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Article: Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Predictions


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Escobar is NOT an elite player. I doubt that he will command a super contract in the off-season. Call me wrong when it happens, but I doubt it. Worth $19? Not really.

 

Teams stockpile relief pitchers for the playoffs, possibly guys to replace their 5th starter or real backend of the bullpen guys. The Twins have a few possibilities here. Are ANY of the Twins relief pitches irreplacable (Hildenberger, Pressly, Rogers, etc.).

 

 

Maybe someone would want Morrison as a bench bat. But more of a salary dump in August and glad someone grabs the guy. Does the Santana option travel with him if traded? If he pans out in his last dozen starts, might not be bad to have him return for Lance Lynn money.

 

The big question, are the Twins going into rebuild mode. Then you look at WHO on the roster should open in 2019. Who will they keep, at this point of time, in 2020. Who is still around in 2021.

 

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My only prediction is there will be fewer moves than everyone anticipates.

 

If it was me calling the shots, I'd probably try to move even more than the five guys you've predicted are going to get traded. This organization has never committed to a fire sale/tear down/rebuild, so I'm not going to hold my breath.

 

I'll guess that Duke and Lynn get dealt for very underwhelming returns. Everybody else stays.

I probably and sadly agree. I could see giving Esco a QO as he can play anywhere. Doziers arm doesn't allow that, plus the legendary second half hot streak is getting shorter. I fear we will remain stuck in middle middle land. Too "good" to move anyone, and to "bad" to win anything. But the problem is we are only good in our own eyes. We should be looking at the question this way. If our players aren't generating any interest, or any decent return, maybe they aren't quite as good as we think they are?
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Surprised to see Britton fetch the Yankees #6 prospect per Baseball America. He seems pretty removed from his All-Star days, is a rental, and won't be eligible for a qualifying offer.

 

Maybe there will be some desperate buyers out there after all.

Dillon Tate is pretty far removed from being considered much of a prospect. 24 years old, AA, unranked in overall prospect ranking. I can't remember the last older  AA pitching prospect traded  for a reliever that was not in somebodies top 100 list of prospects become someone  who was a must have. player

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Dillon Tate is pretty far removed from being considered much of a prospect. 24 years old, AA, unranked in overall prospect ranking. I can't remember the last older AA pitching prospect traded for a reliever that was not in somebodies top 100 list of prospects become someone who was a must have. player

Probably not a good sign this is the 2nd time he's been traded in 3 years.

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I'm fine with all those predictions except Escobar. Losing Dozier would be fine because they've got Nick Gordon waiting in the wings. Who would replace Escobar? I'm against trading players unless you've got a replacement ready. Don't trade just because you're out of contention and that's what you're supposed to do.

I'd be fine to see Dozier traded but not at the expense of rushing Gordon.  He's got like 6 walks in AAA.  He needs more time. 

 

The same is true to me about Sano - don't just bring him back up because we've traded Escobar, or Dozier and need Esco at 2nd.  Commit to the bit and make sure Sano is ready.

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While it’s been well reported that the Dodger’s are looking for a high leverage reliever to be the bridge to Kenley Jansen, some are also saying they could really use another reliable and durable starter without injury concerns, unlike Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, and Rich Hill (maybe their entire rotation).

That being said, I believe the FO should be actively pursuing a deal with LA, sending Pressly and Gibson for Keibert Ruiz.

With Ryu returning soon, and Hill Wood and Kershaw all back starting (and pitching well) and Stripling and Buehler each pitching lights out at times LA doesn't need any more starting pitcher types. They do need another BP piece though making Duke or Pressley an option for them

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I'm drooling over the idea of acquiring Justus Sheffield.

I'm not saying not to target him, but Sheffield is just as likely to succeed at the MLB level as Sano or Buxton were a few years back. Just because a player projects as a star doesn't mean they will be one. A bird in the hand is always worth two in the bush. Now if the Yanks want to offer us Bird in a deal than that would truly be  a Bird in the hand.

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A 1-year contract is pretty much never a risk.

In some contexts, sure.

 

In this context? A qualifying offer likely precludes the possibility of getting multiple years for a similar total price, which is a very real possibility judging by the recent market.

 

You'd also be making it that much more difficult to trade the players in 2019, should the need arise.

 

It definitely seems much riskier to offer the QO than to not.

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I'm drooling over the idea of acquiring Justus Sheffield.

Seems unlikely, for any of the Twins trade assets. I did some research, and if one believed Gibson's next year-plus performance would be similar to his last calendar year performance, you could perhaps justify Sheffield. But Gibson is no sure thing, and Sheffield is on the doorstep of MLB and could just as well be promoted himself. Unless the Yankees are just really pessimistic about Sheffield, I'd guess they acquire whatever their lower / further away prospects can get them.

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In some contexts, sure.

 

In this context? A qualifying offer likely precludes the possibility of getting multiple years for a similar total price, which is a very real possibility judging by the recent market.

 

You'd also be making it that much more difficult to trade the players in 2019, should the need arise.

 

It definitely seems much riskier to offer the QO than to not.

 

But that's assuming you want the player for multiple years and that you want him for as many years as what's being offered on the open market.

 

Not that I'm necessarily against a couple more years of Escobar but the front office doesn't appear to like longer term deals. You might find yourself in the offseason wanting one year, maybe two, bidding against teams that will offer three with an option for a fourth.

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I'm not saying not to target him, but Sheffield is just as likely to succeed at the MLB level as Sano or Buxton were a few years back. Just because a player projects as a star doesn't mean they will be one. A bird in the hand is always worth two in the bush. Now if the Yanks want to offer us Bird in a deal than that would truly be  a Bird in the hand.

I thought Hand was already traded? If we could get Bird in the Hand that would be great though. 

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But that's assuming you want the player for multiple years and that you want him for as many years as what's being offered on the open market.

I referenced "total price", not AAV. I think there's a very real chance that Escobar and perhaps even Dozier are available for 2 or even 3 years around $20 mil total. A QO passes that up.

 

I guess not offering the QO increases the risk of potentially losing the player, but neither guy seems irreplaceable. There's quite a few infielders on the market this winter, and likely only Machado commanding big bucks.

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With so many of the contenders already making moves, mostly in the bullpen area, I'm starting to get concerned.

With every trade I find myself thinking if there was a Twin that could have been in that package instead.

 

They can’t match Britton or Hand.

 

I don’t think Rodney would have been preferred in the deals for Familia or Soria.

 

Maybe Pressly would have been preferable to Andriese but probably not Oh.

 

Would Duke have been preferred over Chavez?

 

The one thing the deals tell us is there was an opportunity as well as the players the teams are willing to part with.

 

Have the Twins missed out on any of these opportunities?

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To some extent, I'd hope they'd get some guys moved for no other reason than that I cannot imagine moving that many chips on the 30th/31st. That's a lot of moving pieces. 

 

That said, taking some of the players out also forces the hand of teams looking to pick up talent. The Brewers, in particular, are a big behind the 8 ball now needing both MI and pitching help. 

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I predict that I least 1 Twins' player will need to switch dugouts during the Boston series.

 

Poor Aguilera.

 

I'm not on Twitter, but are any of the Twins beat reporters getting any kind of useful information? With so many moves over the last couple of days it's hard to believe one of them can't get something along the lines of "The Twins were talking to such and such about so and so until such and such traded for whatshisname instead".

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My wishlist:

 

Raider Brito, of the GCL Rays.  Career OPS of .529, but I don't care with a name like that.  I did check, and he is probably not the son of one of my all-time favorite Twins, Bernardo "El Pupo" Brito, as Raider is Venezuelan and El Pupo is Dominican, but he is the definition of a scratch-off lottery ticket with a catchy game name, and one that reminds me of being 13 again.  Like this one.

 

Riccardo Deltornado, a 19 year old SS playing for Milwaukee's rookie league affiliate.  A former sixth-round draft pick out of Puerto Rico, he is currently hitting to the tune of a .787 OPS.  He's a slick fielder with a penchant for over-flairing routine plays, but definitely a diamond in the rough well worth polishing.

 

and lastly,

 

Taylor Kay.  This former first round pick currently has a 2.89 ERA with 42 K's in 42 ip for the Boston's AA affiliate.  A relief pitcher now, perhaps a change of scenery--and a move to starting--might turn this silver into gold.

 

All three of these players are real, but only one of the names.  Two of them already play for the Twins organization.  All of them represent the kind of best case (IMveryHO!) players we might acquire in trades for the likes of Duke, Dozier, Lynn, et al.  

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My wishlist:

 

Raider Brito, of the GCL Rays.  Career OPS of .529, but I don't care with a name like that.  I did check, and he is probably not the son of one of my all-time favorite Twins, Bernardo "El Pupo" Brito, as Raider is Venezuelan and El Pupo is Dominican, but he is the definition of a scratch-off lottery ticket with a catchy game name, and one that reminds me of being 13 again.  Like this one.

 

Riccardo Deltornado, a 19 year old SS playing for Milwaukee's rookie league affiliate.  A former sixth-round draft pick out of Puerto Rico, he is currently hitting to the tune of a .787 OPS.  He's a slick fielder with a penchant for over-flairing routine plays, but definitely a diamond in the rough well worth polishing.

 

and lastly,

 

Taylor Kay.  This former first round pick currently has a 2.89 ERA with 42 K's in 42 ip for the Boston's AA affiliate.  A relief pitcher now, perhaps a change of scenery--and a move to starting--might turn this silver into gold.

 

All three of these players are real, but only one of the names.  Two of them already play for the Twins organization.  All of them represent the kind of best case (IMveryHO!) players we might acquire in trades for the likes of Duke, Dozier, Lynn, et al.  

 

which is better than bupkiss.....

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