Minnesota Twins Talk

It is possible rosters will expand to 26 players. How will teams best utilize a 26th roster spot? How should the Twins utilize it? 1) Teams could add a bat and create a platoon on a corner. Platooning was so frequent and used wisely when pitching staffs were 10 men. As extra arms appeared more valuable than platoons, few teams platoon in more than one position and many have no true platoon. If you have a 13 man pitching staff, the bench is filled with your reserve up the middle players. I look forward to seeing how teams take advantage of an extra bat. 2) Teams could add an extra arm to the bullpen and create more favorable match ups later in the game. I do not look…

Looks like the Twins will probably have a payroll under 100m this year. I imagine the money saved will not be used to increase payroll a few years from now when we could use it.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/11/twins-to-sign-jason-castro.html Aye!

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 wo…

ESPN's David Schoenfield posted trades for all 30 teams. He proposed the Twins trading Dozier straight up for Lucas Giolito. This is the type of trade the Twins need if they move Dozier. Giolito made a few starts for the Nats and is a potential #1. The Nats have shown a willingness to spend money on FA so they may be willing to part with their top pitching prospect. I think the Twins should make this trade if the Nats are willing. http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/76381/a-trade-for-every-team

I'm not trying to start multiple trade Dozier threads but here goes anyway. I was listening to the MLB Channel on Sirius/XM and a Dodger fan called and asked what it would take to land Dozier. Bowden says "Deleon and Montas gets it done". I've never seen either of those two pitch but I've read nice stuff on both of them... So I like it.

Mike Berardino wrote tonight that Torii Hunter has had several discussions with the Twins front office about a job in the Twins front office. Though Hunter didn't say much, he acknowledged the discussions and then pretty much verified that LaTroy Hawkins was coming "back home" in a similar role. In his introductory press conference, Thad Levine talked about the role of senior advisors like Darren Oliver and Michael Young held with the Rangers. Travis Hafner has a similar role with Cleveland.

Beradino just tweeted that Plouffe has been out righted. The changes are starting.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/11/chris-sale-trade-rumors-nationals.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MlbTradeRumors+%28MLB+Trade+Rumors%29 "Rosenthal lists the Angels’ Tyler Skaggs and Matt Shoemaker as potential under-the-radar trade candidates, speculating that the team could potentially move someone such as Skaggs (as part of a trade package) if it meant landing a premium second baseman like Minnesota’s Brian Dozier." Both Skaggs and Shoemaker are under team control until 2021. Shoemaker is a back end type but Skaggs always had more potential (#12 prospect overall and making the majors at 20 years old) and will only be 25…

The lead in former Twins pitcher Charley Walters' article today in the Pioneer Press is on Paul Molitor and his thoughts on being open to using more analytics. He discussed lineup construction as well. There are also a ton of neat notes throughout the article. For instance, former Gophers catcher, first-round pick and Mariners Hall of Famer Dan Wilson has a son who plays for the Gophers. Former Gopher and Twins player (and current Bethel coach) Brian Raabe's son is a high school junior that the Gophers are recruiting. And lots of non-baseball notes too. http://www.twincities.com/2016/11/12/charley-walters-twins-paul-molitor-open-to-using-more-analytics/

Interesting hire by the D-backs! Good to see Gardy back in the game http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/11/diamondbacks-hire-ron-gardenhire.html

Another great article from Mike Berardino including comments from Derek Falvey on: Joe Mauer and their connectionJorge Polanco's defenseMiguel Sano playing in the DRKennys Vargas getting a fourth optionStephen Gonsalves Read more here: http://www.twincities.com/2016/11/17/minnesota-twins-joe-mauer-derek-falvey-share-a-shapiro-connection/

John Sickels at Minor League Ball posted a crystal ball, attempting to predict the career of Byron Buxton. Take a look at it and discuss what you think? There are some really strong years with teh Twins and another team... http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/11/12/13511462/crystal-ball-byron-buxton-of-minnesota-twins

Some wishful thinking, but that's half the fun of this. Here it goes. Get your criticism hats ready. Enjoy! Arbitration Eligible: Total Tendered Salary - $7.5m 1) Trevor Plouffe - Non-Tendered 2) Hector Santiago - Non-Tendered 3) Eduardo Escobar, 3.5 million 4) Kyle Gibson, 2.5 million 5) Brandon Kintzler, Non-Tendered 6) Ryan Pressly, 1.5 million Currently Under MLB Contract: Total Salary - $72.95m 1B Joe Mauer $23m 2B Jorge Polanco $500k 2B Brian Dozier $6m DH Miguel Sano $500k OF Eddie Rosario $500k OF Byron Buxton $500k OF Max Kepler $500k C JR Murphy $500k 1B/DH Kennys Vargas $500k 1B/DH Byung Ho Park $2.8m C Juan Centeno $500k OF Robbie Grossman $500k OF D…

I was looking at the Twins 25 and 40 man roster on the team website and I find it curious that Sano is not listed as a third baseman anymore but instead as a DH. I know defense is not his strong point. Do the new front office dudes not plan to play him in the field anymore but just as a DH? Are they planning to keep Plouffe around another year?

In 35 years, starting pitchers in the MLB will average less than 5 innings pitched per game. (The Twins are clearly ahead of this trend.)

Mike Berardino wrote an article on Byungho Park, noting that he was embarrassed with his first season. Also in the link, Berardino provides an update on Eddie Rosario's thumb. Also, he learned that Brian Dozier is receiving strong consideration for the WBC. Several more updates as well.

The 40 man roster moves must be done by Friday, Nov 18 to protect players eligible for the Rule 5 draft Lots of important decisions to be made this week

GMinTRAING 2017 FRAMEWORK Despite my love for you know who - I think the Twins have an excellent chance to be respectable in the central division next year. They have made a conscious effort to draft power hitters and power arms in recent drafts. They have also gone out and signed free agent power bats over the last 5+ years. It is my position that the Twins now need some coaches to cater to those particular players. Whether it's a Jim Thome serving as a spring training instructor to offer insight from a power hitting perspective or another hire (hint hint) that understands how to prepare their young power hitters mentally for the new season. The Twins need to he…

I thought it would be useful to look at recent trades to attempt to get a sense for the expected return in a potential Dozier trade. I specifically looked at trades involving position players who had at least one team-friendly season of control remaining. Unfortunately, there isn't an exact mirror to the Dozier situation, but hopefully these past trades (or attempted trades) will provide a decent outline. Also, there is a strong possibility that I'm missing some trades. In reverse-chronological order: Jonathan Lucroy to Rangers – Trade Deadline 2016 > Jonathan Lucroy (2016-2017) > Jeremy Jeffress (2016-2019) ------------------------------------------------------…

Sorry this is in a bit of a ragged state. I have always wanted to do an offseason blueprint, but life interferes and it always gets overcome by the offseason moves. Ideally, I would have stronger takes on roster details (this plan has 40-man issues...) and payroll (which I ignore completely), but there isn't enough time... Overview: As I see the current state of the organization, 2017 should be focused on determining whether or not the seeds of a 90+ win team exists. First, is there a core of 4-6 players that can be penciled in for 20+ WAR per season? Second, is there enough depth fill out the rest of the 25-man roster with better-than-replacement-level depth? Even the…

Today the A's traded Danny Valencia (whose career numbers have been pretty much identical to those of Trevor Plouffe) who is in his last arbitration year, for a 23 year old former supplemental 1st round pick SP, who has a lot of pitches, but his best pitch is a two-seamer and he does not strike out much, and his last name is Blackburn (cannot make it up.) So... would you trade Plouffe for Blackburn, keep him and block a few players or non-tender him?

Star Tribune's Michael Rand wrote up a Q&A with Thad Levine. The two discuss Levine's sense of humor, addressing pitching and much more.

MINNEAPOLIS—After seven years of serving Minneapolis as their state-of-the-art sporting facility, Target Field, the home of the rundown, poorly maintained Twins, said Monday it is threatening to leave Minnesota unless a new team can be built within the next three years. "I love the State of Minnesota, but the Twins are an old, dilapidated club built from other teams' spare parts, and its very foundation is rotting away," the stadium said to reporters assembled in its press box. "I had every intention to stay here for the duration of my career as a ballpark, but given that I haven't seen any realistic long-term plans for improving my resident team's ramshackle condition,…

Right up front, let me say I'm not putting as much effort in to exact trade scenarios or dollar amounts spent for my 2017 plan. There are a few reasons why, but primarily because our new FO has been on the job for only a couple of days and there is just so much we don't know yet about their intentions for 2017, the market hasn't even started yet, (for trades or FA), and as someone stated, Leviathan I believe, there is just so much fluidity at this point to be toon exact at this time. But I think it's very possible to lay the groundwork for 2017. The Twins have money to spend to augment the team, no question. But not only is the FA class this season down, especially wher…

Berardino's had a main story with a few additional mini-stories and this article is one of them. He asked Scott Boras his thoughts on the Twins transition from Terry Ryan to the Falvey/Levine regime. Boras, of course, was complimentary of both, while also noting their differences. He also wrote about the coaching situation, with Falvey's thoughts on why Neil Allen was retained, and some hitting coach names to watch.

Mike Berardino has been busy, traveling to Arizona for AFL games and the GM Meetings. One article he wrote was about trading Brian Dozier. There are several reasons that trading him may not be real easy. Finding the right return for the talented 2B with 2 years and just $15 million left on his contract.

Ervin Santana's name will be heard often in trade rumors this offseason. Mike Berardino talked to the Twins front office about the right-hander in this article. He provides consistency and innings with solid performance. I think we know he's not a true Ace or #1 starter on a strong team, but he's a solid #3... considering what a guy like Jeremy Hellickson will get this offseason, I have a hard time thinking that Santana wouldn't get more than $8-10 million per year.

Spent the early afternoon writing mine up today: http://coldomaha.com/2016/twins/devising-a-2016-twins-offseason-blueprint/ Let me know what you think. As a teaser: I have the Twins adding two former Astros, a former very good reliever and not doing much on the relief market. Thoughts?

Now that the Offseason Handbook has been out for a few days and everyone has (hopefully!) had a chance to soak up the information within, it's time to put out our annual call for user-submitted blueprints. Here's how it works: peruse the payroll breakdowns, free agent listings, arbitration cases and trade suggestions within the Handbook (or do some of your own research outside of what the ebook contains). Then, put together your plan for approaching this offseason. There are no strict guidelines for how you present your information but ideally every submission should include: 1) a listing of signings, trade and acquisitions, with specific details and explanations, 2) …