Article: REPORT: Twins to Trade Eduardo Escobar to Arizona

[NewClearHarley]

 

Don't care, provided the Twins make an earnest attempt to bring him back next season. 

 

100% agree - if we get him back and get some prospects for him - then this is a win win - I just really wished we would have gotten someone closer to playing at a higher level

[mngopherguy]

 

Oh joy. More prospects. And not even a top 10 in their system. Quite the deal makers, this new front office. Throwing in the towel. 

 

It's too bad you give up so easily on these players, I think a couple of them could be nice players.  

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

Let’s look at it this way ...

If we were in contention, how would this board react to Severino, Thorpe, and a lottery ticket for a league average rental utility guy who was having a career year?

I do not share that assessment of Eduardo Escobar. 

 

I also doubt Severino is a good comp to the guys Arizona unloaded on us.

[Thrylos]

 

Looks like a rough comparison in terms of Twins prospects would be:

 

Pearson

Balazovic

Jean Carlos Arias

 

Not close

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

I don't know what people were expecting for a utility INF for 2 months of rent......

exciting games in August? 

[mngopherguy]

 

I understand people's frustrations.....but I don't think trading Escobar signals anything about 2019 at all. He was a FA to be, and they can try to re-sign him in the off season. 

 

I'm not even sure this is completely defeating for this year, since they have Sano coming back to play 3B soon.

 

Expendable is what Escobar is especially if Sano can do anything this year.  

[hybridbear]

Escobar was my favorite Twin for a number of years. It's disappointing to see him go.

 

I started paying attention to him after a blog post on Twins Daily by Brad Swanson.

http://twinsdaily.com/blog/89/entry-4529-introducing-the-eddie-400/

 

I think that article, which was written in the 2013-2014 offseason, is a great summary of why Escobar was so beloved in Twins Territory.

[Thrylos]

MLB Pipeline now has Gabriel Maciel as 15th in the Twins' system now and Jhoan Duran 20th.

Duran has a plus plus fastball and an above average slider/curve, and toying with a change.  As a starter he hit 98 in game situations.

 

I see him as a future closer, if his breaking ball kicks up one notch.  And the future for him could be as close as 2020.

 

Now lets go sign Esco back this  off-season as a FA for a super ulitity role to a 2-3 year contract.

Edited July 27, 2018 by Thrylos

[dbminn]

I totally understand why the Twins traded Eduardo. Seems like a decent return. I'm still sad about it.

 

Bollinger reports Sano is on his way to Boston.

[jokin]

 

I totally understand why the Twins traded Eduardo. Seems like a decent return. I'm still sad about it.

 

Bollinger reports Sano is on his way to Boston.

 

Yep. He was out of the lineup last night Rochester. I figured something was up when they moved Sano up to AAA a week or so ago.

[jokin]

 

 

Escobar was my favorite Twin for a number of years. It's disappointing to see him go.

 

I started paying attention to him after a blog post on Twins Daily by Brad Swanson.

http://twinsdaily.com/blog/89/entry-4529-introducing-the-eddie-400/

 

I think that article, which was written in the 2013-2014 offseason, is a great summary of why Escobar was so beloved in Twins Territory.

 

 I give the FO credit for the courage to face fan enmity by making the move that had to be made- given how the circumstances aligned.

 

Never would have happened under previous management, Ryan and Co. would have likely overpaid for a well-liked/fan favorite who happened to be coming off of a career year.

[Tom Froemming]

Just my quick snapshot of the return:

 

Duran is fun. Big fella, sounds like he's been clocked as high as 98 mph and can really spin his curve. Takes advantage of his size with a nice long stride. Overall numbers don't look great but both K/9 (9.9) and K:BB ratio (2.54) look good. Has faced older hitters 84.1 percent of the time. Exactly the type of guy you want to bring into your organization if you're confident in your ability to develop pitching. The jury is obviously still out on whether or not that's a trait you can ascribe to the Falvine era Twins, but I bet their very excited to have gotten their hands on this cat.

 

Maciel has some intrigue as well. He's only 19, but the switch hitter has a nice 16.0 K% and 9.6 BB%. Runs well, has 45 stolen bases in 180 career games. So he's got athleticism and baseball skills. I wonder if the Twins see some physical projection, because if he could add even a little power, he'll shoot up prospect lists. If not, I highly doubt we'll ever see him at Target Field. There's a lot more power than there are piranhas in today's game.

 

De La Trinidad is going to need to go up to Fort Myers. His numbers are good, he's got an advanced approach (48 Ks vs. 45 BBs) so he needs to be challenged. Encouraging to see he's held his own against LHP (.807 OPS). Again, I want to see what he can do in the FSL.

[jokin]

 

 

exciting games in August? 

 

The rest of the team is responsible for less-meaningful games in August, not Escobar's departure.

[Mike Sixel]

 

exciting games in August? 

 

If Sano comes back, and they don't trade Dozier.....won't that be likely anyway? Where does Escobar play when Sano comes back?

 

I just don't see this as throwing in the towel on the year.

[Bob Sacamento]

Baseball America on Duran

 

Preseason

 

 

Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #21 prospect after the 2017 season

Duran was skinny and throwing in the upper 80s when the D-backs signed him for $65,000 in December 2014, but he was bumping the upper 90s in 2017 and now represents one of the higher-upside arms in the system. Duran already averages about 94 mph with his fastball, but with a 6-foot-5 frame that could still add significant weight, scouts see projection remaining. Duran has three pitches. He can vary speeds on his curveball to the point that some scouts identified it as a slider. It's considered an above-average to plus pitch. His changeup is still developing but flashes plus. D-backs coaches wanted to see him learn to handle adversity within his outings better, rather than losing confidence when opposing hitters had success. Scouts say Duran has control over command at this point, and some see a back-end reliever if his command doesn't improve enough. If everything comes together, Duran has all the ingredients of a mid-rotation starter. He'll likely get his first crack at full-season ball at low Class A Kane County in 2018.

 

 

Midseason

 

 

Duran has big-time stuff, with a fastball in the upper-90s to go with a power curve. The change-up remains a work in progress. Most believe his future lies in the bullpen, but believers point to incremental improvements in his  fastball command and breaking ball quality and say more gains could be forthcoming. Duran likely will continue starting until he proves he can’t.

 

Now

Duran ranked No. 10 on BA's revamped D-Backs Top 10 Prospects list, on the strength of his big-time arsenal. He's coveted for his size, projectability and arm strength. His four-seam fastball reaches into the upper 90s and has peaked at 98 mph this season, and he's also shown a two-seam fastball in the low 90s that has flashed plus at low Class A Kane County. He has feel to spin his curveball, but the pitch still needs further refinement to keep hitters from picking it up early. His changeup is well below-average.

Edited July 27, 2018 by Bob Sacamento

[Tom Froemming]

 

MLB Pipeline now has Gabriel Maciel as 15th in the Twins' system now and Jhoan Duran 20th.

Duran has a plus plus fastball and an above average slider, and toying with a change.  As a starter he hit 98 in game situations.

 

I see him as a future closer, if his slider kicks up one notch.  And the future for him could be as close as 2020.

 

Now lets go sign Esco back this  off-season as a FA for a super ulitity role to a 2-3 year contract.

Wow! I'm surprised they have Maciel that high, not too far back of Akil Baddoo (who they have 11th).

 

Here's a link to their updated list for anybody interested: http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=min

[Thrylos]

 

De La Trinidad is going to need to go up to Fort Myers. His numbers are good, he's got an advanced approach (48 Ks vs. 45 BBs) so he needs to be challenged. Encouraging to see he's held his own against LHP (.807 OPS). Again, I want to see what he can do in the FSL.

 

Bit of perspective:  De La Trinidad was the Diamondback's 19th round draft pick last year (2017).  The Twins 1/1 overall pick of that draft just made it to Fort Myers.   Colton Burns, same age, also a LHH OF, who was drafted in the 18th round of 2017 by the Twins is at E-town (and not doing too hot...)

[Bob Sacamento]

Baseball America on Gabriel Maciel:

 

Preseason

 

 

 

The D-backs made Maciel the second Brazilian-born player in club history, following righthander Bo Takahashi, when they signed him for $90,000 in October 2015. Maciel is from Londrina, a city known for its baseball history because of a heavy influx of Japanese settlers who brought the game with them. The D-backs first spotted him at a baseball academy in Brazil when he was either 12 or 13. He grew into a legit prospect by age 15, with his off-the-charts athleticism evident in how quickly he picked things up. He showed well at the 18U World Cup in Japan in 2015 and the D-backs signed him a month later. Maciel has the tools to be a prototype leadoff man. He has some of the best strike-zone discipline in the organization, doesn't strike out much, has the feel to hit and even has some sneaky power that could grow into more when he learns to cut it loose in the right spots. He runs well but needs to work on his jumps. A switch-hitter, he's more confident from the right side but he has made improvements from the left. He's an above-average defender who scouts think has a chance to stick in center field, though he split time at Rookie-level Missoula with Eduardo Diaz, who most consider to be the better defender. Maciel draws comparisons with Ender Inciarte and figures to get his first crack at full-season ball in 2018.

Edited July 27, 2018 by Bob Sacamento

[Tom Froemming]

 

Bit of perspective:  De La Trinidad was the Diamondback's 19th round draft pick last year (2017).  The Twins 1/1 overall pick of that draft just made it to Fort Myers.   Colton Burns, same age, also a LHH OF, who was drafted in the 18th round of 2017 by the Twins is at E-town (and not doing too hot...)

Yep, nothing wrong with a college guy being in the MWL during is first full season. Sorry, that comment was more of me trying to pump the breaks a bit on some of the positive reactions in regard to his stats earlier in the comments. He has the most impressive stat line of the trio, but, at least to me, is clearly the undercard in this trade. I doubt I'll consider him much of a prospect until he shows he can do something in the FSL.

 

But also De La Trinidad is going to be 23 this winter and Royce just turned 19.

[adorduan]

 

So hitting .311/.403/.442 with 8 HR, 56 RBI, and a 45/48 BB/K ratio (De La Trinidad) is meh...What do you think is good?

He's a 22 year old in low A, he should be able to put up decent numbers. I didn't say he sucked, just doesn't get me very excited.  hope he proves me wrong.

[jmlease1]

Part of me hates this deal, because Escobar was so fun to watch this season. Of the tradable assets, he's the guy I secretly wanted them to not find the right deal for and I could hope that he'd find a way to break the doubles record this season. But its hard for me to argue with selling after that pathetic KC series. And we could win 3 out of 4 against Boston and still be 6 back of cleveland with no real hope of wild card contention.

 

There's some good high-upside prospects in here; no sure things, and I'm always nervous when reports are already getting ready to turn a starter into a reliever when a guy hasn't even gotten  out of A-ball yet, but deals like this are how you end up with a deep strong system that turns out all-stars and lets you survive guys with high hopes busting.

 

We will see what's next.

[birddog]

We can agree to disagree on this trade. I hate to lose Esco but believe we will make a sincere effort to re-sign him in the offseason and the return is worth the gamble. Lots of hate for the front office but I like the moves they made when they made them. Not on them that the free agents didn't perform. We all want established players or players close to majors but they have to play the 40-man roster game so this opens up one spot. Now unload Morrison, Duke, Lynn, etc. and see if our prospects can help us next year or we have to make trades.

 

I definitely would like to see Gibson kept even before his great outing against Boston. If he is traded it had better be a major haul, not just 3 low A ball prospects.

[IndianaTwin]

Dear Brian,

 

You can get mad now. 

 

Sincerely,

IT

[Squirrel]

 

I don't know what people were expecting for a utility INF for 2 months of rent......

I think the return was fair ... and I know that's how it goes ... it just makes me very, very sad. He was one of my favorites, and has been for years now, not just because of this season. And I think there are a lot of intangibles with him ... heart and soul lost. And my heart is broken. Just ... sad. But, yeah, that's how this game goes.

[Tom Froemming]

Some others have already mentioned the possibility of the Twins singing Escobar as a free agent, but another thing to keep in mind is these new prospects could be flipped next year for pieces to help the big league club. Or at least their presence in the system could make it more ideal for the front office to trade away other pieces from the system.

 

So no, none of these guys specifically will help the 2019 Twins, but that doesn't mean they can't help next years team in a more indirect way.

[Thrylos]

 

Yep, nothing wrong with a college guy being in the MWL during is first full season. Sorry, that comment was more of me trying to pump the breaks a bit on some of the positive reactions in regard to his stats earlier in the comments. He has the most impressive stat line of the trio, but, at least to me, is clearly the undercard in this trade. I doubt I'll consider him much of a prospect until he shows he can do something in the FSL.

 

But also De La Trinidad is going to be 23 this winter and Royce just turned 19.

 

 

Cool. 

 

He definitely is the throw in as far as this trade is concerned.  Numbers or not.  Remember Max Murphy and the insane line he put for a year?   That's who this guy reminds me of.   Murphy is playing for the Saints now btw...

[Kato87]

I would preferred  a player closer to MLB ready.  The Twins need replace power that will missing in lineup 2019 also lacking quality C's in their system.
Kevin Cron | Rank: 22 (Preseason: 20)
Team: Reno Aces (AAA) ETA: 2018
Position: 1B Age: 25 DOB: 02/17/1993
Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6' 5" Weight: 245 lb.
Drafted: 2014, 14th (420) - ARI

2018
PCL

Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB AVG OBP SLG OPS
RNO (AAA) 69 268 39 85 21 0 17 75 23 61 0 .317 .370 .586 .956

Andy Yerzy | Rank: 16 
Team: Hillsboro Hops (A Short) ETA: 2021

Position: C Age: 20 DOB: 07/05/1998
Bats: L Throws: R Height: 6' 3" Weight: 215 lb.
Drafted: 2016, 2nd (52) - ARI
2018

NWL

Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB AVG OBP SLG OPS
HIL 33 135 17 45 8 0 4 21 9 35 0 .333 .385 .481 .867

[Squirrel]

 

Some others have already mentioned the possibility of the Twins singing Escobar as a free agent, but another thing to keep in mind is these new prospects could be flipped next year for pieces to help the big league club. Or at least their presence in the system could make it more ideal for the front office to trade away other pieces from the system.

 

So no, none of these guys specifically will help the 2019 Twins, but that doesn't mean they can't help next years team in a more indirect way.

I don't think Esco will re-sign with the Twins for a song ...

[h2oface]

 

I don't know what people were expecting for a utility INF for 2 months of rent......

 

Exactly. Then why do it? Especially since it ain't over. 

[Tom Froemming]

 

I don't think Esco will re-sign with the Twins for a song ...

Maybe one of the incentives will be they'll let him sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame at all the home games.