Minnesota Twins Talk

I see that Bautista is willing to consider a one year deal. He could be a great addition on a one year deal for the Twins. He would push Rosario to the 4th outfielder where he should be. The Twins could then trade Bautista at the deadline and get a nice group of prospects. Maybe a one year 25M contract would get him. Here's the link http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/12/jose-bautista-willing-to-consider-one-year-deal.html?fv-home=true&post-id=81292

For me, the best part of TD is the fellowship with other Twins fans. Although people often disagree, sometimes passionately, we all share an important obsession. We are brothers and sisters in a Twins family and our disagreements should always be debated in that context. I wish everyone the best possible Christmas/Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate, and an amazing New Year.

Ok, I know this sounds potentially stupid.....but the Twins have 5 pitchers in AA that will all "arrive" around the same time. IMO, they are all about the same in terms of being number 3 types starters, probably, as ceilings. Would you deal any of them, say 2, for SS/3B/OF, either at the MLB level or for different prospects (putting aside prospect for prospect trades rarely happen)? Would you just keep them all, and let it play out (thereby, any that don't work out provide no long term value)? Do you assume any that aren't working out move to the bullpen? Or, would you keep them in AAA as starters and backups for injuries?

Darren Wolfson is reporting that the Twins will watch Cuban FA pitcher Norge Ruiz throw tonight in the Dominican League. Also watched him in exhibition last week. (That is verbatim what Wolfson wrote on twitter. I am having trouble copy and pasting.) Here is his writeup from mlb pipeline. He is the top available international free agent, and the #3 overall from this signing period... RHP Bats R Throws R Age 22, DOB: 3/15/1994 Ht 6'0" Weight 185 lb Scouting Grades: Fastball 55, Slider 55, Change 50, Split 50, Control 60 Ruiz has been called a bulldog on the mound because of his tenacity and aggressive approach. There's a belief that the right-handed pitcher is almo…

With the path cleared for Miguel to handle the hot corner full-time, will he make a commitment this off-season to getting himself in the best shape possible? I know from the documentary,"El Poletero." that he was driven at a young age to overcome his humble beginnings. My fear is that since he has accomplished that, he may lack the drive to reach his full potential. Frankly, I was disappointed with his conditioning last year, and hope we don't see a repeat.

Star-Tribune's Phil Miller wrote this afternoon that the Twins will add Jeff Pickler to their coaching staff. He also notes that roles will be determined. Interesting article. Be sure to read through it. Pickler comes from the Dodgers organization where he has been in the front office the last two years. He reached AAA a decade ago, but never surfaced in the major leagues... http://www.startribune.com/twins-to-add-jeff-pickler-to-coaching-staff/407635816/

This morning, the Twins released their Winter Caravan schedule. Over the course of two weeks leading up to Twins Fest, the Twins will send out four busses with players and TV/radio types to talk about the 2017 Twins. It's always fun to go to these events, listen to the players, hear stories and maybe even get an autograph or picture. If you have the chance, I'd encourage going. http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/community/winter-caravan/ Are they making stops in or near your town?

Bolding done by me... Pickler's role is certainly interesting... Jeff Smith is a b it of a surprise. Means there'll be a new manager and a new hitting coach in Ft. Myers. Hmmm... TWINS HIRE JEFF SMITH AND JEFF PICKLER TO MAJOR LEAGUE COACHING STAFF Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have hired Jeff Smith and Jeff Pickler to the Major League coaching staff. Smith will serve as First Base Coach, oversee catching instruction and assist with baserunning instruction. Pickler will serve as Major League Coach and Coordinator of Major League Development. In his role Pickler will oversee outfield instruction, advise all coaches and pl…

Dozier has 2 years left on a cheap contract (15 million total). Quintana seems to be the Dozier equivalent of pitchers-as he has 2 years left at around 16 million. The big difference is Quintana has 2 additional option years on the cheap as well. If he didn't have those option years, who would fetch more in a trade? I understand every team has different team needs-I am asking this question in a general sense.

Have a source within one of the two teams listed above. I was just texted that the deal is all but done, just a couple questions on the 4th piece to come back in the trade. (Hi gang. John Bonnes is editing this quickly. While we at TwinsDaily think DaveW is a helluva guy, we are not verifying this claim. TwinsDaily's forums allow for a free & civil exchange of information, ideas & opinions of our members. That's what this is. And that's cool; we want to groupsource what we're hearing, and I appreciate DaveW taking a personal risk to share this with the community. But, just so we're clear:Twins Daily is NOT reporting this.) Moderator's note: And, just in cas…

I wrote this up today and would like to start a discussion. http://coldomaha.com/2016/twins/warne-finding-a-trevor-plouffe-landing-spot/ I wouldn't do this for just any #OldFriend, but he was well-respected and I think most of us hope he lands on his feet. Where do you think he'll end up?

A donor has been found and he is having the surgery today.

Before tonight's Twins Town Hall, FSNorth showed the Blyleven-Smalley feature in which they were talking about, among other things, at one time being traded for one another. Bert was chronicling the trade that brought him back to the Twins, and something stood out to me. *Paraphrased* "I just wanted to get out of Cleveland, so GM Peter Bavasi asked me where I wanted to go. I said Anaheim, because that's where I was from. He said that wasn't happening, since they weren't willing to trade Don Baylor. Ultimately, it ended up being Minnesota, and that was OK, too." Cool story, I suppose, but.....uh.... Blyleven was traded back to the Twins on Aug. 1, 1985. Baylor l…

Matt Wieters, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Chris Iannetta, Geovany Soto, and of course our old buddies Kurt Suzuki and A.J. Pierzynski are still unsigned (full list here). Castro is most likely going to be the highest paid catcher this year at 24.5 million. Basically, its a buyers market and the Twins are still very thin organizationally behind Castro IMO. Should the Twins sign another catcher?

I don't know if this topic has come up elsewhere, but what are the chances of the Twins making a move for Jurickson Profar? I think there are several reasons he could make sense for the Twins. 1) The Twins could have a space for him at shortstop, whereas he has bounced all over the place with Texas. Even moreso if the Twins trade Dozier, Polanco slides into 2B. Escobar, in my opinion, is best suited for a bench middle IF role. 2) The Twins new GM, Thad Levine, should be quite familiar with him, and has a working relationship with John Daniels to get this done. 3) Profar was a former elite prospect, ranked at the top or near the top of all of the prospect lists. …

According to the article, Tommy signed a one year major league contract with the Brewers. No terms were listed but the contract is not fully guaranteed. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/12/brewers-sign-tommy-milone.html

I should have posted this a half-hour ago when it started, but the Twins are having a town hall on FSN tonight at 7 (it's 7:30 now)... Thad Levine and Derek Falvey have answered questions for the first half hour. Paul Molitor is coming in now. I'm sure it'll be aired other times, but I'm curious what other people find interesting. For me, Falvey has twice discussed individual development plans for each player. That stands out to me because I've talked to a lot of minor leaguers the last decade who went home after seasons without being given really any direction for their offseason. Maybe a workout program, but not really a season-end one-on-one with a coach. I thin…

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/12/2017-competitive-balance-draft-pick-order.html So it looks like they have the #1, 35, and 37 picks.

Falvey and Levine mentioned early on that they may like to supplement the young roster with some capable veterans. I took a look at who some of them could/should be: http://coldomaha.com/2016/twins/warne-finding-supplementary-veterans-for-the-twins/ As always, commentary appreciated.

Normally I put non-Twins Daily stuff in a long thread, but here you go: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/falvey-and-levine-new-leadership-in-minnesota/ Long interview from the winter meetings!

This has been a brutal year to follow the Twins, which can lead to a lot of frustrations and make a community like Twins Daily very difficult to moderate. But our moderators have had a steady hand through this storm, and we're better for it. While many comment sections have become a depressing cliche, I have journalists at spring training tell me that they think the Twins Daily forums and community are enjoyable, educational and refreshing. (And, sometimes, infuriating, which is also valuable.) So THANK YOU moderators. I know you you hear every complaint, but for every complaint you hear, there are 50 quiet appreciations, and I hope some of our members will take a minut…

Assuming Buxton and Kepler continue to get better who is the other outfielder? I would love to see Palka get a chance with Rosario the 4th outfielder and if that doesn't workout keep Rosario and Grossman What would your outfield look like?

Maybe i'm in the minority, and he seems like a good dude, but is he not the worst beat writer? I mean...compared to Russo, it seems like he puts in the bare minimum. We fixed the front office...maybe it's time for the strib to shake things up a bit. Lavalle...if you DO read this site...try harder please. thanks!

In his hometown newspaper, the Worcester Telegram, there is a very nice article on Twins LH RP Ryan O'Rourke. It starts by talking about his DFA early in the 2016 season and how that is often a very bad thing for players in-season. But O'Rourke went about his business and came back to the Twins in August. He also talked a little about the atmosphere in the clubhouse in 2016 compared to 2015 as well as his time in Venezuelan League. http://www.telegram.com/sports/20161210/worcesters-ryan-orourke-pitches-way-back-to-majors-with-twins

What minor leaguers do you expect the new FO to invite to Spring Training

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Hey there. I am John, I am from upstate New York and I am new to the forum. I am a huge baseball fan and have been a closet Twins fan for a few years. Baseball is my absolute favorite sport and I enjoy talking about it and writing about it. I write for a couple of different sites but I won't try and advertise that here. The offseason is always my favorite and least favorite time of year. I look forward to getting into discussions with you all on here. John

We're well into the offseason and a few big trades have happened, while a few high priced free agents have come off the board. So far the Twins have made only one big move with the signing of Jason Castro. What do you think the Twins do next? What does the opening day lineup look like? I'll take my best shot. Off-Season Moves 1. Trade Brian Dozier and Brandon Kintzler to the Dodgers for P Jose De Leon, P Yadier Alvarez, C/2B/3B Austin Barnes and SS Ronny Brito. The Twins need to sell high as Dozier's value will likely never be higher than it is right now coming off a 40+ home run season and under multiple years of control. Kintzler did a great job last year, but th…

With no inside information at all. My own brain made this up. I am concerned the Twins and Dodgers trade becomes less possible if Kenley doesn't sign with the Dodgers. Consider: If Kenley signs with the Marlins: 1. That would mean that the Nats and Dodgers are without closer and I assume that neither of those teams will want to start the season with a Kintzler type on the back end because there is way too much invested... I also believe that Signing Holland and calling it good is also risky. Holland is someone you sign when you have an insurance policy in place. The Dodgers and Nats don't have that insurance policy... Closer has to be addressed. 2. This put…

Anybody interested? Would prob need to lock it down in the next 5-6 days so gifts could be sent prior to X-Mas (or shortly there after) Figure we keep it simple: $15 max Can be Twins related gift or something completely random that you think the poster you draw would like. I'd be more than happy to help organize (or someone else if you don't trust me with your mailing addresses...muhahaha) I think we should look into it if we get 10+ people interested, could be a fun thing during a slow time of the year. People can then post what they got to this thread and we can see what was given out. Cool? p.s nobody better send me any Torii Hunter products!