Hey Everyone,

What a disappointing 2018 season. Besides a couple bright spots like Mauer's send off, Jake Cave, and deadline trades to bolster our prospect lot (minus the Pressly trade), games and news were tough to follow religiously for even the biggest Twins fans. But, the bright spot is it's the off-season now and the Twins are loaded with an arsenal of assets to make a little noise with. As I stated last year in my 2018 edition I've done research on our needs and the free agent and trade candidates (2019 trade edition will be posted desperately) that are real possibilities to fill those needs.

So, here we go.

Needs:

Relief Pitcher

Second Baseman

Designated Hitter

First Baseman

Starting Pitcher?

Catcher?

In house options to fill needs:

RH Relief Pitcher:

1. Trevor May (Dark Horse candidate to turn into something truly special out of the bullpen if he is and can stay healthy)

2. Addison Reed (I am and always will be an Addison Reed apologist, give the guy a break. He struggled with lingering injuries the whole year and of course he wasn't 100% all the time. He doesn't have to be the closer but he's still a valuable piece to have in a bullpen.)

3. Trevor Hildenberger (Struggled in the last few months of the season but I blame some of his struggles on when he was utilized by Molitor so I would give him a spot in the bullpen on opening day)

4. Tyler Duffey/ Alan Busenitz/ Zack Littell/ John Curtiss (A good amount of these guys have had every chance to show they are not AAAA players and can make positive contributions to an MLB team but the clock is running on them and I don't trust them on any contending team. Littell still deserves a shot to figure out if he's going to be a starter or reliever)

LH Relief Pitcher:

This is the first year in a long time I've felt like the Twins don't need to add a LH Reliever

1. Taylor Rogers (This guy has some magic in him and the next step is just finding consistency in his appearances which he really showed flashes of at the end of 2018)

2. Gabriel Moya (Man, isn't he an enigma. The kid has a wacky way of pitching and it works for him most of the time but then you get the 3,4,5 ER innings and you just scratch your head. He's only 23 and if he starts in AAA I'll understand but he's earned more looks from the MLB staff)

Second Baseman:

1. Jorge Polanco ("Wait What?!? He's a shortstop" I've heard that from my friends but no he isn't a natural SS and shouldn't be our starter there and I'll explain later in the wishlist portion.)

2. Nick Gordon (So much promise...how long have we had the feeling that he was gonna crack into the MLB lineup and then 2018 happened. I'm hoping the low numbers were an anomaly but everything about his struggles are concerning and Gordon needs to recognize that this off-season)

3. Ehire Adrianza (He's listed here because he can technically play 2B and pretty well but he's going to be a super utility player and should be. Who knows maybe you get a poor man's Eduardo Escobar performance out of him)

Designated Hitter:

1. Miguel Sano: (Who knows what the Twins will do with Sano. The best plan in my mind is to use him as a 1B/DH but he can't play if he's gonna strike out at the rate he has. I mean really....just make contact please!)

2. Tyler Austin: (Austin has the same issue attached to him as Sano. He's shown flashes in a Twins uniform but if he's going to be a reliable 1B/DH the strikeout numbers will have to take a dip)

First Baseman:

1. Tyler Austin (See above)

2. Miguel Sano (See above)

3. Mitch Garver (We'll see what happens with Castro because Garver has and should be groomed to be a catcher but Garver's bat needs to be in the lineup somewhere)

Catcher?

*This all depends on Castro's health*

1. Jason Castro (Never been a huge fan of him because of his sub-par bat but he was signed to be our starting catcher and should have claim over the position because of his defensive abilities)

2. Mitch Garver (See above)

3. Willians Astudillo (Feel good story, the guy was legit in September but do we really think that's sustainable? I hope he proves me wrong but at best he's a backup catcher in this league)

Starting Pitcher?

*Every year it seems like the Twins could use a starter but maybe not as bad this year. Only need is for a real ace*

1. Jose Berrios

2. Jake Odorizzi

3. Kyle Gibson

4. Michael Pineda (He is going to be interesting to watch this year. I hope that year off gave him enough time to get back to form but the truth is you don't know what you're going to get out of him. Just ask the Yankees)

5. Fernando Romero (In my opinion, he should have locked down that 5 spot for the rest of the year after we knew we weren't going to contend but I understand you wanna see what you have from the farm)

6. Gonsalves, Stewart, Littell, Mejia, Slegers (These guys should have serious chances in the spring to take a rotation spot. There's a lot of talent in this crop now it's just turning talent into results. My prediction would be that Mejia keeps it rolling in the spring and really pushes the front office to make a decision on him.)

Realistic Free Agent Wishlist (In order):

RH Reliever:

1. Kelvin Herrera*** (Okay, he had a down year in Kelvin Herrera terms but you don't pass up on a guy who can hit upper 90's, has closing experience, and has already played in cold weather regularly (Royals). Herrera should be our opening day closer.) Prediction: 2 yr deal/ $20-24 Million

2. Zach Britton (The guy is iffy after TJ surgery but the Yankees/Orioles already ate his recovery and rehabilition year so why wouldn't we take advantage of his back to form years. Could be used as a closer but I like him as a setup guy in front of Herrera. We'll just see if he agrees with me on that logic. Being apart of a super bullpen seems to sell these days) Prediction: 2 yrs/ $18-26 Million

3. Adam Ottavino (Ottavino was a complete stud for Colorado last year and seems to be fine not being the set closer, instead being utilized in high leverage situations. I think the big fish will have to sign before he does which means there will be less cash on the table from competing teams) Prediction: 2 yrs/ $16 Million

4. Jeurys Familia (Familia has character issues in his past but this front office has been willing to work with character issues based on the theory, results on the field will outweigh it) 3 yrs/ $15-19 Million

5. Jesse Chavez (Really made a name for himself in Chicago, could be a guy you sign for 1 year who securely locks down those innings when the starter struggles and has to leave) Prediction: 1 yr/$4 - 5 Million

6. Tyler Clippard (This one might cause a debate but Clippard is one of those guys who shows flashes of his Washington days and has proven there still is something left in the tank at points. Not a bad idea to pick up a lottery ticket on him and make him prove that he still has it) Prediction: 1 yr/ $1-2 Million

LH Reliever:

1. Justin Wilson (I don't believe the Twins need a LH pitcher in the bullpen right now but if there was a guy I'd be okay with signing it would be Wilson. He's got a simple delivery with movement that has proven to get hitters out. Nothing we don't have right now but he would still be a slight upgrade in this category) Prediction: 2 yr/ $10 Million

Update: 2. Tony Sipp (this one might cause some controversy because of his scary track record but if the Twins were to add a lefty in free agency I would support giving Sipp a shot with an invite to spring training) 1 yr/ Minor League Deal (with invite)

3. Possible Rule 5 Pick (worth a shot to pick up a lottery ticket and try him out as the team decides if they are real contenders or still a year or two away)

Second Baseman/Shortstop (In the event of Polanco moving to 2B)

1. Jose Iglesias*** (The Twins should be calling his agent right after they get off the phone with Herrera. He's proven to be an above average shortstop with great defensive play and a bat that can get hot. This would also provide Polanco with an opportunity to finally play 2B where his arm and glove ability fit best. He's nothing crazy special but if you can get him to agree to a deal that holds up until Royce Lewis is ready then it's worth it. But, it won't come extremely cheap) Prediction: 3 yr/ $24 Million

2. Logan Forsythe (For all we know Forsythe enjoyed his time in Minnesota and would welcome an opportunity to come back. He's not Dozier when Dozier could rake but he's still a decent bat to have in the lineup that could hit .270 if he's on) Prediction: 2 yr/ $14-18 Million

3. Jed Lowrie (Lowrie surprised everyone and was a formidable second baseman this year in Oakland. He's getting old and will probably receive a lot of 1 year offers from teams and if the Twins win that bid I wouldn't complain)

Prediction: 1 yr/ $8-10 Million

Designated Hitter:

1. Nelson Cruz*** (He might pick retirement over the Twins but he's got a tremendous bat for someone who's 38. You always know what you're going to get out of him when he's healthy .250-.270 BA with 30-40 HRs. He would also lock down the DH spot for a year so you can decide what you want to do with Sano. He is what I hope Sano's ceiling still is) Prediction: 1 yr/ $12 Million

2. Evan Gattis (It might be worth taking a shot on him in hopes he finds his Atlanta groove again. Plus he hits with no batting gloves and looks like a lumberjack with a great personality. Not the best move we could make but he would be fun to watch) Prediction: 1 yr/ $6 Million

First Baseman:

1. Lucas Duda (The best avenue of upgrading this position would be the trade market but if the front office doesn't believe in Tyler Austin I could see them kicking the tires on Duda. He is Austin just older though so I don't think it would be the best move they could make) Prediction: 1 yr/ $4-6 Million

Catcher?

1. Jonathan Lucroy (If Levine and Falvey are going to open the wallet for a catcher I would be pushing for a decent veteran and that's what Lucroy is. It would raise questions about what to do after Castro's back and would be an automatic DFA for Astudillo but an opening day depth chart with Lucroy and Garver on it at C wouldn't be the worst thing in the world) Prediction: 2 yr/ $4-6 Million

2. Martin Maldonado (Maldonado is a spitting image of Castro with his lack of offense but great defensive play. Could be a good placeholder and eventual competition for Castro when he's back) 1 yr/ $3 million

Starting Pitcher?

1. Patrick Corbin (This is a bit of a dream because the Yankees seem to be all in on Corbin but, if we're going to add to the rotation it would have to come in the form of a guy with at least second starter stuff. Which means serious $$$ will have to be used) Prediction: 3 yr/ $55-60 million

2. Dallas Keuchel (Keuchel has lost a step from his Cy Young year but is still a hot commodity with second starter stuff and that means big market teams will be circling. Berrios and Keuchel at the top of the rotation would be nice for a few years though.) Prediction: 3 yr/ $54 Million

3. Gio Gonzalez (Gio is the only guy with 3rd starter stuff I'd feel okay with going all in on. He's got crazy breaking stuff and was a great pickup for Milwaukee at the waiver deadline. The ERA will probably be in the high 3's or low 4's but he has proven he can get outs and would be a good guy to follow Odorizzi and lead Gibson with in a series) 1 yr/ $12 million

That's my 2019 free agent wish list. If the Twins can get some pieces out of this list I think it will surprise many people how close we could actually be to looking like the 2017 team and dare I say maybe even better.

Thanks for reading and please comment below with your own reactions. I enjoy reading them.