Finlander

Miranda seems like a fit for the "non-allstar" 1B/DH slot DocBauer requests. He's been the best clutch hitter on the team. Hopefully we'll get a chance to see how the Kirilloff/Larnach/Wallner corner decisions shake out, if the first two ever get healthy. I'd like to see Correa opt in next year. A contending team shouldn't rely on unproven rookies in such an important defensive position. Beyond SS and second catcher, we don't seem to be in bad shape with the lineup going into next year. The pitching could use an arm or three, but let's see where Maeda is before worrying too much about the rotation. I agree the bullpen could use more help. But I think mainly the Twins need some strong lefthanded pitching in their staff or system, whether starting or relieving. What have we had in the rotation? Smeltzer, Perez, Scott Diamond....we're overdue for a nasty lefty. I'd try to trade low for Sale, who is unpopular in Boston these days, and have Boston eat some of that contract. Absent that...please open the checkbook for Mr Rodon!

He's been getting clutch hits consistently for a while now. It will be interesting to see how opposing pitchers adjust their respect level and approach to him, and then how he adjusts to their adjustments. Agreed with a previous post, it HAS been great to watch him blossom against MLB pitching.

Nobody has mentioned defense. Everyone has compared the lineups strictly by their offensive output. We're holding our own in run scoring capability. I think the X factor separating Chicago and Minnesota is the platinum glove guys we have at SS and CF. The WSox defense has been costing them as many games as our bullpen has for us. That said, I hope we go out and get some more pitching soon. The staff seems to be on life support and we can't count on the eventual injury returns to be effective. I'd like to also see a catching acquisition. That could really help the pitching staff as well. I'm not concerned as much about a catcher's OPS+ as what he does behind the plate. Sanchez can hit an occasional bomb but he's not known to be defensively helpful to his pitchers.

(Sorry, spellcheck mangled "Cincy", and the "h" didn't take root in Pittsburgh...fat thumbs on cell phone)

Agreed, Sano DFA'd seems most likely. Reluctantly agree adding impact bat least likely, but not impossible. Contreras? Soto? Would sure look great! They will look to add pitching, but hard to determine their mindset on priority regarding whether help is most needed in top of rotation or in relief. It wouldn't surprise me to see them address multiple needs with one trade. Oakland, Cindy, Miami, Arizona, Anaheim, Texas, Pittsburg all look to be potential matchups for a larger deal, and there are likely other fits too.

It seems like we're overflowing with lefty hitting corners. I'd thin that out, along with some upside prospect pitching, for a true #1-2 starting pitcher. We arguably haven't had a true #1 since Johan Santana. Early Liriano probably would have been, if not for injury. I'd keep Miranda simply because he is a right handed masher that is proving he belongs, and I'd like seeing his bat in the lineup between a couple lefties in upcoming years. This past winter and spring everyone was predicting "lousy fielding no power" Arraez as the likely trade candidate. I hear only crickets about that now. A legit #1-2 controllable starter, some bullpen help, and some catching depth are needed for both now and the future. Let's be prepared to lose some good prospects. And let's not forget about the Levi Michaels/Blankenship/Restovich types that we held for too long.

The 40 man will be overflowing after this year and tough decisions would have to be made. Why not make those decisions easier by dealing some pieces to help our pitching staff? The recent bullpen implosions have been painful to watch, and the pen is being stressed by rotation members who struggle to get through 4 innings. More should be expected from a division leading team. We have plenty of corners. We have middle IF types. We have some promising arms. We have some positionless bats. Can't fit them all next year. Canterino, Cavaco, Steer, Sabato...anyone should be available. We need a couple of beasts on the staff today.

Few if any have commented on how the potential roles of Lewis and Martin may play into the CF depth. Also, having seen that Wallner dinger swing against a lefties in the Futures game, I wouldn't rule him out of the corner OF projections.

The deal made sense when considering where you want to be on the return-on-investment and controllability curves. With a trade that close to season start, the Twins must have seen some things on their pitching staff during the spring that prompted their decision. Maybe concerns about Rogers' health. Maybe the emergence of Duran. I wish they would have included a better sweetener and shot for a Musgrove or a Manaea instead of Paddock, as SD was loaded with starting pitching. We lost our pitching coach mid-season. Who woulda thunk?! I don't think the timing of the recent bullpen implosions are a coincidence. I guess the lack of lefties on the Twins staff is concerning when looking at opposing lefty hitters in potential playoff matchups. Go get Soto plus a high K% rightie and we'll be fine. Deal some prospects. Hope that some of our injured pitchers can come back and contribute for the stretch run.

This bullpen staff doesn't look like it would have a chance of survival in the post season, if we even get there. Tyler Duffey epitomizes the staff collapse - no idea how he sunk so quickly. He had looked like a closing candidate right after the Taylor Rogers deal. Agreed it is "buyer beware" for any deals, especially pitching moves. But I'd love to see one or two G. Soto, D. Bednar, A Munoz types added to the bullpen right now. We have the prospect depth to do it.

Face it, the impact of the pandemic on prospect development is real, and it affects comparison to development paths of the past. The two prospects have skills that are acknowledged by MLB talent evaluators. It remains to be seen how those skills develop. As for Berrios...I wonder if he has been affected by the crackdown on sticky substances combined with the change in the baseball this year. Hopefully it is something like that rather than an injury. I enjoy seeing that Bugs Bunny breaking ball make fools out of Yankee hitters.

GET. SOME. PITCHING. NOW.

Activating Sano will probably coincide with a package trade for pitching made by the Twins to clear a roster spot for him on the 40. I haven't studied the stats in detail, but it does seem that his hot streaks occur more consistently in the second half of a season. Granted, this is essentially like his spring training now, but maybe temperatures have something to do with his comfort level. Who knows...a hot Sano could be a nice weapon off the bench during the stretch run or a playoff series. He is one of the few hitters we have that can absolutely frighten an opposing pitcher when he is on.

Dobnak may still be an option for stretch run if he can do anything at all. He should be due to come off the 60 day unless there's been a setback. He won't save the season, but maybe he could help eat some innings.

Twins seem to have many corner pieces around. I'd much rather see a corner player dealt for pitching help than Correa. Why trade an all-world defender with an explosive bat who has post season experience and is by all accounts a positive in the clubhouse? I'm wondering if the Twins may have to abandon the idea of Larnach and Kirilloff becoming the next M&M boys and deal one of them.

I meant to reply on this topic, but delayed by a connection glitch, sorry. Keep Correa, do not trade. He is a proven winner and the best defender in baseball at his position. He and Buxton are all-world up the middle, and Polanco seems to have taken a step forward defensively as well. Ursela continues to amaze at 3B. Good defense is contagious, and pitchers love it. Lewis will have his time - let's just feel fortunate he is playing well and healthy after his last couple of years. He can learn from Correa. Second comment regarding trading partners, nobody mentioned Seattle. I know they have Crawford, but if they're in the hunt Trader Jack might step up for Correa - it would be fun to see Correa battling against his former team in a division race. And they match up well with Minnesota, plenty of pitching in their system. Hopefully Correa stays here though. Finally, a question: if Correa does opt out, don't the Twins get a compensation pick in the next draft? If so, I'd argue that the pick may be more valuable than what a team might offer the Twins in trade for a 2 month rental - another reason for not trading him.

I think getting his feet wet this year, rather than last year, is fine. The team vibe is more positive, they are winning. Also, roster additions like Correa, Ursela and Sanchez bring preparation routines and playoff experience. This all makes for an ideal learning environment for Miranda. I'm not sure how it would have been for him last September on a disappointing team. He will likely need more seasoning in St Paul when injured players return. But he'll be back.

You neglected to mention Duran making the club and being impressive out of the pen. He converted his first save opportunity last night during Miranda's debut.

Anybody miss James Rowson yet? Jeter and Mattingly sure wanted him badly enough to lure him to Florida. I still wonder how hard the Twins tried to hang on to him. Duran's debut was exciting. Maybe some more of these young guns are close to ready.

Paddack's low-grade UCL tear is concerning, otherwise the deal makes sense. I wouldn't rule out Paddack becoming a two pitch bullpen weapon once the Winder/Balazovic/Sands et al rotation entries start. I think the Twins must really like what they've seen in the spring from their young guns.

Nobody has addressed the elephant in the room: Ursela's unexpected hitting output surge in 2019 was likely affected by the juiced ball. Prior to that he was a utility man with a good glove, could hit a little bit. Meanwhile, oft-injured Donaldson had demonstrated an all star type bat over several seasons. To expect Ursela to return to 2019 hitting levels is unrealistic, unless the lively ball is brought back.

I don't think Falvey's comments were aimed at the fans. They were likely poker bluffs for the GMs at the other end of any in-progress or postponed trade talks. "Naw, we're fine, we like where we're at"... Given that, yes it is disappointing once again to be scraping the dregs from the bargain bin and the rehab center. Thoracic outlet surgery. Hmm. Correa is likely not impressed. How many Shoemaker experiments do we have to suffer through while wasting a lineup that had been primed for post season action? I wonder if a collective morale sag caused so much underachieving last season. Hopefully there is a trade path started for acquiring quality pitching help. And there are teams other than Oakland to match up with.

The point about age was related to potential health, not money or contractual status. IKF is just entering his prime years physically, while Garver is probably on the decline. We have the catching position at least covered defensively with younger guys, but we did need a shortstop. This will fill that hole for now while Lewis, Martin and others are developing. (And, as a bonus, IKF is our 3rd catcher!)

Nice deal. Our AA and AAA prospects were untouched, adding a solid starter plus another depth arm for the minors in exchange for a barely out of high school arm with a long ways to go. I like! Now let's see a package put together for Montas or one of the Miami hurlers to complete the starting staff, and consider signing big Mike for the bullpen or a rotation safety net.

With the thin catching market and the addition of the DH to NL, I do admit wondering what kind of pitching might have been obtained in return for a package including Garver.