Dman

Escobar is pitching pretty darn well for an 18 year old in the GCL. This guy looks like he could be special. Does anyone know how hard he throws? I think if Graterol is going to be throwing at 100 he should be in the pen. Shoulder issues brings back memories of Alex Meyer so I think the Twins should be more careful this time around. We need help in the pen anyway. The Rochester lineup seems to have cooled off a little bit and Jaylen has been human finally going 0 fer in a game or two.

With the supply of quality arms being low and teams hoping for upgrades high I sense I will be disappointed at the deadline. A bit surprised that Toronto asks us for top a 50 prospect plus for Stroman and then turns around and gives him up for two pitchers out the of top 100. Not that I wanted Stroman but I thought they could have gotten more than what the Mets gave them. Apparrantly that was the best deal they could get? I am finally starting to understand the Met's don't want to give up Syndergard without a huge overpay maybe they will get it but I would just as soon pass. Here's hoping our FO finds a deal or two out there that works well for this team. My guess is that prices might be higher than I thought they would be.

Technically I would say Kirillof is expendable as Larnach is somewhat comparable in skill set. Granted I think Kirillof has the better bat but Larnach might have the better arm and better eye at the plate to take walks. While I don't know a ton about pitching I don't really love Thor's stats. and while two and half years of control is nice I have to give up a likely All-Star bat that will have 6 years of control and more prospects to boot. The value is definitely on the Met's side in a trade like this but we do have a need for immediate pitching help so that is the price you pay. I would be torn but could see them lose Kiriloff and not having it impact them too much in the future since Kepler and Buxton look set for a while as does Rosario. They would still have Larnach to step in and they have other guys coming up in the next two to three years to offset anything lost for outfield depth. It is certainly something they could afford to do. Whether it is the RIGHT thing to do or not I am not sure.

Thanks for the link. I really liked this statement form the article. "The star of this deal is Miami’s scouting department, on both the pro (which likely knew the background on Diaz) and amateur (which found Vallimont at a Division-II school in last years fifth round) side, even if Sergio Romo has a sizable impact on the postseason race. The Marlins flipped a rental reliever and recent fifth rounder for what might be a long term answer at first base." I think Fangraphs see's this the way I do. They are not declaring a winner of this trade just yet but Miami knew the Twins were going to have 40 man issues this summer and that there is a bit of a log jam at first base. They targeted a very good bat that should be able to help them pretty soon and only had to give up a 5th round pitcher(at least until we know the player to be named later) to do it. Marlins got what they wanted\needed out of this deal and are likely a stronger club for it. As much as I was down on Diaz until this year I really think he is in that Rosario mold of borderline All-Star caliber of player at his position. If he ever gets better strike zone discipline then I see him as likely All-Star caliber. He has a really sweet swing from what I have seen and has been a tough out all year this year. I like Vallimont but don't know a lot about him. Seems like a pretty short record to this point and from what I have read he needs a better third pitch but the guy could be good as well. Maybe not All-Star level but we need good pitchers in the system and he should help with that. We also get Romo, a player to named later and have one less player that needs rule V protection. So this deal works out pretty well for us as well.

While I like the concept of adding Greinke I don't see this FO taking on A 30M per year contract. I am not saying they are cheap but so far it seems like they have been more about financial flexibility year to year rather than boxing themselves in to any future payroll constraints. I think the FO is more interested in extending their current young performing players(i.e. Kepler, Polanco). I think they prefer taking calculated risks on players they think are on the verge of a breakout and\or coming back from a down season maybe due to injury (i,e. Schoop, Cron, Pineda). I think if you add Greinke's salary it severely limits what they have been trying to do which is to prepare to keep our own players for as long as possible and make value moves in the off season. I know people will argue the money is there and it is but I think this FO is really looking to maximize the money spent in an efficient manner as possible (i.e, Performance value of the player per dollar). I don't think it is there in a Greinke deal. While i don't think it is impossible that the FO would go for Greinke IMO it is unlikely.

Should remember the name Lewin Diaz as well. The kid has a sweet swing and easy power, has improved his defense and has a good eye at the plate. The Marlins got a good one so I hope Vallimont works out just as well for us.

Always nice to see great pitching performances. Would be nice to have difference maker pitchers making their way to the MLB club. Really nice night for all the affiliates lets keep this up. Lots of fun when players are performing and winning as well.

I guess I was looking more at his K rate and this fangraphs article earlier in the year https://blogs.fangraphs.com/nick-anderson-is-improbably-excellent/ It looks like he has regressed some since then but still would be nice to have.

Initially the article only stated Romo in the trade and not Valimont or player to named later. I don't think that Diaz for Romo would have been a good trade. I deleted my post after more info was added. Nick Andersson would have been nice to have right now but the Marlins got him for a prospect who hasn't done much for us yet so if it would have been Romo for Diaz straight up we would have been fleeced two out of three IMO.

Seems like kind of a savvy move by both FO's. Marlins get a big young bat that looks close to MLB ready and the Twins swap the bat for a very intriguing arm that doesn't need to be put on the 40 man anytime soon. On top of that the Marlins sweeten the pot by giving us Romo. Our FO accomplished two things with this trade. They get Bullpen help and they swap a strength 1st baseman Hitter for a weakness in the system which is Pitching. Too early to tell who got the best deal but this move really helps us in two ways so I give our FO the early edge on this one.

OK didn't see they got the pitcher in the deal earlier. That makes this look better. Guy has a really nice WHIP so he definitely goes after guys and doesn't walk a lot of guys. That definitely evens this up some. Also he was 2018 pick so no worries about rule V for the next three years. It llooks like he is number 23 in the Marlins top 30 so not just a throw in but a guy with decent potential. Pen looks like his floor. MLB says he has had control problems but has been better this year. I think the Marlins will be very happy with Diaz and we have no place for him on the 40 next year and too many guys in front of him. He is also too good to hide now. I am OK with this deal and actually think I like it now.

Yeah the one player likely blocked the most is Larnach. Kiriloff is likely a slightly better hitter and younger and our outfield is set for at least 3 to 4 years I believe. Also they Drafted a Larnach clone in Wallner this year so the well is not dry. I would hate to have to trade pitching back but they likely need something to replace Stroman with and Graterol's floor looks like elite reliever for 6 years. Tough to give that up so I understand them pausing there. Also the Twins would likely need to include a couple more prospects in the 10 to 25 range to seal that deal. It might be worth it but I am not a Stroman believer. Isn't his K9 low. Don't we always talk about needing pitchers who can strike guys out and now we want to settle for a worm burner? I don't know I personally don't like this deal for the Twins.

Granted it was just a first impression but I didn't think Willie Joe Garry was going to be any good any time soon. I know he was young last year but he looked pretty lost at the plate. Also I don't remember there being any hype surrounding the 9th round pick. I figured the Twins liked the tools but I really wondered about the hit tool and after that first year it didn't look like it would be fast developing to me. I know not to get too exited about numbers from E-town but for a 19 year old his stats are impressive. I am starting to think the Twins might have found yet another sleeper in the 9th round. I see Colina is back to his being himself again. When he is on he is very impressive. Rijo seems to have turned a corner as well. Nice to see him gaining some speed on his heater. Gordon has been pretty consistent with no second half swoon in site so far. Granted he was injured early and didn't start the season on a roster this year. I think he has restablished himself as a very good prospect again. Only thing he is really missing is power and that comes late for a lot of players.

Great post. Sums up my feelings with facts. Cleveland isn't the same team that started this season. I suspect they will have more success against some of these better teams than we think because you can see how good pitching (i.e Smeltzer) can hold that Yankees lineup down. Cleveland has solid pitching. I know the Twins were in a bit of a slump this last month but we struggled to get wins against even bad teams in Detroit, KC and the WhiteSox it seems Cleveland handled those teams with ease. Maybe we are back on track now but hard to say just yet. Certainly lots of baseball left and things can change for both teams but unless the Twins can pitch much better than they have been this feels like a 500 team to me and I think Cleveland is slightly better than that. Maybe the trade deadline brings in some help, maybe the young guys give our pitching staff a lift but as I see things right now today it feels like we lose the division.

I agree he is holding his own in a league where he is very young the level. If he meets this challenge I think he is on the fast track through the system. Pretty excited about his arm.

Man that Rochester lineup has been impressive the last two months. Everyone is hitting the ball really well. That bullpen has given up a lot of runs this year and some of the starting pitching hasn't been that great either. If they had some decent pitching they would be really, really good. Jaylin Davis is on fire right now. I don't know much about his defense but his offensive production is really good. His K rate is a little high but not bad for a guy who OPS's around .800 in every league except High A. Definately something to work but acceptable for now. If they don't trade him they will likely need to protect him from the rule V next year.

This game went pretty much as expected except for Smeltzers excellent performance. Just shows that if we could pitch just a little better this team has a real chance to do\be something special. Not sure what is wrong with Odo but he hasn't been the same pitcher that started the year on fire. He seems to have regressed to the Odo of years past. Well at least we are done with the Yankees until the Playoffs and hopefully we can get some pitching help at the deadline.

I agree with you Cleveland will prove to be the better team. Their pitching is just that much better and their hitters with Lindor back are doing enough to win games. Unless they suffer some injuries to some key bats the Indians will catch and over take us. Pitching just isn't where it needs be quite yet with the Twins. That includes the starters and the Bullpen IMO. It was a fun start to the season but this is still a team that can't beat the Yankees and likely can't beat Houston when it really matters either. They are a fun team to watch but I just don't see how they can match up to other good teams when the playoffs come. Honestly unless something miraculous happens they won't prove you wrong.

Those were some good trades and one netted them a WS win. If all trades worked out that well it would be an easy thing to do.

I totally agree with that plan if they can find a taker. Way too many guys to protect and losing them for potentially nothing makes no sense. The only issue I see with that approach is that if you are going after Stroman or any other guys with extra years of control the other team is going to want a top 100 player. The Twins already stated they are not going to trade there three top 100 guys. Maybe Larnach and Balazovic are close enough to entice another team but prices are likely going to be heavy for some of these guys. They should be able to get some rental relief help by giving some combination of multiple top 9-40 type prospects though and like you said they can't keep them all or at least keep them protected form the rule V draft. Why not get some value that might help you win the division and maybe a WS if you can?

Right but are those the guys they want? Do they want to be in on Greinke or MadBum or other pitchers on other teams more than what the Jays or Royals have? They can only make so many deals. If those are the best available guys then sure go ahead try and pull the trigger. It also takes two to make a deal. Those teams might want to wait to ratchet up pressure to get more for those players. Maybe they think they can get more than what the Twins are willing to offer. There are more things to consider unless you want to blow your wad this year and then have no farm left. At this point what is 5 more days?

Totally agree. I I figured they had all off-season to try and replace Pressly with someone at least close to what he gave the team and they got two decent prospects to boot. They never did hit the market for relievers I guess feeling like they could develop some strong arms from the farm. Unfortunately Meija, Romero, and Hildenberger were not the answer and while Littel and Stewart have had their moments they certainly aren't a veteran presence I thought they would get to replace Pressly. Given how it worked out I would have to say I do have Sellers remorse when it comes to the Pressly deal but only because the FO did so little to fill the gap they created when they traded him.

I really do think it has to do with some teams trying to figure out if they are selling. Also the closer we get to the deadline the more pressure there is to make deals. The selling team is looking to start a bidding war for their player the buying team is hoping that there is enough quality supply that the price for players drops. I suspect there won't be much movement until July 29th at the earliest.

Hate to be a sour grapes guy but this is typically the way it always ends when we play the Yankee's. Even if we play well and hang with them they mount a comeback even against our best reliever and win the game. It is a tired but true trend. If we need a call from an ump they fail us. It pretty much always works that way. My guess is that we will implode today and they will take the series laughing all the way back NY. The Twins are always good medicine for the Yankees. Trying to stay positive I will say this. It is nice to see the bats, and good at bats back. At least we took one game against them and at least Cleveland found a way to lose so that as our schedule eases we will still be two games up.

If the right deal came along you could trade Lewis but I think they trade Larnach before Lewis. The FO really seems to like Lewis's intangibles and they believe he will hit. Maybe not as well as Larnach but Lewis plays a premium position at either Short or Center. I just don't see the Twins pulling the trigger but I guess never say never.