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This article makes a great argument why the Twins would jump at this deal.

The fact that I would agree to this deal in a nanosecond tells me that it's likely not good enough to land Castillo. If they were asking for Gleyber+ I don't think Polanco, a comp pick, and cash would be enough. Probably would need to include at least another top 10ish prospect or take back a bad contract like Moose/Castellanos to include enough salary relief to make it worth their while.

I like this idea a lot. It gets Arraez back in the starting lineup. Toss in Sano instead of the comp pick. Rooker to left field and Kiriloff to 1B.

I once had Nancy Reagan give me the exact same advice about something or other. It's a bit hazy as to what.

Look, I know ST numbers and results only mean so much and only tell a small portion of the early story...but.... Dobber pitched 3 and only gave up one hit and struck out SIX. (K's may be fascist, but keep it up Dobber). 0.0 ERA thus far. Apparently he wants to make the team in whatever capacity. Have to say, very impressed with every SP thus far. Clean IP by Alcala in the 4th, 2 groundouts and a fly out. Waddell struck out the side and "lowered" his ERA to 10.80. Lol. Not picking on the guy. He is one of many who could provide help at some time coming over from St Paul. Just nice to see a good day. Law got the win with a perfect 6th and struck out the side. No runs allowed thus far. I may be wrong but wasn't this only his 2nd appearance? One great year and then seemed to lose it. At 30yr old but a FB/slider option the Twins like, does he provide help at some point? Meh. I'm betting on Anderson, Hamilton and a few others before him. Albers? He was a great story for a few starts a few years ago. I doubt we have another Thielbar reclamation story here. Beyond a great performance from Dobnak, and the clean IP by Alcala, the story in a meaningless game is Astudillo. Yes, his game winning HR came in the 7th and means little overall. But he's hitting over .400 thus far and whether you like him or not, the staff does. While nothing special to be sure, he plays acceptable defense at multiple positions. How you view his defense...or offense for that matter...IMO, depends how much you have actually seen him play. I've seen him miss balls behind the plate, but also watched him catch shutouts and 1 run games for reference. NOT saying he's making the initial roster or he is a great player, just saying he's having a good ST thus far and is a pretty decent "hitter" with some pop as long as he's not up there flailing at the ridiculous outside stuff. And yes, I've seen that negative part of him as well.

This has been a hot topic for many of us all winter: do the Twins need another frontline starter to succeed in the playoffs? Certainly they had at least two reasonable trade opportunities in Snell and Darvish, both of whom were acquired for a good but not elite package of prospects. But as many TD readers have remarked, when it comes to trading prospects, this is a very risk-adverse FO. In looking at the Reds as a trade partner earlier this offseason, I had hoped they could grab a very serviceable veteran in Castellanos along with someone like Castillo or Gray. It made sense, at least on paper, especially after signing Simmons, making Polanco expendable at a position(SS) that Reds are weak in. Adding one of our two top pitching prospects and a 10-20 prospect to the package seemed a reasonable and doable package for Sonny Gray, at least. But once they resigned Cruz, adding Castellanos did not make much sense. In all probability, In any case, Falvine probably had few if any conversations with the Reds, given their 4 year history of trisk-averse trade policy. As things have developed late in the offseason and 2 weeks into preseason play, the additions of Happ and Shoemaker look smart, at least on paper. With Berrios and Maeda looking very sharp to date, it is not a stretch to think both could make for a very competitive #1/2 starters in the playoffs, and backed up by a solid threesome. Right now, this looks like a better starting five than the Yanks. I can't say I have the same trust in our bullpen, primarily because of the total ineffectiveness of Duffy and some erratic games by the rest of the big four "closer-types". No reason to push the panic button yet, but again, many of us hoped in vain for addition of a shut-down reliever. The FO opted to add a couple of veterans who could slot in late in the game, but are by no means elite relievers. More troubling so far this spring has been the offense. Yes, SSS, but the Twins relative inability to mount much of an offense is troubling. In particular, Kepler, Sano, Polanco and Kirillof(until yesterday's HR) have looked weak. While I would like to write off 2020 as an aberration, last year's offense was subpar, especially in the playoffs(what else is new). The Twins reliance on the long ball might be further hurt by the deadened ball this year. Relying on erratic hitters like Kepler, Sano and Garver might be a fool's errand. For this reason alone I would not part with their two best hitting prospects, Larnach & Kirillof, for anyone. The twins need more consistency in their lineup and those two, along with Arraez, represent the best chances for improvement, even as early as 2021. We just don't have the depth in the minors to correct some of the obvious deficiencies in our current lineup. So my take is : wait until near the trade deadline and then, reassess the teams' critical needs to break their stomach-churning playoff streak. Think big or go home, Mr. Falvey!

I'm not worried about people who are worried. I'm worried about people who are not worried.

Really??? Let's not blow it folks and do something stupid. 25% is a good start, and I know that while I won't get to nearly as many games, to be back at Target Field for even a few is something I'm looking forward to.

I could see an OF of Kirilloff LF, Celestino CF, and Larnach RF. Not as great defensively as Rosie Buck and Kep, but offensively, these guys might wind up driving in a lot more runs.

I'm interested in seeing part 2 in regard to the proposed trade scenario presented. Please understand I'm not opposed to the Twins trading for a high end pitcher or player. Nor do I mean to dismiss the talent of Castillo in any way. But forgetting for a moment whether the Reds even WANT to consider moving him, or any potential return they may receive back, I'm just trying to take a mile in the sky look at this idea. 1] Maeda is a very good pitcher who seems to have gotten better. Berrios is even more talented overall, hasn't hit a ceiling yet we all hope for, and is just approaching the ideal age of experience vs stuff. There are 3 other guys behind those 2 and some interesting depth and options to make this a potentially excellent rotation. Does 1 guy deliver the goods enough with that being said pitching every 5th day? 2] Is a trade for Castillo about a potential short series post season or making the post season? There is a difference. Making it is #1. After that, you never know what will happen. Think the Twins in '87 and the Rays last year. Also think the Dogers and years of futility making the playoffs only to lose. 3] Right now, before the season even begins, EVERY team is scribbles on paper. Even the FO running teams know this. The Twins are one of the best teams in all MLB right now, and have been the last 2yrs. Barring horrific seasons or cataclysmic injuries, they could almost stumble to 90 wins. They have built or re-built a system over the past 3yrs that is starting to produce some exciting young talent that is getting really close to contributing and maintaining an open window and "sustainability" if not improving on the product we've already seen. So, does one SP make THAT much of a difference in the scheme of things vs what is given up for him? Not saying yes or no. I'd love to have Castillo. I'm just asking?

High hopes and the idea of a hitter who can get both average and power is really exciting

Am I alone in not being all the impressed with the Yankees? Sure, they have the potential to be “all world” but they also have the potential for serious issues. Behind Cole in the rotation are a lot of questions. Judge and Stanton health wise don’t inspire a ton of confidence. Voit seems like he could regress and nobody seems high on Sanchez anymore. Not sure any Yankee partisan should be getting too cocky about all that surefire “star power”. Maybe they should focus on just staying ahead of the Blue Jays and Rays.

Hard one to swallow.

I assumed this was a Randball Stu article, until it wasn't.

These injuries are getting absurd.

Luis Castillo is one of baseball's best starting pitchers, and could be the first big name to hit the trading block this spring. What could the Twins give up to land him?Here's a link to Part 1 of this article. Last time, I discussed why Yankees fans currently view the Twins as an afterthought in the fight for the AL pennant, and why they might be right. I proposed Castillo as a difference-maker who could change that calculus. Today, let's talk about one package that could land the flamethrower in Minnesota. It starts with Jorge Polanco. For a Twins team trying to challenge the Yankees this year, that might be the hardest pill to swallow here, but it’s necessary. One need not believe Polanco to be much of a shortstop to believe that he would be a huge upgrade for the Reds at shortstop, because they virtually don’t have a shortstop, at all. Polanco would add balance and depth to the Reds’ lineup, and fill their most glaring positional hole. They’re not aiming for a scorched-Earth rebuild—something more along the lines of the Twins’ reconstruction would suit their ownership’s mentality—so that would be highly attractive to them. After that, the two teams would have to decide on a second piece in the deal, and there are three clear candidates. Two of those are the Twins’ top two pitching prospects, Jhoan Duran and Jordan Balazovic. However, it’s somewhat easy to imagine the Twins balking at giving up either, because after 2021, Michael Pineda, J.A. Happ, and Matt Shoemaker will all be free agents. After 2022, José Berríos will follow suit (unless the front office can convince him to sign an extension by then). Kenta Maeda is around through 2024, but since he turns 33 next month, that’s almost as much a threat as a promise. Even with Castillo in the mix, the Twins need their top-tier, close-to-the-big-leagues arms. Consider, then, another option. The Twins hold the 26th pick in the first round this year, and (of course) that pick is untradeable. However, the team’s competitive-balance pick can be dealt. Since it’s the Twins’ turn to have a pick in Competitive Balance Round A (after the first round), that’s the 36th overall selection. That could be an extremely enticing bit of bait for the Reds. Cincinnati picks 17th in July. Then, they pick again at 30, as compensation for the loss of Trevor Bauer in free agency. They, too, have a competitive-balance pick coming, at 35. If they added one at 36, they could turbocharge a rebuild that was foisted upon them by circumstance. Because of the way the MLB Draft works, four picks in the top 36 (and five in the top 53) would give them a chance to either push a couple of elite talents down the board or stockpile high-quality prospects, in a shorter draft than the league has ever seen (save last year’s). If the trade did center upon Polanco and the draft pick, another, low-level prospect would likely need to be thrown in. Even so, the deal could get done without Minnesota giving up any of its elite prospect talent, and the Reds could still justify giving up their ace, by pointing to their long-term, affordable control over a solid big-league infielder (Polanco, remember, has club options for 2024 and 2025) and to the rapid restocking of a thin farm system via the draft. Although Polanco’s 2021 salary ($4.333 million) is almost identical to that of Castillo ($4.2 million), the Twins would also have to kick in some money. The Reds lost even more than most clubs during 2020, by running a payroll far beyond their small-market standards and gambling (sensibly, but for the pandemic of it all) that a competitive team would draw large crowds. Their local TV deal is one of the league’s least valuable. Again, though, their owners don’t want to nosedive into an Astros-style rebuild. They would much rather do what Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have done for the Twins. They just need short-term financial relief; that would be a primary impetus for trading Castillo. If the Twins were willing to pay them around $5 million, the above deal would become feasible. (Of course, that would stretch the Twins’ 2021 budget a bit. So be it.) In the bargain, the Twins would leapfrog the White Sox and Cleveland and claim the title of the best starting rotation in the AL Central. In fact, they might fairly claim to have the best in the entire American League. Castillo throws in the upper 90s with his fastball, and commands it brilliantly; has one of the league’s most devastating changeups; and throws a really good slider. Wes Johnson would quickly sell him on throwing the last offering more, especially to lefties, and he could become one of the five best pitchers in baseball with that small adjustment. Losing Polanco would hurt, of course. The Twins would have to trust either that they could trade from their newfound surfeit of starters to land a capable utility player with the ability to cover shortstop, or that J.T. Riddle or Nick Gordon could competently stop the gap if (when) Andrelton Simmons misses time. Still, the deal would add clarity for the team in the starting lineup. Luis Arraez, who belongs at the top of the batting order every day, would get that opportunity again. Travis Blankenhorn would assume a limited version of the role for which Arraez is now slated, filling in at first, second, and third base to spell starters and allow nagging injuries to heal. To believe the Twins to be better than the Yankees, even after this hypothetical trade, you still have to think highly of their hitters. You have to believe that the 2019 versions of Josh Donaldson and Mitch Garver are coming back; that Byron Buxton and Simmons can stay on the field enough to have the impact of which they’re capable; and that Miguel Sanó can time fastballs properly on a more consistent basis. None of those are unreasonable things for which to hope, though. Moreover, the version of the Twins this deal would create would, in a theoretical October showdown with the Yankees’ (or White Sox’s) excellent but right-leaning lineup, counter with three of the best right-handed starting pitchers in all of baseball, with a Michael Pineda kicker. We talk often about star power versus depth. This deal would give the Twins a depth of star power that more closely matches that of New York, and that’s the kind of team that seems to find the most success in the playoffs. 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

A very well written article! I like the idea quite a bit, but then I began to wonder (as others have) that if Polanco isn't good enough to play SS for the Twins why would the Reds consider him good enough to play for them? Sort of the lynchpin on the whole deal falls apart right there.

Artificial? It's oh-so-real. Target Field has less seating capacity than did the Metrodome and Metropolitan Stadium, by design. Is that artificial? Are you outraged by the scalping opportunities it must have introduced? You and I get outbid because our economy has a lot of wealthy people. Free market, baby.

Play the best players. Kiriloff starts in LF opening day in Milwaukee. Twins are set up to win now and compete for championships for years to come. Absolutely no reason to mess with team control when it's probable that 3 years from now they will sign him to 7-8 year extension.

It is a bummer those rumors were just that. We thought we knew the source, but when pressed, Garlick denied having started them.

Kirill the thrill? Oh wait......

I always thought Castillo would be untouchable. So when the Reds put him out there I instantly began to come up with trade options. But come right down to it, I think this would become a futile exercise, because some get excited about the possibilities and others anxious about losing their favorite players or combination of both. I don't see FO making this trade unless they really want him and I mean really want him and in that case I wouldn't trust them making the right trade. I'm a firm believer of trading. Trading helps us to balance our 40 man roster and bolster area where we are weak at the same time thinning areas where we are overstocked. I believe every player have locked potential. If you are fortunate the team that draft a player has the key to unlock that potential. But many times they don't so trading that player, gives him the opportunity to find the right team that pocess the key to unlock that potential. Johan Santana is case in point. He came to the Twins as a good pitcher but when he found the key of the circle change up, he became an elite ace. How did the Reds come across Castillo? Castillo bounced around as a young prospect. Miami saw potential in him and had 2 opportunities at him, they all gave up on him. Reds picked him up for almost nothing and the rest is history. What's my point? My point is all prospects have potential and many can't see it and give up on prospects. Even if we can't unlock a prospect another team might. Also keep an eye open for players that we can unlock. I think this is the road that FO likes to take in FA. But still I'd like them to be more active in trading.

If only we could think of a nickname for him... Kirilloff reminds me of a laconic guy you later find out is a lead astronaut for NASA. The guy does not seem to be bothered by pressure. In the field he looks like he really knows what he's doing, almost like an old hand...Hrbek comes to mind. At the plate he pounds the ball to all fields better than anybody I've seen in a Twins uniform. I say play him until he breaks, or until he's too old.

O.K. Just put this together WITHOUT Lewis being a part of the deal. Would the Reds do this ?? I don't know, but it's a "FAIR" trade. Twins Get: Castillo SP 110.8 value Castellanos RF --17.60 value (his negative value is needed to make this even remotely possible. Total Value 93.20 Reds Get: Max Kepler RF 53.6 value Duran SP 17.90 value Dobnak SP 10.00 value Austidillo C 6.40 value Enlow SP 4.10 value N. Gordan SS 1.3 value Total Value: 93.20 It rates as a "FAIR" trade. Castillo makes the Twins SP truly elite: Castillo, Berrios, Maeda, Pineda, Happ Castellanos replaces Max Kepler in RF. Defense is nowhere near as good but he's a better hitter in EVERY way (and remember, Castellanos MUST be included to make this work). Reds get a very valuable player in Kepler who is still young. They get 3 starting pitcher prospects headlined by Duran who could end up being a Castillo. They get the versatile Austudillo and a SS prospect in Gordon who may not be good enough but is worth taking and giving an opportunity too. There you have it.

I've gamed this before on Baseball Trade Values and it's incredibly difficult. Castillo's trade value is something like 120. The best deal I made involved moving Lewis in a package. That's not possible now. I agree with the premise: Castillo puts the Twins SP over the top and in a short series Castillo, Berrios & Maeda would be VERY tough. Those 3 can match up with anyone. With SP like that you will play close, low scoring games (Kind of like 60's, 70's and 80's baseball). But you would have power with Cruz, Donaldson, Sano, Kepler, Garver, and even Buxton to make a difference in a close, low scoring game. Think Oakland A's in the 70's. Unfortunately with Lewis and his value of about 45 you're simply cleaning out the top quality in the system to get one player.

Good thing my lower jaw is what moves... I can only bite up.

Those sound like robust editors more suited to prime content. Remember Kenneth is low cal.

I think Sonny Gray's would be a better target because his cost would be much more reasonable compared to what we heard for Castillo.

Thorpe pitching like a changed man. Excited to see him on the big league roster

3 months out or 4?

Agree with comments on Lewis, how are guys that are barely in top 20 Twins prospect list above someone who is top 2 on every list? I get it is specific to hit tool, but how can you be top 2 on a team, 17th overall by MLB top 100 not even in top 5? Where did you find these projections? I see MLB list has Lewis at a 60 hit tool, which is tied with Kirilloff and ahead of the rest.

I echo the question about Royce Lewis. I thought his hit tool was considered near-elite.

I expected Lewis to be #3. His last competitive level was AFL (the cream of the minors), he was MVP. I'm sure a good part of that was his hitting. Last year we didn't hear much from St Paul but what we heard was that Lewis was one of the best if not best hitters there. I know a lot of so called experts don't like high leg kicks but many of the great hitters have it. I believe he needs to quiet his hands to hit in the majors, I believe he has been working on that the last couple of years. It doesn't surprise me that he's not on the list but he should be.

It is unlikely that it was his first time there at that level

when someone tells you who they are ...

I'm not a medical provider but .31 sounds like full-blown alcoholism to me, especially when coupled with driving at that level of intoxication. I hope for his sake he gets successful treatment.

First "blue lives matter" is an attempt to gain favor with the cop stopping him, and then when that doesn't work, he must have been targeted for being a Trump supporter (implicitly a position that favors more authority and control for cops.) What absolutely epic stupidity.

Bump! Free MLB.TV for T-Mobile customers has been announced for 2021 again. The redemption period starts on Tuesday March 30th, and usually lasts for 7 days.

Longwell and Gary Anderson. But, truth be told, the Vikings kickers aren't bad compared to the rest of the league statistically over the years. Just heart wrenching timing.....

Longwell was the last kicker I trusted.

I wonder if this is going to keep happening with QBs or if teams are going to start treating them like RBs 10-15 years ago. The elite RBs still got paid, but even the really good ones started taking huge pay cuts once teams started realizing it wasn't worth crippling their cap space if he wasn't quite good enough to carry the team.

Dak Prescott just got $160M over 4 years from the Cowboys! $126M guaranteed. Yikes! Good luck trying to add pieces around him while he's taking up that much of your cap. The Cowboys' roster is pretty bad and I don't think this is a good move for them. But teams are so afraid to move on from their current QB that they'll pay whatever crazy price to keep them around.

Exactly, it was evident this team does have a young core they could make a run with. Saddling themselves with all that baggage gave them no flexibility and made their cap situation worse. Last year should have been a "prove it" year and then you move on if you need to. If I'm remembering correctly, prior to the extension for Cousins, he would've been able to be moved with almost no dead cap money hits. Ditto Barr and Rudolph. It was a devastatingly stupid bunch of decisions from a team that is generally among the best at managing these sorts of things.

I am generally a fan of this FO, but their drunken bender of extensions last year made zero sense then and even less sense now.

I don't know what they should do. Spielman has been really good at finding edge rushers and skill position players in the mid rounds; if that's his strong suit I don't want to waste a 1st rounder on someone he can get similarly in the 3rd. But then again, I'd probably vomit if they use a 1st rounder on another DB. If you need to use one of your first two picks on a DB every other year, you are not managing your roster well at all. And he doesn't know an offensive lineman from a Wichita lineman so I'd be uncomfortable with him even making a stab at one early.

I don't think the offense is a problem at all other than foolishly paying a boatload for a running back with injury problems and the lack of guards. This team's problem is all the defensive investment isn't yielding a product that matches the investment. If I could wave a magic wand at the Vikings' thought process I'd change the following things: 1. Change your OL evaluation process so you are able to churn out a quality line. The Packers continually have good linemen without investing major draft capital in it. They are built with all-pros who are picked in all sorts of rounds: Bakhtiari is the best LT in football (4th round), Corey Linsley (5th round), Elgton Jenkins (2nd Round), and then they've had guys like Taylor, Sitton, etc. who they shuffle in and out as they get overpriced. We need that kind of drafting and development up front. 2. Running backs are replaceable. Never pay more than the league minimum for a back. Every other year sink a 4th into a back, sign an UDFA, and roll with it. Paying cook and spending a 2nd on Mattison is just poor use of resources. 3. Get ferocious up front. You can mask poor CBs with a good front. I'm done seeing lunchpail DL who "do their job" but can't push a pocket. Teach someone who can blow **** up to do their job in the run game. We spend so heavily on DBs and LBs when we need to blow up pockets to create turnovers, sacks, and disruption. You need D-linemen to do that. The backend will take care of itself. You can find a Dantzler every year in the third round, but you can't always find Danielle Hunter. I'm good with a guy like Pierce for protecting Kendricks, but on third down we need to unleash hell. That's what is holding back our defense. We prioritize coverage/scheming over just dominating up front.

Ignoring everything else, this just didn't register as correct to me so here were the scoring drives he did with the ball and less than 2 minutes to go. Wk 1 v. GB - 3 plays, 58 yards for a FG to finish the half. (He also led the team on 3 long scoring drives in 4th quarter but that's a different issue) Wk 5 v. Seattle - 11 play, 57 yrd drive to get FG at the half Wk 9 v. Det - 6 play, 87 yrd for a TD at the half Wk 12 v. Carolina - 11 play(!), 41 yrd drive for FG at the half and a 7 play, 75 yrd TD winning drive at the end of the game Wk 17 v. Det - 6 play, 79 yrd TD drive at the half I really don't think he's the problem. He was awful the first few weeks but still finished a top 10 QB by pretty much every metric. I think people have a perception of him as a "loser" because he has mostly played on crappy teams, he has a bland personality, and he's not overly demonstrative. (Kinda like Mauer). But he's pretty good. The offense always seemed to step up when we ran no-huddle or were pass happy. It bogged down when we got overly run-happy. I think the offense's problems are more on the coaching, rather than the players. This should be a pass-first, fast paced offense that buries teams with a strong running game after we run up the score. Instead, we looked happy to play ball-control, run out the clock football from the start of the game.

Yeah, this doesn't move the needle for me at all. This team's problem on defense is that for all his chops as a coordinator, it takes a long time for Zimmer to get polished products on his side of the field. Kendricks and Smith are the only two I remember stepping in day one and doing well. Everyone else takes 2-3 years to just be competent on the field. Either they aren't picking the right people, or they're way too freaking slow as teachers. If the guy fits your scheme, you shouldn't need to rework him from the ground up to be a solid player. I understand good/great may take time, but we had 5-6 rookies last year who didn't even see the field it felt like.

Paul Guenther is now a Senior Defensive Assistant. Zimmer sure does like to bring in the well-known veteran coaches to be his assistants. It probably does speak quite a bit to Zimmer's respect around the league. I don't think it speaks much to the team's willingness to embrace of innovation and fresh perspectives though.

Hasn't it been a do-or-die year for this club each of the past six years? But Spielman has utilized Rob Brzezinski's magical skills of deferment to annually push back the date they need to pay the piper? If anything this ability to delay the inevitable is pretty impressive. However, if they are this good at managing the cap even when there appears little hope of getting anything done, I have to think that if they took one year to reset and wipe the slate clean of albatross contracts, this skill could possibly be utilized for dynasty building moves a year or two from now.