LA Vikes Fan

I like this and would add two things- 5. Re-sign/extend Ryan and/or Lopez to 3-4 year deals. Trade them if you can't for pitching, including a closer. 6. Clear the decks by trading/non-tendering Larnach, Lewis, and one of Ober (my choice) or Kremer, let Bell move on to his next team. Lean into the rebuild. Give Jinkins, Roden, EmRod, and Culpepper 5-6 days a week playing time.

I think you're right, the question is will it be at 1B or 2B. That all depends on whether we keep Lewis, where he plays if we do, and whether we can pick up a quality 1B or 2B via trade or in free agency. I like the idea of getting a 2B in trade or as a free agent and moving Clemens to 1B. He's an above average fielder at 1B, a below average fielder at 2B. Still, a lot has happened for that to work so like much of the roster, his position is still up in the air.

I agree if performance is the measure. Jenkins did not perform well enough in 2026 to be considered any sort of "lock" for 2027. He is big potential, but as of yet there's no there there. However, I agree that he is a lock at least at the start of the season. The Twins have not yet established a core for next season beyond the other 4 in the post. Jenkins will get a chance to become part of that core in 2027 by playing pretty much every day unless he completely tanks at the plate. We got nobody else for that 3rd OF spot behind Buxton adn Keaschall. It's his to lose.

OK, now I see where we aren't communicating. My suggestion that we need 1 SP is abased on the assumption that Ryan will be traded in the off season or at the deadline if not re-signed. I wasn't suggesting we need extensions for Lopez and Ryan AND 1 more SP. We got that 3rd SP last year when we traded for Bradley. Also, Lopez is already on the books for $21.5M in 2027, so signing him to a 4 year extension at a $25M AAV only adds $4.25M to the payroll in 2027 and is probably cheap in 2028-30 IF he comes back to what he was before he got hurt. Granted, that's a big If. I'm perfectly comfortable going into 2027-2030 with a rotation of Lopez, Ryan, Bradley, and a combo of Prielipp, Zebby, Abel, Rojas, and Kremer. I'm less comfortable moving everyone up a spot if trade Ryan and lose his projected $12-14M salary for 2027 and $30m likely salary for 2028-2030. I'd take a chance on Freddy Peralta if we trade Ryan, much less excited about the other FAs other than Skubal and he is likely to be a Dodger next year. I think the move is to re-sign Ryan if we can. I hear you on the idea of long term contracts to young guys but I think it's to early for a guy like Jenkins. We have him for 5 more years, let's see him have a good 2027 and 2028 first. Maybe its time for Keaschall or Lee, but still probably too soon for both. I would look into what it would take to buy out Bradley's arb years but he isn't a FA until 2030. probably a year early on him.

Your math is wrong, it doesn't take into account what we're already paying or will have to pay these people through arbitration or the cost of a replacement if they're gone. Thee change is much closer to $40-50M a year, not $100M a year. With my suggestions, the payroll goes from this year's roughly $100M to roughly $140M, not to $200M. If your point is that tearing it down and starting over with the young players is a better option, I'm not so far in disagreement. We could let Jeffers and Minter go now, trade Ryan and/or Lopez now or let them play out their contracts this year and then go, dump Laranch and 1 or both of Ober or Kremer for whatever prospects we can get, and turn things over to the younger group with Buxton, Clemens and Caratini as essentially the returning vets. We could field an everyday lineup of Jenkins, Keaschall, Lee, Culpepper, EmRod, and Roden, augmented by Caratini holding a place until Lackey is ready, Buxton playing out his contract, and Clemens as the veteran core. Houston comes up midseason The rotation is Bradley and some combo of Prielipp, Zebby, Abel, and Rojas, etc. The BP is basically the same as we had at season's end minus Rogers and Minter, probably replaced by Acton and Paredes. Probably a pretty bad 2027 team but could be better in 2028 or 2029 depending entirely on how many guys hit and don't get injured, and how the minor league depth gets augmented by trading the vets we now have. That Team could also could stay bad if the young players don't develop or key guys get hurt or flame out. It's a plan and not a bad one. It's just not the plan I would use because I think that younger players develop better and faster if stitched around a core veteran group. The vets raise your floor without compromising the ceilings of the young players. I like the idea of two stalwart starters in Lopez and Ryan fronting a rotation as Bradley, Zebby, Abel, etc. improve over time behind them. I like Jeffers and Buxton in the middle of the order with Culpepper, Jenkins, etc. developing under less pressure in the 6 or 7 spots, or even the 2 hole. I like Morris and Gomez pitching high leverage but not called upon to pitch every 8th and 9th inning and not being the primary closers closing every game. I think that approach works better in the short term and better in the long term. I can see a roster with those core vets still here, and the mediocre vets like Larnach and Ober gone replaced by young players, going from 77 to 80-85 wins next year and better in 2028 as those younger players develop. Hey, reasonable minds can differ.

Right on brother.

I'm an a optimist by nature. I'd like to believe in Tom. But. like many here, I need to see action to believe that he will spend the money necessary to be competitive. The real problem here is spend it on who? The best available FAs are all over 30 except for Arraez. Our need are 2B, 1B, C, 1 SP, and bullpen help. Overpay or not, there is little chance Skubal would choose Minnesota over staying with the Dodgers, same for King and Morejon staying with the Padres or another West Coast team. I don't want Jazz Chisholm (and why would he leave the Yankees) and we got OFs so why spend big on Arozarena or Suzuki. Brandon Lowe is 32 but would be a good get for 2B (move Clemens to 1B) as would our old friend Arraez who's 29, but then there's no room at the Inn for Houston for at least 2 years. If you look at the available FAs, there really isn't a lot to like other than Morejon or Helsley for the BP or maybe one of the 2B. What would show me a lot would be for the Twins to re-sign some core guys that are or are soon to be FAs. The key guys are Jeffers, Lopez, Minter, and Ryan. Jeffers is the priority. He's the best FA C out there and can probably be had for less than $20m a year for 4 years. Lopez seems like he wants to stay - take a risk and give him 3 -4 years at $25M a year. Try to re-sign Ryan for 4-5 years at $30m a year and if you can't, trade him and don't be afraid to take on a big contract. Give Minter 2 years, $20-25M total if that's what it takes although he may be a little cheaper. Go to FA and sign Helsley or Morejon, or even David Bednar or Gregory Soto, and give them a 2 or 3 year deal. Don't worry so much about a guy like Houston who is still in AA - go out and sign Arraez or Lowe and give them at least 2 or 3 year deals. If Houston is the real deal sooner than 2029 you can make a later trade or be creative with the roster and move the older player to 1B. I know some of you will say "those deals are overpaying at the end of the deal". You're probably right but that's the price of signing people. If you aren't willing to risk significantly overpaying someone at the end of a long term contract you cannot sign anybody any good. Period. I want to believe. Re-signing players who can be the core guys to build around, especially Jeffers, Lopez, Minter, and Ryan, would go a long way.

I think you're probably right on adding a bat through a trade. I just don't see who we can trade that will get us the big bat we need. Even Ryan probably isn't worth that after last season's collapse on the heels of the same collapse in 2025. I hope you're right on Houston. He certainly hit at A+ and AA, not sure why he didn't get a taste of AAA at the end of last year. Part of me wants to make next year a complete re-set year, trade Ryan, Larnach, and Lewis, and play Lee, Culpepper, Houston, Roden, Jenkins, Keaschall, and EmRod along with Buxton, Clemens, and a catcher pretty much every day. I have no clue who the catcher can be, maybe someone we can get from trading Ryan or Lewis. I just hope it isn't Caratini 2 of every 3 games. Add Lopez to the rotation of Bradley, Kremer, Prielipp, and either Zebby or Abel, with the other one and Rojas starters 6 and 7 in AAA, re-sign Minter and put Ober in the Bullpen, and who knows, that could be a competitive team. Or it could be a lousy team. At least it would be more fun to watch than parading the equivalent of Larnach, Tristan Gray, Orlando Arcia, or even Josh Bell out there every day. I've seen that. It isn't that much fun to watch.

Good point, but who's the big 1B bat we can get? He's not out there on the FA market. Maybe we can trade for one (Alec Burleson? Ryan Mountcastle?), but I'm not sure who that is. Another option might be to sign Brandon Lowe to play 2B and move Clemens to 1B, but he will be expensive. Lowe's 2026 line is .260/.331/.493 (.824), with 35 HRs, 96 RBIs for Pittsburg. He's a FA and the speculation is he will get 3 years, $20-25M a year at age 32. By the way, agree with you on Roden. He does have a chance to have the best year in 2027 of the 3 guys. A good chance IMHO. Maybe the answer is to put Roden at 1B and leave Clemens at 2B until Houston is ready. Kody will be 31 in May and Houston is probably a 2028 or later arrival so the timing may work. That doesn't give us a new big bat for 2027 but it does fully lean into youth by have Jenkins and EmRod part of the 4 OF/DH rotation with Keaschall and Buxton. I'd rather go get a big bat but I just don't see one out there for us to get.

You misread my post, I must not have been clear. My point is that Roden had the best 2026 of the 3 OF contenders, 4 if you count Martin, so I don't understand why people here automatically assume he is being passed by younger and allegedly "better" players. You are misreading the data on Jenkins by a lot. It would be great if he had a .293 batting average, but he actually hit .226. Going into 2027, I think you have to look at Roden and Jenkins as fighting for that 3rd/4th OF spot with EmRod and Martin going in pretty far behind and GG and Mendez not even in the conversation. Long term, who knows who is going to be the better player. Hopefully they will all be solid or better MLB players with at least 1 star. Jenkins is the most likely star but Roden looks like he has a ceiling of at least a solid player with a chance to be a star, EmRod is a complete crapshoot with a ceiling anywhere between star and washout, and Martin is 4th OF at best. Let's at least agree on the basic facts even if we disagree on conclusions. Jenkins line this year and so far in his career is 93 PAs, 84 ABs, 19 hits, 4 HRs, 10 RBIs, ,226/.293/.393 (.686) with 7 BBS, 19 SO, for a 7.5% BB rate and a 20.4% SO rate . Roden's line in 2026 was 94 PAs, 79 ABs, 1 HR, 14 RBIs, .291/.376/.392 (.768) with 12 BBs and 12 SOs, with an identical 12.75% walk and strikeout rate. EmRod only had 48 PAs, so a smaller sample size, 45 ABs, 8 hits, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, with 16 SOs and 3 BBS for a 6.25% BB rate and 33.3% SO rate. The strikeout rate is in line with his 26.5% SO rate at AAA - most players' SO rate goes up 3-5% moving up to MLB from AAA. His approach may give him the high SO rate at the Majors without the walk he got in AAA but it's very early. I think looking at 2026 you have to say that Roden looks the farthest along at the plate, Jenkins looks like he belongs but still needs experience, and EmRod is still an unknown. I was reacting to the idea that Jenkins and EmRod have somehow "passed" Roden. They haven't. They are still behind him. Let's not anoint guys until they produce. Plus, Roden can hit LH pitching both at AA and MLB, Jenkins has not hit LH pitching yet at either level. That all may change in 2027 but I would give Roden a close to everyday shot in 2027 and see if he can be an above average OF. I would basically play Keaschall, R Buxton, Roden and Jenkins every day at the 3 OF spots and DH for at least a couple of months and see if it works. EmRod can work in 2-3 days a week and Martin whenever there is a LH starter.

I agree wiht your comment that Roden had a solid year and looks like a solid MLB player. I don't understand why everyone here is ready to write him off because of the "younger and better" options. Who exactly are those options? Keaschall for sure, he's the best hitter on the team. Jenkins? Maybe later but not so far. Jenkins looks promising so far but Roden outhit him by a lot in the same number of ABs - .768 OPS v. .686 with Roden significantly higher in all 3 hitting categories with Jenkins the better fielder. EmRod? Hardly. Didn't hit in his very small sample size but flashed a good glove. Too early to tell but the initial signs were not that great. GG? Pretty clearly not ready. Mendez? Same and an iron glove. He and GG should be playing 1B next season in AAA. I'm a big believer that players should be judged on performance, not on ratings hype or perceived ceiling. If we look at performance, Roden clearly has outperformed both Jenkins and Rodriguez and he did so while getting inconsistent ABs, not the consistent play Jenkins got. Looking at the 2017 roster and assuming the Twins don't pick up a FA OF or DH, which I don't think they will do, I would expect Roden be in the OF/DH rotation along Buxton, Keaschall, and Jenkins, with EmRod and Martin on the bench. We'll see how each of them performs and that will determine who plays the most, but for right now Roden is in the top four if not the top three ahead of Jenkins. I really wonder if Roden gets a bad rap here because he was the secondary return in the trade of a fan favorite/ local guy. If you actually look at performance, he is the one who performed at an acceptable MLB level. We will see if that continues and how everyone does but he's the early leader. I do like the idea of Roden playing 1B if he can and if we don't get a 2B in the off season to move Clemens to 1B. I like it because based on actual performance, he has earned the right to get a longer look.

I agree but would expand that a difference making 1B or 2B, with Clemens the stopgap at the other position. Harder to get a difference making 2B if you're thinking power. I would look at this a little differently. A trade for a guy like Miami's Xavier Edwards could allow for a speed based team with Edwards, Keaschall, Culpepper, and Buxton in the top 4 spots (or top 3 plus #9) to create run scoring opportunities. A 30 HR, 100 RBI good fielding 1B would be better, but I don't see that guy out there. Clemens plays a good 1B, and could be a very good field 1B with off season work, and it looks like he'll give us .240/.300/.450 with 25 plus HRs and 80 plus RBIs. It might be easier and more realistic to pair that with a 2B like Edwards and take good defense and .280/.350/.380 there with 25 SBs, pair it with good speed guys like Keaschall and Culpeper, and use speed to make up for a lack of power. Based on this year, one would pencil in Clemens and Lee for 25 HRs plus apiece, so we'll have some power even without another power guy. A guy like Edwards will cost us a young starter like Zebby and a 15-30 prospect, but I think it's worth it both short and long term.

Agreed. Kremer in the #4 spot in the rotation. Ober as the 6th starter/piggyback/long man in the BP. They already tried him in that role in a game with Kremer earlier this month. I could foresee a Kremer and Ober combo basically functioning as the number four or number five starter. And I say that even after I say we should trade Joe Ryan. I think the top three are some combination of Bradley, Lopez, and. Prielipp, with Abel, Matthews (again, I think he should be traded for a 2B), Rojas, and Grayson Rodriguez (acquired in a trade of Lewis) all fighting for the fifth starter spot.

I think at least half of the answer at 1B and 2B is already in house – put Clemens at 1B. Statistics say he was a better than average defensive 1B and a well below average defensive 2B. Moving him over helps solve two defensive paun points without sacrificing offense since he is going to be in the lineup anyway after this last season. I think we’re gonna have to go outside the organization for a 2B this year. I don’t think we should rely on Huston to be the solution middle infielder for at least another year or two, if ever. I’m not suggesting he won’t be quality MLB player, I’m just suggesting that it is fools gold to expect that to happen before 2028 or 2029 and the latter is more likely. I think the solution at C and 2B are probably in the trade market. I would trade Joe Ryan to the Dodgers for Dalton Rushing and a good prospect. I would then trade someone like Zebby Matthews plus a quality AAA outfielder like Rosario to Miami for Xavier Edwards. Finally, I would trade Lewis for a change of scenery candidate like Grayson Rodriguez of the Angels or someone like that, or for some prospects. Do that and you’ve improved the defense with younger players and improved the speed profile. The names may be different, but the concept is to trade Ryan, a young starter with upside like Matthews, and Lewis in return for a young Catcher, 2B, and a younger player with some upside.

Before you can predict what you need you have to understand what you have AND what steps are going to happen in the off-season. I think we can do both. Fun exercise so let's start with steps I think are likely coming: 1. Starting Pitching - Pablo Lopez will be re-signed through a three or four year extension. Joe Ryan will be traded to a team that thinks they can sign him to a 5 or 6 year extension, most likely in California since he's made no secret that wants to go back there. It's in the Twins' best interest to trade him to a team that can re-sign him so they get the most in return. I suspect he will go to the Dodgers or the Giants, but I could see the Rangers or Braves trying to get him as well. 2. Catching - Ryan Jeffers will get the QO and sign elsewhere. I think the Twins will offer him something like three years, $45-$60 million but it will take four years, $75-$80 million to get him signed and I don't see them going there. Hope I'm wrong. 3. Free Agents/Arb candidates We Have - We re-sign AJ Minter to a two-year deal, in the $8 to $9 million AAV range, the higher end of his projections. Rogers, Larnach, and Bell will be gone, maybe we get a AA or AA prospect for Larnach after tendering him a contract. Ober stays one more year as a long man in the bullpen/6th starter, after signing a 1 or 2 year deal in the $6 million-$8 million per year range. 4. 1B - We don't need a 1B for 2027. We have one. His name is Kody Clemens. He's an above average defensive 1B, average to below average at 2B, and there is nobody out there to pick up. His roughly .235 – .240/.300/.450 (.750) slash line only needs to go up a little be perfectly viable at 1B. He improved his batting average from .218 to .235 from 2025 to 2026. If he comes close to doing that again he's a .245/.315/.450 hitter who's a decent hitter against same sided pitching, hits 25+ HRs with 80 plus RBIs, and field at an above average level. That is a whole lot better than any available free agent IB that we could afford. If that's true, what do we need? 1. We need a younger, controllable middle infielder to play 2B. I love the idea of trading for Xavier Edwards of Miami. I think that will require a package like Matthews and Kalai'a Rosario or Henry Mendez. I think we make that deal. I would make a lesser deal to get Vaughn Grissom of the Angels. 2. We need a Catcher. I think the targets will be first Dalton Rushing of the Dodgers and second Tyler Stephenson of the Reds. I think Twins should try to trade Joe Ryan to the Dodgers for package that includes Rushing and a 15-30 prospect that's at least in AA. I like Jackson Ferris (LHP) or Logan Wagner (2B). 3. We need one more upside, late inning reliever if we don't re-sign Minter, should still try to get one even if we do. Probably requires a free agent signing. Love the idea of signing David Bednar but I think that's unrealistic since he will want to stay with the Yankees. I think we sign Bryan Abreu. 4. We need to get some value for Royce Lewis because in my scenario he has no place to play. I think we trade him to the Angels for Grayson Rodriguez, a classic trade of two talented "change of scenery" candidates. Angels desperately need a 3B, have no one in the pipeline, and Twins get a talented but inconsistent hard throwing RH pitcher. So, in summary, I think the moves are to trade Ryan the Dodgers for Dalton Rushing plus a prospect, trade Lewis to the Angels for Grayson Rodriguez, sign Bryan Abreu as a free agent, trade Zebby and a AAA OF for a controllable 2B like Xavier Edwards, and re– sign AJ Minter for the bullpen. We then move Kody Clemens to primary 1B, teach Roden and Martin to be passable at 1B for MLB depth there along with Caratini, with Sabato and GG in AAA as 1B depth. Here's what we wind up with we do those things: Starting Pitching - Rotation is Lopez, Bradley, Prielipp, Kremer, and Abel. Rojas, Grayson Rodriguez, Gallagher, CJ Culpepper, Bohorquez, and Paredes are in AAA and are the rotation fall backs in that order. Bullpen - Hoffman (closer/late inning), Morris (closer/late inning), Minter (closer/late inning), Gomez (closer/late inning), Banda, Abreu, Nance, and Ober. Sands, Adams, Paredes, Pasqualotto, and one classic MiLB signing like Matt Bowman are in AAA for BP depth. I'd like to do the same thing with Funderburk but he is out of options and I think they will trade either him or Ober, or keep both in the bullpen and not pick up a guy like Abreu. Starting Lineup/batting order - Keaschall (OF/DH), Culpepper (SS), Jenkins (OF/DH), Buxton (OF/DH), Clemens (1B), Lee (3B), Rushing (C), Edwards (2B), Roden (OF/DH). The group of Jenkins, Edwards, Rushing and Roden fill the #3, #7 – #9 spots depending on how guys perform but the #3 spot is a place to put a LH hitter who can hit LH pitching. Might be vulnerable to LH starters so we need to keep Martin or find a quality RH FA bat who can play OF, C, or IB but doesn't need to start because I want Jenkinsin thee lineup almost every day with Roden or EmRod. Maybe we pick up Ryan Monuntcastle coming off of injury? Good luck with anyone else based on what i can see so we keep Martin. I have high hopes that Jenkins can fill the #3 spot so that the first four hitters in the lineup are all speedy, base stealing/good baserunning threats, with the slower guys in the #5-#7 holes, and faster guys at the number 8 and 9 spots. I put Roden in the starting lineup instead of EmRod because Roden has outperformed him (and Jenkins) in the roughly 80 ABs they've gotten in 2026 (50 for EmRod). Thos latter two are fighting it out for ABs. Bench - Caratini (C/1B), EmRod (OF/DH), Martin (5th OF/2B/RH hitter), Kriedler (UTL who can play quality SS). Jackson in AAA is the 3rd C. Wouldn't hurt to teach Roden and Martin to play a passable 1B for a backup there and I would tell them that now so they can work there in the off season. There you have it, attack away. Happy to post this in the Blog section or even as an article here if we want to have a "What Will The 2027 Twins Roster Look Like" post to start the raging debate over the winter.

Appreciate the post. I think where we disagree is how they handled Jeffers, Ryan, and Larnach at the deadline. I was one of the people here that was a little seduced by the possibility they could make the playoffs so I was against trading Jeffers, at least for what was reportedly being offered. I felt and still feel like making the Q0 and getting a Comp A pick could and should lead to getting at least as much prospect value as we could get in a trade. Not trading Larnach was a bad move; they should have pivoted once the Houston owner nixed the trade they liked. I think Ryan is a more interesting situation. I would like to get back some controllable MLB talent for him, not just prospects like you get at the deadline. I think if they really do have the rebuild strategy, the right move here is to trade Ryan this off-season. We should get more now than we would at the 2027 trade deadline and he is not coming back after next year. I think you can mitigate the potential short-term issues by re-signing Lopez to another three or four year deal, Bradley replaces Ryan, keep either Ober or Kremer in the rotation (I pick Kremer), you have two open spots for Prielipp and either Matthews or Abel, with the other one plus Rojas and others at AAA. Trading Ryan should also give you the chance to potentially fill the hole at C, 1B, or 2B with young talent. If you do that and say pick up a good young C or 2B and move Clemens to 1B, we really have completely turned over the entire lineup from two years ago outside of Buxton. There are a lot of steps that have to happen for that reality to occur but I hope they can do that.

I was a big fan of Lewis but I think he's reached the end with the Twins. I think he has enough talent; I just think he's slow to adjust and still sees himself as a face of the team. I would see if he could be traded for another change of scenery candidate where both teams could benefit from upside realized in a new environment. I would see if the Angels would take him in return for a guy like Grayson Rodriguez. I would be looking for a younger guy who has talent but can't seem to get there or is blocked somewhere else.

I don't think its fair to call the Twins FO "lost". They started a rebuild at the 2025 trade deadline and have really continued that this year. They were basically a .500 team at the time they made the last three of the four trades, tied the last wild card spot, and 4 games out of the AL Central lead. They'd also just finished a very strong July. I don't think the FO expected to contend much in 2026 and then saw an opportunity so they made the trades for a backend starter and bullpen pieces, three of whom were controllable in 2027 when I think they hope to contend. In other words, they saw an opening and decided to go for. In retrospect, it was the wrong decision the way things played out with the offense and starting pitching collapsing but it was a perfectly defensible decision at the time. They have continued to play young players, called up some who they expect to be on the team in 2027, and are in the process of basically turning over two thirds of the roster. This is a classic rebuild. The Twins FO isn't "lost" in the sense of their fumbling around without a plan. We can debate whether it's a good plan or the right plan, but it's pretty clear they have a plan to rebuild the team by turning over 60 – 75% of the roster. I expect that to continue in the off-season. I think Ryan will be traded, Bell will go somewhere else, and Larnach will either be traded or non-tendered. I think they will give Jeffers the QO and try to re-sign him (and fail), and I think there is a very good chance that Lopez gets an extension that keeps him here at least two or three more years after 2027. If you look at the roster, they will start next year with new players who have been with the team less than three years at SS, 3B, LF, RF, DH, and 2B. I think there is at least a 50-50 shot that they trade Lewis, which would add 1B to the list. If you look at their starting lineup opening day 2025 compared to what we expect 2027, they have different starters and different reserves at every position except for Buxton in CF and maybe Jeffers at C. They will have at least two starting pitchers with less than three full years of experience, probably three, plus Bradley was not with the team until last year. The bullpen has completely turned over with at least six of the eight spots to be occupied by players who have been with the team a year and 1/2 or less. I think if you compare the 2024 or 2025 starting roster with the 2027 starting roster, you will find at least 60-75% change and it may be more. There may be as few as 5 or 6 players that were on the opening day roster in 2024 or 2025 that will be on the opening day roster in 2027. Will they be any better? Who knows. What we do know is that the Twins decided during 2025 that the team wasn't good enough to contend, decided to do a tear down and rebuild, and next year will be the year when we see if that strategy starts to show signs of success. We won't know for sure until 2028 after guys like Jenkins, Rodriguez, Prielipp, Morris, Gomez, Culpepper, etc. have gotten some real experience. Some of us may not like what they've done, we may complain about particular moves, but I don't think it's fair to say that the Twins are in any way "lost". They have a plan and they are executing it. We'll find out if it's a good plan or well executed the next two years.

The BP is an interesting puzzle for next year. You have to think that Hoffman, Banda, and Morris are written in pen for next year. Despite wobbling down the stretch, Gomez was 21-23 in save opportunities so I'm pretty confident he gets another spot. Nance is at least in pencil for a mid leverage spot. That's 5, with Minter re-signed it's 6. I think Sands and Funderburk are dependent on whether we re-sign Minter and what they do with Ober and Kremer. I think only 1 stays in the rotation so they have room to start Prielipp and Matthews, and maybe Abel or Rojas if they trade Ryan (which I think happens if we can get a quality starting C, 1B, or 2B for him). I could easily see Ober in the bullpen, so that's 6, maybe 7. That doesn't leave a lot of room. I suspect Funderburk's lack of options gets him the 7th or 8th spot, with Sands, Festa, Adams, and Acton in that order either in the last spot or in AAA as the injury/ineffectiveness call ups. Those last 5 names could easily be changed around depending on ST performance or injury. All of them will pitch in the Majors next year. Still, much better BP group than we started last year with. Good to see.

This. Bell gave us almost exactly what we expected when we signed him. No shame on him. Still, we don't need a DH next year. We have 4, maybe 5, OFs who need to play almost every day (I'm counting Roden since he has the best stats of the 3 young guys). Sabato is now up and who knows, he may show enough to get a shot next year. GG and Mendez, and even Rosario, may need a look in 2027. Let's leave to DH spot open to rotate guys through as we settle on a new core.

I generally agree but I think we all need to remember 1 thing - Lewis has had 2 ACL reconstructions and several other significant soft tissue injuries. He's not the same guy he was in 2023. He is a physically diminished player. Just watch him run some time. He's a baseball player, not an offensive lineman. A major knee injury can be a career killer in baseball. Maybe the injuries have affected his swing, maybe not, but he clearly is not the same player we saw in 2023 and probably will never be that guy again. I think he would be a great chang of scenery candidate for a trade. I wonder if there's a deal out there to move him to a team like the Angels for a pitcher with arm talent but control issues like Grayson Rodriguez or a young 2B with a "maybe" bat like Vaugh Grissom. Could be good for both teams, could be good for the players as well. This is something we should explore in the offseason.

I know we all want to give and get instant grades on trades (like everything else in these days of 24 hour talking head sports coverage). This trade is the classic type that takes at least 2 seasons to evaluate since we got prospects back for established MLB talent. Toronto got a guy who's turned into very good to elite MLB reliever. We'll see if that lasts or if it's a one season phenomenon and Varland returns to the slightly above average reliever he was with the Twins. We got a hitter who's shown some strides this year - .278/.349/.375(.724) in 72 MLB ABs - and a 22 year old LH pitcher who has shown tantalizingly good stuff but no consistency yet. If Rojas is a top of rotation starter by 2028, it was a good trade. If he's a middle of rotation starter and Roden is a solid starting MLB OF, it's a good trade. If Rojas is an elite reliever, it's a good trade. If he's a solid reliever and Roden is a solid OF, it's an OK/meh trade. If Varland returns to what he was in MN or God forbid gets an arm injury, it's a good trade. Anything else, we lose. We should know by the end of 2027/beginning of 2028. That's the thing with trading for prospects; it takes at least 2-3 seasons before you know if you made a good deal. That's why I wasn't keen on trading Ryan or Jeffers for prospects at the deadline, and prospects is all you can get at the deadline since no contending team is likely to trade quality from the MLB roster while contending. I didn't want to wait 3 years for the payoff. I think we can contend sooner,

The outside options are meager. There is no one, and I mean no one, to pick up in FA to play 1B. There are a couple of 2B FA options but they’re older as in 32 plus. I think the solution is in the trade market. I’d like to see us trade Ryan, Larnach, and Lewis. Let’s target a younger 2B in a trade and move Clemens to 1B permanently. He has the offseason to work on his defense. He already has a slightly above average OAA and UZR rating at 1B which you would hope could get better with concentrated development. He’s a below average 2B, mostly because of limited range. His bat is good enough to play 1B. Make a move for a good young second baseman if possible, or maybe Marek Houston will be ready sooner than we think, and improve the defense at second with Clemens providing above average defense at first. Helps the pitching and might help the lineup.

I'm not sure I was clear enough in my post. My view is that we offer Larnach and Ober arbitration if we can't trade them before the offer deadline and then trade them so we never have to pay that money. There is of course some risk that you can't trade them but I think the risk is minimal for both. Salaries of 7 to 7.5 million a year for what they bring to the table is pretty standard or even low in the current atmosphere. If you don't like taking the risk that you might have to pay them, just non-– tender them before the arb deadline. I like taking the tender risk for the likelihood that I can get a couple of prospects in return before I have to pay the arbitration salaries a whole lot better. You may be more risk-averse that I am so your mileage may vary. The main point is to get them out of the way for players coming up rather than grinding through another mediocre or worse season using the same guys. As far as paying Lopez, $23-$30 million a year is the going rate for a quality #2 starter and might even be low. Again, you don't have to take the risk if you don't want to and you can opt for the alternative of pitching him in 2027, maybe trading him at the deadline for prospects (which is all you get at the deadline), or letting him walk at the end of the year. Whenever you sign anyone to a long term contract, especially a pitcher, you are going to potentially overpay at the back end of the contract for the value you get. If you're not willing to take that risk you cannot sign a pitcher to a long-term contract. Period. If you're not willing to sign a good pitcher to a long-term contract, you can't sign him at all because a good pitcher won't take a short term contract. I think it's worth it to take the risk to keep the guy who is the closest we have to a top of the rotation starter for the next four years. Remember, pitchers tend to age better into their mid-30s than hitters. As for Minter, two years $18 million-$22 million is the high end of the range of his expected contract for 2027. Many sites have him as likely to get one year, $6 million-$8 million because of prior injury and because he's lost a couple of mph on his fastball. I may be high, we might be able to get him for two years $15 million to $18 million. Even a better deal if we can do that. As for Jeffers, if you think he's not going to get a three or four year deal at least $16 million-$18 million in AAV, I think you need to look again at the Catcher market. He's it other than maybe Stephenson of the Reds who is a year older and has a worse track record. The Yankees need a catcher as do several other teams. I would not all be surprised to see Jeffers get a multiyear deal averaging $20 million a season. We got nobody else. We need him and, by the way, we got nobody else making any real money after 2027 unless we re-sign Lopez since Buxton's deal expires after 2028 and it's only $15 million a season anyway. We should be willing to stretch for Jeffers and do what several other posters have suggested, have him as the primary Catcher until either Lackey or Tait is ready, then move him to a 1B/DH/backup C role. Will we be overpaying for that role when he is 33 at the end of a four year deal that starts in his age 30 season? Probably. That's the price of admission, Some team or more likely many teams will be willing to pay that price. I think we will be lucky to trade Joe Ryan for someone the quality of Michael Busch. Ryan is a very good pitcher when he pitches. The problem is he's only pitched over 150 innings a year twice in the last five, topping out at 171, and he had a 6.34 ERA after July 24 this year. His meltdown the second half this year is frankly fairly similar to last year and raises real questions about his durability. That's why also suggested trading him to the Dodgers for a guy like Dalton Rushing since the Dodgers are willing to take guys who only pitch two thirds of it season, stack them up seven deep, and have a quality rotation for the playoffs. He also has only one year of arbitration left and then is an unrestricted free agent. It has been reported that he wants something like a seven year, $210 million contract when he hits free agency. He has value this off-season, but not overwhelming value. Maybe it's better to trade him for a prospect package like we were offered at the trade deadline. Well, hopefully better than the packages we were reportedly offered at the trade deadline this year, all of which seemed pretty weak. But I'm hoping we can get a decent middle of the order bat like Busch or even Samuel Basilio from the Orioles. We might have to include a prospect though to make that happen. Finally, my thought on trading Lewis to the Angels is a trade of change of scenery candidates with talent. Grayson Rodriguez has a lot of talent and throws in the upper 90s, but he's had trouble harnessing his ability for the Angels. The Angels need a third baseman desperately. Lewis has talent but hasn't really harnessed it for the Twins the last three years. Ballesteros is just kind of a throw in so we have a right-handed bat, I'd be fine with a couple of their other young players/ prospects instead like Sam Bachman for the bullpen or someone like that. The main key is to trade Lewis while he still has some value because he will have no value in another season if he hits next year like he did this year or even like he did in 2024 or 2025. I'm afraid two torn ACLs may have sapped his athleticism to the point where he can't come back. I do think he has some trade value this off-season if we're willing to take on kind of a similar situation in return for him; a talented player who is not been able to yet put it together for another team but for whom there is still some hope. That's the background to my overall thinking. Hope that helps.

Last thought as I avoid doing work today. Here's the steps and lineup/roster: Trades - Ryan and 15-20 prospect to Cubs for Michael Busch. Ober for A ball lottery ticket. Lewis to Angels for Moises Ballesteros and Grayson Rodriguez. FA singings - Jeffers, 4 years, $68-75M. Minter, 2 years $18-22M. Lopez, 4 years, $90-110M. Bell goes elsewhere. Lineup (in rough batting order) - Keaschall (OF/DH), Buxton (OF/DH). Busch (IB), Jeffers (C), Lee (3B), Clemens (2B), Culpepper (SS), two of EmRod, Jenkins, Ballesteros (DH/OF). balance out the 7-9 spots with Culpepper to avoid two LH hitters back to back. Bench - 1 of EmRod, Jenkins, Ballesteros (DH/OF), Martin (OF/2B), Caratini (C), Kriedler or Ross (UTL IF), one of Roden, Jackson, or the Kriedler/Ross loser. Rotation - Lopez, Bradley, Prielipp, Kremer, Matthews (Abel, Rojas, Grayson Rodriquez, Bohorquez, and either CJ Culpepper or Ryan Gallagher the AAA rotation pitching starters workloads to be ready for the inevitable injuries/non-performance issues). Bullpen - Hoffman (late inning/closer), Gomez (late inning/closer), Minter (late inning/closer), Morris (late inning/closer), Banda (2nd LH), David Festa (late inning/closer), Nance (middle relief), one of Funderburk, Peredes, Adams, Sands, Acton - the other 4 plus Anderson, Orze, Raya, and either Culpepper or Gallagher in the AAA BP as depth).