MikeNC

They are burning up Gray's options because he isn't in the long term plan. They are conserving the options of the young guys for after the deadline so they can go up and down if needed to work on issues that will appear at the MLB level. In a week or so, when the trade potentials is over and the roster stabilized, you will see the young stars come up.

The Game is afoot! -Sherlock

Which is why, if I'm the Yankees, I've already talked to Jeffers agent (with Twins permission) and will have a 5 yr $75mm contract ready to sign.

Hmmm, Jeffers is an established, elite hitting Catcher who at age 29 should have a number of good years ahead. In a current market where competing available Catchers of his calibre are non-existant. All we get is a prospect? Not a top 100 even? Yeah, if we can't get a decent MLB or a AAA-MLB ready bullpen arm then pass, keep him for the rest of the season. Yankees have the WORST production at Catcher in all of MLB, pony up dudes or watch Jeffers beat you down the stretch run.

I agree with rdehring. Stop with the pie in the sky thinking. The Twins have limited payroll compared to many other teams. Jeffers deserves, and will get, a big money mult-year contract. Good luck and Godspeed! And yes Virginia, we want to believe the Twins can trade him for some low cost but great young help. Do I wish we could keep him? Yes, and Sonny Gray etc. etc. etc. Being a Twins fans means accepting that great players will leave us for free agency big $$. It just makes sense, no matter how much we wish otherwise, to let them go and try to get something for them on thier way out.

So, Jeffers would sign a one year deal, and face injury risk, for $16MM vs. a 5 year deal at $70MM with Yankees, Red Sox, or Dodgers? I don't think so. Here is your 2027 payroll: Lopez 18M, Buxton 14M, Caratini 7M, Bell 7M, Ryan $6M, Ober $7M (ARB estimate), Larnach 5M (ARB estimate). That's already $64M, leaving $36M for the other 19 guys. This leaves very little for any worthwhile FA, which would likely be bullpen pitching. The waive wire guys ain't gettin' it done, if you've noticed. I'd say to not exercise Bell option and let him go. DH position would gain platoon flexibility with our lesser fielders like Larnach, Lewis, Keaschall, and maybe Lee. Somebody got to walk so we can add Walker.

I love this thinking! This is the only way for the Twins to have a shot at a WS run. Aside from the obvious challanges of that many young guys all excelling to champ callibre at once is the $140MM which is quite a hike from the current $100MM targeted run rate.

Sure we’d like to keep a near .300 hitter. Just one teensy weensy problem: Jeffers is a free agent after this season and AI says will command a new contract in the range of $11MM to $15MM per year. The Twins are not gonna pay him 15% of their total payroll budget. If he picks up where he left off, his trade best value will be now, not at season’s end. Caratini and Jackson are doing great, they are enough if the team is otherwise (i.e. fixing the Bullpen) a contender.

OMG you are right! They are the "Rocky" of MLB, all offense and no defense!

Love the detail LA Vikes fan! Hopefully Twins are reading this.

"It is time, all debris into disposal chutes . . . including the body of the Centurian" - Romulan Commander. Time to cut bait, this team is far more entertaining than expected, has some promising talent with more on the way (let's start making room for them), but just doesn't have the pitching to be anything but a doormat should they get that last wildcard. Let's get something for the impending FAs, 2 or 3 decent releif pitchers would make this team a contender next year. They are already revamping the Defense, let's be strategic in the moves this trade deadline, not the fire sale thing.

Trying to inject some realism here. Jeffers is a UFA at end of season, Twins won’t pay him, yes trade him. Joe Ryan is a UFA after 2027 season, so keep for 1 more year unless someone offers a boatload, then yes trade him (pay attention, Joe absolutely wants out). Love Clemens, but he is 30, and baby daddy wants him in prime time, I’m thinking he’ll ask out at some point, and we have young guys to bring up. Larnach is 4th from the bottom of MLB of worst defense in LF, and cannot hit lefties. Yes trade him, we can do better. Wallner probably has little value, everyone needs to see if he is really a MLB player. Keaschall dead last defensively at 2B, and it is hurting them. Where to put him? And where to play Lewis. Both have too much potential upside to let go for cheap now it seems. Byron is awesome when healthy, but he gets hurt - every season. His trade value likely will never be better than right now, and next week he might be hurt again. Hate to say it but if he wants to play in a Series he should go.

For me it was the unbelivable dumbness of giving away Jax and Varland: 2 highly effective and yet CHEAP players. That destroyed the bullpen. The message sent to fans was: "We are ok destroying the team's competitiveness to save a nickel". I got off the train. I have wandered back because they are not totally horrible and I love baseball. Now we have MLB's worst defense, and a bullpen that blows a 7 run lead to the worst team in MLB. I don't need to win the pennant, just want to watch a decent product on the field. Hopefully this new mgmt. will make sensible decisions, I get the cheap approach, that's ok with me. MLB has created this by not having revenue sharing like the NFL.