Baseball Bat

Thanks for all your input. What do you guys think about my proposed Dozier Trade? Could we get more? Asking for too much? Or fair?

Thanks - I was a bit conservative on the Santana trade because I am not sure how others value their own prospects and Santana at $13.5 million annually over the next two seasons. I know that Keller is consistently rated as a top 50 to 100 prospect, but if we could net something better than him, that would be awesome. Seems like a lot of unknown when projecting trades that involve prospects until significant steam develops.

I saw this on ESPN.com too. I was shocked when I saw this. Giolito is a top 5 prospect in all of baseball. I do this deal in a heartbeat. I don't know why the Nats would do it, but the Twins definitely should. What also is interesting from ESPN was an article posted yesterday by Jim Bowden that looks at all the potential trade chips in baseball and lists the teams potential destinations. Dozier was on that list, and the Dodgers, Braves, Angels, and A's were listed as potential destinations, and Bowden gives Dozier a 45% chance of being traded. The Twins were also listed as potential destinations for Sonny Gray and Jake Odorizzi. I have no idea if the A's are interested, but some sort of swap involving Sonny Gray and Dozier could be interesting. The Twins could also likely get more than Gray from the A's as he is coming off a pretty bad year.

I am a little late to the party on creating an offseason blueprint for the Twins. Granted, I am cheating a bit here as the Twins started making some moves yesterday. However, that was in fact what got me in the spirit to create my blueprint. The Twins outrighted Trevor Plouffe, Juan Centeno, and Adam Brett Walker was claimed off waivers. In the case of Plouffe and Centeno, I think it was the correct move. I advocated trading Plouffe last offseason. Based on the Todd Frazier return, Plouffe wouldn’t have garnered much in the market. However, something is better than nothing, so I stand by my belief that the old regime made a mistake carrying Plouffe into 2016. The Twins would have gotten even less this offseason if they tried to trade him, so I think Falvey and Levine made the right decision in simply cutting bait with him and opening up 3rd base, and $9 million. I was a little saddened to see Adam Brett Walker go. I’ve always been a dreamer when it comes to him. Love the power, and would have liked to see what could have been. I guess the Twins have enough guys that can hit for power and break strikeout records and ABW had no realistic path to contribute anytime soon. In a way, this move makes sense after analyzing it. The Twins also added Daniel Palka, Felix Jorge, Zach Granite, Engelb Vielma, Fernando Romero, and Mitch Garver to the 40-man roster. All of these additions make sense and I am not terribly concerned with losing anyone meaningful in the rule 5 draft. The interesting thing is that the 40-man now sits at 39 players. According to Darren Wolfson, the Twins did offer a Free Agent yesterday. It was unclear who that player is but I am sure Jason Castro is a candidate. Better late than never, here is how I would do the remainder of the offseason if I were Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. Arbitration: Trevor Plouffe ($9 Million): Already declined, agree with this decision as addressed above. Kyle Gibson ($2.5 Million): Accept. $2.5 Million for a guy who could give you 200 innings and an ERA in the 3’s is an easy decision. Gibson was bad and unhealthy last season, but he still has potential to be apart of the Twins long-term team as a solid 3 or 4 starter. Gibson could be a trade candidate if he has a good first half and 2017 is lost. Hector Santiago ($8 Million): Decline. I decline based on my other moves that you will see further down. I’ve seen enough from Santiago. Wasn’t the reason of getting rid of Nolasco to get some money off the books? I don’t understand why the Twins would pay $8 million next year for Hector Santiago who will likely block someone like Berrios from developing or Trevor May from returning to the rotation. He is a lot like Plouffe, no future here. I say cut him lose or see if you can trade him. Eduardo Escobar ($3.5 Million): Accept. We know what Eddie is. A decent fielder and .265 hitter with a bit of pop. Above all else, he is a great clubhouse guy and that is exactly what you want from a utility player. With all the uncertainty surrounding shortstop right now, he can always start the bulk of the season there. Plus, who else are the Twins going to find, Erick Aybar? I stick with Escobar as a utility guy at worst. Easy decision Brandon Kintzler ($2.5 Million): Accept. A little disappointed the Twins could not trade him last July. That was probably the height of his value. I do still think he can be a great groundball guy in the 6th or 7th inning. The price is great, this was actually an excellent find from the former regime last offseason. Ryan Pressly ($1.5 Million): Accept. At 1.5, Pressly is an even more valuable tender than Kintzler. Pressly has the stuff to be an 8th or 9th inning guy long-term, Kintzler likely does not. Ideally, Pressly is the Twins long-term setup man. I think that closer is a stretch, and I am still holding my breath on Nick Burdi filling that role by 2018. Other 40-man Roster Moves Remove Buddy Boshers and Michael Tonkin Boshers was fun, but I wouldn't bring him back. I'm done with Tonkin. Brings 40-man Roster down to 37 Free Agency Sign C Jason Castro for 3 years, $25 million Castro provides great pitch framing, which Falvey clearly loves. He is a clear defensive upgrade over Kurt Suzuki and would be an ideal candidate to catch 100 to 120 games for the Twins while JR Murphy catches the remainder. Castro is not too far removed from his 2013 all-star campaign where he was also great offensively. I fear that this might be too obvious of a move and that the market for Castro is going to drive his price up to where it is not worth it. However, if the price stays in the 3 years, 20-some million, I’d like to see the Twins sign Castro. He would help right away, and likely still be around when the Twins are looking to make a run in 2019 or so. Sign OF Carlos Gomez for 1 year, $12 million I don’t know how Scott Boras thinks that Gomez is getting a 5-year deal. I doubt anyone offers more than 2 years, and I am even skeptical about that. If I am Gomez and Boras, I want a 1-year prove it deal that still pays handsomely. This is what this deal would do, and it provides low risk for the Twins. A 4 man outfield rotation of Kepler, Buxton, Rosario, and Buxton would be fun to watch play out. In that situation, Rosario would likely be the 4th outfielder. If Gomez can return to form, he would be another great flip candidate. If he can’t, then the Twins likely won’t be making a run at the playoffs anyways and they can just cut ties with him. Sign RP Drew Storen for 2 years, $10 million Projecting the bullpen gets very difficult. The Twins have been fans of Storen for a long time. I have no idea what the new regime thinks of him but I have a hard time believing they won’t sign at least one arm to add to the bullpen. This could be a real win-win. Storen would likely want an opportunity to close again, and the Twins would likely give him a shot at that at some point this season. Trades Trade 2B Brian Dozier to the Los Angeles Dodgers for RHP Jose De Leon and 2B Willie Calhoun. If I’m the Twins, I ask for Julio Urias. The Dodgers almost certainly say no to that (as they should). The Dodgers would probably part with De Leon if it meant getting Dozier in return. Only De Leon doesn’t get it done for me. I would ask for more than that, and with a farm system as rich as the Dodgers, I am staying there and asking for another one of there 8ish top 100 prospects. Willie Calhoun is consistently rated in the top 100 by the likes of MLB.com and Baseball America. He is not viewed as a top line prospect, but would be a nice addition to the farm and the Twins middle infield future. Trade SP Ervin Santana and pay $10 million of his remaining $27 million ($5 million annually) and Danny Santana to the Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Mitch Keller I will probably get the most flack for this idea. I have heard there is no steam on Ervin Santana this offseason. But I really think the Twins should be open to trading him and eating some of his money. Ervin Santana at $8 million a year for the next two years coming off the season that he did looks like a really attractive commodity that should net a top 100 prospect. If the Pirates decide they want to be contenders this season, they will almost certainly need to add some pitching. With a very weak starting pitching FA market, Santana’s value could be driven up. Teams like the Yankees, Jays, Mariners, Rangers could also be in the mix. This all hinges on how desperate teams get after they realize they still need starting pitching after whiffing on the clowns available. 25-Man Roster Starting Rotation - Age (April 1) - Salary (Millions) SP Kyle Gibson - 29 - $2.5 SP Phil Hughes - 30 - $13.2 SP Jose Berrios - 22 - $0.5 SP Trevor May - 27 - $0.5 SP Jose De Leon - 24 - $0.5 Relievers RP Tyler Duffey - 26 - $0.5 RP JT Chargois - 26 - $0.5 RP Brandon Kintzler - 32 - $2.5 RP Taylor Rogers - 26 - $0.5 SUP Drew Storen - 29 - $5.0 SUP Ryan Pressly - 28 - $0.5 CP Glen Perkins - 34 - $6.5 Starting Lineup C Jason Castro - 29 - $8.33 1B Joe Mauer - 33 - $23.0 2B Jorge Polanco - 23 - $0.5 3B Miguel Sano - 23 - $0.5 SS Eduardo Escobar - 28 - $3.5 LF Carlos Gomez - 31 - $12.0 CF Byron Buxton - 23 - $0.5 RF Max Kepler - 24 - $0.5 DH Byung Ho Park - 30 - $2.75 Bench C John Ryan Murphy - 25 - $0.5 SS Engelb Vielma - 22 - $0.5 OF Robbie Grossman - 27 - $0.5 OF Eddie Rosario - 25 - $0.5 Additional Salaries SP Ricky Nolasco - $4.0 SP Ervin Santana - $5.0 Total Salary - $95.78 Top Callup Options 1. 1B/DH Kennys Vargas (Extra Option Year Approved) Easy. If Park struggles, Vargas will be up in a flash. 2. RP Nick Burdi All depends on how he can rebound from an injury plagued 2016. If he is healthy, he will be up by June, potentially April. 3. SP Adalberto Mejia Outside chance of breaking camp as the Twins fifth starter, depending on who is still around come March. I would expect some issues with the Twins rotation by May, making Mejia the next man up in this scenario. 4. RP Ryan O’Rourke With Rogers being the only lefty out of the Twins bullpen besides Glen Perkins, I would expect we see O’Rourke up at some point during the season. Not necessarily thrilled about that, and lets hope that Levine and Falvey can add a lefty to the bullpen. 5. RP Pat Light Got a cup of coffee in 2016. It wasn’t great but is too small of a sample to rule him out. Has the stuff to be a solid reliever. 6. RP Mason Melotakis Will eventually be a much better lefty option than O’Rourke. You’d like to see him build on last years success at Triple A for a couple of months before coming up to the Twins. Especially since he missed all of 2015. 7. C Mitch Garver The second something goes wrong with the combination of John Ryan Murphy & Jason Castro (in this scenario), Garver will be up in the Twin Cities. 8. RP Jake Reed Will likely start in Triple A but will be given an opportunity at some point. 9. RP Trevor Hildenberger Lights out for Chattanooga last season. Him and Reed are interchangeable in who gets the first shot to be in the Twins bullpen. 10. OF Daniel Palka Chances are that the Twins will need more than 5 outfielders to get through 2017. Palka has earned the right to be the 6th outfielder in the system. Excellent Return for Hermann. September Callups Stephen Gonsalves, Zach Granite, Willie Calhoun, Stuart Turner Top 15 Organizational Prospects Player Pos. Rank Level ETA 1. Jose De Leon SP 32 MLB 2016 2. Tyler Jay SP 35 AA 2018 3. Nick Gordon SS 47 AA 2018 4. Mitch Keller SP 72 A+ 2019 5. Stephen Gonsalves SP 85 AAA 2017 6. Willie Calhoun 2B 87 AAA 2017 7. Alex Kirilloff OF 92 A 2020 8. Kohl Stewart SP NR AA 2018 9. Fernando Romero SP NR A+ 2018 10. JT Chargois RP NR MLB 2016 11. Ben Rortvedt C NR A 2020 12. Adalberto Mejia SP NR AAA 2016 13. Nick Burdi RP NR AAA 2017 14. Lewis Thorpe SP NR A 2019 15. Wander Javier SS NR A 2020

I think we really need to look into moving Dozier. I know this organization is not big on fire sales, but I think it is necessary with some of these guys. I think that Polanco should be ready to be a full time second baseman next season and Dozier would get a large return. People may laugh at that because of his down numbers. However, Jonathan Lucroy had similar down numbers last season and his trade value was still very high. Dozier plays a position where offense is just a bonus and he is in his prime / on a team friendly contract.

I didn't think I would have to ask this in 2016, much less in early May (even though it is probably a month late), but the season is over and we are back to building for 2017 and beyond. The Twins need to sell on some of these guys, some to get decent value, and others (most) just to get the hell out of here. Who do you guys think the Twins should trade in the coming months? What return do you think they would command? I have listed a few guys below that I think the Twins should try and move. Turns out it is about half of there 25 man roster. Happy 8-25! Guys that could command some value 3B Trevor Plouffe: This name just will not go away. He is an average 3rd baseman (maybe slightly above) in the big leagues. However, he is still relatively cheap and will be in 2017 as well. There is no chance he is part of the Twins long term future based on the Miguel Sano in Right Field debacle. You know what you are getting out of Plouffe, 25 Home Runs, 80 RBI's .250 Average with above average defense. There will be some takers, but it would have to be a desperate contender to command any type of quality return (see Todd Frazier return). Here's to hoping he tears the top off the ball for the next month or two and we get some type of decent return. SP Kyle Gibson: Gibson had a good 2015, but is off to a terrible start in 2016. When he returns from the DL, we will see if he can return to form. There has been interest in Gibson as he is only 28 and inexpensive. He could absolutely be in a contenders playoff rotation as the 3rd or 4th starter. The Twins like to put him at 1 or 2. He also faces a future logjam of Santana, Hughes, Nolasco, Berrios, Duffey, Gonsalves, and Kohl Stewart in 2017. The Twins are not short on number 3 starters who can't strike anybody out. If an okay return comes, the Twins should not hesitate to trade him. CP Glen Perkins: Perk is getting old, his velocity is down, and he is constantly hurt. The one good thing about Perkins is he is just one full calender year away from being a lights out closer on a very team friendly deal. If Perk can come back healthy, some contenders lacking a setup man could come calling. Plus Nick Burdi is likely the future closer of the Twins. RP Fernando Abad: He looks to be back to his elite 2014 form. One of the few bright spots for the Twins in 2016. His ERA is 0.63 and has a K/9 rate of around 9. Plus, he will be in higher demand because he is a lefty. If this continues, the Twins could look to sell high. UTIL Eduardo Nunez: Say what you will about Nunez, but he is still hitting over .350 with and OPS around .900 with 5 steals. He can play wherever in the field (not that well). He is only 10 PA's away from qualifying amongst the league leaders. This could continue too, he hit very well last season too. This is another sell high candidate. SP Ervin Santana: If his contract was different, he could command some real value. He would be a great number 3 starter in the playoffs, but I don't know a team that would want to take on two and a half years of him, while paying $30 + million. Tough to get a good return for him, and might be worthy of being in the rotation come 2017, but if someone calls, I would listen if I were Terry Ryan. Just Get the Hell Out of Here SP Phil Hughes: Not possible to move really. His massive contract doesn't start until next season (Nice Job Terry Ryan). His ERA is over 6, his velocity has gone down each of the past 4 seasons. 2014 was an obvious fluke and we are now stuck with him. I don't know why I put him here, I just want him gone. Wishful thinking, I guess. SP Ricky Nolasco: We have been wanting him traded since the day he signed that 4 year deal. It is sad that we are optimistic about him when his ERA is 4.70. Maybe if he keeps his ERA around the Mid 4's and has a decent strikeout rate, some NL team will take him on as a 5th starter for a year and a half. C Kurt Suzuki: Won't meet his vesting option, not a starting catcher anymore. I can see a team wanting a veteran backup catcher in August. Plus the Twins need to figure out there damn catcher of the future, and I don't see one in sight.

Initially, I was one of the fans who was disappointed that no moves were made by the Twins during the winter meetings. After a second glance, I realized that we are actually pretty set almost every area (Based on Twins 2016 plans). We have: Murphy and Suzuki platooning at catcher until Murphy eventually gets the majority of time. Our infield consists of Mauer, Dozier, Plouffe, and Escobar with Santana and Nunez as utility men and Jorge Polanco as a top 100 prospect that will likely resurface at some point in 2016. Rosario, Buxton, and Sano in the outfield with potentially Arcia as the 4th guy (or Santana) and then Kepler coming in Midseason. Park as a DH with Vargas hopefully developing and maybe Arcia. Guess of our likely rotation: Santana, Hughes, Gibson, Duffey, and Milone (Until Berrios comes up in May). Even our bullpen has a decent foundation of May, Jepsen, and Perkins. (Fien is a lock too, unfortunately). Now there are minor things that still could be done. For example, I think in some ways, the signing of Park signals the end for Oswaldo Arcia. When the Twins signed Park, they moved Sano to the outfield. It is hard for me to imagine them going from a Hicks, Buxton, Rosario potential outfield one season to an outfield where the corners are Arcia and Sano during certain games. Yikes. With Sano playing everyday, Plouffe being the third baseman, Mauer making $23 million a year at first base, and Park DHing, it doesn't seem likely Arcia sees much, if any time with the Twins in 2016. It is also unlikely that Max Kepler is with the team out of Spring Training. So the Twins may look into a 4th outfielder on the free agent market. I don't expect this guy to be great, but more of someone who can step in an be a good defender and have good speed. One interesting way to address this issue in house would be to move Santana back to the outfield full time as a 4th outfielder and then have Polanco as a backup in the infield if the Twins feel he is ready and not too much of a defensive liability. I was also someone that was (and still is) hellbent on moving Nolasco anywhere possible. This just looks too difficult right now. I don't buy for one second that the Twins "Didn't want to sell low" on Nolasco. Other GM's expressed extreme doubt on the Twins being able to move him and it looks like we are stuck with him. I don't know what role Nolasco has in 2016, but I would hate for him to waste a starting rotation spot. On to the bullpen. This truly looks like the last area that the Twins really need to do anything, specifically obtaining a left handed reliever who can strike guys out. Terry Ryan has been clear about this and he came off with having a weird amount of optimism leaving the Winter Meetings on the progression made in getting something done. With Tony Sipp going back to Houston and reportedly no communication with Antonio Bastardo, I tend to believe that TR is leaning more towards a trade at this point (He is also notoriously angry about the growing price and growing length of relievers contracts). He has also been clear about "not closing an avenue" for minor league relievers coming in. We have good reason to be optimistic about the young relievers in the organization that will be coming in, but that likely won't surface more until 2017. He actually has a very valid point though. In 2 or 3 years, guys like Tyler Jay, Nick Burdi, J.T. Chargois, Jake Reed, Taylor Rogers, Alex Meyer, and others will likely all surface. For now though, there are a few rumors and options that have been thrown around to help bridge the gap in 2016. These rumors / ideas involve two guys in particular, Drew Storen from Washington, and Jake McGee from Tampa Bay. Both of these guys would dramatically help the Twins in 2016. Storen has been linked to the Twins for a while now and really needs to get out of Washington. He has one year left on his deal for about $9 million. Terry Ryan may not be thrilled about that but he reportedly has inquired about him this offseason according to James Wagner from the Washington Post. Storen has closer experience, and had a 11.0 K/9 last season despite the second half collapse. He has an outstanding track record over the years and clearly just needs a change in scenery. With him, the Twins would have 4 scary late inning options in Perkins, Jepsen, Storen, and May, who all can strike guys out. Jake McGee has really just been pure speculation for the most part. Brad Berreman from Rantsports.com believes a trade would make sense for both the Rays and the Twins. He would certainly be right about that from the Twins perspective. McGee is a 28 year lefty that had a K/9 of 11.6 last season and a 11.1 K/9 in his 6 year career overall. His ERA is regularly in the 1's and 2's. He would fit the Twins need perfectly. The question is how much it will cost the Twins, certainly more than Jepsen did as McGee is under team control for two more seasons with an estimated salary of under $5 million for 2016. Talks have reportedly picked up a lot for him over the past few days and the Twins are notoriously quiet about these kinds of things (Just maybe there is a chance). The Dodgers are knowingly in on him after the Chapman debacle. This might make it difficult because the Dodgers too have a really good farm system and are a lot more willing to give up prospects than the Twins. It has been a slow few days since the winter meetings and both these names have been thrown around in some capacity and link to the Twins. Granted, they don't have a relatively strong link right now and they might be unlikely, but are definitely both good options and would significantly improve the Twins bullpen. The problem is likely going to be the asking price. What do you guys think are the chances the Twins are in serious talks for either of the Rays or the Nationals? What do you think it would cost the Twins?

My goals before the winter meetings: 1. Sign a good to elite level set up man 2. Somehow get rid of Ricky Nolasco 3. Add a Fourth Outfielder My goal now: 1. For Terry Ryan to prove he is actually at the Winter Meetings and not at a bowling alley

Probably Kepler. Multiple years of team control, lefty, elite.

I'm no journalist, but I'm guessing this is more of a bait into reading an article more than anything else. First off, it has been stated that the Marlins will not trade Fernandez. MLB Network turned this into "The Marlins will deal him if an offer blows them away", which I get but I still feel this is completely speculative and amateur at best. Ken Rosenthal continues to mention in his tweets that the only reason the Marlins listen is in case someone offers way too much in desperation. My theory is that there were three teams that made initial contact on Fernandez and then they heard about an asking price of Seager (#2 overall prospect) and Urias (#4 overall prospect), Pederson (All-Star with 40 HR potential), and two other prospects (Initial reports of what the Marlins were asking from the Dodgers, 5 players total), and thus all three teams walked away. There are few major league teams that even have those types of young assets, much less be willing to offer them. Heck it is the winter meetings, every time a manager takes a piss you can go to MLB Network and find out about it. There is a reason why we don't hear any solid offers for Fernandez. I would actually applaud the Marlins on this because they are actually smart enough to create a demand for Fernandez. Moving on, after those three initial inquiries, one "mystery team" checks in. Perfect for espn.com as they get to make a list of potential teams that could be in the running (as it is there job to do so). The Twins were fifth on that list and to anyone with half a brain it is obvious that the only reason the Twins were put on there is there lack of an ace and immense minor league depth / young talent. I mean C'mon, who can see Terry Ryan even coming close to pulling this off. His biggest trade to date is for Shannon Stewart. If the Twins were to put a comparable offer to what the Marlins asked of the Dodgers, it would likely look like this: Byron Buxton (#1 Overall prospect, 1 above Seager) Jose Berrios (#20 Overall prospect, 16 below Urias) Eddie Rosario (Very different player than Joc Pederson, but comparable in value) 2 mid level prospects. I wouldn't even think about offering that package for Fernandez. And if I wouldn't think about offering that, think about how Terry Ryan feels about it.

No it's not time to wait it out. While we are doing that, good relievers are coming off the board. No reliever left will command an absurdly high salary. TR just has this thing with trying to sign relievers for 1 yr. $3 million. The way the market is changing, like it or not, the Twins will need to spend to get relief. TR has one job this week, to sign a good reliever. Go get Tony Sipp or Antonio Bastardo for 3 years $16 million. That is not that out of control. Too many what ifs in the bullpen to go into the season. Really don't have a strikeout guy at all.

Yeah I think Cotillo might be grasping at straws a bit there.

If I were a GM and looking for starting pitching, the first 197,000 names that would come to my head would not be Ricky Nolasco on a 2 year $25 million deal. Godspeed, Padres.

Athletics actually seem very set on keeping Gray, which is code for "you better blow us away with an offer". My guess would be a bare minimum package would be centered around Kepler or Berrios or potentially both.

I think this thread is a good example of overvaluing our own players. James Shields coming to the Twins instantaneously makes him the best strikeout pitcher we have. He struckout almost 10 per 9 innings last season during a down year and has a great track record in the American league. If I'm the Padres I don't do this trade straight up but if I am the Twins I do it no questions asked. Shields will be an asset to the Twins as he consistently has a mid 3's ERA and pitches over 200 innings. Ricky Nolasco is not a good pitcher, at least not in the American League. I take the 34, 35, and 36 year old season of James Shields it costs me Ricky Nolasco and the last three years of Shields deal. I mean have you seen what some of these pitchers are getting now in free agency? Why is that even a question right now? According to Mike Berardino, an annonymous GM said it will be nearly impossible to move Nolasco, at least until he shows something in the spring. Ricky Nolasco has absolutely no value to clubs. The only reason he would have value to the Padres is they will save an extra year and $40 million as they are clearly going in a different direction than the Twins. This trade would give us a rotation of Santana, Shields, Gibson, Duffey, Hughes, and free up opportunities make starting pitching a position of strength that the Twins could trade from. For example, say Berrios comes up in May and is a stud. The Twins could trade a guy like Gibson who has a highish value and not skip a beat. The Twins would never trade Gibson to make way for Nolasco. So I ask everyone this: Do you take a guy that will at best be in the bullpen and pitch not awful and at worst never throw again for the Twins and pay him $12.5 in 2016 or James Shields (Fangraph's projection) of 203 IP, a 3.68 ERA, and 9 K's per 9 innings. Those numbers for Shields would hands down be the best on the 2015 Twins staff and it is not even close. I'm paying the extra $9 million for Shields if the Padres would actually be dumb enough to take Nolasco. And for those of you saying the Twins should spend there money elsewhere, there is a better chance that Terry Ryan goes on a dumpster diving mission once again and spends that $9 million next season on Fernando Rodney and another washed up reliever and then does the same thing over again rather than making a significant upgrade. This is a significant upgrade. To get a reward you have to take some risks every once in a while. So again, Ricky Nolasco, Fernando Rodney, and washed up reliever / utility player or 200 innings 9 K's per 9 James Shields. Take your pick

This was not meant in a serious fashion, more for my own entertainment. I agree that the Twins have done a good job overall, but as a fan I find it interesting how they remain so type lipped when Ken Rosenthal and Jon Heyman find everything out.

I don't necessarily care about rumors either, it just seems like classic Twins.

If we sign Fernando Rodney and not one of the three previously mentioned then I'm moving to Detroit.

Have heard a rumor about every team besides the Twins..... Classic

If we trade Plouffe, we should absolutely look into signing Revere. I think Revere is a perfect 4th outfielder on a playoff team. He could start for the first few months and also leadoff if need be until guys like Buxton and Kepler are fully ready to takeover in which case Revere can be a valuable guy off the bench.