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ChineseGandalf

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  1. ChineseGandalf
    Brooks LeeWalker JenkinsEmmanuel RodriguezJordan BalazovicMatt WallnerMarco RayaCharlee SotoLuke KeaschallMatt CanterinoConnor PrielippSimeon Woods RichardsonAustin MartinBrandon WinokurDavid FestaBlayne EnlowJose SalasJair CamargoNoah MillerBrent HeadrickTanner Schobel
  2. ChineseGandalf
    The trade deadline usually provides the maximum return for sellers, although the problem is that Kepler's value may only tank further by that point if they play him as a platoon player. However, it seems fairly likely that he may continue to be the every day right fielder, which should make him somewhat valuable I hope.
  3. ChineseGandalf
    It seems like we have quite a few viable internal options and I think they are banking on healthy returns from some of the players that were out last year (Maeda, Alcala, maybe Paddack). Maeda particularly seems like he may make his way to the bullpen rather than back into the starting rotation. I think the Dodgers were doing that with him as well prior to that trade.
  4. ChineseGandalf
    ? Ryan Jeffers ($0.70M) 1B: Luis Arraez ($4.50M) 2B: Jorge Polanco ($7.50M) 3B: Gio Urshela ($9.00M) LF: Alex Kirilloff ($0.70M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Max Kepler ($8.50M) DH: Jose Miranda ($0.70M) 4th OF: Kyle Garlick ($0.70M) Utility: Nick Gordon ($0.70M) Utility: Gilberto Celestino ($0.70M) SP1: Sonny Gray ($12.00M) SP2: Tyler Mahle ($8.00M) SP3: Kenta Maeda ($9.00M) SP4: Joe Ryan ($0.70M) SP5: Bailey Ober ($0.70M) RP: Jhoan Duran ($0.70M) RP: Jorge Lopez ($3.00M) RP: Griffin Jax ($0.70M) RP: Jorge Alcala ($1.00M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($2.00M) RP: Emilio Pagan ($3.00M) RP: Danny Coloumbe ($1.00M) RP: Louis ($0.00M) Payroll is 35.36% under budget
  5. ChineseGandalf
    Gordon is very promising because of his athleticism and ability to be a utility (or super-utility) player. If he was stuck at a single position, he may not have seen the opportunities that he has. He is not an amazing defender, but he is capable and can fill in almost anywhere. This, combined with a bat that seems to be ever-improving may make him a mainstay for the Twins for at least a few years. I would be extremely happy if he ends up filling a Polanco-type role as a good-hitting infielder. He may never have the power that Polanco does, but I wouldn't rule that out either. Polanco did not come up with as much power as he has shown now, and I think Gordon still has a lot of potential improvement ahead. He has been a very nice surprise this year.
  6. ChineseGandalf
    I have been blown away by Miranda, especially considering how drastic his turnaround was. I have been expecting some regression since he has peaked this summer, but if anything he has continued to improve. He is easily the Twins best hitter right now, and probably has been for the last two months or so. I'm also onboard with signing him to a long term deal, because I foresee him being a very productive contributor for years to come. The combination of power and average are very promising and could see him be a MVP candidate within the next several years.
  7. ChineseGandalf
    Gordon is going to be a very valuable piece to have over the next few years, as a very low cost asset who is playing better and better. It seems that his floor at this point is utility guy, in the vein of Ehire Adrianza or similar player we've had over the last few years. However, his ceiling is the most perplexing. I really don't know what it is, considering that he is starting to flash a lot more power than I thought he would ever have, as well as avg/obp. If he turns into a 15+ hr per season player, which is certainly possible at this point, he is going to be a hard bat to replace in the lineup. He was always well-regarded as a pretty decent contact hitter, and I think the major knock on him was his lack of power. That seems to be trending in the right direction, so I am really looking forward to him hopefully continuing to carve a spot for himself in a pretty good lineup.
  8. ChineseGandalf
    This post is an absolutely terrible take. The "top 10" listed ignore not only the draft picks of this year, but the multitude of players graduated this year from prospect status. This is cherry picking at its very worst. How about the development and graduation of players in the Twins' farm system? Kiriloff, Larnach, Miranda, Duran, Jax, Ober, Winder, Sands, Celestino, Gordon, Ryan. I'm probably missing some as well. How about Gray and Mahle, high quality arms acquired through trades off of the top of the prospect pool. The major league team today is significantly more talented than the team was when Falvey took over, and our prospect pool is probably pretty comparable. We have a mid-tier farm system, and it was a very strong farm system until we graduated Kiriloff, Miranda, Larnach, etc. It is somewhat frustrating to read posts like this that complain about the farm system and the front office, and at the same time ignore the large number of high quality young players (rookie or sophmore) that are contributing significantly to the major league club.
  9. ChineseGandalf
    I agree with this take. Free agent pitching is always a crapshoot to an extent, but it would have been nice to pick up a few pieces then. Trading for pitching at the deadline is always the worst time to do it, because we are buying high rather than buying at a market rate in the offseason.
  10. ChineseGandalf
    I agree with this, and I hope they stick by this strategy. Frankly, I don't see a #2ish starting pitcher moving the needle much anyway. The Twins have swung twice this year for starting pitching and made big time trades (Sonny Gray and Chris Paddack). Acquiring a top tier SP as a "final piece" is fine, but not when it comes at the expense of the next several years. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I am just fine with the Twins doing nothing at the trade deadline (and even missing the playoffs as a result) if it means that they have a longer sustained run of good play.
  11. ChineseGandalf
    I hope that neither are traded. That would be extremely shortsighted, and it is frustrating to hear all of the calls to make a huge splash trade. If we did go for any of the top arms (Castillo/Montas), it would almost certainly require one of Miranda or Kiriloff to be traded. This Twins team, even though it is currently leading the division, is not that great right now. Coming into the season, I think most people saw this year as a minor rebuilding year (despite the Correa move), with the hopes of competing more strongly in 2023. I still think that should be the case, as if we trade either Miranda or Kiriloff we are mortgaging the next several years. Both are under team control for a long time, and both are clearly major league starters over the next 4-5 years. Why would we trade that for even a year of control over Montas or Castillo (plus we would be trading other top prospects as well as part of either trade). Does acquiring either Montas or Castillo really win us a playoff series this year? I just don't see how it would be worth it. All of that said, I would not be surprised if the front office made one of those moves.
  12. ChineseGandalf
    Unfortunately, Urshela is probably the best defender we have at 3B. He is not a very good defender though (ranked 27/40 in DWAR this year at .03 DWAR, which is barely better than replacement. The problem is that the rest of our defenders are not very good either at 3B, although Fangraphs has Miranda at +1 Outs Above Average (in 128 innings) while it has Urshela at -6 (in 682 innings). While Miranda is not a plus defender, I don't really see Urshela as an upgrade at all over him. I don't think that Urshela's defensive value will be the reason a trade does not happen.
  13. ChineseGandalf
    I'm sure the Twins are shopping Sano right now, but I agree that the return for him is probably slim. We would almost certainly have to eat salary and/or the buyout amount for next year's team option, potentially. However, I could see a few teams being interested in him as a former highly touted prospect who does flash monster power. I don't think he would return us any sort of top tier bullpen arm, but we may be able to flip him for middling bullpen help.
  14. ChineseGandalf
    If we can get him on a five year deal, the current number, or even a touch higher would be a steal. The problem with most of these deals are that they are 7-10 years. Even if we get good value in years 1-5, it is almost certain that Correa's production will fall off by the ender of the 7-10 year deal (and possibly dramatically so). I am very concerned about any deal over the five year mark, and I highly doubt that Correa will sign anything less than 7.
  15. ChineseGandalf
    Honestly I am not convinced that Miranda should be starting over Urshela at third or Arraez/Kiriloff at first. However, those are not the only roles for him. There is an obvious role - DH, that as far as I can recall, he has not played at all since being called up. Why are we DHing one of Sanchez/Jeffers? Miranda is a significant upgrade on either of those two as the DH. Jeffers is hitting decently well right now, and Sanchez can hit alright, but neither are what you really want in a DH. In fact, for most of the year Jeffers has been unplayable as a bat, and Sanchez has recently come back to earth a bit. We should at least give Miranda the DH over those two.
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