Who's your SS now that Correa is a Giant?

[wsnydes]

Now that Correa has reportedly signed with the Giants, how do you fill the SS position?  Do you go after Dansby harder?  What happens if he signs elsewhere?  Do you fill the position from within?  If so, with whom?  Do you trade for one?  If that's your angle, do you have a preferred target and what are you willing to give up to get him?

[wsnydes]

Personally, I'd prefer to fill from within but I'm not sure who that would be right away.  I'm hoping Lewis can eventually fill that void, but we don't know what his timeframe will be and you'll need someone there in the interim.  I can't see them promoting Lee that quickly.  Unless I'm forgetting about someone, none of the other in-house options excite me.  So, I'm kind of left with going after Dansby because I'm not sure that a trade is that realistic.

[Musk21]

I'm fine with Kyle Farmer keeping the seat warm for Royce Lewis.  Just not sure what to do with the remaining available budget space. Not a ton of intriguing FA options left at ANY positions.

[wsnydes]

Just now, Musk21 said:

I'm fine with Kyle Farmer keeping the seat warm for Royce Lewis.  Just not sure what to do with the remaining available budget space. Not a ton of intriguing FA options left at ANY positions.

Ha!  I forgot about Farmer!  

I could live with that too.  I'd feel better if we had a better idea of Lewis' time table, but there are worse options.  Depth will still be an issue, but that's the case regardless.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I just don't want Swanson at the money he's going to get.

Maybe try to trade with the Padres or Giants?

Mostly I'm frustrated. This front office is going to spend the next month finding less-optimal ways to spend a bunch of money and I'm just tired of it. They'll pivot and find a guy who fills a hole that didn't necessarily *need* to be filled. They'll spend the money but it will be over far fewer years than Correa and they'll pat themselves on the back for "keeping their options open".

[wsnydes]

26 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I just don't want Swanson at the money he's going to get.

Maybe try to trade with the Padres or Giants?

Mostly I'm frustrated. This front office is going to spend the next month finding less-optimal ways to spend a bunch of money and I'm just tired of it. They'll pivot and find a guy who fills a hole that didn't necessarily *need* to be filled. They'll spend the money but it will be over far fewer years than Correa and they'll pat themselves on the back for "keeping their options open".

Not to defend ownership here, but in the case of a SS, they don't necessarily NEED to go long term on a FA signing or trade acquisition.  They have two in-house options that can fill the SS hole as soon as later this coming season.  

I do agree with the general sentiment of your point though.  It's frustrating.

[Azviking101]

4 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I just don't want Swanson at the money he's going to get.

Maybe try to trade with the Padres or Giants?

Mostly I'm frustrated. This front office is going to spend the next month finding less-optimal ways to spend a bunch of money and I'm just tired of it. They'll pivot and find a guy who fills a hole that didn't necessarily *need* to be filled. They'll spend the money but it will be over far fewer years than Correa and they'll pat themselves on the back for "keeping their options open".

also next years FA class is supposed to be one of the worst we’ve seen in years. So if they haven’t spent this year they certainly won’t next year either

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 minute ago, wsnydes said:

Not to defend ownership here, but in the case of a SS, they don't necessarily NEED to go long term on a FA signing or trade acquisition.  They have two in-house options that can fill the SS hole as soon as later this coming season.  

I do agree with the general sentiment of you point though.  It's frustrating.

It's impossible to have too many shortstops. Just ask the Padres.

And Polanco isn't going to be around forever. If you have a second shortstop, move him to second base.

[gman]

Start the year with Farmer, and go forward The Twins will be going utilizing in house candidates I think. Most of the top shortstops have signed big contracts the last 2 years. I 'm not saying they shouldn't make him an offer, but Swanson I think will stay in Atlanta. I expect the Twins will utilize 3-5 candidates over the next 3 years at shortstop, ultimately I think Miller may be the best defensive shortstop of the group.

[wsnydes]

5 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

It's impossible to have too many shortstops. Just ask the Padres.

And Polanco isn't going to be around forever. If you have a second shortstop, move him to second base.

Agreed, it's like pitching.  If nothing else, they're trade bait.  

I'm more tired of the constant turnover there than anything.  I'd love for them to actually have an established SS that they can pen into the lineup year in and year out.  In this particular case though, I'm less bent out of shape about it because I think the money can be better utilized elsewhere.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Just now, wsnydes said:

Agreed, it's like pitching.  If nothing else, they're trade bait.  

I'm more tired of the constant turnover there than anything.  I'd love for them to actually have an established SS that they can pen into the lineup year in and year out.  In this particular case though, I'm less bent out of shape about it because I think the money can be better utilized elsewhere.

If the money could have been utilized better, it should have been spent two weeks ago. I'm just done with how this front office approaches offseasons.

[Vanimal46]

The only way we’re signing Swanson is if his market craters and we offer a short term contract with an opt out after 2023. 

The better question to ask is who will fill the massive hole at the top of the lineup? We just lost a heart of the order hitter in 140 wrc+ Correa. 92 wrc+ Kyle Farmer has no business hitting above 7th in the lineup. 

[wsnydes]

8 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

If the money could have been utilized better, it should have been spent two weeks ago. I'm just done with how this front office approaches offseasons.

I agree.  That's why I agreed with your general intent, just not necessarily as it relates to Correa.

[TopGunn#22]

I think the Twins dodged a bullet here.  I wanted Correa back, but 13 years and $350 is ridiculous.  At some point, when things get that insane you just have to fold your cards and walk away.  They still have Lewis and Lee and possibly they will pick a SS with the #5 pick in next year's draft.  The Giants might get 6 or 7 good years out of Correa.  They will be paying him until he's 42 years old.  They've got their catcher, now use some money to sign a pitcher or two.  I still think a trade involving Kepler, Larnach, Arraez and others is the best way to add the type of SP they are needing.  

[wsnydes]

3 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

The only way we’re signing Swanson is if his market craters and we offer a short term contract with an opt out after 2023. 

The better question to ask is who will fill the massive hole at the top of the lineup? We just lost a heart of the order hitter in 140 wrc+ Correa. 92 wrc+ Kyle Farmer has no business hitting above 7th in the lineup. 

A very good point.  I hadn't gotten to lineup construction yet in my line of thinking.  

[USAFChief]

Kyle Farmer was your opening day SS the day that trade was announced. 

 

Thinking otherwise was pretty ... unrealistic, to put it kindly.

[wsnydes]

Just now, USAFChief said:

Kyle Farmer was your opening day SS the day that trade was announced. 

 

Thinking otherwise was pretty ... unrealistic, to put it kindly.

Perhaps.  At the very least, he was insurance in case they didn't land someone else.

Which is why it's so dumb that I forgot about him in the first place!

[Vanimal46]

3 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

A very good point.  I hadn't gotten to lineup construction yet in my line of thinking.  

The 3 mission critical priorities I had for the offseason was acquire a SS, acquire a middle of the order bat, and acquire a C. 

Correa could have checked off 2 of those boxes. We did complete 2 of the priorities… Vazquez is signed and Farmer is capable of standing at SS. Now we need to find an upgrade(s) to boost the offense. 

The offense wasn’t good enough last year with Correa included. Now the downgrade from him to Farmer will be painfully noticeable on a daily basis. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Sure glad they moved on from Gio Urshela so that they could clear payroll space for...

[wsnydes]

2 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

The 3 mission critical priorities I had for the offseason was acquire a SS, acquire a middle of the order bat, and acquire a C. 

Correa could have checked off 2 of those boxes. We did complete 2 of the priorities… Vazquez is signed and Farmer is capable of standing at SS. Now we need to find an upgrade(s) to boost the offense. 

The offense wasn’t good enough last year with Correa included. Now the downgrade from him to Farmer will be painfully noticeable on a daily basis. 

Those were among my priorities as well.  I like the Vazquez signing and the Farmer deal.  I think they can do better than Farmer, but I'm perfectly fine with him as a stopgap for now.  But they do need a bat.  I think the lineup (and the pitching) will improve simply by being healthier, but that does still leave them a middle of the order bat short.  At least in the short term.  It's possible one of the younger guys gets healthy and ends up being that guy by seasons end, but I won't bank on that yet.  And even if they are improved because they're healthier, I'm not convinced that's enough to really do much more than win a division.

[Nashvilletwin]

36 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

It's impossible to have too many shortstops. Just ask the Padres.

And Polanco isn't going to be around forever. If you have a second shortstop, move him to second base.

Polanco won’t be a Twin by the trade deadline…….

[wsnydes]

2 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Polanco won’t be a Twin by the trade deadline…….

May not be by Spring Training.

Though, I imagine not landing a SS plays into that quite a bit.  Or at least it should.

[Parfigliano]

16 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Kyle Farmer was your opening day SS the day that trade was announced. 

 

Thinking otherwise was pretty ... unrealistic, to put it kindly.

Bingo!!!

[LA VIkes Fan]

The offensive downgrade is the elephant in the room that we have to acknowledge. We've lost Correa and Urshela from a lineup that was already one or two bats short. Farmer, Kepler and the Catching tandem are the 7-9 hitters based on their track record. Polanco, Arraez and Buxton can be 3 of the top 6 hitters but who are the other 3? Right now we're banking on some combination of Miranda, Laranch, Gordon, Kirilloff, Wallner and ???? We're in some real offensive trouble here and I don't see a free agent to solve those woes (maybe Benintendi?).

Things are looking pretty bleak on the offensive side of the  ball. Maybe Kepler hits .260 with 20 HRs now that there's no shift? Maybe Buxton plays in 120-140 games and hits 35 HRs with a .900 plus OPS? Maybe Miranda hits .275 with 25 HRs and an .850 plus OPS? I'd love something like that to happen but it's very unlikely. 

We need a bat and we need one bad. Don't think we'll get one. This could get ugly. 

[Reptevia]

The offense is too weak to justify adding an expensive SP. Farmer is our SS. The only thing to do is sign a reliever or two and maybe a bat.  (Though we probably need 3 bats). Then wait…All the needle movers except Rodon have signed. Pohlad’s didn’t get rich by foolishly spending. 

[roger]

1 hour ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I just don't want Swanson at the money he's going to get.

Maybe try to trade with the Padres or Giants?

Mostly I'm frustrated. This front office is going to spend the next month finding less-optimal ways to spend a bunch of money and I'm just tired of it. They'll pivot and find a guy who fills a hole that didn't necessarily *need* to be filled. They'll spend the money but it will be over far fewer years than Correa and they'll pat themselves on the back for "keeping their options open".

There is one way they can and should spend a good chunk of that money.  Sign two or three of Gray, Mahle or Maeda to extensions.  Might be best to wait till spring training, but this year’s rotation looks so much better than any since Santana and Radke were here.  Let’s keep them together for a few years.

[hof282011]

1 hour ago, wsnydes said:

Not to defend ownership here, but in the case of a SS, they don't necessarily NEED to go long term on a FA signing or trade acquisition.  They have two in-house options that can fill the SS hole as soon as later this coming season.  

I do agree with the general sentiment of your point though.  It's frustrating.

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, roger said:

There is one way they can and should spend a good chunk of that money.  Sign two or three of Gray, Mahle or Maeda to extensions.  Might be best to wait till spring training, but this year’s rotation looks so much better than any since Santana and Radke were here.  Let’s keep them together for a few years.

That won't really impact 2023 spending, though. Certainly not the point of the Twins being about $45m below last season's payroll.

[Nashvilletwin]

18 minutes ago, roger said:

There is one way they can and should spend a good chunk of that money.  Sign two or three of Gray, Mahle or Maeda to extensions.  Might be best to wait till spring training, but this year’s rotation looks so much better than any since Santana and Radke were here.  Let’s keep them together for a few years.

Over/under: two of those three don’t pitch 100 innings this year, I’ve got the under. Which do you sign?  Btw, Gray is so mad he only gets 5 innings per start, he’s probably out of here anyway. 

[roger]

15 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

That won't really impact 2023 spending, though. Certainly not the point of the Twins being about $45m below last season's payroll.

True.  I differ from most as I don’t care whether this year’s payroll is the same as last year, $25M over or $40M under.  All I want is a competitive team on the field.  Farmer at short until Lewis is ready makes sense to me.  Taking Correa’s dollars in future year’s and using it to extend three starters is smart, IMO.