DocBauer

I'd like to see him play some SS just so we'd know if he's a utility option there as he develops and works his way in to a, hopefully, full time position somewhere. With Sano at 3B, Escobar at SS and Dozier at 2B, how much better are with Polanco being able to fill in at all 3?

While I hate losing Meyer, it just hasn't been working for him the last two years. Yes, he could suddenly get healthy and consistent and we could regret losing him. But then again, maybe that won't happen, and never would have happened here. The other moves were smart. Santiago is absolutely an upgrade over Nolasco. Mejia has potential, and Light could be major with better control. Well done I say!

I've always thought he would be a legitimate 20 HR threat just based on tools, size, etc. (still believe Rosario may as well) It was really only a matter of time and continued experience and development, as it is for most young hitters. I've thought for a while now that he would be the Twins next great #3 hitter, I just didn't expect it to be this soon. But I think Molitor has him hitting where he should be going forward. Man, Kepler, Rosario and Buxton even beginning to scratch the surface of his talent, and you have a 1,3 and probably 7 hitter that are all young and dangerous.

I thought it was a huge upgrade just looking at surface stats the past few seasons, plus being younger and a lefty. But the numbers here make me feel even better about the deal. Our rotation for 2017 is nowhere near elite, but I honestly like it better than this season and see some potential there.

If I'm not mistaken, Hildenberger does not have to be added to the 40 man this offseason. That helps save a spot, temporarily at least, for another prospect to be protected. But it's kind of hard to not think he's deserving of at least a September call up. Unfortunately, there is a numbers game involved, and unless the Twins truly believe he's ready NOW, I don't think we'Lloyd see him until sometime next year in order to look at and protect others.

You'reached right, of course, he's not hitting at AAA. For whatever reason (s) young ballplayers sometimes take a step back before moving forward. But he has hit before, and the Twins traded for him for a reason. I think they need to take a long hard look at him before the season is done. Maybe the trade initially shocked him. Maybe he put too much pressure on himself, got off to a poor start and it stuck. Maybe he Ned's contact. Who knows. But sometimes a guy gets his second opportunity when it doesn't look on paper like he deserves it, then goes out and does surprisingly well.

As stated in my post, I'm not sure of the right answer. If I could look in a crystal ball, I'd go with a short term veteran, add someone like Hicks FA, (man, but I think we blew that one-think he could help), and go with Murphy or Centeno as the backup buying Garver time. I'm high on Garver, but I dislike the idea of pushing him too quickly. Avilla is a guy I think about, but he hasn't been a full time starter in two years. Maybe we'really better off with Zuke since our pitchers know him and like him? But unless we feel pretty good about said veteran FA, on the short term, I'm inclined to go with option E, the status quo with hope of getting lucky with a milb type FA adding to the competition. (Anyone remember former Twin farmland Damian Miller?) If Garver surprises....GREAT. But choose the best 2 of Murphy, Centeno and the signing and wait for Garver.

Well, the Twins are playing much better as of late. (Interesting they have a better W-L record against winning teams than losing teams) We are actually seeing a good many young talented players contribute and develop, and have more on the way. We have some top pitching prospects inching closer at AA, Berrios back in the majors, a slew of young RP ready to kick in the door, and the recent trade deadline saw a couple more talented pitchers arrive, along with a solid under 30yo veteran. Things are a changing for the Twins, and there are some real reasons for optomism looking ahead. But the one, critical, spot where there is no immediate answer still appears to be at catcher. We continually speculate as to Suzuki's status, and many still expect him to be traded. And he should be a FA at the end of this season regardless. So looking forward, to 2017 at least, where do the Twins go from here? Options: A} BIG TIME FA signing in Ramos or Wieters. Assuming either of these two would be interested in joining a talented young nucleus of players with a playoff window probably at least a year away, should the Twins really consider another expensive and long term deal for either of these two? Wieters is already over 30, Ramos will be, I believe, 29 next season. Yes they are good players, but do we want an expensive, over 30yo backstop just when this team is starting to click? B} Stop gap veteran FA such as Avilla, Jason Castro, Iannetta, Navarro, Soto and even Suzuki are probably the top names here. Most of these names are beyond their prime, no longer the hitters some of them were before, (though there is a bit of pop here and there), and Suzuki...the devil you know...may just be the best known the bunch. If they could find the right guy here, they could get lucky for a year to buy Garver and maybe Murphy some time to get ready. C} What about buying promise? How about trading a couple solid prospects for the likes of Plaweki or d'Arnaud from the Mets, Norris from the Padres or Zunino from the Mariners, to name a few. Guys that haven't DONE IT yet, but have some talent, could maybe use a new opportunity and change of scenery. D} Trade for a big time prospect. I don't have all the names as possibles here, and I'm sure most teams would be loathe to surrender a top defensive/offensive catching prospect unless the Twins would surrender at least a couple of their top 10 prospects. Are we prepared to do that? E} keep the status quo...for the most part. You look for a waiver or milb FA like John Hicks, who the Twins had and lost and should have kept, to go along with Murphy, Centeno and Garver. Garver may not be ready at the start of 2017, but could be ready at some point. We might know more if he does get a September call up. I'm really not sure what the right answer is here. I'd love to say sign a veteran for a year, sign the aforementioned waiver/milb FA guy, and give Garver more time. But Suzuki may be the best option in that regard, in which case we'really better off just keeping him. I really don't like the idea of investing a big contract on a 30 or nearly 30yo veteran. What say all of you?

Once more with feeling, just looking at the history of the Twins and nobody else, the two finest all around 3B in tEames history were probably Gary Gaetti and Corey Koskie. (Not including the Killer due to his OF and 1B time) Gaetti came up with hands of stone and Koskie was too stiff. Both turned out to be fine defensive 3B defensively, even elite. In recent history, Plouffe turned in to fine 3B in his own right after taking time to work through some issues. Sano may never be great, but he has all the ability in the world to be at least solid with a huge bat. He's still quite young and quality 3B who can hit don't usually turn in to gold glove candidates overnight. Further, he'said been bounced around from the OF back to the infield in what is only his first full season. Time, work, maybe a couple ,essential pounds, and he should be at least average with the glove eventually.

Indeed. I'm not saying the guy is all that, but I looked at his numbers the past 4 seasons, and other than higher BB rates than you'd like, his numbers are solid across the board. Not sure why some don't like him or think he and Nolasco are some kind of wash.

Vielma playing SS and providing some speed and a little hitting at the bottom of the order sounds good to me. (Though I think it's a little early to see him breaking camp with the 20q7 version of the Twins) But I dislike the idea of him hitting there with Buxton. If Buxton progresses enough to just begin reaching his vast potential, he provides a HUGE boost to the Twins at the top of the order.

I don't think the money part matters straight up. The money was spent either way. But they did get a LH, younger starter that is probably a better pitcher. Financially, they can choose to keep him, flip him, or not ender him to save money in the long run if they wish.

Nice article. Nice to share a little sunshine amongst so much doom and gloom of the past few months. And I dont believe the trading is done. I still feel Suzuki is needed by someone out there and he will be on the move. I'm not sure Milone survives the season as there are options the team needs to look at still. Kinzler is a question mark. I still think someone out there makes a move for him that needs bullpen help. But then again, retaining him on the cheap isn't so awful really. (Other than needing his roster space) Look, I'm not going to pretend all is coming up roses in Twinsville. But at this point, after such an interesting and fun day, I think we should take a step back and take a long hard look at some things that are/have been taking place as of late. 1} Ryan is out. It was simply time. And no matter who ends up sitting in the big chair when the dust settles, change is begining at the top. Ownership has, more or less, publicly proclaimed it wants change and is looking at the entire system and Twins structure. 2} The Twins have been performing like a fairly decent baseball team the past 30 days or so. And while there are warts, and question marks, some players to still move on from and nobody is claiming this team is ready for a playoff run, a lot of what's been helping this team along is a shift to young talent finding it's way. 3} There is even more young talent on the way. And if you remove the "Meyer question"...will he or won't he ever turn out, for someone else now...we have added better pieces than we subtracted and added to our talent pool while creating more flexibility. Look at our OF: Rosario, Buxton and Kepler with Grossman as a solid reserve. Palka and Granite could be nice pieces in the near future. I loved Kepler hitting 3rd in tonight's lineup and believe that is his future spot. Could it be now? Buxton is only scratching the surface of what he can become. Imagine next year's lineup if he scratches a little deeper and could actually hit at the top of the lineup? Infield: Sano is a stud. Yeah, yeah...a little sophomore backtracking, but it happens. It's also been a weird year for him. He's super talented and will be fine. Relax on the defensive part of his game. The talent is there. But give him some time. Polanco is very exciting as well. And he's finally up and getting a chance. Dozier is still good. Vargas looks very different, SSS for 2016 or not. Pitching: I know our best rotational talent is in AA still. But right now, we have the solid veteran Santana, a now healthy Gibson pitching well (and still young), Berrios has tons of upside and is finally here, probably for good. Santiago is, IMO, a much better and younger replacement for Nolasco. Mejia looks like a nice addition. We haven't seen Wheeler yet, though we should. May could and should get another rotational look, and Duffey shows potential in his roughly 27 ML starts, despite some inconsistencies. I'm sorry, but I like that list better than anyone named Nolasco or Milone. The bullpen has some interesting parts emerging with Rogers, Tonkin and Pressly establishing themselves. And in both AAA and double AA there are some really nice bullpen arms either knocking on the door, or threatening to kick it open. And we've just added at least one more intriguing option there. I'm actually getting excited again! Now, if we could just find someone to hold down catcher until Garver is ready......

I also have to say, I don't think the Twins are done yet. I believe Kinzler and Suzuki can and will still be dealt over the next week or so. Unsure about Milone, but it could happen. Plouffe is a different story. Hurthey so much of the season, even healthy after a rehab assignment, I'm not sure there's enough season left to show he's ready to contribute to anyone to make a trade worthwhile for anyone.

I have to confess, I don't like losing Meyer. I love his potential and believe he may yet be a late-blooming, high quality pitcher. And I will continue to root for the guy. And no, I don't always think the Twins have handled him properly. But I have to say, while encouraged by his first 3 appearances this season, and very hopeful, a bit of the shine I saw on Meyer has worn off. It's possible the way the Twins handled him earlier this year could have contributed, though I don't know we can say with any firm conclusion that was a contributing factor. It may just be his size, length and motion are simply not conducive to long term health or success. But if I'm an Angels fan, I have to be happy my team got him. But losing Nolasco, and gaining Santiago, younger and LH, was a definately a win. Just looking at that part of the equation, the Twins pulled out a win. He may be nothing special, but he's solid. He gets some SO. He's controllable for another year, and could also be another flip candidate. And, oh yeah, younger and LH! (Bears repeating). Overall, his numbers are better than Nolasco the past couple of years. Add in another strong bullpen candidate and another OK pen option, and I think the Twins did well. And as has been pointed out, these past couple of moves probably keep the Twins from overpaying for another run of the mill veteran FA SP next year. And that also is a good thing.

Yes, his good season was 2014, which is what I believed you were trying to say. But I agree with your assessment. Now, we can argue SSS at the ML level in 2016, or claim a hot streak, but I'm buying in to Vargas 2.0. I posted his milb career numbers in another thread a couple of weeks ago and won't do so again here. But I'd invite anyone and everyone to go take a look at them. He's still young, skipped over AAA entirely before his ML debut, so some flailing and adjustments weren't exactly a surprise. But his milb history shows a sold BA, quality OB numbers, high OPS, despite not being the classic "thumper" his size might suggest. But he has real power. And he is showing real plate discipline. I believe this is a result of time, adjustments, and a reflection of his past success and not just a hot streak.

Berrios may or may not set the world on fire initially, but he's very talented, and is ready for prime time now. And the next two months will help him get ready for 2017. I also see Santana and Gibson as givens. And I dont think that's all that bad of a threesome to start with. No ACE, no world beaters, but a solid start. After that? May should absolutely be stretched out again. He was showing some real ability and improvement last season, and would probably be that much better already if allowed to remain a starter, something he has been his entire career previously. And he was good enough to be considered a pretty highly regarded prospects as such. I'm fairly excited about Mejia, and it looks like we may have picked up a bit of a steal there. And I've been reading about his rankings and his improvements. But I think half a season of AAA should temper expectations a bit. Still, he has a shot in '17, even if it's not out of the gate. I'd really like to see what Wheeler has going for him. If you go through his milb numbers, you will see an excellent debut in 2012 at Beloit, followed by a very solid 2014 in Ft Myers and then an even better, fast tracked 2014 split between FTM and AA before a final start in Rochester. For whatever reason, the wheels came off in 2015, but he's been borderline dominant for Rochester this season. He deserves a shot at this point. I still like Duffey. Yes he's been up and down this season, but we've seen what he is capable of, and he has all of 27 ML starts at this point. Meyer still has talent, and a shot. The 2017 rotation has a chance to be respectable, and mostly young. Though it's true our best arms are in AA right now and not yet ready. But other than a flyer on someone as a bounce-back flyer, I don't want to see the Twins invest in any more veteran FA starters.

Duffey to the pen makes sense if we're talking about working on some mechanical issues there and for shorter game stints. But Duffey to the pen if you still think of him as a future starter is just repeating the same old mistakes again.

Gonsalves at AA: 4-1 .279 ERA 38.2IP 28 hits 22BB 47SO .204BA against 1.29WHIP I hate to put the cart before the horse, but if he maintains this through August, are we talking AAA to start 2017?

Agree on Hughes. This is not some simple, minor procedure. He could be done, he could eventually come back strong as ever. But like perkins, (an even worse scenario), you simply can't and don't count on him for next season. At all. And as previously stated, he may come back in the pen to begin with. Right now, Nolasco and Milone out of the picture one way or another, you look at 2017 with Santana, Gibson and Berrios as your "givens" to build your rotation. Someone new in charge who is not short-sighted would see the value in May back in the rotation: multi-pitch mix, young, Bullish workhorse on the mound previously, milb success in that role, and with flashes and improvement in 2015 before the pen move. That leaves Duffey, Wheeler and Mejia as your remaining probables. Meyer can still be in that mix as well if he gets back on the mound in August. The new GM would probably take a low risk flyer on a FA/waiver for AAAA depth.

Not being critical at all. And you're right that anyone moving to the NL has an easier time and would see their numbers lower. Nolasco, on even a little bit, can eat some innings and help fill someone's last spot or two. I suggest the NL as being logical since the teams there are more familiar with Nolasco, and he's spent his entire career there other than the Twins. It seems a natural fit to me for someone.

I still like Rosario and his potential. But let's say we can and do move him. We can even assume, for a moment, that the Twins would even consider Mauer in the OF. That's still a short term answer. (Though I like making room for both Vargas and Park) What do you see as the long term solution? Is it the powerful Palka? Or maybe the hit/contact/speed of Granite?

IMO, with a little time, Polanco will be as good or better than Dozier defensively. I believe he will be a better hitter for AVG, but while his OB may be solid, I don't know that it will be better than Dozier's. Polanco has enough pop to hit a few HR, maybe even develop in to a double digit threat, but will never come close to BDO in that regard. However, I think he's capable of being a quality doubles and triples producer with consistent SB ability. The problem is we don't know for sure what we have in him yet. Could he really be ready to replace Dozier as the starting 2B in 2017? Are we better off with him as a role player first as he settles in and then maybe trading Dozier? I think that's the direction I lean to at the moment. Dozier is a quality ballplayer and not an over 30 yo on a sudden decline slope. And with the Nunez trade, Polanco can now get the playing time and AB's he needs. But unless there is a really nice offer/match this offseason, I say keep Dozier for now and see how things play out next season.

I still feel there is a NL team out there that may bite on Nolasco. I disagree that Milone doesn't have at least a slight possibility of being traded, though it probably won't be until August gets here. Yes he was passed over on waivers earlier in the year, but he's pitched better since his recall, as he did last year. Thereturn would probably be very small, but he's experiencdd, left handed and breathing. He could probably help someone on the back end. Hope Abad and Kinzler both go. But I'm still in favor of keeping Santana for next season. Or at least, until the off season and our new GM takes a look at the team and market and makes a decision otherwise. (Same with Dozier)

very interesting. Like others, I like Rosario and would have a hard time moving him. Nice return, but I feel he has a bright future and I wouldn't move him until I know more about Palma and Granite. I do like Mauer in the OF, even just part time for flexibility. Might allow room for Park AND Vargas both.