JD-TWINS

Agreed - if we take the risk of trading Arraez for pitching, & the guy that fills in hits anything above .280 it’s a win for us! My concern is the guy hits .255 & little pop & we’re saying he needs a couple more years to develop. Am optimistic but Lewis - 12 games - is 3 bad games from hitting only .265 in 2022. He looked good - promising! Very small look before injury. Not drafted #1 because he wasn’t any good. SECOND ACL injury on same knee in 2 years……he may be OK but it may not work out. We have more than one option now with guys that are coming so the odds are we will fill the Arraez hole by July, because it may take trying a few different guys.

Also, realize the NEED for making trades & potential trading for pitching is slim at this time of year. However, it seems to me and most everyone that signing Joey Gallo & keeping Max Kepler (with Gordon - Larnach - Walner as our real OF options other than Buxton) doesn’t make any sense. Doesn’t make any more sense now than it did a month ago. Trading Kepler for anyone other than pitcher seems not very likely. Am assuming the Marlins are set with their pitching situation? They do have approximately the 2nd best pitching prospect in MLB ready to go at some point (early) this year. They do still need offense. They are moving their 2nd baseman to CF to make room for Arraez at 2B. Maybe they want to protect Luis as well………pretty sure they’ve heard about his lower than average D at 2nd and his questionable knees!!! Again, we send Celestino for CF depth and a controllable guy for Miami. We send Kepler (starter in OF & upside w/o “the shift”) as well. From there it’s what Miami may be interested in………they just sent a high end IF prospect to us so Martin, with IF & OF capabilities may be of most interest……… maybe an arm to help protect there pitching depth? Celestino - Kepler - Martin - 1 of Sands - Pagan - J. Lopez for Luzardo I know this is not at all likely but if there’s an upside starter out there, 4 guys to get him is not too much!!!

So I have to jump in one if these ……..”bird in hand”…….….vs. all the Rosie prospects we have coming. 11 guys in the game hit .300 or better last year. Arraez has a .314 BA over 4 seasons. He struck out 7.1% of the time and had a .366 BA with RISP. Saying he wasn’t our best hitter in 2022 is nuts!! I like Lee - Lewis - etc coming from Farm/St Paul - but assuming they are going to out produce one of the 11 guys in the game that hit .300 or better last year because we are optimistic, is naive. EVERY organization has prospects they expect will succeed. Buxton & Correa are both really good players with more physical talent relative to power. If there’s someone on base, .366 BA with RISP is undeniable. If he batted 3rd or 5th his opportunities to drive in runs and to drive the ball would be much greater and his value in run production would be viewed differently! He bats lead-off and puts “the ball in play” and tries to get on base - that was his job. If he bats 3rd he may hit .295 but he’d have 85 RBI and he’d hit 12 HR with 40 doubles. Struck out 7.1% of the time……. I HOPE someday Alex Kirilof has 85RBI and 12 HR and hits .295!!!! 🤞🤞 We need pitching, I get that & support that. With the values shown above in article I’d propose Jeffers - Celestino - Kepler ……(Marlins need CF & left handed bats) & Pagan or J. Lopez for their left hander, Luzardo!! To me, he’s the guy to get. No crystal ball, just seems to have better stuff & much longer team control. ………..I’d throw in the versatile Austin Martin instead of Jeffers if that would make it happen!!! Bummed but will move on🙁🙁

Farmer will play all the time at 3rd vs. lefty starters……..Miranda at 1st. …………he’ll also spell Miranda for rest. He’s at 3rd 50 games this season. IF: Kirilof - Miranda - CC - Polanco - Farmer………they gotta think one of the other young guys is ready after spring training…….Lee - Martin - somebody? OF: Gordon - Larnach - Buxton - Gallo - Garlick DH: Larnach - Buxton - Kirilof - Garlick Need another bench guy if Kepler is gone - seems to me a young IF fits……….we don’t know about Kirilof’s health at this point either! If healthy, Lewis displaces Garlick at some point. Kepler - Pagan - Celestino - ???? from Farm in another trade. Just can’t imagine justifying keeping Kepler after Gallo trade!!

There’s a mention of a Six Man rotation but I only see the 5 guys everyone thinks will start…..,,at any rate I suggest the following edits. Acquire a starter………move Maeda to Pen & rid ourselves of Pagan, hopefully via trade. PLEASE sign Fulmer from FA market. Option Alcala to St. Paul. More stable Pen with experience! Ability to bridge from middle of 5th with 5-8 outs with Maeda!! Infield is cool with the 6 you’ve penciled in - Garlick displaces Celestino & Kepler is traded opening a spot for Larnach. Catchers are good. New guy - Gray - Mahle - Ryan - Ober Duran - Maeda - Jax - Megill - Fulmer - Moran - Thielbar - López Garlick - Gordon - Buxton - Gallo - Larnach Farmer - CC - Miranda - Polanco - Kiriloff - Arraez

I was of the thinking that they moved him from SS to 2B because of ankle issues - to protect his body. I missed the suspension down here in Cincinnati. I guess it was PED’s? I checked and other than a couple normal injuries for an infielder he was healthy up until last summer. Ankle - back - knee over 2 months in 2022 & then I assume they shut him down due to dropping from the race in late August. If he’s healthy, a switch hitting 2B that can drive in 85 runs & hit .270, year in & year out, has great value.

IMO you can’t average starts/yr. with Covid shortened 2020 in the mix. Am assuming you have the wrong López. Pablo pitches for Marlins - would be a Twin after a trade. …….We have a López now that’s a reliever. This starts per season chart just exemplifies why we (Rocco) takes pitchers out routinely in the 5th inning!!

Lee & Lewis seem to me to be the everyday prospects closest to MLB solid contributors. Still waiting for Larnach & Kirilof to actually contribute…….with Arraez at 25 & Miranda at 24, we have a lot of young guys (3-4 more at AA or AAA) that can contribute big things along with Vázquez - Polanco - CC - Buxton (veteran group) & there’s only 9 spots in the line-up. We need to consider moving some youth from Farm System that is now expendable with the Correa signing and get a front line pitcher. To me, Martin’s versatility in IF & OF & his outstanding ‘22 Fall Ball offense pushes him to front of prospect trade line. Top end marketability!!! I don’t know what trade partners want nor am I any kind of expert on our Minor League talent but I do know Marlins need left handed bats. Suggestion below that may make sense for Marlins? Open to other guys coming up based on what pop trade partner’s wants. Kepler - López or Pagan - Martin (not Lee nor Lewis) or whoever to Marlins For Luzardo PLEASE!!

You are certainly right about our general balance through the line-up. The concern stems from, in my opinion, that Gallo is a .199 career hitter and we probably want to sit him against LH pitching so we have some viable chance at success. Polanco hits both ways - Arraez - CC - Miranda - Vázquez - Buxton are all guys that are expected to hit against guys throwing from either side. The younger guys - platoon guys that have poor success from same side pitchers are guys we are trying to protect. Exactly why Garlick & Farmer may play OF/DH when Lefties are throwing against us. Same with Gordon & Larnach & Kirilof & Arraez & Gallo may all be in the line-up vs. Righties.

Career numbers…… seems like a reasonably balanced offense: C - Vázquez .274 BA DH - Larnach .239 BA 1B - Arraez .314 BA 2B - Polanco .270 BA SS - Correa .279 BA 3B - Miranda .261 BA LF - Gordon .261 BA CF - Buxton .244 BA RF - Gallo .199 BA 3 guys with averages less than .260 & all 3 have quite a bit of Pop or at least the expectation that they will hit for Power Kirilof - Farmer - Garlick - Jeffers are reasonable bench guys………lots of DH at bats for Buxton - Kirilof - Larnach - Arraez - Garlick

OF: Gordon - Buxton - Gallo (Larnach - Farmer) IF: Miranda - CC - Polanco - Arraez (Kirilof - Farmer) DH: Garlick - against lefties DH: Larnach - Kirilof - Arraez against righties C: Vázquez - Jeffers Assuming health…………..Best 13 as of now……..Lewis in late summer may take Garlick’s spot due to IF - OF - DH flexibility.

Polanco is the guy with bad legs……77 games in 2018 after a full season in 2017. 104 games in 2022. Ankle & knee problems. Arraez started 129 last year & played in 144 games.

Unfortunately, Gallo hit .169 last year to drag his career BA to .199. Unbelievable, I know. Arraez hit .366 with RISP in ‘22. If he bats down in the lineup a couple spots he protects the guy in front of him and has 85 RBI.

Polanco: 29 yrs old in ‘23 only 77 games in 2018 after most of a full season in 2017. 104 games in 2022 - 16 HR - 56 RBI solid defense at 2B 56 RBI batting 3rd - 4th - 5th predominantly .235 BA in ‘22 - career is .270ish ………………… Arraez: 26 yrs old in ‘23 129 starts - 144 games in 2022 - 8 HR - 49 RBI solid defense at 1B 49 RBI batting lead-off predominantly .316 BA in ‘22 - career is .314 ……………………. IMO…..Arraez, if batting in the spots Polanco was in would have significantly more RBI. .366 RISP in ‘22. Polanco has more power but Arraez has an advantage with contact capability and BA. IMO….we have an unproven, oft injured Alex Kiriloff as our next in line at 1B………we have 4-5 guys in system that could play 2B since the signing of CC. Polanco had an impressive 2021……I would not trade either of these guys. Polanco seemed he was banged up more than his normal in ‘22. Gotta see where he’s at with his health & bat in ‘23. Can’t trade Arraez!!!

Luis Arraez 2022 - .366 BA with RISP, 48 RBI with 80% of his games batting out of lead-off spot. LAST GUY the opposing teams wants to see coming to bat with guys on base. Not CC - Not Buxton. If he bats 3rd or 5th he’s trying to “drive in runs” vs. “get on base” out of lead-off spot. Had 9 HR in ‘22 & can elevate that to 12 with just more experience and hitting in a different spot in line-up. If he hits .325 with RISP down in the line-up he has 85 RBI! .366 BA with RISP is not someone that should be discussed in trade talks.

How many times have Lewis (12 games) - Lee - Larnach - Kiriloff hit .300 in the Show??? Only Lee, after most of one season in our system, seems to be able to stay on the field. Can’t keep chasing the next good hitter based on headlines & ignore the bird in hand! ELEVEN guys in MLB hit .300 or better in 2022. Arraez has a 4 year batting average of .314. He started 129 games & played in 144 games in ‘22. He’s above average at 1B. Gotta be a place for him, at 25 yrs old, on the Twins roster for another 6 years plus. Bat Arraez in the 3 or 5 spot, where Kirilof may be plugged in, and he’ll drive in runs. He slap hits out of the 1 or 2 spot in the line-up because his job is “….to get on base”. He can protect someone in the line-up and drive in runs down in the line-up a bit. He’s a 35 double - 12 HR guy and a 130 single guy as a regular. With his bat to ball skills he’s going to hit .300 plus in the middle of the line-up and he’ll walk if he’s not seeing good pitches. I think all 4 guys you mention can be solid pieces for the Twins!! I do think that of the 4, I’d view Kirilof as the most disposable for pitching. Can’t imagine that with his health history anyone is very interested. Luzardo of Marlins should be the upgrade we are looking for in ‘23 & future. 100.3 innings in ‘22 - 3.32 ERA - 1.2 K’s/9 - 1.03 WHIP - Lefty - 18 starts…..25 yrs old going into his 5th season. As with all arms, health is assumed - that said, big upside with this guy! For any 3 of these guys: Lopez - Celestino - Martin or Kirilof - Kepler - Sands - Jeffers - Pagan - 1 of any farm system IF other than Lewis or Lee. Can’t imagine this not working for Miami & Twins keep the batting champ.

How about Martin - Kepler - Celestino for Luzardo??

Potentially, he could DH on Sunday afternoons against a lefty starter here & there but only 5-6 times through the year. This gets Farmer in the line-up, RH bat while keeping Miranda’s RH bat in line-up. Buxton - Jeffers - Polanco all RH bats as well. No reason to move anyone into SS unless Correa loses range - his arm is superior and should remain so………he may start playing 3rd at 32 yrs. or so? Too athletic and arm to superior to end up at 1st base.

Kepler can’t make $7-9.5 million this year and play behind Joey Gallo. I would much rather have had Kepler in right & not have Gallo but that’s not the case. Gallo blocking Gordon in LF doesn’t make sense. I really think that the Shift elimination will help Kepler add 20-25 points to BA. Stating it’s not his fault that the Mgr. keeps penciling him into the middle of the line-up when he should be at 7 or lower seems odd. He did hit 36 HR’s in 2019. Maybe the expectations of a little power aren’t completely out of reason. Gallo just makes Max a bad fit - would like to see him on our roster but it’s not practical with the young guys behind him.

MINNESOTA TWINS is where Rich Rollins played………..intermittently sharing 3rd base duties some years with Harmon Killebrew.

There’s always another trade package or another option in a trade. Sometimes (often) the two sides can’t compromise & get anything done. If we can’t get a pitcher we want unless we trade Luis Arraez as part of the deal, maybe we need to realize how valuable he is and how much other teams understand his value. Batting Champ at .316 in ‘22. (.314 BA over 1st 4 years in Show) .366 BA with RISP in ‘22……25 years old……should be a no brainer.

Agreed. Arbitration is there to protect the players, he’ll get closer to $6million! I disagree with the Author in that while the article is positive, it suggests Arraez could be traded under proper circumstance. .314 BA over 4 seasons Played 144 games & through injury in ‘22 Defensive flexibility Will be only 26 years old in April .366 with RISP in ‘22 (bat him 3rd or 5th & he’d protect the guy in front of him & would probably have 85 RBI or more) Currently “a light, contact hitter” but that’s what you are supposed to do when leading off - get on base! Acting like Lewis, Lee, Julien (am optimistic but Show Me) are at a level of Arraez is like saying some kid playing WR at USC is going to be Justin Jefferson……..he’s got most of 4 years in the Show and is just 25. All this on top of infectious enthusiasm and solid Team guy……..can’t trade this type of player.

Agreed, not a terrible move but not something to get too excited about…….If he flies for a 5th starter in ‘24 we win! Paddack & Ryan can be the “experienced” part of the Staff in ‘24 when SWR & Varland are going every 5th day.

Luzardo from Miami 🤞🤞 for inexpensive control guys back to Miami: Luzardo to Twins Marlins get IF from farm system (not Lee nor Lewis)……….Celestino………Pagan or López. If we need to be more aggressive, Martin from farm instead of IF piece. Maybe Walner? Kepler for sure & Polanco (reluctantly) are in play for starting pitching. We have instant depth at 3rd & 2nd with the CC signing. Arraez - Larnach - Lee - Lewis - Miranda - Kirilof - Buxton - Correa - Vazquez - Duran - Gordon……….to me, these guys are the Core moving forward & shouldn’t be in trade talks prior to ‘23 results. Realistically, anyone else is fair to consider.

Per the Author of the original post……LOVE the positivity!! Will $35 million restrict what we can spend elsewhere? Of course!! At least we are spending without creating reasons not to spend in the press to cover our rear, like, we can’t sign him because he might hit .239 again. IMO the Author is pointing out the damned if you do & damned if you don’t view the fans have of the FO and carry as fans in MN in general. If we add a starter via trade to help us around potential issues this year eating innings - we get Maeda into the Pen for depth - we sign a FA reliever……..all in the next 6-7 weeks & we’re a top 4 or 5 team in the A.L. Every organization has issues………the Author is saying Deal with it and let’s support the club vs. choosing to use our fandom to be a drag on the team. Every fan of the game for more than 50 years, regardless of the team they support, can’t stand the lack of fundamentals shown in today’s game. Players don’t know the terms, Sacrafice or Hit & Run nor can they execute in a number of ways we appreciate & believe are essential for success. Many starters batting averages are under .250 and strikeout way too often! Things have changed - changed so much that this year the SHIFT is being outlawed. A reversal to the good old days. None of this is specific to the TWINS nor have anything to do with Rocco Baldelli. Soooo tired of people/fans complaining about how he handles our starters. Same approach with essentially every team - the stats bare this out. Guys gotta perform!!! Smith - Duffey - Pagan - López are the reasons we had 27 blown saves, not because Baldelli can’t pitch nor because he over worked them. They weren’t good! Hoping for better this year! Enjoy the season.