DocBauer

Nailed it!! Absolutely no reason financially, and nobody being blocked, for this team to add an infielder, a quality 4th OF, and a bounce back (possibly flip-able) closer option to help secure what games we have a chance to win while auditioning various young RP like Chargois. Even then, I could still see a bench spot for Grossman as a 5th OF, solid PH/DH bat unless we keep 3 1B/DH options, which is possible.

Yes, as of right now, this is pretty much the roster as I'd see it now. Of course, it's almost 100% sure to change with another FA or two and a probable trade or two forthcoming. I'd say DanSan has the weakest hold on a roster spot despite his athleticism. I so badly want him to develop in to a solid, useful and even exciting and sometimes dangerous role player. I just don't think it's going to happen any longer. Not sure Hughes will be ready to open the season. I'd really have a hard time holding Berrios out of the rotation, even with some ups and downs, just because of talent, potential, and the need to pitch.

Seth, I'm curious as to his solid college season and his size...not to mention his performance at Elizabethtown...and wonder why he lasted until the 15th round? He would seem to be "projectable". Despite his size, is he just not a very hard thrower?

De Leon and Alvarez, one more solid arm with potential, with a reported throw in, would get it done for me.

A really interesting read. Thanks Seth. But despite being over a 10 year span, I would have to argue the list is incomplete since, as pointed out, some really good young players from the more recent drafts have just arrived or are about to. Of course, this goes for all other teams as well. Could the argument be made that this upcoming draft is one of the most important in team history? Top pick, a supplemental pick, and I'm not certain about our 2nd rounder. Did we lose that with the Castro signing or is it protected? Regardless, 5 90+ loss seasons in 6, young talent available and arriving, a completely new OF, shuffling and additions to departments, I think this draft is huge.

Agreed that experience vs talent determines how truly effective this lineup will be. But...and I hate to say this but it's mostly true...with the exception of Mauer the pieces are there and in the mostly right places. Mauer dies provide some value if used properly, though I think we're all crossing our fingers and hoping for more and more Park and Vargas. I really like the potential of this lineup overall. I just hope potential reaches production levels sooner rather than later.

PS...the phone I am currently using has the absolute WORST auto correct EVER

With any kind of rebound and playing to his potential, I'd have Risario in the 7 spot and Castro plus his platoon mate at 8. Otherwise, we are in agreement. I do sometimes wonder though about Polanci leading off and Buxton hitting second. Winder what the lineup would be like if Mayer suffers another injury and Park and Vargas were both in the lineup?

1* Bounce back closer option. Perez makes the most sense 2* LHRP low cost signing 3* utility infielder 4* legit 4th OF 5* AAA OF and a couple AAA INF for Rochester depth Of course, this is aftEr the Dozier deal and probable Santana trade

Read this but late to post. Such a tragedy when anyone, especially someone so young, passes away. Especially in such a tragic way. Heartfelt condolences to his family, and the entire Twins family.

Some heavy duty reportage here! Thank you. From what is said here, Guillon would clearly be the easy choicenough. Not that he's ready gym any means, being kept while jumping from high A ball. But there is room for another LH in the Twins pen. A really good change may be the hardest pitch for any young pitchers to truly develop a feel for. This could be a Johan Santana type move; be used sparingly in the pen and continue to develop and maybe some day move to the rotation. But even if he just develops as a really nice LHRP, there is real value there.

Great post! Right there with you!

Despite an apparent "glut" of quality 2B in the league right now, a high quality player is still a high quality player. And Dozier is that. Plus, even if such glut exists, that doesn't mean those players are actually available. So even if Urias is off the table, it doesn't mean you have to settle for the 3rd or 4th pitching prospect available. You turn to other offers at that point. I'm OK with Puig as a lottery ticket in the deal as a sort of "buy back" from the Dodgers to make the deal happen, if necessary. But IMO, he'd be, at best, the 3rd piece in this trade to just help the Dodgers out, and maybe entice them to sweeten the pot overall.

Personally, I have a couple thoughts on Stewart. The second..reverse order i know...is that he just may not be what we hoped and what scouts envisioned when he was drafted. Highschool pitchers are the most tantalizing prospects available, and the ones with the biggest question marks surrounding them. One is that I'm actually higher on him now than I was a year ago at this time. His work at high A last season was very encouraging, and even while his numbers at AA weren't as good, he wasn't bad, and still showed potential and "weak contact" projectability. And I believe Seth stated once he only faced one or two batters in his AA time that were actually younger than him. He hasn't astounded anyone, or put up amazing numbers, but he has shown flashes and growth. My option is he is still learning how to be a PITCHER and not a thrower. He didn't concentrate on baseball until he signed with the Twins. He's also had a few mild injuries that have slowed him a bit. I read that the velocity and the "stuff" is there, despite limited K numbers, etc. He's still quite young. And from what is whispered here and there but not really said out loud, I think there is a maturity issue with him, IMO. I am not saying not to include him in a deal, but my suspicion is that if he just grows up a little more, and can embrace learning, that he could very well be "late" bloomer who turns out to be a fine pitcher. "Late" meaning 24 or 25 when we hoped for 22-23. On a side note, I see you are also from the Big Red state and here in Omaha! Didn't catch it until today.

DodgersDodgersDodgersDogers....every single indication seems to indicate this is the best match for BOTH teams. Not saying not to play it up or look around, but this is anot almost perfect fit. BOTH teams have to give up what they don't really want to, but are better off in the end because of it. Puig is NOT a part of this package up front. He is a talented, potential lottery ticket who is a problem and headache in LA, and may be a problem here, but someone who the Twins could take back as the 3rd or 4th player in a deal, to rid LA of a problem at a reasonable salary, who could possibly find fit and freedom and fun again in Minnesota. It's an interesting idea, and I like it. But I absolutely balk if he's any sort of #2 piece in this trade situation.

Do you work for Google? LOL

Ugh! This one just killed me! On a 103 loss team you felt you had to audition an OK defensive journeyman who is a AAAA player with limited bat for what reason? So you could consider him as a viable 4th OF candidate on your young and rebuilding 2017 team? Again with a massive UGH! You didn't even have to promote anyone else, just let other guys on the roster play and see if they could show something. Sheesh! And this team could easily afford to go out and sign one of a few potential solid 4th OF types. (Doc bangs head against wall)

Personally, full seasons next year from Rosario, Buxton and Kepler have me believing our OF will be good to excellent. Now go find a quality, versatile 4th OF in the market somewhere. Mauer, Park, Vargas is fine at 1B. I have every confidence in Polanco being solid and becoming good at 2B. Sano may not be good at 3B in 2017, but he will be OK and continue to get better. Better cknditionjng, more work, and being allowed to play the spot daily and concentrate on it will all help him improve. I do question SS. I like what we saw of Escobar in 2014 and 2015 with both glove and bat. Injuries and inconsistent playing time hurt him last season. Now, IF he is THE GUY there, and it's possible he could be, can he do it over a full season? We need another solid utility guy brought on board. I'm sorry, I find Vielma exciting and interesting, and I'm even more excited about Goodrum as a really nice and versatile utility guy. But I think it's just naive to expect either to jump to the ML level and perform at this time. We either need another nice option to spell people...I mentioned Drew in my blueprint...or we need to find a real, everyday defensive SS and let Escobar be that really nice utility guy. Either way, we need another infielder, even short term, with Dozier moving on. Some combination of Castro, Murphy and Garver will give us better all around catching than we'very had in some time. Needs: quality 4th OF and another infield option.

Just off the cuff my answer would be yes. I know wins and ERA don't tell the entire story, but Santiago actually has some quality ML experience and some decent numbers, far superior to Dean or Albers. Is he a long term solution? I would say absolutely not. But we don't know about Hughes at this point. I think the world of Berrios and his potential as well as his future, but he's still young and getting his feet on the ground. I feel good about a HEALTHY May. But we don't know for sure if Santana will be kept, or traded now or during the season. Same for Dozier. Mejia isn't probably ready just yet, nor is Gonsalves. Our other prospects will be in AA and AAA to begin the season. We need starters for now, options, and during ST, or before depending in trades, or during the season someone like Santiago may be moveable.

Kintzler is the only question mark for me. I've been advocating signing one of a few bounce back potential closer options and still believe it's a good idea; shores up the pen, buys time for the prospects, helps the Twins actually win the games theyou can, may be flippable, etc. I don't think you need/keep Kintzler if this is the case. But then again, doubt this happens quickly enough. Escobar is a yes, He showed what he is/may be capable of in 2014-15 and could be a solid everyday SS for now, or a high quality utility guy. Pressly showed me enough to believe he will be solid if not overworked. Also a pair of yes's to Gibson and Santiago. Unless/until a Dozier trade we need the arms and we can afford them. Gibson's previous two seasons were solid. I know Santiago pitched lousy when he first came over, and is no savior, but his previous three seasons were solid with an all star appearance mixed in. For now, at least, we need arms. There can be trades made later if we, gulp, actually find ourselves with depth via Hughes, May, Berrios, traded for TBD, etc.

I would like more uniformity between all the umpires and their zones/calls. But I'd also like more uniformity in football regarding pass interference calls and the such. But I also don't want a computer making that kind of determination or even a guy in the booth playing big brother and overseeing every single play either. (Except as replay dictates) I still want and enjoy the human element. Sports is played by humans with rousing success and utter disappointment both. I believe humans should control the game as well. But it's also inexcusable in today's world of information sharing and technology for MLB and other sports not to review and instruct and preach as much uniformity as possible.

Great first move! I hope there is more to come. Not going to sort out the rotation this way, but a bullpen arm, a quality 4th OF and an infielder after the expected Cozier trade are on my list.

Agree with your sentiment here. But I'm going to take the opposite stance. Yes the team is rebuilding. And yes we have a number of really nice looking arms that are ready/close and need to be looked at. But I still believe the Twins can be a better, more competitive team, without necessarily blocking anyone, but upgrading where they can, including the bullpen. In my blueprint for 2017, and in other threads, I've argued for a couple bullpen arms to be brought in. And remember, typically there are 7 spots to fill here, and I'm not sure it's prudent to just open the door and have a bumrush of prospects filling out said spots. There are a couple really interesting bounce back closer options out there that could settle the back end of the bullpen, at least for a time, and could be flipped later, OR, re-signed as they are young enough to keep around. Wouldn't we all like to see the young, rebuilding Twins actually win games they are in? How about a LHRP on the rebound, or a failed SP being converted to join Rogers from the port side? Let's say you sign said closer and a lefty to team with Rogers, Chargois and Pressly. Let's put Duffey in the pen as well. That's still a young group, especially for a bullpen, IMO. You still have a last spot for the last man standing coming out of ST. Guys like Hildenberger, Jones, Burdi, Reed and Melotakis are still coming out of AA. You improve the pen, you may have a flip candidate or two, nobody has to be rushed straight from AA so they get at least some AAA exposure, and injuries and ineffectiveness always happen. I think there'should room here to make said moves without breaking the bank or holding anyone back. Sorry...got a little off topic here.

Castro as a LH hitter vs RH pitching: .247 career BA/ .328 OB%/ .424 SLG%/ .753 SLG%/ .310 BABIP I believe someone posted these earlier, but I wanted to look them up again myself and repost. I hate stating the obvious, but the majority of pitchers Castro or anyone will face are RH. I don't have a breakdown comparison vs league average...maybe someone else does or would take the time to look it up...but those are quality numbers any way you slice it for a catcher. Yes, his numbers are pretty awful against LH pitching, Butera like since he's been brought up, but not only is the catcher position still a defense first one, but his platoon partner, Murphy or Garver, each hit RH so difficiencies in this area can easily be mitigated by simply being half way intelligent with your platoon days. I am not overly informed on pitch framing, but have become more educated with the more I read, mostly right here at TD. And I dont put complete faith in today's advanced metrics because it's still a game actually played on the field, by human beings who still have to perform, and it's not a role playing game where you just roll dice and hope you hit your percentage mark. Nor do I believe for a second that stealing a couple strikes a game guarantees any sort of overwhelming game or season winning effect. But I do believe it does have an effect, especially WHEN that extra strike or two a game is called. Imagine runners in scoring position, or the bases full, and that really close pitch "stolen" leads to strike 2 or even a punch out to end an inning. What if the batter hits defensively with a 2 strike count and only hits a weak single scoring a single run instead of a double or HR? I still believe calling a good game, working well with a staff, and providing a nice, comfortable target for the pitcher is most important of all a catchers responsibilities. And I can't tell you how good Castro really is at these things at the end of the day. But surely framing pitches well, bringing experience and a new perspective to the team, the staff, and our young catchers, while still possessing a solid bat has to help a team that has really struggled the past few years. Castro is by no means a stud or savior. But he qualifies as an upgrade to me, a step in the right direction. And at worst, he provides a solid, veteran presence until someone else proves themselves worthy and ready to take over.

I swear I posted earlier but I guess it didn't take. No matter. I like this move a ton. But I admit I'm shocked. I just didn't see it happening, or so quickly, and frankly, as rumors flew, I thought it would take more than $8M per. In my blueprint, I talked about Castro. I just honestly didn't think it would happen, so I quickly moved on to other ideas/options. Look, Castro is not a savior for the team as a whole, or the pitching staff as a unit. But a catcher who can call a game, throw decently, steal some strikes, etc, is a real quality get for this team. The fact that he bats LH and does well against RH pitching is a huge bonus. A catcher can't play every day. Murphy and Garver provide an interesting back up/platoon scenario that can work really well if the manager just approaches it logically. Now, another infielder when Dozier is traded, one bullpen piece, and a competent 4th OF piece and I'm really encouraged. First step done!