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Great to hear from Chris G on TD and appreciate him taking time to share his experience/perspective. At this point in the season, it seems beneficial to carry a player like Chris G on the club who can lead by example even if he is going to be neither high production nor long term contributor on the field. However, earlier in the season I do have some questions prioritizing veteran leadership over on field production. Many would argue that managers account for very little difference in a teams' ultimate W/L record. It seems that veteran leadership is unlikely to contribute more than a manager. Certainly a veteran leader who is producing at a high level bring value in both production and leadership. Later career of Tori Hunter or Jim Thome are obvious examples of win/win with production and veteran presence. There is a cost for carrying a player on the roster primarily for leadership purposes. The production of Hunter and Thome alone justified their roster place. You could add a great coach to to dougout, but they can't produce on field. The leadership from Tori/Thome was an added bonus on their production which came at no roster cost. My question for Twins Daily: To what extent can a player/club house leader on the roster be more effective than a former-player/non-roster coach?

For context on trading pitching and trading prospects consider KC Royals. They traded an absolute ace to the Brewers in Zack Grienke. The Brewers didn't accomplish much with Grienke, but they did give up Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, and Jake Odorizzi. A couple years later, Cain and Escobar formed a core on two consecutive World Series with the Royals. Odorizzi helped net the Royals a new (maybe lesser) ace in James Shields and all star closer Wade Davis in a trade with Tampa that included Royals top prospect Will Myers. At the time, the Will Myers/James Shields trade was not popular with Royals fans. In hind sight the Royals "won" both trades and achieved ultimate victory with a WS win. Can the Twins replicate that type of trading success?