Finlander

Yes - Solano and Farmer are established. We're still waiting on some of our prospects to become so. It hasn't happened yet. Farmer provides IF depth with the main asset being protection at SS. Solano is a proven .280 hitter who can man 1st base if Kirilloff isn't ready. The infield experience, depth, and flexibility looks like a smart move to me. Too many times last year I remember scanning the batting averages and OBAs in a Twins box score, and seeing most of the players hitting around .220-230 with OBAs below .300. It is tough to win games with a lineup like that. Adding established players who are decent fielders and can actually get hits has to be a positive. The division is there for the taking if the team stays healthier than last year, but I think these players could also help get some wins in the playoffs.

A corollary subtitle for this article may have been "Was 2019 Hitting Coach James Rowson Underrated". With the juiced baseball that year and his departure afterwards it may be hard to determine. I'll be curious to see how he does in Detroit this year. As a previous poster pointed out, all major league teams hit the same juiced baseball, so I think that legitimizes the greatness of the Bombas in 2019. I have to believe Rowson had some contribution to it.

The Twins have 4 gold glove caliber outfielders in Gallo/Buxton/Kepler, with Taylor backup. And with Correa back and Sanchez added to help solidify catching, the pitching staff should be jumping up and down with joy. I don"t understand the concern about lefthanded corner outfielders. Why aren't those same people crying about the righthanded pitching rotation? Gallo looks like a good LF solution who backs up 1B. Farmer is a superior SS backup to Urshela, at half the salary with an extra year of control, and he helps at catching depth. Yes, taken as a whole, maybe this isn't an ideal roster construction. But, given the timeframe and sequence of events, the team looks pretty good for making a run at a winnable division. Beyond the Larnach/Wallner/Kirilloff prospect group, there are mainly infielders at top tier of near-ready prospects. Several will see some action this year. Some are disappointed Kepler hasn't been moved yet to relieve the corner OF stockpile. I wouldn't be surprised if Larnach or Wallner is moved in a deal instead - likely would fetch a better return. And Twins would still have the greatest defensive OF in baseball.

Marlins have stated they are looking for ready or near-ready bats. You can be sure they aren't considering MN as their only trading partner. They've got pitching to deal, and they're open for business. We'd have to prepare to lose some talent to beat offers from other teams (i.e., candidates like Santander, Hays, Mullins from Baltimore), or we'd have to get creative, like taking on the Jorge Soler contract to reduce the amount of player value we'd need to send to Florida. I wonder what they'd need to include Meyer (coming off surgery) in a deal with another pitcher like Cabrera. Would be nice to bring Meyer back home. If he's healthy he's nasty. I'd probably be okay with an offer based around Lewis, Kepler and Arraez for Cabrera, Meyer, Soler. But I wouldn't mind checking first to see what it might take to get Glasnow from Tampa Bay or Sale out of Boston if he's willing to head here.

Gray was frustrated at times last year by Baldelli's quick hook. I'm guessing that he won't be interested at all in extending with MN unless he's going deeper into games in 2023. That's probably why his name is being thrown out there as a candidate. Arraez is an elite talent with the bat. Positionless? Why not do away with the rotating DH and put him there essentially full time? Nobody had a problem with Nellie Cruz there. Bad knees? Remember Tony Oliva? And Arraez has enough defensive versatility to play the field on occasion. I'd only include him in a package to get two arms back in a deal, say for Miami's Cabrera and Luzardo. The paths for playing time for both Martin and Lewis look to be redundant - so I'd be okay moving either one in a deal. I think many of our best trade pieces are still in "prove it" mode though, so I don't think the Twins would make a large deal before seeing them perform in spring training. Potential trading partner teams would like to see them too.

Pitchers should be more interested in coming to MN now. Adding Correa and Vasquez to the "up-the-middle" field lineup should appeal to FA pitchers considering Twins offers. Build it, and they will come. A pitcher on another team with a no-trade clause, such as Sale, may now be a little more inclined to waive it for MN. (Boston looks like they have some problems up the middle btw...) I love this deal and how it was structured to be very affordable at the back end. Correa and Buxton look like they have a true bond, and it was also good to see Correa take interest in Miranda. I'm guessing that CC's presence will discourage MN from including Miranda in any trade offers.

I like Jurickson Profar as an option until the young guys are ready. He's a switch hitter, sorry I didn't look up his splits. Not a big bat, but he takes a walk and can hit a bit. Mostly LF these days, but has been versatile defensively. I think he's still only 29 years old too - hard to believe! If not him, I guess I like Mancini for a comeback year out of the three choices from the article.

Twins want to corner the market on #4 starters! Actually, he doesn't seem to give up a ton of dingers, he's a pretty good ground ball pitcher. We'd better have a shortstop in place though if we would rely on Wacha to be effective with this team.

I wouldn't call 25 doubles, 7 triples, 13 dingers and a stolen base champ a "black hole" offensively. And his elite fielding does justify his consideration for a stopgap candidate along with Farmer to hold the fort at SS for at least the front of 2023. His prospect pedigree in Oakland is legit. He does strikeout a bit more than he should, and he hasn't learned to take a walk. Other teams are in on him though, and that will drive the price up. Twins shouldn't give up a blue chipper for him, but they should consider a couple of decent lower level prospects. The team would have the option to flip him at the deadline for maybe more prospect talent than they give up, when the healthy return of Lewis is established. Twins have other needs, and I hope they're addressed somehow. But I think they could make room for a defensive wizard with 99th percentile burner speed and a little pop at a position that is thin. It's ludicrous to compare him to Florimon.

I was really puzzled to see a lefty swinging corner signed, when that seems to be our deepest player type. Many are assuming this means Kepler is gone, and I can buy that idea. However, I'm concerned this signing may indicate a difficult or unclear recovery for Kirilloff after his unusual bone-shortening surgery. It bears watching this spring. The "evil empire" could actually be a trade fit should we try again. We did pretty well last year clearing Donaldson out. Let's keep John Ryan Murphy out of this deal (Aaron Hicks too) and send Kepler and a prospect for Domingo German, who seems the odd man out of the NY rotation.

If the Twins as a team has "woefully underproduced" and has had a "perpetual inability to cash in on scoring opportunities", I don't see how that is fixed by signing one aging and expensive hitter who is not a solid fielder. We have options at 1B. To me it sounds more like they need an effective hitting coach.

Price gouging can be reduced by less demand, and less demand can happen through sharing information such as those price comparisons. Yes, there will be plenty of people who want (and can afford) the next bright new shiny thing. Don't weep for their spent money. But for others, when shopping, consider that 1, those other three teams are arguably assembled to be closer to a championship game and 2, the signatures are from legitimate HOF-potential caliber players. If the Twins develop, produce, or acquire a similar talent and have their signature on a jersey, I'll buy one. For now I am content with my Tony Oliva baseball bat from the 60s.

We shouldn't forget the Twins' lack of catching depth. Farmer gives them an emergency backstop along with someone who can hold down the fort at SS while waiting for Lewis. That's assuming a higher profile SS isn't signed. I liked Ursula. But he's primarily a 3B, and Twins are pretty deep there. Getting a guy who plays short makes sense. And the catching is a bonus.

I like Teoscar, and I also wonder if L Gurriel could be available out of Toronto. Guess we'd prefer a CF-capable piece. Bellinger I'd reject mainly because he's a lefty. Happ would likely cost us too much in trade. Kike is also interesting, but the hip flexor is a concern. Maybe if Boston threw Sale into the deal and ate most of his salary...lol.

Its been true for a while that Toronto and Minnesota could match up well for a trade of outfielders, with Twins too heavy on lefty swingers and Jays being very right-handed throughout. We might be able to pluck a spare catcher from them in the right package deal too.

Root for the NL team this year...

Miranda and Julien may have been the prime reasons the Twins were able to make Steer available last year. Julien looks like a nice hitting prospect if he can continue to lower his K rate. It does seem that the team has had more than its share of positionless minor league hitters who strike out a lot despite their "good hitting eye". Rooker, Sabato, et al are some that come to mind. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more .275/.330/.410 types that are plus defenders at defined positions. But it definitely looks like the scouting department did a good job in finding Julien that late in the draft, and I agree with a previous post that he could be Polanco's eventual replacement at 2B.

Arraez had one of the highest batting averages in the league with runners on. Can't remember if the stat was just with runners on, or runners in scoring position, sorry...he hit something like .371 though from what I recall. Much better than "average"... Wonder if Boston would consider moving Sale. Shouldn't cost a ton, and they might even eat some salary. I had wondered the same about Tampa and Glasnow, as they generally trade their bigger salaries away. There's two "aces" to explore for starters.

Agree no Benetendi...we have too many LH hitting OFs on the roster already. Beyond that, what we really need is HEALTHY hitters. Look at the injuries...wow...our whole OF was out. Polanco was out. Jeffers was out. Correa and Arreaz were dinged up a bit. That's nearly the entire starting lineup. I like the idea of RH hitting Haniger. Zunino may be more in our price range for catching, as the Cubs gave Contreras a qualifying offer. Don't think we want to dump a draft pick this time around for him. We should give the Larnach/Kirilloff/Lewis type prospects a chance to show what they can do when healthy. I think Ursela is a stable keeper until one of the corner prospects shows a better glove.

To continue the armchair GM thread....I think Minnesota and Toronto could match up well in swapping outfielders. The Jays are extremely right-handed, while the Twins have so many lefty OF bats. Might Gurriel or Hernandez be available? We could send, say, Larnach, and maybe add Kepler as a sweetener to help balance laterality of the corner OFs for both teams... I like Wallner, but his K rate approaches Sano territory. 128 games, 170 Ks in AA/AAA. Ouch. Rate is pretty high so far with the Twins. It's fun when he does make contact, and he is pretty fast for a tall guy. Hopefully his Ks come down. Kirilloff is probably the most talented hitter of the three lefty swinging corners, but we'll have to wait until spring to see where he's at with his swing. I think Larnach still has plenty of upside he hasn't touched yet. A previous post mentioned his improvement against lefty pitching. I agree, he was hanging in there nicely. He sure has a love affair with left-center though; hope he learns to pull a bit. Could come in handy during the next playoff series against the Yankees in a year or three. It all comes down to health for these guys. I'd like to see one of them moved in a package for an established righty corner OF. A starter, not a backup. Outrageous ask? Hope not..

I'd wonder if the production spike in September coincided at all with facing less talented pitching near end of season. Was he seeing the less talented holdovers who were not promoted out of AA, and newly promoted pitching from lower levels? Beyond that question, I do see the tendency of many posts referring to lack of power. They must yearn for the La Bomba days. Not so many years ago remenber the team was winning due to the Piranhas. It is a bit surprising that Baldelli doesn't take more advantage of moving runners into scoring position with speed and fundamental strategies, as he himself was a power/speed combo as a player. I would have no problem with comping Martin with Whit Merrifield as an admittedly very hard-to-achieve ceiling. Fits, right down to defensive positions (2B/CF), build (around 6' or 6'1" and around 190 lbs), speed, and hitting eye. Whit has shown more power, but other than one spike year at 19 dingers he sits around 10 or 12 annually. Maybe Martin is around half that. So what. He can still knock runs in with doubles. Not everybody has to be a power/RBI guy on the team. Gotta get on base to score runs. Martin, like Arraez and probably Lewis, will do that. If we don't value on-base skills and speed, then we should trade those assets to teams that do. I'll be looking forward to seeing what he does this fall in Arizona.

The complaints about prospects being held back in the minors might be valid for a losing/rebuilding team, but don't forget the Twins were a division leader flirting with the best record in the AL for part of the season. That's not the time for experimenting with and training rookies and having to deal with game-losing mistakes. The growth in Duran, Gordon, Ryan and Miranda this year speaks well to the Twins' approach. Injuries have derailed the progress of Kirilloff, Larnach, Lewis, Balazovic, and others. Back on subject - Wallner seems to be adept at adjusting to each level. It also appears he has improved on his K and BB rates as a hitter, and he looks and moves like a good athlete. His defense will need some work, but he's not a disaster out there. I'd look forward to seeing him pitch an inning in mop up duty sometime. A reasonable comp for him might be at least a lefty swinging Tom Brunansky with more pop. No reason he can't meet or exceed that. With 5 or 6 lefty swinging OFs on the roster, someone's going to be moved/dropped. I think Wallner is a keeper.

Assuming he invests wisely, he will never have to be an Uber driver again. Think JoeFish is onto something about the crackdown on sticky fingers...

I miss Bert. The chemistry between him and Bremer was obvious over the years. That final year was difficult - maybe pandemic burnout and goofy rule changes contributed to Bert's more "grumpy" attitude. But I think Bremer worked better with him in the booth. He's been stumbling a bit more with the rotation of new color commentators. I've always enjoyed consummate pro Jim Kaat, and I'm a fan of Marney Gellner's work. The rest all need some seasoning. I'm guessing Bremer will be gone soon if there isn't an upgrade in the booth. Earlier this year there was an on-field interview with Tyler Duffey during a game (back when he was pitching effectively). His voice, communication skills and baseball insights were all a nice surprise, to the point that it greatly contrasted to who has been cycled into the color slot in the booth recently. Once he's done pitching, I'm guessing he has a broadcasting career ahead of him if he wants it.

Rotation suggestion seems to be spot on. Archer should be shut down. Winder looked promising in his first two starts. His subsequent shoulder impingement issue was unfortunate, but he appears to be coming back from that. He could be useful in the pen, along with Sands, although his K rate is not impressive - wanted to point out that we have a couple more arms for consideration.