butterspud

If he continues to grow in the hitting department, could he be a valuable DH?

I don't think you can count on anyone in our bullpen. Every player acquired or not comes with risk. But, you have to plan based on his numbers and his numbers point to him thriving as a late inning reliever. I'm a huge advocate for getting more high end bullpen arms because Reed or not we need them. But, Addison Reed isn't far off from many of these guys in free agency except of course the Kimbrels and Andrew Millers of the world. He fits in the tier that includes Cody Allen and Kelvin Herrera in my opinion.

The point of the article was for him to be a utility bench bat not the starter sorry if it wasn't clear enough. For sure if we could get him for $2-$4 Mill that would be great but he was due $5.9 Mill in arbitration and the Blue Jays declined so I think he'll make less than that but not by that much. If that price comes to fruition, go for it! But, I've gotta think that he will be looking for something closer to that $5.9 Mill and someone will pay it. $4.5 Mill is my best guess of what he'll make.

Hey Everyone, Yesterday I made a case for Addison Reed turning things around in 2019. Today I want to look at recently non-tendered free agent Yangervis Solarte and how he could fit nicely with the 2019 Minnesota Twins. Contract Details (according to spotrac.com) 2017 Salary: $4,000,000 2018 Dead Money (Paid by the Blue Jays): $750,000 2019 Projected Salary (My prediction): $3,550,000-$6,000,000 Before we start, when researching Solarte's history I found a nice little piece of information. Solarte was signed out of Venezuela as an 18 yr old second baseman by the Twins in 2005 for a $500,000 signing bonus and played for New Britain (AA) and Fort Myers (High A) as recently as 2011. Who says he can't fulfill that Twin Cities destiny in 2019? Fielding Value: Yangervis Solarte has spent time with 5 organizations since 2005 and has shown the ability to not only produce at the plate but he has also picked up the most valuable aspect a player in the field can have in modern baseball. Versatility and flexibility. Over his career Solarte has played 42 games at 1B, 168 at 2B, 403 at 3B, 43 at SS, and 7 in LF. Sounds like a utility tool someone has who has been a target for many since day one of the off-season. That person of course being Marwin Gonzalez (For comparison Gonzalez has had a longer career but he has 191 games at 1B, 110 at 2B, 93 at 3B, 291 at SS, 157 in LF, 3 in CF, and 4 in RF). Some huge holes the Twins have at this point are a backup 3B, Middle infield, and uncertainty at 1B. Solarte seems like a perfect fit. If Sano fails to perform at 3B you can put Solarte in his place and move Sano to first. What if CJ Cron does his best Logan Morrison impression? Solarte can fill in at 1B with Austin or Sano could move to first and Solarte can take over at 3B or Sano could DH, Austin could play 1B, and Solarte can play 3B or.....the combinations are endless. But wait we already have Ehire Adrianza so why do we need Yangervis Solarte? It's a fact that at this point, the question marks are endless on this team, especially in the infield and insurance is going to be key in 2019 until Rocco Baldelli and his staff figure out what they have in the starting lineup we end up with in Minnesota. Adrianza can only fill in for one struggling player at a time so like a good neighbor, Solarte is there! In all seriousness, I hope Sano, Austin, Cron, Polanco, and whoever ends up being the opening day 2B/SS perform and have no problems, but is it a realistic dream at this point? It's a 162 game season and players like Solarte are going to be more valuable than people know when the going gets tough, and back to back to back games pile up. The Bat: As with any player in the MLB, Solarte has to be able to hit a bit to hold a roster spot no matter how good and flexible his glove is. Well I would make the argument that Solarte can handle himself in the batters box more than people realize. Solarte spent 2018 in Toronto and his numbers didn't translate from San Diego the way he was hoping they would. Before 2018 Solarte owned a .268 BA, 57 HR (14.25 per year), and a .328 OBP over a 4 year career spent in NYY and SD. Then 2018 happened, .226 BA, 17 HR (Bright Spot), and a .277 OBP. In fact his 2018 single season averages across the board dropped in a pretty noticeable fashion. Is this the Yangervis Solarte the league should get comfortbale with? I don't believe so. Everyone in that Toronto lineup experienced a slump in their numbers in 2018 and I'm not sure if it was a coaching issue, the stadium dimensions, or just a lack of interest because of a lost season but it affected Solarte and that's the important point. Obviously, he can benefit greatly from a change of scenery. Toronto didn't work out numbers wise so they cut bait with him and the Twins should take advantage of this. If Solarte can get back to a .260 BA, 15 HR, and an OBP of around .310 he will be very useful to this roster. If we look at Eduardo Escobar's most recent years, minus the colossal 2018 season, that is around what he put on the board consistently. This may be our chance to acquire another Escobar in the form of Solarte and sneak it by the entire market as I have yet to see any interest in Solarte. Contract Predictions: So what will it take to acquire Solarte's services? Eduardo Escobar recently signed a 3 yr/ $21 Million deal and Marwin Gonzalez seems due for a 3-4 yr deal worth around $13-$17 Million a year. After running a few comparisons across the league for utility players with Solarte's numbers I would say that we could get him for around $4,500,000. That would be my starting offer and I would probably walk away at $6,000,000. This would be a great deal for the Twins. Solarte is 31 and still has potential in the tank which is rare for a guy at his age. The cost effectiveness would be off the charts if you look at how much Gonzalez is projected to make (granted he is the better player). For a few points less on the BA and OBP out of a utility bat, a $8-$10 million savings compared to Gonzalez salary would be amazing. These are the kind of deals that make a good team great. You have to stretch every dollar in the MLB today and Solarte is the perfect match for this mindset. Yangervis Solarte needs to be looked at by our front office. He fills more needs than one and would share a huge load that is currently solely on Ehire Adrianza's shoulders. Minnesota is the perfect place for him to find that success he had in San Diego, again. PS: Watch the guy play. He loves this game and it shows. His passion is contagious and I firmly believe he will become a fan favorite as well. Thanks for your time reading. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

I saw those statistics maybe a month ago and it had completely passed by my radar during the end of the season as well. Reed is going to be just fine which is a huge boost for the bullpen!

I don't know if the question should be whether the new coaches will do more for pitchers individually with new ideas and a fresh look, if they'll use them in an analytically based fashion from situation to situation which in the long run will benefit all the pitchers, or both. I hope it's an overwhelming amount of both. I think Molitor's staff lacked that feel for when to use a certain pitcher at the right time and it showed in the bullpen arms more often than not. So, yes I'm just as excited as you are.

Hey Everyone, I've seen a plethora of hate on Addison Reed mostly due to his salary hit in 2019 so, I'm going to take a crack at changing a couple people's minds as I don't think he's getting a fair shake of things and doesn't warrant this much disinterest from his own team's fan-base. Okay before I get into things let's look at his 2019 contract details (according to spotrac.com) 2019 Salary: $8,500,000 2019 Bonuses: None 2019 Market Value: 4 yrs/$8,936,937 2018 was filled with discouragement for Reed and his fans. He posted a 4.50 ERA (highest since 2012, his 23 yr old season), 5.11 FIP (Career High), and a 1.429 WHIP (Career High). On top of that he was pestered by a triceps injury all year. Which is a reason to worry. Or is it?... Hear me out, in the 3 years before this most recent season Reed went off for an average of a 2.73 ERA, 2.89 FIP, and 1.12 WHIP. The guy knows how to pitch and how to pitch well so I think we can all agree to take a step back and see that no one should be doubting Reed and his abilities on the mound. We're not talking about a 24 yr old former top prospect who had one good year (or part of one) and one or two bad years (wink wink). And no we're not talking about a 35 yr old former all star who's age has caught up with his arm (wink wink again). We're talking about a 29 yr old pitcher with a track record of success who had a down year. It really burns the fans that this down year was with the Twins and I understand that. This article isn't meant to defend Reed's 2018 performance. It's meant to turn everyone's pessimism into shades of optimism. So what caused these bad performances and why should it give us hope for Addison Reed? Through May of last year Reed had a 2.83 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP. The WHIP wasn't great it was around average but the ERA was spectacular and I clearly remember people feeling safe when the bullpen doors opened and #43 could be seen jogging out. Then what happened? He got hurt. We learned after a few forgettable appearances in June that Reed's tricep was acting up and he had been pitching through it. What did manager Paul Molitor do about it? He continued to pitch Reed in the 8th inning in front of the Fernando Rodney experience. Now, am I blaming Molitor for Reed's performance? Not in any way. It was Reed's responsibility to shut himself down which he eventually did and landed himself on the 10 day DL for a good stretch of the mid-summer. The reason I brought it up is Reed and the team knew something was off in his arm and they continued to use it. I'm no doctor but that's not a good plan for stabilizing arm strength and velocity and it's definitely not a good time to judge a pitchers value. We all know the rest. Reed made appearances here and there throughout the rest of the season with similar results to his June stat line....until September rolled around. Optimism for #43 I feel like Twins fans don't realize that Reed had a relatively good September in his 6 appearances. He had been damned by the fan base already. In a small showing of 6 games Reed posted a 1.69 ERA along with a 1.13 WHIP. I feel like this was the sign of hope we need to and can count on. A guy with structural damage along the lines of Glen Perkins labrum tear would not have put up those kinds of numbers in 6 straight games. The velocity on Reed's fastball was down a notch in these outings which can concern some but after an arm endures games, rehab, more games, more rehab, and then even more games, it tends to wear down. My diagnosis is, what Reed needed the most was rest but is a naturally competitive guy and came in the clubhouse everyday telling Molitor and Garvin Alston that he was available knowing the end of the season was so near at the time. So they let him test his arm 6 times and he took those chances and ran with them in stride. Now, he's going to have almost 5 months to get that tricep the rest it needs and is going to be 100% when pitchers and catchers report. So someone please tell me why the Addison Reed of 2015,2016,2017, and 1/4 of 2018 does not have a high possibility of taking it's rightful place in the bullpen again? Arms flare up it's a fact of pitching in the MLB but we've seen with the advancement of modern training and rehabilitation that more often than not pitchers are able to find their old selves again. I think it's time we start rooting for Addison Reed and looking at great possibilities for 2019 instead of the anomaly of 2018. Extra: Contract Status Addison Reed is making $8,500,000 this year which is about 95% of his market value. It would be nice if he was making $4 mil but it would be nice if Joe Mauer had made $10 mil in his last 4 years as well. Point being, potential and the past pays. On the open market (which is where Reed was acquired from), pitchers also make a considerable amount more than position players as well. So before we deem it a "bad contract" let's decide if we're giving him an unfair advantage because (at the time of this post) he is the highest paid player on the payroll and the first reaction is to go "ugh! isn't that the guy who blew a few games in 2018?" All in all, 2018 was a forgettable year for a team still filled with potential and it should be viewed that way for Reed as well. Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts I would love to start a conversation with anyone.

Hey Everybody, This is the second part of my off-season plan for the Twins. I will be following the same needs that I pointed out in my Free Agency Edition and will be treating this post as if we didn't sign any free agents at all and only looked to improve via trades. Needs: Relief Pitcher Second Baseman Designated Hitter First Baseman Starting Pitcher? Catcher? Trade Candidates to improve the 2019 Twins: Relief Pitcher: 1. Raisel Iglesias (I'm not a fan of trading for relief pitching in the off-season because you have to give up player capital and would rather reach into the billfold and sign a guy, but Raisel Iglesias is an intriguing player. There was some interest from the FO in him last year and I wouldn't be surprised if some rumors popped up this year as well. The Red's know they are still in rebuild mode (Who knows what they're doing) and could use a prospect boost especially in their SP depth) Prediction: Kohl Stewart and Tyler Watson for Raisel Iglesias 2. Archie Bradley (Honestly Bradley could be the next Josh Hader and the Diamondbacks are smart enough to know that. But he's worth the call. Arizona is losing one of their top starters this off-season and Paul Goldschmidt could be next via trade. If the Diamondbacks were to hit full rebuild he's worth looking into.) Prediction: Akil Badoo, Felix Jorge, and a lottery ticket for Archie Bradley Second Baseman: 1. Whit Merrifield (I HATE making trades in the same division but I'll have a couple in this article because the truth is the Tigers, White Sox, and Royals have guys who just make sense for us. Merrifield is one of them. He's young, under contract for 4 years, and cheap, that is what teams need now a days to succeed. He makes great contact has great defense and I love his swing. One thing I don't like is his price tag but it might be worth it. Whit is starting to prove himself, prospects may never pan out. Worth it) Prediction: Stephen Gonsalves, Luis Arraez, and Felix Jorge for Whit Merrifield (And it might be pricier but that's where I start) 2. Starlin Castro (Come on guys let's jump on this Marlins mess and make an upgrade at their loss. Miami will not be contending for years to come and need a steroid hit to their farm system to even dream about competing for a while. They have a good second baseman and we need a second baseman. Doesn't it make sense. $11 Million for 2019 and a $16 million club option (which we will almost certainly decline) is something I can live with to bridge the gap between now and the Gordon, Lewis era.) Prediction: Lamonte Wade and Yunior Severino for Starlin Castro Designated Hitter: *Would rather sign a guy to fill DH so these trades are included to set up Sano's transition to 1B/DH* 1. Maikel Franco (I had this on my 2018 trade edition and as I predicted Franco took a step forward this year. Although the price may have gone up now and the Phillies may think he's part of their shot at contending. I'd look into him. He can play 3B regularly moving Sano to DH and they can flip flop on Franco's rest days so you can still have his bat in the lineup) Prediction: Max Kepler and Travis Blankenhorn for Maikel Franco or (my favorite trade) Eddie Rosario for Maikel Franco (easier to find good OF's than a good 3B) 2. Miguel Andujar (This trade sets up Sano to fill the DH spot and leaves Andujar at 3B for awhile and I love it if it's realistic. New York is headed towards a log jam in their infield and although many think Didi Gregorious will be the guy to go I could see the Twins kicking tires on Andujar and fixing their Sano at 3B problem. I fully expect New York to ask for the world though so this might be where a guy like Rosario or Kepler will have to be included) Prediction: Eddie Rosario, Wander Javier, and Tyler Jay for Miguel Andujar and Ryder Green, or, Max Kepler, Brusdar Graterol, and Luis Arraez for Miguel Andujar First Baseman: 1. Matt Olson (Olson seems to be a cornerstone that the A's want to keep but it's Billy Beane and this trading hand is always hot. He would lock down 1B and has a higher ceiling and floor than Tyler Austin. The A's need MLB ready starters and for the first time in awhile we have that in Billy Beane's favorite form, prospects and cheap) Prediction: Adalberto Mejia, Griffin Jax, and Felix Jorge for Matt Olson 2. Jose Abreu (Division trade #2. Never been a fan of Abreu but the truth is he is a silent stud in Chicago. Although I see him in a Red Sox jersey at some point, it's a possibility for the Twins. They are the perfect trade partner for one of our outfielders and would indicate we are ready to compete but all stars don't come cheap. Prediction: Max Kepler and Stephen Gonsalves for Jose Abreu or Lewis Thorpe, Luis Arraez, and John Curtiss for Jose Abreu Starting Pitcher?: 1. Steven Matz (I know Twins fans want deGrom or Syndergaard but I'm basing this off of history and the Twins don't make trades like that due to their love of their own prospects. Wouldn't it be interesting to see if they would take Nick Gordon and change for him though? We might be overpaying on paper but Matz has a crazy ceiling if his health stays up and he gets a change of scenery. I would love to give the new pitching coach a gem to play with like him. Don't call me crazy but Steven Matz has 2nd starter stuff for half the price.) Prediction: Nick Gordon and a lottery ticket for Steven Matz 2. Michael Fulmer (Division trade #3. Fulmer is well known to be on the trade block and I don't see why the Twins wouldn't take a look at him. Minnesota knows everything about him after facing him in division matchups and I firmly believe there is a coach out there who can unlock his ace stuff again, it's just not Rick Anderson *laughs hysterically at Detroit's stupidity*) Prediction: Wander Javier and Travis Blankenhorn for Michael Fulmer 3. Marcus Stroman (Yo. Toronto. You done with screwing over Marcus Stroman yet? This guy needs a change of scenery almost as bad as Jimmy Butler does...almost. I love Stroman, I just don't love his 2019 numbers and I'm sure the FO doesn't either. He's still 27 and like Matz he has 2nd starter stuff in him that needs to be unlocked by someone new. The price for him is as low as it ever will be and I'll take a discounted gem.) Prediction: Nick Gordon and a lottery ticket for Marcus Stroman Catcher?: J.T. Realmuto (Here's the fun one. I've avoided thinking about Realmuto in a Twins jersey but as much as I don't want to get my hopes up the truth is it's a match made in heaven. A trade of Jason Castro would have to follow (maybe in a trade for Sonny Gray or Zack Wheeler) but when there is an All Star catcher available. You get him. Realmuto is under contract for 2 more years. Who is going to be our catcher down the road. I like Garver but is he what you want on a contending team and Rortverdt, Jeffers, and Banuelos are not something to put your money on. I hope I'm wrong but they're not. If I was Levine/Falvey I call the Marlins ASAP and say everyone is on the table minus Lewis and Kirilloff. Take your pick. And I could be persuaded to include Kirilloff if we get Castro and Realmuto in the deal.) Prediction: Brusdar Graterol, Wander Javier, and Akil Badoo for J.T. Realmuto or Alex Kirilloff, Lamonte Wade, John Curtiss, and Tyler Jay for Starlin Castro and J.T. Realmuto. As I stated earlier trades are hard for me to make in the off-season as a FO knowing that you have to give up player capitol when you're sitting on a ton of cash for free agents but these players are worth trading unproven players for and would undeniably make us better in 2019 and beyond. They will also fill holes in many places that will hopefully be filled by our own remaining prospects eventually. Thanks for reading and as always leave a comment because I love to read and reply to them. It's part of why I do this.

Allen is worth a one year prove it deal I can agree with that but slow down and think about putting our heads together and signing Herrera and Allen...wow just got chills at the thought of a super bullpen in Minnesota. Watched some video on Joe Kelly as I wasn't very educated on him. I like what I see. Wonder if he'd take a two year deal for somewhere between 1-3 million less than Reed's making because of a weaker track record? What would your prediction be?

Sure. I've always been a fan of picking up veterans on minimum deals but if Holland wants something more you could be stuck with a Kevin Correia situation. I was 14 when that signing was made and I even knew it was utterly stupid.

I'm on team "no Mauer size contracts" and we all know Machado is going to get that plus more. We are not the Yankees or Red Sox. Contracts like that will sink us.

I'm fine with Allen and Kelly. Are they my favorites? No but having multiple options is essential in free agency and if that's what we end up with so be it. I agree with you about Lucroy and Iglesias. Herrera is worth every penny of risk. His injury concerns will only push his price south for that risk. Sign me up.

My reasoning behind predicting a 1 yr deal for Lowrie is based on the past years of free agency. FO's are getting smarter about giving out multi-year deals to older players who are predicted to decline and having giant fish in this years market taking up serious years and $$$ will almost guarantee that trend continues

Thank you. As posted above I edited the post. Sorry for the slip up

I support taking a shot at Sonny Gray the only question is, is he worth having for a year blocking our many prospects that look like they're ready to prove if they can make it or break it. I believe the Gray interest will rise if we acquire players that make us contenders on paper.

Thank you for the reminder. Sorry must have had a brain slip while writing this as he is my favorite Twins reliever. Stupid of me lol

I was gonna add Cody Allen but I figured the money he'll demand could be allocated among 2 players instead of one. Trying to get the most value and depth for the least amount of money.

Hey Everyone, What a disappointing 2018 season. Besides a couple bright spots like Mauer's send off, Jake Cave, and deadline trades to bolster our prospect lot (minus the Pressly trade), games and news were tough to follow religiously for even the biggest Twins fans. But, the bright spot is it's the off-season now and the Twins are loaded with an arsenal of assets to make a little noise with. As I stated last year in my 2018 edition I've done research on our needs and the free agent and trade candidates (2019 trade edition will be posted desperately) that are real possibilities to fill those needs. So, here we go. Needs: Relief Pitcher Second Baseman Designated Hitter First Baseman Starting Pitcher? Catcher? In house options to fill needs: RH Relief Pitcher: 1. Trevor May (Dark Horse candidate to turn into something truly special out of the bullpen if he is and can stay healthy) 2. Addison Reed (I am and always will be an Addison Reed apologist, give the guy a break. He struggled with lingering injuries the whole year and of course he wasn't 100% all the time. He doesn't have to be the closer but he's still a valuable piece to have in a bullpen.) 3. Trevor Hildenberger (Struggled in the last few months of the season but I blame some of his struggles on when he was utilized by Molitor so I would give him a spot in the bullpen on opening day) 4. Tyler Duffey/ Alan Busenitz/ Zack Littell/ John Curtiss (A good amount of these guys have had every chance to show they are not AAAA players and can make positive contributions to an MLB team but the clock is running on them and I don't trust them on any contending team. Littell still deserves a shot to figure out if he's going to be a starter or reliever) LH Relief Pitcher: This is the first year in a long time I've felt like the Twins don't need to add a LH Reliever 1. Taylor Rogers (This guy has some magic in him and the next step is just finding consistency in his appearances which he really showed flashes of at the end of 2018) 2. Gabriel Moya (Man, isn't he an enigma. The kid has a wacky way of pitching and it works for him most of the time but then you get the 3,4,5 ER innings and you just scratch your head. He's only 23 and if he starts in AAA I'll understand but he's earned more looks from the MLB staff) Second Baseman: 1. Jorge Polanco ("Wait What?!? He's a shortstop" I've heard that from my friends but no he isn't a natural SS and shouldn't be our starter there and I'll explain later in the wishlist portion.) 2. Nick Gordon (So much promise...how long have we had the feeling that he was gonna crack into the MLB lineup and then 2018 happened. I'm hoping the low numbers were an anomaly but everything about his struggles are concerning and Gordon needs to recognize that this off-season) 3. Ehire Adrianza (He's listed here because he can technically play 2B and pretty well but he's going to be a super utility player and should be. Who knows maybe you get a poor man's Eduardo Escobar performance out of him) Designated Hitter: 1. Miguel Sano: (Who knows what the Twins will do with Sano. The best plan in my mind is to use him as a 1B/DH but he can't play if he's gonna strike out at the rate he has. I mean really....just make contact please!) 2. Tyler Austin: (Austin has the same issue attached to him as Sano. He's shown flashes in a Twins uniform but if he's going to be a reliable 1B/DH the strikeout numbers will have to take a dip) First Baseman: 1. Tyler Austin (See above) 2. Miguel Sano (See above) 3. Mitch Garver (We'll see what happens with Castro because Garver has and should be groomed to be a catcher but Garver's bat needs to be in the lineup somewhere) Catcher? *This all depends on Castro's health* 1. Jason Castro (Never been a huge fan of him because of his sub-par bat but he was signed to be our starting catcher and should have claim over the position because of his defensive abilities) 2. Mitch Garver (See above) 3. Willians Astudillo (Feel good story, the guy was legit in September but do we really think that's sustainable? I hope he proves me wrong but at best he's a backup catcher in this league) Starting Pitcher? *Every year it seems like the Twins could use a starter but maybe not as bad this year. Only need is for a real ace* 1. Jose Berrios 2. Jake Odorizzi 3. Kyle Gibson 4. Michael Pineda (He is going to be interesting to watch this year. I hope that year off gave him enough time to get back to form but the truth is you don't know what you're going to get out of him. Just ask the Yankees) 5. Fernando Romero (In my opinion, he should have locked down that 5 spot for the rest of the year after we knew we weren't going to contend but I understand you wanna see what you have from the farm) 6. Gonsalves, Stewart, Littell, Mejia, Slegers (These guys should have serious chances in the spring to take a rotation spot. There's a lot of talent in this crop now it's just turning talent into results. My prediction would be that Mejia keeps it rolling in the spring and really pushes the front office to make a decision on him.) Realistic Free Agent Wishlist (In order): RH Reliever: 1. Kelvin Herrera*** (Okay, he had a down year in Kelvin Herrera terms but you don't pass up on a guy who can hit upper 90's, has closing experience, and has already played in cold weather regularly (Royals). Herrera should be our opening day closer.) Prediction: 2 yr deal/ $20-24 Million 2. Zach Britton (The guy is iffy after TJ surgery but the Yankees/Orioles already ate his recovery and rehabilition year so why wouldn't we take advantage of his back to form years. Could be used as a closer but I like him as a setup guy in front of Herrera. We'll just see if he agrees with me on that logic. Being apart of a super bullpen seems to sell these days) Prediction: 2 yrs/ $18-26 Million 3. Adam Ottavino (Ottavino was a complete stud for Colorado last year and seems to be fine not being the set closer, instead being utilized in high leverage situations. I think the big fish will have to sign before he does which means there will be less cash on the table from competing teams) Prediction: 2 yrs/ $16 Million 4. Jeurys Familia (Familia has character issues in his past but this front office has been willing to work with character issues based on the theory, results on the field will outweigh it) 3 yrs/ $15-19 Million 5. Jesse Chavez (Really made a name for himself in Chicago, could be a guy you sign for 1 year who securely locks down those innings when the starter struggles and has to leave) Prediction: 1 yr/$4 - 5 Million 6. Tyler Clippard (This one might cause a debate but Clippard is one of those guys who shows flashes of his Washington days and has proven there still is something left in the tank at points. Not a bad idea to pick up a lottery ticket on him and make him prove that he still has it) Prediction: 1 yr/ $1-2 Million LH Reliever: 1. Justin Wilson (I don't believe the Twins need a LH pitcher in the bullpen right now but if there was a guy I'd be okay with signing it would be Wilson. He's got a simple delivery with movement that has proven to get hitters out. Nothing we don't have right now but he would still be a slight upgrade in this category) Prediction: 2 yr/ $10 Million Update: 2. Tony Sipp (this one might cause some controversy because of his scary track record but if the Twins were to add a lefty in free agency I would support giving Sipp a shot with an invite to spring training) 1 yr/ Minor League Deal (with invite) 3. Possible Rule 5 Pick (worth a shot to pick up a lottery ticket and try him out as the team decides if they are real contenders or still a year or two away) Second Baseman/Shortstop (In the event of Polanco moving to 2B) 1. Jose Iglesias*** (The Twins should be calling his agent right after they get off the phone with Herrera. He's proven to be an above average shortstop with great defensive play and a bat that can get hot. This would also provide Polanco with an opportunity to finally play 2B where his arm and glove ability fit best. He's nothing crazy special but if you can get him to agree to a deal that holds up until Royce Lewis is ready then it's worth it. But, it won't come extremely cheap) Prediction: 3 yr/ $24 Million 2. Logan Forsythe (For all we know Forsythe enjoyed his time in Minnesota and would welcome an opportunity to come back. He's not Dozier when Dozier could rake but he's still a decent bat to have in the lineup that could hit .270 if he's on) Prediction: 2 yr/ $14-18 Million 3. Jed Lowrie (Lowrie surprised everyone and was a formidable second baseman this year in Oakland. He's getting old and will probably receive a lot of 1 year offers from teams and if the Twins win that bid I wouldn't complain) Prediction: 1 yr/ $8-10 Million Designated Hitter: 1. Nelson Cruz*** (He might pick retirement over the Twins but he's got a tremendous bat for someone who's 38. You always know what you're going to get out of him when he's healthy .250-.270 BA with 30-40 HRs. He would also lock down the DH spot for a year so you can decide what you want to do with Sano. He is what I hope Sano's ceiling still is) Prediction: 1 yr/ $12 Million 2. Evan Gattis (It might be worth taking a shot on him in hopes he finds his Atlanta groove again. Plus he hits with no batting gloves and looks like a lumberjack with a great personality. Not the best move we could make but he would be fun to watch) Prediction: 1 yr/ $6 Million First Baseman: 1. Lucas Duda (The best avenue of upgrading this position would be the trade market but if the front office doesn't believe in Tyler Austin I could see them kicking the tires on Duda. He is Austin just older though so I don't think it would be the best move they could make) Prediction: 1 yr/ $4-6 Million Catcher? 1. Jonathan Lucroy (If Levine and Falvey are going to open the wallet for a catcher I would be pushing for a decent veteran and that's what Lucroy is. It would raise questions about what to do after Castro's back and would be an automatic DFA for Astudillo but an opening day depth chart with Lucroy and Garver on it at C wouldn't be the worst thing in the world) Prediction: 2 yr/ $4-6 Million 2. Martin Maldonado (Maldonado is a spitting image of Castro with his lack of offense but great defensive play. Could be a good placeholder and eventual competition for Castro when he's back) 1 yr/ $3 million Starting Pitcher? 1. Patrick Corbin (This is a bit of a dream because the Yankees seem to be all in on Corbin but, if we're going to add to the rotation it would have to come in the form of a guy with at least second starter stuff. Which means serious $$$ will have to be used) Prediction: 3 yr/ $55-60 million 2. Dallas Keuchel (Keuchel has lost a step from his Cy Young year but is still a hot commodity with second starter stuff and that means big market teams will be circling. Berrios and Keuchel at the top of the rotation would be nice for a few years though.) Prediction: 3 yr/ $54 Million 3. Gio Gonzalez (Gio is the only guy with 3rd starter stuff I'd feel okay with going all in on. He's got crazy breaking stuff and was a great pickup for Milwaukee at the waiver deadline. The ERA will probably be in the high 3's or low 4's but he has proven he can get outs and would be a good guy to follow Odorizzi and lead Gibson with in a series) 1 yr/ $12 million That's my 2019 free agent wish list. If the Twins can get some pieces out of this list I think it will surprise many people how close we could actually be to looking like the 2017 team and dare I say maybe even better. Thanks for reading and please comment below with your own reactions. I enjoy reading them.

McHugh and Norris as our 3 and 4 would be a great rotation in my opinion. 1. Santana/Berrios 2. Berrios/ Santana 3. Norris 4. McHugh 5. Mejia/Gibson/May

To be honest I've never been HUGE on Sano because of the K's but I don't think trading him for Bumgarner who is on the decline is the best idea. I think we should trade for pitchers who are still getting into their prime to match up with our core players timeline as well.

Thank you for that side note. My personal opinion is a competitive team should not have Vargas on it. Awesome guy but hasn't performed since his first half year in the MLB. That's just my opinion though I can see the side that argues he has as much potential as anyone and he's already on our team.

I like the package with Stroman and Osuna. I have my personal dislike of Cole and the kind of pitcher he is so I would never trade for him at that price but Stroman and Osuna I can understand. They are two of my favorite pitchers to watch for sure. I just have a really hard time getting rid of Gordon because of how he's hit. The kid could be a starter at 2B/SS for us for years and years and that's invaluable especially with the uncertainty with Dozier. That's why I would look for pitching that doesn't require Gordon or Lewis getting shipped out.

Hey everyone, I recently posted my off-season plan for free agency and now would like to explore trade options as well. As stated in my last post, I see our needs being: Starting Pitching Relief Pitching Designated Hitter Bench Bats (Utility) Here are my top trade wants/possibilities, Starting Pitchers: 1. Daniel Norris for Kohl Stewart & Luis Arraez - The Tigers seemingly committed to the rebuild when they traded away Verlander and Norris had a down year (5.31 ERA). It's a good time for the Twins to take advantage of both of these facts. It might take a bit more but I feel like Stewart (former 1st round pick) and Arraez (hitting the heck out of the ball) is enough. Arraez will be blocked by more complete talents coming up through the system and the Tigers seem to have a shortage at 2B behind Kinsler (Who they're trying to move). Norris is 24 and not a FA till 2022. This would be an amazing move. 2. Collin McHugh & Mike Fiers for J.T. Chargois & Jermaine Palacios - Okay, I get it. The Astros won the world series. Why would they mess with something great right? Well being almost as much of an Astros fan as I am a Twins fan I know the Astros have a log jam in decent starting pitching. It makes all the sense in the world for them to open up a rotation spot to play around with Francis Martes, Brad Peacock, David Paulino, and eventually Forest Whitley. And who needs more pitching depth? The Twins! McHugh and Fiers are a couple years older than what that team's nucleous is (30 & 32 years old) so I feel like they would be willing to do this deal for lower top 30 prospects. Also, both aren't FA until 2020. 3. Michael Wacha for Stephen Gonsalves, Felix Jorge, & Lachlan Wells - Here's the splash deal. At first the Cardinals are going to want Lewis or Gordon no doubt. But, I see those two becoming our future all star infield (Move Gordon to second) and don't want to part with them unless I get a true ace. Wacha is close but not a shut down starter. The Cardinals seem to be interested in Giancarlo Stanton and we can help them in that chase by sending some top pitching prospects (The Marlins need pitching more than we need air) for a proven durable starter. Giving up Gonsalves hurts after seeing him develop but he also seems to be a typical pitch to contact Twins starter. After watching him in AAA I see him becoming a Nick Blackburn at best. 4. Scott Kazmir for Phil Hughes & Tyler Watson - Basically swapping contracts and atmospheres for two players who have declined rapidly to see if they can regain their magic. I added Watson in here because of Hughes's timetable on his injury and Kazmir seeming to be all healed up and ready to go. Relief Pitching: 1. Kelvin Herrera for Felix Jorge, Kohl Stewart, & J.T. Chargois - This seems like a steep price to pay for a reliever that's not in discussions with Miller and Chapman but Herrera is massively underrated. He would provide a shut down closer we haven't had since Perkins prime. He gets strikeouts on top of strikeouts which is encouraging for a fan who hates Minnesota Twins pitch to contact (ME!!) 2.Darren O'Day and Miguel Castro for J.T. Chargois & Ryan Eades - I would like Britton but that will almost certainly cost Gordon so I went for Britton 2.0 in Miguel Castro. Although he's 22 and has tons of team control on a possibly rebuilding club I think they will find it valuable to move him if they can get O'Day's contract and age off their books. And O'Day is not to bad of a reliever himself. 3. Raisel Iglesias for Stephen Gonsalves - I put this one in here because of the recent rumors. Falvine, Do not, I repeat, DO NOT! trade Nick Gordon for a closer who can opt out as soon as he can. Don't get me wrong Iglesias has beautiful stuff but I'd feel a lot more comfortable giving up Gonsalves (Blackburn) for him and I think it's logically something the Reds would consider as they are rebuilding. Designated Hitter: 1. Maikel Franco for Alex Kiriloff & Travis Blankenhorn - This is the only deal that makes sense to me for a designated hitter. This deal might actually move Sano into the DH spot instead of Franco but this would be a huge plus for us. Our best players are around his age so he will develop at the same time and I think the guy just needs a change of scenery, Philadelphia cast him into the superstar light to early and the pressure crushed him. He would do well playing alongside Buxton and Sano. Kiriloff's potential and Blackenhorn should be enough to turn the Phillies ear to us. Bench Bat (Utility): 1. Ian Kinsler for Tyler Watson & Charlie Barnes - Hear me out. He costs a lot, yes. He's getting old, yes. But Ian Kinsler would be an amazing utility infielder. His age seems to be catching up with him making him a borderline starter at best but his clutch bat and glove coming off the bench would be huge for the Twins. He's a one year declining rental on a rebuilding squad making the price cheaper than cheap and the future commitments to his contract nothing. Giving up two relief prospects (Watson is in the top 20) for him should not affect us at all with the young depth we have in the minors. It would be a very interesting move. As always if you have comments, critiques please reply below. Thanks

I see your point on gaining a big time starter like Darvish but that's going to cost big time money. I feel like it's more economically sound to stretch those dollars around to our needs in not only the rotation but the bullpen and a few bats as well. Also, I don't necessarily believe in our chances to gain Otani and that's why I didn't include him. Plus, I don't really want him (Gun shy from Byung Ho Park and Tsuyoshi Nishioka)

I feel like I said that because we only need one closer, these are the more likely options than Davis, and I don't want a low-tier guy. The rest of the options are there to supplement the bullpen. We've seen with other playoff teams that a great bullpen hides a mediocre starting rotation.