diehardtwinsfan

It's going to depend on how many college studs there are in the draft, and that won't be answered until next spring/summer. The college guys with upside carry a bit lower risk and still have the upside, so they likely will get drafted first. I'd say that the odds are good that at least one of Kolec/Gatewood will be available to the twins at number 5, especially if Rodon, Hoffman, Turner, and Beede all do well. Let's just hope they continue to do well next year.

It's because you don't spend enough time in the minor league forums

I really wonder if Thorpe will get to skip Elizabethon altogether and start in CR. With that added velocity, his handedness, and his age, he could be a top 100 prospect next year if he does well in Cedar Rapids. Scary thing is that at that age, he could still add a few ticks.

I'm not a fan of Sid, and articles like this are one of many reasons. He didn't give us any indication that he knows something. He just used a bunch of random quotes and concluded Morneau will be looking for a winner. Quite honestly, I don't blame Justin. The real question is how much baseball does Justin think he has left. If he thinks he has another 5 years in the tank, then Morneau is going to go to someone who will play him. If he doesn't, then I think Sid is right.

haha. I love strike outs, but the rest of his stats say he's been pretty hittable when batters aren't whiffing at him, and they've been trending in the wrong direction for a while now. Sabermetrics might love him, but I think that this point we can get beyond the "he's unlucky" thing. I wouldn't mind him for a reasonable price, but no way that price includes a second rounder in this deep of a draft and a huge contract on top of that.

I suspect he's going to spend most if not all of next year in Rochester, no matter how well he's doing. The only exception sans a Sept callup I could see is if Presley is just down right awful and Hicks is hitting .280/.400/.500 or something absurd like that.

He's not what this team needs. He's a catcher whose defense is terrible and bat doesn't exactly play anywhere else. We have 2 catchers as it is. We need pitchers.

I'm not a huge fan. Linci hasn't been very good the last two years. I'm not sure his present production warrants a QO, and if SF does this, I don't see anyone signing him. Looking at this stats, his biggest problems is that his HR/9 rate seems to have gone up significantly from his Cy young years. Putting him in TF might help that.

I think you read a bit more into what I was trying to say... Then again, at the same time, this is worthy of response. You slam the Twins for not following the Cubs model going after lottery tickets such as Baker (did not pay off) and Feldman (paid off) and then in the same token say not to do it here. Which one do you want? From here it just looks like trying to be contrarian, or simply using an ever changing set of critera to slam the FO. As I said before, I don't have a problem with the Twins going after a lottery ticket like this. The odds don't quite fit your analogy, and I do agree that at a certain price they should drop out, and if you notice, I never quoted a price. Also, I wouldn't call the Twins poor. They aren't the A's or KC. They are in a budget place where they can afford this and still afford to do other things. If this is the only aquisition, then I'd most definitely pass unless he's a lot cheaper than 3/21. As for my other point, I think you again missed it. I'm not bashing the Mauer contract. My point is that I'm tired of people talking about the Twins and the "largest FA contract in team history" (i.e. Willingham) as a means to denigrate the FO. I agree that they definitely spend less than I would if I were running things, but when used in that capacity it's a very carefully worded statement that very intentionally excludes the 184M contract that they just handed out a few years ago so as to prevent a local star from becoming a FA, or the many arb deals they've signed to guys nearing FA. When used in a way to degrade the Twins for being cheap, it's flat out ignorant.

I don't see Hicks getting much... That and this means there will be a need for an OF in the next wave. We may have that anyways if Hicks fails, but given his value, I just don't see this making sense.

I have zero problems with a team like the Twins going after lottery tickets. This is exactly what they should be doing. This guy is affordable, and while I hope it's not the only acquisition, it's the type of guy they can get cheaply, and if it pans out, becomes insanely valuable. Oh, and one nit to pick. I'm getting tired already of people using the "largest FA contract" to judge Twins contacts. I get that they are cheap, but they did just hand out 184M to some guy named Mauer. Technically, he wasn't an FA. I get that. In the same token though, it was one of the largest baseball contracts. EVER.

I know Espinosa's value has dropped, but that's a pretty big drop. Duensing will likely have some value to a pen starved team, but at the price of his arb contract he's not going to garner much. Doumit is probably worthless at the moment. I could see him getting a sulbaran type guy at next year's deadline if he hits more like 2012 Doumit than 2013.

If the Twins want to spend that kind of money, go out and get Tanaka AND Abreau. I like Cano, but 2B is not nearly the pressing need that SP or a good mashing 1B is.

And that's why I don't think he should be traded. Dozier is young enough and under enough control that he can be a part of the next wave. I don't think his value is that high now, and I think the smart move is to roll the dice with him unless you get blown away. If June on was for real, then Dozier is worth far more next offseason, even with Rosario knocking on the door, or could be moved back to SS.

2 4 and 5 are wrong I think. The Twins have 4 catchers on the 40 man now, and I honestly suspect Herman will be dropped (or at least should be). Pinto starts in AAA unless Doumit is traded. Doumit's PT is reduced to 2nd catcher and a lot less time at DH. There will be buzz on Sano, but I think he starts the year in the AAA. Plouffe gets one more shot. If the bat sticks, then the Twins have a potential trade chip or move Plouffe elsewhere. Deunsing gets another year, and if he's doing well, may sign a 3 year deal to avoid being non-tendered as he gets more expensive.

I doubt Rodon or Hoffman are still there at 5... Hoping one of Gatewood/Kolek is.

I don't have a problem spending money, but minus Tanaka, Santana (who has an option and won't be leaving KC), and Garza (who I doubt will come here), I don't see anyone worth spending that type of cash on... Perhaps Hughes, but not at the kind of money I see tossed around here. Quite honestly, they could turn into another one of our typical Twins pitchers except with a 4 year contract that you cannot unload.

Nope, no ulterior motive. Dozier really struggled last year, and I suspect that had more to do with the mental approach to things. He's ensconsed now as the 2B and he showed he can play good defense on that side of the diamond. I don't expect him to be an above average SS defensively, but I do think that he can be a defensivly average SS. That's what people thought he could be before the hype, and I don't see why he couldn't still achieve that. Right now, the point is relatively moot. He's not going anywhere until Rosario is ready, and that won't be until mid-season at earliest. But if Dozier hits in 2014 like he did the second half of last year, he's going to post around an .800 OPS. That plays very nice at SS with some average defense, and I have to think the Twins will be willing to consider it if Rosario is tearing the cover off the ball in Rochester.

Rosario got off to a pretty good start and then really tailed off his last month in AA. Not sure if he was just tired, injured, or something else alltogether... though I have to admit that a .742 OPS really shows how bad he finished. I kind of assumed he'd start in AAA, but I could see the Twins starting him out in AA and giving him a bump mid year.

Right now, I think it would take an ace in the AA/AAA mold, and I don't think anyone is going to offer that, so the point is somewhat moot. That said, given the need for a SS, I have to think that moving Dozier back there might make sense if Rosario continues to hit.

First off, Dozier isn't going to net a potential ace sitting in AA or AAA. He just won't. Rosario won't either. Those pitchers are virtually untouchable and for good reason. Second, I get the need to adding pitching. I think the Twins still need to acquire more, and trading something to get it makes sense. Trading something that would fit into the next wave does not. I think the Twins will be looking to add another Meyer type guy to the fold, but the guy trade to get it is Perkins. He might actually have the value to get an Alex Meyer. Dozier does not. I don't think Rosario does either. Third, all this trade Rosario/Dozier ignores one basic thing. The Twins also have a very pressing need at SS, and the guy that could potentially make Rosario expendable also happens to play short. Yes, I get that the defense isn't as good at SS as it is at 2B, but if the bat is for real, it more than makes up for it.

Honestly, I don't think Dozier is all that valuable right now. Yes, he was a very very good 2B the second half of the season, but teams are going to want to see that repeated for a full 2014 before they are willing to trade a top 100 prospect for him, and I don't blame them. As for the big trade this year, if Ryan trades anything for something of value, it will be relief pitchers. I fully expect one of Perkins, Fein, or Burton to not be wearing a Twins cap after winter meetings.

Honestly, I dont' see Ryan getting much value for either of these guys this offseason. I see them as deadline moves if they bounce back.

My 2 cents... The pitcher is the most important guy on the field. He gets a bad rap b/c he plays once every 5 days, but he has more influence on that one game than any hitter does in 5 games. That's why pitchers who still look like aces beyond AA are impossible to get ahold of. I get that there's a lot of risk drafting pitchers, but the reward is too sweet to pass up. Unless there's a massive gap between the hitter and the pitcher, for a pick that high, I'm taking the pitcher just about every time.

Several of these teams could offer that type of package, but as Brock said, that type of package would make them certifiably insane. I want the Twins to add talent as much as everyone else here, but with wave coming up, and all the holes at the ML level, trading prospects right now (unless they are marginal) is not how you do it. That's how you end up with a 85 loss team and a barren farm system.