Dman

Yeah gotta believe Correa is the highest paid shortstop in the league after this is over. San Fran can afford to pay and what's not to like about the west coast weather? Bogaerts and the Red Sox are still talking and I have to believe are the favorites to sign him as he is settled in there. Looking at the market they have to know what it will take. Guessing they were hoping to bridge to their shortstop draft pick to not have to spend money but if they want to compete this coming year they need Bogaerts. We will see what their appetite is for going long term with him. Otherwise it sure looks like the Cubs will grab him. It feels like the Twins will be on the outside looking in once again unless Correa really, really likes it here..

Yeah I think Dollander if he remains dominant has a good chance to go number 1. Pittsburgh can't play in FA for pitchers so will need to draft arms to get there. Nats could use pitching too but they are a wild card as they could use everything. I think they are more set at position players than pitching so they could go pitching with their top pick(s) as well.

I like the Shortstop with power the best even if he moves off of short the hitting profile looks really, really good. Call me crazy but I also really like 80 graded speed of the centerfielder even if he doesn't have a power stroke right now. We have seen with Buxton that even elite centerfield defense can be a real difference maker and this guy looks like he has a solid bat just likely not much power. I agree there looks to be lots of really good options for the top 5. There are a couple of pitchers who could move into the top 5 as well. This should be a really exciting draft for the Twins.

Wow, when does a MN sports team get lucky enough to move up 8 spots? That is crazy cool. So they get a top 5 pick in 2023 as well as number 34 or so. I was kind of hoping they would go pitcher at 13 and 34 but since they moved up it probably will be another bat at number 5. If they do take a bat again would really like to see the next three picks go to pitchers. They need to replenish the farm after trading some of their better arms at the deadline. Still hoping they go pitcher heavy in the 2023 draft but really, really nice to have a top 5 pick.

Kind of surprised there is this much movement this early in Free Agency. Past years it seemed like it took forever for the first domino to fall.

I can't see Correa signing until Judge signs but it sounds like the Giants have the money for Judge or Correa maybe even both if they want to stretch the payroll. Hopefully he likes Minnesota enough to work out a deal but the odds still feel long to me. I can't say I love the 10 year high AAV deals for players as they turn on the team faster than you would like but it would be nice to have short solved for the next five to 6 years. At least the Twins are actually in this one.

I can see another team taking him but I don't think he will stick. As noted by others the control just isn't there and while he can hit triple digits he can't seem to control his stuff and he has tendency to groove fastballs to stay in the strike zone which tend to fall for hits. So between giving up hits at about one per innings plus all the walks he seems like a long shot to go in Rule V to me. A team could take flyer to see if they can "fix" anything but unless he makes some significant improvements I don't see him in the majors now and maybe never.

I think given his size and the fact he has a fastball he can run into the upper 90's he looks like a much needed bullpen arm to me. This bullpen can use more high octane arms and if he is ready he could mix well with Duran and Alcala. If he does well in the pen they could throw him into a rotation spot in 2024 when Gray, Maeda and Mahle might no longer be with the club. Sale started as a bullpen arm so they could still work him in as a starter after using him in the bullpen if they think that makes sense down the road.

I think they might try for Correa but whatever numbers they throw up there another team will exceed them. This team doesn't do long term deals so I think the odds of one of the big name shortstops coming here is pretty unlikely. Personally I think they will try and follow the Cleveland Blue Print. Try to go young and hope a decent number of those young players hit. I think Plan A is most likely. Lewis and Lee are their top two prospects for goodness sake and they both can play short. Maybe not at an elite level but they can play it. I have to believe they will give them every opportunity to work out there. They also have Martin who could play there in a pinch. Jullien and Wallner are bats on the rise and Rodriquez could be a fast mover as well. That doesn't even include Miranda, Kirilloff, Larnach and Celestino as young bats still trying to make names for themselves. Not everybody is going to make it but if 50% do that will put the team in a good spot. Correa liked it in Minnesota so there is always a chance I just don't like the odds. Also for as good as Correa is he didn't help this team make the playoffs. I just don't think I like the idea of a player that isn't "that" great a difference maker taking up 20 to 25% of the salary space on this team. Cleveland doesn't have a single player except Ramerez making much of anything and they took the division and have space to add if they want to. That is a position I would prefer to be in. I think Farmer is a decent compromise at this point. We need our young pitching to turn out some better than average arms or it won't really matter what the Twins do at shortstop. For proof just look at last year.

With Urshela pretty exclusively a third baseman I always felt like moving him made sense. Getting someone who can legit play short is an ideal swap IMO. They also get a younger pitching prospect from the Angels to replace the older Legumina and gain a 40 man spot. There is a lot of value in this trade for the Twins. Will be interesting to see how the rest of the offseason shakes out but I think this is a decent start. Hopefully more of the younger pitching prospects the Twins have on the 40 man show they can be difference makers next year.

Sorry 26 I must moved my finger over one.

The first three were no brainers to me. Jullien is everything you want in a bat and Canterino when healthy is very to tough to hit and gets K's in bunches. Headrick is big Lefty with starter potential who could also be a pen arm if needed. The team is short on Lefties so I can see why Headrick was appealing. I really liked what Sisk did last year. The stat sheet looked good and there wasn't much difference in performance between AA and AAA. He didn't give up a ton of HR's I guess I don't understand why they wouldn't make room for him? I would prefer him over any rule V guy they decide to grab. Lawyerson had a really good year stat wise as well he had a serious dominant stretch but his fastball isn't that fast so he would have to be a finesse starter and or reliever. So I can see the hesitation. Things could fall apart for him at AAA but he looks like someone with a chance as a reliever IMO. If you look on MLB.com though Legumina is rated at 26 and Sisk and Lawyerson are not in the top 30. Legumina has a legit 4 pitch mix and the potential devastating slider the Twins love so I guess it makes sense they added him. Still his stats from last year are ugly. I hope this isn't another Strotman type pitcher taking up space. I know position players generally don't get taken that often in rule V because teams just can't afford to carry those players all year and Severino isn't fast, doesn't have amazing power numbers and isn't a defensive wizard. The bat is his carrying tool but is that enough for another team to keep him on the 27 man? I would be hard pressed to say yes. I think you can wave goodbye to Evan Sisk as that is a risk I can see any bottom team taking. Possible that Lawyerson and or Funderburk get taken but I have to believe there are better arms out there to choose from but who knows. The power Chris Williams showed last year could get him picked by a bottom team but he had a pretty large drop off from AA to AAA. I might be alone on this but I really like Anthony Prato as a utility player and I think he could stick on a MLB roster and be valuable but that might be a reach. In summary I am OK with the 4 guys they chose. I like Sisk better than Legumina but I will trust they see more potential in the righty. As always it will be interesting to see what teams do in Rule V and I hope none of our guys get picked.

I like that they generally go high with outfield prospects in international Free Agency then they don't need to focus on that position as much in the Draft. Still the Twins could use more centerfield help in the system but speed seems to be an after thought tool for them. If those are the three guys they get it looks pretty balanced this year with outfield catcher and short. Last years high picks did well and I hope the guys they get this year do just as well or better.

IMO if it looks like he can handle AAA then just keep him in AAA. If he stops hitting then sure send him back down. It is a small sample size but he doesn't look lost at that level and as others have said if the Twins want him to be a legit prospect they need to move him fast because he is already 24. Happy to see him hit the ground running and maybe he turns out to be better than most of us gave him credit for.

Yeah I meant the series my bad.

Although SWR's numbers look slightly better Varland was the right choice as he pitched all year pretty much without interruption. His consistency along with a slightly better K rate makes him stand out more to me. SWR is right there with him though which is a good thing. It sure would be nice if those two could be front line starters along with Ryan. Congrats to Louie who has worked his butt off and taken the title again.

I had my doubts when it came to Wallner, lots of doubts but I think this years amazing season has put them to rest. The power was always there but the massive swing and miss was troubling early on. Kepler has to be looking over his shoulder as Wallner's bat could be a difference maker in right field. Anyway Congrats to Wallner on a great season and for putting doubter's like me in their place. I really do like Juliens game better than Wallner and he has been amazing since he started pro ball. Essentially not much change in the number no matter the level. I like a guy who can make a pitcher work and he still has power to hit the ball out of the park. He also is savvy on the bases being able to steal bases. Julien is a very complete offensive player now if he could elevate his defense that would really help. Williams was on fire this year but I guess I still don't know if this is a one year wonder thing or not. I think the Twins might have something in Cardenes. I think the bat is for real. The FSL is a tough league for a hitters OPS and he has held his own in that tough environment all year. I would not be surprised to see him move two levels next year if his bat continues to play. I thought he was a more defensive first catcher out of college so I assume he is still solid behind the plate but I can't say for sure. Their are good number of solid bats in the system now if they can find more pitching talent that would really help.

Happy too see at least one affiliate win a playoff game! Now let's go get that championship!

He just gives up too much contact right now and guys are barreling his pitches for home runs. I mean 99 hits in 95 innings is gonna hurt you and his HR rate is a killer as well. Something isn't working. Maybe @bean5302 can take a deeper dive into the numbers but right now there is something about that is too predictable for the hitters he is facing. Fix that and he looks like he could be dominant. Keep things the same and he will never make it. Given his build and the results so far I think a reliever role fits him best but I guess we will see what happens next year. At least he is young for the level. There is time to fix stuff.

I know the OP focused on just three but IMO it was even worse than that. I would go on to argue Strotman and Henriquez and to some degree Sands were all equally disappointing at the minor league level as well. The top of the 2020 draft with Sabato and Soularie continued to disappoint as well. I am giving Cavaco one more year but he too looks out of his depth at the plate. So yeah plenty of of disappointing players on the farm this year and could argue the OP has the top three as those players all ranked higher in the system but the the disappointment goes beyond those 3. I know I keep harping on it but the Twins need that pitching pipeline up and working without it they cannot compete. They seem to be good at getting the most from guys drafted late but they all seem to be 5th starter types. They need to find some front of the rotation types as well to make this work. There were plenty of positives in the system as well. Far more positive player outcomes than negative in the system Varland and Festa to name just a few. With three of the 4 affiliates making the playoffs the system has good players the question is do they have elite players or MLB difference makers there? I hope so.

Happy to see there is still fight left in the teams at A and High A. Muscles with a massive comeback I thought it was over with the score 5 to 3 with the bullpens in place. I give Cavaco a lot of crap but that was a huge hit to get the win. Also nice to see the 2022 draft picks stepping up and helping with the win. They just need to keep this up and find a way to win the series. Lee seems to be looking better every game he gets. They are going to need his bat to keep things going. Another player that gets no love, Javier with a big HR. The guy can still play just needs to find a way to be more consistent with the bat. Seems like that Wichita lineup is running on all cylinders now even after losing Wallner and Williams. Martin has looked better after returning from injury. Prato is still a tough out. Severino has been hitting the ball well and Jullien always seems to find a way to get on base. Throw in some solid pitching and I think this team has a chance in the playoffs. Gotta believe at least one of the three teams in the playoffs can go all the way.

For as frustrating as this year has been it has been a lot more fun than last year. Being completely out of it after the first month of the season made last year really hard to be excited about Twins baseball at all. At least with the fast start and being in it until late in the season games had meaning. So while the results were the same I enjoyed this years team much more than last years. We need much better pitching to compete in the division and the playoffs though. So I hope the arms we have stay\get healthy and that young arms develop otherwise this team is going no where next year either.

Was hoping for at least one playoff win but it was not to be. Happy that Wichita clinched and it is nice to see the bottom three affiliates in the playoffs. The Saints being the only major minor league team not to make it this year. A fun year to watch the Twins prospects in the minors. Hopefully one of these teams can win a playoff series.

I hate to say it but I was kind of waiting for Headrick to fall later in the season. I also thought the move up might hurt him and it has tainted his ERA and WHIP but the K rate remains very good which bodes well. Maybe someone else can correct me but I am not aware of him having a plus pitch. Maybe the slider or change is there now but I don't really know. He was dominant at High A but he wasn't really young for the level either. He is a lefty with a good K rate though so a much needed arm in the Twins system. I would say he an outside chance to start but I see him ending up a reliever myself. We will soon see how the Twins feel as they have a lot of Rule V 40 man decisions to make this coming year.,

Yeah I should have included injury concerns in there. They are not old as you stated.