Twins Trade Donaldson, Kiner-Falefa to Yankees for Sanchez, Urshela

[weitz41]

• Well I’m glad I didn’t buy any players jerseys yesterday…or game tickets for that matter…if this ends up being just a money saving move with no big salaries added with the savings I won’t be in need of either…got my hopes up with the Sony Gray trade yesterday..to wake up to this..

[bighat]

7 hours ago, HerbieFan said:

Everything that's been reported, posted and discussed the last 36 hours just went out the door.  I have no idea what to think of this one

Dude that's my exact thoughts!

I was really pumped about getting 2 years of IKF and thought he'd be a fantastic addition to this team. Sonny Gray made me even more enthusiastic.

And now....this? WTF is going on.

Initial thought is that I don't like what we're getting in returns here. Gary Sanchez is kind of a punchline at catcher. Gio Urshela is 30 years old, and coming off a 14-HR season as an every day 3rd baseman.

We start to build for the present, then - boom - big salary dump.

[Lasorda_This_Out]

Everything that the Minnesota Twins MLB Club has executed in the last 48 hours tells us definately that they pay no attention whatsoever ( and rightly so ) to the fanboy commentaries on Twins Daily?

We're fans with no Da Nang in the game?

Pohlads, St, Peter run a business?

It's their money, not ours?

Go Twins!

 

[bighat]

Worth clicking this link - it's cued right to the starting point you want to hear:

 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

5 hours ago, Wedman13 said:

Possibly wait until you see the end product before firing?  Everyone  agreed Donaldson at his salary needed to be moved.  Stand still, or change.  I like it

Not everyone though Donaldson’s salary needed to be offloaded.

im not a fan of this move at all!

 

 

 

unless they sign Story

[Richie the Rally Goat]

10 minutes ago, bighat said:

Worth clicking this link - it's cued right to the starting point you want to hear:

 

Feels like a salary dump to me too

[wsnydes]

If this FO has taught me anything, it's that the offseason isn't over until it's over.

[Karbo]

this just doesn't sound right for either team to me. I hope the Twins are getting more out of this. Seems a bit one sided towards the yanks once you add in Rortvedt. Last I heard this hasn't been confirmed by either team so maybe its not quite a done deal yet, and they are still working out details?

[lukeduke1980]

I don't understand this from the Yankees side, I thought they'd just sign Correa.  Although they still might.

[TwinsDr2021]

44 minutes ago, bighat said:

Worth clicking this link - it's cued right to the starting point you want to hear:

 

This guy says the Twins had to offload payroll? But didn't explain why, if the Twins are going to start saying they can't afford a 120 million plus payroll and have to play in the sub 100, well screw them.

I don't understand this trade at all, and I can't believe had to trade Donaldson, Garver and Ben so they could play Story, doesn't make sense to spend that kind of money to not really make the team Better,

[beckmt]

I also was a believer that Donaldson needed to be moved, not because he was not a very good player, but because he needed to be moved for the next level Twins to appear.  Twins seem to be moving toward what the Rays do, many multi-positional players that can cover for injuries, without a big dropoff in performance.  That was one of the issues last year and prior years.  Sanchez is probably only here for one year or will not be here this year, Urshela fits the Twins model.  I have also seen the mlbtraderumors story the Twins have reached out to Story's representatives.  That would cause a lot of it to make sense.  Either Story or Correra could be signing a one year pillow deal if they do not get what they want, but more likely Correra goes back to the Astros.  

Better chance is the Twins are using 2022 to see what they have in the upper minor league levels and fill from there,  Second thought is the maybe Miranda is being used in a trade for an Oakland or Cinncinatti pitcher.  Wait until the chairs stop moving. 

[Highlander1]

OK ? 

[LewFordLives]

This is all to clear salary for Kirk Cousins. 

Seriously, I would rather have Donaldson and Kiner-filefa on the left side than Story and whoever. And Story will probably cost them more. I don't get this.

[jmlease1]

54 minutes ago, Karbo said:

this just doesn't sound right for either team to me. I hope the Twins are getting more out of this. Seems a bit one sided towards the yanks once you add in Rortvedt. Last I heard this hasn't been confirmed by either team so maybe its not quite a done deal yet, and they are still working out details?

Rortvedt probably doesn't move the needle much. He's a solid defensive catcher, MLB-quality. His first turn as a hitter in MLB was epically bad. It's only 100 PAs, so it's a small sample, but...he wasn't a very good hitter in the minors and he's not an elite defender, just a good one, so if he's a total zero on offense, then he's a replacement level player. And I say this as someone who likes Rortvedt and was high on him as a prospect. The best part about Rortvedt for us as things stands was he was a lefty who you might hope could protect Jeffers against the best righty pitchers...but he might not even be able to do that?

[Major League Ready]

This is not at all confusing if their goal is to add Story and given the uncertainty of their SS prospects that makes sense.  With Story, the net of all of this is a huge improvement at SS, plus a front line SP, plus a big defensive improvement at 3B.  Plus, when Miranda takes over we have a great utility player or trade asset.  I am a Donaldson fan but he had negative trade value and his defense at 3B was definitely fading.  He may or may not be more valuable than Urshela this year but getting him off the books for 23 and the $8M buyout in 2024 provides the opportunity for other additions.

Urshela has 5 years of control.  He had a bad year last year but he produced 3.1 WAR in 2019 and 1.6 WAR in 43 games during the covid year.  That equates to 5 WAR had he played 135 games.  I like this trade.
They will be worse a Catcher but much better at SS and starting pitching.  An infield of Kirilloff / Polanco / Story / Urshela looks pretty darn good to me.  Add Sonny Gray and this year looks waaay better then it did a week ago.

It's also noteworthy that this almost certainly takes the Yankees out of the free agent SS market.  

[Game7-91]

9 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

Add Sonny Gray and this year looks waaay better then it did a week ago.

I like your optimism! Definitely another move or three to come.

Best quote from NYY fan on MLBTR:

stymeedone

March 13, 2022

The Yankees could replace Sanchez with a cement block and the pitchers wouldn’t notice the difference. Stunned that another team thought he had any value. With Sano and Sanchez in the same lineup, they won’t need A/C in MN this summer.

[big dog]

My only opinion on this is that I have no idea what is happening.

I don't mind trading Donaldson- he's an asset, a valuable guy on the team, but he's a huge injury risk- but I was thinking we might actually get something really useful for him. Hopefully that is how this chain ends.

In the meantime, I'm kind of dizzy and I think I should sit down for a while.

[Major League Ready]

8 minutes ago, Game7-91 said:

I like your optimism! Definitely another move or three to come.

Best quote from NYY fan on MLBTR:

stymeedone

March 13, 2022

The Yankees could replace Sanchez with a cement block and the pitchers wouldn’t notice the difference. Stunned that another team thought he had any value. With Sano and Sanchez in the same lineup, they won’t need A/C in MN this summer.

You noticed I did not even mention Sanchez.  He does not matter much in this deal.  He gets moved or used as a DH / emergency catcher.  I know I am going to be checking the Story rumors every hour!

[RJA]

I think I will wait until the FO is finished making deals before I comment on this trade.  I think more is coming as losing two good bats--Donaldson and Garver--without adding anyone makes no sense.  Two thoughts.  How about Bryant and Story?  They have so little on the books in the next two years that they could afford that.  Second, if Story is added, it is possible either Martin or Lewis and Urshela/Sanchez may be on the move for more pitching.

[MMMordabito]

Twins of the Pirates - Walk the plank, we need more "payroll flexibility".

[puckstopper1]

Sanchez = Sano.

Poor defensively and is all or nothing at the plate.

Wonderful, just wonderful...

[Mike h]

Inside this 66 year old body lives an 8 year old boy who doesn't give two hoots about contracts or economics. He loves his favorite players and is sad to see them go. He worries that we won't be as good without them.  Allhe wants is to have enough good players to win lots of games and be world champions. This boy will never grow up.

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, Mike h said:

Inside this 66 year old body lives an 8 year old boy who doesn't give two hoots about contracts or economics. He loves his favorite players and is sad to see them go. He worries that we won't be as good without them.  Allhe wants is to have enough good players to win lots of games and be world champions. This boy will never grow up.

Welcome to Twins Daily!

[Game7-91]

32 minutes ago, RJA said:

They have so little on the books in the next two years t

This is the crux of the matter. They can make a committment....will it be to a pitcher or IF. ? Seems Story is the logical piece, but I like your comment that maybe Bryant would be considered. And then Pineda-esque FA for SP staff.

Idea for Yanks: Max to Yanks for their LH bat, convert to 1B, Twins get Gil back.

[blindeke]

8 hours ago, operation mindcrime said:

No, but the Vikings have!

Yikes, that's not a good sign.

[DJL44]

Sanchez and Urshela are now the two oldest position players on the roster. This team got a lot younger. Baldelli is going to be the oldest guy in the dugout now.

[nicholas Anderson]

Thinking two steps ahead I hope this makes sense, BUT

I am just shocked we didn't get a minor league pitcher in return, we always get a minor league pitcher.

[jud6312]

2 hours ago, lukeduke1980 said:

I don't understand this from the Yankees side, I thought they'd just sign Correa.  Although they still might.

It appears the Yankees top SS prospects - Peraza and Volpe - are more likely to stick at SS than the Twins top SS prospects, so a non-superstar stop-gap might very well be what they need/want.

[Jerr]

10 hours ago, ScottyB said:

The only thing that comes to mind is Kevin Costner in Draft Day. “Give me 5 minutes while I work things out.”

There’s got to be a lot more to come. I like the idea of Story, but why not Correa instead? Arraez and Kepler or Sanchez and minor league prospect (maybe Lewis) to Reds for Castillo?

Or Brad Pitt in Moneyball, wheeling and dealing.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, LewFordLives said:

This is all to clear salary for Kirk Cousins. 

I am wondering just how much the Padres would pay to get rid of Wil Myers. They're up against the luxury tax and need to move Myers or Hosmer (yuck) to finish off their roster.