Seth Stohs

Reports I've been told on Tim Melville say he's one to watch. Sits 93-96 and maintains it. That's a very nice indy league signing.

Ironically, Otis Nixon's nephew played in Chattanooga last year...

As of right now... AAA: Garver, Recker AA: Paulino and Brian Navarreto (looks like he was called back up today)... Brian Olson was hurt early in the year, but he's been rehabbing in FM. He could come up to either of those teams in a pinch.

Note - the bigger story here is that there are 38 players on their 40-man roster.

The #MNTwins announced that Anthony Recker has been outrighted to AAA. He was acquired earlier in the week with Jaime Garcia for Huascar Ynoa. Makes a lot of sense. The Twins have gone from 5 catchers to 3 catchers in approximately 25-26 hours.

Like it a lot!

Oh my... he came up like 4-5 weeks ago, and this is just become a thing... but this is one of the greatest comments I've ever read on Twins Daily!!

I can see that... though I'd just go with Garver as the platoon with Mauer at 1B since he'd be $0.5M instead of $5M, and use that extra $4.5M on pitching.

I don't think he'd have very much trade value, and he's got too much talent to just give away. With that much team control and his age, he could be a 4th OF for the next 4-6 years, and he can start in CF and LF when needed.

I would agree, but the fact that he can do it may allow a winning team to use him in that situation when their regular closer has worked 2-3 games in a row. But he can also be an 8th inning guy... or a 7th inning guy... or a guy who comes in when you really need a ground ball to get out of an inning.

5 years vs 1 year is huge... See what the White Sox got for Adam Eaton... and no, I'm not saying the Twins should expect 3 Top 10 guys from some team for Rogers, but because he's got so much team control, there is a premium.

I tend to agree, but i also think he is a guy who could command an impressive return, so they have to have the conversations. And I think there is enough of a pitcher's market right now that someone may offer a huge package.

Blankenhorn made the move over to 2B for the 2nd half (after the made their 4 promotions). He's been playing there most every day with guys like Jernigan and Cabbage and Hamilton splitting time at 3B. I don't think his prospect status has fallen a whole lot, if any. And, Blankenhorn crushed the snot out of the ball at E-Town a year ago, so using Bechtold's E-Town numbers aren't terribly meaningful on their own.

That may be right, though they weren't going to send down Santana, Berrios or Mejia. Garcia gets a spot, and if Colon didn't want to retire, he wasn't an option... So, maybe it was going to be Gibson regardless... Only other option (sticking with the assumption that the first five starters were givens), is putting Gibson in the bullpen and sending down Busenitz or Pressly.

For the past week, Nick and I have taken turns reviewing the players that the Twins could look to acquiring in trades from the various divisions. When that series of articles began, the team was just a ½ game out of first place. As the series came to a conclusion yesterday with a look at the American League East division, the Twins found themselves nearly six games out and four games out of a wild card spot. At this point, the strategy has likely changed. Instead of being buys, the Twins are taking calls from teams to find out which players the Twins might be willing to “sell” by Monday afternoon’s trade deadline. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo of Brian Dozier) For the past week, Nick and I have taken turns reviewing the players that the Twins could look to acquiring in trades from the various divisions. When that series of articles began, the team was just a ½ game out of first place. As the series came to a conclusion yesterday with a look at the American League East division, the Twins found themselves nearly six games out and four games out of a wild card spot. At this point, the strategy has likely changed. Instead of being buys, the Twins are taking calls from teams to find out which players the Twins might be willing to “sell” by Monday afternoon’s trade deadline. As I’ve done in past years when the trade deadline approached and the Twins were (more clearly) sellers, I reviewed players in the Twins organization who could be dealt for something and gave a percent-likelihood that the player gets traded. WHO IS SAFE (probably)? Before digging into which players have at least some chance of being traded, it’s probably a good idea to consider which players will not be traded, for whatever reason. While the percent-likelihood that they are dealt may not be 0.00%, it is like 0.001% or similar. Joe Mauer will not be traded. He has a no-trade clause in his contract, and he became a 10-5 guy a long time ago. Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler - Young, high-ceiling hitters who are yet to reach their primes are immensely valuable. They each will make the league’s minimum at least one more year. Jose Berrios, Adalberto Mejia - See the previous list and substitute the word “pitchers” for “hitters.” Glen Perkins, Phil Hughes, Ryan O’Rourke, Trevor May - These are 60-day DL guys. While there would be teams interested in Trevor May if he was made available, it would be very unlikely the Twins would trade him when they likely have high hopes for him in 2018, and beyond. Bartolo Colon, Hector Santiago - These guys are closer to being DFAd than to being traded. TRADE CANDIDATES First and foremost, this list is intended for entertainment purposes only. Twins Daily does not recommend or encourage making wagers on trade deadline activities. These percentages are simply educated guesses designed to create discussion. Brandon Kintzler - RHP (75%) - Brought in on a minor league contract following an injury-plagued 2015 season, Kintzler began in Rochester, was called up a month later, was the team’s closer a month or so later, and in 2017, he became an All-Star. He has been remarkably reliable. However, he is at the end of his contract and will be a free agent following the season. His ability to close, or work in tough situations in the seventh or eighth inning could make him valuable to any playoff-contending team. Another All-Star who is an impending free agent at season’s end, Pat Neshek, went to the Rockies for three minor leaguers (none were Top 15 prospect types). Since Kintzler is a little younger, the Twins might be able to get slightly more return for Kintzler. Jaime Garcia - LHP (55%) - When the Twins acquired him on Monday, they were buying, just 2.5 games out of first place, and even closer in the wild card. Now the team may be a seller, and he has yet to make his first start for the organization. The Twins gave up 19-year-old Huascar Ynoa for Garcia with a willingness to eat much of Garcia’s remaining contract. The Twins could look to trade Garcia, continue paying him at least some of his remaining money ($4.5 million or so), and get a higher-ranking prospect in return. Ervin Santana - RHP (40%) - Santana may be a bit older, but he’s on a friendly contract for 2018 with an option for 2019. In other words, he’s far from a rental. A team could keep him for nearly 2 ½ years if things go well. Santana was great in April and May. He hasn’t been particularly strong in June and July, but he’s a veteran that most teams would be happy to see starting for them in the playoffs. The Rangers are in about the same situation and they’ve made Yu Darvish available, so the Twins would be wise to at least make Santana available and see what offers role in. He could be a backup plan to Darvish or Sonny Gray for the Yankees and Dodgers, while he makes a ton of sense for the Astros. Eduardo Escobar - UT (37.5%) - This name might surprise many reading, but it does make a lot of sense. Escobar is beloved in the clubhouse, but if the Twins were to offer him arbitration this coming offseason, he is likely to make $4 million or more. That’s a lot for a utility guy. Now, if he plays as much and as well as he has in 2017 next year, he’d be more than worth it. But with Dozier, Polanco and maybe Nick Gordon and/or Engelb Vielma in the picture in the middle infield, and Ehire Adrianza fully capable of being a solid utility infielder for $3 million less, dealing Escobar while he’s playing so well may make a lot of sense. They could get a similar haul to what the Giants got for Eduardo Nunez this week. Chris Gimenez - C (35%) - Gimenez clearly has a ton of respect in the game, particularly for his charisma and leadership skills. On field, he hasn’t been particularly good, but teams love adding guys like this down the stretch. The Twins wouldn’t get much, maybe even just some cash and a low level prospect, but I can see teams asking for him. It would allow Mitch Garver to be up for the final two months of the season as well. Matt Belisle - RHP (30%) - Belisle’s overall numbers do not look good because of a handful of really bad outings, but he has been really good the last two months. He’s given up just one earned run in his last 16 outings (18.2 innings). The return won’t be real high, but he can be a solid 5th or 6th bullpen option for a good team. Robbie Grossman - DH (20%) - Grossman was yet another strong minor league deal for Terry Ryan last year. Since joining the Twins, he has been a very productive hitter, primarily for his on-base skills, but he’s provided occasional pop too. He isn’t ideal to have in the outfield defensively, but there could be a team looking for a bench bat who could provide some versatility. He will be arbitration-eligible this offseason, and if he stays with the Twins, it would be an obvious choice to offer it to. Kyle Gibson - RHP (17.5%) - The right-hander was the Twins pitcher of the year in 2015, but the last two years have been a struggle for him. He had one of his best starts of the year on Saturday, and by Tuesday, he was sent to Rochester where he pitched well on Thursday night. In his second run at arbitration this offseason, Gibson could make a raise, potentially getting $4.5-5 million. The Twins likely would not pick that up, but Gibson’s got enough pedigree that there could be a team out there that thinks they know how to turn things around for the right-hander. And they may be right. For some reason, he seems like a perfect fit with the Cardinals. (One of) ByungHo Park/Kennys Vargas - DH (15%) - While teams likely won’t come to the Twins asking about these AAA (maybe AAAA) DH/1B, the Twins could go to teams looking for a bench bat, backup 1B/DH type in an attempt to drop one of them. Maybe they can find a taker. I thought Tampa made a lot of sense for Park since Logan Morrison and now Lucas Duda both bat left-handed. Eddie Rosario - OF (12.5%) - Rosario has arguably been the Twins best hitter the last six weeks, so this would be a case of trying to sell high on Rosario. The decision to make him available would likely be based on the front office’s willingness to believe that Rosario’s improved plate discipline and walk rate over the last couple of months is sustainable. Brian Dozier - 2B (10%) - There will be teams that will inquire about the availability of Dozier. Clearly the Twins were wise to not deal him straight-up for Jose Deleon. However, to this point Dozier has returned to a level at or slightly above his 2014 and 2015 numbers, as opposed to his historic performance in 2016. That’s still a valuable player, but the Twins will (and should) ask for more than teams are likely willing to offer. There are a lot of quality second basemen in baseball, and one of them, Ian Kinsler, is very likely to be traded which means there may not be a lot of teams in need of a second baseman. The Twins will happily keep him unless overwhelmed. Ryan Pressly - RHP (5%) - Teams could or should watch Pressly and see the 96-98 mph fastball, and see that sharp breaking ball, and realize that he’s got some great stuff. Pitching coaches and coordinators likely believe that they can provide said pitcher with that little piece that he’s missing to turn things around. Pressly’s got stuff to be a great late-inning reliever, and he’ll probably get there some day. The Twins would be wise to hang on to him, especially since he can be optioned still this year. No need to sell low. Taylor Rogers - LHP (2.5%) - Although I think Rogers could be part of a strong bullpen for the Twins for years ahead, I am including his name here. When I look at what the Marlins got for reliever David Phelps (who is similar, though right-handed, and older), I’d be incredibly curious what other teams might offer for a left-hander like Rogers who has been great for the Twins until the last few games. Unlikely to be dealt, but if a team is willing to give up three or four minor leaguers for him, I’d be curious. ---------------------------------------------------- It’s fun to guess what the team will do, but we still don’t know to what level the front office views this team. Sellers? Sellers only if overwhelmed? Buyers for long-term, high-talent assets? A combination of all of the above. There may be some surprises in the list above, and by Monday, there could be other surprises, maybe some minor leaguers. It will be as interesting a trade deadline as we have seen in recent years. There could be five moves, or they could do nothing, and a case could be made for both strategies. At the end of the day, each trade (made or not made) would have to be judged on its own merit. So, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree with the list above or any of the percentages? As a reminder, it’s important to remember that several of these player trades may make more sense in August rather than the July deadline. View full article

If there are questions you would want us to answer, or topics that you would want to hear us discuss, let me know and I'll bring them up during the show.

Seth Toupal is hosting a trade deadline podcast on Minnesota Sports Weekly. At 9:00 (central), Seth will be joined by Rhett Bollinger. I (Seth) will join him at about 9:30 until the show's completion at 11. Brandon Warne will also be a guest for a bit. Listen live (or later) here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/minnesotasportsweekly/2017/07/28/minnesota-sports-weekly-episode-28

Fully healthy, I'd take my chances, particularly 2005 and 2006. Sure.

Game 1... led until a 3-run homer allowed in the 8th inning. Game 3... had a 5-0 lead, a 5-2 lead into the 7th... Had a lead until it was tied in the 8th and lost on a walkoff in the 9th.

OK... maybe I should have worded it as "had an opportunity to win."

The Twins announced that catcher John Ryan Murphy has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for 22-year-old Double-A lefty reliever Gabriel Moya. Image courtesy of Kim Klement, USA Today The Twins announced that catcher John Ryan Murphy has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for 22-year-old Double-A lefty reliever Gabriel Moya. Acquired following the 2015 season from the New York Yankees in exchange for Aaron Hicks, John Ryan Murphy started the 2016 season with the Twins. When he didn't hit in the first month, he was sent down to Rochester where he has spent most of his time since. He has been very good defensively (elite-level pitch framer), but the 25-year-old backstop just was not able to reach the offensive potential that was assume when he spent parts of three years catching for the Yankees. As Nick pointed out shortly after the news came out, this would explain the addition of Anthony Recker in the Twins/Braves trade earlier this week. https://twitter.com/NickNelsonMN/status/890611421985161216 While this trade may not be a page turner, a Mark Feinsand tweet from a bit ago may create further discussion. https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/890605061272780802 In Moya, the Twins get a young pitcher who has worked solely as a reliever in his career. This year at AA Jackson, he is 4-1 with a 0.82 ERA in 34 outings. In 43.2 innings, he has issued just 12 walks and struck out 68 batters. Jeff Wiser is the preeminent Arizona Diamondbacks prospect expert. Find his work at Inside the Zona. Here are his thoughts on Gabriel Moya: From Darren Wolfson: https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP/status/890622910305492992 According to Baseball America, Moya had the Best Changeup in the Diamondbacks minor leagues. Here is a scouting report from 2080 Baseball from before this season: View full article

Obviously winning and losing is what matters... but we're talking about a team that is 71-31, and the Twins should have won two of the three games. Maybe it's too simplistic, but the idea that if they had two more relievers they could rely upon, they could be much better. At the end of the day, they are now 49-51 or whatever they are and instead of being Buyers, they probably should be at least partial sellers. But it shouldn't be lost upon people that this team isn't terrible and they may not be all that far off. I don't think that's jumping too far.

I don't think anyone is saying he's Barry Bonds or even a future All Star. We are saying that we think that he can be an improvement over Chris Gimenez, or a nice option as a 3rd catcher, backup 1B, part-time DH and also a bench bat. To me, he replaces Gimenez, and if they're not willing to deal Gimenez, he could take a spot of one of the relievers.