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1. Buxton - The 2019 Twins were a much better team when he was on the field. 2. Berrios - He has the stuff and experience to face the best hitters in the league. 3. Donaldson - They're paying him because he'll anchor the IF. 4. Polanco - There are enough bats to cover him on offense. Too thin after Adrianza. 5. Garver - Confident and a great swing. Big drop to #3 catcher. Cruz and Kepler are close behind. I don't want to lose any of them.

Interesting. I missed Clay and Adams on my own list.

Colina needs to be on the list, IMHO.

Sabato has signed for $2.75 million, $180,000 above slot (I believe).

Nice article. My only comment about the BP draft is the absence of Kepler in the top 100. He was a top 30 position player last year. He's an excellent defender, durable and very athletic. I'd take him over all of the listed Twins except Berrios.

I agree about Kubel. He had a ton of talent.

Thanks for the list. The Twins had some solid lineups at the beginning and end of the '00s. IMO, Kubel was better than both Ortiz and Ford. Ortiz hit more HR but didn't get on base nearly as often and didn't slug any better than Kubel, even with the HR.

Kirby was amazing and the rightful belt holder for a decade. Still, it's remarkable how good Hrbek was from 1986-1991. Baseball Reference shows Hrbek at 135 OPS+ and Puckett at 134 OPS+ during that six-year period.

Fun! But... no highlights? What is carrying the Marlins? Pitching?

I'd add Larnach to the list. Both he and Blankenhorn hit too many groundballs for their power potential (both at about 48% of balls in play last year). Donaldson can help get them some lift. Lewis is probably the most important. Hopefully, Donaldson can help him with his balance and timing.

The Twins are still behind the Yankees and the Astros right now. Starting pitching is still a big difference. Buxton needs to be healthy for most of the season and all of the playoffs to have a chance at the World Series.

The new Twins FO haven't pushed year-to-year IP increases for any starting pitcher prospects. Dobnak and Jax led the minors in IP and they were both 24 yrs old. Thorpe went from 83 to 129 IP from 2017-2018. That's the biggest increase so far.

SS is the biggest concern. Gordon needs to step up this year if there are injuries. CF is a distant second. Kepler is a very good CF, but Cave and Wade aren't up to playing full-time at that position. Celestino is the only notable prospect and he's at least a year away The good news - there needs to be two injuries before there is a big problem. .

I'm confident that prospects/young players will fill at least half of the 2021 openings, maybe more. There are multiple options at each vacancy and all of the players listed have at least touched AA. C: Jeffers or Astudillo DH/1B/OF: Kirilloff, Larnach or Rooker 2B/SS: Gordon or Lewis 3B/LF: Blankenhorn or Astudillo SP: Thorpe, Dobnak, Duran (maybe Sands, Colina or Balazovic) RP: A bunch Twins might need a middle infielder and or catcher if the prospects aren't ready. The FO will always look for a veteran RP. After that, the Twins should have enough budget to add a good SP. Health is the wild card.

I don't think Balazovic will throw more than 130-140 innings this season. That will be enough to set him up for 2021. There should be no expectation he'll make the big league club this year. He spent the entire 2019 regular season at A+, followed by one AA playoff game. If he blows up AA the first half, then great - bring him up if he's needed. In the meantime, I'll trust the Twins FO on pitcher development.

Thanks for the thoughts, Mike. I think Downs is a winner. He's slated to be at 2B when he reaches the majors. Red Sox need a second baseman to replace Pedroia. He only has to beat out Michael Chavis next season. He was buried in LA. Your comments about Graterol are spot on.

My two cents worth: I think the Dodgers improved their lot more in the revised trade. The Dodgers are rich. They can afford the downside risk of Graterol. As ChrisKnutson said, this trade could be bring them World Series success in 2020 and a fantastic SP in later seasons. Graterol is 21 years old. He was throwing hard with a crisp slider at the end of last season. His concerns are long term. The problem is either genetic or something is fraying in his shoulder. Neither is a death sentence as a starting pitcher. It's a risk. One that the Dodgers can handle. They Dodgers threw $10M at the Twins with nothing more than a sigh. They picked up Raley as depth and a draft pick worth less than $5M. They traded Jeter Downs, a top 100 prospect who might end up at 2B. They kept Graterol, a pitcher ranked in Driveline's current Top 10 list of "stuff". The Twins did well too. Maeda is a solid #3 pitcher who may be better as a full-time starter. His ERA was 3.94 for the past two years in 279 IP. He made 46 starts and had 30 relief appearances. He's durable and flexible. He's posted 4.9 WAR while being shuttled between starts and the pen. Maeda might be the lowest financial-risk pitcher in the majors and he's under control for four years. The Twins traded from a 2020 RP surplus to meet a current SP need. Raley is 4th in line as a Twins corner OF prospect. Graterol may end up great but he was only going to be a RP in 2020, no matter how his career moves in the future. They got $10M to boot. I like it.

Well, we know the solution can't be to bring Graterol up to code. I'd be fine if they added a lower prospect - that would probably be equivalent to monetary considerations.

That analogy only works if you move on to another house. Boston just asked for a second house to be added to the deal.

Alright, I was kind to you folks for one day of rankings. I can't put Colina behind Canterino, Wallner and Javier. I can't put Canterino behind Wallner and Javier. So there (ha)! On a serious note, I think Celestino is an untradeable prospect at this point. He's a true CF with hitting potential. He's the only one in the organization unless they move Lewis.

I hear you, but I disagree about the concerns. They tabbed Graterol for the bullpen only for this year. He's 21 years old with two different 100 mph fastballs and a plus slider. The Red Sox have nothing like him in the pipeline. I like the trade but I wouldn't sell Graterol short. The Twins got a very good pitcher for him at great value. Maeda will help the Twins this year and next. He has no potential to be great. Graterol has that possibility.

Emotionally, I hate this trade. Watching Graterol come up through the system with real talent, I was excited to see where his potential would take him. He is not the first pitcher to miss time and turn out well. To say he'll never be more than a RP is a bold statement about a 21 year old. OTOH, I understand why they made the trade for Maeda. A four-year incentive based contract with a proven major league pitcher. He gets $3M per year if he washes out... ridiculously risk free. He's a valuable player for a team in need of established starters. He's been very good in the playoffs too. I think the Red Sox are the real winners of the deal. Chaim Bloom put his mark on the team before his first spring training. He took most of $58M of salary (plus tax) off the books this year and added two blue chip prospects ready to play in the majors. All for a team whose owners wanted to lower salary and add youth. Job done. I'm sad and excited all at once. I give credit to all three teams for taking the risk.

That's a nice group of prospects for 16-20.

Yeah, I would do that for Clevinger. His problem last year was health - back muscle strain. I thought it was shoulder-related, which I'm always afraid of. Berrios is right at Syndergaard's level and two years younger. At that point, it's a matter of opinion, not one clearly better.

Two of the five are close but debatable. Berrios was dead even with Clevinger and Syndergaard last season. I disagree with the Dodgers comp. He was clearly better than Kershaw last year and, with health, will be better this year. There are only two clearly better.