DocBauer

Great question! First and foremost, let's state the facts clearly. As of NOW, Gibson, Pineda and Odorizzi are PENDING FA after 2019. Even if you buy in to a cheap organization hyperbole, do we really think an organizational FO who buys in to experience and leadership would just leave the cupboard bare of such? Unless they have secret plans none of us knows about to add a veteran SP, possible, I would expect at least 1 of these 3 to return. Honestly, I expect a quality and reasonable offer to Gibson in the near future. Pineda comes second, as he is still a bit of a wild card, but with reasonable quality expectation. He becomes easier to re-sign if Gibson is already locked in. Odorizzi is a real wild card. There is still enough there for him to "get it late" as Gibson did. (Though in truth Gibson's first 2 years were quality). Regardless, at least one will be gone, if not two, but not all three. 2019 will be, for the first half season at least, looking at Romero, Gonsalves, Mejia, Stewart, Thorpe by mid season at least, and determining 2020. Depending on what we see, don't be surprised for one of them to be moved to make room.

Honestly, this is one of the best, most fun, and intillegent debates I've ever seen on TD, much less anywhere else. The crux is, EVERYONE is both right as well as wrong. But let's just get to the meat on the bone: 1] Finding a complete 5 man starting staff of high quality is tough as hell if not impossible. The game has changed. Period! To be fair, top flight SP who can consistently perform well, and pitch multiple innings, are still extremely valuable 2] Bullpens, and their usage, and value, has also changed. See point #1. Arguably, the SAVE statistic has been magnified and then de-valued over recent seasons. To be fair yet again, top RP who can hold leads and get saves are still extremely valuable. I have spent a lot of "stubborn" time evaluating and re-evaluating SP vs BP usage vs DS usage...(Designated Starter)...and have come to a couple simple and reasonable conclusions. 1] QUALITY PITCHING usually wins, or gives you the best chance to compete and win. Yes, you need at least decent defense and some offense, and a BIG offense offsets lesser pitching, but you need a quality STAFF. You can look at recent history like the Royals two fine seasons, or the past and the two WS seasons by the Twins to realize that SP OR RP can lead you to competition and victory. 2] The DS, Designated Starter, is an illusion. Unless baseball expands the roster to 27 or more players, there simply is no way to implement this as a full time strategy. HOWEVER, if used properly, it IS the perfect way to fill in a spot in the rotation, especially when breaking in a young SP or two. Instead of a young/questionable SP facing the top of the lineup right off the bat, you pitch a "RP" the first inning, hoping/assuming he does his job, and then bring in the LS...Long Starter...to pitch an expected/hopeful 4-6 IP. Combined, you get the same 5-7 IP you expect from a "top" of the rotation starter. In this case, by conventional pitching standards, you had a SP who went 4-6 IP before you turned to your bullpen. What's different other than bringing in a RP early? You're LP, didn't have to face the top hitters a 3rd time, theoretically. Again, this approach simply doesn't work daily unless you have an expanded roster. But it works very well if used wisely for one of your rotation spots if you build your pen wisely. And, come on, it doesn't work at all if you have trash in your rotation! And we have seen teams that have quality rotations with a lousy bullpen that sunk them. So building a quality pen isn't as easy as just plugging some guy in an just telling him to go perform. And we all have heard laments about Molitor and his usage of the pen. But you do have to use what you have. And it's up to the FO and the manager and the 40 man to use what you have. I am NOT picking on Brian, who I agree with about 90% of the time, lol, but it's not about just pitching Rogers 100+ IP because he's quality. (Just an example). It's about the best 12 arms to complete your staff, with SP, short RP, and the guys in between. This is, truly, not a re-invention of pitching. Some of us are old enough to remember Mike Marshall from the Twins in the late 70's, before there were FIREMAN awards and big save numbers measured. 9 times he saved 10 or more games. 5 times he won 10 or more games as a RP. 6 times he threw 100IP+, 99 once, and 200 once! The point isn't a HOF advocacy for Marshall, or some similar expectancy for the Twins pen in 2019 or beyond. Simply, maybe the new way of thinking is not so dissimilar to to retro. Being cutting edge may not be as difficult as it appears. Bring in a couple of really nice bullpen arms to work with what you have, and the new staff. Trust in the rotation you have and work in the new arms. Use ALL the arms you have available. Let Rocco and Johnson and Heffner work with them. Frankly, while optimistic, I'm more concerned with the lineup for next season. And it's been a while since I could say that.

No to the 37yo Shields coming off a pair of poor season's and a mediocre one. (Though pitching for the bad Dirty Sox, he may be excused to a small degree). We don't need an innings eater with poor numbers, especially with guys to actually PLAY and see what they can accomplish in 2019. But I admit to curiosity regarding Gonzalez. I remain Leary of guys who spent all or most of their career in the NL making the move over. The 33yo had a mediocre 2016 with a really nice bounce back in 2017 before a pretty bad 2018. However, he did show good numbers in 5 late starts for Milwaukee. Was it just time to move on? He's had a nice, solid career. There is probably some gas left in the tank and he might be had on the cheap side. I think he's worth consideration. However, I really think we're better served with Romero, Mejia, Gonsalves, Thorpe, and even Stewart and Littell, for 2019, to flesh out the rotation/staff for 2019 and beyond.

Respectfully, I am going to disagree with you. In all sports, but concerning baseball at the moment, there are owners who tend to go "all in" more than others in regard to payroll, whether it be ego or as fans themselves. Others tend to run their organization in a more traditional "business-like" manner. Not a coincidence that the traditional "all in" owners tend to be in major markets. I am NOT a Pohlad apologist, nor am I referring to them directly. Just stating what I believe to be an accepted fact. I am skipping the smart value signings of Rodney and Duke and concentrating on Addison Reed. He was considered one of the premium RP available on the market but slipped through the cracks in a slow market. He signed for a very fair 2yr deal that was heralded. THIS off season, the market appears to be even deeper with options than last year. Not only do the Twins have at least a few returning arms to consider, but also the use of the arms available, such as guys like Romero or Mejia, and others, to consider for pen roles. Considering the depth of options, and a still slow moving market, I take Levine's comment at face value. See how the market unfolds over the next few weeks, and then make a couple smart signings.

I actually find this post and those numbers encouraging. And not because simple math puts them close to the stated magic number of 40. It's because I could see some of the listed numbers easily climb from projections. Are there questions? You bet. And there is always injury and the such. And maybe it's just the little boy baseball optimist in me, but I just have this "feel good gut instinct" about Sano and Buxton, Kepler and Polanco, and a few of the pitchers taking a step forward. Every time I reflect on how frustrating, disappointing, completely weird last season was, I remember something like 26 1 run losses. Just a few key hits, a couple less bad plays, a better bullpen, could we have split that number in half?

He's one if a few guys I'm interested in, along with Soria and Herrera, to name a couple more. Absolutely feel they should target one guy they really like for a 2-3yr deal and then I'm OK with a 1yr or 1+yr deal to someone like Herrera for a bounce back season. I'd just really like an option year attached.

I agree on the internal options for 2019, as well as working with them for 2020 and beyond. Considering age and injury, I have to wonder if a guy like Bucholz might be enticed to re-invent himself in the bullpen?

Rotation: Berrios is only going to improve. As pointed out already, Gibson was very good the last year and a half, good his first 2 years, and is fully healthy. Odorizzi is not great, but when reflecting on career numbers and where he ranked for 2018, he's solid. As long as the knee injury/tweak Pineda suffered late last season is fine, his arm is sound, and he's posted some quality numbers in his career. Mejia and Romero should be the front runners for the final rotation spot, designated starters used or not. Both could/should be on the team in some capacity. Bullpen: Add one really good, proven arm on a 2-3yr deal, add a second on a lesser 1-2yr or "prove it" deal to go along with what we already have and you end up with a much, much better pen than 2018. And there is depth. Of course, Reed back to his old self...and his last 6 or so appearances he seemed to resemble that...you become that much deeper and stronger. And no reason, over the course of a full year, that there won't be opportunities to audition the youth/depth for 2020 and beyond.

Pitching is changing and the lines are blurring between SP and RP. There is nothing wrong with that. And I agree with the OP in theory but disagree in practice. For now, Romero and Mejia would seem to be the favorites for the 5th rotation spot, followed by Gonsalves and the Stewart, IMO. Using a designated starter may be the optimum way to introduce a young SP. (Gonsalves and Stewart were very different performers when this was used last season). May is a given, along with Rogers. Track history and a much better close the last few weeks of the season suggests Reed is also. Hildenberger is not a given, but his milb history, his 2017, and the first half of 2018 would have me betting on him. If Mejia isn't in the rotation, he is in the pen, followed by Moya and then Vaszquez. (Not saying they couldn't go with 3 LHRP). You are correct that there are internal options, relievers and converted starters, to audition and roll through. But if the Twins really do like the positional players on hand, (And coming up), and are banking on a much different 2019, you owe it to your team to have a couple more quality options for the pen rather than just a series of auditions. And you always need depth over the course of the season. With the vast number of options available, and the market slow, I would target one guy on a 2-3yr deal to be a part of this team. I would then target another arm for a 2yr or 1+1 deal. Whether I would consider a third arm on a 1yr alone is debatable.

In order to have the most versatile and flexible roster...whether Cruz is signed or not...and regardless of Rosario/Kepler/Cave in thr infield, or the opposite for Austin... I have maintained the team absolutely needs another infield option. No matter how much you like Sano, believe in him, hope, expect, you still need some insurance. That also goes for anyone in the infield. While I like Adrianza in his role, he can't be the only option available. Reading an article at MLB, they went through a list of potential 2B out there. There are 3 guys who really interest me: One is Solarte, who I have mentioned previously. Coming off a down season, he has been a decent hitter with pop and has played everywhere in the infield with a few games in LF. Another is Derek Dietrich. He plays 1B/2B/3B/OF. Solid bat, not a bad OB, solid power, and a LH bat. Lastly is Wilmer Flores. Decent bat, not a great OB. Solid power. Plenty of experience at all 4 infield spots. I can't believe any of these 3 would be overly expensive to sign. Any of them could fill a useful and regular role at various positions daily. Thoughts?

FWIW, I looked up Dusten Knight tonight. From what I can gather, he's 28yo, RH, 6' 200lbs. He throws in the 90's but seems to have a very nice curveball. Saw a video on Twinkietown website. (Can I say that? Lol) curve looks awesome in the shot I saw. He split 2017 between A+ and AAA with solid numbers with just shy of a K per IP but just shy of a 2-1 K/BB ratio. I don't know, but am assuming some sort of injury situation as he began 2018 in rookie ball before jumping to AA and AAA. 20 games at AA, only 4 games at AAA. 1.71 ERA combined, .196 AVG, .95 WHIP between all three stops. 4-1 SO/BB ratio, better than his career of about 2-1. I am assuming, despite OK milb career numbers and maybe an even better 2018, that his age and lack of true dominance, especially in the velocity area, made him available. He appears to be AAA/AAAA fodder/fill-in. Best guess, better numbers in 2018 than before with a big curveball made him an interesting Rochester addition.

I don't like a full time DH, unless he's exceptional. I never have. I've always preferred roster flexibility, even if one guy usually handled that spot. TK was always very good about handling his roster. Back in the day, Randy Bush saw a lot of time at DH. But he was also a decent corner OF and 1B. When he was in the field, another player got a "half day" off by DH. Later on, Larkin would spell Hrbek at 1B. (Might have even seen a few games in the OF, but memory fades). Chilli Davis was probably the only true DH TK ever had. But even be played a little OF here and there, if only to prepare for the post season. I'm OK with Cruz at this point, all being said, because I think he fills a real role. Someone, probably Austin, though I hate to lose him/give up on him, has to go. You absolutely need another quality "utility" guy besides Adrianza. Absolutely waiting for Rooker and Khirilloff to join the current mix in the next year or so to make the entire OF/1B/DH situation one of great strength and versatility. (Might toss Wade in there too). But for now, I'm OK with Cruz onboard.

BINGO! Once in a while you just need to take a step back and look at things objectively, no matter what the situation is. In this case, it's baseball. More to the point, TWINS baseball. The reality is, despite disappointment and frustration that boils over, there is a new sheriff and deputy in charge of things. And I'm not going to rehash their early moves, but clearly they have been looking at changing the entire culture of the team from the top on down. They now have a new manager...arguably the guy/type of guy they wanted all along...and a mostly new staff in place to move forward. And it's actually pretty easy to point out individual players in all of baseball who are kicking it as 20-21-22yo and ask why the Twins don't have that. But that is not the norm. Reality check tells us that is true. And there are arguments made that "lots of teams had injuries And they overcame those". And there IS validity to that statement. But whether it be finances, scouting, top prospects at AAA knocking on the door already, better planning at the AAA level or luck, every team and every situation is different. Note: I have been critical of the FO in their regard to the Rochester roster last season. But to be fair, when 2018 began, the best prospects were all AA and below players. That doesn't excuse a failure, but "other teams" may have also been more top heavy with guys ready for their chance. Regardless, Ted's point is clear and accurate. Sano, Buxton, Kepler, etc, are talented...young...athletes with tremendous potential, and all highly ranked and regarded who have shown flashes of their potential. I still say and believe you couldn't have asked for a more bizzarre/weird, cursed series of events for 2018 than we saw. (No need to re-hash it all). Maybe Sano just doesn't care enough. Maybe Buxton is just injury prone and can't make contact. Maybe Kepler is a tremendous athlete who is a nice reserve. And we could break down Polanco, Rosario, etc, and look for all the negatives we could find, were that our agenda. But just focusing on these 3, as Ted has here, Sano hasn't produced some of the big numbers be has, and earned an All Star appearance in 2017 because he was lucky. Buxton hasn't flashed great plays and an outstanding second half in 2017 because he was lucky and nobody was looking. Kepler hasn't shown improvement, as Ted spoke of...while still showing bizarre splits at times...with contact and solid OB skills, along with laser-shots when he makes contact because pitchers just don't consider him a threat. No. There is REAL potential and ability here. What happens next is up the players, and Rocco, and his coaching staff to develop and unlock that potential.

Absolutely agree! No matter what, it's still a team game. Baseball is very much a game of individual matchups. But the components involved are defense, pitching and hitting. No matter how productive a hitter may be, he is still one man in a lineup. It's not like other sports where you can call a play for him, and insert him where and when you want to. He is "stuck" at his spot in the lineup. I still feel the Trout example is a good one. No matter how incredible his career has been, he's still one guy in the lineup. Harper is young, talented and productive. His best years may be in front of him. And there is no question he has the ability to help a team, and even push them over the top with his production. And he is...in the crazy world of professional sports financials...worth $20-25M. But $30M, which he rejected? $40M? Sorry....NO.

Cruz has never been my first choice, preferring one of the top OF available, but I'm mkre than fine with his addition for power, OB, as well as just professional AB's. Never occurred to me, until you mentioned it here, about his relationship, experience and communication to other young Latin players on the roster. I am becoming more and more enticed for his signing, especially if the Twins do the smart thing and bring another versatile infielder on board, though that probably means the end to Austin.

It's not like I actually know anything, lol, but have to disagree. (I especially never really understood the milb portion of protection but seem to understand those exposed are fringe guys). The best prospects at the high levels are protected on the 40 man. The remaining top prospects are either too young to be eligible, or protected under various rosterings. Again, I'm unfamiliar with all the rules. The milb portion has always been about filler pieces. I am absolutely befuddled, however in regard to Reed. Despite production, and a strong finish to 2018, the Twins didn't look at him, or protect him, and nobody saw fit to draft him. There is obviously something here we are all missing here. In regard to Jay, I wouldn't have been shocked to see some rebuilding team take a flier on him. But injuries and performance really didn't make him a strong consideration. I really doubt he's going to make it at this point. But we have all seen guys who just struggle for various reasons until one day something clicks and the stars line up. Here's hoping he is 100% in 2019 and his arm and arsenal show life and suddenly the Twins have another LH BP arm to work in.

Come on gang, this is about building the team and the organization in to a sustainable, competitive and winning franchise. At no point was this piece about sustaining the past few years.

Rosario came up as a CF and then moved to LF. He has even played some CF, and played it fine from what I have seen, but somewhere along the line the Twins decided they liked Kepler better there. He also played a year at 2B in the minors. As Brian referenced, not sure if the Twins didn't like him there, or simply decided with Dozier there, to return him to the OF. He played at 3B in one game last season and made a tremendous play while there. I am absolutely not saying he should be converted, but with athleticism and at least some infield time as a professional, he warrants a look at 2B/3B as a fill in option due to injury or late game switches at least.

FWIW...I think his glove and bat work really well when he plays on a regular basis, just not daily. Which is why we so desperately need another guy to help out,fill in, etc.

I appreciate your post 100%! (Not sure if you were speaking to me directly or not, but I'm responding anyway, lol). To me, when Nick was writing about standing pat, he was directly speaking about the core of the team: Sano, Polanco, Rosario, Buxton, Kepler, Garver, Berrios, etc. Not looking at blowing thjngs up. No Machado, Harper, Corbin, Evoldi, etc. No major trades of top prospects to bring in a Goldschmidt or anyone like that. My interpretation. And Nick is free to correct me if I'm wrong. In fact, financially, Schoop and Cron come in, financially speaking, for less than Dozier and the "projected" arbitration value of Grossman. I believe the intent of the article is simply, "don't give up on or move the pieces on hand and make major moves to replace anyone because there are so many unknowns and so much potential on hand". Considering obvious holes, most obvious being 1B and 2B, moves of some sort had to be made. (Arguments can, and have been made as to the additions there). And considering payroll for 2018, and arguments that the team could legitimately stretch payroll $20M further, "standing pat" would seem to indicate a reduction in payroll for 2019. (Very possibly allowing for extensions, future additions, etc). Nowhere in this scenario did Nick ever state to not make improvements or not sign anyone. The Twins could, largely, "stand pat" with most of their roster, not make a trade of players or prospects, sign a couple nice BP options, add a quality bat, and still end up cutting payroll for 2019, while keeping the ML and milb core all in place. Just my opinion, of course.

I liked your post, but selected this portion to address Gibson specifically. I have always felt Gibson has gotten a bum rap in his Twins career for 2 reasons: 1] He slipped to the Twins due to an injury. Everyone thought/hoped we got a steal as a potential top of the rotation piece. 2] TJ surgery notwithstanding, he bounced back well. And everyone wanted him up ASAP to lead the staff and he had a poor premier. Surprise! (Same thing happened to Berrios, BTW). But Gibson's first full season was really his rookie year, missing rookie status by 2/3 of an inning. And it was solid. His second season, across the board in everything but W-L record was better. Then came the disaster of 2016 when everyone, not just Gibby, had a poor year. His start to 2017 was also bad. But he learned, grew, adapted, changed his mind-set, and from mid 2017 he has performed like a legitimate #3 ML SP who looks like a real #2 some days. His mind, body and arm are solid. The comparison to Greinke not only 2+yrs, but Greinke still has a couple 2-3yrs left on his deal for a massive dollar amount. Were I the Twins, I'd lock him up right now on a 3 or 3+1 deal. I'm not saying they shouldn't explore trades and future FA deals come 2020, but he and Berrios should provide a stabilizing influence in the rotation for the next few years, along with prospects. At some point in 2019, or the off season, we can make determinations about Pineda and Odorizzi.

Had to like and quote as it carries over some thoughts I just put down in the "Cruz" thread. I still like McCutchen or Brantley...they make more sense to me roster-wise...bjt I definitely see the appeal for Cruz. Either move improves the lineup, either move means some roster juggling as you can't just have Adrianza...who I actually like...as your lone infield reserve. Barring injury and roster fluctuation, either Austin or Cron is moved. (Unless Austin could somehow sneak through waivers). THEN, you NEED to add another infielder. You mention Castellanos here, and mentioned other trade candidates in the other thread. All logical moves. What about Solarte, coming off a bad season, as a FA signing? Regardless of Cruz, or the OF many of us may prefer, you make some sort of move/decision on Austin or Cron. You make the move for an additional infielder. You have a pretty interesting roster, IMO. No room for Astudillo, who belongs, but has options and is probably the first guy recalled. What's wrong with depth and options? Once again, in regard to the original topic, "standing pat" doesn't mean doing nothing. Even if the payroll does move back some, we are seriously linked to a potential Cruz signing, even after a pair of additions. I don't see this as penny-pinching. And the market is RIPE with bullpen pieces, and much depth.

At risk of repeating myself, I'm OK with signing Cruz for obvious reasons. I'd still prefer McCutchen or Brantley as they are good, younger, can actually play the OF corners, and any forwarding thinking manager should be able to find a way to play all 5 OF on a regular basis between OF/1B/DH. Besides Kepler being an occasional option at 1B, I'd fit Cave with a 1B glove for ST and just say "here, give it a shot and let's see how you do." I'd also make sure Rosario has an infielders glove and work him at 2B, which he played for a year in the minors, and at 3B, which he did for part of 1 game in 2018, just to see if he could be an emergency option. But despite McCutchen or Brantley being my choices, I'm OK with Cruz. Even with some regression, he's going to bring power, production, experience, and professional AB. In either scenario, barring injury, there just isn't room, IMO, for Cron AND Austin. I still feel the Cron signing was a good move. He is still a mkre proven, experienced option than Austin. And I like Austin. I would love to see a full season from him to see what you have. He has the potential to flounder, but with power, or develop. But again, barring injury and roster shuffling, either he or Cron would have to go. Yes, there really is a way you could house all 3 guys, especially if Austin could prove to be at least servicable in a corner OF spot. But it leaves Adrianza as the one and only reserve infielder! So trade or otherwise, someone has to go via trade or DFA, unless there is some small chance Austin could lass through waivers and go to Rochester. Cruz, or an OF, we improve the lineup. But if I really want the best TEAM for next season, I'm looking at another infield addition. Some have mentioned Murphy. Brian laid out some trade scenarios. I'd be interested in 31yo Yangervis Solarte coming off a down season. He's played all across the diamond, even 42 games at 1B, and spot action in the OF. Sign Cruz, though I prefer an OF, make a decision before ST is over on Austin/Cron, but sign another quality infielder. I LOVE Astudillo and think he belongs and deserves a spot! BUT, there are injuries and bumps in the road. What's wrong with depth and him beginning the season at Rochester?

I have been hesitant on Cruz because he is only a DH and I like the potential of Austin. But to be honest, I wouldn't dislike the move for 2019 at least, with Rooker and Khiriloff moving up soon, hopefully. They say there is nothing wrong with a 1yr contract. In reality, if you really think about it, you are signing Cruz for 2019. 2020 becomes his "1yr deal" if things fall in to place. Meh on Cahill. Shouldn't we be spending more time on the prospects at hand? Soria is a better version of Rodney. I'd be fine with this. I'd rather someone younger on a 3yr, such as Familia, for example, and work a on a slightly cheaper 2yr for $7-8M, for an aged Soria. Would that work? Not sure. But the FA market has changed, and there is an abundance of potential arms out there. I like Garver and his potential, as long as he is healthy and there are no concussion concerns. I like Castro as an experienced leader and LH platoon option. Also a fan of Astudillo behind the plate and as a utility option. But come on, if you could add a healthy 31yo Ramos, you'd have to consider it wouldn't you? I would...if the price was right. To the mat, maybe on Cruz, no to Cahill, yes to Soria, maybe on Ramos, eating Castro's contract for 1 year. I honestly think Cruz will end up singing for less. Either way, it means trading Austin, or trying to sneak him through waivers for AAA, aren't we better signing McCutchen or Brantley for close to the same money? DH, OF, 1B, we couldn't find room for one of them and the guys on hand?

Just to re-iterate, "standing pat" doesn't mean DO NOTHING. Personally, I thought Nick was clear on that. It means no major trades from the roster or the system. It means no big, long term contracts to several players. And please, correct me if I'm wrong Nick. It means, somewhat unfortunately as we all just desperately want to know how these young guys are going to turn out, that you wait for 2019, or at least until mid-year, to formulate a true opinion on who you have and where you are going. I kind of chuckle when I read comments about the FO waiting for "their prosoects" to arrive. Does anyone truly believe the FO doesn't realize the potential in guys like Buxton, Sano, and others that they are just trying to skate by for another year or two until the next wave arrives? Falvey's recent interview, which everyone should listen to, speaks about being in contact with Buxton and Sano and his/their belief in a core roster of talent to build around. Despite some flippant comments from Pohlad concerning payroll, we really have no idea at this point what sort of mark is targeted. Cron and Schoop could be very nice signings. Argue all you want about either, but Cron has posted solid numbers and is coming off his best season ever, with his first 500AB season, and Rocco knows him. Schoop is coming off a bad and injured season, but had 2 good seasons and one great season before 2018. There is a better than average chance we could be clamoring for the Twins to extend and keep both next summer. Berrios may or may not ever become a true #1 SP. Hard to predict that from a talented kid of 25. But he is damn good and only going to get better. Gibson is really just entering his prime when you consider his delay due to TJ surgery. He had a very bad year and a half, after a couple really nice first 2 seasons. He has made real adjustments and turned in to a legitimate #3 SP who pitches like a #2 sometimes. I'd have a 3yr extension on the table tomorrow for him. I'm not a huge fan of Odorizzi, but he's solid. Healthy, Pineda is probably better. His arm is solid. His late season knee injury appears minor, but did deprive him of some September starts to shake additional rust off. Like them or hate them, embrace a designated starter or not, there are some interesting arms to fill the 5-8 spots in the rotation...standing pat...and see what you have before you make a big move. Right now, especially considering all the close games lost in 2018, the 2 biggest question marks are the young talent on hand, and being available daily to perform, and the bullpen. The FA market is so deep with RP arms that it's almost perplexing who we should be after. There is both need and opportunity. Even if payroll is reduced, there is room. Various media reports even have the Twins looking at pen options. And it's not like the Twins have a couple amazing milb RP options knocking at the door. I expect a major/fairly major 2 or 3yr deal soon. Next will be a 1+1 or 2yr to follow with a 1yr possible or milb invite. None of that blows up payroll. For 2019 or beyond. Hopefully, another big bat is brought on board. I still prefer McCutchen or Brantley, though I hear rumors about Cruz, which could push Austin out. But even with any of these additions, most of the roster is stranding pat. If they are just smart with the pen, work with what we have, is it really such a bad plan?