Matthew Lenz

Yea, considering all the “graduates” from last year, it’s impressive to see our farm system with so much talent that could be ready to contribute within the next year or two. I agree on Miller, but would take it as a bad thing if Palacios is our shortstop next year…does that mean Correa left and neither Royce Lewis or Austin Martin are ready? I guess a positive could be they were traded for a starter, but I think Palacios is realistically a solid utility depth piece.

Yea, always hard to say how these guys will turn out…even when it’s an “expert” making the list.

Last week, I looked at the Twins who cracked MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects, and now they have released their Top 30 Prospects for the Minnesota Twins. This article will examine that list and make some notable observations from the rankings. MLB Pipeline featured four Twins in their top-100 and an additional player who "just missed" the cut. You can review last week's article to get some additional insight on those prospects. This article will note observations of the remaining Twins in their top-30, including the risers, fallers, and especially those who are new to the list compared to the final rankings from the end of the 2021 season. Those rankings were updated at the end of August, and between then and now no Twins reached their rookie minimums meaning that there are no “graduates” to note. The Twins have seen a lot of positive movement from their prospects over the offseason, so let’s dive into the rankings! Risers Spencer Steer (2B/3B) rose from 23rd to 11th over the offseason, which is tied for the biggest jump for any Twins prospect with the player you’ll read about next. What’s interesting is that after the rankings were published, Steer had one of the worst months of his season at AA-Wichita although it would be short-sighted to think that recent performance is all that goes into the rankings. As noted in his MLB Pipeline scouting report, Steer was able to add power in 2021 without sacrificing much of his OBP as shown by his season-long .348/.484 OBP/SLG and had a pretty successful run after being promoted in late June. We won’t be seeing him in 2022 (probably) and there are a lot of guys ahead of him who play (or can play) similar positions, so his route to Minneapolis is going to be a challenging one. That said, if he proves that his combination of power and OBP are here to stay, he’ll put himself in a position to get to the Major Leagues sooner rather than later. As noted before, Louie Varland (RHP) also jumped 12 spots over the offseason and finds himself as the Twins 15th-ranked prospect headed into the 2022 season. Varland had an impressive four starts following the release of the rankings last August in which he posted a 2.86 ERA and 31:4 K:BB over 22 innings which punctuated an impressive 2021 campaign between Low A Fort Myers and High A Cedar Rapids. Over 20 starts (10 at each level) and 103 innings pitched, Varland boasted a 4.73 K/BB, 2.10 ERA, and 1.09 WHIP which earned him Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors. Not yet reaching AA Wichita means that a 2022 debut is unlikely for Varland but if he has another year like 2021 then he’ll absolutely compete for a rotation spot in 2023 Spring Training. Fallers Former 13th overall pick, Keoni Cavaco, dropped 13 spots over the offseason after spending a majority of the season at Low A Fort Myers. In just his first full season as a pro, it’s way too early to call Cavaco a bust considering he was drafted out of high school and missed the 2020 season, but he didn’t help his cause with a sub .600 OPS and a 34.2% strikeout rate. Can’t emphasize enough that, especially with all factors considered, it’s way too early to judge Cavaco (although he was picked ahead of bigger name shortstop prospects like Bryson Stott and Anthony Volpe). Signed as an International Free Agent in 2018, Yunior Severino, who was ranked 30th last August, has fallen off the most recent version of the list. He actually posted his best season as a pro with an .802 OPS, but the addition of five players you’ll read about below made him the odd-man-out of MLB Pipelines top 30 Twins prospects. Even the most recent Fangraphs rankings put the switch-hitting second baseman outside of their top 40 prospects for the organization. Newcomers Ronny Henriquez, acquired in the Mitch Garver trade, comes in as the Twins' 14th-best prospect. MLB Pipeline retroactively added him to the 2021 list where he was ranked the 19th-best prospect in the system, and I’ll direct you to Lucas Seehafer’s article for more information on the right-handed pitching prospect. Cade Povich, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Jermaine Palacios are all guys who have been with the organization but are new to MLB Pipelines top 30 sitting at 27, 29, and 30, respectively. Povich is a left-handed pitcher drafted in the 3rd round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Nebraska. In 10 innings in 2021, he had a 19:2 K:BB ratio, allowed nine baserunners, and four earned runs. The Twins added corner infielder Encarnacion-Strand in the 34th round of the 2021 draft out of Oklahoma State. In 87 at-bats, he posted a 1.022 OPS with four home runs and a strikeout rate of 29.9% Palacios is a veteran of the Twins minor-league system at this point. He originally signed back in 2013 at just 16-years-old. He was traded to the Rays in the Jake Odorizzi acquisition, and he came back to the Twins on a minor-league deal ahead of the 2021 season. The Venezuelan is a glove-first utility infielder who posts passable numbers at the plate with a career OPS of .715 over 2,456 minor league at-bats. It remains to be seen where the Twins farm system will rank as a whole, but even after the graduation of so many top prospects last season, they ended as MLB Pipelines 15th-ranked system. Since then they’ve added a prospect to the top 100 and have had a lot of positive movement in their system. How do you feel about the Twins system as we enter a competitive window? Are you in the boat of trading some of these prospects for Major League talent or letting the prospects develop their way to Minneapolis? Let us know in the comments! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Lol! I wouldn’t mind seeing Rogers extended for a couple years. Relievers can be so volatile and unpredictable though so nothing long-term.

They need to acquire him first.

Totally agree!

The arbitration deadline for players and their teams to exchange offers is Tuesday, and the Twins have a handful of players who are arbitration eligible. This article will review this process and the Twins who are eligible for arbitration. Nick Nelson broached this topic months ago in the Offseason Handbook but much has changed since then. At the start of the offseason, the Twins had 12 players who were arbitration and added a thirteenth and fourteenth via a couple of offseason transactions we'll review later in the article. So when it’s all said and done, the Twins are down to just three eligible players who are set to enter arbitration ahead of Tuesday's deadline. As a reminder, the arbitration process gives the ability for players who have reached three years of service time to negotiate their salary. The exception to this, known as “Super Two”, is for the players who are in the top 22-percent of service time but below three years. This came into play for Twins utility, Luis Arraez, who just barely eclipsed the super two threshold. Finally, there are three ways to avoid arbitration: The player and team come to an agreement in terms (these are the offers due on Tuesday) The player and team agree to a contract extension to “buy out” the arbitration years. Most recently, the Byron Buxton contract extension did this. The player is designated for assignment (DFA) or outright released by the team. Before diving into the three eligible, let’s review the other eleven who are no longer arbitration eligible for the 2022 season. Byron Buxton signed a seven year, $100MM contract extension at the end of November effectively buying out is final year of arbitration. Jharel Cotton, Caleb Thielbar, and Tyler Duffey avoided arbitration in 2022 by agreeing to one-year deals. Cotton was claimed off waivers from the Rangers while Thielbar and Duffey were significant contributors to the Twins bullpen in 2022. Mitch Garver is still arbitration eligible but it’s just not for the Twins after being traded to the Texas Rangers for (former Twins great) shortstop Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and right-handed pitcher Ronny Henriquez. Jake Cave signed a one year, $800K deal but then was DFA’d and outrighted to AAA-St. Paul a week later. Danny Coulombe and Juan Minaya were DFA’d and re-signed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Willians Astudillo, Rob Refsnyder, and John Gant were all DFA’d and released by the Twins. Astudillo and Refsnyder ended up getting Minor League pacts from the Miami Marlins and Boston Red Sox, respectively. Gant ended up signing a deal overseas with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan. This leaves us with the three Twins remaining who are arbitration eligible, one of which was acquired on the flurry of post lockout moves made by the club. Luis Arraez Our Offseason Handbook has him projected to make $1.5MM this year if the two sides cannot come to an agreement by the Tuesday deadline. Taylor Rogers The Twins lefty closer is projected to earn $7MM, per our Offseason Handbook. Another nuance of the arbitration process is that a super two player, which Rogers was post-2018, can then be eligible for a fourth year of arbitration. This is the case for Rogers in 2022 and, unless a contract extension buys him out, will be the case for Arraez in 2025. Gary Sanchez The newly acquired Sanchez is projected to make $7.9 MM by MLBTR and $7.5MM by Spotrac, and is in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Also worth noting is that Gio Urshela agreed to a $6.55MM pact with the Yankees prior to being traded and still has one year of arbitration remaining in 2023. Of the three arbitration eligible players, would you like to see any of them extended to buy out their remaining years? Let us know in the comments! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

If the Twins can get Montas using Balazovic and Arraez as the headliners, I will be ecstatic. Arraez might be the perfect fit for the OBP/moneyball ways of Billy Beane, but I personally don’t know if he’s viewed as the same caliber as the three hitters above.

The MLB Pipeline team released their preseason 2022 Top 100 that featured four Twins prospects. Two of the Twins are new to the list while a fifth Twins prospect, who made the cut in 2021, “just missed” in 2022. Let’s take a quick look at the Twins top 5 prospect. The last list from 2021 featured just three Twins after multiple players reached their rookie limits and “graduated” from the list during the 2021 season. The three players from the last installment of their rankings were shortstop Royce Lewis (#35), shortstop/center fielder Austin Martin (#36), and right-handed pitcher Jordan Balazovic (#81). Despite the various “graduates”, they were able to rebuild their farm systems a bit with the José Berríos and Nelson Cruz trades for an overall farm system ranking 15th out of the 30 MLB teams. It remains to be seen where they rank the farm system ahead of the 2022 season, so here’s what we know they think of the Twins top prospects. #46 Royce Lewis, Shortstop The former first overall pick has had a long, windy road since being drafted in 2017. Despite all of those challenges, the one thing that has remained consistent is his placement as a consensus top 100 prospect. The talent and the ceiling are there and now we hope that the various challenges he has overcome are behind him. He’ll likely spend all of the 2022 season between AA-Wichita and AAA-St. Paul, especially with the recent additions of Gio Urshela and Carlos Correa. Big picture I think this is a good thing as it allows him to focus on getting back into the game without the pressures of performing to get back to the big league club ASAP. #52 Austin Martin, Super Utility Martin has been another staple in the top 100 since being drafted 5th overall in 2020. Of course, that was always with the Toronto Blue Jays before being the headliner of the Berríos trade and immediately becoming the Twins second-best prospect. Even before Correa and a healthy Royce Lewis, he was already getting run as a center fielder instead of a shortstop. He’s good enough to be passable at any position aside from catcher, so he’ll eventually find his way to the Twins because of his bat…whether that’s in the infield, outfield, or all over is anyone's best guess. #95 Jose Miranda, Utility IF The only surprise here is that he barely cracked the top 100 after his spectacular 2021 season where he won Twins Minor Leaguer of the Year. Of course, there’s nothing from prior years that indicated this was coming or that it’s even repeatable so it’s probably fair he was ranked in the 90’s. Like the two before him, the offseason additions give him the time to prove 2021 was no fluke without the added pressure of needing to contribute to the big leagues right away in 2022. That said, if he starts to show that 2021 was not a flash in the pan, then I don’t know how they don’t give him an opportunity in Minneapolis. #97 Joe Ryan, Starting Pitcher Despite ending the season giving up six earned runs to the Detroit Tigers, Joe Ryan quickly established himself as the headliner of the Nelson Cruz trade and was penned in for the 2022 rotation. In his four other starts in 2021 he gave up six earned runs TOTAL while posting a 29:3 K:BB in 22 innings pitched despite throwing a fastball that averaged just 91 miles-per-hour. Despite the lack of velocity, Ryan is projected to be a mid-rotation starter due to the movement of that fastball up in the zone. If he can improve his offspeed pitches to counteract that high fastball, he’ll be a more than passable starter for years to come. #103 Jordan Balazovic, Right-Handed Pitcher Shortly after the top 100 was released, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline released the prospect who “just missed the top 100.” I’m guessing it was in order and Balazovic was third on the list which would make him prospect number 103 as he continues his dance as a top-100 / almost top-100 prospect since 2019. The last rendition of the rankings had him at #81, but part of the reason for the drop was hinted at in the article…his K rate dropped about 10 points in AA-Wichita compared to his previous four seasons in A-ball and below. I wouldn’t be surprised if Balazovic starts the year in AA-Wichita again, but eventually works up the chain to Minneapolis before the season is over. What’s ironic about all of this is that it very well could take two of these prospects (and more) to net Frankie Montas who the Twins are reportedly looking to acquire from the A’s. The good news in the short-term is that aside from Joe Ryan, the Twins aren’t counting on any of these guys to be contributors in 2022. Would you be okay trading two of these guys for Frankie Montas or should we hold and see how they develop this year? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

The Minnesota Twins have signed Chi Chi Gonzalez to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. This article will give you a look at Gonzalez’s background and what impact he might have on the team in 2022. Chi Chi Gonzalez is a 30-year-old, right-handed starting pitcher who has pitched over 260 innings as a starter (47 starts) and reliever (14 appearances) in the big leagues. He actually has ties to Twins General Manager, Thad Levine, who drafted him 23rd overall with the Texas Rangers in 2013, and made his major-league debut in 2015 with the club. He basically missed all of 2017 and 2018 recovering from Tommy John surgery but has 44 appearances (34 starts) over the last three years with the Colorado Rockies. Over 184 1/3 innings since 2019, Gonzalez had an uninspiring 6.10/5.48 ERA/FIP and a 1.66 K/BB ratio, but this signing isn’t of the same ilk as some others that Twins fans may be used to from the last couple of offseasons. Gonzalez’s arsenal (if you want to call it that) consists of primarily three pitches: a 92 mile per hour fastball, an 86 mile per hour slider with below-average movement, and an effective 84 mile-per-hour changeup that drops off better than most. Completely speculating here, but I wonder if the Twins think they can tinker that slider to be more effective which is a huge project to take on based on his Baseball Savant profile shown below. Over the last two offseasons, fans have grown frustrated by the one-year “show me something” type deals that have been handed out to the likes of Homer Bailey, JA Happ, Matt Shoemaker, etc. This deal quite literally has no risk or obligation to the Twins being that it’s a minor league deal. While the Twins are rumored to be involved in talks with higher impact teams and players, the fact is that right now the Twins rotation and bullpen are MAJOR works in progress. While Gonzalez might not make the big league club, he provides added competition to various young guys we have in camp. And ultimately, he becomes a depth piece should our prospects show that they need some additional seasoning in the minor leagues. It’s not an exciting move in the least, but you shouldn’t be viewing this deal as some of the others. Realistically, this acquisition will have little to no impact on the season and the offseason should be defined by whether the Twins are able to close on any of those rumored deals. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

Those rankings are Langenhagens from pre-2021. At the time Gordon was 25 years old, spent 7 years in minor league ball not including an 8th year at the alternate site. I’m not educated enough on the Twins system to know if there are 36 better guys, but it didn’t take me by surprise that he was 37 everything considered.

It’s been a little over a week since Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin released the Top 39 Twins Prospects ahead of the 2022 season. This article will look at the risers, fallers, and graduates from the 2021 season and quick notes on what to expect from them this season. Longenhagen was the lone author of the January 2021 rendition of the list so this will be an interesting comparison to see how he views these guys one year later. As a reminder, a player loses his rookie and prospect designation from the prospect list if they surpassed 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days on the active roster. With that defined, let’s start by looking at the graduates from the 2021 list sorted by their 2021 team prospect ranking. Graduates #1 (in 2021) Alex Kirilloff #3 Trevor Larnach #4 Ryan Jeffers #10 Gilberto Celestino #12 Brent Rooker #37 Nick Gordon The Twins graduated some of their best prospects early on in 2021 but the end results left (a lot) more to be desired. Kirilloff’s season ended in July due to a wrist injury but should be penned in as the opening day 1st basemen. Larnach ended the season in AAA after a second-half OPS of .480, but I would expect him to be the everyday left fielder at some point this season. Jeffers stuck around after his June 1st promotion but ended the season batting below the Mendoza line and a career-low (minors included) .401 slugging percentage. Celestino only got 59 at-bats but was on the roster for almost two full months where he slashed .136/.177/.288. I’m not sure what a role would look like for him in 2022 other than maybe the last guy on the roster used as a late-game defensive replacement and pinch-runner. Rooker, who had an exciting start to his career in 2020, was able to eclipse the Mendoza line…by a point…in 2021 but may not have a spot in the 2022 lineup without an injury or trade. Gordon was the lone bright spot and really carved out a role for himself as a super-utility ending the season with a .752 OPS in the last month. Top 3 Risers #3 Jose Miranda, UT (+17) It’s no surprise that the Twins Minor League Player of the Year shot up prospect boards after his meteoric 2021 season. With 30 home runs and a .973 OPS between AA-Wichita and AAA-St. Paul, the utility infielder will be one to keep an eye on during an abbreviated Spring Training although I wouldn’t anticipate him being with the Twins on Opening Day. #12 Marco Raya, RHP(+11) On the contrary from Miranda, it was surprising to see Raya jump 11 spots considering he has yet to see game action in 18 months with the Twins due to shoulder soreness in 2021. Raya has some electric stuff but a small frame.. It remains to be seen whether or not his stuff can play at the professional level and if he’ll be a starter or reliever. #4 Josh Winder, RHP (+9) Winder dominated AA-Wichita to the tune of a sub-2 ERA and struck out more than 10 batters per nine innings. That performance earned him a promotion to AAA-St. Paul where he didn’t find the same success in just four starts before being shut down with shoulder tightness. Honorable Mention: Spencer Steer, 2B (+9) “Top” 3 Fallers #24 Aaron Sabato, 1B (-16) Sabato’s 2021 wasn’t all bad…he ended on a high note with an OPS north of 1.000 after being promoted to high-A-Cedar Rapids in 75 at-bats. But when your value is almost exclusively as a power hitter, it’s hard to ignore the .410 slugging across the entirety of the season. He’s a non-roster invite to Spring Training but I’d imagine he’ll spend most of this season at AA-Wichita. #28 Blayne Enlow, LHP (-11) This fall is mostly attributed to needing Tommy John and missing most of the 2021 season and at least half the 2022 season. He’s still only 22 and the Twins believe in him enough to protect him from the Rule 5 draft this offseason, and he just might end up on the “risers” side of this list next year. #27 Chris Vallimont, RHP (-9) After encouraging 2018 and 2019 minor league seasons, he returned from a missed 2020 season and really struggled with his control, walking six batters per nine. He turns 25 in three days and hasn’t had any success past A-ball in three minor league seasons. He’s always been a starter, but he reworked some things in 2021 and if that doesn’t work, he may need to look at a relief role if he has a shot at being a Major League pitcher someday. I think 2022 will be the deciding factor on what his future looks like. Looking at Langenhagen’s 2022 list, who graduates, who rises, and who falls a year from now? Leave your thoughts in the comments! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

After 1,813 2/3 innings and more than 13 seasons at the Major League Level, Fansided reports that Francisco Liriano is hanging it up. Let's reflect on the career that was for the former Twins southpaw in a player retrospective. Francisco Liriano was signed as an international free agent in 2000 by the San Francisco Giants before being sent to the Twins in the A.J. Pierzynski trade following the 2003 season. At the time, Liriano was the 83rd ranked prospect in baseball, per Baseball America via Baseball Cube, and was the headliner in a trade that also netted the Twins Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser. Liriano would spend the majority of the next two seasons dominating at AA-New Brighton and AAA-Rochester before exploding onto the scene in 2006. Liriano started the season with the Twins as a reliever where he was quite effective posting a 3.22 ERA and a 32:4 K:BB over 22 1/3 innings pitched. On May 15th, the Twins decided to move struggling right-hander Carlos Silva to the bullpen and promote Liriano to the starting rotation where he went on to make 15 dominant starts with a 1.96 ERA/2.85 FIP, 3.9 K/BB ratio, and held opponents to a .238 wOBA. This stretch included being selected for the All-Star Game and bookended with back-to-back starts of double-digit strikeouts against Cleveland on July 23rd and the Detroit Tigers five days later. Ultimately, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, Liriano was shut down due to a strained ligament in his throwing arm after his start on August 7th. He needed Tommy John surgery after lasting just two innings against Oakland on September 13th. Despite starting the season in the bullpen and losing the last two months of the season to injury, the Twins rookie phenom affectionately dubbed “The Franchise” finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. It was 578 days between Major League starts for Liriano. He lasted just three starts before being sent to AAA-Rochester until August of 2008. He showed flashes of his old self in the last two months of the season, but it was clear he wasn’t the same pitcher from 2006. In fact, it wasn't until the 2010 season when the Twins got consistent, effective production from the former budding star. He even received Cy Young Award votes, but alas, that season ended up being a one-off. Aside from a (messy) no-hitter on May 3rd, 2011, the lefty struggled over the next 48 starts leading to him being dealt to division rival Chicago White Sox at the 2012 trade deadline for star-to-be Eduardo Escobar (thanks again, A.J.) and LHP Pedro Hernandez. His tenure with the White Sox lasted just two months and he spent the next three-and-a-half years with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he enjoyed a bit of a resurgence making 86 starts from 2013 to 2015 and posting a 3.26 ERA/3.23 FIP and a 9.6 K/9 but struggled with control walking 3.8 batters per nine innings. These control issues only got worse in 2016 which led to him being dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline and then again a year later from the Blue Jays to the Houston Astros. He spent 2017 with the Detroit Tigers making 26 starts but with a decreasing fastball velocity and K/9 coupled with an increasing BB/9, ERA, and FIP, it was clear that his run as an effective starter was over at 34 years old. Back in Pittsburgh for the juiced 2019 season, he had a bit of a renaissance as a reliever where he made 69 appearances with a respectable 8.10 K/9 and 3.47 ERA/4.14 FIP. He signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia in 2020 before being released ahead of the start of the season and then, in 2021, a minor-league deal with Toronto before being released ahead of that season. In his 13 roller coaster seasons, Francisco Liriano made 300 starts and 119 relief appearances. As a starter, he ended with a 4.16 ERA/3.88 FIP, striking out 1,682 batters, while as a reliever he had a 4.08 ERA/3.94 FIP and sitting down 133 hitters. He’s the ultimate “What Could Have Been?” story, but gave Twins fans one of the best 15 game stretches in franchise history. So with that in the forefront, let’s wish Francisco Liriano a happy and healthy retirement from Twins Territory by leaving your favorite story or memory in the comment section. View full article

I'm surprised at how many people are taking Miranda's lone monster season and assuming that he can sustain or repeat that. I don't know more than anyone else to for sure say 2021 was a fluke, but I'm also not sold that his 2016-2018 seasons aren't telling. Based on his scouting report, it sounds like he doesn't have a great glove and the Twins struggled defensively last year...who says he can't be the DH of the future?

Pineda technically isn't on the roster anymore. Maeda will miss at least half of 2022. Sure 2021 is Miranda's most recent season, but we have more data (2016-2018) that could indicate 2021 was a fluke. I'm not against putting my. marbles in that basket but I also think we should consider "selling high" unless we think he's the real deal.

The Twins needs to rebuild an entire pitching staff (3-4 starters and 3-4 spots in their bullpen) along with a shortstop and left fielder. They have some options who contributed in 2021 and some options in the minors who could contribute in 2022, but A LOT has to go right for them to contend. I don't see them contending in 2022.

Are any of those guys good at that position? Donaldson is no longer a great third basemen and is aging/declining, Arraez is not great at the position, and Miranda could be a one-year wonder and I'm not sure how he is defensively. His MLB.com scouting report says he "could be an offensive minded everyday utility player"...doesn't really sound like defense is considered a strength. The Twins struggled defensively last year and this would be a clear upgrade that would come with at least average offense.

There's no argument that Chapman is an upgrade defensively. We could argue that Donaldson is better offensively but given his age, recent health, and defensive decline a move to DH would make sense. What makes you so sure that 2021 wasn't a fluke for Miranda? He's never put up numbers near what he did last year. Could it be real? Absolutely. Could it be a fluke? Absolutely. My take...we have a plethora of IF (Polanco Arraez, Lewis, Martin, Cavaco, etc.) that makes some of them expendable. I wouldn't trade two guys (Polanco and Arraez) who have proven to contribute at the MLB level and (Lewis, Martin, Cavaco, etc.) aren't going to be enough to net Chapman.

Recently the A’s General Manager, David Forst was quoted as saying “we have to listen and be open to whatever comes out of this”, speaking of the organization's financial situation. Should the Twins pursue the best defensive third baseman in baseball? Twins Daily's own Cody Christie broached this very topic two years ago when Chapman was coming off monster 2018 and 2019 seasons that earned him MVP votes in each season and an All-Star Appearance in 2019. At that time Cody speculated that the package would start with Byron Buxton and include a couple prospects based on Chapman’s recent performance and four years of team control remaining. Since then, Chapman has added a third Gold Glove to his resume, but has regressed a little on the offensive side of the ball coming off a career-low 101 wRC+ in the 2021 season. Furthermore, he’s now only under team control for two more years which diminishes his value a little more. As Forst suggested in the full quote to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, letting other teams hand out big contracts is “the cycle for the A’s”. You might remember current Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson was once an up-and-coming star for the Oakland Athletics before getting shipped to the Toronto Blue Jays for Franklin Barreto, Kendall Graveman, Brett Lawrie, and Sean Nolin... none of which were Top 100 prospects at the time and none of which have made much of an impact on the field for the A’s. OOF. The similarities between 2014 Donaldson and 2021 Chapman are quite surprising. Both players were/are 28 years old. Donaldson had one-year of team control whereas Chapman has two-years. Donaldson had two monster years and so has Chapman. Both were/are considered among the best defenders in the league. Albeit the Donaldson trade was seven years ago, can the Twins really get away with trading for Chapman without giving up a top 100 prospect? To answer that question let's look at a more recent traded involving a star third baseman on a small market team. Back in February of this year, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired Nolan Arenado and $51 million while giving up the following: LHP Austin Gomber - never top 100, 219.1 IP, 4.27 FIP, 2.35 K/BB INF Mateo Gil - never top 100, #22 prospect in COL system in 2020, unranked in 2021 INF Elehuris Montero - never top 100, #7 prospect in COL system in 2020, #4 in 2021 RHP Toney Locey - never top 100, #15 prospect in COL system in 2020, unranked in 2021 RHP Jake Sommers - never top 100, unranked in COL system in 2020 & 2021 Looking at that list of names and their resumes, there is definitely some more recent precedent that indicates the Twins may not have to “sell the farm” to acquire Chapman from the A’s, who I think most would rank below Arenado in terms of providing value to a team (not to mention the $51 million toss-in). So with all that said, what does a trade with the A’s look like involving Chapman? First thing the Twins would have to do is move on from Donaldson, who was shopped at the trade deadline, or get him to agree to be the primary Designated Hitter and relieve Chapman at third base as-needed. The former seems like a more realistic option than the latter, although the metrics clearly show that Donaldson has lost a step (or multiple steps) at the hot corner. Once we’ve opened third base, then comes working with the A’s on a deal keeping in mind the precedent that has been set and the ongoing CBA negotiations that could make any teams tentative to be aggressive until they have a more clear picture on what the next CBA entails. With that said, here are some names I would shop/include in a deal for Matt Chapman: Jose Miranda - yes, he’s coming off a monster 2021 minor league season but was that real or sustainable? Nobody knows. This could be an opportunity to sell high and what better option than giving the A’s their third basemen of the future. Josh Winder, Matt Canterino, Blayne Enlow - you can never have enough pitching but seven of their top ten prospects are pitchers which afford them some flexibility to part with one. You might have to add in another low level prospect or two, but I think it makes a lot of sense to sell high on Miranda if you’re getting a young-ish third basemen in return who you have at least two years of team control over with the ability to negotiate an extension to keep him in a Twins uniform through his prime. Are you interested in seeing Matt Chapman as a Twins if it means giving up Donaldson, Miranda, and a couple other prospects? View full article