Reider

Hopefully Arcia and Vargas can rebound, but that remains to be seen. Sano, while it's possible that his numbers could go down from last season, pitchers won't be able to keep him in the park all year long. He's going to put the bat on the ball and it's going to sail. Even his line drives travel with a purpose, which is also why I think at some point(s) in the season Sano might be down, but he'll never be out. Rosario's offense is definitely more concerning to me than Sano's. However, what I see different in Rosario from a lot of other younger players is confidence. He came up and carried himself like he had already been playing in the MLB for years. The same could probably be said for Sano as well. Those two guys seem to have a certain confidence about themselves that I didn't first see in others like Hicks, Vargas, etc.. And of course that could mean absolutely nothing as it's only what I perceive and may have no bearing on the future. The thing I like about Rosario's offense is that he seems to be quite versatile. Although he isn't going to lead the team in home runs (he had 13 last year), look at how many triples he had last year (15). Rosario just needs to put the bat on the ball and his legs are going to do the rest. My only concern with Rosario is that pitchers might start figuring him out and his batting average and obp might take a hit at some point, but like Sano, if he puts the bat on the ball, good things are going to happen. Also, another thing I like about Rosario is his defense. He had so many defensive highlight reel assists last year. It was amazing. This guy plays with confidence, has a strong accurate arm and can hit for both power (some, not a lot) and extra bases. I think he's going to be okay in the long run, but it'll be interesting to see if he can keep his batting average up next year.

I've been reading a lot of posts this off season and some of them make me wonder what fans are expecting for the Twins in 2016. What are your expectations for 2016? Am I crazy for expecting / wanting the Twins to take a step forward and earn a Wild Card spot? Is that not a realistic expectation/goal? Of course, if the Twins don't have the right pieces in place, it probably won't happen, but I think the right players are out there to make this goal attainable. There have been talks about trading players like Dozier and Plouffe. I've read posts about fans not wanting the Twins to bring in any outfield help after Hunter retired and Hicks got traded away. I've read posts about bringing in a 4th outfielder, when the Twins don't even have 2nd or 3rd outfielders. I've read a lot of bizarre and confusing posts since the end of the season. It's difficult to take a step forward as an organization when vacant positions are not properly filled. Is it somehow a bad idea to not make a reasonable attempt at achieving that goal (earning a Wild Card spot) in 2016?

At the very least, it would be nice if the Twins could sign a couple of pitchers and an outfielder before spring training.

Agreed. With Hicks being traded away and Hunter retiring, there are now two spots to fill in the outfield. I'd welcome Span or Revere back. We need a lead off hitter and at least one outfielder, so I'd welcome either of those two guys back.

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Yeah, I do too. But it's difficult convincing people to go to Minnesota to watch baseball as most people here are Blue Jays fans. I don't know too many Twins fans up here.

The Twins used to play the Blue Jays in August at home, which made a lot of sense because kids are out of school and many people are on summer vacation (especially teachers). This allowed for a lot of Canadians to travel south to Minnesota to watch the Blue Jays and do many other things (e.g. shop). It's poor planning to host the Blue Jays in may. This is the one thing I'd like to see fixed on the schedule. Move the Blue Jays back to August when Canadians are on summer vacation.

Considering the Twins far exceeded my expectations, I have to agree with your points. Perhaps they just so happened to win more games than they should have last year. But there's also another way to look at it. What if Perkins, Hunter, and home run wise Dozier didn't slump in the second half? The Twins could have really exceeded expectations way beyond anyone's imagination. All I mean by that is, they arguably could have earned a wild card spot, not that they would have done much with it. Yes, good point on BABIP affecting his OPS considering we know that he's not going to hit a lot of home runs or hit for a lot of power in general. I'm just going to take the wait and see approach on Murphy. I haven't really seen much of him and he hasn't played a single game for the Twins yet. There are players out there with excellent or well rounded skill sets that don't meet expectations for whatever reason, then there's guys with less than excellent skill sets who embrace the challenge and end up being solid players. Lets hope Murphy is the latter.

At this point I support the trade. If I had to be critical, obviously in a year where you want to take a step forward and make the playoffs, you'd want a veteran catcher with a proven track record to help you take that next step, instead of a young back up catcher from another team. That's a risk Terry Ryan is taking, but there's always a risk. However, after watching all of the young guys contribute last year, I feel more confident about a good young catcher coming in and contributing. At the very least, I'm hopeful that he won't stink the joint up. He'll be okay as long as he puts up decent hitting numbers. The Twins still have Suzuki, so it's not like we're putting all of our eggs in one basket. What if Suzuki has a bit of a rebound year and Murphy continues playing the way he has been, if not better? We're golden.

Well you're right. A lot can happen and a lot does happen. We don't know what will happen in the future, whether it's for the better or worse. The Twins finished the season a step away from making the playoffs. But things have changed since then. Hunter retired, Hicks got traded away, Hermann is gone, Murphy is now here etc..Obviously there are still holes to fill in the line up as it's early in the off season. However, Terry Ryan has been busy working and one can only assume that his work this off season is not complete yet. My assumptions / opinions are based on the premise that Terry Ryan is going to try and assist this franchise in taking another step forward by putting the right pieces in place. If he sits on his hands from here on out, obviously the Twins won't be taking another step forward! This really should have went without saying. You're right, we don't know if Murphy can hold up his hitting, but that could be said about every other player in the MLB, including the soon to be 39 year old A.J Pierzynski. Sure you can say that players like A.J have a track record, but so did Joe Mauer. At the end of the day, given our options, I don't dislike the idea of going with a younger catcher. Lets just see how he does before jumping to any conclusions, one way or the other. I know fans want to replace Suzuki with a much better / proven catcher, but who? There is only one Joe Mauer and he's already on the team, but not catching anymore. It's difficult to find an elite catcher right now. I think fans should at least give Murphy a chance.

As time goes on and the more I think about it, the more I am okay with / like this trade. Given the fact that the Twins are one step away from making the playoffs, it was important for Terry Ryan to bring stability to the catcher position. And while analyzing this trade, it is important to give special consideration to the fact that the market is currently weak for catchers. While it's true that the Twins could have signed AJ without giving up Hicks, Murphy is young. He has young knees, he can hit and there's plenty of opportunity to learn and improve. Considering the fact that the young players on the Twins played a large role in the team winning a lot more games than the last few years, I feel confident that, while Murphy may not be the next Joe Mauer, he will at least bring stability to the catcher position. The future will tell us more, but for now, I don't think we can go wrong with a decent young catcher, who can hit.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but aren't both Papelbon and Storen going to potentially create issues in the Twins' clubhouse if the team trades for either of them? Papelbon for his attitude / personality / behavior, Storen for wanting to be the closer. I have no problem with any player striving to be the best they can possibly be. I just think that there would have to be some kind of conversation and understanding had between the Twins and Storen if they were to acquire him. I have no problem with any pitcher being the Twins closer as long as he is better than what we already have. However, i'd rather not bring in a pitcher who's going to be disruptive in the clubhouse about being the closer if he doesn't earn it. I agree that the Twins could use another solid arm in the bullpen to compliment Perkins and Jepsen, I'm just not sure if Storen is able and / or willing to keep his ego in check.

I knew he had hip surgery, but I didn't realize he would be out that long. That really blows considering he would miss all of spring training. I think i'd still take a look at signing him. The Royals are. Do you want to watch him smash the Twins, while playing for the Royals or some other team? Or would you rather him be a part of the solution here? I think he's a great fit even if he misses a week or 6.

If I had to pick an outfielder to trade away, Hicks made the most sense to me, so I'm not terribly upset over that at the moment. If I have to pick an infielder to trade away for any type of reasonable return, Plouffe makes the most sense to me. I'd rather Sano play 3rd base, than keep Plouffe and move Sano to the outfield. Which brings up my next point. If I had to pick a positional FA to sign other than a pitcher, Denard Span makes the most sense to me because he fills two needs (bona fide outfielder and lead off hitter). Not to mention the fact that he is a familiar face. The Twins have been looking for a lead off hitter ever since Span was traded away and now that both Hunter and Hicks are gone, it only leaves Rosario in the outfield with Buxton and Kepler as possibilities, but also players who are also likely to start the season in AAA. I'm pretty much open to trading away most of our pitchers and am open to trading for any pitcher who will improve the team. On that note, I am also open to signing any FA pitchers who will improve upon the current staff. I think this is a very important area to improve upon if the Twins want to take another step forward next year.

This is actually a good thing because it's much easier to teach a player to pull the ball for power than it is to hit opposite field for power. I know this based on things I have read and also from personal experience.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. The Hicks trade increases the likelihood of Span returning to the Twins. Now that there's two open outfield spots (with Rosario being the only "guaranteed" (penciled in) starting outfielder in 2016), it's something the Twins should consider more than they did yesterday. If the Twins are serious about taking another step forward, which they appear to be, they need to put someone solid out there. the fact that Span is a proven lead off hitter almost makes me think that the Twins would be stupid for not offering him a contract. It would leave one outfield spot open for Buxton and a 4th outfielder spot open for Kepler when they are ready.

There was also this game in 2013: http://www.twinkietown.com/2013/7/24/4551848/twins-10-angels-3-chris-herrmann-grand-slam-Morneau-Mauer-babies There sure are a lot of harsh comments about the guy. I know he's not the best in the league, but he had some great moments, like the one I posted above. After watching guys like Carlos Gomez, David Ortiz etc. having success after leaving Minnesota, I've decided not to think too negatively about players just because they weren't all-stars in Minnesota. I remember not to long ago Twins fans were talking trash about another former catcher by the name of Drew Butera. People said he wasn't good enough to play in the MLB, so he went out and helped the Royals win a World Series (as a back up, I know, but he still earned a ring. How many great players never even get the opportunity?). What an amazing accomplishment. I know Hermann hasn't been the best catcher to ever play on the Twins, but I think he is a stand up person and played his best, while wearing a Twins uniform, which is all we could ask for. I thank Mr. Hermann for his service and wish him all the best in the future.

Span on a one year deal is definitely an option I would consider.

It's a statement of fact is what it is. 9 games in the MLB is all he has played. What it means is that Polanco is a much bigger risk than putting a proven player at the position. But there's more to it than that. I'll explain. It needs to be put into context. Remember, we are talking about trading our all-star 2nd baseman / gold glove candidate away and replacing him with an unproven prospect. When we talk about guys like Duffey, Rosario, Sano, etc.. Remember, the Twins basically had open spots for these young guys to move into. For instance, with Span and Revere being traded years ago, Rosario was given an opportunity, much like Hicks and Buxton were. Same with Duffey. The Twins needed good pitchers and had the space to give him an opportunity. Same thing with Santana and Escobar at SS. There was an open spot so the Twins gave the players they had in their organization to fill it instead of trading for a player or signing one via free agency. When it comes to Polanco, it's not like Twins fans are suggesting he try out for the vacant spot in right field or at SS or at catcher. No, they're talking about trading our all-star second baseman away to make room for him. And not only that, but they are making such a suggestion at a time when the Twins had just taken a huge step forward and are now one more step away from being in the playoffs. Theres a huge difference between those two different scenarios. The amount of risk is huge, given the circumstances. Yeah you're right about Marty Cordova. I probably shouldn't have used him as an example before looking at his career stats. I knew he had a relatively short career, but after further review, it was longer than I thought. Regardless, my point in that post remains the same. P.s. Post #52 that you wrote was excellent and solidifies how special of a player Dozier is, which is why I'm not interested in trading him away unless the return is so great that the Twins couldn't afford not to trade him.

Is this your opinion or a statement of fact? Dozier is an all-star and a gold glove candidate at the MLB level. Those are facts. He's fantastic on defense and is clearly one of the better hitters on the team.. If Polanco is better than him defensively, then i'd be impressed, but I'd have to see it first. Fact is, we won't know if Polanco is better than Dozier until he proves it at the MLB level. The jury is still out on this one until Polanco establishes himself and I can watch him play regularly. Is Plouffe better than Sano? I have to admit, Plouffe sure has become a reliable 3rd baseman and is a decent hitter in his own right. However, he is not unflawed. I've seen him make mistakes purely due to laziness / mental weakness. While, I admit Sano really hasn't played enough 3rd base at the MLB level, from what I can tell, he's not going to have the greatest range, but I do know that he has a stronger arm than Plouffe. When it comes to hitting, apart from the 2-3 month run Plouffe had a few years ago when he hit 20+ home runs, Sano, in my opinion has a bright future ahead as a power hitter. He looks so confident and generates a lot more power in his swing over Plouffe. I like both players, however, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if Plouffe was traded away. Sano could step right in and I'm sure he would do just fine. However, if Dozier was traded away, I'm not sure Polanco could step right in. Perhaps he could, but unlike Sano, who we saw a fair amount of last season, we've only seen Polanco play 9 games over the last 2 seasons. If a Dozier/Plouffe combo isn't in the cards for 2016, I'd rather see a Dozier/Sano combo the most, then Polanco/Sano. Lastly, I'd want to see Polanco/Plouffe. As of right now Dozier and Sano are flat out bigger impact players than Polanco and Plouffe. This is correct. I only say unknown right now because we don't know who it would be yet. Obviously the Twins would have to get a good catcher in return for Dozier. How can you say that he isn't an all-star, when it is already a fact that he is an all-star and a gold glove candidate? Also, please consider that Dozier was a leadoff hitter last year. He hit a lot of solo home runs. He could help produce more runs with a proper lead off hitter in front of him. Lastly, stats aside, I like to let my own eyes decide a players ability. Dozier is absolutely fantastic on defense. He did have a few errors late in the season, which in my opinion appeared to be a result of fatigue more than anything. He is strong mentally and has improved a great deal over the last few years. He's been consistent and has made a lot of highlight reel plays. I'd take him before most other 2nd basemen in the league for sure.

Yes, I agree, the Twins don't need to force anything. They have a good nucleus of players and there's lots of good players on the FA market. Lets listen to teams, lets talk to teams and lets consider all of our options. If we can get the right deal, take it. If not, then that's okay too.

Once again, we would have to consider our opportunity cost of each option. Mauer Dozier Escobar Sano Suzuki / with a possible FA signing Or Mauer Polanco Escobar Plouffe Catcher in return for Dozier To be honest, considering Polanco has only played 9 MLB games and the catcher in return is currently an unknown, having Dozier and Sano @ 2nd and 3rd doesn't look so bad compared to Polanco and Plouffe @ 2nd and 3rd, especially when you consider that Dozier's defense is fantastic and both Dozier and Sano are dangerous hitters in the line up. As a side note, Sano doesn't have the best range, but he does have a very strong arm.

Hey, there's nothing wrong with this point of view. In theory, I don't disagree. I think what you have to do is calculate the opportunity cost / cost benefit analysis of each option because we are not just comparing positions, we would have to actually compare the players that accompany those positions in order to figure out the best way to go in the short term and long term. Is Dozier + Suzuki/possible FA signing going to be better than Polanco + Catcher received in trade from trading Dozier away? It's difficult to gauge for a couple of reasons. 1) We really don't know what we are going to get from Polanco in a full season because he has only played 9 MLB games over the last two years. This doesn't mean he wouldn't shine, it just means we don't know. On the other side of the equation is the catcher who we'd trade Dozier for. Since a possible trade hasn't happened, we don't actually know what catcher we'd be getting. Thus it's extremely difficult to even do a proper analysis. However, what we do know is that Dozier has been improving offensively and defensively over the last few years. We know that he was an all-star last year and hit a home run in the all star game. While it may be true that his home run numbers could drop off from last year, that is not certain considering the only information we have indicates that he's been improving year over year. And defensively he has been improving year over year as well. So we don't actually know for sure if he's reached his ceiling yet. Given the information that we currently have, keeping Dozier seems to be the most logical thing to do.

Absolutely. Dozier wasn't the same hitter in the second half. He was still pretty good defensively, even though he did make a few errors. I would really like to know if he had some undisclosed injury or if he was mentally drained or if pitchers just figured him out. Also, I noticed Perkins fell off of the map after the all-star break as well. I'm sure there were more. The team just wasn't quite the same after the all-star break. Yes, but none of those guys are proven at the MLB level. Unless Dozier is replaced at 2nd base with a proven player, you're just opening one hole to fill another, thus starting the development process all over again. How is your team going to win if you are continually starting from scratch at various prositions year after year? At some point you need to have a full roster of proven players if you want to make a playoff run. I know the Twins were very fortunate last year and had a few rookies have solid seasons (e.g. Rosario, Sano, Duffey etc..), but having that many players have breakout rookie seasons isn't the norm. Show me 1) Which proven MLB player replaces Dozier @ second base and 2) What the Twins' infield would look like with Dozier gone in a trade. These are two things open for anyone / everyone to post. I'd love to see what people have in mind moving forward without Dozier around. It's easier to get on board when I can see the big picture. As of right now, I"m just not seeing it. I think i'd have a lot easier time parting with Plouffe unless a guy like Polanco steps up big and impresses me (e.g. can slap leather and put up good numbers offensively), similarly to the way the aformentioned rookies did this year. I could get get behind a rookie like that, but it's risky, there's no guarantee. Trading Plouffe seems more logical to me. Trading Dozier seems like a much larger risk. The Twins took a leap forward this year from last year and as of right now they are one step away from making the playoffs. I understand that without taking risks, there are no rewards. I am just not convinced that trading our all-star 2nd baseman is the right move to make in order to get the team into the playoffs in 2016 and beyond. I'd love to be proven wrong.