Cody Christie

Earlier this week, Tampa Bay made an organization-altering trade. Evan Longoria has been the face of the Rays organization for the majority of the last decade. The Rays dealt Longoria to the Giants as he enters his age-32 season. It will be weird to see him in different colors than Tampa’s but the Rays seem to be shifting toward a new direction. Could Minnesota take advantage of Tampa’s need to part with higher-paid players?Marc Topkin ofThe Tampa Bay Times reported that the Rays are “open to trading most of their higher-paid players.” Those players would include former All-Star Chris Archer, a starting pitcher, and closer Alex Colome. Both of these players are going to come at a high cost. There are other options in Tampa though and those might be the players Minnesota should target. Archer is under team control for four more years for only $34 million. He has a decent track record and he’s under 30-years old. Colome was an All-Star in 2016 and he is arbitration eligible for the first time in 2018. That means he can be a free agent until 2021. That being said, it is going to take a king’s ransom to pry either of them out of Tampa. Another trade target for Minnesota could be right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi. Over the last three seasons, he’s pitched over 500 innings with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Compared to the players above, he has fewer years of team control as he will be a free agent in 2020. He could come at a cheaper cost based on his years of control and his 2017 performance. At the Winter Meetings, the Rays were not in much of a hurry to deal away any assets. However, things have changed with Longoria being dealt. If Tampa wants to capitalize on Odorizzi’s value, this off-season might be the opportunity to trade him. Tampa might run out of options as Odorizzi moves closer to free agency. If the Twins are serious about dealing with Tampa, Odorizzi seems like the most likely target. Archer would instantly become the Twins’ ace but the Twins might not have the prospects to strike a deal. My guess is Royce Lewis would need to be included and Minnesota is unlikely to part with their top prospect. Colome could help the Twins to get closer to a “super bullpen” but he would also come at quite the cost. Tampa isn’t going to be trading away their top assets for peanuts. Small market organization like Tampa are built on being smart with their assets and trading away pieces with value to rebuild. The Rays are open to trades and Minnesota needs to be smart about this opportunity. If the right deal can be struck, Minnesota should pounce on the opportunity. Otherwise, it might be better to look for other available options on the starting pitching market. Should Minnesota target any of Tampa’s trade assets? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Bullpens have continued to evolve in recent years. Gone are the days of starters pitching eight or nine innings on a regular basis. This means bullpens are forced to pitch more often and for more innings. Late inning pitchers might be asked to pitch more than one inning. Some teams are ahead of others when it comes to the bullpen evolution. Minnesota’s bullpen has gone through some ups and downs in recent years. If the team wants to be in contention in 2018, things might need to change at the back end of games. How could the Twins build a “super bullpen?”What Makes A Super Bullpen? The Rockies have been aggressive with their bullpen plan this offseason. Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee have both already been added in free agency. Greg Holland served as the team’s closer in 2017 and he could still return to Colorado. Adding other names like Addison Reed and Wade Davis could make them a force in late inning situations. In recent years, contending teams have tried their best to compile a “super bullpen.” The Yankees compiled the highest fWAR total in 2017. Their back-end was bolstered by Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and David Robertson. Cleveland used the likes of Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen on their way to over 100 wins. Other teams, like Houston and Los Angeles, relied heavily on their bullpen on the way to the World Series. If a team is going to contend, there must be reliable bullpen options. Planning Minnesota’s 2018 Bullpen Minnesota has already added Fernando Rodney this off-season. He will likely serve as the team’s closer but other pieces will need to be added around him to build Minnesota’s “super bullpen.” Derek Falvey and Thad Levine obviously see something in Tyler Kinley, the team’s Rule 5 Draft pick, because they allowed the likes of Nick Burdi and Luke Bard to be selected by other organizations. Some other young pieces also figure into the Twins plans this season. Trevor Hildenberger made his debut in 2017 and actually ended up leading the team in fWAR. Tyler Duffey, Taylor Rogers and Ryan Pressly will look to build off of positives from last season. Even with all of these players, it would be hard to call Minnesota’s bullpen a “super bullpen.” Some other options could figure into the equation for 2018. JT Chargois spent most of 2017 recovering from different arm injuries including a stress reaction on the outside of his elbow. Tyler Jay, a former first round pick, moved from starter to relief pitcher in 2017. He could debut in 2018 and be a piece that helps Minnesota’s bullpen become closer to being considered “super.” Wait And See Approach Free agent relief pitchers have been faring very well so far this off-season. This is probably why the Favley-Levine team has been waiting for the market to cool a little. Bullpen arms can be found in lots of different ways. Brandon Kintzler was able to become an All-Star in Minnesota and the club never paid him more than $3 million in a season. Relief pitchers can have a breakout season at any time. It’s up to the front office to identify the players who are ready to take the next step. Is the wait and see approach right for the front office? Who would you like to see the Twins add to the bullpen? Can they have a “super bullpen” in 2018? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Over the last handful of weeks, I have made a clear case for Johan Santana’s inclusion in Cooperstown. If I had a ballot, his would be one of the ten names I would pencil in. He might not survive his first trip through the Hall of Fame process but others in this year’s class will be enshrined. Debating the resumes of Hall candidates has become contentious in recent years. The steroid era clouded the results of this hallowed ground. Two players, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, might have been the all-time best hitter and pitcher. Neither has gotten the call from Cooperstown. This year’s class is shaping up to be a big one.If you missed any of the series on Johan Santana’s Cooperstown Case, there were three parts to the series. The first post looked at the Kirby Puckett Clause and how it can be applied to Santana. The second article touched on the similarities in careers between Santana and the great Sandy Koufax. The third and final piece touched on his missing third Cy Young. Class of 2018 Vladimir Guerrero: In his first year on the ballot, Guerrero garnered 71.7% of the vote and finished a mere 15 votes shy of induction. He will most certainly get the call this season. Across 16 big league seasons, he hit .318/.379/.553 with 449 home runs, 477 doubles and 2,590 hits. He ranked in the top five in the MVP voting four times and took home the 2004 AL MVP. His .318 average and 449 home runs have only been matched by Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx. Trevor Hoffman: Much like Guerrero, Hoffman fell just votes shy of being elected last year. He received 74% of the vote and only needed five more votes to be inducted. He held the all-time record for career saves before Mariano Rivera took over the lead. Even as a relief pitcher, he finished second in the Cy Young voting twice and had two other top six finishes. He was the first pitcher to reach 500 saves and he is one of two players to reach the 600-save mark. Chipper Jones: The long-time Braves third baseman is making his first appearance on the ballot and he should easily make it to Cooperstown. During his 19-year career, he hit .303 while combining 468 home runs with a .930 OPS. He took home the 1999 NL MVP Award. He is one of five players to compile a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, at least 450 home runs and at least 2,700 hits over a career. The other players are Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial and Mel Ott. Jim Thome: Twins fans are well aware of the legend of Jim Thome. From home runs off the top of the flag pole to his devastating Game 163 bomb, Twins Territory has seen the good and the bad of Thome’s career. Thome smashed over 600 home runs, got on base over 40% of the time and compiled a career .956 OPS. Beside his performance on the field, he was known as one of baseball’s great ambassadors for his contributions off the field. Because of a log-jam on the ballot, he might be close in his first year but I still think he makes it. Future Inductions Omar Vizquel: Vizquel is an interesting case in that nearly all of his value came on the defensive side of the ball. He slashed .272/.336/.352 including only two seasons with a 100-plus OPS+ in his 24-year career. He was a defensive wizard who won 11 Gold Glove awards. Many compare him to Ozzie Smith, a first ballot Hall of Famer, who didn’t provide a lot of offensive value. With a loaded ballot, I’m guessing Vizquel won’t be elected in 2018 but he will gain some support in the years to come. Edgar Martinez: I continue to push for Edgar Martinez since he is one of the best designated hitters in history. Unfortunately, voters continue to hold his lack of defensive value against him. It’s shaping up to be a very close race for him. Out of the almost 60 public ballots, he is polling at over 80%. This would be good enough to get in but there are still plenty of unknown ballots to be counted. May Never Get In (But Still On My Ballot) Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Johan Santana Bonds and Clemens are two of the greatest players of all time but their connection to the steroid era has kept them out of Cooperstown. Mussina continues to make it on to my ballot and I think he might start to pick up some voters in the years to come. He was a very good pitcher for a long time but it might not be enough to find a place in Cooperstown. I built Santana’s Cooperstown case in multiple posts. I think he deserves to get in. To be transparent, little has changed in my ballot from last year to this year. I correctly predicted the three players who would be elected last year (Bagwell, Raines and Rodriguez) and I dropped Curt Schilling from the end of my ballot. I have replaced those four players on this year’s ballot with four first-time nominees (Jones, Thomes, Vizquel and Santana). Here is the official list of players available to be voted for by the BBWAA. Who makes your list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

In the spring of 2004, Johan Santana left his native Venezuela as one of baseball’s brightest stars. He would return to a hero’s welcome the next fall after being named the first Venezuelan-born Cy Young winner. He went on national TV with the country’s president, he received medals and honors, and his hometown held a parade in his honor. He was a living legend in his homeland. In a perfect world, Santana would have pitched into his late 30’s or early 40’s while continuing to be one of the best in the game. That ideal world didn’t play out and he never pitched a big league game after the age of 33. At the height of his career, there is no doubt that he was the best pitcher on the planet. This year will mark his first chance at being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In this series, I will build up Santana’s case for enshrinement. The following is a paean to the career of the southpaw from Venezuela. A man who should and can be elected into the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown.Part 1: The Puckett Clause Part 2: The Koufax Argument Part 3: The Missing Cy Young The Cy Young Award is baseball’s highest pitching honor. Some pitchers are in the conversation for the award on a regular basis. For current baseball fans, names like Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are regulars on the year-end balloting. In his prime, Johan Santana was in this elite group. When the 2018 Hall of Fame Ballot was released, one of the first items I noted was Santana’s high ranking on Baseball Reference’s Cy Young Award Share scale. His 2.72 shares rank him 13th all-time. This sandwiches him between Sandy Koufax and Justin Verlander. The only players in front of him who aren’t in the Hall of Fame are Roger Clemens (7.66 shares), Clayton Kershaw (4.56), Roy Halladay (3.50), and Max Scherzer (3.14). There’s a chance that all of those men eventually have a plaque in Cooperstown. Santana’s biggest resume flaw might be the Cy Young that was taken away from him. During the 2004 season, he posted a 20-6 record with a 2.61 ERA, 265 strikeouts and an 8.6 WAR on the way to his first Cy Young Award. He was nearly as good during second Cy Young season (2006) when he went 19-6 with a 2.77 ERA, 245 strikeouts and a 7.5 WAR. The season between his two Cy Youngs is the trophy that was stolen from him. Bartolo Colon was named the 2005 Cy Young Award winner. He went 21-8 that year with a 3.48 ERA, 157 strikeouts and a 4.0 WAR. Santana couldn’t match Colon’s win-loss record but he bested him in every other category. He finished that season with a 16-7 record including a 2.87 ERA, 238 strikeouts and a 7.2 WAR. Winning a third Cy Young is an elite resume item. There are ten three-time Cy Young winners and all of them are likely to eventually end up in the Hall. The list includes Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Clayton Kershaw, Steve Carlton, Pedro Martinez, Tom Seaver, Jim Palmer, Max Scherzer and Sandy Koufax. Had the voters picked the correct winner in 2005, Santana would have joined this elite group and even furthered his Hall of Fame resume. Ryan Romano at Beyond the Box Score wrote a piece in 2015 called “Cliff Lee and Johan Santana belong in the Hall of Fame.” He examined the peak value of these two players by looking at their WAR per 200 innings pitched and seasons of 5+ WAR. Santana ranks 10th all-time ahead of players like Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Bert Blyleven. This is just another measurement that puts Santana into elite company. Is Santana likely to be a first ballot Hall of Famer? The answer is no but there are very compelling arguments as to why he should eventually be enshrined. If the voters applied the Kirby Puckett Clause, Santana’s case gains some steam. After comparing Santana to Sandy Koufax, it’s easy to see how their peaks were similar. Lastly, his missing Cy Young would have lofted him into the elite group of sure-fire Hall of Fame pitchers. He was a master on the mound. A once in a generation pitcher. A pitcher who deserves his place in Cooperstown. Case closed. Click here to view the article

Minnesota missed out on the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes but there might be some good news on the horizon. There are multiple teams still in the race for Ohtani and they need international slot money to spend on the two-way Japanese star. On Wednesday night, the Twins struck two deals to send money to teams still in the race for Ohtani. What prospects did the Twins receive? How did Minnesota have this money? Who will get some of their international slot money?Marte Money Jelfry Marte had been signed by the Twins to a $3 million deal this summer. However, an issue found on his physical exam meant the deal was voided. With Marte’s money back in their international pool, Minnesota had $3.245 million to try and lure Ohtani to the Midwest. Last weekend, he informed the Twins that he wouldn’t be signing with them. This allowed the club to trade away some of their pool money to eager Ohtani suitors. Mariners Trade Catcher David Banuelos, a 21-year old Ontario, CA native, was drafted this year by Seattle in the fifth round out of Long Beach State. He spent all of this season in the Northwest League (Short-A) where he hit .236/.331/.394 with four home runs and eight doubles in 36 games. He made 26 starts behind the plate with a .982 fielding percentage. He threw out 18 potential runners and allowed 30 stolen bases. With his college experience, he is considered a strong defender. He shows the ability to get on base and he has some power from the right-side of the plate. He could develop into a big league catcher in the years to come. Angels Trade Outfielder Jacob Pearson, a 19-year old, was drafted this year by the Angels in the third round. Los Angeles had to go overslot and offer him a $1 million to lure him away from his LSU commitment. He spent all of last season in the Arizona League (Rookie) where he hit .226/.302/.284 with seven doubles and a triple in 40 games. He played center field and left field during his professional debut but 31 of his 40 starts came in left. His defensive skills are a weak spot at this point in his career but he’s still a teenager. The Twins hope he can continue to develop the right kind of speed and power combination to make him a legitimate threat at the plate. So how did the Twins do? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

With MLB’s Winter Meetings on the horizon, thing have continued to be relatively cold when it comes to the off-season hot stove. Shohei Ohtani has been getting most of the headlines as he has narrowed his list down to a handful of teams. Unfortunately, one of those teams is not the Minnesota Twins. While we wait for the hot stove to actually star heating up, you asked me questions on Twitter and I’m going to take the time to answer them. Here’s a look into the Twins Daily Mailbag.Kohl Stewart Not Added to 40-Man It was a little surprising not to see Kohl Stewart’s name on the team’s list of additions to the 40-man roster. Stewart, the former fourth overall pick, signed for $4.544 million when he was selected in the 2013 Draft. That’s a lot of money invested in a player who could end up being selected by another organization in the Rule 5 Draft. However, he was picked under the previous front office regime. As a pitching prospect, Stewart has yet to put it all together. In high school, he was a two-sport star with a Division I scholarship to play quarterback. He has been over two years younger than the competition at every minor league stop, so he has been facing older players. That being said, his strikeouts haven’t ever shown up and he still has things to prove. If a team wants to take a flyer on him in the Rule 5 Draft, they could try to hide him in their big league bullpen. He’s only made three relief appearances in his entire professional career. Even if a team picks him, I think he will end up back in the Twins organization. Stewart isn’t ready to be on a big league roster for the entire season. Joe Mauer Extension Here at Twins Daily, there has been a lot of talk about who the Twins should offer extensions to this off-season. There is a young core of players who are going to get expensive. Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier both will see their contracts expire at the end of 2018. This leaves the front office with some decisions to make about the veteran leadership around their young core. I believe Mauer will finish his career in a Twins uniform. At this point in his career, I don’t know if it make sense to sign him to a four-year deal. I also don’t know if he is going to want to play for another four seasons. He has a young family and a life outside of baseball and there are other opportunities he could pursue. On Twitter, I wondered out loud if he would be open to a Tim Wakefield-type of contract. Keep him on one-year contracts as long as the team and the player agree with him playing. When it comes to the 3,000 hit mark, Mauer is going to need to have quite the stretch. Since 2014, he’s averaged 143 hits per season. At that rate, he wouldn’t crack the 3,000 hit mark for another seven years. He would be in his age-42 season so that seems like it will be an uphill climb. Free Agent DH Options Eric Hosmer and JD Martinez are the two players who are going to make a lot of money this off-season. MLB Trade Rumors ranks Martinez as the second best free agent with an estimated six-year, $150 million contract. Hosmer ranks as the number three free agent with an estimated six-year, $132 million deal. I think if the Twins are going to spend that kind of money it would be in the club’s best interest to spend their funds on pitching. There is another tier of designated hitter-type players who could fit better with the Twins. Carlos Santana is a name that has been thrown around but plenty of other teams would be interested in his services as well. According to MLB Trade Rumors, he could sign in the $45 million range on a three-year contract. Some of the market will begin to unfold after Ohtani picks the club where he is going to sign. Adding More Pitching Spending money on free agent pitchers isn’t always the smartest investment. Pitchers like Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta are going to command multi-year contracts for north of $100 million. Both players are in their early 30’s which would put them in their late 30’s before their contract would expire. This usually results in some dead money at the end of the deal. As players age further into their 30’s, they lose some effectiveness. Falvey and Levine were a little surprised by the Twins being in contention during their first year on the job. With that being said, I think they want to make a splash this off-season. They are going to go hard after Darvish to try to lure him to Minnesota. If that doesn’t work out, I could see them packaging multiple prospects to go after the likes of Jake Odorizzi or Gerrit Cole. Nick Gordon would likely need to be a centerpiece of that kind of trade. The front office might be fine with dealing him after Jorge Polanco’s emergence in 2017. Was leaving Stewart off the 40-man a mistake? Should Mauer get an extension? What DH could the Twins sign? Do free agent pitchers make sense for the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Met’s manager Terry Collins wanted to limit Johan Santana to 110-115 pitches but that wouldn’t be the case on this night. With 133 pitches already taxing his surgically repaired shoulder, Santana reared back for a 3-2 change-up. David Freese swung and missed. Across the baseball world, grown men felt tears build up in their eyes. It took over 8,000 games but the New York Mets had the first no-hitter in franchise history. In a perfect world, Santana would have pitched into his late 30’s or early 40’s while continuing to be one of the best in the game. That ideal world didn’t play out and he never pitched a big league game after the age of 33. At the height of his career, there is no doubt that he was the best pitcher on the planet. This year will mark his first chance at being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In this series, I will build up Santana’s case for enshrinement. The following is an opus to the career of the southpaw from Venezuela. A man who should and can be elected into the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown.Part 1: Johan Santana's Cooperstown Case: The Puckett Clause At the end of the 1960 season, Sandy Koufax had pitched almost 700 innings at the big league level. He had a 4.10 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP. He was not a Hall of Fame pitcher but he was only 24-years old. Over the next six seasons, Koufax would dominate on the mound like few had done before. During that stretch, Koufax posted a 2.19 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP while striking out more than a batter an inning. He had punched his ticket to the Hall. Koufax became the youngest ever inductee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was able to accomplish this feat because he retired at the height of his pitching prowess. Following his age-30 season, he stepped away from the game. Elbow problems and arthritis caused him worry about his golden left arm. He rode off into the sunset with a Hall of Fame resume. Like Koufax, Santana took some time to reach “ace” status as a starting pitcher. Minnesota acquired Santana as part of the 1999 Rule 5 Draft. This meant Santana was required to stay on the Twins 40-man roster for the entire 2000 season. Between 2000 and 2001, he pitched 129.1 innings out of the Twins bullpen to the tune of a 5.90 ERA and a 1.71 ERA. His change-up wasn’t full developed and it was hard to imagine the type of starter he would become over the next decade. While Koufax walked away from the game on his own terms, Santana didn’t step away from the game so lightly. Santana tried multiple comebacks with organizations like Baltimore and Toronto before finally calling it a career. As I mentioned in the first piece in this series, many trace the beginning of the end for Santana to his no-hitter in 2012. Many comparisons have been written about the similarities between Koufax and Santana. Pitching at Dodger Stadium in the 1960’s was much different than pitching at the Metrodome in the early 2000s. Baseball is an ever-changing game and it’s lazy to look at simple numbers like ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts to try and get a full picture of a pitcher. Baseball Reference has the ability to neutralize pitcher’s numbers to align with different eras. Santana pitching at Dodger Stadium in the 1960’s would result in some statistical numbers that are usually only seen in video games. While Koufax pitched in an era of pitching dominance, Santana’s era was known for offensive dominance. Since the expansion era (post-1993), Santana’s 136 ERA+ ranks sixth among starting pitchers. Take a look at the names ahead of him: Clayton Kershaw, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Brandon Webb, and Chris Sale. Martinez is already in the Hall. Kershaw and Sale look well on their way. ERA+ has Santana ranked higher than Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux, two recent Hall of Fame inductees. Jay Jaffe literally wrote the book on who should and shouldn’t get into Cooperstown. His JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score system) takes a player’s career WAR averaged with their 7-year peak WAR. Using this system, Santana ranks 85th which is three spots higher than Koufax. Santana’s JAWS is higher than 15 enshrined starters in Cooperstown. At age 31, Santana was headed to the Hall. His shoulder gave out, he was forced under the knife, and his career took a different path. However, his WAR through his age-31 season ranks in the top-40 all-time. Only 24 Hall of Fame pitchers rank higher than Santana with Koufax coming in at number 30. Does the Santana and Koufax comparison hold up? Should the same logic that was applied to Koufax be applied to Santana? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Shohei Ohtani is close to picking his first big league team. Unfortunately for Twins fans, that team won’t be in Minnesota. Ohtani, the Japanese two-way player, informed the Twins on Sunday that they had been eliminated from contention. Besides the Twins, the list of rejected teams included the Yankees, Red Sox, Athletics, Brewers, Pirates, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Mets.At one point during Sunday afternoon, MLB Insider Jon Heyman had reported that Ohtani was “telling teams he prefers a smaller market.” This sounded great to Twins fans with a smaller market in the Midwest calling Ohtani’s name. Not very long afterward, he brought Twins Territory back down to earth: Mike Beradino at the Pioneer Press reported that Ohtani and Nex Balelo, his agent, didn’t give any reason as to why the Twins had been eliminated. According to him, they told the Twins they were “very appreciative of the interest and the pitch.” Ohtani is meeting with teams in Los Angeles and his finalists include a lot of West Coast teams. This includes the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels. Another team like the Chicago Cubs or Texas Rangers could sweep in and get him but he seems destined for the West Coast. During the 2017 campaign, Ohtani fought through a quadriceps and ankle injury. However in 2016, he slashed .322/.416/.588 with 22 home runs. On the mound, he was even more impressive with a 1.86 ERA including 174 strikeouts in 140 innings. The Twins struck out on Ohtani so now maybe the focus can turn to signing a different frontline starter like Ohtani’s countryman Yu Darvish. Were you disappointed with the news? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

The off-season can be filled with hot stove rumors, prospect lists being released, and free agent signings. Minnesota has seen a fair share of rumors swirling around so far this winter. Could the Twins look to sign any of their current players to extensions? What will the club’s 2020 Opening Day roster look like? What’s the timeline for the organization’s recent top picks? What will it take to land Gerrit Cole or Jake Odorizzi? Could the Twins land both Otani and Darvish? All of those questions and more in today’s edition of the Twins Daily Mailbag.Question 1 Here at Twins Daily, some of the writers ran through the gamut of extension options. Young players like Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano or Jose Berrios could be offered deals that buy out some of their free agent years. Veteran players like Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier will see their contracts expire at the end of 2018. This puts the Twins in an interesting spot. Dozier has clearly become the heart and soul of the team over the last couple of seasons. I think the new front office values his veteran leadership. For the Twins to find success, there needs to be the right combination of young and veteran players. This is similar to the model followed by Houston this year. If I were the Twins front office, I start with a Dozier deal. Much like Seth discussed, I would shoot for a four-year, $65 million deal with an option that could make it a five-year, $73 million deal. Buxton is the other player with whom I would try and start extension talks. I think his value is going to boom over the next couple of seasons. Getting out in front of that could be a wise decision even with his wall-crashing antics. Question 2 Nick Gordon seems to be well on his way to making his big league debut. He spent all of 2017 at Double-A and helped the Lookouts claim a share of the Southern League Championship. Gordon has to be added to the 40-man roster before the 2018 Rule 5 Draft. If he plays like he did this season, he will be a September call-up in 2018. Tyler Jay is a more interesting case. After being drafted with the intention of turning him into a starter, Jay is focusing on being a relief pitcher. He made only eight appearances in 2017 after being evaluated for, but not officially diagnosed with, thoracic outlet syndrome. This is the same type of condition that plagued Phil Hughes in 2017. If Jay is healthy, I would expect to see him at the big league level in 2018. Alex Kirilloff missed all of 2017 following Tommy John surgery. This put a little damper on his path to the big leagues. In last year’s prospect handbook, we pegged him for a mid-season 2019 debut. Following a missed season, I will push that back and look for an early 2020 debut. Royce Lewis is good and I think he will take the fast track to the big leagues. It wouldn’t surprise me if he beat Kirilloff to Target Field. With free agency and other factors, it’s hard to project out to 2020. If I’m using internal options, here are my projected 2020 Twins Opening Day starters: C: Mitch Garver, 1B: Miguel Sano, 2B: Nick Gordon, SS: Royce Lewis, OF: Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, DH: Brian Dozier Question 3 If you look at my answer above, I would sign a deal with Dozier to keep him in Minnesota through at least 2022. There would be an option for 2023 when he would be entering his age-36 season. If he stays healthy this entire season and hits free agency, he might be able to get more money on the open market. I think he likes Minnesota and he has quickly become a fan favorite. He will be entering free agency as a 32-year old so he isn’t likely to get more than a four year contract offer. Minnesota doesn’t have much money committed beyond the 2019 season and a lot of the team’s young core will be due raises in the coming years. I like Dozier to be the veteran presence in a developing line-up. He should start and finish his career in a Minnesota Twins uniform. Question 4 Now this is a loaded question. Right-handed pitchers Gerrit Cole and Jake Odorizzi both come with two years of team control remaining. Both pitchers are coming off down years which could be good from the Twins perspective. The Pirates might not be openly shopping Cole but there’s nothing to say they wouldn’t listen to a good offer. The Rays might be pushed up against their payroll and they could be looking for some flexibility. This could make Tampa more willing to deal. I feel like there are few untouchable prospects in the Twins farm system. Royce Lewis might be the lone player I would categorize as untouchable. That being said, I think Nick Gordon would have to be at the center of a package for these pitchers. A top level pitcher would also likely be needed to add to the mix. Some names could be Fernando Romero or Lewis Thorpe. Eddie Rosario is another name I would throw into a potential deal. It's going to take more prospects than fans will be happy about but the Twins front office has an opportunity in front of them. With last year’s playoff appearance, the team’s timeline was pushed up. Sano, Buxton and Berrios have a small window of team control and it could be time to pounce. Question 5 Minnesota’s front office has made it clear that they will be aggressive this off-season. Yu Darvish is at the top of their free agent list. It’s no secret that he is going to command quite the contract. The Twins need pitching but I don’t know if Darvish will be worth the total he is going to command. It might be in the Twins best interest to find more cost-effective options with some upside. That being said, I think the front office wants to make a splash and that could mean spending big on Darvish. Shohei Otani is another intriguing name. The Twins also have more money in their international spending pool after voiding the contract of Jelfrey Marte. However, Otani doesn’t seem to care exclusively about money. He could wait until next off-season and be a free agent which would mean a lot more money in his pocket. My guess is that he ends up on the West Coast or in a bigger market on the East Coast. I think the Twins will attempt to go after both Darvish and Otani. I think the chances are better of landing Darvish because of his connections to Thad Levine’s time in Texas. Some think a team could find a way to land both players as a package deal. However, I don’t think the likelihood of landing either is very high. Thanks to all those that submitted questions. Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion on any of the topics mentioned above. Click here to view the article

On a late summer day under the Metrodome’s Teflon covering, fans watched a master at work. Johan Santana dominated the Texas Rangers over eight shutout innings. He set a Twins team record with 17 strikeouts and allowed only two hits. For the over 36,000 fans in attendance, it was Mozart’s greatest symphony or Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. It was the music of a man on his way to the Hall of Fame. In a perfect world, Santana would have pitched into his late 30’s or early 40’s while continuing to be one of the best in the game. That ideal world didn’t play out and he never pitched a big league game after the age of 33. At the height of his career, there is no doubt that he was the best pitcher on the planet. This year will mark his first chance at being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In this series, I will build up Santana’s case for enshrinement. The following is a paean to the career of the southpaw from Venezuela. A man who should and can be elected into the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown.The Puckett Clause Twins fans are well aware of the legend of Kirby Puckett. His career tragically ended too soon at the young age of 35 after 12 seasons. Puckett was a dominant player during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s as the Twins won two championships in a five year span. For 10 straight seasons, he was named an American League All-Star and he won six Gold Gloves for his defensive prowess. Some would argue he willed the Twins to a Game 7 of the 1991 World Series with his heroic actions in Game 6. Puckett was on a path for the Hall of Fame before his career was cut short. He wasn’t able to compile the same type of careers numbers that would scream Hall of Fame player. He only had two seasons in the top 10 for WAR and his career WAR only places him as the 184th all-time position player. That ties him with Brian Giles. Heck, even Joe Mauer ranks higher. There are plenty of people who believe he shouldn’t be part of Cooperstown’s elite group. The members of the BBWAA thought differently about Puckett. He was elected on his first ballot with 82.1% of the vote which easily cleared the 75% needed for induction. By receiving 36 more votes than were needed, he joined Dave Winfield in the Class of 2001. Puckett was able to pack enough into 12 seasons and the writers honored him for being one of baseball’s best for the better part of a decade. Applying the Puckett Clause Much like Puckett, Santana saw his career ended too early because of injury. Santana wasn’t hit in the head with a Dennis Martinez fastball. Instead, his golden left arm was betrayed by an ailing left shoulder. Some Santana supporters will point to his no-hitter on June 1, 2012 as his Puckett-Martinez moment. On the way to the first no-hitter in Mets’ franchise history, Santana tossed 134 pitches. At the conclusion of that contest, his season ERA dropped to 2.38 but he posted an 8.27 mark over his final ten appearances. He would never pitch in another MLB game. With writers limited to 10 names per ballot, it could be easy for some to ignore what Santana was able to accomplish. From 2003 through 2008, he pitched at much more than a Hall of Fame level. In over 1400 innings, he posted a 2.86 ERA (156 ERA+) while striking out four times as many batters as he walked. Throw in two Cy Young Awards and a third award that was stolen from him and it looks like he has a solid case for Cooperstown. As with Puckett, Santana didn’t have the longevity to accumulate many of the numbers needed to be deemed Hall of Fame worthy. He couldn’t pitch 3,000 innings. He couldn’t strike out 2,500 batters. He couldn’t accumulate a large career WAR total. If he had been able to pitch four or five more seasons in the back-end of a rotation, he’d be a lock for the Hall. His ailing shoulder took those seasons away. The greatness of careers shortened by injury should be given the benefit of the doubt. When Twins fans examine Kirby Puckett, it is clear that he was a Hall of Fame player. One high and tight fastball from Dennis Martinez deprived Twins Territory of the end of his career. Santana fits the same mold as he dominated the game before an injury forced him off the mound. The Puckett Clause applies and only strengthens Santana’s case for Cooperstown. Should the Puckett Clause be applied to Santana? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Don’t forget to stop back in the coming weeks as I continue to make the Cooperstown Case for Johan Santana. Click here to view the article

The Byungho Park Era is officially over in Minnesota while some would argue it was over even before last season. Park is headed back to the KBO to play for his former team the Nexen Heroes. As part of his new deal, Park will earn $1.4 million or 1.5 billion South Korean won.Yonhap News reporter Jeejo Yoo was the first to report Park’s return to Korea. Park struggled with the transition to major league baseball. In 62 big league games, he hit .191/.275/.412 with 12 home runs and nine doubles. His 80 to 21 strikeout to walk ratio was a little tough to swallow. He fought through some injuries in his first season and he was never able to fully put it together. Park was removed from the Twins 40-man roster last off-season and played in 111 Triple-A games in 2017 while continuing to battle through injuries. He finished 2017 hitting .253/.308/.415 with 130 strikeouts in 111 games. Park added 14 home runs and 22 doubles but it still wasn’t enough to make it back to the big leagues. Park had two years and $6.5 million remaining on his initial contract with the Twins. He will turn 32 next season and it was probably in the best interests of both parties to go their separate ways. What was your favorite Byungho Park moment? Should the Twins have given him another shot? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

As the holiday season begins, let’s take a minute to appreciate some of the things that have gone well in Twins Territory over the last year. Things were a little gloomy at this point last year. The club was coming off a 103-loss season and Minnesota’s young core was struggling to find itself at the big league level. One year later and the script has switched. A new baseball operations department helped to lead baseball in Minnesota back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. So what other things should fans be thankful for in 2017?1. Surprise 2017 Season Twins Territory has suffered through a lot of losing for the greater part of the last decade. Besides a surprising 2015 season, there were 92 losses or more from 2011-2016 including a franchise worst 103 losses in 2017. Minnesota qualified for the second AL Wild Card before losing to the New York Yankees. Paul Molitor would be honored as the American League’s Manager of the Year. He was rewarded with a three-year contract extension following the season. The Twins surprised most of the baseball world and it made for a very enjoyable summer of watching baseball. 2. Byron Buxton’s Golden Glove It didn’t take long for Byron Buxton to make his presence felt in 2017. On Opening Day, he made baseball’s first 5-star catch of the season. It was just the beginning of what turned out to be one of the best defensive seasons in Twins history. “Us outfielders have this thing where nothing falls but raindrops,” Buxton said after the game and that mantra prove to be true. His bat also turned into a weapon after a slow start at the plate. Almost every defensive honor was heaped on Buxton following the season. He’s a player whose play is worth the price of admission. 3. Other Young Core Players Buxton wasn’t the only player to shine in 2017. Miguel Sano was selected to his first All-Star Game and finished runner-up to Aaron Judge in the Home Run Derby. Sano’s season was cut short by a nagging leg injury but he carried a large portion of the offensive load in the first half. Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario helped form a solid outfield core with Buxton. Jose Berrios also showed signs of being a dominant starter. Everything didn’t go perfectly with this group but there is hope that they can all take another step forward in 2018. 4. The Dynamic Duo: Falvey and Levine Did the dynamic duo push all of the right buttons in 2017? Probably not, but it is going to take time to see what they mean to this organization. Players and fans were upset when the team turned from buyers into sellers at the trade deadline. However, this might have lit a fire under the squad to make a playoff push. Their first draft class of Royce Lewis, Brent Rooker, and Blayne Enlow all look like they could make a major impact at the big league level in the future. With a new analytic-minded focus and a young core, it is going to be exciting to see how they can mold the current roster. 5. Mauer’s Expiring Contract At the end of the 2018 campaign, Joe Mauer’s long-term contract will be off the books. This might sound like a jab at Mauer but it’s more about the future of this franchise. When Mauer signed the deal, he looked like a once in a generation player behind the plate with the potential to make the Hall of Fame. With his money off the books, the Twins will have more flexibility to make some long-term deals. In fact, the organization has already be rumored to be in the mix for top free agents Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta. Mauer will go down as one of the best players in franchise history but his contract might have been limiting to the front office. More money will allow the new regime to target the players they want and help to build Minnesota into a regular contender. What are you thankful for this year? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Pitching was the theme of players added to the Twins 40-man roster earlier this week. Stephen Gonsalves, Zack Littell, and Lewis Thorpe were all added as the new front office looks to lock-in young pitching. Even with a focus on pitching, one name was left off the list. Former first round pick Kohl Stewart was not added to the team’s 40-man roster. This means he will be available in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. It’s been a tumultuous Twins tenure for Stewart and now his future is in doubt. So, what’s next for Kohl Stewart?Background The Twins took Stewart with the fourth pick of the 2013 MLB Draft and signed him for $4.5 million. He had the chance to play quarterback on Division I scholarship but he turned it down to pitch professionally. Even the major prospect gurus, took notice of Stewart and his high ceiling. All three major prospect rankings had him as a top-55 prospect before the 2014 season. Leading into 2015, MLB had him at 36 and Baseball Prospectus had him at 28. Things were looking good for the young Texas hurler. Roller Coaster Ride Stewart spent all of 2015 in Fort Myers where he was almost three years younger than the competition. He didn’t take the next step like most people had hoped. He allowed multiple runs in 16 of his 22 appearances and compiled a 3.20 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP. Prospect writers had hoped Stewart would start striking out more batters. He only struck out 71 in 129.1 innings. The 2016 season saw some minor improvements for Stewart. His ERA dropped to 2.61 during a return trip through the Florida State League. After he was bumped up to Double-A, his ERA rose to 3.03 but he posted a 1.47 WHIP. His strikeouts per nine improved from 4.9 to 5.7 but it still wasn’t nearly what experts had hoped he would be able to reach. Stewart has missed time throughout his career with minor shoulder issues. Since he split time as an amateur between football and baseball, he needed to spend time learning how to pitch. Any time he was missing due to injury was taking away from learning the art of pitching. During the 2017 season, Stewart spent almost the entire season at Double-A. As a 22-year old, he struggled to the tune of a 4.09 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. His strikeouts per nine went up to 6.3 but his walks per nine also rose to 5.0. All of his appearances came as a starter but he was limited to 17 starts, the fewest since he started pitching in full season leagues. He missed almost two whole months due to tendinitis in his knee. What’s Next? Overall, he has shown the ability to coax a lot of ground balls. His strikeout promise from when the Twins drafted him has never come to fruition. He also continues to be very young for the levels where he has pitched. Stewart was the youngest player to make an appearance with Rochester this season. However, the strikeout numbers many thought he would grow into have never shown up. A team could take him in the Rule 5 Draft and try and hide him in their bullpen for the entire season. Even the Twins might decide to move him to the bullpen in the future. A once promising future has gotten a little cloudy over the last couple of seasons. What do you think should be expected of Stewart? Will a team take him in the Rule 5 Draft? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article