JD-TWINS

Agree on Gray - LH bat & limited other options as of today. …….. having Lee back-up Kreidler just has a dual negative effect - Lee’s head getting messed up and no advantage defensively v. Gray……….. who plays 3B w/o a ripple effect that triggers bad results around the IF? Playing guys “because we need to get value from the trade” is not something that the business side nor the on field side of the TWINS should care about. ROJAS was the main trade piece in the Varland trade. I do not care if Roden or Rodriguez play ……. ever, for the TWINS. Do what is right for the club………..playing guys to build toward some mythical success “in the future” is not fruitful. Build the current club with guys that CAN play & add around them with youth as Team moves forward Roden has shown more than once that he handles AAA pitching …….. he deserves a shot but not “just to see what happens” …..the “look see” comes after the season has been given no chance of winning……..end of August through September, if appropriate.

Glass half full guy here ……… Rojas settling in with OK success for next 10 weeks - plus Paredes to PEN once Prielipp’s blister issue is resolved ……. maybe 10 more days? Sands is supposed to be back in 10 days or less - don’t expect greatness from him but probably better than the Adams - Lawyerson - etc guys that have been there to date. ……… with those 3 guys, the confidence level goes up a bit.

I can’t imagine that after one 7 game road trip the decision “to sell” will be made. 34 of final 65 are v. teams with losing record…….. Guardians & White Sox make up about 15 of the other 31 games v. winning record teams. At least see where the balance of the League is at and play it out through the home series with the A’s & Royals……,July 30. IMO, trade Jeffers ASAP to clear up the roster & Team’s focus going forward………I seriously doubt that any contender that would trade FOR Jeffers would part with a reliever off their 26-man.

Larnach was a first round pick! ………. as high or higher than the guys we hope may succeed, currently in AAA. He’s been at MLB level since he was 24……..up & down due to injuries for the first 3 years of his 6 total years of MLB play. His OPS has been building upward for 6 years. In ‘24, while being in a fairly strict platoon situation, his slash line was .259/.338/.439 with a .771 OPS & 116 OPS+. Pretty good production! A “keeper” at age 27. In ‘25, he wasn’t platooned nearly as much and had 118 AB’s (nearly 25%) v. LH pitching. His overall numbers went down from good to mediocre…,,,.102 OPS+. In ‘26, he’s hitting .179 v. LH pitching (in a very small sample but consistent with his hit profile) ………. he’s hitting .304 v. RH pitching (also consistent with his hit profile). His defense isn’t great but he’s improved and certainly as viable or considerably better than Bell, if played in the field. His current slash line is .289/.379/.459 with an .830 OPS & 131 OPS+. Very good production. Comparison here …… .254/.345/.421 with a .771 OPS and 114 OPS+ ……… admittedly, no comparison defensively! He doesn’t platoon. But, All-Star, Cody Bellinger, at age 31, makes $32.5M/year…….v. Larnach at $4.5M. I’m not an expert, but it seems to me that a player’s prime years are from age 27-32……close? Larnach is 29. Why in the world would the Twins trade a guy that’s home grown & excelling at a high level? Trade, only to make room for guys that the fans hope hit as well as Trevor Larnach does, someday. To me, he’s the obvious LH hitting platoon DH & PH in 2027. At DH he’s not “blocking” anyone. The fact that he doesn’t make “the minimum” as would all the guys currently in AAA would in ‘27, isn’t a valid reason to trade him. The fans shouldn’t think like Calvin Griffith ……. or the Pohlad’s, at times. Somebody on the roster is going to make $$ over “the minimum”. He may make $7M next year (?) if he finishes strong. The Twins, outside of Correa $ to Houston & Lopez $, are spending $73M on the players on the field daily in ‘26……$105M total…….to me this is embarrassing & should be discussed much more here v. figuring out ways to spend less than they currently do!! They spent $155M in ‘23. Supporting “zero spending” & rationalizing bringing guys up from AAA because of hype or just curiosity isn’t sound thinking, from a fan standpoint, to me. Jeffers is gone - Bell will be gone …….. ($12 M freed up for ‘27) Clemens may be arbitration eligible & could make a few million $ (that’s certainly fine) ……… he’s 30 btw. Current catchers got Team through 60 games of solid win % baseball - no more spending needed there. Ryan makes another $6-$7M in ‘27. Lewis may make $2M more if he continues his ascent. Essentially, everyone else is at minimum $$. There’s ZERO NEED to trade Trevor Larnach to save $$ in ‘27!

A much welcomed view of reality - thanks!! If Ross is a LH bat, have no idea, they might exchange he & Gray for a couple weeks to see if Gray can find patience at the plate in 14 days …….. not very likely. Arcia much more likely. Arcia may not be a bunch better than Gray with glove but he is better & after 10 years, he’s not going to wilt at MLB level. Jenkins, Rodriguez, & C.J. are spot on & SS Culpepper needs to be healthy at AAA for weeks, not days, before getting a call ……. if in the race, I don’t see organization shaking things up more than just a Jeffers trade.

Fedko may never play another game at Target Field……with any team. If they want to “compete”, they need to ride Kreidler at SS. Keaschall appears to be the Utility guy & Clemens/Lewis seem to have locked up the right side of the infield for 90+% of the remainder of the year. Lee isn’t missing more than 3/4 of the last 65 games. In ‘25 Bell had 4,5,4,3,4,2 HR’s over the 6 month season. His RBI & hits track the same. The drop-off in September is because he played in 12 games. 6 months of games played in ‘25 ……..27, 26, 25, 26, 24, 12.

70/75% RH pitching…….. they play the odds with platoons. Gray gets those starts & Kreidler isn’t an “everyday player” ….., at least he hasn’t been. Kreidler has been the choice in CF with Buxton out - until the last few games with the roll of the dice with Keaschall. I fully expect that the ONLY negative WAR player on the Roster (Gray) will be demoted fairly soon………either when Buxton comes back or if the Club promotes Arcia for more stability on defense when needed…….. everyone hopes for Culpepper by the end of July……..I’m good with Kreidler!! The organization likes stability. Moving Gray would be a real change for the ‘26 Club..,..,,, both Wallner & Lewis were moved down, so I expect a move with Gray. Jeffers getting moved will help Gray’s potential for staying in the Show. Bottom line is he’s not a very good defensive SS and his streaky bat has really cooled, hence the negative WAR.

.304 BA after 79 plate appearances in AA. 10 walks & a .844 OPS.

For sure, it’s Houston’s spot based on glove reputation & bat results to date. …… Culpepper in short-term (like 3-4 weeks) & Houston a year from now…….Culpepper to 2B.🤞🤞🤞🤞

Lewis, #1 pick, seems to be utilizing his talent again - running well - playing a pretty good 1B - has raised his Season BA 60 points since June 6th + 7 HRs. Nice to see. Seems to genuinely be thinking TEAM first! Lee, #1 pick, seems comfortable at 3B & is fairly clutch with RISP. He too, seems to be realizing the abilities that got him drafted with a 1st Rond pick. Larnach, #1 pick, and he’s confirming what he did in ‘24 in a platoon role ……..solid nearly EVERY game! Can’t draft a guy and hang with him & when he’s having his best year at the plate, trade him. It makes no sense! He’s making $4.5M ….. that might go to $7.75 next year, still cheap …… he should be a lock to DH v. RH pitching in ‘27! Bell hit in April & disappeared …… Caratini hit in April & disappeared…….. they are back! These two guys have been super effective since early June……huge shot in the arm for the club. Clemens keeps playing above everyone’s expectations - hitting a baseball is not easy & he seems to have found his lane with the bat & at 2B………very fortunate signing last year!! Kreidler’s glove has been versatile and is best used at SS. Pleasant surprise as a clutch hitter in a number of games to date…..,,Keaschall keeps increasing his BA & OBP & his move to OF makes him seem more comfortable in general! Jeffers is getting traded …… Gray is not good enough at the plate & particularly on defense to continue to stick with him after Culpepper is clearly healthy. Buxton will take Gray’s spot after the break (tough to carry one guy capable of playing SS though) & Kreidler plays SS everyday …… maybe Arcia comes back? Roden seems to be earning a spot going forward……. Gray is the only guy on the 13 man position roster with negative WAR…,,need to improve his spot somehow, soon!

Not as prominent in Twin’s fans view ……. the AL West is arguably worse than the AL Central………& the Tigers are coming. Twins can stay in this & with some positive back from a Jeffers trade in a couple weeks or less, things keep improving. An aside, normally a Ryan Jeffers trade would sink morale but Caratini & Jackson started daily for 60 games (recently) & winning % improved. I think ALL the guys know it’s just a matter of time. IF Bell was not hitting as he has last 6 weeks, they may keep him to push into Playoffs but Bell is going to get a long runway at DH for rest of the season.

Lewis has been back up since June 6th ……. he’s got 7 HR over 31 games. He’s got a very respectable .270 BA & .328 OBP….508 slug%. I realize people don’t want to overreact and “jinx him”! He’s still got a really loooong swing and doesn’t manage pitches away very well but there have been All-stars with same issues. Hope he continues to get better plate discipline……..oh, and he’s moved to 1B on the fly and played as well as anyone could have hoped for at a new position! A BIG, big plus for a Team trying to be competitive!

How many here thought Gomez wasn’t just another “scraps pick-up”??? Now, he’s the closer and 95% of people here hope for him to appear because Team has a chance to Win! Picking a guy up is normal for all organizations ……. it’s not any different than drafting a guy to then try and develop him….,.I don’t get anyone caring about this pick-up at all. Guys can be moved off 40-man just as easily as they are added. No big deal — fingers crossed, he works his way to Target!

Can always use a good pitcher but lefty need isn’t real strong (Rogers, Rojas, & Funderburk)……… for Red Sox to drop him, they have to think he’s washed in the short term……..doubt anyone picks him up until later in the month to give him a try, so he’s eligible for post-season……if he’s pitching better.

He’s got two months of control left……. don’t think he can bring back 4 guys.

He might want to work on a college degree if he doesn’t already have one.

Very effective LH pitcher v. Clemens from left side - SQUEEZE for sure was my thought. If he gets it down, worst case we have guys on 3rd & 1st after an out at home……. best chance to score with Clemens in that situation.

Buxton - Martin - Keaschall - Gonzalez ……. maybe Kreidler if Culpepper is up in 6 weeks…… 70-75% of pitchers are RH. I do not see a problem with having too many LH batting Outfileders. Emma hasn’t played 75 games in a summer for 4 summers or more (at least it seems that way!) Roden - Jenkins & then Larnach as future DH platoon. To me, Wallner does not register as a Twin’s player any longer. Hope I’m wrong but Kody Clemens - Luke Keaschall - Allen Roden are ALL now (or have been) ahead of Matt. Trades are legal - don’t have to trade the oldest guys first.

So, the article points out that the two Starters traded were with one year of control left and moved in the off-season. The in-season, deadline trades were for two front line closers. I realize the details are just to show a “Brewer strategy” BUT I wait until after the season to consider trading Joe as there will be more stability in negotiations and potentially, more interested Teams.

As others pointed out, the Nationals probably won’t be in PUNT mode in 3 weeks, so best pitcher stays with them through season. IMO, even if they stagnate the rest of July, they have enough solid young hitters to hang on to Wildcard as the goal. If they buy a key piece they have a good chance, even in a competitive NL. After watching the Twins light up Gausman 3-4 times over the last 3 years, he doesn’t move the needle for me. Not with his contract. …… he throws harder than Ober but doesn’t really get guys out at any better rate. His WHIP & low walk rate are good so the hits must be damaging to have a 4.3 ERA.

I looked up Foster Griffin …,, he signed a “one year, $5.5M, straight forward contract” Dec. ‘25 & is a UFA after this year ……….no “MLB control” left

& then there’s Kody Funderburk’s exploits every other time he pitches he walks a couple guys.

I agree with 90% ……..if he signs by July 25 or so, gotta trade Caratini to afford Jeffers going forward. Caratini also gets back in trade just as much or more than Jeffers with recent play & the added year of control.

Sorry if seems confrontational - I don’t understand? The question or thought here is does it make sense to trade or keep Jeffers - I think? Offseason & whether there’s a ‘27 season are questions that can’t be answered by August 3rd. I’d love to keep Jeffers personally. I suggested here that the Team take Caratini’s $7M and throw in another $2-3M while committing Jeffers current salary to the total…….. somewhere between $13.5 - $15.5M. …… offer needs to be made and decided upon by July 25 or so. Cannot let Jackson go via DFA. He’s shown real promise as a #2 Catcher. No options. Caratini’s value is at a peak & undeniable as of July 9……. if Jeffers extended they could get decent value for a guy playing well, switch hitter, and under control for another season. I just don’t see Jeffers signing, right? …… so, he has to be traded. Team has played well for 60 games with the current tandem. My assumption is Jeffers gets activated and takes Fedko’s spot on Roster until a deal can be made for one of the Catchers? It sucks to see a guy coming into his own at the plate and then not being able to retain him. Gotta get some impact value back for Jeffers - whether it’s this year, or next year, can’t move him for some guy in A ball or even AA, in my opinion. Some team with needs will fold to help win now and take a shot at extending him…..,.Zoll can make a deal that is at least “OK”. Too bad it got to this point - in fairness to FO, Jeffers isn’t a defensive star and his bat always had potential & in his walk year he’s showing the potential. Also, tough on the FO they can’t spend any $$.

Thursday, Noon Central - just saw on MLB Network, Prielipp got put on IL for “elbow inflammation” ………organization can’t lie that much……….so, 10 minutes later it was due to a “blister”. Either way, creative way to keep the current PEN guys & get Rojas on 26-man for a ninth reliever over the last 4 games before the Break. Prielipp starts 2 games (one last night), at most, from June 28 to August 1st……rest up and get that blister healed. Paredes can continue to start after the Break in the 5th spot with Rojas used as needed from the PEN. Makes great sense for next 3 weeks!!