giolito in his first start since throwing a no-hitter. On Tuesday, Michael Pineda will return from his suspension and start against Dallas Keuchel. The Twins have really struggled against left-handers. Twins Daily Trade Deadline Articles Over the past couple of weeks, there has been a lot of trade deadline coverage. Here are the articles for you to peruse this morning. This Trade Deadline if Going to be a MessDylan Bundy Could be the Perfect Target at the Trade DeadlineThe One Player Minnesota Shouldn’t Trade ForThe Only Starting Pitcher the Twins Should Trade ForTwins Most Impactful Roster Additions Will Likely Come from St. PaulThree Right-Handed Batters the Twins Should Target This WeekThree Former Twins That Could Return to Minnesota This Trade DeadlineTwins Daily 2020 Trade Deadline PreviewMLB Trade Deadline: Three More Bats Twins Should TargetThe Case for Lance LynnFour Left-Handed Relievers the Twins Should Target Before the Trade DeadlineFour Right-Handed Relievers the Twins Should Target Before the Trade DeadlineIdentifying the Twins Most Tradable AssetsThe Potential Trade for a Relief Ace Nobody is Talking AboutCompleted Trades To this point, I think we would have to say that we are pleasantly surprised with how active teams have been leading up to the trade deadline. The names to this point have not been big names, relievers and role players. Will there be bigger names and more impactful players dealt on Monday? The San Diego Padres acquired Catcher Austin Nola and RH relievers Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla in exchange for OF Taylor Trammell, iF Ty France, catcher Luis Torrens and pitcher Andres Torres.Nola will be the Padres #2 catcher as they also acquired Jason Castro from the Angels in exchange for RH RP Gerardo Reyes.The Rockies traded minor league infielders Tyler Nevin and Terrin Vavra to the Orioles in exchange for RH RP Mychal Givens. Nevin is the son of former Twins DH Phil Nevin and Vavra is the son of former Twins coach (and current Tigers hitting coach) Joe Vavra.The Padres acquired 1B Mitch Moreland from the Red Sox in exchange for Jeisson Rosario and Hudson Potts.The Cubs acquired DH Jose Martinez from the Rays in exchange for two Players to be Named Later.The Orioles traded former Twins lefty Tommy Milone to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for two Players to be Named Later.A day earlier, the Padres traded outfield prospect Edward Olivares and a Player to be Named Later to the Royals for RH RP Trevor Rosenthal.The A’s acquired infielder Tommy LaStella from the Angels for infielder Franklin Borreta.Players Rumored to be ShoppedMike Clevinger - He’s really good. Cleveland just apparently got tired of him doing and saying dumb things, so they’re mkaing him available. They should get a ton for him, and it is very likely he will be dealt.Joey Gallo - the powerful Rangers slugger might be available in the right deal.Josh Hader - The Brewers have struggled, and Hader has been one of the top relievers in baseball the last few years. He’s got years remaining on his contract which makes him very attractive.Dylan Bundy - Once a top prospect, Bundy has thrived in 2020 with the Angels. The Twins have been linked to him, but so have a lot of teams.Austin Hedges/Francisco Mejia - The Padres went out and got both Jason Castro and Austin Nola which might make Hedges and Mejia available. Both have options so they don’t have to trade either as well.Daniel Norris - forever a pitching prospect, Norris has become a solid reliever and could attract some attention.Starling Marte - Diamondbacks outfielder is right-handed. The Twins need right-handed bats and power. Marte does those things.Kevin Pillar - Another right-handed bat, Pillar is can play around the outfield. Could fit the Twins roster well because of his right-handedness and ability to play center field.Archie Bradley - He has been very good since moving to the bullpens, especially the last year or so.Jackie Bradley, Jr. - A defensive wizard, and he switch-hits.Lance Lynn - He was clearly upset about settling for a one-year deal with the Twins in 2018 and it showed. However, he got the three year deal from Texas last offseason and has been one of baseball’s best starters since.Mike Minor - Hey, if the Rangers are making Lynn available, might as well ask about Minor as well.Robbie Ray - The Twins were connected to Ray in the offseason though the asking price was very high.Caleb Smith/Elieser Hernandez - The Twins were reportedly interested and may have even had discussions regarding these Marlins starters in the offseason.As has been pointed out, the Twins often have acquired lesser known players, especially relief pitchers, and turned them into very reliable contributors. So, will the Twins make a trade?? Should they?? Consider or Discuss these questions: What is the goal for the season? Even with the struggles of late and the AL Central competition,the goal remains the playoffs and a deep run with the ultimate goal of the World Series.What are the Twins biggest needs? Right-handed hitting? Any hitting? Starters of Relievers?How do injured players fit into the plans over the final 25 games and into the playoffs?It is likely that Cleveland and Chicago could be active at the trade deadline. Is it necessary for the Twins to try to match them?Keep up with the rumors throughout the day in the comments below and share your thoughts on how the Twins need to handle the deadline. (If the Twins do make a trade or three, we will be sure to include a new article for each transaction. Stop by Twins Daily throughout the day.) Monday Updates: Click here to view the article

I still wouldn't get paid. I believe that the African American players around the league have donated their paychecks for the day or days to social justice organizations. I'd be very good if the Twins players, in conjunction with the organization, decided to donate their Thursday pay to a quality organization.

On Thursday afternoon, news came that the Twins players had voted to not play tonight's game in Detroit against the Tigers. Soon after, it was also noted that the Tigers players did the same thing. It is a postponement. The game will be made up at a later date."As long as our players are empowered and able to speak their minds, then we're doing something right." Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli said that his team has had several meaningful discussions over the past 24 hours about what is going on in the country. There have been individual conversations, discussions in small groups and later in the day, the group assembled. One player stood up first, and said, "I don't think we should play today." Baldelli said that player was Taylor Rogers. He was followed by Nelson Cruz and Trevor May in voicing their similar thoughts to the team. The manager said, "It was a very powerful gathering. The players were in solidarity in the decision. We ultimately formally raised our hands and unanimously voted not to play out of respect for all. I'm very proud of the way it was handled by our group, respectfully and thoroughly." Baldelli said that he had several discussions with Tigers manager (and former Twins manager) Ron Gardenhire before this and that the Tigers also held emotion-filled meetings and voted the same way. Press release from the Twins:: Click here to view the article

Celestino spent maybe a month at High-A Ft. Myers at the end of last season. He's not really ready with the bat yet, but yes, his potential is hgh. Defensively, he could come up and play CF now. Wade is much more ready at this point. I mean, he's 5 years older and played 3 years in college and 5 years in the minors. Wade's approach at the plate is mature, advanced. Given an opportunity he would be just fine. He's stretched in CF, but he's fine in the corners (and he's adequate in CF).

The minor leaguers can't be in the facillities in Ft. Myers, except for rehabs and "hardship cases" (a lot of the guys from Venezuela couldn't go back, so they're there). Everyone else is at home.

This year is a little different too. Normally I'd be able to say that I'd rather have those guys stay in the minor leagues and keep getting at bats than sitting on the bench in the big leagues. This year, there aren't minor league games. However, as Falvey also told us, there is a line there too. In St. Paul, they are able to get more live at bats in intrasquad games or facing live pitching than if they're on the bench or on the taxi squad. Adrianza is a proven, solid MLB utility player who has earned him time. Cave has been really solid (to above solid) as a fourth outfielder the last two years. Blankenhorn can probably play 3B adequately, though he played just two games there in 2019 and has moved more to 2B, but he's told me in the past that he knows versatility will be important to him. I do like the idea of Rooker as a right-handed bat option rather than four lefty options in the corner OF (Rosario, Kepler, Cave, Wade). Kirilloff and Larnach and Blankenhorn are all left-handed too. The Jeffers promotion tells me that they are willing to call up the prospects if they're the player that can most help the team win in a needed role.

Probably depends on how much he has been able to do at home in Orlando during this time. He's obviously in great shape, but it could take a week to just get into a little better shape and then he can start doing more and more baseball activity before going to St. Paul. It'll just take time.