TL

They can’t lose him for nothing, so a trade, signing or qualifying offer are the scenarios here and all have some upside. Trade feels most likely assuming they are out of contention but I’d be very open to a contract in 15MM range for 3-4 years. A one year QO at 20MM is expensive but it’s only one year so not a bad consolation prize.

I think this is exactly right. Time is ticking for Wallner but I’m not quite ready to give up. It would have been smart in hindsight to IL him for the rib and let him rehab in AAA. Best case scenario is he finds the bat and becomes a cost-controlled DH for a few years (and hopefully Bell gets hot and can command something decent in a trade this summer) because his OF days are certainly numbered. If he can’t find it in 2-3 weeks then that option will need to be used unfortunately. Hard to believe he is already 29.

Gabby at first 😳

Wallner maybe has a week or two to turn it around. He has shown he can get hot for long stretches, but that won’t happen as a bench bat so if he doesn’t turn it on soon, he’s gonna have to find his swing at AAA. And if he goes down, that’s likely the end of his time as a right fielder. I don’t like making rash decisions, especially in April, but Outman, Wallner and the bullpen are killing this team right now and there are clear improvements in line to help. Keaschall also needs to be looking over his shoulder.

Health looks like the only thing that could hold him back. That was a super encouraging debut. I have to believe his innings will be limited this year, which means he could end up on the back end of the bullpen as we get past the all-star break.

Strange thing is that Buxton and Keaschall have underperformed so far (against all these left handers) and they are still winning. That bodes well for when some of the others cool off and Buxton/Keaschall’s numbers start to normalize.

Most of me says draft best player available which will likely be a SS. But man if Houston shows enough that they are confident his bat can be sufficient to handle major league pitching it would be nice to take the top college arm on the board.

Those trades at the deadline are looking better by the day. Imagine if we did not have Bradley, Abel and even Rojas after Lopez went down and Ober continues to struggle. Starting depth and upside would be a real problem even if they may have signed a low priced vet or two.

Agree with the author that the Johan Santana path is perfect for him right now. Continue to work as a starter at AAA and if all goes well bring him up as a reliever in the summer to bolster the pen and get him MLB experience while limiting his total innings pitched to ~110. Even start that way in 2027 if the rotation looks solid and see where it takes him.

Agree with the sentiment that displacing him for Clemens isn’t the best idea (Clements can play LF too). But, looking ahead Keaschall may value versatility on the chance that 2 of Lee, Culpepper, Houston and the #3 draft pick (likely a SS) are locking down the middle infield due to superior defense. His best path to a full time starting spot may actually be first base starting next year.

He’s a good guy to bet on for this type of contract. A lot of unknowns about the labor contract situation after this year but if a salary cap comes in it will also come with a floor, which means Twins payroll (and revenue) are higher. So locking him in now for ~15MM could be bargain.

This ⬆️

I think this article is spot on. We have 2 front line starters and are not pinning all of our hopes on just a few guys to take steps forward. Of 6 other starters, only 2 need to really take steps forward into #3/4 types. SWR and Ober have already proven they can. I expect at least one of Matthews, Abel, Bradley, Festa to be solid. Of 4 position players mentioned, if 2 have above average years they’ll join Buxton, Jeffers, Bell to make up a solid top 5. That’s not too hard given track records and potential of Wallner, Keaschall, Lewis. If even 1 of 4 prospects (Jenkins, ERod, Gonzalez, Culpepper) has a good rookie season it will solidify the lineup - and who would bet against Jenkins stepping in an throwing up a 750+ OPS with good defense? Seems doable. Of course, back end of bullpen still needs to be further addressed and injuries can derail everything, but I like the depth leading to competition that should see some of these guys (finally) breaking through.

That's a tough path to making the roster with all the other lefties that could play the same role with better defense. This team needs Culpepper to get off to a hot start and get his righty bat up, which can push Keaschall to LF against left handed pitchers. Against right handers Lee, Keaschall and Culpepper can hold down the middle infield spots.