LA Vikes Fan

We can all argue about how good this year's team is and whether we should buy or sell. I think the ceiling is about 85-86 wins, getting a wildcard or winning the division if Chicago and Cleveland tank, winning one playoff series, and then being quickly shown the door. I think the floor is 72 – 75 wins if we make no moves, have some injuries, and the pitching completely falls apart.

I want to make the moves that get us the best chance to hit the ceiling scenario without hamstringing us in the short or medium term. I think it's possible if you make the following three trades and I think all of them can be done. I ran all them through Baseball Trade Values, if you believe in that site, and all said they were either fair trades or a minor overpay by the Twins so I don't think any of them are fantasy, pie-in-the-sky stuff. Here they are:
Trade 1 – Twins trade with Seattle
Twins get: Emerson Hancock and Jose Ferrer (or Gabe Speier)
Mariners get: Ryan Jeffers and either Emma, GG, or Mendez.
Good trade for both teams. Mariners get the right-handed bat they need at a position of need for this season when they have a real chance to win a crappy division and the pitching to make noise in the playoffs. Cal Raleigh has a .573 OPS trying to play through a strained oblique. He can either go to the bench or be a DH, but is still be around next year when he isn't hurt. They also get an outfielder that might help them this year but really can help them long-term who is completely controllable. Twins get mid rotation starting pitcher with 4 arbitration years left, plus either a 26-year-old (Ferrer) or 31-year-old (Speier) LH reliever who is performing well this year and has at least two years of control after this year. Twins put Hancock in the rotation, move Prielipp or Matthews to the bullpen, and that with the added reliever upgrades the pitching immensely. Even better, you've done it by trading a guy won't be here next year with the only real pain being the trade of a high-end prospect at a position where we have several high-end prospects.
Trade 2 – Twins trade with the Mets
Twins get – Luke Weaver.
Mets get – Ryan Gallagher, James Ellwanger. Khadim Diaw, or Yasser Mercedes, but only one.
The Twins get a solid right-handed reliever who is having a very good year and who they can keep for $12M next year. Mets get a good but not elite prospect and can decide whether it's more important to get pitching or hitting. Another good deal for both sides. By the way, BTV says trading Gallagher or Ellwanger is a minor overpay with Diaw or Mercedes a pretty even swap for Weaver.
Trade 3 - Twins trade with Giants
Twins get - Luis Arraez
Giants get - Ryan Gallagher or James Ellwanger.
I stole this idea from the article today about trading for an OF or 2B that can help us against left-handed pitching. I think he's right that Lane Thomas also would be a good choice. I like Arraez more since he can play 2B or 1B, and I think Royce Lewis is still another season away from regaining his form after the injuries. Both Arraez and Thomas hit left-handed pitching well. If we go after Lane Thomas instead, I would trade someone like Yasser Mercedes, not Gallagher or Ellwanger. 
So there it is. If the Twins make these trades you give up Ryan Jeffers and basically three top 20 prospects, one top 10-12 OF (or top 5 if it's Emma), a 13-20 guy, and a 20-30 guy. We get back a controllable #3 or #4 starter, a controllable good but not elite left-handed reliever, a good but not elite right-handed reliever that we have in 2026 and 2027, and a bat that helps us against left-handed pitching. I think all of these moves are worth the cost as I projected and all would help this year's team. All but the last also help the 2027 team have a better chance of getting to that 85-90 win level.

What do you think? What trades would you like to see made overall at the deadline as an overall strategy?
 
 

There is an old very true saying that before you can decide what to do now to impact the future, you have to know where you are now in space and time. I think that before the Twins can decide whether to buy or sell at the deadline, or to do both in some measure, you have to have a sober, clearheaded view of what talent we have now and how we think it will perform in 2027 and 2028. I think we have a pretty good consensus on the 2026 roster. The ceiling is roughly 85 wins, a Wild Car berth or Division title if everyone else falters, maybe win one playoff round, and then a pretty quick exit. The floor is we spiral downward either now or in August and wind up at 72 – 75 wins, with more questions than answers going forward. The most likely result is somewhere in between those two.
So the big question is where are we likely to be in '27 and '28 if we do little or nothing at the Trade Deadline, or do just a couple low wattage trades for relief pitchers who aren't going to be with us past this year. I think that's where many of us disagree and why we have such divergent thoughts for this year's Trade Deadline. I thought I would try to get at that answer by dividing our current talent at the MLB and AAA level into 7 categories - (1) guys who are now stars and should continue to be stars through either '27 or '28, (2) average or above average MLB starters through '28, (3) guys who have a 50% chance or more of being at least above average MLB starters in 2027 or by 2028, (4) guys and could be contributing roster players in 2027 and/or 2028 but probably not as starters, rotation pieces, or in the top five of the bullpen, or who need to change position to be a contributing guy, (5) guys who are now ready to make MLB debuts, have small sample sizes at the MLB level, or will be ready by 2027 or 2028 and look like they deserve an extended run at the MLB level with a 50% or better chance of success, (6) guys on the AA or AAA level who are wildcards, could be anywhere from stars to failures but deserve a shot in the next 2.5 years, and (7) guys who are either really young or below AA and who look like future MLB starters likely more than two years away but could surprise. With categories (5) - (7), I think it's a safe assumption that none will be immediate stars but the guys I've tried to list are those I think have at least an outside shot at being average or better MLB starters in' 27 or' 28. In each case, I note the position for all players, which I think is important for the pitchers as well as the hitters. For example, I think Bailey Ober will be an average or better #4 starter, but he isn't an average or better #3 or higher MLB starter. I also eliminated older players who I think just won't be around next year or they year after or, if they are, would always be in imminent danger of being replaced like Taylor Rogers and Tommy Nance. I didn't go below the AA level because below that is a complete crapshoot although I did include Tait because I think he is more than a crapshoot. I did not include any of this year's draftees for that same reason.

I think you have to start here before you can make the buy or sell decision. A sober reflection of what you currently have helps you decide whether you need to blow it up, trade the veterans for the best prospects you can get and play for 2029 later, whether there's a real chance to compete in 27 and 2028 if you get the right prospects or even just stand relatively pat, or whether you're somewhere in between. Here's my thinking:
(1) Current Stars Likely to Remain Stars through 2027 and/or 2028 - Byron Buxton (CF, may be moving to LF by 2028) , Pablo Lopez (currently only 2027 before contract expires, #1/#2 Starter), Joe Ryan (same, #2 Starter). That's it. The shortness of this list may be a big part of the problem.
(2) Average or Better MLB Starters - Luke Keaschall (RF/LF), Brooks Lee (3B), Kody Clemens (2B), Trevor Laranch (LHOF/DH, but only in a platoon), Victor Caratini ('27 only), Taj Bradley (#3 or maybe even #2 starter), Bailey Ober (#4/#5 starter), Yolendrys Gomez (late inning reliever), Andrew Morris (late inning reliever), Cole Sands (middle reliever).
(3) Players With a 50% or Better Chance to be Average or Better MLB Starters, but no sure thing - Royce Lewis (1B), Mick Abel (#4/#5 starter), Connor Prielipp (#4 or better starter). 
(4) Contributing Roster Players but Not Starters - Ryan Kreidler (UTL IF), Austin Martin (4th OF), Zebby Martin (as a RP could move up a category, but not as a starting pitcher), Alex Jackson (2nd C but not a starter).
(5) Players With Potential That Deserve a Shot at with 50% chance or Better of Success - Walker Jenkins (OF), Kaelen Culpepper (SS/3B/2B), Kendry Rojas (RP/SP), Mike Paredes (RP), Henry Mendez (OF, not until '28), Marek Houston (SS, not until '28).
(6) Guys Who Deserve a Shot But Are Complete Wildcards - Emmanuel Rodriguez (OF, wildcard mostly due to age and injury concerns), Alan Roden (OF), Gabriel Gonzalez (OF, wildcard because of his age), CJ Culpepper (RP), Travis Adams (RP), Kody Funderburk (RP), Marco Raya (RP), John Klein (RP), Ryan Gallagher (RP), Woo Suk Go (RP), Ben Ross (SS/UTL), Ricardo Olivar (2nd C), Kalai'i Rosario (OF).
(7) Players With Real Potential More Than 2 Years Away Who Could Surprise- Riley Quick (SP/RP), Kadim Diaw (C/OF, age), Brandon Winknour (OF), Eduardo Tate (C).
So I look at that and it causes me to look at 2027 and 2028 with cautious but tempered optimism. I think this is a classic Twins situation; we have about two thirds of a competitive MLB team. We have one star in the field and two in the starting rotation. We have two more starting pitchers who are quality MLB starters lower in the rotation. We have average or better MLB starters at 2B, 3B, and the OF corners, plus at Catcher but only for one more season. We have two, maybe three good relief pitchers, and everybody else is a wildcard.  We have a strong utility infielder but right now he has to be the starting SS, and it looks like we might have a quality fourth OF. It looks like we may have reinforcements at SS and in the OF on the way. We have some rotation depth but not a lot, and we don't have a C with a short timeline. The bullpen is wide open, and a complete crapshoot. If we have a surplus from which to trade prospects it is clearly in the OF and maybe at Shortstop.
All of this leads me to think that we buy and sell at the deadline. We sell Jeffers, much as I would like to keep him, because his contract is going to be up and we should be able to get potentially quality, near MLB ready relief or starting pitching prospects for him. We trade Larnach but only if we can get a young, controllable relief pitcher that we think can be in the top five or six in the bullpen by 2027 at the latest. We hold onto Ryan unless we get a huge haul and we shop Bell but is unlikely we can get much for him so he probably stays. The one blockbuster move I would consider is trading some guys in categories 5 – 7 other than Jenkins in a package for a controllable established starting pitcher hopefully plus a relief pitcher, like Reid Demers or José Soriano plus Sam Bachman of the Angels. I'm sure there's others to target. I think there's more here than justifies a complete tear down and rebuild but I don't think we can just stand pat.
Thanks if anybody waded through this overly long analysis. What do you guys think?

There is an old very true saying that before you can decide what to do now to impact the future, you have to know where you are now in space and time. I think that before the Twins can decide whether to buy or sell at the deadline, or to do both in some measure, you have to have a sober, clearheaded view of what talent we have now and how we think it will perform in 2027 and 2028. I think we have a pretty good consensus on the 2026 roster. The ceiling is roughly 85 wins, a Wild Car berth or Division title if everyone else falters, maybe win one playoff round, and then a pretty quick exit. The floor is we spiral downward either now or in August and wind up at 72 – 75 wins, with more questions than answers going forward. The most likely result is somewhere in between those two.
So the big question is where are we likely to be in '27 and '28 if we do little or nothing at the Trade Deadline, or do just a couple low wattage trades for relief pitchers who aren't going to be with us past this year. I think that's where many of us disagree and why we have such divergent thoughts for this year's Trade Deadline. I thought I would try to get at that answer by dividing our current talent at the MLB and AAA level into 7 categories - (1) guys who are now stars and should continue to be stars through either '27 or '28, (2) average or above average MLB starters through '28, (3) guys who have a 50% chance or more of being at least above average MLB starters in 2027 or by 2028, (4) guys and could be contributing roster players in 2027 and/or 2028 but probably not as starters, rotation pieces, or in the top five of the bullpen, or who need to change position to be a contributing guy, (5) guys who are now ready to make MLB debuts, have small sample sizes at the MLB level, or will be ready by 2027 or 2028 and look like they deserve an extended run at the MLB level with a 50% or better chance of success, (6) guys on the AA or AAA level who are wildcards, could be anywhere from stars to failures but deserve a shot in the next 2.5 years, and (7) guys who are either really young or below AA and who look like future MLB starters likely more than two years away but could surprise. With categories (5) - (7), I think it's a safe assumption that none will be immediate stars but the guys I've tried to list are those I think have at least an outside shot at being average or better MLB starters in' 27 or' 28. In each case, I note the position for all players, which I think is important for the pitchers as well as the hitters. For example, I think Bailey Ober will be an average or better #4 starter, but he isn't an average or better #3 or higher MLB starter. I also eliminated older players who I think just won't be around next year or they year after or, if they are, would always be in imminent danger of being replaced like Taylor Rogers and Tommy Nance. I didn't go below the AA level because below that is a complete crapshoot although I did include Tait because I think he is more than a crapshoot. I did not include any of this year's draftees for that same reason.

I think you have to start here before you can make the buy or sell decision. A sober reflection of what you currently have helps you decide whether you need to blow it up, trade the veterans for the best prospects you can get and play for 2029 later, whether there's a real chance to compete in 27 and 2028 if you get the right prospects or even just stand relatively pat, or whether you're somewhere in between. Here's my thinking:
(1) Current Stars Likely to Remain Stars through 2027 and/or 2028 - Byron Buxton (CF, may be moving to LF by 2028) , Pablo Lopez (currently only 2027 before contract expires, #1/#2 Starter), Joe Ryan (same, #2 Starter). That's it. The shortness of this list may be a big part of the problem.
(2) Average or Better MLB Starters - Luke Keaschall (RF/LF), Brooks Lee (3B), Kody Clemens (2B), Trevor Laranch (LHOF/DH, but only in a platoon), Victor Caratini ('27 only), Taj Bradley (#3 or maybe even #2 starter), Bailey Ober (#4/#5 starter), Yolendrys Gomez (late inning reliever), Andrew Morris (late inning reliever), Cole Sands (middle reliever).
(3) Players With a 50% or Better Chance to be Average or Better MLB Starters, but no sure thing - Royce Lewis (1B), Mick Abel (#4/#5 starter), Connor Prielipp (#4 or better starter). 
(4) Contributing Roster Players but Not Starters - Ryan Kreidler (UTL IF), Austin Martin (4th OF), Zebby Martin (as a RP could move up a category, but not as a starting pitcher), Alex Jackson (2nd C but not a starter).
(5) Players With Potential That Deserve a Shot at with 50% chance or Better of Success - Walker Jenkins (OF), Kaelen Culpepper (SS/3B/2B), Kendry Rojas (RP/SP), Mike Paredes (RP), Henry Mendez (OF, not until '28), Marek Houston (SS, not until '28).
(6) Guys Who Deserve a Shot But Are Complete Wildcards - Emmanuel Rodriguez (OF, wildcard mostly due to age and injury concerns), Alan Roden (OF), Gabriel Gonzalez (OF, wildcard because of his age), CJ Culpepper (RP), Travis Adams (RP), Kody Funderburk (RP), Marco Raya (RP), John Klein (RP), Ryan Gallagher (RP), Woo Suk Go (RP), Ben Ross (SS/UTL), Ricardo Olivar (2nd C), Kalai'i Rosario (OF).
(7) Players With Real Potential More Than 2 Years Away Who Could Surprise- Riley Quick (SP/RP), Kadim Diaw (C/OF, age), Brandon Winknour (OF), Eduardo Tate (C).
So I look at that and it causes me to look at 2027 and 2028 with cautious but tempered optimism. I think this is a classic Twins situation; we have about two thirds of a competitive MLB team. We have one star in the field and two in the starting rotation. We have two more starting pitchers who are quality MLB starters lower in the rotation. We have average or better MLB starters at 2B, 3B, and the OF corners, plus at Catcher but only for one more season. We have two, maybe three good relief pitchers, and everybody else is a wildcard.  We have a strong utility infielder but right now he has to be the starting SS, and it looks like we might have a quality fourth OF. It looks like we may have reinforcements at SS and in the OF on the way. We have some rotation depth but not a lot, and we don't have a C with a short timeline. The bullpen is wide open, and a complete crapshoot. If we have a surplus from which to trade prospects it is clearly in the OF and maybe at Shortstop.
All of this leads me to think that we buy and sell at the deadline. We sell Jeffers, much as I would like to keep him, because his contract is going to be up and we should be able to get potentially quality, near MLB ready relief or starting pitching prospects for him. We trade Larnach but only if we can get a young, controllable relief pitcher that we think can be in the top five or six in the bullpen by 2027 at the latest. We hold onto Ryan unless we get a huge haul and we shop Bell but is unlikely we can get much for him so he probably stays. The one blockbuster move I would consider is trading some guys in categories 5 – 7 other than Jenkins in a package for a controllable established starting pitcher hopefully plus a relief pitcher, like Reid Demers or José Soriano plus Sam Bachman of the Angels. I'm sure there's others to target. I think there's more here than justifies a complete tear down and rebuild but I don't think we can just stand pat.
Thanks if anybody waded through this overly long analysis. What do you guys think?

There is an old very true saying that before you can decide what to do now to impact the future, you have to know where you are now in space and time. I think that before the Twins can decide whether to buy or sell at the deadline, or to do both in some measure, you have to have a sober, clearheaded view of what talent we have now and how we think it will perform in 2027 and 2028. I think we have a pretty good consensus on the 2026 roster. The ceiling is roughly 85 wins, a Wild Car berth or Division title if everyone else falters, maybe win one playoff round, and then a pretty quick exit. The floor is we spiral downward either now or in August and wind up at 72 – 75 wins, with more questions than answers going forward. The most likely result is somewhere in between those two.
So the big question is where are we likely to be in '27 and '28 if we do little or nothing at the Trade Deadline, or do just a couple low wattage trades for relief pitchers who aren't going to be with us past this year. I think that's where many of us disagree and why we have such divergent thoughts for this year's Trade Deadline. I thought I would try to get at that answer by dividing our current talent at the MLB and AAA level into 7 categories - (1) guys who are now stars and should continue to be stars through either '27 or '28, (2) average or above average MLB starters through '28, (3) guys who have a 50% chance or more of being at least above average MLB starters in 2027 or by 2028, (4) guys and could be contributing roster players in 2027 and/or 2028 but probably not as starters, rotation pieces, or in the top five of the bullpen, or who need to change position to be a contributing guy, (5) guys who are now ready to make MLB debuts, have small sample sizes at the MLB level, or will be ready by 2027 or 2028 and look like they deserve an extended run at the MLB level with a 50% or better chance of success, (6) guys on the AA or AAA level who are wildcards, could be anywhere from stars to failures but deserve a shot in the next 2.5 years, and (7) guys who are either really young or below AA and who look like future MLB starters likely more than two years away but could surprise. With categories (5) - (7), I think it's a safe assumption that none will be immediate stars but the guys I've tried to list are those I think have at least an outside shot at being average or better MLB starters in' 27 or' 28. In each case, I note the position for all players, which I think is important for the pitchers as well as the hitters. For example, I think Bailey Ober will be an average or better #4 starter, but he isn't an average or better #3 or higher MLB starter. I also eliminated older players who I think just won't be around next year or they year after or, if they are, would always be in imminent danger of being replaced like Taylor Rogers and Tommy Nance. I didn't go below the AA level because below that is a complete crapshoot although I did include Tait because I think he is more than a crapshoot. I did not include any of this year's draftees for that same reason.

I think you have to start here before you can make the buy or sell decision. A sober reflection of what you currently have helps you decide whether you need to blow it up, trade the veterans for the best prospects you can get and play for 2029 later, whether there's a real chance to compete in 27 and 2028 if you get the right prospects or even just stand relatively pat, or whether you're somewhere in between. Here's my thinking:
(1) Current Stars Likely to Remain Stars through 2027 and/or 2028 - Byron Buxton (CF, may be moving to LF by 2028) , Pablo Lopez (currently only 2027 before contract expires, #1/#2 Starter), Joe Ryan (same, #2 Starter). That's it. The shortness of this list may be a big part of the problem.
(2) Average or Better MLB Starters - Luke Keaschall (RF/LF), Brooks Lee (3B), Kody Clemens (2B), Trevor Laranch (LHOF/DH, but only in a platoon), Victor Caratini ('27 only), Taj Bradley (#3 or maybe even #2 starter), Bailey Ober (#4/#5 starter), Yolendrys Gomez (late inning reliever), Andrew Morris (late inning reliever), Cole Sands (middle reliever).
(3) Players With a 50% or Better Chance to be Average or Better MLB Starters, but no sure thing - Royce Lewis (1B), Mick Abel (#4/#5 starter), Connor Prielipp (#4 or better starter). 
(4) Contributing Roster Players but Not Starters - Ryan Kreidler (UTL IF), Austin Martin (4th OF), Zebby Martin (as a RP could move up a category, but not as a starting pitcher), Alex Jackson (2nd C but not a starter).
(5) Players With Potential That Deserve a Shot at with 50% chance or Better of Success - Walker Jenkins (OF), Kaelen Culpepper (SS/3B/2B), Kendry Rojas (RP/SP), Mike Paredes (RP), Henry Mendez (OF, not until '28), Marek Houston (SS, not until '28).
(6) Guys Who Deserve a Shot But Are Complete Wildcards - Emmanuel Rodriguez (OF, wildcard mostly due to age and injury concerns), Alan Roden (OF), Gabriel Gonzalez (OF, wildcard because of his age), CJ Culpepper (RP), Travis Adams (RP), Kody Funderburk (RP), Marco Raya (RP), John Klein (RP), Ryan Gallagher (RP), Woo Suk Go (RP), Ben Ross (SS/UTL), Ricardo Olivar (2nd C), Kalai'i Rosario (OF).
(7) Players With Real Potential More Than 2 Years Away Who Could Surprise- Riley Quick (SP/RP), Kadim Diaw (C/OF, age), Brandon Winknour (OF), Eduardo Tate (C).
So I look at that and it causes me to look at 2027 and 2028 with cautious but tempered optimism. I think this is a classic Twins situation; we have about two thirds of a competitive MLB team. We have one star in the field and two in the starting rotation. We have two more starting pitchers who are quality MLB starters lower in the rotation. We have average or better MLB starters at 2B, 3B, and the OF corners, plus at Catcher but only for one more season. We have two, maybe three good relief pitchers, and everybody else is a wildcard.  We have a strong utility infielder but right now he has to be the starting SS, and it looks like we might have a quality fourth OF. It looks like we may have reinforcements at SS and in the OF on the way. We have some rotation depth but not a lot, and we don't have a C with a short timeline. The bullpen is wide open, and a complete crapshoot. If we have a surplus from which to trade prospects it is clearly in the OF and maybe at Shortstop.
All of this leads me to think that we buy and sell at the deadline. We sell Jeffers, much as I would like to keep him, because his contract is going to be up and we should be able to get potentially quality, near MLB ready relief or starting pitching prospects for him. We trade Larnach but only if we can get a young, controllable relief pitcher that we think can be in the top five or six in the bullpen by 2027 at the latest. We hold onto Ryan unless we get a huge haul and we shop Bell but is unlikely we can get much for him so he probably stays. The one blockbuster move I would consider is trading some guys in categories 5 – 7 other than Jenkins in a package for a controllable established starting pitcher hopefully plus a relief pitcher, like Reid Demers or José Soriano plus Sam Bachman of the Angels. I'm sure there's others to target. I think there's more here than justifies a complete tear down and rebuild but I don't think we can just stand pat.
Thanks if anybody waded through this overly long analysis. What do you guys think?

The Twins just acquired a relief pitcher from the Tigers. His name is . . . wait for it .. Woo-Suk Go. I am not making that up. Pronounced ooh, suk go. Again, I am not making that up.
Go is a 27 year old RH who came over in 2024 and struggled with the Padres and Marlins. He has rediscovered his form this year in the minors after the Tigers signed him and pitched well in AA and AAA. He has an assignment clause in his contract so the Twins have to put him on the 40 man, not sure if he has to go on the 26 man roster. We have an open 40 man spot so no corresponding move necessary. 95 MPH fastball, touches 98, with a good curve at 78-83 MPH. Late inning power stuff, dominant reliver in the KBO. His weakness? In a huge surprise, sometimes has control issues. If he's coming to the Twins 26 man, likely to replace Lawyerson or Funderburk. I say Lawyerson. Funderburk is LH so he stays until Rojas is ready to take his place.    
What do you think? Is Woo Suk Go the solution? If he is, name the problem...

The Twins just acquired a relief pitcher from the Tigers. His name is . . . wait for it .. Woo-Suk Go. I am not making that up. Pronounced ooh, suk go. Again, I am not making that up.
Go is a 27 year old RH who came over in 2024 and struggled with the Padres and Marlins. He has rediscovered his form this year in the minors after the Tigers signed him and pitched well in AA and AAA. He has an assignment clause in his contract so the Twins have to put him on the 40 man, not sure if he has to go on the 26 man roster. We have an open 40 man spot so no corresponding move necessary. 95 MPH fastball, touches 98, with a good curve at 78-83 MPH. Late inning power stuff, dominant reliver in the KBO. His weakness? In a huge surprise, sometimes has control issues. If he's coming to the Twins 26 man, likely to replace Lawyerson or Funderburk. I say Lawyerson. Funderburk is LH so he stays until Rojas is ready to take his place.    
What do you think? Is Woo Suk Go the solution? If he is, name the problem...

The Twins just acquired a relief pitcher from the Tigers. His name is . . . wait for it .. Woo-Suk Go. I am not making that up. Pronounced ooh, suk go. Again, I am not making that up.
Go is a 27 year old RH who came over in 2024 and struggled with the Padres and Marlins. He has rediscovered his form this year in the minors after the Tigers signed him and pitched well in AA and AAA. He has an assignment clause in his contract so the Twins have to put him on the 40 man, not sure if he has to go on the 26 man roster. We have an open 40 man spot so no corresponding move necessary. 95 MPH fastball, touches 98, with a good curve at 78-83 MPH. Late inning power stuff, dominant reliver in the KBO. His weakness? In a huge surprise, sometimes has control issues. If he's coming to the Twins 26 man, likely to replace Lawyerson or Funderburk. I say Lawyerson. Funderburk is LH so he stays until Rojas is ready to take his place.    
What do you think? Is Woo Suk Go the solution? If he is, name the problem...

The Twins just acquired a relief pitcher from the Tigers. His name is . . . wait for it .. Woo-Suk Go. I am not making that up. Pronounced ooh, suk go. Again, I am not making that up.
Go is a 27 year old RH who came over in 2024 and struggled with the Padres and Marlins. He has rediscovered his form this year in the minors after the Tigers signed him and pitched well in AA and AAA. He has an assignment clause in his contract so the Twins have to put him on the 40 man, not sure if he has to go on the 26 man roster. We have an open 40 man spot so no corresponding move necessary. 95 MPH fastball, touches 98, with a good curve at 78-83 MPH. Late inning power stuff, dominant reliver in the KBO. His weakness? In a huge surprise, sometimes has control issues. If he's coming to the Twins 26 man, likely to replace Lawyerson or Funderburk. I say Lawyerson. Funderburk is LH so he stays until Rojas is ready to take his place.    
What do you think? Is Woo Suk Go the solution? If he is, name the problem...

The Twins just acquired a relief pitcher from the Tigers. His name is . . . wait for it .. Woo-Suk Go. I am not making that up. Pronounced ooh, suk go. Again, I am not making that up.
Go is a 27 year old RH who came over in 2024 and struggled with the Padres and Marlins. He has rediscovered his form this year in the minors after the Tigers signed him and pitched well in AA and AAA. He has an assignment clause in his contract so the Twins have to put him on the 40 man, not sure if he has to go on the 26 man roster. We have an open 40 man spot so no corresponding move necessary. 95 MPH fastball, touches 98, with a good curve at 78-83 MPH. Late inning power stuff, dominant reliver in the KBO. His weakness? In a huge surprise, sometimes has control issues. If he's coming to the Twins 26 man, likely to replace Lawyerson or Funderburk. I say Lawyerson. Funderburk is LH so he stays until Rojas is ready to take his place.    
What do you think? Is Woo Suk Go the solution? If he is, name the problem...

In an interesting and perhaps ironic twist, Toronto just designated SWR for assignment. Since going to Toronto, SWR has pitched 10 innings in three appearances, 2 3 inning appearances and one 4 inning appearance. His line is 4 hits, 7 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Whip of 1.10, FIP of 4.20. Middle/long relief only, no saves or save opportunities. He did finish one game so that suggests he was the mop up guy in a blowout.
So here's the question - Do you pick SWR up on waivers to return to Minnesota? We won't get a chance to get him as a free agent because Toronto can assign him to AAA; he doesn't have previous DFAs or enough time to refuse the assignment. To get him, we either have to trade probably using the ubiquitous "cash considerations" or claim him on waivers.
I say YES! Let's get him back and see if we can fix him in the bullpen. We make space by waving Taylor Rogers, putting him on the IL, or allowing him to retire with a nice press conference and sendoff ceremony. He is cooked. SWR was it good pitcher as recently as last year. This all assumes he's willing to go into the Bullpen. The recent DFA's by both the Twins and the Blue Jays does make me wonder if there is an attitude issue like "I'm a starter, not a reliever", but I have no information to support that. I say we grab him.

In an interesting and perhaps ironic twist, Toronto just designated SWR for assignment. Since going to Toronto, SWR has pitched 10 innings in three appearances, 2 3 inning appearances and one 4 inning appearance. His line is 4 hits, 7 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Whip of 1.10, FIP of 4.20. Middle/long relief only, no saves or save opportunities. He did finish one game so that suggests he was the mop up guy in a blowout.
So here's the question - Do you pick SWR up on waivers to return to Minnesota? We won't get a chance to get him as a free agent because Toronto can assign him to AAA; he doesn't have previous DFAs or enough time to refuse the assignment. To get him, we either have to trade probably using the ubiquitous "cash considerations" or claim him on waivers.
I say YES! Let's get him back and see if we can fix him in the bullpen. We make space by waving Taylor Rogers, putting him on the IL, or allowing him to retire with a nice press conference and sendoff ceremony. He is cooked. SWR was it good pitcher as recently as last year. This all assumes he's willing to go into the Bullpen. The recent DFA's by both the Twins and the Blue Jays does make me wonder if there is an attitude issue like "I'm a starter, not a reliever", but I have no information to support that. I say we grab him.

In an interesting and perhaps ironic twist, Toronto just designated SWR for assignment. Since going to Toronto, SWR has pitched 10 innings in three appearances, 2 3 inning appearances and one 4 inning appearance. His line is 4 hits, 7 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Whip of 1.10, FIP of 4.20. Middle/long relief only, no saves or save opportunities. He did finish one game so that suggests he was the mop up guy in a blowout.
So here's the question - Do you pick SWR up on waivers to return to Minnesota? We won't get a chance to get him as a free agent because Toronto can assign him to AAA; he doesn't have previous DFAs or enough time to refuse the assignment. To get him, we either have to trade probably using the ubiquitous "cash considerations" or claim him on waivers.
I say YES! Let's get him back and see if we can fix him in the bullpen. We make space by waving Taylor Rogers, putting him on the IL, or allowing him to retire with a nice press conference and sendoff ceremony. He is cooked. SWR was it good pitcher as recently as last year. This all assumes he's willing to go into the Bullpen. The recent DFA's by both the Twins and the Blue Jays does make me wonder if there is an attitude issue like "I'm a starter, not a reliever", but I have no information to support that. I say we grab him.

In an interesting and perhaps ironic twist, Toronto just designated SWR for assignment. Since going to Toronto, SWR has pitched 10 innings in three appearances, 2 3 inning appearances and one 4 inning appearance. His line is 4 hits, 7 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Whip of 1.10, FIP of 4.20. Middle/long relief only, no saves or save opportunities. He did finish one game so that suggests he was the mop up guy in a blowout.
So here's the question - Do you pick SWR up on waivers to return to Minnesota? We won't get a chance to get him as a free agent because Toronto can assign him to AAA; he doesn't have previous DFAs or enough time to refuse the assignment. To get him, we either have to trade probably using the ubiquitous "cash considerations" or claim him on waivers.
I say YES! Let's get him back and see if we can fix him in the bullpen. We make space by waving Taylor Rogers, putting him on the IL, or allowing him to retire with a nice press conference and sendoff ceremony. He is cooked. SWR was it good pitcher as recently as last year. This all assumes he's willing to go into the Bullpen. The recent DFA's by both the Twins and the Blue Jays does make me wonder if there is an attitude issue like "I'm a starter, not a reliever", but I have no information to support that. I say we grab him.

I’ve seen some interesting content here about position players ready for promotion, trading specific guys, and some potential position changes, but I don’t remember seeing much that solves the real problem for this year’s Twins – fixing the Bullpen. You hear talk about trading for relief pitchers at the deadline, but that’s going to be very expensive this year in terms of prospects and only has about a 50/50 chance of success. History is littered with trades for relievers that didn’t work out. I want to fix the problem internally, not hope we get lucky externally unless Boston will trade us Chapman for a decent AA prospect and an A ball lottery ticket. Good luck with that. I’d love to see some analysis on the guys in our system who we think could come up and help the bullpen now. And by now, I mean, call them up today or tomorrow and give them a month-long run before the deadline to see if they can be part of the answer. 
 
I start with the premise that there are a minimum of three open spots. Voth will be DFAd today if he hasn’t been already, Adams doesn’t look ready and may never be ready, and painful as it is to say our old friend Taylor Rogers should either go on the IL or retire. He’s cooked. There are three open spots minimum. I leave Preilipp, Rojas, and Paredes to cover the fourth and fifth starter/long man reliever spots and I think Orze is very shaky, but I leave him for now to be replaced when Sands is ready to pitch. Gomez, Banda, and Morris are the late inning guys. I also don’t think Ober or Able will be ready in the next month to either help in the bullpen or hold down a starting spot and kick Paredes into the pen. I actually think when Able is ready to come back that the bullpen may be the better place to put him for the rest of this year given his elbow issues and I would seriously think about making him the closer.
 
I have one other criteria. No pitcher over 30 with no options. I want guys 28 or younger that can be part of a long-term bullpen, not Band-Aids we grab off the waiver wires. Even though the Gomez experience turned out to be positive, most of them aren’t.
Based on all that, I say we promote Funderburk, CJ, Culpepper, and John Klein to replace Voth, Adams and Rogers. Today or tomorrow. Funderburk was very good the second half of last year and his slow start this year may be the result of his wife’s illness and the new child as much as anything to do with his pitching . I think Culpepper and Klein are the best of the rest at AAA, although Roznek is intriguing.
That’s my attempted solution to our biggest problem, but some of you guys know a lot more about what’s available in the system that I do. What does everybody else think?

The Reds DFA'd former Twin Christian Encarnacion-Strand (aka CES) for assignment today, His overall MLB stats are not great, but not horrible, and he is a RH hitting 1B. Probably as good as or better than Wagaman, and with more power potential. What does everyone think about bringing him back? It looks like he has one option remaining for 2026 and is in AAA now., although it's a little unclear. He's available on waivers and would need a 40 man spot if called up but not now. I say why not? Wagaman wasn't that impressive in ST and isn't hitting in AAA, so I say bring CES back. 
 

The Reds DFA'd former Twin Christian Encarnacion-Strand (aka CES) for assignment today, His overall MLB stats are not great, but not horrible, and he is a RH hitting 1B. Probably as good as or better than Wagaman, and with more power potential. What does everyone think about bringing him back? It looks like he has one option remaining for 2026 and is in AAA now., although it's a little unclear. He's available on waivers and would need a 40 man spot if called up but not now. I say why not? Wagaman wasn't that impressive in ST and isn't hitting in AAA, so I say bring CES back. 
 

The Reds DFA'd former Twin Christian Encarnacion-Strand (aka CES) for assignment today, His overall MLB stats are not great, but not horrible, and he is a RH hitting 1B. Probably as good as or better than Wagaman, and with more power potential. What does everyone think about bringing him back? It looks like he has one option remaining for 2026 and is in AAA now., although it's a little unclear. He's available on waivers and would need a 40 man spot if called up but not now. I say why not? Wagaman wasn't that impressive in ST and isn't hitting in AAA, so I say bring CES back. 
 

Well, this season's over except for the crying (like after last night), so a young(ish) man's thoughts turn to next season. What should that Opening Day roster look like? Here's my take. Couple of rules - you have to use guys we now have or, if you put in a trade or FA placeholder you have to identify who will be traded and you have to assume that the FA will be $8m a year or less. No signing Pete Alonso or William Contreras to fill the 1B or C hole. That's just a fantasy. Also, take out the idea that guys will be in AAA for a few weeks to suppress service time for this exercise or, if you think that's likely, your roster should be as of May 15 to take that out. 
My philosophy is to push young players quickly now while we're in a rebuild (and that's what this is). I completely reject the idea of signing guys like Harrison Bader, Jesse Winker, or Kiner-Falefa to fill holes to raise our floor so we're mediocre rather than bad. This team isn't a contender looking to patch a few holes; this is a speeded up rebuild. Now is the time to push the chips we have in and see what we got. For example, I love the idea of Walter Jenkins starting next year in LF. Let's see if he's ready in ST and if he shows well, which I think he will, play him now. My thought of the "push ahead to build quickly 2026 roster":
OF - Buxton, Jenkins, Wallner, Martin, Fedko/Gonzalez/Rodriguez/Outman - I think it will be Outman to have the true backup CF but I don't think he lasts long. I'd give Fedko the first shot, then Rodriguez (if he's ever healthy), then Gonzalez. 
IF - Keaschall (1B), Lee (SS), Lewis (3B), K Culpepper (2B), Clemens (1B/2B/OF), Eeles/Holland (UTL). Same deal with Culpepper, if he shows in ST, he's the starting 2B with Eeles, Clemens, Martin, or Holland as plan B. Keaschall fills the 1B hole; he's stretched at 2B and is a bat first guy. 
C - Jeffers, Vasquez (yup, the team ERA since he got hurt shows his value) or vet glove first FA (say Austin Hedges, not Danny Jansen). This is the one area where I value glove and handling the staff/calling the game over bat because of the pitching staff changes. We also don't really have anyone else ready other than maaaybe Noah Cardenas and the FA list is either really expensive or really bad. 
SP - Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Matthews, Bradley. Zebby and Taj get the first crack with the AAA guys listed below up next. Too much talent there to give up or move either of them to the bullpen yet. Both have #2/3 starter potential and Zebby could be a #1 in time. 
RP - Topa, Sands, Hatch, Funderburk, Festa, SWR, Coulombe, Ohl/Lawyerson/FA/RP acquired by trading Larnach. Festa and Topa start as co-closers, Festa is closer by mid-season. On the FA front, I would definitely sign Coulombe and would shoot for our old friends Tyler Rogers and Zack Littel. I would also be talking to Jacob Junis and Kyle Finnegan. Devin Williams might be an interesting reclamation project after pitching great for Milwaukee and flaming our in New York if we can get him for $5-8M a year on a 1 year deal.  
Gone (or in AAA as Depth) - Larnach, Julien, Tonkin, Kriske, Cabrera, Gaspar, and Fitzgerald; Outman unless he hits or maybe right away if Emma comes up. 
AAA rotation - Abel, Prielipp, Rojas, Klein, CJ Culpepper, Morris, Raya. These guys plus Adams, Ohl, and Lewis are the AAA bullpen depth as well; Mike Peredes and Cade Bragg move up to AAA and could be callup candidates depending on how they do. No more throwing guys like Genesis Cabrera, Erasmo Ramirez, or Darren McCaughen into the bullpen.    
This team is more athletic, faster, but inexperienced and the bullpen is a question mark. Rotation is a real strength without injury and has real depth. On offense, run wild like they are now. Buxton and Keaschall should have 20+ stolen bases, Lee, Lewis, Martin, Wallner, Jenkins, and Culpepper should have at least 10. We're going to need to manufacture runs and now you have the pieces to do that. Help the bullpen and starters with a number 2 catcher like Vasquez or Hedges; Jeffers is the DH when he doesn't catch. Put Culpeper at 2B because Lee has come alive since becoming the starting SS. Really try hard to trade Larnach (plus prospect(s) if necessary) for an established average or better reliever or sign one as a FA. Hatch and SWR are 2 plus innings at a time guys. They cover the 4 or 5 inning starts and start on short notice when necessary. No more inning at a time in the middle innings. Bring back Coulombe and/or Taylor Rogers as the second/third LH. Topa, Sands, Festa, Funderburk, Coulombe, and the FA handle the late innings - bring your antacids. 
This team could win 85-90 games; it could win 70-75 games. Wide variation but more fun to watch and better positioned to get better as the year goes on. What do you think?

Well, this season's over except for the crying (like after last night), so a young(ish) man's thoughts turn to next season. What should that Opening Day roster look like? Here's my take. Couple of rules - you have to use guys we now have or, if you put in a trade or FA placeholder you have to identify who will be traded and you have to assume that the FA will be $8m a year or less. No signing Pete Alonso or William Contreras to fill the 1B or C hole. That's just a fantasy. Also, take out the idea that guys will be in AAA for a few weeks to suppress service time for this exercise or, if you think that's likely, your roster should be as of May 15 to take that out. 
My philosophy is to push young players quickly now while we're in a rebuild (and that's what this is). I completely reject the idea of signing guys like Harrison Bader, Jesse Winker, or Kiner-Falefa to fill holes to raise our floor so we're mediocre rather than bad. This team isn't a contender looking to patch a few holes; this is a speeded up rebuild. Now is the time to push the chips we have in and see what we got. For example, I love the idea of Walter Jenkins starting next year in LF. Let's see if he's ready in ST and if he shows well, which I think he will, play him now. My thought of the "push ahead to build quickly 2026 roster":
OF - Buxton, Jenkins, Wallner, Martin, Fedko/Gonzalez/Rodriguez/Outman - I think it will be Outman to have the true backup CF but I don't think he lasts long. I'd give Fedko the first shot, then Rodriguez (if he's ever healthy), then Gonzalez. 
IF - Keaschall (1B), Lee (SS), Lewis (3B), K Culpepper (2B), Clemens (1B/2B/OF), Eeles/Holland (UTL). Same deal with Culpepper, if he shows in ST, he's the starting 2B with Eeles, Clemens, Martin, or Holland as plan B. Keaschall fills the 1B hole; he's stretched at 2B and is a bat first guy. 
C - Jeffers, Vasquez (yup, the team ERA since he got hurt shows his value) or vet glove first FA (say Austin Hedges, not Danny Jansen). This is the one area where I value glove and handling the staff/calling the game over bat because of the pitching staff changes. We also don't really have anyone else ready other than maaaybe Noah Cardenas and the FA list is either really expensive or really bad. 
SP - Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Matthews, Bradley. Zebby and Taj get the first crack with the AAA guys listed below up next. Too much talent there to give up or move either of them to the bullpen yet. Both have #2/3 starter potential and Zebby could be a #1 in time. 
RP - Topa, Sands, Hatch, Funderburk, Festa, SWR, Coulombe, Ohl/Lawyerson/FA/RP acquired by trading Larnach. Festa and Topa start as co-closers, Festa is closer by mid-season. On the FA front, I would definitely sign Coulombe and would shoot for our old friends Tyler Rogers and Zack Littel. I would also be talking to Jacob Junis and Kyle Finnegan. Devin Williams might be an interesting reclamation project after pitching great for Milwaukee and flaming our in New York if we can get him for $5-8M a year on a 1 year deal.  
Gone (or in AAA as Depth) - Larnach, Julien, Tonkin, Kriske, Cabrera, Gaspar, and Fitzgerald; Outman unless he hits or maybe right away if Emma comes up. 
AAA rotation - Abel, Prielipp, Rojas, Klein, CJ Culpepper, Morris, Raya. These guys plus Adams, Ohl, and Lewis are the AAA bullpen depth as well; Mike Peredes and Cade Bragg move up to AAA and could be callup candidates depending on how they do. No more throwing guys like Genesis Cabrera, Erasmo Ramirez, or Darren McCaughen into the bullpen.    
This team is more athletic, faster, but inexperienced and the bullpen is a question mark. Rotation is a real strength without injury and has real depth. On offense, run wild like they are now. Buxton and Keaschall should have 20+ stolen bases, Lee, Lewis, Martin, Wallner, Jenkins, and Culpepper should have at least 10. We're going to need to manufacture runs and now you have the pieces to do that. Help the bullpen and starters with a number 2 catcher like Vasquez or Hedges; Jeffers is the DH when he doesn't catch. Put Culpeper at 2B because Lee has come alive since becoming the starting SS. Really try hard to trade Larnach (plus prospect(s) if necessary) for an established average or better reliever or sign one as a FA. Hatch and SWR are 2 plus innings at a time guys. They cover the 4 or 5 inning starts and start on short notice when necessary. No more inning at a time in the middle innings. Bring back Coulombe and/or Taylor Rogers as the second/third LH. Topa, Sands, Festa, Funderburk, Coulombe, and the FA handle the late innings - bring your antacids. 
This team could win 85-90 games; it could win 70-75 games. Wide variation but more fun to watch and better positioned to get better as the year goes on. What do you think?

Well, this season's over except for the crying (like after last night), so a young(ish) man's thoughts turn to next season. What should that Opening Day roster look like? Here's my take. Couple of rules - you have to use guys we now have or, if you put in a trade or FA placeholder you have to identify who will be traded and you have to assume that the FA will be $8m a year or less. No signing Pete Alonso or William Contreras to fill the 1B or C hole. That's just a fantasy. Also, take out the idea that guys will be in AAA for a few weeks to suppress service time for this exercise or, if you think that's likely, your roster should be as of May 15 to take that out. 
My philosophy is to push young players quickly now while we're in a rebuild (and that's what this is). I completely reject the idea of signing guys like Harrison Bader, Jesse Winker, or Kiner-Falefa to fill holes to raise our floor so we're mediocre rather than bad. This team isn't a contender looking to patch a few holes; this is a speeded up rebuild. Now is the time to push the chips we have in and see what we got. For example, I love the idea of Walter Jenkins starting next year in LF. Let's see if he's ready in ST and if he shows well, which I think he will, play him now. My thought of the "push ahead to build quickly 2026 roster":
OF - Buxton, Jenkins, Wallner, Martin, Fedko/Gonzalez/Rodriguez/Outman - I think it will be Outman to have the true backup CF but I don't think he lasts long. I'd give Fedko the first shot, then Rodriguez (if he's ever healthy), then Gonzalez. 
IF - Keaschall (1B), Lee (SS), Lewis (3B), K Culpepper (2B), Clemens (1B/2B/OF), Eeles/Holland (UTL). Same deal with Culpepper, if he shows in ST, he's the starting 2B with Eeles, Clemens, Martin, or Holland as plan B. Keaschall fills the 1B hole; he's stretched at 2B and is a bat first guy. 
C - Jeffers, Vasquez (yup, the team ERA since he got hurt shows his value) or vet glove first FA (say Austin Hedges, not Danny Jansen). This is the one area where I value glove and handling the staff/calling the game over bat because of the pitching staff changes. We also don't really have anyone else ready other than maaaybe Noah Cardenas and the FA list is either really expensive or really bad. 
SP - Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Matthews, Bradley. Zebby and Taj get the first crack with the AAA guys listed below up next. Too much talent there to give up or move either of them to the bullpen yet. Both have #2/3 starter potential and Zebby could be a #1 in time. 
RP - Topa, Sands, Hatch, Funderburk, Festa, SWR, Coulombe, Ohl/Lawyerson/FA/RP acquired by trading Larnach. Festa and Topa start as co-closers, Festa is closer by mid-season. On the FA front, I would definitely sign Coulombe and would shoot for our old friends Tyler Rogers and Zack Littel. I would also be talking to Jacob Junis and Kyle Finnegan. Devin Williams might be an interesting reclamation project after pitching great for Milwaukee and flaming our in New York if we can get him for $5-8M a year on a 1 year deal.  
Gone (or in AAA as Depth) - Larnach, Julien, Tonkin, Kriske, Cabrera, Gaspar, and Fitzgerald; Outman unless he hits or maybe right away if Emma comes up. 
AAA rotation - Abel, Prielipp, Rojas, Klein, CJ Culpepper, Morris, Raya. These guys plus Adams, Ohl, and Lewis are the AAA bullpen depth as well; Mike Peredes and Cade Bragg move up to AAA and could be callup candidates depending on how they do. No more throwing guys like Genesis Cabrera, Erasmo Ramirez, or Darren McCaughen into the bullpen.    
This team is more athletic, faster, but inexperienced and the bullpen is a question mark. Rotation is a real strength without injury and has real depth. On offense, run wild like they are now. Buxton and Keaschall should have 20+ stolen bases, Lee, Lewis, Martin, Wallner, Jenkins, and Culpepper should have at least 10. We're going to need to manufacture runs and now you have the pieces to do that. Help the bullpen and starters with a number 2 catcher like Vasquez or Hedges; Jeffers is the DH when he doesn't catch. Put Culpeper at 2B because Lee has come alive since becoming the starting SS. Really try hard to trade Larnach (plus prospect(s) if necessary) for an established average or better reliever or sign one as a FA. Hatch and SWR are 2 plus innings at a time guys. They cover the 4 or 5 inning starts and start on short notice when necessary. No more inning at a time in the middle innings. Bring back Coulombe and/or Taylor Rogers as the second/third LH. Topa, Sands, Festa, Funderburk, Coulombe, and the FA handle the late innings - bring your antacids. 
This team could win 85-90 games; it could win 70-75 games. Wide variation but more fun to watch and better positioned to get better as the year goes on. What do you think?

Well, this season's over except for the crying (like after last night), so a young(ish) man's thoughts turn to next season. What should that Opening Day roster look like? Here's my take. Couple of rules - you have to use guys we now have or, if you put in a trade or FA placeholder you have to identify who will be traded and you have to assume that the FA will be $8m a year or less. No signing Pete Alonso or William Contreras to fill the 1B or C hole. That's just a fantasy. Also, take out the idea that guys will be in AAA for a few weeks to suppress service time for this exercise or, if you think that's likely, your roster should be as of May 15 to take that out. 
My philosophy is to push young players quickly now while we're in a rebuild (and that's what this is). I completely reject the idea of signing guys like Harrison Bader, Jesse Winker, or Kiner-Falefa to fill holes to raise our floor so we're mediocre rather than bad. This team isn't a contender looking to patch a few holes; this is a speeded up rebuild. Now is the time to push the chips we have in and see what we got. For example, I love the idea of Walter Jenkins starting next year in LF. Let's see if he's ready in ST and if he shows well, which I think he will, play him now. My thought of the "push ahead to build quickly 2026 roster":
OF - Buxton, Jenkins, Wallner, Martin, Fedko/Gonzalez/Rodriguez/Outman - I think it will be Outman to have the true backup CF but I don't think he lasts long. I'd give Fedko the first shot, then Rodriguez (if he's ever healthy), then Gonzalez. 
IF - Keaschall (1B), Lee (SS), Lewis (3B), K Culpepper (2B), Clemens (1B/2B/OF), Eeles/Holland (UTL). Same deal with Culpepper, if he shows in ST, he's the starting 2B with Eeles, Clemens, Martin, or Holland as plan B. Keaschall fills the 1B hole; he's stretched at 2B and is a bat first guy. 
C - Jeffers, Vasquez (yup, the team ERA since he got hurt shows his value) or vet glove first FA (say Austin Hedges, not Danny Jansen). This is the one area where I value glove and handling the staff/calling the game over bat because of the pitching staff changes. We also don't really have anyone else ready other than maaaybe Noah Cardenas and the FA list is either really expensive or really bad. 
SP - Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Matthews, Bradley. Zebby and Taj get the first crack with the AAA guys listed below up next. Too much talent there to give up or move either of them to the bullpen yet. Both have #2/3 starter potential and Zebby could be a #1 in time. 
RP - Topa, Sands, Hatch, Funderburk, Festa, SWR, Coulombe, Ohl/Lawyerson/FA/RP acquired by trading Larnach. Festa and Topa start as co-closers, Festa is closer by mid-season. On the FA front, I would definitely sign Coulombe and would shoot for our old friends Tyler Rogers and Zack Littel. I would also be talking to Jacob Junis and Kyle Finnegan. Devin Williams might be an interesting reclamation project after pitching great for Milwaukee and flaming our in New York if we can get him for $5-8M a year on a 1 year deal.  
Gone (or in AAA as Depth) - Larnach, Julien, Tonkin, Kriske, Cabrera, Gaspar, and Fitzgerald; Outman unless he hits or maybe right away if Emma comes up. 
AAA rotation - Abel, Prielipp, Rojas, Klein, CJ Culpepper, Morris, Raya. These guys plus Adams, Ohl, and Lewis are the AAA bullpen depth as well; Mike Peredes and Cade Bragg move up to AAA and could be callup candidates depending on how they do. No more throwing guys like Genesis Cabrera, Erasmo Ramirez, or Darren McCaughen into the bullpen.    
This team is more athletic, faster, but inexperienced and the bullpen is a question mark. Rotation is a real strength without injury and has real depth. On offense, run wild like they are now. Buxton and Keaschall should have 20+ stolen bases, Lee, Lewis, Martin, Wallner, Jenkins, and Culpepper should have at least 10. We're going to need to manufacture runs and now you have the pieces to do that. Help the bullpen and starters with a number 2 catcher like Vasquez or Hedges; Jeffers is the DH when he doesn't catch. Put Culpeper at 2B because Lee has come alive since becoming the starting SS. Really try hard to trade Larnach (plus prospect(s) if necessary) for an established average or better reliever or sign one as a FA. Hatch and SWR are 2 plus innings at a time guys. They cover the 4 or 5 inning starts and start on short notice when necessary. No more inning at a time in the middle innings. Bring back Coulombe and/or Taylor Rogers as the second/third LH. Topa, Sands, Festa, Funderburk, Coulombe, and the FA handle the late innings - bring your antacids. 
This team could win 85-90 games; it could win 70-75 games. Wide variation but more fun to watch and better positioned to get better as the year goes on. What do you think?

Well, this season's over except for the crying (like after last night), so a young(ish) man's thoughts turn to next season. What should that Opening Day roster look like? Here's my take. Couple of rules - you have to use guys we now have or, if you put in a trade or FA placeholder you have to identify who will be traded and you have to assume that the FA will be $8m a year or less. No signing Pete Alonso or William Contreras to fill the 1B or C hole. That's just a fantasy. Also, take out the idea that guys will be in AAA for a few weeks to suppress service time for this exercise or, if you think that's likely, your roster should be as of May 15 to take that out. 
My philosophy is to push young players quickly now while we're in a rebuild (and that's what this is). I completely reject the idea of signing guys like Harrison Bader, Jesse Winker, or Kiner-Falefa to fill holes to raise our floor so we're mediocre rather than bad. This team isn't a contender looking to patch a few holes; this is a speeded up rebuild. Now is the time to push the chips we have in and see what we got. For example, I love the idea of Walter Jenkins starting next year in LF. Let's see if he's ready in ST and if he shows well, which I think he will, play him now. My thought of the "push ahead to build quickly 2026 roster":
OF - Buxton, Jenkins, Wallner, Martin, Fedko/Gonzalez/Rodriguez/Outman - I think it will be Outman to have the true backup CF but I don't think he lasts long. I'd give Fedko the first shot, then Rodriguez (if he's ever healthy), then Gonzalez. 
IF - Keaschall (1B), Lee (SS), Lewis (3B), K Culpepper (2B), Clemens (1B/2B/OF), Eeles/Holland (UTL). Same deal with Culpepper, if he shows in ST, he's the starting 2B with Eeles, Clemens, Martin, or Holland as plan B. Keaschall fills the 1B hole; he's stretched at 2B and is a bat first guy. 
C - Jeffers, Vasquez (yup, the team ERA since he got hurt shows his value) or vet glove first FA (say Austin Hedges, not Danny Jansen). This is the one area where I value glove and handling the staff/calling the game over bat because of the pitching staff changes. We also don't really have anyone else ready other than maaaybe Noah Cardenas and the FA list is either really expensive or really bad. 
SP - Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Matthews, Bradley. Zebby and Taj get the first crack with the AAA guys listed below up next. Too much talent there to give up or move either of them to the bullpen yet. Both have #2/3 starter potential and Zebby could be a #1 in time. 
RP - Topa, Sands, Hatch, Funderburk, Festa, SWR, Coulombe, Ohl/Lawyerson/FA/RP acquired by trading Larnach. Festa and Topa start as co-closers, Festa is closer by mid-season. On the FA front, I would definitely sign Coulombe and would shoot for our old friends Tyler Rogers and Zack Littel. I would also be talking to Jacob Junis and Kyle Finnegan. Devin Williams might be an interesting reclamation project after pitching great for Milwaukee and flaming our in New York if we can get him for $5-8M a year on a 1 year deal.  
Gone (or in AAA as Depth) - Larnach, Julien, Tonkin, Kriske, Cabrera, Gaspar, and Fitzgerald; Outman unless he hits or maybe right away if Emma comes up. 
AAA rotation - Abel, Prielipp, Rojas, Klein, CJ Culpepper, Morris, Raya. These guys plus Adams, Ohl, and Lewis are the AAA bullpen depth as well; Mike Peredes and Cade Bragg move up to AAA and could be callup candidates depending on how they do. No more throwing guys like Genesis Cabrera, Erasmo Ramirez, or Darren McCaughen into the bullpen.    
This team is more athletic, faster, but inexperienced and the bullpen is a question mark. Rotation is a real strength without injury and has real depth. On offense, run wild like they are now. Buxton and Keaschall should have 20+ stolen bases, Lee, Lewis, Martin, Wallner, Jenkins, and Culpepper should have at least 10. We're going to need to manufacture runs and now you have the pieces to do that. Help the bullpen and starters with a number 2 catcher like Vasquez or Hedges; Jeffers is the DH when he doesn't catch. Put Culpeper at 2B because Lee has come alive since becoming the starting SS. Really try hard to trade Larnach (plus prospect(s) if necessary) for an established average or better reliever or sign one as a FA. Hatch and SWR are 2 plus innings at a time guys. They cover the 4 or 5 inning starts and start on short notice when necessary. No more inning at a time in the middle innings. Bring back Coulombe and/or Taylor Rogers as the second/third LH. Topa, Sands, Festa, Funderburk, Coulombe, and the FA handle the late innings - bring your antacids. 
This team could win 85-90 games; it could win 70-75 games. Wide variation but more fun to watch and better positioned to get better as the year goes on. What do you think?

Maybe I'm just bored at work, but I thought it might be good to have a blog where we track the MLB players traded, see the returns, and see how that effects what the Twins might, should, or could do. Here's a start with the first 3:
Ryan McMahon to Yankees - Rockies traded 3B McMahon to Yankees for LHP Griffin Herring (Yankees #17, 45 FV grade) and RHP Josh Grosz (not in top 30). McMahon is a much better fielder than Castro, Castro a much better hitter (112 OPS+ to 92 wRC+).  Suggests Castro is worth one top 20 prospect and a flyer. Actually sounds about right. Does take the Yankees off the board as a trading partner for Castro. I don't know about you but I'm not in favor of helping the Yankees anyway.
Gregory Soto to Mets - Orioles trade LHRP Soto to the Mets for RHP Wellington Aracena (20, somewhere between 14 and 25 in Mets system) and Cameron Foster (26, unranked power RP just moved up to AAA, maybe close to majors). Foster is a power guy who dominated AA but off to a slow start in AAA: could be a decent MLB middle reliver soon. Aracena throws 97+ with shaky command at the A ball level but profiles as a possible late inning reliever if he can refine his control. Not a bad haul for the rental Soto. Coloumbe is older than Soto but much better this year. Maybe we can get a better headliner prospect that's doing well in AAA plus a flyer like Aracena for Coloumbe. Do it if we can. 
Josh Naylor to Mariners - DBacks traded 1B Naylor to Seattle for rookie left-hander Brandyn Garcia and pitching prospect Ashton Izzi. Naylor has a 123+ OPS, Ty France 85+ and Naylor is a better 1B. No comparison. Garcia was Seattle’s 11th-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2023. He ranked 13th among Seattle prospects at MLB Pipeline and 19th at Baseball America. Izzi, 21, is a long-term development play. He pitched well in Low-A last season but has struggled to a 5.51 ERA across 12 starts in High-A this year. In other words, 1 top 20 and a flyer. France will be lucky to get us the flyer. Trade him for whatever you can get. 
Returns so far make me optimistic that we might actually be able to get some quality prospects for both Castro and Coloumbe. Still prospects though, none of whom are MLB ready this year or probably next year. I would trade Coloumbe for a similar or better return and maybe try to re-sign him in the off-season. I would try to re-sign Castro now and if not, also trade him for the same or a better return and follow the same path in the off-season. 
What do you guys think about the return and how it impacts the Twins? Would you make similar deals?

I think a great "soft sell" move would be the Twins trading 1 or 2 of Martin, Julien,  Miranda to Oakland for Luis Severino.
Severino is having a perceived bad year, He actually has value.
His split are solid away from that minor league ballpark the As play in, with an ERA of 3.03 on the road vs. 6.68 at home. while he is not a strikeout machine, he i slimiting hitters to a .212 avg on the road vs .303 at home.  Giving up .820 OPS at home but just .605 on the road.
He just signed a 3 year $67M deal this past offseason.  Part of the reason for that is the league mandate that Oakland had to spend to a certain threshhold.
I am sure MLB woudl frown on them just trading to slash salaries after that mandate, but they couldnt block a deal based on "baseball sense" 
 
So lets say Twins send 1-2 of Julien, Martin, Miranda to Oakland for Severino where Twins take on 100% of remaining salary this year, but Oakland retains 50% the next 2 years.
 
That would basically mean the Twins get Luis Servino on a 2 year deal (after this year at an average of $12M per). 2 years at $24M total would be a great sign as a FA signing of a pitcher of Severinos potential!!
If we get the "away" version of Severino for that money that is a STEAL!!!
Oakland is not contending this year, and most likely nto until they move to Vegas which is still not until 2028.  There is ZERO need to have Severino on the roster, and he wouldn't have been if they weren't forced to spend.
 
Would Severino be better than... Paddack? Zebby? Fest? Bullpen Game?  I think so!!
 
and next year with a rotation of Lopez, Ryan, a potentially healthy Ober, Severino, would be a great base for a new ownership group to play with.
And none of Martin, Julien, Miranda, etc will be part of the future anyways.
 
Build for the future without "selling" now.
 

I would sell off the expiring contracts this July but it isn’t a rebuild. I am going the 2024 Tigers route. They traded off four expiring contracts and let the players in their system have a chance to play. All four played significantly in their first half in #2 starter Jack Flaherty, lefty reliever Andrew Chafin, catcher Carson Kelly and Mark Canha. They replaced Flaherty with an opener and Tyler Hilton and Beau Brieske emerged. Brant Hurter was the lefty reliever. Spencer Torkelson returned from his exile to the minors and had a .945 OPS in August. Dillon Dingler got his feet wet at catcher. I am guessing the plan was to see what they needed for 2025 but it resulted in a couple rounds of playoff baseball.
That means we trade Willi Castro. That will hurt. Not Jack Flaherty hurt but it will hurt. Keaschall will be returning and let’s look at Austin Martin.
We trade lefty specialist Danny Coulombe. That will hurt. The bullpen is very thin. Everyone is healthy and two on the current roster don’t look to be major league ready. Is it time to see Connor Prielipp in a relief role? Maybe not. The plan for a full healthy season is a priority. If not then Funderburk gets off the shuttle and gets a two month consistent shot.
Can they get anything for Paddack? Take what they can get and make sure Festa, Matthews and Woods Richardson have a spot in the rotation the rest of the year.
Can they get anything for France? The return for Canha was little but the open spot gave a chance for Torkelson to earn back some trust. Maybe Clemens gets a good share of 1B. Maybe Julien returns here. What does Keaschall look like at 1B? Miranda’s last stand?
It might mean paying some of the contract for Vazquez but let’s do it. Let’s see Mickey Gasper at  catcher for two months. Teams will run against him. In AAA he gives up a stolen base every 6.5 innings while Camargo is one of the best and gives up a stolen base every 9 innings. It amounts to an extra stolen base every three games. Can his bat make up the difference even if it a stolen base per game at this level? Let’s see about the rest of his game at catcher. Marco Raya had some very positive things to say about Gasper behind the plate.
Bader will hurt too. Will Rodriguez be healthy? Probably not. That leaves an opening for Carson McCusker or Walker Jenkins. They might also send out Keirsey now and bring up Martin. Get Keirsey some at bats for a few weeks and maybe he gets a real shot with the bat when he returns.
Anyone else? Justin Topa is not matching his 2023 season. I would trade him. The bullpen already has holes to fill today. Maybe the return for some of the other players is a failed starter or a blocked minor league reliever they give a chance in the pen for the final two months.
Why not rebuild? There are a few reasons.
The largest is I want the new owners to be able to shape this club. If they want to go for it in the next few years they need Joe Ryan, Jhoan Duran and to a lesser extent Griffin Jax. Selling this players is easy. New owners wanting to replace them will be hard. The new owners need to be able to set the direction.  The sweet spot for selling is the deadline with 1 season remaining. They have two. The return for them will not be that much less next summer and it gives the Twins a better chance to compete next year. I suppose someone could argue that they may get injured. It is also true that the key prospect we get in return for them this year could get injured. There are some players they need to make decisions on to help build next year’s roster. Many have shown flashes in the majors and shown success in the minors. This winter’s decisions will be more informed if they open these 7 spots. I endorse the Tiger Plan