What Now? 4 Pivots Following Carlos Correa's Departure

[2wins87]

5 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Even with signing CC, the overarching goal was to keep building for a wide open window starting as early as ‘24, while still having a shot in ‘23.

Swanson is the only realistic option that keeps that strategy alive.  If that doesn’t work, we just shouldn’t panic. Yeah, maybe add some sort of seat filler, but the key is to keep building for a new window with a new young, affordable core.

I don't even see Swanson as that kind of building block.  Projections put him 2 wins behind Correa next year, which is likely his high water mark.  His breakout season came with K/BB numbers continuing a bad trend.  I think in 2 years Royce Lewis looks like the clearly better option not even factoring in how much cheaper he'll be.

[TopGunn#22]

One option for a RH hitting outfielder would be Adam Duval.  He's a solid fielder with power.  With power, you get some swing and miss, but Duval, while he K's a lot is not Sano-esque.  It's not like Duval would make us a serious contender, but the Braves got a lot out of him when they needed it.  

[tony&rodney]

The Twins have some items to address, that is for sure.

Swanson would be agreeable, but 6/$150 is likely both too much and too little. Too much to pay and too little to sign.

Pivot # 1 is to sign Carlos Rodon for 10/$200. It's absurd but so are the other contracts. He wants $200 M and more than 6 years. He gets his way.

Pivot #2 is to sign Elvis Andrus for a year at $8 million. 

Pivot # 3 is to trade Max Kepler to NYY and take Aaron Hicks with his $30 M left on the books along with Oswaldo Cabrera and Roderick Arias. 

Pivot # 4 is to trade Luis Arraez, Bailey Ober, Trevor Larnach, and Keona Cavaco to Miami for Pablo Lopez and Edward Cabrera.

Pivot # last is to sign J. D. Martinez for $12 million. He can DH and pinch hit.

Roster comes in at around $130 million and I'm listening for outstanding offers for any of Gray, Mahle, and Maeda.

[Reptevia]

This just in:  Twin’s trade for Chris Davis!  We will control him through his age 51 season!!!

[High heat]

I don’t think Swanson is going to come much cheaper then Correa or Bogaerts.  Still 3 teams with lots of $ who need a SS.  
 

i would t mind calling the Padres and see if you can swing a Kim and Snell deal if they are looking to move some of that Snell salary.  
 

wouldn’t mind seeing what the Yankees want for ICF.

 

I didn’t this Correa was a move the needle play.  Yes he plays very solid defense at a premium position.  But I don’t remember one big clutch hit and remember lots of missed opportunity.  $350 million for that long was going to hamper what the Twins could do moving forward. 

[mudcat14]

I'm all for signing Andrus as a place-holder, until Lewis or Lee are ready.  Offer Rodon the 7/200 deal he seeks. Flip Kepler and perhaps Polanco for whatever pitching depth we can get.  Go with the youth!  Maybe make an offer to JD Martinez as a RH DH, veteran presence. 

[dxpavelka]

12 hours ago, FrankQuilicy said:

id be very skeptical about the season if we started it with Farmer at ss. IMO the starting pitching can survive as it is, and depending on the health or should say rehab of Alcala, the bullpen should be okay too. I've lost faith in this FO. I should say I never had any. Getting Vasquez was a good move but we absolutely need a better shortstop than anyone on our current roster. Staying healthy could be a key, and Jeeze, are we really going into 2023 with Pete Mackey as a pitching coach? YIKES

Farmer will slot in as the best stick on this team not named Buxton, Polanco, Miranda or Arraez.  Solid defensively. 

[MTV]

Pivot heavily towards the pitching staff.
 

it’s why the team failed in 2023. Duran-Lopez-Thielbar-Alcala-Jax-Moran is a good combo, add another high-end guy in there and that’s a very good bullpen. As for the Rotation, Maeda should be Long-Relief, Ryan/Mahle/Ober should be the 3/4/5, go get an Ace and a #2.
 

Use Sonny Gray, Luis Arraez, Max Kepler and Emilio Pagan as trade chips for high-end starters, Arraez to Miami for Lopez seems like a good deal. You don’t necessarily NEED to trade Gray, but he’ll offer the best return from any of our starters (I’m not moving Ryan/Ober or Prospects) and I’d prefer Rodon/Lopez as a 1/2 in the rotation to Gray and someone else.

Also I think you have to either Sign Dansby or Trade for Willy Adames, both play a good SS and provide power and run support. That’s something I saw with Correa: he put up good numbers because he’d walk/single with 2 outs and we would do anything about it. Swanson/Adames offer more boom and RBI potential than Correa, even though they have weaker peripherals. This team overall needs more POP and Less contact, it’s why the Bomba Squad was so good in 2019, and why Arraez is an okay trade piece. Plus, All 5 of Lee/Lewis/E. Rod/Martin/Julien keep a high average or OBP, and can be the future 1/2 spots in the lineup.

[Linus]

If you think signing Correa was risky then signing Swanson is a real doozy. Some team is gonna rue the day they signed him. 

[Nashvilletwin]

12 hours ago, RJA said:

There are no meaningful pivots left.  Bogaerts signed for 11 and 280.  Can you believe the Twins best offer for Correa was all of 5 million more than that?  What are the members of our front office smoking to think that would be anywhere near enough to get Correa.?  It is crazy to give Swanson a huge contract--there is a reason he is the last man standing.  He is a complimentary piece not a star.  Rodon will not come here, especially with no Correa.  Trading young players is like eating your young--why do that when you can sign free agents at zero cost of personnel?  I am now convinced that his FO and ownership will never do what is necessary to sign top tier free agents.  Right now, there is nobody but Buck on his healthy days, IF Rocco puts him in the lineup, that will bring people to the park.  It is going to be a rough year attendance wise.  Let's pray the young kids light it up!

Hear me out - as outlandish as this sounds. What if Falvey has one huge kick save left in his arsenal? That kick save would be to sign Rodon and Swanson. 
 

It’s no as outlandish as it sounds. Dollars spent for Rodon plus Swanson > Correa; but maybe only by $15MM annually and probably for fewer years.  One of the two is probably not enough to get the fan base excited or get us over the hump. But both……

Its not crazy and I’m not putting it past Falvey that this strategy isn’t on his mind right now.