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Wish we hadn't traded for Maeda. A Hansel and Graterol bullpen that got eaten by the rest of the AL would have been fun.

I think baseball as a whole is waiting to see how the actual free agent market will play out this year. Once a couple of guys start signing will give a good idea if the contracts will be subpar as well as the length, partly due to still some uncertainities about the upcoming full/not-full season. There are an awful lot of players out there. Especially curious to see how the minor leagues pan out, especially for those minor veterans vs. all those players cut loose with little place to go because of elimination of a team and, thusly, the non-need for major league teams to house/play up to 25 players that they can snatch from what remains of indy ball (now controlled, in most part, by mlb). The Twins need: One solid starter A closer would be nice, or a dominant arm (I vote for Hand). A DH who can also play 1B or the OF (wait, they have Rooker). If they grab a shortstop, they should be set for bench/field backup.

Hitting AA pitching better than he has is a good start.

$50M available to spend? Bauer, Hand, and Gregorius would fit and still have $$$ left for other low-end pieces. Geez, do something so I can quit thinking about the pandemic, unemployment, and losing my house.

The Angels did not want him at $4M just like the Twins did not want Rosario at $10M+.

Look, either you think the Twins are a smart, professional operation with a good coaching staff and a plan for their pitchers...or you don't. If you're on board with the former, then this looks like a reasonable value play: talented reliever with some good peripherals but a bit of a control problem. If things go well for him then he's a fine late-inning option who will get plenty of Ks. His floor looks like Matt Magill from 2018-19 if things don't go as well. If you think the twins don't know what they're doing, if you only think you can get reliable relief pitching by signing big names, if you think moves like this are a waste of time & roster spots...then you're not gonna be very happy with this. And probably aren't going to be very happy as a Twins fan. strong bullpens have become more and more important in recent years with starters throwing fewer innings...but relievers remain the most fungible position in baseball. It's the easiest position to fill, rarely worth paying premium amounts for, and the small samples they have year over year make them the hardest to project. Robles is a great example of this: in 2020, he was awful...but it was 16 2/3 innings. He was roughly as bad in 19 innings with the Mets in 2018 and then immediately turned it around for the rest of the season in roughly twice as many innings with the Angels as he pulled it back to the mean. Might he have done the exact same thing in 2020 if he'd had enough innings? Seems likely. So why did the Angels move on from him? Probably the same reason a lot of people thought the Twins might move on from Taylor Rogers: not sure the arbitration number was going to match his performance. He was almost certainly going to get $4M+ in arbitration, even coming off a rotten year. Despite how strange it seems to us, everyone gets a raise in baseball arbitration, no matter how bad the year they had. Would they have kept him at $2M? They might have, but Robles also might have been ready to get the heck out of there after a) having a bad season, and maybe thinking that the Angels didn't really have that much respect for his talents after non-tendering him.

Agree completely. Polanco would be best served as the super utility guy at this point. Can play SS, 3B and 2B.. we have enough OF depth so that should not be a need. Pick up Didi, Simmons before Simion if it were me as Simion has the least talent on defense... Guessing both Didi and Simmons could be had on a 2 year deal ... give time for our stud to grow up a little more....

I'm not a fan of making Arraez into a utility guy. My observation of his outfield play is that he is pedestrian at best there, and he doesn't have the quickness/agility for short stop. That pretty much leaves 2B and 3B, and there's not much utility in that. Polanco has better all around ability to be a utility player.

So now that Rosario is gone, we are going to hate on Polanco? What’s wrong with him? Hes young, has some of the best at bats on the team, cheap contract, and solid on D

A salary cap isn't the only solution. One can use various draft incentives, a salary floor, and more rigorous luxury taxes to increase overall competitiveness. Except none of those things will likely happen, as MLB long ago showed us how much it's willing to sacrifice the quality of the sport for short-term profits. Every year, it's becoming more apparent to me that baseball needs a complete overhaul to avoid being left behind by more exciting, flexible sports. Those changes include both on-field and top-level changes that drastically change how the sport operates.

Certainly fits the definition of a Twins trash-pile special: a pitcher who's not too far removed from a great year, but coming off a rocky season. I certainly don't fault the Twins for giving him a shot, I hope they've uncovered a diamond in the rough.

I think the frustrating part is that the Twins and the Padres are pretty similar in their payroll abilities. The Pads will be about 150 this year and I think we all would have expected that from the Twins in a normal 2021. The Pads are doing what I think we all wish the Twins would and treating 2020 as an outlier loss year and taking advantage of the most obvious market inefficiency ever...90% of the league trying to cut money. They are mixing their young, cheap talent (to be fair Twins don't have a Tatis Jr) with expensive veterans to build a complete team. If Kiriloff, Larnach, Lewis, Balazovich, and Duran all hit (not likely, unfortunately) they will be in a spot to have 5 uber cheaper core players for the next 3 years and reasonably priced for the 3 or 4 after that. The Pads believed in their system and took swings on Meyers, Hosmer, and Machado before they saw what all their kids could do and now they're doubling down. Would be fun to see the Twins do the same. If you think Kiriloff and Larnach are ready to be above average MLB bats pencil them in and take a chance or 2 on guys to fill other holes. If you think Lewis is ready some point this year don't spend on a utility IF and make a splash with a deal for Castellanos and Castillo. The Twins could do what the Pads are doing. I get why they aren't, but man it must be fun to be a Padre fan today.

To 2021. here, here.

It's all about value. Only big splurge they have made using emotion was Donaldson and his health concerns make me very nervous. Stick with the plan and be patient for good deals .. Along with giving serious consideration to the wonderful talent we have waiting in the winds ..

This is a relatively low cost, low risk signing - just the kind this org. should be making now. I like his upside potential (look at his 2018 and 2019 record with the Angels). He certainly offers more potential as a late inning reliever than someone like Soria, Wisler, Romo, and any other RH reliever not named Duffy. With that said, I am concerned that this signing will preclude going after one of the many elite FA relievers. This would put an even bigger burden on Rogers returning to form - a path that is risky for a team with 18 straight playoff losses. But if I were a betting man, I would wager any further bullpen additions will be more of the Robles type than a higher potential arm.

Do we all evaluate Baez going forward as the player of 2020? If yes, we don't want him. Do we evaluate Polanco going forward as hobbled forever? If yes, get a shortstop soon. Until I hear that Polanco is no longer a capable player due to injuries, he is my starting shortstop and could easily be the pick by the players and managers to start at shortstop in the 2021 All Star Game.

Does anyone else wonder when fans will follow and support players again as opposed to the current knowledge of and positive attitude toward owners and management? While I have no rancor whatsoever against those positions and understand their importance to a team (witness San Diego this week), I much prefer discussing and watching the players.

I don't know what to think about the moves, or lack thereof, this winter. Am wondering if the addition of a shortstop may mean Cruz won't be back. One of the spots for Polanco to get at bats in a super-sub role would be at DH. Those at bats aren't going to be available if they resign Cruz. Expect there is a better chance the Twins get their #3/#4 starter via a trade than a free agent. In that case, none of us has a clue who that pitcher might be just as we had no idea they were getting Maeda last year. Hopefully, he will be somewhat younger and tied up for 3 or 4 years. As for left field, will be exciting listening to Gladden talk about Kirilloff in left field come opening day. Have a feeling this kid is gonna be special.

Would you rather have Matt Wisler or Hansel Robles? ill take Robles for also the same $ figure. Hoping this isnt the biggest bullpen move of the off season but a nice grab. I like the idea of bring in a SS, I dont want to trade away the farm tho for a 1 yr rental unless there is a contract extension attached. I also dont want to trade Arraez the contact and onbase skill is a needed asset for this team now and into the future. But i would be mad if he was moved to the Marwin Gonzalez role as an everyday utility guy. I dont mind bringing Cruz back but I also dont want to get caught with our pants down waiting for him to sign and all our options get snatched up.

And just like Rosario I think he played hurt last year. He could bounce right back this year. I like the idea of adding another shortstop but mainly because Marwin and Adrianza's at bats are being replaced. Polanco if healthy should be fine.

I think you right Mike. The only other move that would really move the needle is a trade that brings Luis Castillo to the Twins. The only way we can do that is by taking Castellanos in the deal. And it would still be expensive and probably mean no Nellie Cruz. But we need a stud added to our rotation that makes a difference. Paxton or Odorizzi would be helpful, but not difference makers in the post-season. Only Bauer or Castillo do that. And I think after the moves the Padres made, the Dodgers might feel the need to do something BIG.

I think Robles is worth the gamble for $2 million. All of the incentives are for Games Finished. Hello Taylor Rogers. Are you paying attention ??

Wow is this a boring move. The Angels are desperate for pitching and they did not want him. Wes Johnson is not a wizard from Harry Potter as far as I know. He needs some basic skill to start with. Yawn. I am still waiting for a real move.

I'm not putting a lot of energy into caring about Gibaut and Waddell. They were added as waiver claims and could easily be removed from the 40-man without much worry. Gibaut might actually stick, but Waddell is redundant with Rogers and Thielbar already ticketed for the active roster and thus I assume they'll attempt to pass him through waivers when the time becomes necessary.

I imagine we'll see a lot of moves like this, as the Twins, and all teams, are super cost-adverse. I'm fine with it. Through enough crap against the wall, something sticks. Though that's unfair because his 2019 was stellar, and 2020 is well what it is.

Agree with your basic premise about Top Prospects. I think Lewis could be in the line up 4-5x a week if as the super utility player (SS-3B-CF-OF). If he has successful Spring I think this could be an option for the Twins to consider.

Hmmmm, didn't think he'd get a major league deal. Robles was a quality reliever for a couple seasons before tanking in 2020. I like that he throws around 95-96, and isn't a repeat of Romo and the other slow pitchers. With the volatility of relievers in baseball, I could see this move panning out. $2M isn't a big deal.

Starting Lewis in the bigs and having him play twice a week should get a FO fired. That is an awful way to see if a kid is ready or give them the chance to continue to develop. Put him in the minors where he can get everyday at bats and work on his game until a spot is open due to injury or trade in the majors or he dominates so much he makes it clear he's the best option. Top prospects should never be sitting on your major league bench 5 days a week. Never.

Happy with this move and there is no reason to believe he can't be better than last year. Let's remember it was the weirdest year ever in MLB. But I want to see them land one more better reliever. Wouldn't it be nice to give Hand his wish and bring him home? But heck, I'm just happy they have done something. Now let's see there next move.

At $2M, you can still think of him almost like that. He is out of options but probably will pass through waivers, if he stinks and they need to send him down. If it's worse than that and they need to cut him entirely, the contract won't cause them excessive heartburn.

To me the biggest reason to trade for him is the sisters. That's assuming that relationship can be used to get both tied to an expensive, but reasonable extension. Personally, I have no interest in trading for a one year rental...unless it can be done for a mid-level minor league guy...certainly not one of the top 6 or 7 prospects. I don't know if this applies to you, Matt, but I find it interesting how many are calling for the Twins to overlook bad numbers from 2020 on somebody they should sign/trade for because of the small sample, rules, etc. Yet many are also calling for several Twins players to be shipped out of town because of their poor numbers in 2020. That leaves me scratching my head.

Matthew, I was thinking the same thing. W/ his poor 2020 & last year of arbitrations his trade value is low. A couple of lower prospects should do it. I love his defense his hitting is icing on the cake.

Other sports have salary caps to maintain salary comps. The NBA is an outlier, but NHL and NFL definitely maintain viability of all franchises because of the cap. That will never happen in MLB and will hurt MLB longterm. That is not to say that the capitalist in me believes there should be a cap. That is a subject for a different discussion.

I like the front office and really like Wes Johnson who has done some good work with existing pitchers. However there is zero evidence that Falvine are some sort of pitching whisperers. This theme reminds me of stuff coming out of Washington DC. If it gets repeated often enough it becomes fact. There best pitching work has been to grab existing veterans such as Pineda etc.

The Red Sox do it to Betts, then the Cubs do it to Darvish the following offseason. MLB needs to get its house in order if they want to stay competitive with other sports. They have so many problems that badly need to be resolved, as it's getting harder to be excited about baseball pretty much every year.

Zach Davies had a very good year for the Padres. If he does that again, Cubs could flip him as a cheap rental at the trade deadline. He is only making $8.5 and will be a UFA after the season

This seems like a great year to make a few trades at a lower cost than usual. I'd be fine if the Twins focused on trades rather than FA signings. Get Cruz back, trade for a guy like Sonny Gray, maybe trade for Marwin's replacement, sign a few relievers to 1 year deals... this seems achievable this offseason.

Kudos to Preller and the Pods!! They see a wider-open window and blew the top off the hot stove league. Trade for Darvish was clearly a win(not trading any of their top 5 prospects) and while Snell trade was more costly, the Pods are set for 3 years in their rotation(once Clevinger returns). Obviously, all other GMs, incl. the Twins, look pretty lame in comparison right now, but the Twins' needs in their rotation are still glaring. Yes, their top 3 are a strength, but after that, look out below(Dobnak was mediocre once AL batters figured out his average stuff) and no one else looks ready to contribute in 2021. So, now that these two studs are gone(and Bauer is obviously out of reach), what's left? One would think that if this franchise is committed to breaking their pitiful postseason streak it is incumbent upon them to add more quality to the rotation. Why they haven't resigned Odo is becoming more troublesome by the day. He easily slots in as a solid #3/4 starter. After that, going after one of the Reds' starters, Castillo or Gray, makes a lot of sense, as they are the best of the rest. We have the prospects and could also add a starter like Polanco, assuming a top FA SS is also signed. The Reds will demand a lot for Castillo, maybe too high a price for the Twins brass to pay, but we do have the pieces to spare to at least get Gray done, if not Castillo. I don't see anyone else on the list of "available starters" that could move the needle. This front office has never shown the risk-taking ability to pull off the type of trades that Preller has so I remain very sceptical Falvine will act agressively this offseason. It's just not in this franchise's DNA to be risk takers, as witnessed by our playoff futility. Hope I'm pleasantly surprised but don't bet on it!!

Frustrating as a Twins fan to see all this activity and nothing much yet from the Twins. It LOOKS like the Padres got a LOT of talent for none of their BEST prospects. On the surface, they're the clear winners. But they've just unloaded a LOT of depth from their farm system. One draft isn't going to replace it all. If the object is to win a World Series the Padres are doing everything possible. I like Paxton as a target (we need a LH in the rotation) but he's always had injury issues. And I actually like Sugano. With Maeda here, we could be a good fit for him.

Great article. Not to be that guy, but in 1986 Letterman was the host of Late Night on NBC. The Late Show wasn't a thing until maybe seven years later. And obviously you meant it wouldn't be the last time Pride sang for Killer. One of my earlier memories, for whatever reason, is that of Charlie Pride (because he stood out as a black man in country music), and as I was listening to the Twins game on radio with Harmon on 1B and Bert pitching vs Nolan Ryan, I also then leaned that Pride had played baseball. I may be making up the exact game I learned that, but I do remember the frustration of listening to that matchup, because Bert would pitch well and the Twins still had no chance. Rinse and repeat during those years. In honor of Late Night's David Letterman's Top 10 lists, here are the things I remember learning from listening to Twins radio after going to bed in the early '70s in Iowa: 1. Charlie Pride played baseball but never made the majors. 2. Nolan Ryan threw over 100 mph (and Twins couldn't touch him). 3. Wilbur Wood (SP, ChA) killed the Twins with his knuckleball. 4. Aurelio Rodriguez (3B, Det) was tough against the Twins, Dick Allen (ChA) was phenomenal. 5. Disney World was in Florida. 6. Freddie Patek (SS, KC) was 5'4". He later grew an inch. 7. David Clyde (Texas) was a phenom who would go straight from high school to pitching against the Twins. Later in the season, the Twins would send Eddie Bane against him in a promotion touting two pitchers who never pitched in the minors. It was a frustrating game to listen to. Clyde was better. 8. Jim Kaat won the Gold Glove every year. 9. Frank Howard (1B, Was/Tex) was the largest man who will ever wear a major league baseball jersey. 10. Ray Christensen, Herb Carneal and Halsey Hall.

Thanks for the article and I watched the YouTube video as well. I've watched many times over the years on a fuzzy VHS tape. Harmon was my hero growing up and I was able to meet him six times or so over the years. He was always so nice to me and my twin brother. First met him at an autograph show in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and we gave him one of his signature model gloves and the old gas station giveaway metal can. He appreciated that and would always remember me when I saw him other times over the years in Nebraska and Minnesota. And we even exchanged Christmas cards for a few years until his way too early passing. He was a Hall of Fame baseball player and also a Hall of Fame person!

I've been a fan of Garver being a key trade bait this offseason, preferably to a team like TB in need of catching help and who is willing to give up a top starter like Snell. But after looking at our "catching depth", trading Garver doesn't look so hot. No one ready behind Garver/Jeffers and relying heavily on Jeffers is risky for a playoff caliber team. Better bet is to let Garver reestablish himself in 2021, Jeffers solidify his potential to be a starting backstop in a full season and hope that Rortvedt continues his improvement.

I would like to agree with the statements above, but it is not a position of strength until we see 2021. Does Garver come back?Does Jeffers have a sophomore slump?Is the turtle really a viable option or has his time passed?Why have so many clubs passed on Tomas?Can Rortvedt hit? Can anyone below Tomas on the chart hit? We have catchers, but at this time all the cream is at the top.

I echo this complaint (and I agree that it's minor), and I'll also mention the "deep drives" that wind up being easily caught. Those may seem contradictory on the surface, but the pop-ups to the warning track are typically hit by opposition batters and the deep drives to the medium outfield are typically hit by the Twins.

I've been following the Twins since they showed up in the state and in my opinion Dick and Bert in their prime were "must-listen" broadcasts. I've muted many other national broadcasters over the years but never Dick and Bert. Bert's schtick eventually got old but Dick's always been on his game.

Having lived in many parts of the country over the years, I have experienced baseball broadcasts for many different teams, major and minor. The Twins broadcasters are overall very good. Believe me, there are some really crappy announcers out there. Dick has shown to be an understated play-by-play man and a master at managing a booth broadcast. Think about some of his partners and what Dick had to do to keep the broadcast at a professional level. I am grateful for the teams we have broadcasting TV and radio. Some could be better, but all could be worse.

I appreciate the numbers and reasons. All sound. And I'm more than willing to give pitchers and catchers across baseball, not just the Twins, a mulligan for 2020 because it was a strange year and we saw SO many examples of odd performances. Garver, IMO, is NOT what we saw in 2019. I mean, we are talking HOF, all time spectacular numbers! But he also not what we saw in 2020. And I don't need the 3 points in the OP to tell me that. He hit in college. He hit in the minors and was named the hitter of the year twice IIRC. He hit pretty well in his 2018 rookie season. I tend to agree with JLease, even if he hits like 2018...and I think he's better than that...with his growth behind the plate, he's a very good and valuable catcher.

It is hard to say what Garver did last year is what to expect, just as it is hard to say what he did 2019 is what to expect. If he can start hitting the fastball again he should be fine. The article says he faced same amount of fastballs, but I am wondering if he saw them at same counts. What I mean is did he see same first pitch fastballs? It says he took first pitch much more often, but was that because he was taking fastballs or they were off-speed pitches? Garver was well known to be a guy that would attack fastballs early and take any borderline pitches and off-speed. If first pitch off-speed was up with taking strikes on them for get me over pitches, expecting him to take, then later in count fastballs that could lead to more misses too. Think about it, he takes 0-0 off-speed for a strike, now behind 0-1. He now needs to be concerned of that pitch again and may not be sitting on fastball. Then as he had the off-speed in mind fastballs get faster and he is more likely to miss. Teams may have started to pitch "backwards" against him. Could be he just was off due to strange season and injuries. Let's hope for a bounce back season.

I think it's fair to be concerned that Garver's 2019 had something to do with the juiced ball they were using. He was so much better at age 28 than in any other MLB season that it's fair to consider that it may have been a fluke year. It's great that there are some advanced stats to show that the great hitter might still be in there, and I'm reluctant to put too much stock in anything from the short COVID season, especially when a lot of hitters struggled...but the concern is real. Now, even if he hits more like 2018 if he defends like 2019-2020 he's still a very solid catcher and contributor for the team. I think he'll bounce back...I just don't know how high the rebound will be.

Other than an injury prone bizarre COVID season, Garver has done nothing but work his ass off and improve. He was rated below Turner, and has had massive sceptics even as he rose, until they could only embrace him in 2019, as he was not to be denied. That let them easily willing to sellout on him in 2020. I bet he is back with a vengence in 2021.