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I guess what doesn't make sense to me is this - how can you talk about trading Buxton without even mentioning what the Twins would be looking for in return? I assume you don't mean prospects, this would be the most unimaginably stupid time to go into rebuilding mode . . . zero percent chance that happens. So now we're down to trading Buxton for some other MLB position. And what exactly would that be? Utility player? DH? It would be nonsensical to trade Buxton for another position player. So that leaves pitchers. So what are we expecting for 2 years of an inconsistent player who can't stay healthy? A #3 starter? After the Twins weakness all season was their offense? That makes no sense either. I just can't picture the realistic return that would justify trading Buxton.

Offer him an outsized 5-year contract, but with incentive clauses that keep the cost down if he only plays 90 games. If the number is big enough, he will take it. And the incentive clauses are only fair given his track record.

Not a great field for starting pitching, lots of questions. The good thing is, the Twins aren't as desperate to get a top-end guy. I'd be happy to bring Odorizzi back, but even healthy we kinda know where his ceiling is going to be: 5 quality innings, unlikely to go 7 more than 1-2 times in a season. As a 4th starter that's fine, but how much do you want to pay for it? Frankly, I kinda wanna take a flyer on Kluber this year rather than bring back Rich Hill.

All of this. Not to mention, the Twins don't have a surplus of CF talent in the pipeline... I'm not opposed to re-tooling this offseason by trading a core member or 2 away, but I wouldn't start with Buxton.

Everybody is a potential trade situation if the deal is right.

I would try and extend Buxton as the first option. If that is not possible, then you have to look at trading him, and not seeing him go to a big city in two years for maybe a comp pick. What I would want is a front line starting pitcher and then tweeking the deal to make it work. One that is young with upside. Clubs might be Miami, cleveland, and others that might have a surplus of young pitching with two or three with larger upsides. Anything you might do is dangerous, but if Buxton will not sign here, you have to be open about getting a good return for him.

Easy. Tony Oliva. Well, Mauer would be in that discussion as well but I think he'll get in.

My prediction is a "normal" market for SP and premiere RP this offseason, then a slow market for everyone else. Pitching is always is too much demand. Even in these odd times. Strike fast if you want somebody with a proven track record. You can add projects and 7th-inning types later.

If trading him creates a hole in CF, then you only do so if you're rebuilding.

I think that the commenters have really covered the issues - His track record of injuries means we will not get full value or returnWe would not be trading him at peak value so maybe if he really shines this year?Our system does not have an adequate, let alone, good, replacement in CF. Kepler is only a temporary fill in, Cave and Wade are not CFs. Celestino does not seem ready. And Lewis would be out of position.Then there is the Torii Hunter example. The Twins tried extending him, but he went off as a free agent and we got nothing.

No, he is the Twins most valuable player. Sit down and work out an extension.

Minor League Baseball is going to see massive changes in 2021, and the Twins have already signaled that they will be among the teams seeing the biggest shakeups. There has been plenty of speculation that St. Paul will become their new AAA home, but it's my belief that whether or not that happens, the Twins will end up with a Minor League Team in Wichita, Kansas one way or another. As a quick recap, Minor League Baseball is expected to undergo a massive reorganization starting next season as it is taken over by Major League Baseball. At least 40 teams will be contracted, the short season and rookie leagues are being eliminated, and other levels are expected to see significant changes and realignment. New deals between Major Leagues and affiliates are also expected to go from 2-4 year deals, like they had been previously and saw the Twins shift from New Britain to Chattanooga to Pensacola for AA just within the past decade, to 10 year deals, to create more stability between MLB and MILB teams. For the Twins, that means the Elizabethton Twins are no longer a Twins farm team, Fort Myers and the Florida State League will shift to Low-A, while Cedar Rapids and the Midwest League will move up to High-A. The Twins have also already announced that they are cutting ties with Rochester (NY) and will be looking for a new AAA home. For many Twins fans, the AAA changes have been getting the most attention, as the St. Paul Saints are one of two 2 independent teams being invited to join AAA, the other being the Sugarland Skeeters in suburban Houston. The possibility of having Twins Prospects playing just 12 miles away from Target Field is certainly an exciting development for Twins fans, especially those who closely follow the Twins Minor League Prospects. The sticking point appears to be around money, specifically if the Saints ownership is willing to pay the $20M franchise fee to join affiliated minor league ball. But while St. Paul seems clear as plan A, there have been several reports listing Wichita as plan B, and that could be an excellent option as well. The Wichita Wind Surge is a brand new team with a brand new ballpark. They were supposed to make their debut last season as the AAA team of the Miami Marlins, until COVID cancelled the Minor League Season. In addition to having brand new facilities, Wichita would also be a very good geographic fit as well. Wichita is a little over 600 miles away from the Twin Cities, and while that can't compete with the Saints in terms of distance, it's still significantly shorter than the trip to Rochester and is actually one of the closest existing AAA cities to Minnesota. Only Des Moines and Omaha, whose longtime ties to the Cubs and Royals aren't likely to change, are significantly closer. Additionally, as part of the reorganization, the Pacific Coast League is likely to be adjusted so it is only West Coast Teams, instead of the previous setup which had teams stretching from Tacoma to Nashville. The extreme travel of the PCL is one of the main reason the Twins worked to stay in Rochester and the IL, but that seems to be unlikely an issue moving forward if the Twins end up in Wichita for AAA. Even if St. Paul does become a reality and becomes the Twins new AAA team, there's still a very good chance that the Twins end up in Wichita anyway! Mixed into other reports about this year's Minor League affiliation dance is that the Marlins will be moving their AAA team to Jacksonville - which had been the home of their AA team - and then their AA team will shift to Pensacola. Pensacola, of course, has been the Twins AA home for the past 2 years, and if those reports are accurate, the Twins will need a new AA location. There are 3 AA leagues, the Eastern, Southern, and Texas Leagues, none of which have teams that are particularly close to Minnesota, so there's no natural fit, and because of travel, there's no chance of any city in or near Minnesota becoming a AA city. Wichita, on the other hand, could be available as a AA location. If both the Saints and the Sugarland (TX) Skeeters - the other independent team under consideration for AAA affiliation - decide to join up, then there are reports that Wichita and San Antonio (Brewers current AAA) would both be moved down to the AA Texas League. In that case, Wichita would still be one of the closest available AA option for the Twins, and with brand new facilities would be a very appealing location. As a side note - if San Antonio does get moved to AA, that creates a really interesting situation for the Brewers. Presumably, Houston would take Sugarland as it's new AAA home, and the Rangers would move their AAA team from Nashville back to Round Rock. Nashville would be an excellent fit for Milwaukee, except a few years ago, Nashville effectively kicked out the Brewers right as they opened a new ballpark - and the Brewers were quite public about how unhappy they were with how that situation unfolded. Obviously, there are still a lot of moving parts in regards to Minor League Baseball's major overhaul, and we won't have any true answers until MLB makes its long awaited official reorganization announcement, likely sometime soon. But since whatever changes are decided this month are likely to be in place for at least the next 10 years, it's important that the Twins settle in a good situation. With a brand new park, that's relatively close to Minnesota, Wichita looks like it could be a very nice place for Twins prospects to settle in, no matter if it's Double or Triple A. Update 11/30/20: According to a sports reporter in Wichita, the Twins/Wichita partnership will be made official this week.

Well the Twins might get something (i.e., draft pick), depending on what happens with the next CBA. There's no actual reason the Twins have to trade Buxton even if he's ultimately going to walk. The Twins are trying to win, and Buxton helps them win. Worst case, they can replace him with either a prospect or a less expensive free agent in 2023. There's (hopefully) a lot of baseball to be played before then.

One obstacle to trading anyone this year will be the glut of quality players who get non-tendered. Why give up anything for anyone when you could sign a good player on the cheap?

IDK ... It's already pretty abnormal with Strohman and Gausman accepting Qualifying Offers. Hand's option being declined is unusual as well.

It takes two to tango and it appears Buxton is set to test FA as soon as he's able to. However, I wouldn't offer him 5 years either way without knowing if he can develop more power. His deadly speed isn't going to last his whole career.

I think trading Buxton is a fair question to ask: * If he wasn't so injury prone I would say no * Can we afford to sign him three years from now? If the answer is no then trading makes sense. If you trade him now, you might not get what you want because of his injury history. If you keep him one more year and he plays 140 games and his power production stays the same as last year or goes up you could get a boatload. But if he only plays 90 games his value will plummet. I also fair to discuss trading Rosario and Sano .. I have no problem with you not listing trade options in this article.

Slowly but surely developing I guess. Atlanta has shown to be aggressive early in free agency the last couple off-seasons so I'm not sure if they're a good measurement to use. They lost out on Gausman and Stroman and needed a replacement for Hamels. I could see someone trying to lock in Morton soon on a 1 year deal... Does anyone believe Tanaka is going anywhere besides the Yankees? Bauer's going to have his own market that won't have any bearing on the other pitchers in the class. I don't know man, I still see a very slow winter of activity.

And every GM on the planet tries to accomplish this. The thing is, do you get 1 player in return? Two? Three? For every extra player we get in return means each is of lesser value individually. Is that what the Twins need? Or do you keep the impact potential of Buxton and make contingency plans if/when he is out of the lineup? If I'm the Twins GM, I sign Buxton because players like him don't come around often and I make the necessary plans for when he is unavailable.

I`m also intrigued w/ Garret Richards. He seemed healthy in 2020, after his T J surgery he should be good to go but in a shortened season he never really got things worked out. Nash had an interesting session on "Locked On Twins" about Richards. Richards has a high spin rate on his fastball, he just need to learn to pitch it high in the zone. He also has a great slider but leaves it hanging sometimes. These tweaks seems minor to me plus Wes could squeeze a couple of extra ticks out of his fast ball. He has a lot of up side.

This! There are a lot of options to fill CF if Buck would be traded. I like Springer or Brantley or Pillar. All Free Agents. So if you go that route to replace him then you almost have to think a Pitcher would be acquired in a return trade for Buck. Yeah, do it.

This is exactly what makes his value as a Twin as high or higher than ever. As Richard posted earlier this morning, no player is off the table. I would trade him and anyone else on the roster if the value of the return was greater than the value of the giveaway. I doubt Falvine are going to get an offer that good because other GM's are very unlikely to offer value higher than Buxton's value to us.

If Buxton leaves that leaves a big hole in CF which no one in the system can come close to fill. CF is too important for any aspiration to progress in the PS. As I see it Buxton is our only ticket to the dance. I can see Buxton on fire in 2021 & beyond, we should make every effort to resign him & keep him healthy but like you said that would be difficult. If it comes down to trading him we have to some how find a replacement & that won`t be cheap. Trading for an ace will also not be cheap because Buxton trade value is not very good (we`ll never get what he`s worth to us) & that won`t solve our problem because we still have a glaring hole in CF. It would boil down to this, we can`t afford a decent replacement or ace so we`d have to get prospects & wait for the future, therefore Donaldson & Maeda acquisitions would be in vain. I see your angle Cody & appreciate it but FO has invested too deeply to attain some success in the PS to give up on Buxton.

Outside of Walker who might have a bit of an upside, if you do not resign odo, you are looking at a Morton, who will be expensive or maybe a Kluber if you think he has something left in his tank. Not a good position to be in, but you cannot leave two starting spots to rookies or second year players. Dobnick is a great story, but is he an illusion or one year wonder. We have seen a lot of those. Like a lot of others here Bauer would be nice, but doubt they will spend the money for an ace. And if they do, what other choices and holes are created to make the budget work.

One guy who intrigues me is Garret Richards. The problem is he's rarely healthy, but I think the Twins are well-suited to take on a high-risk, potentially high-reward pitcher like that. I mean, as well-suited as any team can be. But, the Twins definitely have the prospects to make another strong deal if they go the trade route. May need to overpay for pitching, but this franchise is in a position to deal unproven pieces for MLB talent.

I hear ya, this does not look like a great overall SP class. Bauer was going to get paid regardless, but the lack of similar options at the top mean he's really in a great spot to get big bucks.

Other than Joe Mauer (who will certainly get voted in), it’s Johan Santana. I get he had a short career, but his peak was very similar to Sandy Koufax. From 2003-2010, he was overall the best pitcher in baseball (in my opinion). 2 time Cy Young winner, and should have won a third.

WAR, which has been mentioned a few times, is a quick and dirty indicator to help suggest who should get closer scrutiny and who shouldn't. But for HOF purposes, the indicator I like better is WAA - Wins Above Average. On b-r.com it's basically WAR adjusted to take away a couple of "wins" each year to reflect an average player. As with JAWS, Torii doesn't fare too well with WAA - b-r.com ranks him 352nd all time among hitters that way, while WAR likes him a great deal better at 187th. Basically WAR is an indicator of the ability to remain at the major league level, while WAA gives more of an idea of the ability to excel relative to his peers. WAA doesn't "penalize longevity" - Henry Aaron does just fine under either measure - but it does seem to weed out players who simply racked up workmanlike seasons. For me, the difference drops Torii from "marginal HOF candidate" to "I'm not going to invest further thought." Sorry. Really good player, loved him on my team, but he's not going in. / edit - in answer to a question just above about who else on the Twins isn't in, Tony Oliva is an excellent counter-discussion. Tony's career was tragically short, and his WAR is lower than Torii's (43.1 vs 50.7) and yet his Wins Above Average is higher (20.2 vs 16.4). I'm not going to put a guy in the HOF based on one all-around number, but Tony's the one I would look closely at before Torii. Of course, Tony's been looked at closely, for decades now. Tough call IMO. I'd vote yes on him, but HOF is partly about emotion.

Last winter the Twins made a franchise altering trade by acquiring Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers. Maeda finished runner up in the AL Cy Young race after a dominating first season in a Twins uniform. On the heels of a season with less revenue, teams might have to get creative this winter to add impact players to the 2021 roster. So, does that mean the time is right to trade Byron Buxton?Byron Buxton is coming off a strong season where he led the Twins in WAR even though he only appeared in 39 of the team’s 60 games. He combined to hit .254/.267/.577 (.844) with 13 home runs and three doubles. Granted it was a small sample size, but his OPS and his slugging percentage were both career highs. It might seem silly to trade away a player of his caliber, but this is going to be an offseason unlike any other. Buxton’s name has come up in trade talks before. At the 2019 trade deadline, the Twins were looking to upgrade their rotation for a potential playoff run. One of the teams Minnesota had discussions with was the New York Mets. The Twins were interested in acquiring starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, but talks stalled when the Mets insisted that Buxton be included in any trade. Minnesota wasn’t willing to deal Buxton then, so what might have changed? One of the reasons the Twins might be more willing to deal Buxton is his current contract situation. Minnesota only has team control of Buxton for two more seasons as he enters his second year as an arbitration eligible player. He will likely be making somewhere between $4-6 million this season and next year would be a higher in his final arbitration year. Two years of team control might be the sweet spot for trading away a player, because the team acquiring him isn’t getting an expiring contract. The Twins can also go in a different direction with Buxton if they wanted to try and sign him to an extension. Minnesota was able to work out extensions with some of the other young core players like Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano. Would Buxton be willing to sign a deal that bought out his remaining arbitration years while also giving the Twins more team control? Approaching a Buxton extension is a little trickier than the names mentioned above, because of the way his career has transpired. There’s no question that he is a dynamic player, but injuries are part of his career that can’t be ignored. He’s only played more than 92 games in one big league season. The Twins have tried some creative approaches to keeping him on the field including having him start further back defensively and trying to jump off of two feet instead of one foot when attempting catches at the wall. Other teams know his injury history too and that might make a deal tougher to find. Minnesota would have a big hole to fill in center field if Buxton were traded. Max Kepler can take over in center, but he has expressed concerns in the past about the wear his body goes through when playing at a more demanding defensive position. Other options on the 40-man roster include Jake Cave, Gilberto Celestino and LaMonte Wade Jr. A more intriguing choice would be promoting Royce Lewis, but he has only played a handful of games above the High-A level and he’s played limited defensive innings in center. Buxton’s trade value may never be higher as he enters the prime of his career and he has two years of team control. Minnesota is a better team when he is on the field, but this off-season is going to force teams to make some tough choices. Trading Buxton would be a difficult decision, but if the deal was right, it might be the time to move in a new direction. Do you think the time is right to trade Byron Buxton? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Last week, Matthew Taylor wrote about how Odorizzi needed to become a priority in the Twins’ offseason plans. That piece is still very much relevant, but yesterday we were presented another data point on how the market may turn out this winter.The Atlanta Braves signed Drew Smyly to a one-year, $11 million contract yesterday. While Smyly did post some eye-popping numbers for the Giants this season, which was accompanied by a nice uptick in velocity, he’s also struggled to stay healthy and productive over his career. Below is a discussion on the market, how Odorizzi stacks up against Smyly and how much Odorizzi may get in his next contract. So with Smyly's signing we have one less free agent on the market, and another pitcher with a less than impressive overall resume walking away with a nice paycheck. Odorizzi figures to do quite nicely for himself. Per ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Blue Jays, Giants, Mets and Twins have all shown interest in Odorizzi. All of this early activity has left the starting pitching market thin, which should help Odorizzi find even more suitors. Here are the top-10 free agent pitchers remaining with their current ages: 1. Trevor Bauer (29) 2. Masahiro Tanaka (32) 3. James Paxton (32) 4. Jake Odorizzi (30) 5. Charlie Morton (37) 6. Taijuan Walker (28) 7. José Quintana (31) 8. Garrett Richards (32) 9. Mike Minor (32) 10. Corey Kluber (34) This list is based on the rankings from FanGraphs and MLB Trade Rumors. I slotted in Morton at my own discretion, since he was not a free agent at the time the FanGraphs list was published. The top remaining names from there include Adam Wainwright, J.A. Happ, Rick Porcello, Matt Shoemaker, Jon Lester, Cole Hamels, Chris Archer and Anthony DeSclafani, among others. It’s not exactly an inspiring group of arms. Perhaps the Twins were always more likely to acquire a starter via trade anyway, as they did with Odorizzi and more recently Kenta Maeda. This lack of supply on the open market, however, could result in trade demands increasing. This front office has been pretty passive in the free agent market. Here’s a look back: Dec, 13, 2017: Michael Pineda two years, $10 million March 12, 2018: Lance Lynn one year $12 million Jan. 30, 2019: Martin Perez (ended up being one year, $4.4 million) Nov. 14, 2019: Jake Odorizzi one year, $17.8 million (qualifying offer) Dec. 10, 2019: Michael Pineda two years, $20 million Dec. 31, 2019: Homer Bailey one year, $7 million Dec. 31, 2019: Rich Hill one year, $3 million Since Derek Falvey took over the Twins in October of 2016, the largest deal they’ve signed a free agent starter to was Pineda’s two-year, $20 million deal last December. I decided to include Odorizzi on this list, but I suppose a player accepting a qualifying offer is different from a true free agent signing. The earliest this front office has signed a starting pitcher on the open market was, again, Pineda’s deal last December. SEE ALSO Re-Signing Jake Odorizzi Needs to be a Priority for the Minnesota Twins Gleeman & The Geek, Ep 501: Free Agent Starting Pitchers A Low-Tech Tool In A High-Tech Baseball World How Will the Twins Address the Bullpen This Offseason? Click here to view the article

I want to say I'd enjoy watching Buxton play for the Twins for years to come. However, just when you get used to his game-changing ability, you find out he's going to be sidelined. Numbers probably support, even with his injury filled seasons, he's still one of the most important players on the roster. That being said, I like dependability and durability. He just hasn't been consistent in either. Flashes? Yes, but consistently, no. When it comes down to it for me, I just can't get over how often he seems to be in the dugout and not on the field. It's deflating as a fan. I couldn't imagine how frustrating it is for Byron.

If you're talking about the best Twin not in the HoF I'd say it's Mauer, Oliva, Santana, then maybe Hunter. The first three are worthy, IMHO and are a distinct cut above Torii, much as a I love him Kaat is a complicated question...he's always felt borderline to me as a pitcher; a lot of his case hinges on his reputation as a great glove man, otherwise I think he doesn't get this kind of consideration. He wasn't a great run preventer and didn't have a lot of great seasons, but had quite a few good seasons and ate tons of innings. I might put Hunter ahead of him. Nathan is also complicated: we still don't have great ways to measure relievers. Once he made the shift to the pen, Nathan wasn't just good, he was dominant. The only reason he's not talked about as the best reliever of his era was he overlapped with Rivera, who he matched fairly well with for more than the occasional season...but Rivera sustained it while Nathan really only had 9 great seasons as a reliever; Mariano had 17. I think it's a fair argument that Nathan didn't do it long enough. If SF had figured out that he should have been a reliever immediately...but they didn't, so Hunter is ahead of him too. I loved both of these great 1Bs, Morneau and Hrbek but neither goes ahead of Hunter for me. Morneau got smashed down by that damn concussion and the injuries kept him from having the kind of length you'd need to go past Hunter. Hrbek was healthier and stayed consistently excellent at the plate for most of his career. (I still struggle with defensive numbers at 1B; bRef doesn't think much of Hrbek as a defender and would have Morneau about as good. Scouting and the eye test I think disagrees with that, especially early in their careers.) Hunter was a heck of a player, just not quite HoF.

I guess I would put Mauer, Morneau, Oliva, Kaat, maybe Nathan and maybe even Hrbek ahead of Hunter. I only brought it up originally because Mikelink post vaguely implied it might be Hunter. The best case for Hunter is still Baines.

My first thought would be to see if we could sign him to an extension like we've done with Kepler, Sano and Polanco. That way you have payroll certainty and it also makes the player more tradeable because the team acquiring him has that certainty. I like what Buxton gives the Twins, they just have to find a way for him to play 140-150 games consistently. He's our CF'er. This is why I talk to a number of teams about Sano. He's cost certain for several years. He's got tremendous power. Teams like Boston and Colorado could use help at 1B. Cleveland will probably be without Santana. I move Sano for an elite SS (Story, Bogaerts) or a SP who is at worst a solid #2. I've got Kiriloff and Rooker RIGHT NOW. And they have the power hitter they drafted #1 from North Carolina? Can't remember his name right now, but he projects as a 1B/DH kind of guy. They could replace Sano. They can't really replace Buxton right now.

Health is a major concern for Buxton, not only his defensive play, but concussions are there as well. So with that being said, what is his value worth? $4-$6MM annually for maybe 100 games of action. Dynamic player, for sure, but he is becoming fragile. Have to trust the process of seeing what he is worth on the market and go from there. There is never a bullet proof trade in my opinion. As for Kepler saying it's demanding to play CF, quit complaining about it and do the job asked.

MVP 2005. Man. my roommates and I in college played that non-stop. We had by-laws made up because one of my roommates was a dirty cheater (like distracting us to pick runners off), and had standings and kept track of run differential. any free time we had, we played. Then I got a C on a test, and had to drop out of the "league" as I remembered why I was in college, and it wasnt to play video games

With typically needing to go as much as 10 deep, I’d be into Mike Foltynewicz on a Rich Hill-type contract. (I’d also be into Rich Hill on a Rich Hill-type contract. Has there been any speculation on what’s up with him?)

I am not saying the Twins should break the bank to sign Odorizzi. And I'm not saying in any way he deserves any bank to be broken, piggy or otherwise. But i am saying if they like him, believe in him and want him then they'd better act pretty quickly. We've already seen 2 QO accepted, a re-sign and now an unexpected Smyly signing. And while I hate to buy in to rumors, they exist and seem prevalent. Need to get this done or the trade route might be the only route. Otherwise, nothing but low level and far left fliers will be left.

If I said I was not excited would that be a buzz kill? Bauer, if he is last years version is the only great pitcher. Would I pay him $30 million - no. Will he repeat last year? Who knows. Pitchers are up and down in performance. They are also prone to a variety of injuries. Develop young arms. Nothing else really matters unless you want to pay a lot to be disappointed.

Andruw Jones, Lofton, and Jim Edmonds probably deserve it over Torii. Great player, but not HOF worthy in my opinion. Of those mid 2000s teams, Johan Santana and Joe Mauer are the clear HOFers ti me, despite what the voters think

Hunter is not MLB HOF level. He was great defensively over his career, but at the plate he was never a difference maker really. He never won an MVP or even up there in votes really. He was 6th in voting in 2002, his best career year. His longevity is something to admire. He should be in hall of very good, but not HOF. His peak years were good, but never great. He never had post season heroics that made him seem better than he truly was. Even when he hit in middle of Twins lineups he was never the feared guy you would never want to face. Overall he was just steady and good. Hunter was not normally considered the best player on his team either, being with Joe and Justin for years with Twins. Then vlad, bobby Abrue and others in LA. As much as I liked him for the Twins, I never once thought he was a HOF or future HOF players. The article states he is on par with McCutchen, who is still playing, and that writer suggest McCutchen is not HOF. If they are on par under the JAWS system, I would say McCutchen is more HOF level than Hunter as his peak years were better overall than Hunter's peak years. He has fallen off much more than hunter did, so that is where they are more on par now.

This is what Schoenfield says on ESPN - "Hunter: In a different era, a nine-time Gold Glove center fielder who hit 353 home runs and drove in nearly 1,400 runs would be a slam-dunk Hall of Famer. Not in 2020. Hunter's 50.7 career WAR will be an important factor for voters, and that figure is short for even a low-end, modern-day Hall of Famer. Hunter also had just one top-10 MVP finish, a sign that he wasn't quite viewed as a big star, despite his all-around excellence. It's also worth noting that some recent comparable center fielders haven't fared well in Hall of Fame voting: Jim Edmonds: 60.4 WAR, eight Gold Gloves, off the ballot after his first year. Kenny Lofton: 68.4 WAR, four Gold Gloves, off the ballot after his first year. Bernie Williams: 49.6 WAR, four Gold Gloves, off the ballot after his second year. Every team's best non-Hall of Famer FanGraphs' Jay Jaffe looks at the HOF cases of the best player for each team who hasn't yet gotten into Cooperstown. League: ALInsider | NLInsider The one center fielder who did stay on the ballot is Andruw Jones, who was chosen by 19.4% of the voters last year, his third time on the ballot. He won 10 Gold Gloves and is credited with 62.7 WAR. He hit more home runs than Hunter (434), but is behind him in RBIs and hits (although Jones has the better OPS). What separates Jones? He is viewed as a transcendent defensive player, right up there with Willie Mays as the best center fielder of all time. Indeed, the advanced metrics view him as far superior to Hunter, with 235 runs saved versus 33 for Hunter. In this case, I do believe the perception is correct and is reason enough to consider Jones while Hunter falls short."

I can tell this discussion isn't serious because there is no mention of Backyard Baseball.

Good submissions Tom. I can't believe I didn't mention Tony La Russa Baseball given the timely relevance. It came out in in 1991, six years before Luis Robert was born! Lookit this beaut:

MVP 2005 was incredible. So cool that they included minor league teams. Here are some of my other personal favorites: 3rd Gen: Baseball Stars for NES 4th Gen: Tony La Russa Baseball for Sega Genesis 5th Gen: MLB ‘99 for Playstation 7th Gen: MLB Power Pros 2008 for Wii

Story is a desirable upgrade, but a year and then he walks is a tough one for me to pull the trigger on. And I'm not super interested in trading much of anything for a utility player. Also, I would much rather the Twins trade from an area of oversupply, and pitching in the farm system isn't that. So, I am most favorable to #2. I always want more pitching. Two corner outfield prospects seems redundant and something another team wouldn't go for, but it's where we are stacked up the most, so that's worth a try; the two pitchers additionally mentioned in the package represent what we'd hope might someday turn into what we'd be receiving in return, so I'm OK with including them. This all presupposes the professional talent evaluators don't think Hader's control problem in 2020 is permanent.

Cleveland has done a good job turning over their roster making it younger and continuing to reinforce their pitching. They aren't going away anytime soon, whether or not they retain Lindor. Chicago has a lot of good players and a lot of pitching that has a good chance to be very good or better plus they have an ace in Giolito. I think they will be above average or better. The Twins have a lot of guys who have had periods of outstanding performance. Some like Sanó and Buxton have never sustained it for an entire season. Kepler and Polanco each had one great season plus above average play in other seasons. The pitching staff has a good top of the rotation and some good bullpen pieces, but will need to fill out both the BP and the starting staff. There's a lot for the front office to do, but they have the pieces in place.

From what I have seen, you can be very proud of your son. He seems to be a class act who takes the frustrations and struggles that occur in stride. His story is a good one and he has a great future. Undoubtedly, Randy has been a good contributor so far. He faces the challenge of adjusting after the league has adjusted to him. I wish him well, not only as a Twins fan, but also as someone who cheers for those that have faced uphill climbs to reach their goals.

I will admit that I am BIASED toward Dobnak, for good reason, he is my Son. The only question I would pose to anyone that Voted or is commenting. Can you say without a doubt that the Twins are Central Division Champions without Randy? I noticed that some did not even have, the Pitcher that tied for most Wins on the team, on their ballot. OH well. As Randy likes to say, I can only control what I can control.