Jeremy Nygaard

I think the Rangers are going to hold onto Profar until the Marlins make Stanton available. Castro is interesting, and I hear he could be available. The issue is that the Cubs are in rebuild mode too, so it would take prospects (likely a stud pitcher as the headliner). If Alex Meyer were healthy, he would probably be the only one that fits that description. I don't see the Twins going that route.

Chris Colabello could serve as a RH power 1B if multiple moves are made. I added the link, good call.

It's funny you say that. Interesting perspective - which I have heard from others - and politically correct.

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Yesterday we took a look at four Twins who will have minimal value on the trade market. Today we’re going to look at the three who probably have the most value (if they’re made available… and no, Joe Mauer isn’t available). [ATTACH=CONFIG]4783[/ATTACH] We’re going to skip Ryan Doumit and most of the bullpen. Personally, I feel like there are tradable assets there, so I maybe I’ll revisit that in the future. Justin Morneau I think people are holding out hope that somebody is going to overpay for the former MVP. I don’t see it happening, but there is reason to be somewhat optimistic. A good trade comparison that happened recently is when the Astros traded Carlos Lee and $9 million to cover the rest of his contract to the Miami Marlins for P Rob Rasmussen and 3B Matt Dominguez. Both Rasmussen (7) and Dominguez (4) were Top 10 prospects in the Marlins system. Dominguez is currently the Astros starting 3B (which really doesn’t mean much) and Rasmussen entered the year as the Astros #19 prospect. If the Twins were to pump in the $6ish million to cover the rest of Morneau’s contract, the Twins could hope for a similar return. Would you trade Justin Morneau and cash to the Yankees for RHP Brett Marshall and C J.R. Murphy? Marshall ranked as the Yankees’ #6 prospect coming into the season. His BA blurp is music to the Twins brass ears, “Marshall profiles as a durable, sinkerballing #4 starter – not the Yankees’ prototype prospect but a useful trade chip.” Marshall has made an appearance out of the Yankees bullpen in May, but has otherwise spent his season in the AAA rotation. Marshall would turn 24 in the weeks leading up to Opening Day 2014. Murphy, ranked #15, is currently catching in AAA after a promotion about a month ago. Murphy is more advanced offensively than defensively, but he is making progress. Adding another catcher to the group of Pinto, Herrmann and Butera would give the Twins added flexibility and open up the door to trade either Ryan Doumit or Butera. (In fact, maybe Butera could/would be thrown into this deal.) Plus, the icing on the cake (for me anyway), is that the Twins could re-sign Morneau this winter. That is, if he’s open to a 2-year deal that doesn’t exceed $15 million total. Trevor Plouffe We could debate whether or not Plouffe should be on the market. Some might argue that he should be part of the long-term plans and I get that. In my mind, though, he’s still just a placeholder for the next wave. The issue with moving Plouffe is that the next wave isn’t ready yet. Plouffe is from Los Angeles and currently there are two teams that play in his hometown that could use an upgrade at the hot corner. At 27 – and under team control for four more seasons – Plouffe has value. He’s a replacement-level defender and is OPSing at about .770. Juan Uribe, who turns 34 next week, is having his best season since 2009 – his first with the Giants – and, statistically, is almost the exact same player that Trevor Plouffe is both offensively (OPS of .764) and defensively (replacement-level) this year. Oh, and Uribe’s $8 million contract expires at the end of the season. I’m not sure if the Dodgers have a more expensive, accomplished 3B in their crosshairs, but Trevor Plouffe could be a guy that helps them out. Would you trade Trevor Plouffe and International Slot 4 ($203,300) to the Dodgers for (as @Jederdyer suggests) LHP Chris Reed plus (my suggestions) RHP Angel Sanchez, SS Darnell Sweeney and 3B Juan Uribe (and his expiring contract)? Reed would be the headliner. A first round pick out of Stanford in 2011, Reed, 23, is in the AA rotation and profiles as a mid-rotation starter with a mid-90s, heavy fastball and a plus slider. He would compare favorably to current farmhand Trevor May, but have the same control/is he a bullpen guy questions. Sanchez, who had a dreadful 2012 in high-A has just recently been re-promoted there and has a live, projectable arm. He will turn 24 in November. Sweeney is a true shortstop but has had a ton of errors. He’s handling the bat pretty well in high-A, though and could be a sleeper prospect. Of course taking Uribe back and saving the Dodgers about $4 million is part of the reason the prospect haul is better. Uribe can serve as the stopgap for the rest of this lost season. If you’d rather trade Plouffe to the Angels, who have one of the weakest farm systems in baseball, you’d probably have to take back Alberto Callaspo’s contract (almost $2 million for the rest of this season and $4,875,000 next season) and a couple Dominican pitchers who may have a higher ceiling, but a low chance of reaching it. Glen Perkins Oh, and the hardest decision of them all. The Pony, Glen Perkins. If I dealt from my head, I’d trade Perkins in a heartbeat; the value of his return would be significant. If I let feelings get involved, though, I’d want Perkins around for the turn-around. A recent article on Fangraphs talks about how dealing Perkins should be the obvious answer. My asking price would be high and set in stone: A top 50 prospect (preferably a pitcher) and another really good prospect (preferably another pitcher). So what teams have that trade trip to offer and could use a left-handed closer? Well, the second part is easy to answer… in a nutshell, everybody. The Red Sox have been linked heavily to Jon Papelbon. I’d rather have Perkins. Would you trade Perkins for RHP Anthony Ranaudo (who is carving up AA and should be in AAA – or the Majors – soon) and RHP Francellis Montas (struggling in hi-A, at 20, but can hit 100) You could probably also talk the Red Sox into adding close-to-the-Majors reliever too. Ranaudo is a guy you could start in a playoff game, so he’s no worse than a #3 starter and he’s close. Montas is essentially a super-cool lottery ticket. Plus, when push comes to shove, the Red Sox will hopefully throw in a sweetener (or two). The Dodgers could use Perkins too. Would you trade Perkins for a deal centered around Zach Lee? What if it was Lee and OF Joc Pederson? I’d ask for a sweetener, but Lee and Pederson would be hard to turn down. Heck, I’d throw them some International Money too. How about the Pirates? Wouldn’t a Grilli/Perkins combination be pretty dynamite? I’d say so. Plus, they have motivation to make a move. You’re not getting Jameson Taillon. I doubt you’re getting Luis Heredia. I don’t know if they’d part with breakout starter Tyler Glasnow either. But what if they offered Heredia or Glasnow (both a few years away) plus SS Alen Hanson, who after having a breakout year in low-A at 19, is struggling in hi-A? On the record, the Pirates would be idiots to do that, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. You know what would hurt, though? Teasing the fans of Pittsburgh with a great record only to miss the playoffs for the 21st consecutive year! They have motivation to make a move… and if they need a sweetener (Is Chris Parmelee an upgrade over Travis Snider?), I don’t think twice. Adding two Top 55 prospects to a system that will probably already have six (plus rookies Arcia, Hicks and Gibson just graduating) would be quite a feat. The Diamondbacks, who Seth recently profiled, would be a fit too. But they’re on record saying they won’t move Tyler Skaggs or Archie Bradley. I’d probably take whichever one they’d want to give up, but, hey, the Twins are on record saying they aren’t moving their closer either. (If I were the Diamondbacks, I’d hold on to both… especially Bradley and wouldn’t trade either for a closer.) So what do you think? Do any of these moves excite you? Do any of these moves seem possible? Obviously these are only a few of thousands of scenarios. The fact remains, though, that the Twins are sellers and they need to (learn how to) behave like one.

I still think Meyer will be fine (maybe I'm overly optimistic), but no matter how cautious you are (look at Dylan Bundy and the Orioles), there's very little you can do to ensure the health of young pitchers.

Add Tyler Kolek to the list. Another Texas prepster. Listen to this bio: Division 1 football recruit (defensive end). Mid- to high-90s fastball. 2 other potential plus pitches: low-80s slider, mid-70s curve. Sound familiar?

I would guess the answer to the previous two posts are the same: Very close to no chance.

There have been no new developments with DeMuth or Halstead, but I would guess those will go to tomorrow's deadline. The Twins will be signing Ivory Thomas, who was a college senior. He will report to the GCL affiliate. I'm not sure if he'll be in the fold by tomorrow or not. (Deadline doesn't apply to college seniors.) But I'm told it will be done soon. Not the news we we're hoping to hear, but semi-news nonetheless.

I agree with your assessment on the pitchers, I dont think they will trade them. I got responses that they will/should trade them so that's why they're included. One hidden benefit though is the part you don't like - you give guys like Hendriks and Albers extended looks to help make a decision on next year.

Jokin - I hadn't had that line in there... but then thought he was thisclose to actually getting a win, which someone would have pointed out had I not mentioned that. After posting and looking closer at his stats, ugh. Though I think Gardy said he did "pretty darn well", which made me chuckle.

Liriano was lights-out for almost a month and the return (at the time) wasn't exciting (though it provided two more productive players than anticipated). Pelfrey could deal for two weeks and the return wouldn't be great, though I think there could be a market. I don't think Correia will be traded either, but I'd take "decent" down a notch to describe his contract.

I hope it's better. Definitely more complicated.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2060-Marketable-Twins-(1st-of-two-part-series)

Earlier today I asked Twitter followers (or others) to tell me who they think the Twins will or should trade. I figured I could come up with some hypotheticals and the readers at TwinsDaily could weigh in on the different proposals. I’m not suggesting these are all trades I would make from the Twins perspective, but are something I would consider at least relatively fair (and that make sense) from both clubs’ views. I immediately got a lot of suggestions: Justin Morneau, Kevin Correia, Trevor Plouffe, Jamey Carroll, Mike Pelfrey, Josh Willingham and Glen Perkins. There were a few Joe Mauer suggestions, but I figured they were in jest, so we’ll stay away from them. There was also one that involved minor leaguers. Now, while I do think the Twins could deal away a prospect or two in the right package, they wouldn’t be dealing the “building blocks of the future”. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4777[/ATTACH] Today we’ll start out with the four easier decisions (in my opinion) and we’ll take a look at the three more difficult ones tomorrow. Jamey Carroll Carroll is currently playing out his age-39 season and will, in all likelihood, be receiving a $250,000 buyout after the season. While he’s on pace to make the least amount of plate appearances since his rookie season of 2002, he still provides versatility and a somewhat valuable glove at multiple infield positions. Considering this may be Carroll’s final season, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see the Twins deal him to a contender. At this point, it’s hard to say who, but the return would be similar. Would you trade Jamey Carroll and cash (likely the money to cover his buyout) for a PTBNL or cash? The return would probably end up being the “buyout money” coming back, which would essentially mean that Carroll is given away solely for him to have the opportunity to play in a pennant race (and maybe the Twins save a few hundred thousand on his remaining salary). It sounds fair to me and it also allows the Twins to give a few at-bats to James Beresford or Doug Bernier. Mike Pelfrey I think that, when the Twins signed Pelfrey, there was potential for him to be a guy that the Twins could deal at the deadline. (Off topic, they could have done much worse than signing Pelfrey. See: Baker, Marcum, Myers.) Unfortunately, Pelfrey got off to a rough start before hurting his back. Now we’re looking at only getting a handful of starts in before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Pelfrey is on pace to finish right around 150 IP, which triggers his first of many incentives. (The first one is worth $100,000.) I can’t imagine there is a huge trade market for a current fringe-#5 starter, so I see very little chance that Pelfrey gets moved. Given that Pelfrey’s agent is Scott Boras, we know that Pelfrey will hit the free agent market after the season. Call me nuts, but I think we have yet to see the best of Pelfrey. (In which case, let’s see what happens in late August.) To be completely honest, I would sign Pelfrey to the exact same deal next year that he has currently, but I think he will get a better deal in the offseason. Kevin Correia Correia is an interesting case. He signed a 2-year/$10 million deal which fans and local media hated instantly. He then started out the season pitching much better than expected. Now he’s leveled off and isn’t doing anything to help the Twins or his trade value (though he was pretty good tonight). Oh, then there’s the “you can’t trade a guy in the first year of a multi-year deal” thing you gotta deal with. I actually think Correia has less value than Pelfrey because of the $5.5 million owed to him in 2014. Is Correia the piece that’s going to put a team over the top and into the playoffs? I don’t think so, Tim. Is there a team that would add Correia to help stabilize an overused bullpen? I don’t even think that’s a possibility. But let’s pretend for a moment that the Rockies, who liked Correia last offseason and are a handful of games back, get hot and decide to become buyers. (I don’t think it’s likely, but just for the sake of saying…) Would you trade Kevin Correia and cash for Christian Bergman, a AA starter who doesn’t throw hard but could be Kevin Correia in a handful of years? I can’t imagine the Twins get much of anything asking a team to cover all of next year’s salary. In this scenario, maybe the Twins cover $2 - $3 million and get a guy that would be a fringe Top 30 prospect. If you’re not okay with chipping in a couple million, replace Bergman with any AA relief pitcher with either control issues or one that is older than the competition. Josh Willingham It’s actually quite a simple question with Willingham. Are you okay with trading damaged goods for two low-level, limited-ceiling pitchers right now just to get out of his 2014 salary? Or would you rather see him get healthy and shop him at the Winter Meetings and hopefully get something back with better value? Listen, I like Willingham and given what the potential returns were last deadline (rumored to be not much), I’m glad the Twins didn’t deal him. It was a calculated risk, sure, and it didn’t work out the way the Twins hoped it would. There is a chance he can recoup some value and be traded still, whether that is by the August deadline, the winter or next July. But let’s be honest here, if the return value wasn’t going to be high in the midst of a career year, when is it? Tomorrow we’ll look at Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe and Glen Perkins.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2055-Get-to-Know-Em-Ruar-Verkerk

Like every other team in the MLB, the Twins have spent countless hours preparing for "J2" or the International Free Agency period that begins July 2nd. With a spending pool that was the fourth-largest in MLB, the Twins were aggressive early inking two players from the Dominican the first day they were eligible to sign. TwinsDaily learned that another player they were interested in, Dutch 3B Ruar Verkerk, signed shortly thereafter. We had a chance to exchange some questions with the young Dutchman earlier this week. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4767[/ATTACH] Verkerk, after signing, with Twins Head of International Scouting Howard Norsetter. ------- TwinsDaily: Ruar, thanks for the taking the time to help introduce yourself to this community of Twins fans. The International Free Agency system is something that we get less exposure to, so it's nice to be able to get some answers from someone that was acquired this way. Obviously, coming from Europe where the most popular sport is soccer (to us anyway, football to you), what was it about baseball that hooked you and when? Ruar Verkerk: I came in contact with baseball because my dad was a baseball player. Also, my (older) brother played and I joined him and his team at the age of 3 or 4 years. TD: Did you ever play soccer? RV: No, only a few games with school on a tournament. TD: How familiar are you with Major League Baseball? The Twins have a pretty significance presence in Europe, were you more familiar with them? RV: Off course I know Major League baseball. We often watch games on ESPN. I wasn’t more familiar to one team or another. TD: The process that ultimately led you to signing with the Twins. When did that begin? How many teams were involved. When did you know you would be signing with the Twins? RV: I have heard that they started following me at the age of 14. From my agent, I heard that five teams showed interest in me. But the Twins really made an effort to sign me. They have a good development plan for me and they want to give me time to adjust to play pro ball. TD: You told me the day the signing period opened that you were strongly considering waiting until after the European Championships later this month to sign. What changed your mind? RV: Things went fast after the 2nd of July. (The) Twins made a good offer and they really want to take care of me and sign me, so I decided not to wait until after the EC. Now I am more relaxed and I want to do my best (in) the Championship. My focus is now to win the EC with the Dutch team. TD: Before the period opens there are all sort of projections about what guys will eventually sign for. The dollar amount I saw hung on you was $500,000. Is that what you got? RV: The Twins have made a fair offer. I am not in the game for money. I am satisfied and happy. The information about the bonus I (would like to) keep to myself. TD: So what's next? I've heard all the "signees" head to Fort Myers, Florida for a physical and an age verification/background check. Is that what's on tap for you? How does the rest of the year look? How much have they told you? RV: Because I am very young and not used to (playing) in the heat, I will go to Australia for a couple of months this winter. In April, I will travel to Florida. After that I am not sure, It depends on my development. TD: The Twins have a Dutch presence currently, with P Tom Stuifbergen pitching in AA, Shairon Martis in AAA and Hall-of-Famer Bert Blyleven in the press box. They also recently released Curt Smith. Do you know any of these guys and have they contacted you since signing? RV: Yes I have had contact with Tom Stuifbergen. I saw him at the training in Holland this winter. Of course I know Bert Blijleven (Editor: maybe the Dutch spelling, which is cool) by name . I have never met him, but I hope I will have a chance to meet him one day. TD: Was there any of your other teammates that signed with the Twins or another team? RV: A teammate from the Dutch AAA team got signed by the Baltimore Orioles. TD: Obviously, you're 16, so there is still a lot to "project" with you. Can you give us a scouting report on yourself? RV: I have a lot to learn, that’s for sure. I am a tall guy. I like to hit. I am a left-handed hitter, with - so I am told - a very good, smooth swing. I have a strong arm. I got the advice to go dancing, because my footwork needs improvement. Furthermore, I have to work on my speed (and) strength. I am very proud to be a Minnesota Twin. I want to work hard and my goal is to play for the Twins in the Majors one day. Thank you for the interest in me. TD: And, thank you, Ruar, for taking your time to introduce yourself to us. ------- If you're interested in following Ruar on Twitter, you can do so @ruarverkerk.

I guess my understanding is that they are unable to verify his actual birthday, but because they were able to verify that he used multiple birthdays he was suspended. My guess is that he'll continue to use the birthday that makes him older, though if they verify his birthdate and he signs at 22, he'll count against the cap.