Han Joelo

Awesome stuff as usual. Good intro to many lesser known young prospects. Thanks

With the exception of Jorge, who has a pretty good floor, IMO, any of those other 4 guys could have the sort of season, that when combined with their pedigrees, could shoot them up the rankings--or in Jay's case, into the Major Leagues. Every time I see a "Rortveldt is too high" comment, it makes me think about the various backup catchers the Twins have traded and traded for, and how hard it is to judge catchers, especially relative to other players. I have no idea if this is a fair ranking for Ben.

They should sign Garcia, and then trade him right before opening day. This will signal to the team that they are throwing in the towel on the season, at which point the players will get angry and prove them wrong. There might also be a life-size cardboard likeness of Falvey involved.

All of this--those minor tweaks won't change a thing. There will still be a high-profile playoff game (or every playoff game as well as the All-Star game) with tons of pitching changes gumming up the works. But that is the game! Changing the fundamental perception, and how it is digested is the key. Hell, I rarely watch or listen to a full game, but because I have an overall appreciation, consuming it in TF's TD Recaps and watch highlights on the MLB app on my Apple TV is pretty sweet. This all reminds me of a recent article I read about the venerable old churchs of downtown (fill in the blank, this article was about Twin Falls, Idaho.). Dwindling attendance and what to do about that. Is religion and/or spirituality dead? Or do the younger generations just not want to sit around listening to Reverend Lovejoy/Dick Bremer? The pitch clock thing is like giving my 6 year old a band-aid when they have a headache.

The window is certainly open. I'd argue that if the White Sox had ripped it down to the studs, they'd be in the perfect position to compete with a young veteran club that includes the rare and perhaps mythical True Ace. The Royals took their shot and it paid off. The Tigers swung for the fences and came short. Good for them. The tanking thing (at least in its current iteration) will run its course, but in the meantime, the Twins should be bold and take advantage in a buyers market.

Nice post. Did Lewis rank ahead of all other draftees on every list? Or any list? I.e, after their debuts, are Greene, McKay, etc still rated higher by some?

The Twins will be behind by 3+ runs on occasion. I don't mind seeing if TK can stem the flood. If not, we have something to call blowout losses. TKO's...

Molitor's quote is great. They all are really, but that one made me laugh, because I've heard it elsewhere. I have a friend who owns several Lunch Box franchises, and all of her employees are millennials, and she had to do the same thing.

Thanks for the Jovani Moran reminder. He's intriguing as well.

Interesting to go back and look at the old list as well. Several contributors, nothing eye-popping. Does Garver count as a prospect for you? Would Rooker have an outside shot? At any rate, Gonsalves/Romero/Littell are a step above the AAA "depth" of years gone by.

Solid prospect. Thanks, Seth.

I endorse this analysis. Or at least the rationale behind it. I don't have anything to add, although I should get in a preemptive "his contract is an albatross that will prevent the Twins from signing Royce Lewis to a long term deal" comment, a few years early.

I'm having trouble envisioning this. 2021 means they would have played 2018, 2019, and 2020 (thinking out loud.). So three more seasons will have passed. Man, that's just hard. I'd need to see their ages and contract situations before commenting too much. Pulling out of my hat, I'd suspect (or does it just reflect my personal preference?) that Rosario will be a grizzled vet and a WS hero and a fixture in LF. Rooker will be the first baseman. Dozier will have just retired after his 3 year contract expired. Sano will be gone at some point, traded for prospects. Bechtold will be the third baseman. Javier, having gotten his feet wet in 2020, will take over at second. That's all I've got.

Great stuff. Thanks for writing, SD, and thanks to Tom for the bump. Will the other December acquisition, Pearson, also be on the team?

Thanks for expressing my thoughts, Ted. I also wondered about this, prior to the allegations. I can't help but think about the Twins' somewhat improbable August run, with Sano mostly (or all?) on the shelf. Not that correlation equals causation, but maybe Escobar playing every day is a chemistry enhancer. The question, as many have stated, is what value can you get for him right now. Still, of all the assets the Twins have, allegations or not, I'd be the most okay with giving Sano up. Lots of athletic infielders moving up the system...something I remember hoping Sano would be when he was 18. I had no idea he'd turn into a giant. Makes you wonder what he's been eating.

Love that trio, although still learning about Pearson. How about Miranda and I'm forgetting--Ricky something? MI?

Random Thoughts: I check Twins Daily...on a daily basis. But I only check the blog portion sporadically, after (and if I have time) I've perused the forums. As it is, I love TD just how it is, and am disheartened that it might not be sustainable. I was a big fan of Grantland, and was delighted when The Ringer was started. My nephew is in college and wants to write Ringer-style articles, and I asked him how in the hell the Ringer was paying for all those great writers, without any advertising. I'll be honest--the writing, good as it was, seemed even better when it wasn't accompanied by a million ads. And then, one day, ads appeared, almost like they had always been there. Maybe they had been...tastefully done ads don't bother me that much, to be honest, but I can't stand many internet sites these days. One pop up/auto-start video/slow load and I'm gone. I use to write blog-posts for TwinkieTown, and enjoyed being paid in "recs". But then, the website was rearranged, and the prominence of the Fanposts suffered, and I quit taking the time to write. I (and others, I'm sure,) have been asked to write game thread starters, both via the "open call" method as well as in a private message. I'd do it, and do it for free, certainly, but the timing wasn't right. Still, be persistent. LAST, to all who have thought about writing but claim to not be good enough: Just do it, and keep doing it. Start, then take a break, then do it again. If you can think, you can write.

I think we can come up with a more apt metaphor than "dumpster diving" for what the Twins are doing. "Identifying appreciable, undervalued assets?" Or, since I just got back from The Last Jedi, "making a bet on Han Solo's upside while letting Jabba and Darth Vader overpay for the Boba Fetts and Bossks of the Galaxy?"

Kinley might be able to contribute something this season. Burdi won't. Bard...eh, whatever. This is all cosmetic...as long as Kinley doesn't clog things up for too long.

Where they were a year ago/recent transactions: Joe Smith, just signed for 2 years and $15 million: Signed by Toronto for 1 year/$3 million. Traded to CLE for two prospects, one of whom is now 22nd on the Blue Jays list. Brandon Kintzler, 2 years and $10 or $15 million: minor league contract with the Twins (sorry, we all knew that) Steve Cishek, 2/$12-$14 million finishing a 2 year/$10 million contract he signed with Seattle, who traded him to TB. An example of a "good" reliever contract? Juan Nicasio, 2/$17 million 1 year/$3 million with the Pirate, waived midseason, claimed and traded. Luke Gregerson, 2 years/$11 million signed a 3/$18.5 deal with Houson. Good value? Pat Neshek, 2/$16.5 signed a 2/12.5 with Houston in 2015, was traded to PHI for a PTBNL last November Tommy Hunter 2/$18 million Minor League signing by TB. Mike Minor 3/$28 Finishing a 2/$7.25 contract with KC, previously had been non-tendered by ATL following injury, spent 2016 rehabbing. Shades of Pineda? Yusmeiro Petit, 2/$10 minor league deal with LAA Anthony Swarzak, 2/$14 minor league deal with CWS Bryan Shaw, 3/$27 acquired via trade, just finishing up rookie contract years Brandon Morrow, 2/$21 minor league deal with Dodgers I bolded the minor league deals--that is $90 million dollars allocated this offseason to guys who signed as minor league free agents (plus Nicasio, who was also available to just about everyone for nothing.) I'm not really trying to say teams shouldn't sign expensive relievers, but there are plenty of good pitchers to be found out there, before they sign expensive contracts. Cishek, Gregerson, and Neshek (and others) are examples of good investments in relievers.

Nice link. Sounds like another high character dude. Interesting to read how Levine made sure to pay due respect to Kintzler...and Krivsky for scouting him.

Rodney + Pineda for $16 Million, or Steve Cishek? Maybe it's not the "progressive" move we hoped or expected from this FO, but having a cheap bullpen of up-and-comers and reclamation projects, backed by a "proven" closer is the best strategy for the Twins at this time. In my mind, the alternative is throwing $30-$40 million at your bullpen--2 or 3 of these $6 million dollar guys and an elite ultra-fireman like Miller. Otherwise you have a weird balance chemistry wise.

Tom Verducci with perspective: https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/12/13/free-agency-relief-pitchers-bryan-shaw-pat-neshek-jake-mcgee The relevant quote: "Let’s rewind the clock to the free agent market just two years to get an idea. After the 2015 season, teams handed out multi-year deals to 14 non-closer relievers at the cost of $197 million, or about $5.8 million per pitcher per season. In just two years, 13 of those 14 pitchers have either been hurt, pitched poorly (ERA+ worse than 100) or are no longer with the same team. Only one of the 14 pitchers has pitched effectively for his signing club for two years: Joakim Soria of the Royals. The landscape is littered with the likes of Tony Sipp (three years, $18 million), Antonio Bastardo (two, $12 million) and Mark Lowe (two, $11 million). Last year you had Brett Cecil (four years, $30.5 million and one of the rare no-trade clauses for someone who neither starts or closes games), Brad Ziegler (two, $16 million), Mark Rzepczynski (two years, $11 million) and Daniel Hudson (two, $11 million). All of them were disappointments." And his parting shot: "… The Marlins released Edinson Volquez, paying him $18 million to go away essentially to free up a roster spot. Here’s a reminder when you are a fan of a bad team and you want it to sign free agents this time of year: be careful what you wish for. Here are the Marlins’ free agent signings this decade: Volquez, Ziegler, Wei-Yin Chen, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Placido Polanco, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell, John Buck and Javier Vazquez. Ouch."

I guess I'll let this play out, but not impressed. Bard and or/Burdi with the option of optioning them, or Kinley, who has to clog a spot like Haley did? On the other hand, Bard and Kinley both get their shots--good for them.

I agree, but I think it might be worth taking a look at that list of moderately good options and see how they turned out. Thinking about the Astros plan, it seems like the Twins might be an a spot similar to when they went out and traded for Giles. Maybe something like that is in the works. Or maybe they just really prefer the internal options. Dunno. Not much left to pick over, though.