tony&rodney

We all can agree that the money is stupid big. That is a reality. The Twins signed Kirby to the biggest contract in baseball. A larger contract shortly thereafter broke that record. Fans pay the bills but the prices don't come down. The support for a team comes from the interest in that team. Winning is big but an exciting product is important as we saw from last year. Signing Correa allows the Twins an opportunity to blend in prospects as they are ready and also means that the team can trade for other needs. I think it was short-sighted to push the entire Correa deal into the offseason because the prices just keep going up. The owners, led by Manfred, cried poverty all last offseason. Now? It turns out there are piles of gold coins just sitting around. Who knew? If the Twins cannot sign anyone or complete a trade or two, let the kids play. Further, if the market is so crazed for pitching maybe Falvey should be looking to see the worth of Gray to another team. I would like to see Falvey sign Carlos Correa and trade for Sean Murphy and Pablo Lopez. Then again, maybe that's nuts. It should be interesting to see what transpires in 2023.

Interesting. Stanton will never opt out. His contract pays $32, $32, $32, $29, $25, $10 or $160 million total. He has a full no trade too. Donaldson might be tough for the Twins to move at $29 million owed. Hicks has looked like toast but is less expensive for $10.5, $9.5, $9.5, and $1 million or $30.5 million. Severino is a deal for $15 million. The Twins would be skittish at the site of these contracts for three players they don't want, but the biggest issue may be that the Yankees may not be open to losing Luis Severino despite the financial relief. This is a creative idea however and you present it well. My only other comment is that Yankee prospects always seem to receive outsized publicity.

Kepler still has the potential to have an excellent career. He has, undoubtedly, hit a low point for the Twins. I've mentioned before that Max doesn't seem too happy when the cameras catch him, but I surely don't know that that is true. Kepler would be a solid guess as a player who is re-energized by a fresh start with a different team. However, as a long time fan of Kepler, I wish he could be an All Star for the Twins. He is an excellent defender and baserunner and consistently the most fundamentally sound player on the team. He often takes good at bats but his at bats were sad last season in their ending. Maybe it is time to let him flourish elsewhere. If I'm looking for an outfielder to acquire via trade, Max Kepler has the skills needed to fill the position.

I have only watched the Miami pitchers on video, never in person and not more than ten times. Thus, my opinion is very narrow on the Marlin guys mentioned. That said, I feel each comes with superior upside to the current cast of Twins starters. I also have some strong optimism concerning the abilities of some Twins prospects at the plate (Wallner, Lewis, Martin, Julien). I'm open to dealing combinations of players to get one or two pitchers. Larnach, Miranda, Arraez, and others such as Kepler, Polanco, and Jeffers are all available; pretty much anyone in a fair trade. It shouldn't require more than an Arraez, Larnach/Kepler, Winder/Ober plus A ball player to trade for Lopez and Cabrera, but the two teams should match up for a deal. I'm open to whatever parameters Falvey finds.

This is the allure of signing free agents - no need to trade our precious; sign Vasquez.

Agree.

We don't know who is available or the price but Woodruff and Lopez are two that come to mind as pitchers who jump to the front of the line in my opinion, although many surely may disagree with me. Rodon is the free agent available but we are not privy to the finances available to sign him much less the interest.

Looking quickly through some recent attendance numbers it seems like the Padres and Twins were pretty close in 2017-2019. The last three years there has been a growing gap. In 2022, the Padres pulled in more than a million more fans than the Twins. The Twins were in 1st place most of the season and the Padres had some issues. It appears that the Padres fans are more excited by the brand of baseball played by their team than the Twins fans are for their team. Butts in seats still means something. So a better media deal and a million plus extra fans creates a gap between these two teams in their finances. I would suggest that station to station baseball, poor fundamental play, and management style turned off some Twins fans. In any event, the front office needs to figure a way to get more people into Target Field in 2023. My two cents is to field a more exciting team.

All in? Do the Twins need to add a starting pitcher with skill, such as Pablo Lopez or better, or a burgeoning talent like Edward Cabrera? This is something Falvey is reckoning with right now. I would say, yes, the Twins need someone to put at the top of their rotation. A guy on the top moves everyone else down, protects against one injury, and makes the young guns earn their position. Of course, nothing is guaranteed with pitching but there is a reason that deGrom received such a humongous contract despite missing so much time. Pitching still matters. Do they need to go all in? No, because they get to play 162 games even if they lose 85-100 contests next year. If the goal is to reach the 85-95 wins level, then yes, the Twins need help.

Every individual has their view - Pablo Lopez is an excellent starting pitcher or Pablo Lopez isn't that good. Hopefully, the Twins have some means to evaluate talent correctly and acquire a starting pitcher. I like Lopez.

10/$300 million should be the ceiling for Correa. What I don't know is if Correa/Boras communicated a solid figure in November or whether this is a game of one-ups-man-ship to the end. Would a 10/$300M offer have been accepted in October?

Is it fair to say that MLB owners and Manfred have totally obliterated their view that baseball is in financial trouble? San Diego sure found some cash. I guess the Twins got lucky they didn't sign all of Happ, Shoemaker, Bundy, and Archer to 3/$50 contracts.

Sure hope the Twins are able to get a catcher. Last December it seemed like a possible strength or at least respectable position. Vasquez or Narvaez or trade for Murphy or a Blue Jay .... something.

These contracts are never a financial burden to the teams from major markets. Peanuts for the Yankees.

Judge signed for what was expected and with the team expected. The Yankees have the money and Judge nearly single-handedly carried his team into the playoffs. I do not believe that there is any relationship between the Judge signing and what Correa seeks or receives in his contract.

Knowing nothing .... why do I think that Max Kepler has not been happy playing for the Minnesota Twins the past two years and that his demeanor has greatly affected the outcome of those two seasons?

What I see is that teams need to be proactive if their finances are limited. This is certainly difficult but looking back is pointless in frustrating ways. What was Sano worth after 2019? So what is the market for Ryan, Arraez, or Miranda in 2022? I'm not suggesting that the Twins should necessarily trade any or all of these guys but the Twins need to think about what they want their team to look like going forward and be active. I do think that Falvey and Sons do look forward and think about the team but their actions are also somewhat hesitant and less than bold. The strategy of waiting has not been so kind to the team except in the case of landing Correa, which I believe to be an anomaly. I'm hoping for a signing, maybe two and a couple of good trades.

Julien looks a little like Arraez with power and a bit more savvy on the bases. The onus is on management to identify the best talent and put it on the field. Injuries and bad luck have seemingly dogged the team recently but the pendulum can swing at any time. One thing remains clear - the Twins need a top of the rotation pitcher and Carlos Rodon may be beyond reach financially leaving trades as the sole savior for this off season.

Exactly.

That rumor has passed away. Sadly.

This is where I'm at with the roster. Deal for Lopez or/and Cabrera from Miami and harass the Brewers to give up Burnes or more realistic, Woddruff.

Four years at $120 M or 5/$135 seemed to be the early market. Now, i think someone goes six years, just not the Twins. Who knows - there appears to be plenty of money floating around.

Vasquez would be a solid addition and cost nothing. Yes, I would prefer Sean Murphy but Vazquez is pretty good for a pickup to split duties with Jeffers.

Much ado about nothing. The price of pitching is high. The Twins need to be willing to deal anyone in the right trade. Burnes, Woodruff, others are pretty good and keep any team in most every game. Arraez is so much fun to watch hit but a TOR guy can really settle down a rotation just like the biggest of bats, Aaron Judge. One thing is sure, Twins should be actively talking and considering all angles. Jose Miranda had a terrific first year but if he was packaged for the right return, Falvey needs to get it done.

Right now it sure looks like all of the leverage is with the players/agents. The Manfred statements about the dire financial situation across baseball is in the rear view mirror. The Twins have options with drafting, development, health, trades, and free agents. The strategy of waiting out the market is always an option too, but one that is looking dim. There are opportunities and the next week should shake loose a number of deals across baseball. Hopefully Falvey identifies some deals, some of which may be costly in either players and/or money. I don't believe deadlines is one of the options.