DocBauer

Is he worth $10M per based on what his offense has been last season and this year...not previous seasons...but last and now? Nope. Is his experience and great defense probably worth $5M in today's market for a 1/3-ish catching tandem partner? Yes. The problem is Jeffers...despite a recent slump...a better overall hitter with more power. I think even Jeffers bashers will agree to that. And as has been said, the Twins like to do a pretty equitable split between their backstops. And I like the idea behind it, especially when a guy like Jeffers can also help some at DH when he's going good. The problem is even with a slight upswing in his AVG the past couple of weeks...but below season totals in OB% and SLG%...Vazquez is not hitting like a co-catcher should be for anything close to a 50/50 split, which is why I mentioned the 1/3 share time idea. But his defense is damn good. And catcher, frankly, is a different discussion that an INF or OF in regard to offense vs defense. So no, despite some ugly results, I don't think Vazquez is feeling any pressure right now, other than what he's putting on himself. I'm very intrigued by Camargo. From everything I've read and heard he's a good teammate, handles the staff well, calls a solid game, is solid behind the plate, and has a pretty strong arm. He's never going to win any batting titles, but he can hit at least a little, and he's got power. Do I have a suspicion he could come up tomorrow and quite possibly out perform Vazquez? Yes I do. And I'd like to see him get the opportunity to play at some point. But with a team still trying to find it's true self and quit playing Jekyll and Hyde, the offensive production from the #3 catcher isn't really at the top of the list of concerns, IMO. If and when the Twins do make a move...other than Camargo getting a natural promotion when someone hits the IL...I don't think anything permanent would take place until after this season. That gives the Twins time to evaluate Vazquez and Camargo both for the remainder of the season, get $10M worth of Vazquez this season, and make a decision based on season #3 before season #3 starts...but not now.

I don't think I would have brought Jackson back at this time. Henriquez maybe? Or how about Funderburk since Thielbar is just a complete mess right now? I do have to say, I don't know that they felt a lot of trust in Castillo after 7 BB in 7 IP. I'm sure they'd like him to stick around, that 7 in 7 is just not acceptable.

I don't like him being sent down, but it seems it was necessary at this point. 2 or 3 big hits a month and virtually NOTHING else just doesn't work. Can Kirilloff learn something at AAA on this reset? I seriously doubt it. At this point, I believe he's beyond "learning" something new. Now, maybe he can do a better job of doing what he's already been told to do and get back on track. But at this point, I think we're beyond the "learn something new" stage. I think 1 of 3 things is happening here: 1} He's simply not the player we and everyone else thought he'd be. I doubt this one, not because any prospect is guaranteed of success, but because of how highly his bat was regarded when drafted, through the minors, and in glimpses at the ML level. 2} He's got an injury he's not reported, or is trying to work through as it's not serious enough for a long term fix...in theory...and the Twins have been a little short of LH production in their lineup as of late. I'm leaning this way a little as the way he's been flailing away is very reminiscent of of how he's looked previously when hurt. 3} The wrist issues and surgeries and last year's shoulder injury and repair have simply robbed him of the ability to swing the way he wants to, and have zapped much of his power. I'm hoping it's #2, or he's just forgetting what he already knows and we see him get his head back on straight. I'd rather have seen Wallner back up, but I get him taking more time to make sure he's in a good place and taking the right approach. It would have been a perfect time to add Keirsey to the 40 man and give him his shot, LF, speed, pop, and defense. Unfortunately, he's on the IL right now. So Martin it is. I'm crossing my fingers he's comfortable and ready to perform. I'm still worried about a lack of pop/power in his bat.

I'd have Matthews on the no trade list for sure. I think the Twins biggest downfall this season has been the offense. It's just been too inconsistent, like it was this time last year. The biggest holes are, currently, LF, 2B, and DH. And there are some issues with CF and RH at the moment. Lee gets going, and/or Julien gets his act together, suddenly 2B is taken care of. And BOTH might be part of a 2nd half offensive surge. Larnach has been pretty good and might have finally figured things out. Castro is also solid for LF. If Wallner is ready soon to be the Wallner we've seen, or close to it, LF looks pretty good. DH can be Miranda, Larnach, and almost anyone taking a half day off. LF getting better helps the DH spot. Kepler getting hot again...which I suspect will happen...and Buxton showing SOMETHING really gets the lineup going. I just don't know who's out there for an inexpensive rental that's better than what's on hand IF even a couple of the younger bats on hand just get going, along with Kepler and Buck. I'm not really interested in paying much for a rental bat. Maybe a couple lower prospects to a rebuilding team? I agree with the sentiment you make the playoffs and see what happens! You try to augment your needs to give you the best chance to compete. IMO, I'd be interested in a LH arm unless Thielbar suddenly gets right, and/or a RH arm if Stewart won't be fully available. I know Varland is an enticing option to end the season in the pen, but I'd feel more comfortable with a RH arm just in case Stewart has continued issues. Unfortunately, mid season trades haven't been very good for this FO. Offseason trades have been much, much better. I'm just not interested in moving ANY top prospects at the deadline unless there's just a great opportunity for someone young and controllable. I'm looking at a pen arm, maybe two, and I'd only consider a rental bat if it comes cheap. This team is good, but not playing/performing up to expectation. But I also see too many solid options available that could "click" over the next month or so to jump start the offense that might be as good as most any rental they might pick up. I'm just saying, do I trade prospects to get a "7" player when I've got guys on hand that might be a "6" or even "7" if they just get their game together? Maybe I'm too conservative when I look at the current team and the talent on hand. But that's where I'm sitting right now.

Or Henriquez?

Hoping if Margot gets on base Vazquez will bunt him over if there's less than 2 outs. That's something he's usually been capable of doing.

I think it's Varland. He's been hot and cold at AAA so far. What we don't know is what he's been working on down there. Have some of his bad outings/innings been him just being bad? Or has he been focusing so hard on certain pitches for development purposes he's had those bad outings/innings similar to ST? I'm guessing Castillo goes down, Varland up, and then someone up right after for the pen, with Castillo waiting for his next call. I'm guessing Henriquez or Funderburk get the next call? I kinda like the strategy though. An extra day of rest for everyone else.

By all reports, Williams has worked very hard on his defense and is trusted behind the plate. (A shoulder surgery in college has limited his arm previously and I don't know if that's improved over time or not). But Williams has suddenly stopped hitting. Camargo is the better option at this point, and he's healthy again and rehabbing his way back to St Paul. Again, by all reports, he's solid behind the plate, has a solid arm, has power and some HIT ability. I just don't know that Vazquez is going anywhere based on his defense and contract for THIS year. You won't find a bigger fan of Helman anywhere besides me. He RAKED at St Paul in 2023 but had 3 different injuries, and he probably missed his window as a result. And the Twins ended up with Luplow. Helman has hit ability, some power, good speed and SB results, and is solid at 7 defensive spots. He had a .902 OPS at AAA last year, and has been sitting in the .820-.830 range for the season. I believe he's over 1.000 OPS the past couple of weeks. He was slowed by a small injury to begin the year, and I'd bet his OPS is over .900 from about week 2 or 3 until now. But he's not on the 40 man, Martin is. And Margot is a veteran who's surprisingly hit pretty well the past couple of weeks. IMO, Martin is still a bit of an unknown. I would have loved to replace Margot with Helman a few weeks ago to see what they've got. I don't care he just turned 28yo, I wanted to see what he might be able to do given a chance as a late blooming utility guy. The Twins obviously like him. They just don't seem willing to give him a shot at this point for whatever reason.

The issues with the INF are the same as the OF, just not playing up to talent and potential. The difference is, I think the INF is closer to being "fixed". 3B is fine as long as Lewis is around. Period! Both Miranda and Castro can help give him days off. Lee also, in the future. I'm deliberately leaving Farmer out of the equation for obvious reasons, but he can bring a solid glove there if you need him to. SS is more than fine with Correa playing as well as I've ever seen him. OPS is down across MLB and he's still 60 points higher than average. Castro provides a solid backup option. Again, so will Lee at some point. Same caveat about Farmer there. 1B still has me "meh", though I don't like the term, lol. Santana is NOT a difference maker there in any way. But he's been solid. He started horrible, got hot, slumped, and has been better again as of late. For some CRAZY reason, he has more HR and XBH and RBI batting LH against RHP, even though his actual 4 part splits are MUCH HIGHER against LHP. HUH? Crazy but true. Can he maintain his solid but not great bat the remaining 2/3 of the season? I expect some regression to the norm at least. Miranda needs to be in the lineup for now, and the future. He can do so at 3B here and there, and at 1B along with DH. I don't know that Kirilloff gets any sort or reset if he goes to AAA. What's he going to accomplish there? He needs to figure stuff out NOW at the ML level. He can be part of the 1B/DH plan, along with a few games in the OF. But Larnach is out producing him and looks far better. And Wallner might be close to ready for a promotion again. That means AK back to AAA, though I don't know if that helps him. And that's sad to say. I have a lot of belief and faith in both Julien and Lee. But Julien has hit a bump in the road that many/most young players hit. His bump was just bigger than I expected. The talent and approach are correct, but he's gotten mixed up in the aggressive/passive approach that he's known for. Lee needs time. Lee can play 3 spots, Julien 2, with 1B still being a spot I think he's going to be a part of in the future. Castro can be just fine at 2B, but he's not only needed everywhere, but maybe at his best when he IS playing everywhere. Eventually, Farmer is going to be gone. That leaves room for both Lee AND Julien at some point, but for now, 2B is holding down the INF, and limiting Castro's greatest strength. 1B/DH/2B are all strangely tied, with some OF mixed in, simply because we're waiting...impatiently...for 2 or 3 young and youngish bats to get their act together. At this point, Vazquez is experience and great defense with HOPE that he's going to be at least a little bit better. Right now, he's a slightly better version of Drew Butera. I'm betting he sticks for the remainder of the season based not only on contract, but also his defense. The Twins, IMO, might be forced to release him next offseason, or early next year, and just trust Camargo. And Camargo has some ability as a catcher and a hitter. And at some point, the Twins just might have to eat the 3rd year of the Vazquez deal. The INF is in flux, but I actually feel better about it than the OF at the moment.

It's hard to see the Twins not in red/white/blue. And the blue and yellow remind me too much if the Brewers. But that being said, the colors themselves, and all the thought and little touches, really do seem to represent the state itself. And isn't that the point they're trying to make? Not just the Twins Cities and not just the Twins, but Minnesota. It's going to take time seeing my favorite team on those colors. But I applaud the choice to go a very different direction than before, by doing something almost completely unrelated to their traditional looks. Unto themselves, these uniforms are fresh, detailed, and unique. I love the originality.

Not really going to disagree with you, but except for his recent slump, Kepler has been very good. And while most of his production has come from the DH spot so far, Larnach has looked pretty good. Despite a few good games the past 2-3 weeks, unfortunately, Kirilloff has just not been good. What's even more disappointing is Buxton. He looks good, healthy, and happy, but he just looks like he has zero clue at the plate. I can live with some feast and famine from him considering what he's capable of, but his bat has generally left the lineup hungry. The fact that he and AK are both healthy and doing little is really sad. Can Wallner get untracked and do again what he did last season and make a difference? (Crossing my fingers). I don't believe Rodriguez is going to suddenly come up at 21yo from AA to make a difference this season. That means it's Kepler getting hot again...probable...and Buxton SOMEHOW learning to hit again. Larnach or Wallner can help LF, along with Castro as well, of course. But maybe Martin is ready to take the next step in a role where he'll hit a little better, get OB, steal a few bases, and help spark the lineup? I don't know for certain about Martin, but despite a few good games recently, I'm still not sold that Margot is suddenly the answer as a RH reserve OF.

My apologies for probably repeating a couple things I've said today in a couple different OP's, but here goes: 1] For a few seconds, I'm almost willing to accept a Yankees curse over the Twins. (Why us?) But I can't accept the HANGOVER affect they leave on the Twins. Following the 1st series, the Twins just bombed against Cleveland. After this last series, they looked completely inept the first 2 games against Pittsburgh. Enough! 2] Except for a handful of games this year, the pitching is not the problem. Even with Lopez performing a Broadway version of Jeckyl and Hyde...which he kinda did early last year also...he's also flashed, as have Ryan, Ober, and Paddack. SWR is still feeling his way, but has absolutely been a lifesaver. And I agreed with the broadcast comments the other day that it just LOOKS like he's feeling more and more confident. 3] The OFFENSE has been the biggest issue this season, and they were the part of this team I felt the most confident in coming in. Larnach is looking like he's figured it out, Kirilloff, unfortunately, has not. Miranda looks back! Correa is back. Lewis is...well...back. despite a recent slump, Kepler and Jeffers have been really good for the most part. Buxton looks like his old self in the field and on the bases. He whips the bat in a way that seems to indicate the bat speed is still there. But he's been downright immune to contact of any significant degree. Julien and Wallner have disappointed so far, though I still like the ability and potential of both. Can they, and possibly Lee, help Jumpstart the offense. Hopefully. But Buck needs to figure something out in a hurry before he's a defensive specialist hitting at the bottom of the order. I don't like, but accept Vazquez as a defensive specialist these days. But despite a few hits lately, I'm still not seeing much value in Margot overall for the season. And while I'm a Farmer fan and was happy to see him back, he's just been invisible. Santana has been better than I expected. He's actually contributed. But almost daily use, including against RHP isn't really helping anyone. All that being said, there's still too much damn talent on hand for the offense to perform these disappearing acts. 4] Offensively, the Twins are way down on K's, but also down on HR production. Though last I heard, they were near the top in doubles. For the UPTEENTH TIME...for anyone wiling to actually listen...the Twins philosophy is NOT "swing for the fences and if you K it's alright". The ACTUAL philosophy is "work the count, tire the pitcher, find something you like, and HIT THE BALL HARD". HITTING THE BALL HARD can mean anything from a sacrifice fly, to a solid base hit, to a double/triple, to and INCLUDING HR's. Actually working the count means you will also end up with some BB as well. Walks are good. The majority of the time, a K is no worse than a pop-up, grounder, or fly ball out. Once in a while they're preferable to a grounder to eliminate a double play ball. But NOBODY wants to set a K record. So K's are way down, but so is scoring. Part of that is a weak bench of 3 guys in particular. Part of that is missing Royce for 2 months. Part of that is Julien and Wallner needing a reset, with the caveat of Larnach and Miranda being better to actually assist the offense. But part of the issue is there are times where you just need good contact. And that hasn't always been there, despite the offensive principles put in place that actually make a lot of sense. Nick, you referenced the replacement of Popkins. But my question is, the seeming lack of solid contact that's needed at times...that SHOULD be there based on the Twins basic hitting philosophy...is that on the roster as constructed? An inability for too many of the current roster to get it done? Or is the issue on the teachings of Popkins? Are the Twins hitters being TOO SELECTIVE/PATIENT at times? Or are they not being instructed to make in bat adjustments correctly? Reference the old "choke up" method of hitting? I'm not saying the Twins do or don't need to make a change in instructors. The basic offensive principal that the Twins employ has been proven to work and makes sense. But the tremendous cold streaks indicate that SOMETHING is missing either in the framework of said philosophy, or the lack of approach and adjustments within. I just don't know how much of that is on the players, or the instruction. There's a lot to like about this team, and what's coming up, and there's a lot of season left. But there's just WAY TOO MANY games virtually GIVEN AWAY to the opposition.

I've been really impressed with the improvement Julien has made at 2B. He's at least average there. But even if AK finally figures out how to hit consistently, I still see Julien being part of the 1B/DH situation in order to fit Lee in. Lewis and Correa are fixtures at 3B and SS respectively, with occasional rest and DH days. Lee can play 3 spots, Julien 2, and Miranda can cover some 3B once in a while in addition to 1B/DH. And that's not even including Castro in the INF as well. The future of the INF looks very promising. Now...we need to get the corner OF spots settled.

Assuming he can ever gain consistency, I still like AK being able to play a little OF as well as 1B/DH. I don't think he did anything poor on the triple to left center, but if someone else was out there instead, with just a single extra gear, that ball is probably caught and Ober's day looks very different. I'm willing to go ahead and accept some sort of Yankees curse over the Twins for about 5 seconds. But what's with the hangover affect? The Twins bombed against Cleveland the first time, and then looked totally inept against Pittsburgh the first couple of games. Enough! While the lineup still isn't clicking on all cylinders...looking at you AK, Wallner, Julien, and possibly Lee for some help...there's still too much talent and potential on this team to look so bad at times.

You're not wrong about Helman. His window was last season when the Twins needed to pick up a RH bat and settled for Luplow. Were Helman not banged up, he probably gets the call. To be fair, his OPS in 2023 was .902. It's sitting at .838 now. He was slowed the first couple of weeks this season, and I'd bet he's well over .900 since then. His best chance to see the ML is probably with a different club as a super utility player who has pop and speed and can play 7 spots. I'm sure the Twins hope he comes back next season though. I'm still thinking he'd be an OK hitter with some power and speed, but not a starter for sure.

Eeles is a great story, agreed! I'd imagine he finishes the season at Cedar Rapids. He's just too good for low A much longer. Perhaps ready for AA next season? I just wish he was a couple years younger.

The FSL is a tough hitters league, and always has been. In one aspect, that's a good thing for young prospects, including Jenkins. It creates a natural flow from the FCL to the FSL, which is obviously the same location, just a stoll to another field. If you can hit in Florida, the bat should translate to A+ in the Midwest League. So far, he's done everything that could be asked of him last year, and very limited time this season. I don't think a 1.000 plus OPS is necessarily indicative of his readiness to advance. I think it's more about his approach. Is he squaring up? Are his K's acceptable or is he reaching for stuff he has no business swinging at? If the eye and general approach are there, he'll move up to CR before the season is done. But with time missed, right now, he just needs to play and settle in. I'd expect him to stick at Ft Myers for at least June, maybe even part or all of July before getting August at A+. That should still allow 4-6 weeks of a higher level. 2025, he might begin at CR with a pretty quick promotion to AA, June 1st at the latest. That still keeps him on a very fast trajectory.

I think they are AWESOME! I'm just surprised they are only going to wear them once as I believe they league allows them to wear them twice. I had suspected they would go a little bit more crazy on the helmet and actually put the viking head logo it. And I'd still like to see that sometime. But the horns transferred to the white helm beautifully and I think the silver stipe down the middle is a very nice addition.

Yes, Emma is short for Emmanuel Rodriguez. I really don't like that nickname. But when you're typing in a hurry, sometimes you resort to short cuts. LOL

As @Dmanstated, I'm also leary of fast risers after Cavaco. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Twins have 4 of the first 90-100 picks based on a pair of comp picks to go along with our normal #1 and #2, right? I'm greedy, of course, LOL, but I see opportunity to grab a solid college catcher to hedge bets on Camargo, Cossetti, and Cardenas, along with a college arm, a HS arm, a HS SS, and a college BAT. Of course, 5 doesn't fit in to 4 spots. We'll see how things fall, but unless there is a surprise, I'm guessing the college arm..and others..comes later. I'm torn between one of the catchers and a true CF with a good offensive profile. Both Emma and Jenkins could outgrow CF. So someone Ike Waldschmidt sure interests me. Does his arm play? Dman brought up issues with arm strength and that concerns me. I do have a feeling the Twins are going to grab a HS SS early. It's a relatively weak position in the system, and someone with real talent to be a possible successor to Correa would be valued. But it sounds like there are about 10-12 kids who could be very good, and then things drop off a cliff. Yes? It seems as though there a number of HS arms worthy to be grabbed in the first couple of rounds. Pick who you like best? After listening to your latest podcast, I'm SUPER intrigued by Dax Whitney. Imagine the potential of this kid with more instruction and another 15lbs of muscle! Could he last until the 2nd round? Sounds like it might be best to grab the college bat 1st, and then grab Whitney with the comp pick. Do you think the high $ amount available in the Twins draft pool might allow them to grab a player, maybe a HS kid, past the first two rounds, while playing a bit with the signing bonus $ available?

Just really glad to see him back playing again. I don't like hearing his back is an ongoing issue. But the fact that he's done such a good job of handling it throughout his college and pro career gives me hope it won't be a major issue going forward. I mean, isn't this the first we've even heard of it? I'm still a fan and believer in Julien, despite his recent struggles and reset at St Paul. He was great in college, great in milb, and pretty much great in his ML debut in 2023. Even his first month this year was pretty good. I don't know yet if Lee is going to be a STAR. But I think he's going to be very good. Getting better from his RH side just might take him to that STAR level one day. Something about his approach and swing tells me he's probably never going to be a 30HR guy. But I suspect he's going to hit 20 dingers consistently with 30+ doubles every single year. Combine that with a probably .270-.280 AVG, .330-.340 OB% and you have a very good ballplayer. The Twins INF, by next season if not later this year, should be Lewis, Correa, Julien, Lee, and Miranda. Castro is also part of the INF dynamic. HOPEFULLY, Kirilloff will continue to adapt and progress the rest of this season to lay at least partial claim to 1B duty. That's a HELL of an INF! There are 4 spots to fill, as well as DH filled by a probable time share, including some OF also seeing time at DH. You just never have TOO MUCH TALENT. Guys will get hurt once in a while, or need days off. But between 4 total INF spots, and DH, it's up to Rocco and his staff to get playing time for everyone. It's a good "problem" to have.

I don't know that Julien being sent down really has an overly direct correlation to Larnach, Kirlloff, or Miranda, other than the fact that they are doing better so they didn't get sent down. But I do agree that celebrating this trio doing a much better job is a good thing. Miranda adapted his approach in 2021 and became the top prospect a lot of Twins officials had been hoping he might become. His 2022 rookie season offered up a lot of promise, with some of the usually speed bumps we see from such a young player. The way he's produced this season would seem to clearly indicate his forgettable 2023 season was due to his shoulder injury. When it comes to Larnach and Kirilloff, I often think we need to remind ourselves that due to injuries, these former top 100 prospects are still sitting at less than 1000 ML plate appearances, and less than 800 ML AB's. Both have had their progress, and thus careers, slowed. Right now, it sure looks like Larnach has changed his approach and adapted well. He's doing well. Kirilloff started slow, slumped terribly, but has picked up power and production the past couple of weeks again. Here's hoping both can continue to improve and contribute as this year could be paramount to their futures. There are others directly behind them that would love the opportunity to prove they are ready. One of those is Wallner. If it's best for him to stay at St Paul a little longer and continue to thrive and work on a couple things, that's fine with me. The Wallner we saw to begin this season is not the ballplayer we've seen at the milb or ML level previously. But he HAS been hot and producing and looking like the player we expect him to be. Speed bumps happen and not all development and career starts follow a linear path. I do think Julien has a great eye and a good bat. I swear when watching him at times that he knows the strike zone better than the umps. But he absolutely needs to adapt to the borderline outside calls and be more aggressive at times earlier in the count. Much like Larnach, AK, and Wallner, pitchers are going to throw him fewer fastballs. And he has to adapt. I have a lot of faith in him, and I think he's going to be back and be fine. But a reset sure seemed to be in order.

I always fear the Guardians. I had them finishing 3nd this year, but relatively close to the Twins. Unfortunately, we can't undo a bat start to the season that put the Twins in this hole. In my mind, there are 2 factors that allow the Twins to catch them. 1] You play who's on your schedule. Period. You might catch a team that's cold, or they may be hot. So I don't always buy in to strength of schedule. BUT, we're a THIRD of the way through the schedule so far. So looking at a "swap" of strength of schedule isn't without merit looking forward. 2] Cleveland's offense is always built on contact, with a little speed and some power. They have to string hits together to score runs. The data presented indicates they've been scoring more than they should be. These things tend to even out over time. And a weaker schedule so far, might explain some of the Guardian's "luck" or performance. Conversely, the Twins HR production is down from what was expected, though their doubles production has been very good. Personally, while sitting about middle of the pack in overall run production, I think the Twins offense has been under producing. And we know who's been generally awful, but we also know Lewis is back, Julien and even Wallner may help produce a better 2nd half production. But also, Larnach and Miranda have surprised and both are looking like they're going to stick. The offense takes a step forward that the talent on hand SAYS they should, that goes a long way to a team that can win more games. For the most part, the pitching has been there. Cleveland is in the driver's seat right now. A change in opposition on the schedule and an offensive tick up for the Twins, 7-8 games with 2/3 of the season left to play, is not insurmountable. Of course, it sure would help to beat the Guardians head to head later in the season. I do expect some regression from Cleveland. But the Twins just need to worry about putting the best team on the field and winning every series they can. You don't overcome anything in a day.

They aren't trading Kepler. Not only is he a favorite, but moving him lowers OF defense, he's been one a very good offensive run since June/July last season. Maybe the best overall run of his career. While it might be SSS, he's actually hitting LHP well this year and should be playing daily and forget platooning RF. The offense needs to step up. It's not bad, but not what was expected or hoped for. Lewis back makes a major difference. IMO, Larnach has FINALLY taken the step forward we've all been waiting for. He's been a bit limited in the OF due to his toe, but hopefully that starts to get better in the near future and he's able to play the field more. LF has been about league average this year due to Castro, Larnach, and a little bit of Kirilloff. I don't see corner OF as being a major need unless there is an injury. Miranda is looking like the player he was in 2022, and that we hoped for in 2023. I'd be shocked if Julien doesn't get in a groove and come back up and take over 2B fairly soon. And it's starting to look like Wallner is getting back to being the player we've seen the past 3yrs at all levels. I don't want to give up on Kirilloff, and I don't think the Twins have, but I can see Wallner replacing him come July. Lee might just replace Farmer at some point, though they've got to find room for him to play often, and not languish on the bench. Julien filling in some at 1B? More than enough bats to make DH much stronger than it's been. I just don't see the Twins adding payroll for a rental bat and sacrificing any prospects when what they really need is the hitters on hand just performing as they are capable of. In no particular order, I COULD see any of these happening: 1] The whole having a RH bat on the bench to help with platoons is a good idea. But it really only works well if that RH bat doesn't stink against RHP. That's not Margot, and I don't know if it's Martin yet. A cheap deal for a solid RH hitting OF who can actually hit RHP might be on the table. 2] IF Stewart has lingering issues, I can see an arm added. If Thielbar continues to be up and down with his performances, and Funderburk doesn't settle down on his control, I could see a LH arm added. BUT, a healthy Stewart, Varland as a pen option come September, Thielbar settling in, and Funderburk getting his control back, (he's got good stuff), might make this a moot point. 3] While I think this highly unlikely, if a team like the Marlins are going to move arms to build their bats for 2025 and beyond, it could be a surprising time to add a controllable arm. If the bidding doesn't get crazy, I can see prospects like Keaschall, Gonzalez, maybe Wallner or AK?, Rosario, Schobel, and a few others, with a solid arm included, in a deal. A 3 or 4 for 1 kind of deal that doesn't touch our top 3, or Festa, or Matthews, but makes about everyone else available, COULD happen in a surprise addition. The #1 and #2 moves are the most likely, IMO. And injuries could affect if they make any moves at all. But I think the talent on hand is what they're going to run with, a few roster changes happening here and there.

Up until a week ago, our starting OG tandem was Ingram and Brandel. I gram has started 32 games in his 2 year career. I have hopes he'll continue to improve. Brandel has started 5 games in his career, though he's suited up and appeared in more than that as a reserve. I have hopes he might turn in to a quality starter. But again, he's only started 5 games in his career. (Reserve options Byrd and Robinson, a pair of first year practice squad players, have never started a game, and I'm not sure either has ever appeared in a game.) Risner has appeared in 77 games in his career and started 73 of them. So he's started more than double the amount of games that Ingram and Brandel have. So yes, he brings a veteran presence to the OL. More specifically at OG.