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ttreadway

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  1. ttreadway
    The one big off-season move that I think will happen is that Trevor Plouffe gets traded. As much as I love him, and many twins fans do, I do not think he fits long-term, or is in their long-term plans. I'd love to see him stick around, but our corner infield spots are just too crowded. I think eventually they move Sano over to first, but I doubt they do that before 2019 due to one Joe Mauer locked in financially through the 2018 season. So here is what I would like to see done with Plouffe who is a productive MLB third baseman and controllable through two more years. The twins must address the situation at catcher, and I would think they should be able to get a valuable catcher via trade for Plouffe and maybe one minor league player. If I had my way about it, I would go shopping for a catcher out on the west coast. The Giants have Andrew Susac pinned down behind Buster Posey, but I would imagine they move Posey in the next year or two out from behind the plate, and would like to keep Susac in line for the starting job when that happens. Also it does not appear that they have a pressing need at third base. The team that might have a use for a veteran third baseman/first baseman for a couple of years is the San Diego Padres. While their situation is not a dire one, Plouffe could serve them well. I think a straight up trade Plouffer for Derek Norris trade would be great. He is young and has team control for several years. He is good on defense and holds his own with the bat. If they won't trade straight up, then maybe adding in a mid level reliever prospect would do the trick.
     
    The one other move that could shore up the catching job would be to bring in Matt Wieters who will be a free agent this off season. This could allow us to use Plouffe as trade material for a top-flight relief pitcher to shore up our bullpen...a Darren O'day or Jake Mcgee type of guy, not another Kevin Jepsen. This is less likely, as the Twins are pretty reluctant to go get big name players on the free agent market, but I'd be happy if they could land him. If they were able to land Wieters, they'd probably need to free up some salary space for him, and I would hope they could find some team in desperate need of a 4th or 5th starter who they could dump Nolasco and his 12 or 13 million on for basically just a salary dump and maybe a couple young low-level prospects with maybe a bit of an upside. Would mostly be looking just to free up his salary for someone who will help us compete. I might prefer the first move for Norris, as Wieters has struggled with injuries the last couple years. Either way, I think catcher is the position of biggest need heading into next season and the Twins must find a way to upgrade.
     
    Next up will be the bullpen. I think one top flight reliever would do the trick. A dominant Wade Davis, Darren O'day, Mark Melancon type to lock down the eighth inning. I don't know how we get that, as most teams don't have guys like that to spare...unless your the royals. But Trevor Plouffe trade to a team in need of a solid defensive third baseman might get it done. Maybe Arcia or Vargas or Santana can rebuild enough value through the rest of this season and maybe the AFL that they could be packaged for a good reliever. O'day and Bud Norris are also free agents this winter along with several other good relief pitchers, so maybe we make a splash in free agency here if we don't have the trade chips in place because we used Plouffe for a catcher.
     
    Anyway, I view those as the two most important positions to upgrade in the off season. I think there are a number of other positions that could be upgraded as well. A lot of people will plead for a shortstop, but I personally think we need to give Polanco more of a shot. Two games twice a year are not enough to prove whether you belong or not.
     
    You'll also see Hunters name in the roster below. Regardless of your opinion on whether or not the twins should extend him another year, I think they will. I think they really value his leadership, and they will still be a really young team. My guess is he'll be an occasional DH, fourth outfielder, and bench bat with some pop.
     
    Here is what I would like the 25 man roster will look like to start the year in 2016.
     
    C- Derek Norris
    1B- Joe Mauer
    2B- Brian Dozier
    SS- Jorge Polanco
    3B- Miguel Sano
    RF- Aaron Hicks
    CF- Byron Buxton
    LF-Eddie Rosario
    DH- Hunter vs lefties, Arcia vs. righties.
     
    Bench
    Arcia
    Escobar
    Suzuki
    Nunez
     
    Starters- In no particular order
    Hughes
    Santana
    Gibson
    May
    Berrios
     
    Relievers
    Graham
    Pressley
    Jepsen
    Perkins
    Best LH option in system
    Best RH option in system- Not sure at this point who these two would be. Oliveros, Achter, Burdi, Jay, Duffy, Rogers...kind of a toss-up at this point.
    top flight reliever via trade or free agency
     
     
    So what are your thoughts on the moves the twins should make this off season, and what their roster will look like to start 2016
  2. ttreadway
    With eight MLB at-bats under his belt, its not fair to say we've seen what Miguel Sano is made of yet. He is hitting .375 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a .500 slugging percentage. Those look pretty good, but his 50% strikeout rate does not. All that is simply to say that he has not shown us enough to judge from his stats what kind of a player he is going to be. I have noticed several things from him though aside from his stats about the way he plays the game, and they make me feel pretty optimistic about his chances of being here for good.
     
    1. He is not afraid to hit MLB pitching. We saw Byron Buxton debut several weeks ago and he looked positively over matched against big league pitchers. Even though Miguel Sano has struck out 4 times in 8 at-bats, I don't think he has looked over-matched in a single one of them. He has the look of a guy who knows he can hit at this level and hit off these pitchers. As much as I hate to say it, Buxton looked overwhelmed and over-matched. The three fastballs that Guthrie threw by Sano late in the game was simply an instance of an eager young batter in an RBI situation late in an important game, and a savvy veteran taking advantage of that. I don't think pitchers will be buzzing three fastballs by Sano for very long. He barely missed all three of them, and had he connected, the twins would have won that game 4-2.
     
    2. He is surprisingly athletic for such a big guy. Sano's first major league hit was an infield hit to a good shortstop. He beat it out with no room to spare, and looked good doing it. Vargas would have been out by three steps on that ball. His second hit of the night last night was a rocket that he stung over the head of Alex Gordon. Again, had that been Vargas, you have to believe he would have been thrown out as Sano barely beat the tag. And he also had a clean, athletic, injury-free slide that looked really good for 6'4" and 260 pounds. I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays third, as he looks to me to have too much athleticism to spend his career as a DH. For now, though, I'm just happy with him in the lineup.
     
    3. He does not plan on going anywhere anytime soon. The way Sano has played, and the confidence he has shown look like a player who thinks, and intends to prove that he belongs here at the big league level. We have seen with Danny Santana, that confidence is key, and Sano looks like he has it.
     
    So what are your thoughts? Do you expect Sano to stay in Minnesota for the rest of the year? If so, why? And if not, why not?
  3. ttreadway
    I've posted it several times in different blogs or comments over the last couple of weeks, but as much as I'd love to think the twins can compete this year, I don't think they are going to. However, I do think that the Twins can win 80-82 games, and at least be fun to watch, and the recent surge of minor league talent flooding the big league team has kept me very interested in the big league team despite a losing month of June. I've watched the major league debut's of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Alex Meyer and look forward to watching Miguel Sano hit a 430 foot bomb tonight against the Royals. My opinion is that the twins FO is doing things right, and I hope and pray that they don't trade away any valuable future prospects this month in an attempt to win 4 or 5 more games. I strongly believe that we have the talent to be a .500 team within our organization, and I hope that the front office believes that as well, and sees that trying to please the fan base by making the playoffs is not worth sacrificing any of our potential future stars. I think I speak for most of the twins fan base in saying that what would make me more happy than getting to the playoffs and then losing in 3 games...or maybe even 1, would be to finish around .500 and continue to see glimpses of who we will be next year, and for years to come.
     
    With this in mind, what would you like the 25-man roster to look like by years end? Below I have put the current roster on top and my ideal roster underneath. Below that I have put down what I would like our lineup and starting rotation as well as our bullpen to look like down the stretch in August and September.
     
    Catchers
    Kurt Suzuki
    Chris Hermann
    Infielders
    Brian Dozier
    Joe Mauer
    Trevor Plouffe
    Eduardo Escobar
    Eduardo Nunez
    Danny Santana
    Miguel Sano
    Outfielders
    Torii hunter
    Eddie Rosario
    Shane Robinson
    Pitchers
    Phil Hughes
    Kyle Gibson
    Mike Pelfrey
    Tommy Milone
    Trevor May
    Blaine Boyer
    Aaron Thompson
    Ryan Pressley
    Glen Perkins
    Alex Meyer
    JR Graham
    Casey Fien
    Brian Duensing
     
    Catchers
    Kurt Suzuki
    Chris Hermann
    Infielders
    Brian Dozier
    Joe Mauer
    Jorge Polanco
    Trevor Plouffe
    Miguel Sano
    Eduardo Escobar
    Eduardo Nunez
    Outfielders
    Byron Buxton
    Eddie Rosario
    Torii Hunter
    Oswaldo Arcia or Max Kepler...(whoever the twins see as ready, and part of their future)
    Pitchers
    Phil Hughes
    Ervin Santana
    Kyle Gibson
    Trevor May
    JO Berrios
    Alex Meyer
    J R Graham
    Taylor Rogers
    Blaine Boyer
    Casey Fien
    Logan Darnell (if the twins want a 3rd lefty in their bullpen) otherwise AJ Achter or Tyler Duffey
    Glen Perkins
     
    Ideal Starting rotation: Hughes, Santana, Gibson, May and Berrios. We'd have Alex Meyer for a spot start if needed and trusted, or Milone in AAA.
     
    Long relievers: Meyer and Graham. Either of these guys could be used in higher leverage situations if they prove capable over the next few weeks/months.
     
    Mid relievers: Meyer, Graham, Rogers, Boyer and either Darnell/Achter/Duffey
     
    Setup relievers: Fien and possibly Boyer and Darnell/Achter/Duffey
    And we all know who the closer is.
     
    Ideal starting lineup
    Buxton CF
    Dozier 2B
    Mauer 1B (if Mauer continues to progress. If not, swap him with Rosario, but you need a lefty here)
    Sano DH
    Plouffe 3B
    Rosario LF
    Hunter RF (Arcia every 3rd or 4th day)
    Polanco SS
    Suzuki C
     
    That would be an exciting lineup and pitching staff...one that would keep me watching through September.
  4. ttreadway
    I am new to Twins Daily, and this is my first blog posting on here. With the most recent news of the Twins calling up Byron Buxton, I figured what better time to write my first blog post. I, like all other die-hard Twins fans have suffered through four long years of extremely disappointing and hard to watch baseball. While I don't view him as the fix-all savior for this team, I do believe he is going to be a key fixture in a very potent lineup for years to come, and am pretty pumped and optimistic about this move by the Twins FO. My question is this year, what impact will he have? How much better will the Twins be with him playing center and in the lineup every day? Here's my stab at answering that question. And while I may be an optimistic fan, I don't think I'm too far off base.
     
    I think the Twins need to have Buxton play every day as their lead-off man. While Brian Dozier has been solid there, I am a firm believer that your team leader in home runs should not be your lead-off man. Dozier has been the most consistent hitter in the Twins lineup, but is only 4th on the team in RBI. You've got to think that if he had been hitting second or third, that he'd be competing for first in RBI. I'd also love to see him start hitting some 2 and 3 run home runs instead of all those solo shots. Not to fault Molitor in any way, Dozier has been the most consistent table setter, and they really have had no other options...up until now, that is. Joe Mauers' struggles have been well documented, but the one thing he has done well is hit with runners in scoring position. So having Buxton and Dozier batting in front of him, makes me optimistic that we can hopefully see more of those situations in which Joe seems to thrive. We may not see him hit .325 again, but if we can at least consistently get guys on in front of him and watch him drive in 90-100 runners, it makes that $23 million salary a little more palatable. Plouffe is not anyone's dream clean-up hitter, but he is consistent enough for now until its Miguel Sano's time to shine. And he seems to be climbing out of his slump ever so slightly over the past couple of games.Personally, I really like Plouffe, but my guess is the Twins deal him at the end of July for a pitcher or a catcher if they're still contending...or for couple of prospects if they've fallen off the map. I would expect that would be the time Sano gets his call. That leaves you with Torii batting fifth, instead of second, which makes me much more comfortable. Betting sixth, you've got Kennys Vargas. This might be the biggest improvement in my opinion. I heard on the broadcast today that Vargas is hitting below .200 when batting 4th or 5th. But he is batting right around .350 when batting 6th or 7th. By having Buxton in the lineup, now the Twins can bat Vargas in a less high-pressure spot, allow him to get comfortable, and then down the road they can consider sliding him back up in the lineup where his (hopeful) power will play better. You've then got Rosario batting seventh, Suzuki eighth, and E2 batting ninth. To me, that's all of a sudden a lineup that doesn't make you want to shut the game off after the number 5 batter hits.
     
    Anyway, just my two cents. Statistically wise, not quite sure what line Buxton puts up this year, but I'd be happy with him leading off the rest of the year and putting up a line around .280/.350/.450 and stealing 10-15 bases. His defense I think, will make the Twins significantly better. Personally I'd love to see Hicks stick around as the 4th outfielder, splitting time with Torii Hunter in right. I think his defense is good enough to earn him that platoon role (with the exception of last nights disaster he's been pretty good). An outfield of Hicks/Hunter, Buxton and Rosario seems better than anything we've seen so far this year. After this afternoon I'd be just fine with never seeing E2 in the outfield again, and hopefully this move makes that possible.
     
    Anyway, please chime in with thoughts on how you expect Byron Buxton to contribute to, and better this team.
  5. ttreadway
    There have been dozens of threads on TD over the last 10 days about whether the twins should be buyers or sellers. Whether they should make a trade to attempt a push towards October this year, or maintain the long-term trajectory and hold to the rebuilding strategy the FO seems to be holding to. My question and thought is, is there a possibility we could do both? I've seen people calling for catching help, and I've seen people calling for bullpen help. Those seem to be the two main positions of need. I would add that we need DH and shortstop upgrades as well. My question is, how can the twins attempt to be relevant this year, while not sacrificing the hopes of building a long-term competitive team?
     
    I will attempt to answer my own question with as few words as possible...which doesn't come easily to me. I think the first step IMO is to call up Sano, Polanco and a combination of one or two of the following relief arms that the organization deems to be the most ready. Achter, Oliveros, Meyer or Burdi. My reasoning is Sano may not bat to his future potential this year, but he is advanced enough that its not going to hurt him, and he will be significantly better than what we are getting currently out of the DH position, even if he can only manage to bat .250/.300/.475 with 15 home runs over the rest of the year. My thought is DH him 3-4 days a week, then give Mauer off a day or two a week, and slide Plouffe to first so that Sano can continue to get reps at third to see if he can stick there. Play Polanco at short. His bat is advanced enough that he deserves a shot, and will upgrade the position offensively from Escobar/Nunez. Don't get me wrong, I like Escobar and think he's a great utility infielder, but would prefer Polancos bat. I think he at least deserves a shot to prove whether or not he should stay at short, and why not let him prove that in Minnesota, where the fans can watch him hit.
     
    As far as the bullpen help goes, sub one or two of those previously mentioned guys out for Duensing for sure and then maybe another for one of the other rarely used relievers.
     
    I still have not addressed the catcher issue, and don't know realistically if that can/will be addressed this season. However, by inserting Sano and Polanco into the lineup you can then bat Suzuki/Hermann in the number 8 or 9 spot and they will be much less of a liability than they are batting 5th or 6th.
     
    Again, I don't think anyone expects the twins to win the world series this year. While that would be nice, its just not going to happen short of a couple dozen miracles. However, I don't think that its out of the realm of possibility for the twins to play .500 ball the rest of the way and end up with 85 wins and a shot at a hard-fought division title, or maybe within reach of a wild-card spot. If nothing else, they would be relevant and fans would stay interested. They don't need jaw-dropping changes, just slight improvements, and by getting a little more production offensively from the DH and short stop and removing the bullpen liabilities while adding some guys in there that can actually be of some help, I think we would make ourselves better this year, while not jeopardizing, and in fact continuing to develop talent for the years to come.
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