DocBauer

That's just not 100% true. Cardenas was a true catcher. And Winekel was also a true catcher. Now Cossetti was a BAT FIRST option who is only now looking like he needs promotion. I never had faith in Winkel. Hope for Oliver has always been misguided IMO. But I've always had a lot of hope that Cardenas would be a quality #2 with good defense and a solid confact bat with a decent bat and a decsnt OB% with occasional power. Think Butera with a better bat. No offense to Tinney, I can ABSOLUTELY see him as junior version of Jeffers, but with a better arm and maybe even more power. But while it seems he has the DESIRE to get better, he's got a super intelligent player to follow. It's really interesting to see how many opinions blast the Twins to NOT trade for, or draft, at the cather position...not everyone to be sure... and then the Twins draft 2 early, and. 3rd that is a long term project. There is nothing wrong with drafting Tinney. He could be an outstanding #2 Catcher. He could up at 1B. He could end up being great "trade bait". So why are we so worried about his selection? We got beat at the deadline for a couple of players we really liked? I'd bet we did the same thing for other organizations. We need to recognize Tinney is actually a pretty good prospect on his own.

It was a good win, even with some sloppy play. Prielipp was excellent, and could have easily pitched another inning, even with control over his pitch count. I understand bringing Sands back, but I would have given him another game based on how much time he's missed. I think today proved he needed a little more time. He was all over the place. I'm sure he will be better next time around, but COME ON! Shouldn't Bradley's short rehab time taught the FO something? Anderson looked pretty good in his initial appearance. But Sands has better long term value. But why rush him at this point? Again, he might be NAILS the next time he appears. But he clearly wasn't ready today. Are we ready to accept that the .130 AVG at the ML level for Kreidler just might not be Kreidler at his potential? He was great initially with the parent club, then slumped a bit, and is now on a high currently. He's running almost unexpectedly, hitting XB hits, and still playing excellent defense. Do we really have a late bloomer? I'm saying YES. Once in a while you get a 27/28yo who has potential as a steal. We got that with Castro. I think we got that with Kreidler as well. He shouldn't be a starter, but he can be a hell of a nice Super Utility option. And let's be honest, we got LUCKY with both him and Clemens. Call it luck or good scouting for late potential. SOMETIMES guys just "figure it out" later in their career, right time and place. Right now, I'd figure Kreidler and Clemens as BOTH being part of 2027's roster. They could both regress, and there are some MILB options to potentially replace them. But I'm finding that harder and harder to see as they keep producing.

Greg, I'm with you. 100% overall. Winning games, and making the playoffs, or even make a run for the playoffs, is a hell of a lot more fun than complacency. I don't want my Twins to be stupid when it's obvious they should do something different. But I applaud the idea of a couple small deals when applicable, like in this season, to help the team along. But part of what I love about TD is the ability for others to offer contrary opinions, even when they don't align with my opinion, LOL. And really, I don't want to sound condescending...that's not my intent, I also vent at times...but I do feel bad for some fans who can't seem to appreciate the idea of the Twins chasing something worthwhile. Just my opinion. I have been a long supporter of Jeffers. I've always believed his greatest value is how he handles the staff. While he's sacrificed some power, I think experience and adjustments have made him a more complete hitter. And I really don't expect a major regression on his part. No wonder so many teams are interested in acquiring him. While I wouldn't want the Twins to make it a habit of holding on to a pending FA for too long instead of cashing in potential trade value, I can see legitimate reasons to just keep Jeffers for the rest of the season. Did I mention making the playoffs, or even chasing a spot, is more fun than not? Personally, I'd keep him for the 2026 run and offer him the QO. If he accepts, you keep him for 2027 and give Lackey the opportunity to MAYBE be ready for 2028. And considering how low the payroll is, they could afford him if he accepts. (Remember, Larnach and Bell gone adds another $12M to the 2027 payroll, pending raises). And if he declines, you get the extra pick. No matter when he's gone, I'm going to miss him. But considering the fact that the Twins could "absorb" his loss because they have competent catching without him, I can see reasons to trade him for a solid haul as a solid sell/buy option. IF they sell on Jeffers, I like Seattle as a partner for Hancock, Kirby, or Woo and a solid BP arm by adding on one of about 3 OF options and maybe a lower level prospect. That helps both teams. The Twins end up with a solid mid rotation starter that helps NOW, and the next couple of seasons, plus a solid BP arm. (There are various options so I'm not naming a particular player). Seattle gets Jeffers for NOW, maybe Mendez, for example, and the future if not immediate help, and a decent prospect in the 20's. Win-win for both teams. The Twins make a smaller trade for a rental RP, and SUDDENLY the entire depth option for the rotation and bullpen are vastly changed. And maybe that rental arm signs back? Remember Romo a few years ago who didn't cost much, did well, and was re-signed? Look, I still remember the PROMISE from ownership that Target Field would allow the Twins to at least keep players, if not sign FA. And we have ONLY BRIEFLY seen that promise come to fact. And maybe TP is sincere about his comments, or maybe he speaks with a forked tongue. To be fair...and I'm doing so grudgingly...7 1/2 months for the "new owner" and 6 and 1/2 months from the new GM, might not be enough time to truly evaluate their intentions or competence. But I know I'm already tired of seeing quality Twins players being moved instead of being KEPT based on promises made. I'm willing, grudgingly so again, to give TP and Zoll a bit of a pass for missed opportunities and mismanagement in the past. Maybe it's just to late to re-sign Jeffers, but there's a big decision to be made regarding trading him, vs keeping him and letting him go, or offering the QO. I DON'T believe Ryan is going to be traded. Period. I've thought that for a while now. There will probably be a couple minor moves. The biggest question RIGHT NOW is do they take advantage of Jeffers value vs 2027. Personally, I WANT to keep him and give him the QO. Removing emotion, trading him to Seattle for a solid arm and a solid, young BP arm just makes so much sense I have to agree with a trade. But I appreciate your OP, Greg. There IS a DIFFERENCE of being a fan who can enjoy every season, and every win, and TRYING TO WIN every season, with hopes of contention. But, one more time, it's more fun to root for a team that's playing good ball and has a CHANCE vs just being disappointed every, single, season because your team didn't win it all. ***NOTE: I'm a 50yo plus Twins NUTJOB who loves the Twins. And I follow the MILB system dearly, and even enjoy the ML draft. So I'm a Twins obsessive freak. And I blame my father and his transitor radio and car radios and so much more. I've seen and listened to lousy Twins seasons and good Twins seasons over 50 years. (I'm 60yo). I've seen greatness with 2 WS wins and a bunch of WTH didn't we advance moments. But EVERY DAMN FEBRUARY myself and my 82yo father look to the next season, and feel that life has changed a bit. The greenery is just STARTING to bloom here in Nebraska at that time. HOPE is eternal for baseball. That's what makes it so special. Again, if you only want Champions for your favorite teams, by ALL MEANS go do you. Be an Alabama fan, a Yankees or Dodgers fan. Full confession, I became a Lakers fan in the early '80 from a dear friend watching Magic Johnson and the Lakers on taped delay. I've never been a big NBA fan, but when I saw something I'd never seen before, I became a fan. So it's 100% OK to bitch and complain about the Twins. A fan has that right. But Greg is also right that if ALL you can do is hate and complain, then maybe you need to another team to follow that makes sense to you. And that's OK. For ME, I have a lifelong Twins "virus" that there is no inoculation for, so I'm STUCK. And I will comment on what I like and don't like. But I will never be a BLACK HOLE of fan support. It's not my nature, and it sure isn't fun.

I have to echo how impressed I've been by Houston at Wichita. While it's roughly half the PA/AB he had at CR, his entire quad slash line is actually higher in all 4 categories at AA. Again, call me impressed! K-Pepper needs some time to get back in a groove after missing so much time, so I don't expect to see him until around Mid August. But when that happens, I think Id welcome Houston getting a taste of AAA to end the season. He's not close to being ready for MLB yet, but ever since Hidalgo was promotes to St Paul, he's lowered his ERA, hits per 9, BB per 8, and WHIP. While his K per 9 has dipped, he's still over 9 per. When he came back last season from missing 2024, he just didn't have any consistency. And I wondered if he might end up in the bullpen. He's still only 23yo and I just think he's a guy to monitor in 2027. Stinks that Jimenez is out. Hopefully his concussion is minor and he'll be back soon. But it does provide an immediate opening for Lakey to make his debut at A+ for a few weeks until a probable move to AA to finish the season.

Other than the batters blew opportunity and lost the game, a couple comments. How horrible is Matthews when he's so good 75% of the time and some want to dump on him instead of looking at his improvement and wondering how good he might be with some tweaks? The bullpen was solid again tonight. But why do we celebrate how awesome Bradley has been, other than a couple of games, but we dismiss how good Matthews has been other than a few games?

I'm just going to step beyond all the comments at this point. 1] Lewis will never be what was hoped for. Period. 2] He's actually a pretty solid 3B, a semi decent 2B, but with VERY limited exposure there, he looks like a very natural 1B given some time. 3] He's an emotionally, confident player who needs to feel "good". He came back from his AAA demotion with his old swagger. While not his speedy previous self, he's even been stealing some bases. While it's not what we wanted from him, or expected, he's actually started to show the confidence swagger he needs to be productive. IMO, he's about 90% mental where he's supposed to be. He's about 75% on swing approach where he's supposed to be. His approach gets to 90%, he's close to being what we hoped for all these years. I'm just not ready to give up on the light bulb turning on at this point. Besides injuries holding him back, I believe supreme confidence has held him back. I think he's suddenly realized he's mortal. And even though he might finally be begining to realize his limitations as a ballplayer, there's still so much potential if he just realizes he doesn't have to be Superman.

So Zebby isn't a bad rotation piece? Once again, he threw a great game. The offense let him down. But his 6 IP was very good. This loss was on the offense. I still think Matthews has another level to be reached with some changes to his repertoire. He still has a problem getting outs with good counts. They need to help him develop a splitter, and maybe a sweeper to offset a FB that is too straight. But damn if he didn't go out and pitch 6 innings of really good ball tonight and give the team a chance to win. And he helped save the BP as well. The offense lost the game tonight, not Matthews. But again, why are we discussing what Matthews hasn't done yet vs what he HAS done, and might yet do?

Just to make sure I understand after tonight, Friday, Ryan remains a STUD #1 SP after a career worst game coming out of the break. Bradley had a horrible game and then had a great performance against Cleveland even though he didn't get the win. And even though the offense was putrid tonight, Friday, Matthews threw 6 quality innings allowing only 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 3 BB, and 1K, and ate inning that were so needed after the Cleveland series. What is that now, 10 quality starts in 15 appearances? My math might be off slightly. So he's really good about 75% of the time? That's a hell of a good #4-5 SP who also eats IP. I'll say again, he's getting better. He's learning and growing. But I still think his repertoire needs tweaking. I just don't think he's ready for the bullpen yet. I think there's another level of improvement going forward if the coaches can work in a few changes.

Man, I am so over the ying and yang of sell, buy, or do a little of both, that ALL I CARE ABOUT is getting to the trade deadline at .500. From there it's up to Zoll and TP to make a decision. I just want to see a team above .500 and building towards 2027. IMO, personally, I care about next season and beyond. Making the playoffs is WONDERFUL and I'm rooting for it to happen. It's a hell of a lot more fun than watching OTHER teams in the playoffs. I think the concept of adding a RH bat is about 3rd or 4th on the list of additions. I don't have a problem of trading lower level prospects for a couple of solid RP. Do I have to remind everyone again that we traded for Dyson and Romo in 2019 for marginal prospects? MAYBE the cost for rentals have changed since then. But has it changed so much that we have to pay more than a couple 15-30 range prospects that we can't acquire a couple RP, or maybe ONE solid RP and a 4th-5th SP on an expiring deal that ALSO helps the BP for someone like Prielipp to finish the season in the bullpen. And let's not forget that Romo was so good we resigned him back again. Rentals don't have to remain rentals. Hancock from Seattle was brought up. Probably because @chpettit19had brought him up in a different thread. But that's probably an offseason deal for some of the young Twins hitters. But it would be amazing if Seattle ended up looking forward to 2027 and would sell Hancock now for some young, talented bats like Mendez and Gonzalez, etc. I still think that looks more like an offseason deal. But I'm really intrigued by this idea.

1] As to Arraez, you all know he's a LH bat right? Even if he's doing better THIS YEAR against LHP, he's been poor his whole career against said pitchers. And considering Clemens is a better defender, and also having his best year ever against LHP, where is the improvement? 2] It's a RIDICULOUS PROBLEM that a team that has Buxton, Lewis, and Jeffers as veteran RH hitters, the young, but talented Keaschall, and Martin, who has proved he's MUCH better against LHP, and a couple of switch hitters who shouldn't STINK against LHP, at least in theory, that the Twins are seemingly incompetent against LHP. And, of course, there are other RH batters available as well. It's like a damn CURSE. How can so many quality RH hitters be so damn bad against LHP? I'm only teasing that we need Tom Kelly back to throw batting practice. BUT, when the season started, they saw a TON of LHP and they did much better than they've done sense. So maybe a pitching machine isn't the solvent. Maybe, honestly, they need an additional coach who can throw LH to throw and spin to keep them sharp? I mean, it's just CRAZY the whole offense just goes dead against a LHP. I honestly have no answer. And IDK that ONE additional RH bat really makes a difference unless it was Cruz quality, or similar. I lnow it sounds trite, but what the Twins need is for the RH bats currently on the team to just figure what the hell is going on and do better. Easier said than done, of course. NO PRESSURE, LOL, BUT if K-Pepper was ready in a couple of weeks to come up and take over SS...Kreidler moving to his best role as a Super Utility player...he MIGHT provide a spark. Hitting is sometimes contagious. But IF the Twins traded for a BAT, of the 3 options presented in the OP, I'd be in favor of Thomas I guess. But is he really an upgrade over Martin, who has shown some life again while returning to a platoon only player? The cost to acquire him might be cheap, but even inexpensive, I don't see him as an improvement over Martin in a platoon role. Again, it sounds silly and trite, but the Twins really need the current RH batters to SOMEHOW figure out why they've been so out of whack when facing LHP. Unless they trade for a CRUZ-like RH bat, I just don't see any team improvement from the options listed.

No to Volpe. I like Kreidler as the temp SS, K-Pepper getting his feet wet at the ML level in August and September, even though Houston will probably take over in 2028, or later in 2027. The Twins are building the best INF they've had in years. Said it before and will say it again, IMO, IF the Yankees acquire Jeffers, I don't believe they see him as a rental. They will believe...being the Yankees...that being a Yankee and getting something like 4-5yrs and $15-16M per will make him resign. And they can afford that. I'd be asking for Rodriguez, who looks like, possibly, the next Duran. I believe he already hits 100mph, and can be nasty, but has some control issues. He's probably an instant upgrade to the bullpen now, and a possible weapon in 2027 and beyond. I'd probably ask for a solid AA arm as well to help fill in the rotation gap currently in the Twins system. Maybe a Gallagher or similar arm? And I'd be willing to toss in Wallner to sweeten the deal, possibly Larnach if the AA arm was a little better. The Yankees live for LH bats with power.

Where would we be without Gomez? What a find! He's probably still best as a set up man, but he's been as big of a find as I can remember. I've always believed Morris had the ability to be a solid back end SP, or a great RP. I was pleasantly surprised they converted him so quickly considering the injuries to Lopez and Festa. I don't mind the Nance deal, but he SHOULD be the 5th or 6th man in a better bullpen. But he's looked good so far. Rogers is pitching on guts and guile. But except for a couple really bad games, he's been solid. I think his ERA is misleading. But I think this is probably his last year. Anderson really came through today. But in a quality pen, he's the #7 man at best. I'm not complaining about his early results or what he did today, but he's pretty dispensible overall. Regardless of whether the Twins sell a little, or buy a little, or do both, my HOPE is Sands comes back soon, fully healthy, and reminds us of how good he was in 2024, and parts of 2025. Further, I really want to see Raya get on track and get back up and prepare for 2027. In his few appearnces, he looked like he has potential. Even further, I'm a believer that CJ Culpepper could be a really solid part of the pen going forward. I'm really hoping he gets his feet wet this season. And if you want to get really crazy, I am SO INTRIGUED about just telling Rojas to trust his stuff, and just concentrate on ONE inning, and just be as NASTY as he can be. But the pen DID do a hell of a job today. And it's a better pen than we had in April. We'd probably be a couple games above .500 if we had this pen then. While there's still work to do, the pen is better than it was.

Just a small side note: Trading Caratini just isn't happening unless the Twins eat $. Part of his deal is a $3M buyout post 2027. So he's really owed $10M on his contract. Nobody is going to touch that for an over 30yo catcher unless the Twins buy the deal down.

My answer, unfortunately, is both YES and NO. But let me explain my ambiguity. I've always believed 2026 was a retooling season. We've started to see that with a number of young arms debuting and getting their feet wet. And I'm still hoping we get Raya back soon...throwing the way he was...and CJ Culpepper at some point in the pen as well. Unfortunately, Abel and Festa are done for the year. (Fingers tightly crossed there is a FIX for his injury). On the position player side, things have been murky. Injuries have delayed Roden, Jenkins, Rodriguez, and K-Pepper, though Roden is up now, and we might still see Jenkins and Rodriguez as well. KC should still debut at some point and get his feet wet for 2027. And I don't think Gonzalez and Mendez are very far behind. And so far, Houston looks to be at least a decent/solid hitter with an amazing glove that MIGHT be ready in 2027 as well. So I'm having a really hard time trading the TOP prospects of Jenkins, Rodriguez, KC, and Houston at this point. I want so much to see an INF of Lee, Houston, K-Pepper, with Lewis probably at 1B. And Buxton is still at the top of his game even at 85-90% and isn't going anywhere. And I've been damn impressed with Keaschall in the OF, the potential he's shown there, and his offense has been damn good since May, even though I'd still like to see a little more pop/power. BUT, the Keaschall move to the OF further changes the OF situation of talented prospect depth. There's not room for EVERYONE, and that gives you room for trade options right there. So then I say YES that they have the ability to make a significant trade, but I just don't want to touch those top 5. If I HAD to pick one, it might be Rodriguez only because you'd be "betting" he might not reach his potential. But that's a very scary bet to make. But I believe Gonzalez and Mendez have some real value. I'm not certain that Rosario...killing it at AAA since his long awaited promotion...doesn't also have some value as part of a deal. And while I'm afraid we might end up regretting moving him in a deal, I can see a team really liking to have Winokur in a deal. The Twins drafted a lot of interesting arms in 2025. Unfortunately, most of them are either injured, or began the season injured and are still working their way back currently. But they also went pretty hard on some intriguing arms in this past draft, especially early, so by next season, we could see a slew of arms at both A levels, hopefully a couple at AA as well, to help replenish the system. So maybe moving Soto or Hill in a big deal isn't such a bad option? And while I'm not interested in moving the young Tait, I can see him still being a valuable trade piece as well. Again, like Winokur and all the other possibilities listed, you may regret moving them one day. But you can't get something for nothing. ***Just a side note, if Jeffers was moved to someone like NY, LA, or BOS, I don't believe they would see him as a pure rental player. They would have the cache and cash to re-sign him with a deal the Twins simply can't, or won't. I like the idea of Hancock as presented by @chpettit19, or someone similar. I'd rather go the Jeffers, Mendez, Hill route for Hancock and a young RP and leave Rodriguez out of it. Maybe another top 20-30 throw in, or Wallner/Larnach if that gets it done? Adding another quality SP to go along with Lopez, Ryan, Bradley, Abel, and Prielipp...MAYBE Ober...is a hell of a good looking rotation. Add one good looking BP arm and then maybe Matthews DOES switch to bullpen...especially with concerns about Festa...and you might really have something. The debate of what to do with Rojas in this configuration is a different topic for a different day. So my answer is a convoluted YES and NO. I believe the system is deep enough to move some really talented young prospects without destroying the system. I just really want to stay away from the TOP 5.

I was also going to reference Varland, but as sort of an opposite comparison. Varland always seemed to be good 1 time through a lineup, maybe 1 1/2 times or so. But then after 4 innings, either the control would slip, or they would just time his pitches. At least this season, Matthews almost cruises for about 3 games and goes a full 6 or 7 innings, and then 4th game he just "doesn't have it" and gets beat up. I mean, he's something like 9 out of 13 starts are quality starts. That means there is something in him that WORKS most of the time. His biggest problem does seem to be the inability to put away batters 0-2 and 1-2. I have no idea how to fix that, but it would seem a change in his arsenal might be in order. Does he need a sweepee or cutter to replace a certain % of his fastballs? He's a big guy, so I'd suspect large hands, is he a good candidate for a splitter. Maybe add 2 pitches and just drop the change and lower the FB usage? He HAS shown some real improvement this season, IMO. And I'm just not ready to give up on him yet as a SP. Depending on how the offseason goes...any possible additions for example...I think he's still a starter for 2027. But he DOES need some tweeks to his offerings or mechanics, or both, to be able to get over the proverbial "hump" to put more batters away when he has a favorable count. Unfortunately, adding to to the OP's question, Festa's career is somewhat in doubt depending on how his next exam goes. I really think he could be a dominate late game arm. But if he's out of the equation, then it's all the more tempting to move Matthews in to a pen role. But I'm still reluctant to move a 27yo SP pitcher to the pen...his age next May...when he's actually shown improvement this season. Does he have another level to climb to in 2027 if they can mix and match his repertoire a bit?