Dman

I wouldn't worry too much about Martin's power. It is generally the last tool to develop. The Twins are really good at developing guys to hit for power as well. The most important thing early is eye at the plate and he seems to have it. A good eye will get your OBP up and forces pitchers to throw quality strikes in the zone giving better pitches to hit. This is literally his first year in Pro ball and he is holding his own at AA. How many players have done that? Maybe Swarber or Bryant? It is rare for a player to do that well at that high of a level this early. I knew he likely wouldn't be a fit at SS but he has decent speed so he should be able to play there. I just wouldn't expect great defensive numbers from him if he does play there. The Twins have lot's of infield guys that can play a variety of positions and so they can mix and match players and he will only help with that. He likely is Gordons replacement once he is ready and they will work him in as a regular from there. I honestly thought Groshans was as high as Toronto would go so didn't do much research on Martin but I think this was a really good get for the Twins.

That is a good return for Berrios. Woods Richardson is only 20 Years old and already at the AA level. Martin is hitting well at AA as well. Hope he can play shortstop as that is where we really need him but he might be Buxton insurance as well. Jays did well though as well. They essentially flipped Stroman and Martin for Berrios. A good young starter just when they needed him.

Not sure if we are better off with or without him but since we are likely to keep Taylor Rogers I could see moving Theilbar for the right price. I would want a good piece back though as he he has three year of reasonable control and while he is not dominant he is a proven solid MLB player.

Have to believe this a Kershaw insurance move or possible Lefty bullpen piece move for them. So far return is PTBNL so the return likely rests on just how well Duffey does in Dodger blue. As always a good move by Friedman. I still think he ends up with Sherzer but we will see.

Oops I see I missed him looking at the roster. Maybe they can move Abrams given what they currently have. His name has just been silent in talks so far so was trying to find reasons why.

I agree with you I don't see Campusano as something the Twins "need badly" and Abrams would be, With Gore having so many issues I wouldn't want to trade my sure thing starting pitcher for a guy that looks like he might be cooked. That is too much risk for me. If the Twins could work a deal around Abrams I could see that as we need a starting SS ASAP and he could be a good one. That being said I think he is the one player they won't or don't want to deal. They had no one good at second so went and got Frazier. I think that is a stop gap for them as they could put Abrams there in the next year or two and he is a player that could spell Tatis and can play center field for them if needed and cover 2nd or third. Also if Tatis is out due to injury they don't lose a beat with Abrams there. Well they probably lose something with the bat but you know what I mean. I think he is the one guy that is essentially untouchable which is why I don't see a Berrios trade with the Padres. They don't have the high quality pitching prospect's we would want and they don't have a good up the middle guy we can get beyond Abrams who they won't deal. I'd move on to LA or Toronto they both match up better IMO.

I have given Wallner a lot of grief mainly about his underlying numbers (BABIP & K rate) but he just keeps getting hits. He looks even better after coming back than he did early in the season. I think they should move him up as well. See what he can do at a higher level because to this point he has dominated this level before and after his wrist injury.

RIght now Sherzer is the key. Every team even the generally prospect stingy Rays are trying to see what it will take to land him. Sherzer gives the team who gets him a lock down starter throughout the playoffs I am guessing the return will be massive for a rental. However, the teams that miss out on him do need to switch to plan B and Berrios will be in play there. I don't know what you have been reading but every team in the west has been in on Berrios and honestly every one those teams could really use him. Berrios's greatest value is that he is going to give you solid innings and show up every fifth day to pitch. Kershaw has had arm issue's for LA and they likely won't have Bauer back. The Padres have had arm issue's in their rotation and need depth as well. The Giants haven't had many arm issues to date but Berrios could be a 4th or 5th starter and he would provide depth in case of injury down the stretch. Those three teams are in a race for wins and cannot afford to give any away or they might be out they also need to prepared for the payoffs if they do get in. They have to play each other a bunch the rest of the way so having one weak starter could mean giving that game away. Just like on the field the GM's are fierce competitors and will look to put their teams in better position to win during the season and post season. So yes I think a team like the Giants would love to get Sherzer or Berrios whether they really need them or not because it keeps them from the competition and still makes their team better.

I was pretty confident the Twins would do a deal with the Dodgers before the Sherzer news broke and Rogers developed a finger issue. Not sure what happens now for sure. I do agree it seems that Berrios gets dealt. With no discount available at all and a likely overpay to keep him from free agency if the offers are good enough I think they move him. Has to be a starter included that over time could be a mid rotation piece and likely a high upside position player to make it work so I just don't see San Diego working out but who knows. If Atlanta does become a seller that could change things as well. It is going to be a wild ride going into the deadline for us this year. I just hope they get good deals.

Man MIranda has been rock solid all year this year. Honestly I never thought he could be THIS good. Certainly expected him to be a good prospect but the numbers he is putting up are crazy, they are elite. He could be a star player in the end.

Finally Petty signs. Is McCleod going to sign or is he going back to school?

Yeah not sure what the Twins are going to do with him. If Donaldson does get traded and that is no sure thing then there cannot be any reason not to bring him up.

I don't know much about Peraza but if he is a true up the middle talent I think I would do that deal. We are short elite up the middle talent so that would help. Medina is a nice throw in as well. I just don't know if the Yankee's would do that deal. I think the Twins might not get pitching back in a deal with the Yanks at least not close to ready pitching as the Yankee's badly need pitching too. Might have to swap Medina for another position player but I could still it happening with Peraza the headliner. I wouldn't love losing Max but if moving him helps fix the SS position it would be worth it.

I like the Blue Jays trade scenario the best but why are you trying to include a 3rd baseman (Groshans) in the deal when we have Donaldson at third and one of our top hitting prospect Miranda is looking like a third baseman? Hiraldo profiles as a second baseman where we already have Polanco, Arraez, Gordon and some of the best guys in the lower levels profile there in Steer, Jullien and Severino. Adding another guy like that does little to improve anything unless you make another trade but right now you have the power to ask for what you want and likely get it so I don't love this trade for the Twins. I guess if you swapped out Hiraldo for Kloffenstien I could maybe live with that. Groshans could be a plus defender at third and Miranda likely isn't so maybe some payoff depending on how their bats play out. If I were the Twins I would not be collecting guys that profile at 2nd base at all as it is already a system strength. I don't like the Padres system because it is pitching poor IMO. They have some good to solid position players but I don't see them winning the Berrios sweepstakes. Maybe if they include one of their top 3 prospects I could see it but if you are losing pitching you should be getting some back and something that hopefully has the potential to replace what was lost over time. MLB trade rumors has the Mets out of the Berrios sweepstakes because he would cost to much in prospect capital. It sounds like they are strictly going to go the rental route. So not sure why they would be included as they are a real long shot. The team that matches up best IMO you never mentioned and that is the Dodgers. They have a starting pitcher mess with Bauer and a closer who keeps blowing saves. If ever there was a match made in heaven the Dodgers would be it. They also have a system filled with some top end pitching and plenty of other prospects to choose from. If a deal does get done it will most likely be with the Dodgers IMO.

Good analysis! I just think the Twins might move on from Cave as he is going to be hitting his arb years and he hasn't done much at the MLB level. They might want to give that same type of player (Contraras) a try and see if they get better results this time around. He also would have more versatility than Cave as he would have options left so they could move him back and forth easily which is nice for a 4th outfielder. It is early he could slump and they might not add him at all it is just that when you look at the AAA East division his OPS is in the top 15 so he is moving toward elite hitter status. Whether that translates to MLB with an over 30% K rate and below 10% walk rate is hard to say but if he keeps this up I think it probably pays to give him a chance before another team does.

There are no indications that I have found that he is so upset about the service time that he doesn't want to sign with the Twins. He last statements in the Trib just before these negotiations had him essentially saying he would like to play for only one team his entire career. That doesn't sound like a disgruntled player that never wants to play for the Twins again. He also stated playing the game wasn't about the money for him. Here is the deal though. I thought I had heard somewhere that Mauer wanted to do more of a hometown discount with the Twins but the players association and agents generally frown on such things because when players perform well they have a chance to up the market value of all players by getting as large of a contract as possible. It is one of the few ways players have to battle owners. A rising tide lifts all boats theory. Whether Buxton wants to play for the Twins or not seems irrelevant in contract negotiations to me. His Agents and the players association are working in his best interests to gain the most value they can for a player whose talent might be unmatched in baseball if he ever plays a full season. He is injury prone and that is why they seek a longer term deal as it protects the player long term and obviously he is a player that needs that type of protection. Believe me the agent has a good idea what other teams would be willing to offer for Buxton and the Twins being a mid market revenue generating team will not be able to take the same level of risk a higher revenue team can. So I think Buxton might get closer to what he wants on the FA market but I guess we will have to wait and see. I agree with you though that the theories Buxton doesn't want to be here because of the service time issue's are highly unlikely. Cruz just left essentially saying this is one of the best orgs he has ever played for and he was sad to leave. The Twins have done their best to keep Buck healthy and supported him through every injury. His latest statements make me think he would like to stay but this game is also a business. The Market is where players go assess their true value. The Twins would likely have to overpay to keep him IMO.

Wow really nice interview! Thanks. I have to say I had my doubts about Contraras. When he couldn't hit anything in 2019 I thought AA would be the level he flames out at. Credit to him for turning it around and he has recaptured my attention. His numbers this year have been bordering on Rooker type numbers. The HR power is there and his OPS has been hovering around 900 for a while now. Being a good defensive outfielder he looks like he is going to need to be added to the 40 man this year. Still he has things he needs to work on as his K numbers are bit too high and walk numbers a bit too low. If he keeps that that 900 or near 900 OPS for the rest of the year he really is in that Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff territory as a hitter. To be honest I haven't watched him much just his stats but he must have a good approach to be doing as well as he is doing. He might be a better defensive outfielder than those two as well. At any rate it is nice to see another good bat develop and even nicer that it comes with good defense too! I think as a fan I don't realize just how hard it is to get to those upper levels and maintain consistency. You keep moving up against the best of the best facing failure having to work hard mentally and physically to meet those challenges and find ways to overcome them. It ain't easy and lot's of players top out at a level they can't conquer and are done for good. So these stories are good reminders of what it takes to become a MLB player.

The only team that I can think of after looking at a lot of systems that could come up with an acceptable package for Berrios and Rogers would be the Dodgers. They have young pitching, they have position players, they might even be able to part with some major league talent to make a deal happen. That is the only team I can think of though that could meet the Twins demand. The Rays could as well but that is not their MO to take on higher salaries for short time periods and they likely would not be able to sing either player after they left. Toronto could possibly as well but would have to blow up their farm to get both IMO. All the other systems I just don't see it as they don't appear to match up that well. Things may have changed though with Washington being seller's. If they can cut a better deal for Sherzer\Hand then Maybe Berrios\Rogers falls through? Hard to say what will happen but I am not convinced they will trade Berrios unless it is a massive return.

This is my concern as well. With Betts down with some hip injury and Buxton was out with a hip flexor are those issues really going to be less frequent in the future? All it takes is one wall collision or diving for a ball for him to get another concussion and maybe never be the same player. On the other hand he has the talent to be the best center fielder in baseball and if he does stay healthy possibly double digit war player. It just feels like a lose, lose no matter what.

Maybe I shouldn't believe Buxton but he has said he wants to stay with the Twins and while he wasn't happy about the service time issue it didn't appear to change his attitude toward the Twins. Seems everyone in the industry is having a tough time trying to determine what Byron is worth given his penchant for getting injured so it is a tough contract to find common ground. I don't know the terms being discussed but I can see each side. The Twins are worried they could be on the hook for a player that barely plays or might never play again if concussions become a thing for him. From what I read Buxton's camp doesn't feel there is enough protection in the contract if stays healthy and becomes a top 10 to 20 league player. If they left him severely underpaid for performance they would be selling their client short. That wouldn't be for Byron or his agenct\agency. Both sides have good points and given I don't have the details it is hard to say who is more right or wrong. Honestly it just seems like both sides ran out of time to determine if Byron can stay healthy for a season or not. It never really happened so his value is up the air.

Happy to see Rooker with a HR and more importantly no strike outs. If he keeps hitting the ball, good things are going to happen eventually. Also means he has a chance to stick this time.

I agree there is a lot of pitching to protect and already there is Polanco, Arraez and Gordon at 2nd base\utility. They will have to grab a seasoned shortstop in free agency so there are going to be some tough decisions.

Yeah I think this makes the most sense. If they are adding those players to the 40 man they need to be able to use them. With the two the Twins just added I think we have like 8 guys in line that could be starters fairly soon in Winder, Balazovich, Duran, Sands, Vallimont, Canterino, Strotman and Ryan. That doesn't even include Thorpe. Smeltzer, Jax and Barnes who have pitched at the MLB level and are already on the 40 man trying to establish themselves. Something has to give you can't wait for all of them to be starters. Vallimont and Duran seem like prime candidates to move to the pen and strengthen an area of weakness for the team. Vallimont has a tendency to tire as the game goes on and currently his WHIP is not ideal for a starter. Duran has had trouble staying healthy and while they could continue to try and make him a starter it is fairly well established he doesn't really have a great third pitch couple that with his health\arm issues and I would break him into MLB via the pen. Once he establishes himself there they could try and stretch him out if needed but his Splinker could be the weapon we need to get clean innings. We just can't wait on all those arms to develop into starters and take up 40 man space IMO. We need to be able to use them and with the pen being such a huge weakness guys with good K stuff in Duran and Vallimont could be big solutions to that problem.

I agree he isn't a strong bet to start next year but if they do add him to 40 man then for the first time in a while they would have some SS depth. His defense looks pretty solid so even if he doesn't hit well at MLB he can at least defend the position well. With his OPS in the 800's and being a very seasoned player if the Twins don't add him someone will grab him in rule V. He would easily fit on most any team as a utility player right now.

The only teams I see IMO that match up well for a Berrios trade are the Dodgers and Blue Jays. The Dodgers match up the best because they have some solid pitching prospects where the stuff matches the stats and other pieces that they can throw in just because their system is so deep. The Blue Jays also might be able to pull it off because they have Woods-Richardson and other good prospects to build out a trade. I just think that the Jays might not want to sell the farm for Berrios though. If Pineda pitches well in his next start the Twins will net a decent return. While he has had a tough year after getting hit by a ball his track record speaks for itself regardless of what Baseball Trade values thinks. Teams need solid starters and he will be one of the few decent ones available. He just needs to show he is back to that level so that Detroit game will be important to set his value. I think the Twins will trade Rogers. The rumor mill has already started and the Dodgers know they need pen help and have the assets to get best left hander out there. Friedman will get it done he always does. I was thinking they also might trade Thielbar but if they do trade Rogers maybe they keep him as they won't have much for lefties next year, IMO I think that is it. They might be able to trade Simmons and Robles but the return will be so negligible it likely won't be worth mentioning. They will probably have to DFA Happ and Colome but maybe there is team desperate for lefty pen help and they could use Happ there or for mop up duty in games out of control. Odds are low they can move them and the return could be cash or PTNL. I still think at the end of the Day the Twins keep Berrios, but who knows maybe the Dodgers give them a deal they can't refuse.