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  1. LA Vikes Fan
    What about Adam Duvall at 2 years/$12-16m total? He's older but still hitting and can play CF some and has played 1B in the past. Over .750 OPS 6 of the last 7 years and over .800 last year in Boston. Probably more of a .750 OPS guy outside of Fenway. Not great but would seem to fit our needs. Would be good on a 1-year deal but what I read is he's holding out for a 2-year deal. I like Soler short term, but he wants 3 years and I just don't think that's a smart gamble.
  2. LA Vikes Fan
    I looked at Cron's stats and they are scary. Look at his OPS in Colorado 2021- first half of 2023. His OPS went from .905 to .789 to .723. Then he got traded to the Angels for whom he had a .519 OPS in 54 plate appearances (admittedly a SSS). He's now 33. Looks like a guy who's fading at the end of his career with that career possibly elongated by playing at Coors field. I don't think he would be a good add.
  3. LA Vikes Fan
    Really interesting and it puts the Polanco trade into a greater perspective. It looks like there is more to DeSclafani that can be "unlocked" and makes him a better candidate to become more of a mid-rotation starter. He also has a track record of that level of success in years past although he was not good last year. Of course, none of us know if the Twins can unlock the potential but they have had some success with that in the past so this makes this a reasonable gamble. Look, I'm like everybody else. I somehow convinced myself that trading Polanco would get us a young starter with a high ceiling. As a result, I was a little less than thrilled with the trade when it was announced yesterday. I with the benefit of a good night sleep and a better understanding of what DeSclafani can be, I'm starting to like the trade more and more. We got a quality reliever in Topa, a possibly backend to mid rotation starter, a top 100 prospect and a pitching lottery ticket. That's a pretty darn good return for an aging second baseman who hits well and is a good leader but has significant injury issues. I love what Polanco did as a Twin and wish he could be that same guy forever but that's not the way the world works. Given our surplus at the position and our needs, this trade actually addresses what we had to get. I'm beginning to like it more and more
  4. LA Vikes Fan
    I haven't seen the word "transmogrify" used in a sentence since the old "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip. They had an overturned cardboard box they called the "transmogrifier" which changed things in a magical way. Excellent use of vocabulary. I agree on Ober. I do see him a solid #3 with #2 potential. Frankly, same thinking on Ryan for different reasons. Their improvement looks like the only way to replace Gray's contribution.
  5. LA Vikes Fan
    This. The roster actually looks pretty competitive, even playoff competitive, as long as no one gets hurt and only one or two have a bad year/regress. The issue at this point is a lack of depth to withstand injury and poor performance, particularly on the pitching side. There is plenty of time to get more depth. Quality depth players aren't the "big name FAs", they are the Donovan Solano type in the field and the Ryu, Clevinger, Lorenzen (even Odorizzi) types on the mound. Get one of those depth starting pitchers or, even better, trade from surplus like Polanco and get a young(ish) starter and we're good to start the season. I've also come around to the idea that signing a Rys Hoskins or similar guy is not the way to go. The division is still weak so we have time and leeway. We need to see what we have in Kirilloff and Miranda. In the OF, don't sign Soler or Grichuk even if we trade Kepler (unlikely IMO). Instead, let's play Martin, Larnach, Kiersey and Prato. See what we have. Let's see if we can build a young foundation around the diamond like Houston did after bottoming out. Let's not try to patch "holes" with short term vets until we know that they are holes. I'd love to see us ending the season with Julien, Lewis, Wallner, Varland, Paddack, Funderburk, Kirilloff, Miranda, and at least one of the OFs I mentioned as "established" quality MLB players. It doesn't have to be all of them; it can be 75%-80%. We can project at the trade deadline whether or not we are going to get there. If we do that, then we know where the holes and then we patch.
  6. LA Vikes Fan
    interesting, but there's no way Kirilloff can hit in the #4 hole based on past performance. I understand wanting a left-handed hitter there to break up the right-handed hitters and to avoid a slew of LH hitters in the 5-8 spots. The problem is that none of the LH hitters are good enough to hit #4 other than the second half 2023 Kepler and who knows if that's ever coming again. Also, you cannot have Lewis hit 7. The difference between each spot in the order is 15 to 18 plate appearances a season (150 game base). The difference between #3 and #7 spots in the order is 60 to 90 plate appearances a season. You can't give those to Kirilloff over Lewis. Has to be the other way around. Here's a thought about what I would do (he says throwing it out there and waiting for the probably justified criticism) Julien Polanco Lewis Buxton Correa Kirilloff/Miranda Kepler Jeffers Wallner
  7. LA Vikes Fan
    His contract is too expensive to make him worth anything in trade, especially given his decline and the real injury risk. Hard no for me. I would much rather sign Michael Lorenzen, James Paxton, or even Brad Keller for depth.
  8. LA Vikes Fan
    I am tempted by the possibility of a Julien/Miranda 1B tandem with Polanco at 2B backed up by Farmer. I actually think that's the best lineup based on what players have actually done so far as compared to draft pedigree or potential. The issue is that leaves Kirilloff with no place to play unless he moves to LF, with Kepler or Wallner in RF and the other one traded. Kirilloff hasn't actually done much so far in his career but the potential seems to be there. I think the Twins will give him at least one more year to show he can be an everyday player before making any drastic move with him. That probably means him playing 1B unless they trade a corner OF for pitching, Wallner falls on his face, or Kepler goes back to the good field, no hit 2020-2022 Kepler.
  9. LA Vikes Fan
    Arraez was an established MLB high average high OPS hitter when he was traded. Julien is at best the 2019 Arraez, an intriguing guy who might just be a high average high OPS guy but who is at least a year from proving that to be the case. You also have to add in two things. First, pitching is worth more than hitting on the trade market because of scarcity, especially starting pitching. Second, Julien hit great even Arraez like in June and July, he didn't hit much at all in August or September. Which guy will he be in 2024 forward? I'd bet he's the June and July guy but I sure wouldn't trade for him at a price based on that assumption. A guy like Julien is very intriguing and worth an equally intriguing pitcher like Miller, Woo, or Hancock. He isn't yet worth a solid, established starting pitcher like Gilbert or Logan. He just isn't.
  10. LA Vikes Fan
    I agree. I do hope that both will exceed those projections and I think they have to in order to an above average hitting 1B. I think they can improve on defense too, but improvement gets them from below average to average, not above average. 1B is an issue for the 2024 Twins. I just don't think the team will pay the freight for a Hoskins type guy, or even Jorge Soler, I think we're going to take our chances and hope one of them breaks out at the plate and improves on defense. It might be painful for a few weeks.
  11. LA Vikes Fan
    I'm really hoping and almost expecting that Lee will be ready and on the MLB roster by midseason. Having said that, we all need to pump the brakes on Lee a little bit because he hasn't yet shown he can hit AAA pitching or Spring Training MLB pitching. he had a .731 OPS in AAA last year and hit under .200 in ST last year - .159/,213/.205 (.418) in 44 ABs to be precise. 44 is more more ABs than most guys get in ST so you can tell the Twins were trying to get a read on his readiness. He's much better than that and will be a good player at least when he develops but he hasn't developed yet. Let's wait until he has at least a solid Spring Training and some good AAA weeks before trying to find a way to cram him on the roster. I think the best case scenario is he has a solid ST and 2-3 months of .750 plus OPS work in St. Paul, someone gets hurt, traded, or just is ineffective, and then he comes up. To me, the more likely scenario is that he debuts in July or August and is in consideration for a regular job in 2025. We don't need to make machinations to get Brooks lee on the 26 man roster yet for the simple reason that he hasn't earned it. I would be worried if the Twins go into 2024 counting on someone with his current track record as a regular contributor on the MLB roster. We're better than that. He'll get his shot but he has to earn it first.
  12. LA Vikes Fan
    That actually makes sense if you look at what the two players have actually done as compared to perceived value and potential upside. Miranda actually had a season in 2022 with roughly 500 PAs (483) and an OPS+ of 114. Kirilloff has not, despite 3 years of opportunity, because of all of the injuries. Hard to project Kirilloff as a 500+ plate appearance guy when he's never been able to be close to that before. By the way, Baseball Reference projects 2024 performance as Kirilloff with 375 PAs, 337 ABs and a .264/.331/.427(.758) slash line. Miranda is projected at 324 PAs, 296 ABs with a .257/.318/.409 (.727) slash. Totals 699 PAs with 634 ABs - that's about 1 player playing all 162 games (162 games x 4.2 PAs per game is 688.8 PAs). Sounds about right to me on both. There's your 1B tandem for 2024 on a basic platoon with a little DH time thrown in.
  13. LA Vikes Fan
    Let's be real guys, Julien alone doesn't get you Kirby or Gilbert. He should get us Woo or Miller plus a A or AA prospect ranked 20-30 in the Mariners system, or Hancock plus two prospects. If Polanco is the bait, getting Woo, Miller, or even Hancock is Polanco plus a real prospect (10-25 in the Twins system), plus an A ball guy minimum. Kirby or Gilbert requires Julien plus a top 10 prospect like Lee. i would trade Polanco plus Festa or Raya (plus someone else not in the top 20) for Woo or Miller. Don't want to trade Julien given his OBP and his years of control. Gilbert and Kirby are waaaay out of our price range unless we are willing to trade Lewis or both Julien and Lee or someone like Lee plus a lower level prospect. I'm not willing to do that.
  14. LA Vikes Fan
    These are all nice fantasy gets but only Brebbia seems in the realm of possibility UNLESS signing them is part of making other moves. Stroman (projected 15-18m a year for 3 plus years) - too expensive for a guy who only pitches 140 innings a year who seems to be on the decline. Not happening. DuVall - too old, too strikeout prone, and too expensive at a projected $8m a year. A little better than M. Taylor but twice the price. Only a fit if his price comes pretty far down and there isn't any reason that it will. On the other three, Hoskins ($20m a year, prob multiple years?) could be an interesting get IF we trade Kepler and Polanco for pre-FA/pre-arbitration assets to even out the salaries. Means Kirilloff moves to LF, Wallner to RF and Hoskins plays 1B and hits 4 or 5. I kind of like it; would be happy if we did this and got some decent pitching assets for Polanco and Kepler. Soler ($12-15m a year, multiple years) is a possibility but only if Polanco or Kepler is traded to give room for the roughly 12-15m a year salary. and we are willing to commit to at least 2 years. He would have to play LF (poorly) to get him into the lineup and would Strike Out a lot, so bigger risk/lesser reward than Hoskins but still in the "interesting, I can see the logic there" range. Brebbia is the most interesting on the fit. He is projected to get $5M + in his last arb year in 2024 and will then be a FA. A little pricey but I could see it as a stand alone. BTW, thanks for the thought process and the article. Fun for us armchair GMs even if disagree with your ideas. Keep them coming.
  15. LA Vikes Fan
    Kepler is worth more to the Twins than Polanco since we have replacements for 2B in Julien and Lee but not really for RF unless we move Wallner to RF and go with someone from the group of Larnach, Castro, Gordon, Keirsey, Prato, Kirilloff (with Julien playing 1B). Two trade thoughts - (1) Kepler is worth Emerson Hancock PLUS an established late inning reliever like Topa or Speier from Seattle with the Twins throwing in a lower level prospect to even things out. or (2) alternatively, Kepler PLUS Festa AND Tanner Schobel should get you Miller or Woo. I would do either trade with a preference for #2.
  16. LA Vikes Fan
    Kirby and Gilbert aren't realistic targets unless we are willing to give up BOTH Julien and Lee PLUS Polanco or Kepler. Not happening. Established starting pitching costs more than anyone thinks. The realistic targets are Woo and Miller because they are less established, thus less predictable in outcome. I like them both. Polaco and Wallner for either Woo or Miller plus a throw in decent reliever like Ty Adcock or Darren McCaughan is a good deal for both teams. Even better if we get Justin Topa. I just don't think that Seattle has an interest in Wallner with his strikeout rates. Maybe Julien and Kepler for Woo, Topa, and Adcock? Slight overpay by the Twins but you generally overpay for starting pitching. Topa is a solid to very good late inning reliever and Adcock is a solid middle inning guy and only 25. Would take Miller instead of Woo and also trade Polanco instead of Kepler. Hate to trade Julien but would for controllable young quality starting pitching, but ONLY for that. My proposal for a trade with the Mariners: Mariners get - Kepler (or Polanco), Julien Twins get - Woo (or Miller), Topa, and Adcock.
  17. LA Vikes Fan
    Agreed. The trade market has still not completely taken shape with Yamamoto just now having dinner with the Mets owner. Nothing will happen until he, Montgomery, and Snell sign, and may even have to wait until guys like Giolito and Stroman are off the market. If the Twins make a trade for a SP, and I think that's a pretty big IF, I don't expect anything until after January 15. I actually don't expect a trade for a #2 starting pitcher. I see the Twins signing Frankie Montas or Michael Lorenzen and rolling with what they have. I do think Polanco gets traded; I just think it's more likely to be for a solid BP piece plus a AA type guy with upside. Probably a pitcher but maybe a catcher. By the way, Happy Holidays to all of you guys. You make following the Twins more fun and more special from out here in SoCal. I'm grateful for that.
  18. LA Vikes Fan
    Kershaw isn't the answer. I live in LA and follow the Dodgers as my second team. He's a gamer but he'll only give you 100-120 innings a year and he's not be good in the playoffs. We're not going to pay the freight and much as I hate to say it, he isn't worth the cost at this stage of his career.
  19. LA Vikes Fan
    Agreed. Lee has the potential to be a solid to very good MLB player over time. The problem is that he hasn't conquered AAA yet so that time is probably in the future, not this year. His slash line in AAA last year was .237/.304/.428. He also hit under .200 in MLB Spring Training last year. I'd love to see him take a big step forward at AAA this year and force his way onto the 26 man roster in July. He might, but he might not take that step until 2025 or even later. Let's not make plans about trading and keeping players for 2024 on the assumption that Lee will be ready to be an everyday MLB player next year. The evidence doesn't support that result, at least not yet. All of which doesn't matter when trading Polanco. If we can get a good return, trade him and the infield is Kirilloff, Julien, Correa, and Lewis, with Farmer, Castro and Miranda in reserve. Works for me. Farmer can play every day if there's an injury or Julien turns out to be a flash in the pan. Lee would be gravy but let's not count on that for next year.
  20. LA Vikes Fan
    I'm sure they do if we're trying to get Kirby or Gilbert. Those two are probably unattainable for the Twins. Miller or Woo, on the other hand, have a much shorter track record and might be attainable. I think either would cost us Polanco, a pitching prospect and a hitting prospect. I'm thinking Polanco, plus Raya or Festa, plus Salas or someone like that. Alternatively, the Polanco and Wallner for Woo trade is interesting. Both are close to a match on BTV to the extent that matters. Bottom line, is that getting even Miller or Woo is going to be expensive in terms of players.
  21. LA Vikes Fan
    This is a response to you Cory and harmony 55. I agree that Seattle could be looking for less players/more quality then my suggestion. I just didn't want to include Brooks Lee, Julien, or even Miranda. I hadn't really thought about Wallner as a companion to Polanco for Woo. I think adding him in is a good idea to get Woo. I would want more than just Woo, though if we give up Wallner with Polanco. I would want them to add a veteran quality relief pitcher like Justin Topa or Gabe Speier, a young reliever like Ty Adcock or Prelander Berroa, or an OF with potential.
  22. LA Vikes Fan
    This take, also stated by others, is where I thinks the Twins should be - Move Polanco ONLY for a solid return that is based on starting pitching. We are lucky in that he is a rare commodity right now, an available established MLB middle infielder with a strong bat and a team friendly contract. That kind of player could be the centerpiece of a trade for that other rare commodity, young, controllable starting pitching with at least middle of the rotation upside. Polanco should have that type of real value but only to a team looking to contend in 2023 and 2024 that needs middle infield help. Polanco doesn't help a building team. That leaves us looking really only Seattle (fits all criteria), Miami (sort of fits all criteria), and maaaaybe Tampa ( doesn't really need IF help but does want to move Glasnow's salary). I don't see another team out there that's really a fit. Here's my deal parameters: Seattle gets - Polanco, their choice of one or more of Luke Keasall, Austin Martin, or Josh Winder, and their choice of Marco Raya, Charlee Soto, or Conner Prelipp. Seattle gets their 2B, plus either his replacement in 2 years and/or a reliever, plus a high upside young pitcher to eventually replace the guy they trade. Return is close but a little short for the return below so unless they take two in the second group Twins throw in a younger lottery pick with upside like Jose Salas, Danny De Andrade or Bryan Acuna. Twins get - Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. Twins get a controllable starting pitcher with middle of the rotation upside. Depending on the 4th Twin going to Seattle, Mariners may need to throw in decent but not great reliever like Darren McCaughan or Ty Adcock (Justin Topa would be better but he's probably too good for this trade). Deal : Polanco, Keasall, Winder, and Raya for Bryan Woo.
  23. LA Vikes Fan
    Very interesting, I would love to get access to the financials to see what the investment would be to buy BSN. There's a real reward but real risk and it's my sense that ownership is somewhat risk averse so I don't think they would bite. I think this is a transition year for the Twins and a few other MLB teams. I think they partner with MLB to get access to facilities, tech, and content and get their ad money for now. I see this coming to a head where local/regional TV becomes an MLB owned and operated operation for all but the most high end teams like the Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers. Other similar option would be to aggregate and sell the rights to a Prime Video, Hulu or Netflix type streamer. In other words, aggregate the local TV for most teams like Bally did but run it better with more realistic payouts to teams and less debt on the operation. Gives you the greatest efficiency, some good cross-marketing opportunities, and would give MLB the chance to raise baseball's profile from a regional to a more national audience. Big upfront investment but biggest rewards.
  24. LA Vikes Fan
    Agreed. While I wish we were more active in the free agent market for starting pitching, I think any starting pitching add will come about by a trade. I hope we pull off a trade for someone like Miller or Woo from Seattle. Gilbert would be even better, but he is likely to cost us Brooks Lee or someone equivalent plus Polanco and another solid prospect. That price is a bit too high for me. I also se us picking up a lower end starter like Brad Keller or Jamie Barria or a reclamation project like Frankie Montas or Sean Manaea through FA. The key to next year's rotation will be health, Chris Paddack as a solid #3 starter or better, and well, health. We are not likely to have much experienced depth in the rotation and I don't see anyone in the Minors jumping up to become this year's Bailey Ober or Louie Varland. Hope I'm wrong about that.
  25. LA Vikes Fan
    Does anyone know anything about the 4 players the Twins took in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft?
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