Trov

I would love to see them trade for Willson Contreras but my guess they will not. I do not know what he would cost as a rental, but many teams will be bidding. Very few contending teams would not be willing to upgrade offense at catcher. Even though the Twins offense is not their biggest issue, if you can make it even better at catcher I would look at it.

My guess Winder stays starting either here or in AAA. I doubt they move him to relief roll.

If tipping his pitches is accurate that is something players will pick up on and make you pay. Unless you are super elite with your pitches if a hitter knows it is coming they will normally hit it.

Every pitcher runs into issues and needs to make adjustments. The main question is when will the league adjust to his new change up and how will that play out after that? Will the league adjust and light up the change up, or will it keep them off enough to keep him on top? Duffy is the perfect example of why pen pitchers are hard to predict because their bad outings are normally amplified compared to a starter. A starter gives up 2 or 3 runs to first 3 or 4 batters and settles down to pitch 5 or 6 innings we do not say much, but a pen guy gives up 2 or 3 runs to first 3 or 4 guys and the outing was terrible.

In terms of Santana I am not a fan of trading for a pen arm on a break out season. Unless you can really see where the change was that made the difference and believe it is sustainable. I mean how many times have we seen someone like say Duffy look like they are on the verge of being dominate relief guy only to struggle again. Someone that has long history of poor pitching to suddenly break out I have a huge red flag on and would not give up much for him. I am always willing to take fliers on guys, but giving up much from one is a huge risk. You need to be really certain they will maintain.

It is nice to see the numbers backing up what the eyes see. I will always remember in his rookie year pinch hitting after a 0-2 count when the hitter got hurt swinging. He managed to work a walk. That is just crazy, coming off the bench, with 0 chance of mistake and he works a walk. At that point I was sold on him as an on base guy. This year he seems to be having a little more power. Maybe not HR power, but getting those doubles. He might develop more power as he ages, similar to Altuve, maybe not as much power, but he could still be a double digit HR guy if he grows a little more power.

There may be a team that will be willing to take a flyer on Sano, but unless you pay for the contract and buy out, you are not getting much of value for him. He does have potential upside and maybe a new home could unlock it. He is also one that if hot can carry a team through the playoffs, but could also be an auto strike out as well. You also point out that we have pretty much no where to play him right now, so why would a team be willing to give up much, if there is a chance we DFA him anyways. Unless he looks amazing during his rehab I would not be surprised if we DFA him and any team can pick him up off waivers or sign him after clears and he becomes FA. Unless a team thinks he will be something more than he has, I doubt anyone gives up anything of much value to us at MLB level for him.

I am all for them seeking some trades, but just as they did in the Capps deal, I do not want them to overpay. I said when they made it was an overpay. I mean you give up a top catching prospect, which are always hard to find, for a rental relief pitcher. I do not care that we had Joe, you knew he may come of catching at one point, and even if not, you could have got so much more in a trade, then a rental pen arm. I do not expect this FO to overpay for a pen arm.

Because the starting pitcher controls how many runs are scored for him, and how the pen does. Game 1 Berrios pitched .1 innings gave up 4 runs, and his team won 10-8. He had nothing to do with the win, other than he was taken out before he gave up even more runs. His second game he left after 5 when he blew a 3 run lead to leave tied, so again he got pulled before he could give up more runs and his team took the lead late. Games 3,4,5 I would say he pitched well and helped his team get the win. Game 6 and 7 he lost, giving up more runs than innings pitched. Game 8 he pitched well earned a win. Game 9 he had quality start. Game 10 they won, but he gave up 6 runs in 2.1 innings, so gain he did little to help that. Game 11 and 12 he pitched well earned the wins. Game 13 was a quality start 3 runs in 7 innings. Then 2 losses where he was bad more runs than innings pitched. His last 2 games he was okay, 2 runs in 5 and 1 in 6. Bundy his first 3 games he pitched very well 1 run in 15 total innings. Then he had 2 poor starts his fault for losses. Then went 3 innings 0 runs, not his fault for loss. Then he went 5 gave up 1 run, left with lead, not his fault pen blew it and offense did not score more, he left in line for win. Then next game he was not good, but left tied. He did not help get a win or loss. Then 2 bad starts, one he left losing, other pen helped blow it, but he pitched bad. Last 3 starts were good, he won one giving up 1 in 8. Then he lost giving up 1 run in 6 losing game 1 nothing, not his fault team got shut out. He gave up 3, 2 earned and left tied. Last game he pitched gave up 1 in five team won. Overall Berrios get 6.2 runs scored in games he pitches. Bundy get 4.9 runs scored for him when he pitches. Neither have been lights out. Both have put up good games, and some clunkers. The difference is Bundy has lost all his clunckers, and some close games, where Berrios team has bailed him out of a couple of clunkers and scored enough in the close games. If you switched them on the teams, I bet the records would flop as well. It is not like Berrios always kept them in the games, or that Bundy has not. Bundy could have a few more wins if pen held lead, or team scored a few more runs, and Berrios would have a few more losses if his team did not score huge amounts of runs in a few of his clunkers.

Where are you playing Arraez? 3rd?

The second HR of Alex Kirilloff was so pretty. Breaking ball low and away, and he just lined it to LC gap for a HR. That is great hitting. He was looking away, got his pitch and drove it. He is looking every bit the hitter we were hoping he would be since he call back. He hits to all fields with power and line drives. I have high hopes for him.

He stinks against Detroit too. I would just like to see him in less high leverage outings for a while. Some guys do well in lessor leverage than others. I always pointed to Hawkins as a guy that was amazing in set up roll for years, but once he was asked to be closer he would not be as good. I do not know if it is always the pitcher, or the hitters that have a different mind set in the late innings. I would like to see Pagan fill the Jax roll and Jax fill the Pagan roll for awhile.

It is a hard no for me. I always liked him, and could he add some offense, maybe. However, the way we are using the DH this year would make using him very limited. Right now we have a bit of a clog in a couple of positions, and needing to use Buck at DH some games means someone will be sitting out. I like how the Twins are using the DH this year moving different guys in there to give them rest from the field but keeping the bat in there. Cruz would just mess that up.

There was also a few taken just after him that never made majors. Of course we wish we could have went back and took Turner, but a lot of teams passed on Turner too being drafted 13th, but he was the next SS taken. I remember wanting him, but some scouts thought he would move to 2nd. Which he did for a time but back at SS again.

I have said this about Nick Gordon for a long time. He has a slow learning curve at the plate at each level, but give him time he always starts to produce. If you look at his first bit of time at every level he does poor, and we talk about how he was a bust. Then he bounces back and we think he figured it out. Look at his first season in AA he hit .270/.341/.409, then he started the next year in AA where he slashed, .333/.381/.525, then got called up to AAA where he slashed .212/.262/.283 in 93 games, looked like a bust. Then he repeated AAA in 2019 at age 23 where he slashed .298/.342/.459. Then in 2021 after year off and COVID issues, In AAA he slashed ..282/.338/.437, with an MLB slash of .240/.292/.355. This year he is slashing .271/.311/.418, but as article pointed out he is doing even better over last month. For whatever reason he has always been slow to adapt to each level, but given time he picks up his numbers. I have long advocated to giving him a chance to prove himself. He will never be a big HR guy, but he is not just a single guy either. He could be better, but he is a MLB player.

Way to think outside the box with this one. "Anthony Bass - Miami Dolphins - 34 yrs old 0.9 fWAR 1.60 ERA 2.34 FIP 8.0 K/9" Looking to the football field for a relief pitcher. HAHAHA

So you are equating age to experience, and not age? Because again, the fact that he is younger than his competition is just a fact. You cannot argue that. You are arguing that his age has nothing to do with it, which is different than saying he is not young. Now that being said, I get what you are saying that people with certain years of experience should be put at different levels of prospect lists, and I do not disagree, however, you seem to ignore that bodies develop more as you get older, and there are times, that guys develop as they age even after years of experience. Look at Jose Miranda, he did not have his breakout year in minors until age 23, even though he was drafted at age 18. Following your argument he should have been called a bust and given up on because he had 5 years in the minors and only at AA. Guess we should have cut him. It is like something just clicked from age 22 to 23 and he broke out. I in no way am saying anybody who is young for their league is open for a breakout, but guys were top prospects for a reason, sometimes it just takes time, sometimes they are flops. The prospects you seem to be pointing to are potential HOF guys, who are in a league of their own. Look at Corey Kluber, a guy that was never even a prospect really, it was not until he was 28 at the majors that he became a Cy young level pitcher. 28 to 32 he either won or got Cy Young votes, guess Cleveland should have sent him packing well before that because he was not going to be good.

I would be against Winder moving into full pen roll right now as he is our 6th starter will be needed from time to time to step in. Similar with Sands if a guy goes down after Winder makes a start in AAA then he would be next man up most likely. As for Ronny Henriquez it is hard to say a guy with the numbers he is putting up that he will move into a pen roll down the stretch to be a high leverage arm. Maybe the change would help, but he has a high walk rate to go with his k/9, and he gives up a decent amount of HR too, 11 in 48.2 innings. High walks and HR numbers for high leverage situations normally does not work out well. As we have seen with Pagan lately.

I would have him take as long as he can on the rehab games in St. Paul, unless there is an injury on MLB level opening a spot back up. If he looks like he could contribute then I would let him get a spot back, but if continues to struggle you see if a team will take him, and we pay the rest of the season and buy out, and see if we can get anything in return for him pen pitcher wise. Very few teams will want to bring him in though. Playoff teams that need 1B or DH may take a chance on him, but will not give up much in return. Non playoff teams will not want to take him on unless it is for a see what he can do for us and maybe pick up his option thing, but again will not give up much for him. His value is at all time low. Most likely he gets DFA unless he comes out hot in rehab starts. He is the type that if hot could carry a team in the playoffs, but that is rare for him.

You contradict yourself by saying Archer should be in a long relief roll, but then say he should replace the innings of guys that are not long relief roll right now. Do you want Archer to just be in long relief roll, or do you want him in single inning roll like Cotton and Pagan generally get? Sometimes Cotton goes 2 but Pagan is almost always 1 inning.

No team has gone deep in the playoffs for 20 years without an ace and strong number two? Really, no team? First, do you mean an established ace, or someone who pitched like an ace in the playoffs? The reason I ask that is of course if a team has someone pitch like an ace in the playoffs they will go deep, because you are looking at the results, but I am sure you can find plenty of teams that went deep in last 20 years without an established ace on their roster. Does having one help, sure does, but is it a requirement nope not at all. Also having one does not mean you will win either, just increases chances. Please tell me the ace from 2002 Angels. Please tell me the ace from the 2003 Marllins. Please tell me the ace on the 2007 Rockies, they lost in WS. How about last year's Braves? I know there is plenty more, those are just a few. I am sure if you look at the actual runs you will find good performances in the playoffs, but I am asking going into the playoffs. I would argue we have an ace and strong number 2 as well. Gray is pitching like an ace and Ryan a strong number 2. Also, we had guys in past pitching like ace and strong number 2 but did nothing.

For the people that are not happy with the return, we need to remember what the other options where. We do not know what other teams had offers last year, if any. We do not know what we could have got during this offseason, if we had looked. I can say had we waited for this trade deadline we would be lucky to someone to take his contract based on what he is doing right now. Maybe neither Martin or SWR work out, but we have no clue if anyone would have, and so far the Jays are looking like they have a bad 7 year contract on their hands.

SWR is only 21 at AA, which 3.6 years younger than the average age at AA. Just because he was drafted out of high school does not mean he is not young, it means he is fat into he years of development, but that is why high school guys do not need to be on 40 man until after year 5 where college guys after year 3, because the age is factored into it. College guys have more years to grow and develop than a high school kid does. You can say he is far into his years in pro ball, but to say he is not young for the league just goes against facts. He normally pitches against guys older than him, that is just a fact.

You list the rank in the AL, but for example we have no CF that is ranked, so how many players are even ranked on the list and where do we compare to them?

I do not know about 3b specifically, but SS he did not grade out too great in few games he did play in the minors from the little research I did. I was planning on writing something similar about Steer being a possible stop gap until Lewis is ready to play again, assuming Correa opts out. However, after I did some research he seems a bit limited at SS and in the minors he is not playing there over lessor possible prospects, which to me signals team does not see him as a fit at SS but only an emergency situations.