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TL

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  1. TL
    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.
  2. TL
    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.
  3. TL
    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.
  4. TL
    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.
  5. TL
    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.
  6. TL
    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.
  7. TL
    This ⬆️
  8. TL
    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.
  9. TL
    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.
  10. TL
    Larnach and Jeffers both should be available in trades and can help bring in RPs for the back-end of the bullpen. That really feels like the plan given the Cantarini signing and the fact that Larnach is totally redundant, yet they tendered him. Get 2 guys with years of control and even throw in a decent prospect with Larnach if you need to. Bullpen could look pretty good at that point.
  11. TL
    The Twins traded maybe 140 innings each from Duran and Jax (much less valuable than a #1 starter) for 12 years of Abel and Tait, and 5 years of Bradley. And they can still flip Ryan and Lopez at the deadline for prospects if they aren’t in contention. I get that there may be a work stoppage, but even a half year with a playoff run + potential for 2027 will be in high demand. I’d love to get a back-end guy to stabilize the bullpen and maybe they will through a trade (Jeffers?) before opening day. But at least 2 spots also need to be saved for MLB ready guys that don’t have a rotation spot, perhaps Festa and Preillip.
  12. TL
    This is probably the right approach. Hold on to your front-line starters to lead the way while expecting (hoping) 2-3 others step up in a big way and some of the young position players show material improvement. This gives your first year manager a chance but also lets the team restock if not enough players step up to help the team contend. You’re probably trading Lopez and Ryan within the next 12 months do you don't lose them for a draft pick. Only question is whether it is before the deadline or after the season, which would mean we made a playoff push. In that world you can still trade them after the season for a big return.
  13. TL
    If we are not contending at the break then I’m all for trading everyone who is not part of the post-lockout future. Feels to me like the front office is trying to give (within budget constraints) this core of players in their mid to late 20s one more chance to prove they can contend. If they can, then we are loaded with prospects reinforcements, some of whom will actually make it, to keep it going into the future. If it doesn’t work then we are on to the next core of Jenkins, Culpepper, Keaschall, E-Rod, Tait and the bevy of young starters. Plus whatever other prospects we pick up after the fire sale and our #3 pick in this draft. That actually seems like a plan to me and I’m all for it.
  14. TL
    If healthy, I’m confident we will get good, consistent production from Buxton, Bell, Jeffers. Keaschall and Martin don’t need to improve, but there is greater risk of them taking a step back. So if they can maintain their production we’ll be in good shape. Lewis, Lee, Wallner, Roden - 2 or 3 of them need to show material improvement for this team to succeed and for them to remain a part of the future. Big year for these 4. Julien, Larnach, Clemens, Outman seem like placeholders. If they do well that’s great, but they’re likely biding time until the likes of Culpepper, Jenkins, E-Rod, force their way onto the roster.
  15. TL
    I agree with this, but even if Raya moves full time to the bullpen I think he starts in AAA until he shows more consistency and gets that walk rate down. Prielipp + 1 higher end free agent would go a long way to making the bullpen respectable: 4 are set: Sands, Topa, Funderburk, Orze 2 other young starters: Prelipp + Festa? 2 free agents: 1 higher end + 1 from the handful of bargains we’ll try out Raya, Adams, Ohl, Morris, Klein etc. in AAA as depth and see who breaks out.
  16. TL
    Need to use this surplus of 4th outfielders to rebuild a bullpen. Any or all of Outman, Larnach, Martin, Roden, Clemens could help that cause and pave the way for the youth movement. Gonzalez being right-handed seems to have a lot of value as a platoon bat/DH/PH. And Keaschall to the OF (or 1B) may get a lot of steam soon if we get lucky in the draft lottery, but I’d give him 2026 to try and stick at second.
  17. TL
    Love reading this! I have been downplaying his potential impact in my head because of injuries and the Julien-like (over)patience, but if he reaches his potential along with a few of the others, look out.
  18. TL
    That’s a pretty varied list in terms of experience and familiarity. I lean toward Servais with this young team and need for a guy who has built credibility and experience outside of this organization.
  19. TL
    Great read!
  20. TL
    I like this idea. His bat should play up with less stress on his body and I’d trust him to be able handle it defensively much more than a converted outfielder. We’d need a stop gap catcher next year but Tait may be ready by 2027 at some point and he looks like the future.
  21. TL
    It’s great to see 6 players with > 100 wRC+ since the deadline, plus Lee and Lewis who for some reason I continue to think can be average and above average respectively. Larnach already looked like a release/trade candidate before Martin got up here and started hitting - now it looks even more certain that Martin can take over in left. Put Jenkins in right, move Wallner to DH and add a first baseman and we have a chance!
  22. TL
    On the bright side: Zebby continues his upward trajectory; Buxton, Lewis, Keaschall, Jeffers - guys we care about for 2026 - continue to perform late in the season; Pablo is almost back. Let’s see if Bradley can back up his last outing tonight!
  23. TL
    As much as I want to believe Buxton will continue to be healthy for the next 3 years, Jenkins also provides the perfect backup CF option, in addition to holding down a corner spot.
  24. TL
    Good article and agree this looks like the “low point”, which is still netting him an OPS over .800. I’ll take that on a minimum / low salary every day of the week, which is where he’ll be for another 2-3 years after this. It does look like his future is as a DH on this team given the outfield options we have coming up soon, but that’s fine. DH with occasional RF or pinch hit duties when someone else is rotating through the DH spot. I’d stick him at #5 in the order and leave him there for the foreseeable future.
  25. TL
    They have to figure out first base. Julien looks lost there. Would love to have Sabato get ABs in Sept to see how it looks, but otherwise one of Wallner, Keaschall, Fedko, Roden (or even Jeffers if they can find a C) should be considered. I believe in Keaschall at 2B as he gets more experience, but he has looked rough the last few weeks.
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