I'd also like to see Sano at third but I have no idea if he can play there every day so I can't say for certain that a Plouffe trade is the right decision.

If the Twins trust Sano at third in 2016, absolutely trade Trevor.

 

I'm more comfortable losing Plouffe as I think Eduardo Escobar is an everyday player, and in his time as a starter, perhaps even an offensive upgrade over Plouffe.  As the team seems pretty intent on giving chances to the other young SS in the system (and rightly so, there are some intreguing options), I'm more than happy keeping 3B as a possibility for the underappreciated Escobar.

 

Molly said Sano will play little or no 3B the rest of the season after the game. Earliest we would know if Sano can play 3B at the major league level is right around the trade deadline. Trading Sano before we find out if he is at least an average 3B risks taking a step backwards, which I can't see Ryan doing. As trade chips, Hicks and May are probably edging towards their peak value.

I'm pretty sure this is because of Sano's lingering injury. They're going to keep DH'ing him and they're keeping him off of 3B to prevent any further injuries.

Edited September 10, 201511 yr by Danchat

 

Was that the question the OP wanted to discuss?

Good grief. Sorrrrrryyyyy . . .

Next year, I see Plouffe, Mauer, and Sano all rotating around a bit at 1st, 3rd, and DH.  If not for Mauer, I'd see Plouffe at 1st, Sano at 3rd (bigger arm), and Vargas at DH (assuming he hits).

Been saying for a while now I can see he and Sano and Mauer moving around. I think if Plouffe were a FA a few of you might be surprised what kind of offers he would receive. An available 3B who plays above average to good defense? Hit .250-.260 ish with 30 doubles and high teens low HR? There are a lot of teams that could use that.

 

I don't have a problem with trading him though, IF it's a smart deal with a solid and fair return. Sano can play 3rd, just probably not as well right away. That's normal and called a learning curve.

 

But without Plouffe, unless you really believe in someone else internally, I think you look for a vet DH

 

Extension? With 2 more years of control, I just don't think I would. But I wonder, if you were a team trading for him, would you feel better if he was "cost controlled" for the next 3-4 years? As in, you knew what he would cost ahead of time due to said extension.

He has more trade value without the extension. It is too late into arbitration to get significant cost control.