FlyingFinn

I agree with you but I left him off my roster because I think he needs to get some fundamentals straight at AAA, needs to know that he has to hustle and run bases correctly, plus I want him to gain some confidence in finding more power. Due to injury he has been gifted a MLB roster spot for two years. For being so young, he has done fine. I would prefer they bring him up after a month or two at AAA.

True, especially on the left side. When Lewis returns, Polanco probably moves back to 2B as injuries sort things out. With Lewis, I think the range at SS will be better but we will also see some errors from him. Miranda just has to improve defensively. He didn't come up from the minors with a reputation of being a horrible fielder (not great either) so I think he can. The other option is to move Polanco over the winter and get a better defender at SS. Since I'm planning on Lewis being there, it would be someone on a one year deal. Certainly would hurt our hitting compared to Polanco.

A catcher who throws out 38% of the runners! Yea, we have to keep Camargo and work on the rest of his defense. I'm leaning towards adding him to the 40 man roster.

If the Twins are trying to win with this salary cap and don't have Carlos Correa, I think adding Rodon makes the pitching staff look very good. It has been reported that the Twins have talked to him in the past during free agency so I don't think he is that much of a stretch for them to sign.

C: Ryan Jeffers ($0.70M) 1B: Alex Kirilloff ($.70M) 2B: Luis Arraez ($4.50M) 3B: Jose Miranda ($0.70M) SS: Jorge Polanco ($7.50M) LF: Trevor Larnach ($0.70M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Brandon Nimmo ($12.50M) DH: Jose Abreu ($18.00M) 4th OF: Chad Pinder ($1.50M) Utility: Nick Gordon ($0.70M) Utility: Royce Lewis ($0.70M) Backup C: Omar Narvaez ($3.50M) SP1: Sonny Gray ($12.00M) SP2: Tyler Mahle ($8.00M) SP3: Kenta Maeda ($9.00M) SP4: Joe Ryan ($0.70M) SP5: Carlos Rodon ($25.00M) RP: Jhoan Duran ($0.70M) RP: Jorge Lopez ($3.00M) RP: Griffin Jax ($0.70M) RP: Jorge Alcala ($1.00M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($2.00M) RP: Bailey Ober ($0.70M) RP: Jovani Moran ($0.70M) RP: Josh Winder ($0.70M) Payroll is 6.50% under budget

I'm fine with Garlick in AAA, ready to fill in for the Twins if needed. But we need someone who is healthier, can hit lefties and hopefully play defense a little better.

I think the best run teams (manager/FO) are ones that have a balance with analytics and reading the players each day - knowing when something about this player is different (could be good or bad) today and we have to adjust for this. Analytics worked so well on the defensive shifts (so many said players would adjust and hit the other way which, for most, never happened), that a rule had to made to outlaw it.

I would get rid of him because we have a long-term trend. Certainly wouldn't bring him back for $3 million. $1 million maybe. I would shout about these last 13 outings from the mountain top and get anything you can in a trade.

Lee, Lewis, Arraez and Kirilloff with Miranda at 1st/3rd/DH (or in place of Kirilloff if he never recovers from surgery) in two years. Sounds good to me.

I was more disappointed in his fielding. I thought he would be great and wasn't. If that was great, I would have given him a chance until Lewis returns. Now, you only give him a chance if we aren't planning on contending (or Lewis will be back very early) in 2023 IMO.

And speed. Look at the rest of the guys. For now, we can't get one rookie that you can say are good at both hitting (either average or power) and defense, let alone speed. That's where the Kirilloff injury really "hurts." He is/was going to be great at both hitting and first base defense. Hope Lewis still has the speed after this. Did we see enough to be able to say he will be great defensively?

As I detailed in another thread, I would have picked Festa. His numbers are better than everyone else's and I don't downgrade him for the level he pitched at. Plus, the numbers above don't include his fabulous playoff game, which I think should be included.

True, but that evaluation could have been done in August or September. From now until March, Enlow and Balazovic will do nothing to change their rating.

I disagree somewhat. I believe the Twins could win the World Series in 2023 and many on TD who have posted in this thread would still want to get rid of Baldelli, saying the players won it and not the manager. The Twins being 28th in starting pitching innings isn't totally Baldelli's fault. They had an agreement with Archer to limit his pitches/innings per start to keep him healthy. The intent with Bundy from the day he was signed was never to go past 2 times through the order in a close game. My problem with Baldelli is where he can control things - fundamentals. If Watkins keeps making mistakes as a 3B coach, put someone else there. Players have to know how to bunt, move the runner over, and run the bases.

Miranda is in a slump and even if he gets hits, with him batting leadoff, our bottom of the order isn't on base very often. So, no, nobody gets 70.

Yes. Enlow and Balazovic have some similarities. Both were on the 40 man all year without playing for the Twins. I think they were the only 2 to do this. Enlow seems to have done what the Twins expected this year coming off of surgery. Balazovic was supposed to be with the Twins by year-end. DFA either one and someone scoops them up. Since the Twins went to the trouble of keeping these two on the 40 man all year, I don't see us giving up on them over the winter. Canterino will do the same next year so Enlow and Balazovic have to make progress next spring.

Wouldn't be Rule 5. Would be a DFA and available to anyone to put on their 40 man and keep in the minors.

Caleb Hamilton and Stashak can be DFA'd. No need to add Urbina. Keep Megill. I'm thinking maybe we should add Camargo. If he's good defensively, I might do that. You have to put Paddock on the 40 man but exactly when can you move him back to the 60 day IL?

It's possible Twins may try to try win the Central next year but that it turns into a rebuild. They lower payroll by not signing any significant players. You end up with Jeffers, Miranda, Lewis, Arraez, Kirilloff, Larnach, Buxton, Kepler, Gordon and Urshela as your starting lineup plus main utility guy. You roll with Gray, Mahle, Ryan, Ober, Winder and Maeda as your starting rotation and Duran, Lopez, Thielbar, Jax, Alcala, Fulmer, Moran, and Sands or one free agent reliever in the pen (maybe one too many pitchers but someone will be on the IL for a short stay). If everyone stays healthy, this group is good enough to be leading the Central by the end of July. Then, you go for it and make better trades than this year. Don't trade away top minor league players until we get to that point though because.......... If injuries occur, which odds are they will with this group, you move into a rebuild and evaluate if it is to compete in 2024 or 2025. Trade expiring contracts and get guys who can help in 2024 or 2025.

1. Correa is gone. Twins will sign a low cost SS who can play well defensively until Lewis gets back. I have changed my mind on Palacios unless the medical staff (oh boy, can we trust those guys with predictions) thinks Lewis is back earlier than expected. 2. No, we will not start with Lee with the Twins. Be ready for him in 2024. 3. No dumpster diving this off-season. Projected rotation - Gray, Ryan, Mahle, Ober, Winder and Maeda (6 man rotation with only Maeda starting with a 4 inning plan, but ramping up from there). 4. Mahle and Maeda come back healthy. Paddock projected for August and shouldn't be counted on. 5. Ober, Winder, Varland, SWR in that order to start with. 6. Balazovic is not a top prospect. I say he will only squeak by even staying on the 40 man roster. 7. We will keep Pagan and Lopez. I expect Lopez to bounce back and be good. Pagan should be gone but Twins like his potential (Note - mlbtraderumors incredibly said Pagan was due for a raise next year!) 8. Bullpen - have two relievers who can play the long relief role - Sands will be one of them. 9. No, both Kirilloff and Larnach will not make it through the entire season. An hbp can put a guy on the IL. OF - Larnach, Buxton, Kepler will start in the OF (though I would like the Twins to move on from Kepler). Sign a rh hitting outfielder. Celestino needs a long stretch in the minors to change his attitude and realize being a MLB OF is guaranteed no matter how you run the bases, miss the cutoff man, etc. Wallner needs some more time in St. Paul, especially to work on his defense. 10. Leon - no. Take a chance on someone else being better than Leon. 11. Yes, shop Polanco. We need a better defensive SS than Palacios with Miranda at 3B. 12. Teams hire coaches for everything now. Hire a base running coach who can also take over as 3B coach. 13. I love Miranda but he played longer than Wallner so he gets the Iron Glove award. 14. Name a pitching coach - no clue really so I will just say Pete Maki. 15. Bench coach changed nothing this year. Making sure we don't make a 2nd mound visit with nobody warming in the pen would be on my job description for him. 16. Trade - not of any of our top minor league prospects as getting Mahle and Lopez was supposed to solve our 2023 pitching issues for the most part. Polanco, Kepler and Urshela are all possibilities to get traded. No Correa, - we should use that money for a top starting pitcher in free agency. We just won't do that as our pitching luck/poor evaluation is that we sign the guy and he gets injured and his career is over, leaving us with a $150 contract to pay. 17. Central division will continue to be mediocre. Guardians injury luck will not continue. White Sox will be better and win the division. Tigers and Royals will be better but not pass the Twins. 18. 81-81 Let us know what you agree/disagree with.

I think everyone on TD should answer a list of questions like this and we can see who can actually say they should be the next GM (most were right about the Paddack trade but 95% agreed with the Mahle trade, but suddenly 50% say they "knew" this was a bad trade).

For now, I see Sands and Pagan on the 40 man (I don't want Pagan but just think the Twins will keep him). Palacios may stay on there for awhile but be cut when a 1 year FA shortstop is signed. I had him on the 40 man to stay until his performance with the Twins in September. Fulmer won't be on the 40 man as he is a free agent but the Twins could resign him at some point. Gary Sanchez and Urshela are two that also could be coming off our 40 man.

SWR, Julien, Canterino, and Headrick (just because he is our top LH starting pitcher in the minors and we traded the other two away). No but maybe - Severino and Sisk (again, just because he's a LH, but the Twins didn't bring him up in September) No - Isola (doesn't catch enough), Mooney, Urbina and Helman (I think the only reason the Twins didn't bring him up is to try to keep him without putting him on the 40 man). Two other players to think about - Jair Camargo (he actually catches more than playing other positions) and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (easier to stash on a MLB roster because he can provide great OF defense and is a great base stealer, with over 40 stolen bases this year).

Wallner and Palacios are double digit base stealers in the minors this year. And we added Billy Hamilton. Our main players during the year are either not base stealers or injuries didn't let them steal (Buxton and Polanco). You would think Gordon would steal bases but he seems be a split second too slow and gets caught stealing as much as he makes it. I think the 4.5" shorter difference next year should especially help him.

It's worse than that. He's on the 40 man and would have to be DFA'd. Therefore, another team can nab him for free. No requirement to keep him on the MLB roster like there is with the Rule 5 draftees.