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https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/marlins-devin-smeltzer-agree-to-minor-league-contract.html Per MLBTR, Devins Smeltzer has signed a Minor Leagie deal with a ST Invite with the Marlins. I for one wish you well Devin and God Speed this next season.

MLB's First Ever Black Friday Sale!!! 30% off all Free Agents!!! EXAMPLES Aaron Judge was 10 years for $450M, now 10/$315M Justin Verlander was 3/$120M, now 3/$84M. Carlos Correa was 8/$280M, now just 8/$196M. Sale ends at midnight tonight. Don't miss out!!!!

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/giants-taylor-rogers-agree-to-three-year-deal.html Good for him! Although for that money, I'm fine with the Twins taking a pass.

The Athletic's Dan Hayes mentions briefly that the Twins are more interested in Tyler Mahle than they are Luis Castillo. Mahle doesn't have the eye-popping stats of Castillo but would be a considerable upgrade to the Twins' rotation, as would Castillo. If the Twins are pursuing Mahle over Castillo, is it due to price, untapped potential, or both? I still think Montas is a long shot, the A's seem to be really intent on asking top dollar for him. If they haven't already overplayed their hand, I think there's a good chance they'll end up doing so.

In his trade deadline roundup, Ken Rosenthal writes that the Twins need to make a splash and rival officials are predicting the team to fade away as the summer rolls along. One official said the Guardians are better than the Twins, which is probably a fair assessment... but the shocking prediction from another official is that the White Sox will win the division by 5+ games when all is said and done. That's a lot of confidence for a team that has underperformed at every turn through 100 games and currently sits four games back of the Twins, a team that peaked at four games over .500... on April 16th. So, how likely do you think it is the Twins will win the AL Central this season?

While reading “3 Third Baseman Trades that Could Provide the Twins a Productive Bat” posted by Nate Palmer, I got a very interesting idea. The first trade he proposed is one for Rafael Devers, which got me thinking… The Minnesota Twins are in a unique place where depth isn’t quite a concern anymore. If healthy, the Twins have six or so guys on the 40 man roster that could compete for the fifth spot in the rotation, and a crowded outfield littered with guys vying for the corner outfield and bench spots. The looming issue now is trying to wade through the marshes and finding the guys that can be impactful. It is make or break years for guys like Alex Kirloff, Trevor Larnach, and Gilberto Celestino, all of which are entering arbitration soon. If you take a step down, you’re welcomed by the likes of Matt Wallner and maybe Royce Lewis, who should be given an opportunity. Then there’s also the question that arose when the Twins handed out a one year, 11 million dollar contract to Joey Gallo. It almost feels certain that the Gallo deal will force Max Kepler out of Minnesota. Kepler and Gallo are defensive difference makers but both are offensive liabilities. Keeping both will pry valuable innings away from the aforementioned players, and the plus defense Byron Buxton offers in centerfield mitigates the necessity for strong corner outfield defense. One name that has been floating around trade rumors is Luis Arraez. Although reports are connecting him to being involved in a deal for starting pitching, I believe one wouldn’t be too far fetched to think that he could be involved in a deal for a big name hitter. The 2022 American League Batting Champion might have reached his peak value. There’s no question about what kind of hitter he is. Arraez will slap the ball all around the field, and he will get on base frequently. However 2022 unveiled a flaw in his game. When not being the designated hitter, Arraez was primarily penciled in at first and second base with an occasional appearance at third base. The Minnesota Twins have a second baseman, Jorge Polanco. The Minnesota Twins also might have their guy in first base, that being Alex Kirloff, who might be forced out of the outfield. So where would Arraez play? Since the departure of Nelson Cruz in 2021 as part of the Joe Ryan trade, Rocco Baldeli has utilized the designated hitter role as a way for guys to get at bats without being in the field, almost acting as a mini rest day of sorts. The designated hitter role could also be reserved for Byron Buxton, who hit there in 35 games in 2022. Arraez has entered his arbitration years and also has some concern about his ability to stay healthy. He has been placed on the injured list five times since 2020. A growing concern is his knees, which has caused 2 of his five trips to the injured list, with Covid-19, a concussion, and a right shoulder strain rounding out the other three. With La Regadera only getting older, his knees will continue to get worse, trust me. With Max Kepler and Luis Arraez on the “chopping block,” we can start to look for trades. One name that has been floating around recently has been Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox (thanks to Nate Palmer for the idea). The Red Sox do not have the best track record recently when it comes to retaining talent. They traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers in 2020. They traded Andrew Benitendi exactly a year later to the Royals in 2021. Then in 2022 they lost Xander Bogaerts to free agency and ultimately to the Padres. One similarity that can be drawn from all three moves is that they got paid once they left Boston. Betts signed a 12 year, 365 million dollar contract with the Dodgers. Benintendi received 8.5 million dollars in 2022 from the Royals. Bogaerts just signed a 11 year, 285 million dollar deal with the Padres. Rafael Devers will probably be the next homegrown talent to walk beyond the Green Monster, seeing as he will garner a contract somewhere in the twenty plus million dollar range. The Proposal: The Twins receive: Rafael Devers The Red Sox Receive: Luis Arraez, Max Kepler, A Player to be Named Later Why It Works for the Twins Getting rid of Arraez and Kepler would be beneficial to the Twins long term. Devers would become the starting third baseman which would force Miranda to slide over to first base, where he played 77 games in 2022. First base would probably become Miranda’s long term home anyway, with reports stating the Twins front office has questions with his defense. Why it Works for the Red Sox Unlike the Twins, the Red Sox do have some questions when it comes to outfield depth. Enrique Hernandez has centerfield tied down, while Alex Verdugo (who was acquired in the Mookie Betts trade) will start in left. Max Kepler would replace, funnily enough, former Twin Rob Refsnyder in defending Pesky's Pole. Kepler’s plus defense would bode well in Fenway Park’s spacious and tricky right field. Kepler might also see an increase in offensive production playing in the American League East, which is very left-handed hitter friendly. The Red Sox were plagued with a -52 runs differential in 2022. They would benefit highly from a guy by the likes of Luis Arraez. Heck, any team would. Arraez would give the Red Sox a great presence in the designated hitter role and could allow Trevor Story to return to short while Arraez splits time at second with Christian Arroyo. If the Twins do make this trade, a 300 plus million dollar contract might make more sense. Would y’all take this trade? What would you change? Sorry for the long post.

Five words Twins fans did not want to hear to start this offseason. Jon Heyman has reported that while Trea Turner is obviously open to returning to the premiere Los Angeles team, the Dodgers themselves may be targeting Correa as their number one shortstop free agent. This is terrible news for the Twins, especially coupled with rumors that the Yankees may be sore after their ALCS loss and may also enter the fray for Correa. It's safe to say that if those teams are involved, the Twins' chance of retaining Correa approaches zero. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/10/dodgers-interested-in-carlos-correa.html

Passan reports trade.

It's no wonder Arraez was traded. A Star tribune article in MSN News states that. Luis was said to have turned down a contract offer from the Twins before last season. And he wound up as their only player among eight eligible for arbitration this go-round to file for a hearing. Bottom line: Arraez felt he was more valuable to the Twins than they did for at least the past two seasons. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/reusse-trade-of-batting-craftsman-arraez-doesn-t-set-well/ar-AA16A8Im?fbclid=IwAR1JOjXOFjQZ3vY2oOVaNxCr_vxaD9OCRfMIMKlURkwRXV_Df-7cIH7pCU0

The Twins talked to the Marlins about Pablo Lopez. Some of the other names mentioned were Max Kepler and Luis Arraez, however the Twins do not want to part ways with Arraez.

I heard that Cole Hamels is considering a comeback, is this 39 year old worth a minor league deal. I'm sure he could teach the staff a thing or two about pitching and winning.

https://www.mlb.com/news/liam-hendriks-trade-talk-free-agents-winter-meetings?partnerID=mlbapp-android_article-share I think we could line up on a trade with White Soxs. They need RF and Left-handed hitter. We have Larnach we could swap for All-Star Closer.