Dman

Given what I have seen Buxton become I would be very hesitant to go real long term with Lewis. I don't see the Twins extending him, but playing a full year would go a long way toward making a deal more realistic. We will have to wait and see how the legend of Lewis turns out. I do love what the Royals did extending Witt. It is not going to be fun playing against them with him in the lineup. KC has some pieces but they don't seem to have the pitching that the rest of the central has so it might take some time before they get there. This season should be interesting.

I agree with you. I think in time Balazovic can be good to really good in the pen it just doesn't feel like that might be this year yet and with no options left it makes it incredibly difficult to slowly work him into a spot at the MLB level. The FO has always seemed to feel they can find pen help when needed and that it is fungible. Given that philosophy if they could trade Balazovich for a prospect that doesn't need to be added to the 40 man that would be helpful IMO. Just looking down the road a short ways it looks like one of Canterino, Festa, Ohl, SWR, Raya could replace him on the 40 man anyway. Might as well cut the cord early as the odds of him being better than any of those 4 seems slim and there are even more arms behind those guys. It's going to be hard for a playoff team to trust that once he is up he can stay up then hang onto a job. Saying all that it could be a mistake to cut him or move on from him too early. He was getting guys out at the MLB level, but once the wheels fell off things got bad in a hurry. Still if there is another team out there that believes in him I think a trade would be a good idea. I think you stated this before, but Gordon doesn't really have a spot on this team and he needs to stay on and clog the 26 man. What is Gordons potential? Can he be an 800 OPS bat? He is a contact type swinger and he was tapping into some power, but he just doesn't seem like more than a 4th outfielder utility type to me. I do think he can be a good MLB player, but is this a guy you keep and can't replace down the road? For this years team it feels like it would be better to have Thompson or even Keirsey instead of Gordon as they can be sent up and down, play elite centerfield and can steal bases late in games if needed. Again I don't like the idea of just giving him away but if they could work out even a marginal trade I would do that. The Twins have enough young up and coming players that they can afford to lose Gordon and or Balazovich and replace them with young players with options that have as much or more potential than they do.. IMO if they can move on from them they should.

I know this Twins pen is getting more love than normal but to me it feels like there are plenty of arms to worry about making it through an entire season. Thielbar and Stewart spent some serious time on the IL Staumount is coming back from thoracic outlet surgery. Jackson is 36 and has past arm issues. Alcala and Winder have had lot's of arm issues as well. I like the depth the Twins are building and this sure beats what they did last year, but I still have my concerns. With this level of depth I assume any talk of Varland or Canterino to the pen is a mute point as it looks like they won't be needed there at least not early.

This is my take as well. They have 45M to 50M per year attached to Correa and Buxton. They have arb raises to deal with and they will want to extend some of this younger talent like they did Polanco and Kepler back in the day. I don't see investing what few dollars the team has in Kepler as something they would want to do. I still think Max has a good year this year. Likely not as good as second half Kepler but still a very good one. He is going to want to try and get a three to four year deal in a price range that squeezes out the Twins IMO. Maybe he turns back into the old middling Kepler whatever the case I don't see the Twins extending him.

Jay Jackson looks like Matt Wisler version 2. I guess this is the Twins mea culpa on giving up on Wisler back in the day. His fastball is the weak link but slider appears to get the job done. I guess I don't understand why the Jays didn't try to keep him? Some kind of bad blood there? At any rate for that price given his recent results it looks like a good pickup. With Jackson and Santana likely taking Thompson and Duarte off the 40 man it looks like the low hanging 40 man fruit will be gone. I still think they sign a right handed bat for the outfield and maybe another starter in the Odorizzi range. If you are Balazovich or Gordon you have to wonder if you are coming off the 40 or traded. At 6M is Farmer safe from being traded? They might want that money for a right handed outfield bat using Castro and eventually Lee to fill infield spots. Just wondering what the Twins might do. Maybe with the TV contract a done deal they have the money to keep him and add. Hard to say but this roster could be real interesting all the way through spring training.

Totally agree with everything you said especially the comparison to if one of our rivals signed him. Like you I am hoping for the best but there are plenty of warts in Santana's profile to make you worry about him being dead weight. Obviously the Twins feel otherwise. Have to believe there are more moves on the way.

I had the same reaction, confused. I kind of thought they maybe wanted to keep Bubba and his elite speed on the 40 man. Not that he would be a huge loss but the elite Buxton like speed might have come in handy at points in the season. They just grabbed Duarte and again no big deal to hope he clears waivers but they signed Jackson so he is here to stay. As you pointed out the guy has been around a long time, but hasn't pitched much at the MLB level. He had a real nice year last year although as others have pointed out his FIP is not nice. Not sure how his peripheral numbers check out, but it seems a curious choice for a 40 man spot. I mean his MLB numbers are good he just seems like a possible regression candidate. It does make you wonder if the Twins don't have a trade coming up that is gonna clear some 40 man room or maybe this is just a guy they really like for lower leverage work? I just kind of thought they might want a few more guys in the pen with options that they could could send up and down and Jackson is out of options and 36 years old to boot. So yeah Doc I am a little confused myself. Have to assume the moves to come will make this move make more sense? Edit: Reading more about him the Twins must be believers that last years numbers are for real and if they are he would be a very nice addition. Wondering what the salary is going to be as I have to believe the Jays wanted him back.

This looks like the Twins went for a cheaper option to replace Polanco's production at the plate. I guess I can talk myself into this being a positive as he has plus defensive value doesn't K at a 30% rate and hits lefties fairly well. He also is a base clogger as he doesn't run well and lacks versatility as well. At 38 his best years are behind him, but he is still a productive player. FWIW his stats last year aren't that far off from Polanco's, but it's just hard to get excited about this signing since it isn't a huge difference making bat.

Really nice to see and hear from Bowen about his baseball mentality. I love the confidence. Hope he can put on the weight and stay healthy all year as he seems to have the pitches. The hype appears to be real, hopefully he keeps the pedal to metal and zooms up the levels.

Not the move I was hoping for. Hopefully this turns out better than I think it will.

Lot's of different opinions on Soto, but as mentioned he wasn't seen a lot. Still in most mocks he was in the 20 to 30 range which is where the Twins took him. I loved the pick when they made it. He is big, fairly filled out and looks ready at a young age to keep moving. Lot's of questions about the fastball shape and whether it will play at higher levels. I am very interested to see how he does this coming year and I still like the pick and going for a high upside arm. Wouldn't mind them doing that again this year, high school or college arm. For all the concern about high school arms Miami doubled down on them and Cleveland gave Clemmy an above slot bonus in the second round to get him to sign. Pitchers are always tough calls especially early in the draft, but I liked the Soto pick and hope he's another ace level arm in time.

I guess in Hall they think they have their Hader replacement or maybe they think he can start? They have him for 6 years now for one year of Burns but I thought they would have wanted a legit starter to replace Burns. I guess they save 15M so they can buy one of the budget starters as well. I get Ortiz is a defensive wizard but I don't buy the hitting numbers. Feels too risky for me. Still, I guess they can lean on his defense and hope the offense follows. Gotta believe getting the comp pick put this over the top. If they kept Burns all year that is all they would have gotten and they would have had to wait another year to recoup the pick. Now they get that pick a year early and they have 4 picks in the first 68 selections for this year to kick start the farm. I guess that is a pretty good return for one year of Burns, but it feels like their shot at a World series title takes a serious hit without Burns. I guess they are playing the long game. They sure fooled me as I thought with the moves they had made that they were gonna give it one more try this year.

I really read the Brewers wrong as I thought they would wait until the deadline to trade Burns. They must be getting something really good back. I wonder what it is?

I have Lewis and Culpeeper moving to AA to start the year next year since Lewis was rock steady and minor league pitcher of the year and Culpepper has two good fastballs and a plethora of other pitches they both seem like they could handle the level change. I was wondering if they were going to keep Jones in the rotation or move him to the bullpen. He is older and there might be better starter arms in the mix there this year. They also might move Hidalgo to the pen since he is two pitch pitcher, but he is young so still time to work on things. Hard to say what the Twins think but those are my thoughts.

I was thinking High A too as they drafted a lot of pitchers in the 2023 draft that will likely need to start at A ball. Thinking about it longer I also wondered that since he doesn't have that third pitch and is new to the org that they might want to keep him in A ball for a month or so to refine pitches and work on that third pitch at the complex. Hard to say what they will do, but IMO he fits best at high A since he has good stuff already and it seems like there is more room there to start.

What stuck out to me or surprised me was just how close his OPS was to Jenkins in the FCL and he hit more HR's than Jenkins in that SSSS. That K rate is the biggest concern for me. It was the knock when he was drafted as well. It feels like if he overcomes that (which is no easy task) it would be like getting a 1st round pick in the 3rd round. He is an incredibly versatile player and I am super excited about this kid, but a full season will give us a better idea of just where he is at in all aspects of his game.

Looks like the Twins found a good add on in that trade. Watching some of his stuff on video he looks like he has some really good pitches. Finding that third pitch can be tough, but if he can do it he looks like a fast mover. He will be an exciting guy to watch.

A near 800 OPS is pretty darn good at the MLB level and that number might have been higher as he likely played through injury. Would I like that OPS a little higher for a 1st baseman sure, but I don't think he is a liability there yet. On to the article which doesn't say he didn't have a good year at the plate but that he has a chronic injury history and that he doesn't completely fit the Twins hitting profile not to mention if Lee comes up they might want to move Jullien off of second to first base. Depending on how fast Lee comes up it does kind of feel like there will be a silent competition between Kirilloff and Jullien. While Kirilloff can play Left field that doesn't seem like a long term fit given 3 of the top 4 guys in the system are outfielders and he isn't the greatest defender out there anyway. If Jullien looks like the better bat and long term fit at 1st I could see the Twins moving on and trying to trade Alex for something they need. That being said given Kirilloff has one option year remaining and doesn't cost that much this year I don't see them doing anything this year. The kid was a feared hitter in the Minor's and looked good at times last year at the MLB level. If he moves that OPS needle a bit further and stays healthy for a season he will be just fine.

I think pretty much this whole board felt the same way. Descla isn't the type of pitcher needed to take the next step. No one wanted just another 5th starter and even less an injury prone one. The offseason isn't over so still a chance things change although those odds seem very remote. The only hope now is that if the team performs well maybe they get the guy we were hoping for at the deadline.

AA seems like the toughest level for hitters to get through. The pitching is generally really good at that level. Brooks Lee struggled to start there and he has good contact skills. I agree with @jmlease1 that Schobel's approach at AA didn't change much. He kept taking walks and kept hitting the ball he just wasn't getting the same quality of contact. Might take some time but I think he gets back to those high A numbers he put up when he was at the top of his league in HR's and OPS.

I guess I don't get this line of thinking at all. There is no way to know how any season will turn out. Injuries and regression kill potential playoff teams every year. Pablo goes down early in the season and even if you got that number 2 you are probably sunk in the playoffs. Not to mention Lewis, Buxton, Kirriloff are injury prone. You have rookies in Wallner and Jullien who preformed well in SSS, but were protected against lefties so no idea how they will fare this coming year. There are question marks all over this team so banking on being a contender is impossible to know until the season unfolds. I mean every team is a contender opening day until things play out and every team would like another number 2 arm to start the season. We all want a top of the rotation pitcher but what trades have been worked out for one this year? Even the Orioles with prospects to burn haven't paid the cost to get "a guy". I think the people running the show are doing the best they can given the parameters\money they have. Every team wants a number 2 it's just not that easy to get deals done.

I think we are down to one year deals and possibly another trade. I do think the Twins will wait until to the deadline to decide how to handle the top of the rotation. One of Ober, Paddack or Ryan might emerge as an option or maybe Varland, Festa or SWR emerge. It also gives them time to see how this team performs. There are lot's of young players and lot's of sophomore slump's to get through. Waiting to pay a premium for a top guy might be prudent. I don't see them going past 130M for payroll and they will want to keep payroll flexible in future years for arb raises and extensions. Not having a solid TV deal hurts as well. They added starter depth and replaced Pagan along with getting a top 100 prospect in the Polanco trade for less money than they would have had to pay for free agents so it feels like the heavy lifting is done. I'm not saying I love who they got as a starter, but if he is healthy he can be a mid rotation guy if you squint a little. Another big right handed bat for lefties would be nice. We will see who they decide on.

I don't see any multi year deals for the Twins this late as they are likely hunting one year deals. I think they will want to keep payroll flexible in future years here to counter arb raises and to have money for extensions. We'll see what happens.

Very nice summary!! Excellent content thank you!! I am hopeful he can improve the swing decisions because then he will be a monster at the plate. That being said some guys have that skill and some never develop it. His ability to make contact should help him some, but hunting good pitches to hit is generally the difference between making it and not making it. I'm rooting for him. Nice to have another highly rated right handed bat in the system.

I really would like to see Severino work out as a hitter for first base. Having a good power hitting 1st baseman\DH that can hit from both sides could be really valuable. He will have to conquer AAA first but he could be a Morneau type bat if it all comes together.