Richard

Larnach and Miranda for Sewald and Hernandez. Larnach is an older prospect with a high ceiling and there is no spot on today's or the future's lineup for Miranda. The Mariners are 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, and they have a closer in Munoz. I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to say that they would be willing to part with two guys who don't seem to be a part of the future. I think that Larnach and Miranda would be intriguing to Seattle.

The Twins already have 3, maybe 4, rotation guys they can trust in a playoff game. That's all you really need for the playoffs. Wouldn't we be better suited to flip him for a bullpen piece and a bat? I understand the importance of pitching but a five man rotation isn't necessary in the playoffs. We'll just be stuck in the same situation we are now and you need to score more than 2-3 runs in the playoffs.

The Twins already have 3, maybe 4, rotation guys they can trust in a playoff game. That's all you really need for the playoffs. Wouldn't we be better suited to flip him for a bullpen piece and a bat? I understand the importance of pitching but a five man rotation isn't necessary in the playoffs. We'll just be stuck in the same situation we are now and you need to score more than 2-3 runs in the playoffs.

Would you trade Maeda for an impact bat?

You only really need three or four arms for the post season. The Braves ran off the backs of three starters in 2021, the Rays used four primary in 2020, and the Astros only used four in 2019. If we can stick with our top four rotation guys and give away Kenta for a significant right handed bat I would take that any day.

I also don't believe he will take too much to acquire either.

Eventually Royce Lewis will settle in at CF. It is the best spot for him to just react and run. He played it well last year and would have continued to improve. Rocco said that Lewis probably won't play there this year but begin to during the winter.

A Sidewinder to the Rescue A funky windup or an unusual batting stance is always a welcome site for baseball fans. Whether it be Fernando Valezuela or Jeff Bagwell, something curious and unique is always a breath of fresh air. Twins fans across the nation could use a breath of fresh air. They've seen the same players shuffled around the lineup and the bullpen with hopes of catching lightning in a bottle for years now. That is a consistency here in Twins Territory. An unusual and intriguing happening is the ability of the Twins' starting rotation and a handful of bullpen pieces. As of June twenty-fourth, the Twins staff is first in whip, second in K/BB, and third in ERA, SO, and average, only to name a few. It's no denying they are good, but there has always been an insecurity in the amount of quality arms in the bullpen. We've seen blown leads this season, and no one has steadfast confidence in the offense's ability to regain it. A successful second half of the season and, more importantly, a successful postseason will be won in the bullpen. It's not the highest need, but we must add an arm or two. Tyler Rodgers over in San Francisco has definitely earned the title of a submarine pitcher. There's another weird arm slot in the NL West by way of the Colorado Rockies. Justin Lawrence was born in 1994, and the Rockies drafted the Panama native in the twelfth round of the 2015 draft. Lawrence made his major league debut in 2021 and bounced up and down, trying to earn a bullpen spot. Finally, after a brief and promising Spring Training, he won a bullpen spot and had a great April, only allowing three earned runs in 13 innings. Three run outings at home against Philadelphia and the Mets inflated his May numbers, but he has settled back down so far in June and lowered his ERA to 2.88. Lawrence brandishes a sinker and a sweeper that share time equally, both of which play well out of his three-quarters arm slot. Though his usage has been limited this season, Rookies manager Bud Black has thrown him into some tricky situations. On June thirteenth, Lawrence inherited two runners in scoring position and faced the heart of a good Boston lineup. A weak ground ball out and an intentional walk brought up Adam Duvall, who grounded out to end the inning leaving the bases loaded. Lawrence came back out for the eighth. After a leadoff walk and two stolen bases, he stranded Jarren Duran at third for another scoreless inning. Again on June nineteenth, the Rookies faced off against a RED-hot Cincinnati team (haha). After Daniel Bard left the game with one out and two runners in scoring position, Lawrence was called on to keep the Cincinnati lead at one. Lawrence struck out catcher Tyler Stephenson on a couple of check swings for the second out. Bud Black made an interesting decision to walk the nine-hitter to bring up the top of the order. Lawrence didn't completely understand the decision but battled anyway. In a 2-1 count, Lawrence induced a weak ground ball and ended the inning, leaving the bases loaded. Above are two good examples of Justin Lawrence's ability to get out of challenging situations against good teams, which headlines his upside. His unconventional arm slot adds a bit of uniqueness to a bullpen. The Minnesota Twins have had a bit of uniqueness with Sergio Romo, who they traded for at the 2019 deadline, and Joe Smith, who they signed last offseason. Romo and Smith were established veterans then, but both left much to be desired in a Twins Uniform. They were at the tail end of their careers, and Thad Lavine and the Twins' front office took a chance. The key difference with Lawrence is that he still has his best days ahead of him. Pete Maki and the coaching staff can take Lawrence, make some adjustments, and mold him into a guy who slams the door on opposing teams in the later innings of ball games. They did it with Brock Stewert and Jose de Leon to a degree. His arm slot and lateral movement could mesh well with Jhoan Duran's over-the-top, powerful stuff, a one-two punch of sorts. The obvious issue with all this is that Justin Lawrence plays for the Colorado Rockies, not the Twins. The Rockies are currently thirty and forty-eight and sit at the bottom of the NL West. They have some pieces to build around in Nolan Jones and Ezequiel Tovar. Their farm system is fair, with a couple of top-100 prospects. They also boast a formidable bullpen that has kept them in many games. They need to continue to add guys they believe in and allow them to develop. The Twins should find a way to bring this guy to Minnesota to solidify the bullpen and go from there.

We know the Twins won't make too large of a splash at the deadline. With that being said, the Twins know what they need to get better. They'll let some overly eager teams set the trade market and move from there. A rental guy like Grichuk could be an option to be packaged with an old vet like Daniel Bard or a good late inning guy in Justin Lawrence. A Kepler-Miranda-PTBNL should get that deal done. Yes I believe the Miranda experiment is over. We have Royce/Farmer at third and Salano/Kirloff at first.

The Twins have the pieces we need to win a ring. They have an outstanding rotation and the best closer in the league. We have a shortstop who is under producing a tad but history shows that he'll pick it up. There are a ton of teams who can't say that. We have young pieces like Lewis and Julien. I think we just need to change the scenery for some guys and hope to find something with that. If you look at who else we have, Kepler and Polanco have been on the team their entire careers. Maybe a change of scene will benefit both of them. The worst that can happen is we take a chance on some new players and we stay how we are. We can't get much worse.

The hardest thing is finding a guy to trade Kepler and others for. The impending free agent class isn't stocked full of possible trade candidates and anyone more than a rental will cost more than this team can really afford. We need to transition to a new age on Twins baseball but now is not the time.

Another take away I don't see talked about enough is Rocco's usage of his bench. The TV broadcast talked about how hard it is to get those bench players involved, especially early on in the season. After Buxton chased Greinke out of the game, Kyle Farmer came in to replace the lefty Nick Gordon and Dolano In to replace Joey Gallo. Rocco used his back to back lefties in the lineup and his bench to lure the royals into sending out a left in Amir Garrett. I think it is a wonderful sign of how Rocco will try to add little contingencies into this lineup. Through one game, I'm bullish on our skipper.

I am very interested in how the battle for the 4th outfield spot is going to happen, and who wins it; we have four, almost five guys to fill that role. How much do Kiriloff, Larnach, Gordan, and Celestino play this spring training? Will Matt Wallner get a real shot at making the opening day roster?

Anything more than 100 innings would be fantastic. I don't expect that to be the case. We'll get a better picture about his health and ability during Spring Training. As long as he shows that he is healthy and is consistent, this season will be a win for him and the Twins.

I am all for trading Kep, but why don't we take a chance and see if the shift rules benifits Kepler. Heck if we keep Kepler in right and let him prove he can hit, wouldn't it make more sense to trade him then? By keeping him on opening day, Gallo would probably start in LF, with LArnach and Kiriloff fighting for the 4th Of spot which might help both of them.

Would Adames interest you?

If you were to swap Arraez with Polanco, you'd be right there I believe.

What about Polanco and a higher upside arm?

If we tear it all down, there's no guarantee that we can build it back up again. Unless it's with a new front office, I'm not confident this FO could be able to find the pieces to rebuild.

Does Kirilloff become a trade chip for the Twins?

Who do you think would bring him to Minnesota? A Kiriloff or Larnach? Polanco?

All we need from Buxton is 100+ games. We need Gray, Mahle, and Maeda to all preform like number 2-3 guys. We also need someone to step up at the corner outfield spots.

It's a year of a .300avg 30 hr guy who would be a great boost to the top of the lineup and has some defensive flexibility. Not to mention that he was a part of the 2018 Red Sox who went on to win the World Series. He has the post season experience and he knows how to get there. Even a year with Devers could be enough to at least get us to the post season.

You're right! Thank you for bringing up Polanco. That would work better for the Twins! An Arraez-Buxton-Devers lineup would be insane. I do fear that Polanco would call for a Balazovic type arm, which would be worth it for Devers.

We do need to bring in a back end guy for the bullpen. What about the long relief role? We know the starters are probably only going to go 5 innings. Maybe a guy like Ronny Henriquez wins the role in Spring Training?