Mike h

I'm sort of scratching my head here. These are 5 candidates the Twins could consider for 1B? One hasn't played in 2 years, one hasn't played in 1 year, one doesn't even play 1B, one (Steer) isn't an upgrade, and Burleson, the one and only prize on this list, is virtually unobtainable. They might as well just hand the job to Sabato or stick with Clemons there and find a different super utility man. Also, I have to disagree that the Twins have pitching depth from which to deal. Not so long ago they had a bunch of promising prospects but now they have been tried and are mostly suspects. It's possible Lopez won't be ready, Ryan might be traded, Ober might not be tendered, and the bullpen is not set either. Who are the in-house replacements who can elevate the team? In order to compete in 2027 they need proven, hopefully elite, pitchers, which I don't see on staff, and what there is isn't going to excite another team enough to bring back a great 1B.

I’ve had several surgeries including a back surgery that was supposed to take 4 hours but ended up taking almost 7. More to the point, once it was determined that surgery was necessary I still had to fit in to the doctors schedule and O.R. availability, etc. And Buxton may have needed some time to digest the reality and rethink alternatives. That would seem normal and his right. The wait could have been on him, not the Twins. If so, that’s ok. When it comes to your health you have to look out for number one.

Hello? Pucketpond? Did you ever hear of a catcher named Joe Mauer?

So I have to ask, and don’t hate me for this, but if the Twins are so good at finding and fixing flaws in other teams pitchers, why can’t they work that magic with their own players when they struggle?

Who would I like? Especially if $ were no object? Let's see, how about Varlan, Duran, and Griffin? But that's all water under the bridge.

I love this kind of article. It gives me hope.

Topgunn#22 I agree with you on theory, but sometimes an injured player comes back to DH for a while before playing in the field. Seems to work, depending on the circumstances.

When I saw the headline I thought Culpepper is becoming a pitcher?

Idk, but maybe 1/8 of 1 mm is about the size of the stitching on a baseball? Maybe they should make a rule that the LEATHER must cross the strike zone, not just the stitching?

When I read the headline I tried to guess what the 4 reasons could be. Optimism comes from improvements which comes from changes. Whether you placed blame for last years record on the manager, the front office, or ownership, you got your wish - all three have been changed. Ok, the Pohlads still own the team but they changed their representative. They also brought in some new coaches. On the field, they said goodbye to half a dozen players who had had good resumes and potential but couldn’t produce, guys like Gasper, Bride, Julien, Miranda, and Keirsey. New players, hopefully better players, will get their AB’s. We can be optimistic that the new guys will be better. I will add that losing Correa’s contract, not the man, was good for the team due to the financial flexibility it provides. We can be optimistic that the FO will reinvest that money wisely for upgrades where needed. As for his presence on the field his leadership will be missed but at the same time his leaving brings Culpepper and Houston a little closer and if we can believe the hype they may be even better. Another reason for optimism is the alleged speed they now have. Is it possible they might have 3 players with 30+SB? Maybe 4? That’s exciting to watch and should lead to more runs. Finally, I like how Lee came to camp a little lighter and having worked hard all winter on his defense. Hopefully that will payoff and he will be improved. Wallner has had a great spring; we can hope it will carry over to the season.. I have lots of reasons NOT to be optimistic this year but that’s for a different article. I’ll just say……in balance, ….they are still a few years away. But I still love baseball!

Jeff K, I don’t either

NIf the Twins want Paredes for 1B then yes. If they want him for 3B then no. It looks to me that Parades and Lewis are almost the same player. They both hit about 1 HR/20AB. Parades had a up year in 2025, hitting .255, but his career BA is .237. Lewis had a down year in 2025, hitting .237, but his career BA is .255. Lewis is slightly taller, thinner, (more athletic?) and can steal bases better. (Paredes had 0 SB last year.) I don’t think there is enough added benefit, if any, to swap out Lewis for Paredes at 3B. Besides, Lewis has been hurt so much but has flashed so much potential when healthy that I think it would be premature to move him out just when he looks fully ready to go. amAs for trading Jeffers, I think it would be foolish to do so until they have an adequate replacement ready to take his place. Jackson is not that person.

Absolutely get him back.

If by worst move you mean the one that I would most like to undo, it would be the Taylor Rogers/Brett Rooker trade for Emilio Pagan and Chris Paddock. Of course this is hindsight, but even at the time Paddock was only competing for their 5th starting pitcher and Pagan was not popular with their fans. I say that based on some good riddance comments on their fan page. Halves should have known that neither player would be an upgrade. Imagine having Rooker in our outfield along side Buxton, and Taylor pitching instead of Pagan. On the good side I’d say signing Nelson Cruz was a better move than drafting Ryan Jeffers. I know Jeffers is very popular among posters here, but count me as one who doesn’t quite see it. And I’ll let it go at that,

I had Lawyerson pegged as a sleeper who could be a difference maker next year. Hate to see him go. i only saw him pitch in person once last season; it was an away game against Louisville so most of you probably didn’t see it. Kendry Rojas started - what a contrast between the two! Just one game, I know, but I can’t believe Rojas is rated the 8th best prospect while Lawyerson was let go. In that game Rojas had a deer-in-the-headlights look as he walked to the dugout,; he lasted only 3 innings giving up 3 hits and 6 walks . Laweryson came in and took charge, getting 4 outs on 12 pitches, 11 for strikes. What really got my attention though was the very loud pop when the catcher caught the ball. Supposedly he and Rojas throw about the same speed but idk, do radar guns lie? Again, just one game. Good luck to Cody.