soyouresayingtheresachance

Thats really the only way to get elite talent if you're not lucky enough to draft and develop it yourself. If we want it, we'll have to pay for it.

I would give Skubal a large contract. Absolutely. He is exactly the type of Ace that could elevate our team. We could put him up against any other Ace in the league and have a chance. We have plenty of young guys. We need to surround them with actual elite talent for once. Im tired of the bargain bin signings that dont work out. The 4 moves I would make will actually make a difference for our team.

If I had the ability to run the offseason, I would make 4 acquisitions. Either FA signings or trades: 1. Acquire a top shelf, proven, shut down Closer. Mason Miller, Aroldis Chapman type of guy. Everyone else moves down an inning and, on paper, we have a pretty good BP. 2. Acquire a True Ace. We have the guys to fill out the rest of the rotation already. What we dont have is an Ace. We need a guy that can match up against anybody in game 1 of a playoff series. Taj, Ryan, Prielipp and hopefully Pablo plus an Ace make for a very nice rotation. 3. Trade Lewis and find a stud 1B. Elite bat and good defense. Just a monster to bat cleanup daily. Especially since the All Star break, we've needed this guy. We've had guys on base, but nobody was driving them in. 4. Trade Caratini. We need an actual starting C. Caratini is not him. Jeffers is an option if we can get him to stay, otherwise we'll need to make a trade for one. On paper, these 4 moves will elevate us to a competitive playoff team capable of catching fire in the playoffs

No it wasnt. He blocked much more promising prospects all season long while playing crap defense and disappearing at the plate when we needed him most. It has been such a disappointing year having to watch his mediocre play most days. I sure hope he is gone before next season

Absolutely not. One of the needs the team must address this off-season is acquiring a proven shut down closer. Mason Miller, Aroldis Chapman type reliability. Get that guy and everyone moves down an inning and this BP will be in pretty good shape, on paper.

What a start from Prielipp. I am excited to see his development next season. Same with Jenkins. Adams making a save look easy.

I would like to see the young guys play. Bring up Sabato to play 1B or get DH ABs. If for no other reason than to acknowledge his efforts and the record setting season he had. Unpopular opinion. Wallner also has had a record setting season in St Paul. Maybe give him the last few games at Target Field, too? Not sure he'll be in our system after this seaosn, though. Guess we'll see.

It starts with trading/releasing/non-tendering Larnach, Lewis, and Caratini. None of them are the answer or worth a roster spot on this team. Period. ERod, Buxton, Jenkins, & Keaschall should be our OFers & DH. All 4 can rotate between the field and DH. Lee is at 3B. Culpepper is at SS. Clemens can fill the Super Utility role again or get a starting spot at 2B. IMO Clemens has earned a starting spot but he has been great as a Super Utility guy. He should be the starting 2B until Houston is ready to take over. Im looking to make 4 acquisitions. 1. We need a proven shut down Closer. 2. We need a legitimate Ace. Ryan isn't it. Pablo cant be counted on. Anything we get from Pablo will be a bonus. 3. We need a very good Catcher. That problem can be solved by somehow keeping Jeffers on the team. Otherwise finding a starter is a must. Caratini is not it. 4. A big bat, solid defensive 1B. The kind of bat that changes a line up. Slots in at cleanup daily. Spend the money and get this guy. If there is going to be a salary floor, we are nowhere near it and will need to spend money. Go ALL IN on these 4 spots and fill in the rest of the roster with what we have. We have a ton of great potential in our younger players. Mix in some veteran super stars and I believe we will have a contender.

Caratini can not be the answer for us if we want to be a contender. Resigning Jeffers is actually a decent option. He can start until one of the prospects is ready. At that point, we would have the opportunity to trade him. I would be giving Jeffers the QO and trying to resign him. If that doesnt work, I'm checking the trade market for a starter.

Larnach and Lewis need to be gone. I agree with the rest of the list, too. But Larnach and Lewis especially. We have Larnachs replacement already, ERod. Lewis and his bad attitude will be addition by subtraction.

I do agree, it doesn't look good for a 23yo to be a DH. Im just trying to fit all 4 of those guys in the lineup daily. Buxton, while healthy, is the CFer. He's made it clear thats where he wants to play and IMO he deserves that. Out of ERod, Jenkins, and Keaschall, Erod and Jenkins are the better defenders and either one can slide into CF if (when) Buxton gets hurt. To combat Keaschall being relegated to just DH, in my original comment, I stated rotating him in the OF to give the others guys a day or 2 at DH a week. Essentially what im trying to say is those 4 guys alternate between the field and DH. Keeping all 4 in the lineup daily and hopefully keeping them a little more fresh throughout the season.

Somebody needs to be the fall guy, I guess. But it seems more like an organizational problem. The minor league levels are filled with high ERAs and poor performance. Rarely, if ever, do we have a pitcher debut looking ready to be in the ML.

Depending on how long the lockout lasts, we might eek out a "full" 2027 season of peak Ryan pitching. 😅

Absolutely not. Buxton is still one of the fastest players in the league. Taking him and his still high end defense off the field is just plain dumb.

I am absolutely not down on Keaschall. I meant more of using him as the full time DH and giving the corner guys a break in the OF. His defense has been a bit shaky but its more to make room for ERod and Jenkins in the corners and Buck in CF. Their defense is better than Keaschall. But I want all 4 of them in the lineup daily and I'm batting Keaschall 1st. Keaschall batting 1st is written in pen.