RJM96

The league isn't exactly filled with teams who have a multitude of young catchers. The list of those teams in need of a starting third baseman is even smaller. It's easy to say "Oh let's trade Plouffe and maybe some prospects for a young catcher", but the question is, who?

Last year's number one guy, Phil Hughes, was demoted to the bullpen yesterday for what looks to be the rest of the season. Hughes has previously spent time in the bullpen in New York. While I am certain that he is the guy for us on opening day 2016, and probably for a few more seasons, what is his future role with the team? What are the odds that he spends the latter half of his contract (2018-2019) in the bullpen? By that time the Twins should (hopefully) be in World Series contention. A move to the bullpen makes room for guys like Stephen Gonsalves and Kohl Stewart. And no, it doesn't make sense to be paying your setup guy thirteen million a year. But if you have forty percent of your rotation making half a million a year, does that justify it? I love Phil Hughes. I hope he retires a Twin.

Not that this really matters but, according to mlb.com, here are Austin Hedges' defensive tools: Arm: 65/80 Fielding: 65/80 And Stuart Turner's: Arm: 60/80 Fielding: 60/80 Just something to think about...

I was at the game, miserably sat right behind third base. I could not agree with you more. It was a ridiculously frustrating game to watch, especially given that we were surrounded by rowdy White Sox fans.

Names anybody?

I like Polanco and Arcia for Plawecki, now what to do with Plouffe.....

San Diego Receives: SP Ricky Nolasco SS Jorge Polanco RP Alex Meyer SP Kohl Stewart 1B Amaurys Minier Minnesota receives: SP James Shields C Austin Hedges Polanco just recently cracked MLB.com's top 100 prospects list. He is trending upward. San Diego has zero minor league depth at shortstop. Meyer is a former top 25 starting pitching prospect, and I have seen him as high as 50 as a reliever. He still has the tools to be a dominant bullpen option, and many scouts have viewed him as a dominant closer for years now. Stewart is a question mark but again he still has the tools to be an ace once he puts it all together. Minier is very raw but also comes with a very high ceiling. I think this trade goes through. All Shields related hate put aside, do you think the Padres would pull the trigger on this one?

Interesting idea, but I feel like the Twins could do a lot better in a Plouffe trade than that. I'd prefer Turner over Meija in that he is two years ahead of him amd has relatively the same ceiling.

In Ryan Hammon's "An Aggravating Baseball Layover", he argues that Jose Reyes wants out, and that the front office (and the fan base) also wants him gone. Hammon lists nine teams from across the league as potential suitors. He listed the Twins as one of his "best bets." "Minnesota Twins. The Twinkies are in this thing, folks! Not unlike the Cubs, they’re a young team with a bright future that simply got here a little earlier than expected, and with an acute need for near-term help in the middle infield (they’ve gotten sub-replacement-level production from short stop). However, unlike the Cubs, the Twins actually represent a decent fit for Reyes both for the remainder of this year and in the near-term future beyond. Twins prospect Jorge Polanco is a MLB-caliber middle-infield prospect who has already had his proverbial cup-of-coffee, but is also widely seen more as a second baseman or utility guy in the long run. And there’s not much at all behind him until you get to Nick Gordon, a 19-year-old that won’t be ready until sometime after Reyes’ deal expires. If the Twins want to build one more contending team in the Joe Mauer era, Reyes would be a great fit. They’re not in a position – either in terms of desperation or payroll capacity – to simply eat Reyes’ deal. But they do have an intriguing player/contract that the Rockies might take back: Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco, never one to “get dem groundballz,” isn’t a prototypically good fit for Coors Field, but he is, you know, good. Despite his poor net results in Minnesota the last couple of years, his fielding-independent numbers have been solid, as they were each of the five seasons prior to that – a period during which Nolasco averaged over 30 starts a year. He’s likely out with injury the rest of this year, but it’s not considered serious, and the fact that he’s currently on the shelf actually makes it easier for the Twins to deal him in the midst of a pennant race. The Rockies would owe Nolasco $12M each of the next two years, with a $13M team option after that. Given the net salary savings and omnipresent need for at-least-OK starting pitchers, I think the Rockies do well in this deal." I found this to be a very interesting idea, especially because it is coming from a Rockies writer. What do you guys think? What exactly could this trade look like? Is it just a straight up swap? Link: http://www.rockieszingers.com/2015/08/26/aggrivating-baseball-layover/

Excellent post. So does Nolasco, Stewart, and Polanco do it? Is there anyway we could snag Hedges?

I don't have a low opinion of Plouffe's value. I think he is a very good third baseman. I just think it's going to be hard to find a trade fit for him. That's why I asked the question in the first place. Do you have any trade ideas?

Yeah that's the hard part haha. And what kind of prospect do you think would we have to give up?

My bad, I misunderstood. Good post.

Names?

Plouffe's name gets brought up on here a lot. I think the problem is finding someone who wants him. Same thing with Nolasco. Catcher is of high need, but a young, near mlb ready catching prospect is extremely hard to find. (Or acquire) It seems like at some point the Twins are going to have to make room in the rotation for some young arms. What are some trades that make sense for the Twins this offseason? Names?

Okay point made. So do we just cut Nolasco?

Why did the Tigers trade David Price? Why did the Phillies trade Cole Hamels?

You're twisting my words bro. You'd rather have Ricky Nolasco than James Shields. Go Twins.

Good post. Thankyou for actually contributing to the thread and not just hating on James Shields. If we were to perform some kind of a Nolasco for Shields swap, (and I'm not necessarily saying this is an excellent idea, just another option) who do you think we have to give up?

Justin Upton is a soon to be free agent.

Statistically speaking, no this year he is not one of the best pitchers in baseball. From a talent standpoint, I think he is. The guy has 11 wins and 194 strikeouts on a down year. Kyle Gibson is currently leading the Twins with 119.

Uhm they get rid of Nolasco. James Shields is one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. No, he probably won't be in a couple of years, but he will be better than Nolasco.

So... Padres receive: SP Ricky Nolasco SS Jorge Polanco SP Kohl Stewart OF Oswaldo Arcia Twins Receive: SP James Shields C Austin Hedges Does this work? What other Twins prospects might the Padres have interest in?

Padres receive: SP Ricky Nolasco SP Kohl Stewart OF Oswaldo Arcia Twins receive: SP James Shields I would love to get back Hedges in a deal with the Padres but it just doesn't seem realistic at this point. I could maybe see adding Plouffe to the deal to bring back Norris, but the Padres don't seem to have any need for a (good but not great) 30 year old third baseman who may or may not be past his prime. The Padres get out of James Shields's contract a few years early and get a promising arm for their future. Ricky Nolasco is back home in the national league where he belongs. Arcia will provide pop to a Padres lineup for years to come. The Twins bolster their rotation and make the Nolasco accusition seem worthwhile. I love this trade. It was rumored at the deadline and it just makes so much sense for both teams.

If they so choose to extend him.....