SarasotaBill

Jeffers on the trade block with no refunds

Jenkins needs to stay at AA until next year. He needs to develop and can't afford to lose a big portion of next season as well.

What ever trade that the Twins do this year should be about 2027 and later. No trades for anything helping for 2026. You need to be selective about non-40 roster call ups in 2026 because of the pending strike/lock-out. Enjoy 2026 for development of your core players. Trade Jeffers, Larnach, and Bell. Try to extend Ryan. Only trade him if he brings back a top 10 prospect in MLB plus more. It has to be a lopsided deal.

The upcoming MLB -MLPA battle will influence everything. Do the owners cave after listing their demands? Do the players cave because there's more money just not more for the stars? If the owners finally stick to their guns, 2027 will probably be washed away. If the owners eventually win then the minimum team payroll will be over $170 million. 1. Try to extend Ryan. If not, trade him. 2. Try to resign Jeffers. If not, trade him. 3. Trade Larnach 4. Trade Bell 5. I would not bring up anyone not the 40 man already. There's going to be a strike to start next year and let the minor league players keep developing during the strike.

The possible 2027 MLB strike/lock-out is a strong possibility. Any player on the 40 man roster will be locked out. The Twins realistic aim should be 2028 and beyond. 2026 - transition from previous core and trading assets 2027 - development when and if MLB season starts (AAA during strike) 2028 - start of being a playoff contender. Culpepper, Jenkins, and anyone else not on the 40 man needs to demonstrate multiple months of dominating AAA before bringing them up in 2026. Especially Jenkins who has missed so many games and needs many ABs this year and next year.

It made absolutely no sense to pitch to Witt with a runner on 2nd and two outs in the ninth. The batter on deck is hitting 0.210. What is Shelton and his bench coach thinking about?

Rabe pitching tonight vs Auburn.

Lackey struggled hitting curveballs last weekend. I would pick Flora over him but I know that's not the consensus.

Wait two months and let's see the results. Ryan in the rotation eases the bullpen which affects the games he doesn't pitch. We will know a lot more in two months about the number of young players on the roster as well. Most likely he will be traded at the deadline when teams have a better idea if they have a chance to win the World Series.

Now there's no choice but to unload everything at the trade deadline. Use 1st half to increase value of anyone on their last year or next to last year. 2nd half is for development for players with more than two years before free agency.

Last year was his true season in five years. Of course the Twins took it easy with him. Let him build up some more this year and see where he's at.

Especially at Home start at SS and bat ninth. If it’s a scoring opportunity have Lee pinch hit him on his first at bat. If not, have him bat once and pinch hit after five innings. Maximize defensive value while minimizing his poor offense.

He's got two years left in his contract so there's no rush. Mid-season provides another 6 months of development that will give more insight into the future. Just too many questions about the young MLB Twins and the high end of prospects. Even a mid-season trade provides teams two playoff years.

Great article. Thank you for the insight. The comments seem that wins matter this year. Spoiler Alert - wins don't matter in 2025 for the Twins It's about development. Obvious Bradley needs more development and refinement. That's why the Twins are letting him pitch through these horrible outings.

Your idea is to bench Lee after one year in MLB, with no immediate replacements in the system, and with next year as a development year (spoiler alert: Twins are not contending for the playoffs next year). Even Buxton struggled is his first year in MLB. Let's use 2026 as a year to evaluate the development and potential of present players and players coming up from AAA. The bar should be: is the player developing (improving) and does he have the potential to be above average starter in the major leagues.

I count 32 of the present 42 probably protected. Probably need to protect 4-5 new minor league players and 3-4 free agent signings. They don't have the space to be care free with guys who will not be on the 40 man in November. It would be stupid to expose them to other team's 40 man roster for a weeks of MLB in September. Sorry - just trying to be realistic.

Unless the Twins already know the player will be on the 40 man roster in November, none should be recalled. If a player is taken off the 40 man then another team only needs to put the player on their 40 man roster. If a player is taken in the Rule 5 draft then that player needs to be on their 26 man roster for a year.

If nothing else, the Twins need to think of 2025-6 as development and evaluation. The payroll now allows extending Ryan and Jeffers. If they don't extend Jeffers during the off season then they have to trade him. Every transaction needs to be about 2027 and after.

Totally agree with above.. The trades are about 2027 and therefore building around the next wave. Trading relievers at the deadline is when you have the maximum leverage in a trade.

Living close to the Tampa Bay Rays I get to see this strategy every year. A few points: 1. Not counting this year and Covid shortened season, the Twins have averaged 83 wins during Falvey vs the previous six seasons of 68 wins. So he's done a good job making the twins competitive. 2. Dumping Correa was to save money for Pohlad but also frees up cash in the next three years. 3. Maximizing the value of relievers is to trade them at the trading deadline when playoff teams are going all-in. 4. Twins under Falvey have a track record of converting failed major league starters into good relievers (Duran, Jax, Varland). The Twins now have a long list of top end pitching prospects: Matthews, Festa, Rojas, Bradley, Prielipp, Abel, Hill, Quick, Culpepper, Soto, Raya, Gallagher, Morris, Klein. Some will be starters, some will become relievers, and some will fail but they have a long bench. 5. The strategy is to align with the next wave (Jenkins, Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Keashall, Culpepper). Like it or not, small or mid-market teams have to pick their shots vs the Dodgers and other large market teams. 6. The next owners will influence if Buxton, Lopez, Ryan, Lewis, and Jeffers get traded. Most likely will get traded in the next two years (definitely any Boras player) since they won't align with 2027-2031 time frame. 7. My son is a Rays fan and he hates trading Bradley. On the other hand, I'm always nervous about trading with the Rays. I think the Varland trade happened at the end of the deadline because the Blue Jays buckled to Falvey's price. Varland costs nothing for the next few years and fits in the next wave so Falvey had leverage with the Blue Jays.

Mid 2027: P: Matthews, Rojas, Festa, Abel, SWR, Hill, Prielipp, Soto, Gallagher, Quick,Raya,Morris,Culpepper Inf: Keaschall, Lee, Culpeper OF: Jenkins, Gonzalez, Rodriguez C: Diaw, Tiat, Olivar Util: Debarge Trade Pieces: Lopez, Ryan, Jeffers, Lewis Others: Wallner, Larnach, Outman, Roden, Clemens, Sands, Julian, Miranda

Gallagher looks good from the Cubs.

Does Houston have any good (over 0.190) left hitting outfielders? Derek is looking for another.

Even with tomorrow off, what is Jax doing in the 9th inning? Give him a few days off.

Traded everyone on their last year and send down Lee and Walner. Worst than missing the pop up in RF yesterday, Lee didn't get over to the foul line for a relay to the plate. Practically every teenager knows where to go with bases loaded and a hit into the corner. He needs a major reset before next year. Walner is lost at the plate. Bring up Keaschall as soon as he's ready to play in the field. Bring up Eeles when Castro is traded. Need some life in that dugout. Bring up Martin, McCusker, and Julian to replace Bader, Walner, and France. This team needs to be shaken up.