talkintwins

Sharing this interview with Twins LHP prospect Brent Headrick, as he spoke about: his preparations for the upcoming season specific ways the Twins are guiding his development as a starting pitcher the key differences between the Twins' minor league system/development compared to other teams attending his first spring training camp what it's like playing with Brooks Lee, Austin Martin, Edouard Julien how he feels as a pitcher about bat flips & wild home run celebrations what he'd change about baseball if he was commish for a day and a lot more youtu.be/BbXhlVRvY9Q

re: Twins/Marlins trade talk Robert Murray (FanSided): "I do fully expect the Marlins to trade one of their starters. They've had discussions with a bunch of different teams around the league. The Minnesota Twins are one of them. The Twins have talked to #Marlins about their pitching surplus. Everything I've gathered is that there's nothing close there. I know there was some speculation on Twitter last night about a certain package there - but no, that's not the case at all." Speculation is fun, for sure. But Murray says there's nothing to this rumor, and he's proven to be one of the most reliable reporters when it comes to trades & signings. Credit: The Baseball Insiders podcast (Robert Murray & Adam Weinrib)

Well-said. "Just try to enjoy it."

This is fairly accurate. In a Sept 20th game vs. Royals, Correa tweaked his surgically-repaired ankle and said it went numb & was tingling. The last time the Twins had a physical done with Correa was March 2022. According to Rosenthal & Hayes, the Twins requested a new physical when the Giants deal fell apart and also wanted some time to look into it, but instead, Boras moved on to the Mets. I did a deep-dive on all of this & Correa's related injuries in my latest video:

The online reaction seems to be that "if only" the Twins had increased their offer to $300M, then Correa would have chosen to return. Last I checked, $315M > $300M, $285M, etc. Some are overlooking that these are guaranteed contracts - the Twins could offer the highest AAV they want, but the highest overall value is all that matters with a "rest of career" contract. Whether he plays all the years or not doesn't matter - he's getting that money. Mets were already $30M ahead of Twins. Cohen wasn't going to be outbid on the player he wanted - least of all by Minnesota. Correa wasn't returning unless Twins offered the most money. Time to accept & move on. It was fun while it lasted. He was the best shortstop arm I've ever seen in person, and for a year, he played for the Twins. Not bad.

The fact that baseball doesn't force owners to meet a required payroll floor suggests the sport simply doesn't care about parity. It's a business first, a sport second. Fairness across the league is something only fans care about. Cohen's doing what an owner is allowed to do, but many choose not to. The Pirates, A's, Reds, etc. barely spend - establishing a minimum floor like the NBA should have happened long ago. That would add more teams to the mix and at least move closer to parity than any system which doesn't require teams to spend above a certain amount. The players are receiving huge contracts because the money exists. Owning a baseball team is apparently more lucrative than some believe. Until MLB's record-level profits & money-flow are made transparent, any talk of a spending cap is a bit premature. There's a lot of money in the sport right now. Address the cheapskates first.

This might be unpopular, but the Twins reportedly weren't in the conversation for signing Correa the 2nd time around. They weren't close the first time ($65M less, best offer was lower than $300M), so really, why would they have been approached with a 2nd chance? From what we know at this moment, Boras reportedly didn't go back to them. Twins were no longer in the running, simple as that. It's unfortunate & Correa would have been great to have back, but Twins still have a solid foundation of youth that we somewhat take for granted and that other teams don't have. In the meantime, we'll find out if Steve Cohen's aggressive spending & retooling pays off. Baseball is more fun when there's a villain to root against.

Correa & the SF Giants visit Minnesota on May 22-24.

It really is a fun trade, as a lot of the names should spend considerable time in the majors going forward. I want the full backstory from all sides. It sure looks like Atlanta had a list of players they were okay with losing, especially if it brought them Murphy. That's such a fantasy baseball approach - a package of whatever's in the cupboard for the best player in the deal. Now Ruiz has to perform under a spotlight this year - no pressure, kid.

It usually takes a few years before it's clear who the winners & losers are in most trades. The same-day, knee-jerk reaction to this trade is a bit much. Contreras is not even a lock to stick at C, so it's entirely possible that Oakland's return ends up being the most favorable by 2 or 3 years from now. Teams appear to not view Contreras the same way some fans do. Who knows. Gotta let it play out. The trade value website is a fun activity. However, IMO too much stock is placed into it being gospel.

Marlins have a few interesting pitchers not named Lopez. Rogers & Luzardo might be options & should be strongly considered. Giants intend to keep Crawford & move him to 3B if they sign Correa. Worse yet, check out how many key free agent shortstops will be available next winter...

Agreed - I have a 2nd version with Gordon in LF... just waiting for Kepler to be moved first. For those who are into meaningless stats without context, Vazquez has hit best at 5th and 9th over his career. Spoke about Gordon being one of my personal favs in my newest video posted earlier this afternoon:

Who's feeling more optimistic this evening? Vazquez brings us one step closer to this becoming a reality...

3/$30M is a fantastic deal for an experienced game-caller who has a solid pop-time to 2B. Proven winner with Red Sox & Astros. Beloved locker room leader - Red Sox players were collectively broken when he was traded to Astros at the last deadline. He's said to be great at helping pitchers, and Twins will have a lot of young pitchers over the next 3 years who need the help. Also, he hits much better without the shift from what I recall. Signing Vazquez is an excellent move for the Twins. Love it. One down. What's next?

Pablo Lopez, 27 next season, is fine. However, he carries the sort of injury baggage the Twins would be wise to avoid. Shoulder injuries have hampered his durability and performance. Why invite more risk when they'd only have two seasons to extract as much value as possible? Arraez's knee issues are likely easier to address than a pitcher's throwing shoulder. Lopez's MLB innings since his debut: 2018: 58.2 (called-up later in year) 2019: 111.1 2020: 57.1 (shortened 60-game season) 2021: 102.2 2022: 180.0 Lopez is a free agent after the 2024 season. Spotrac estimates his 2023 salary to be $6,285,987. He had a great start in 2022... for one month. His low FIP over the season was largely driven by a luck-fuelled April - must be nice to have 94.1% of runners LOB. His ERA in April+May was 1.83. The remaining four months, his ERA was 4.69. Worth a deeper look. Meanwhile, LHP Jesus Luzardo, 25, is a free agent after the 2025 season and will be paid $2.1M in 2023. He has a high ceiling with some risk. He suffered a midseason forearm strain this past year and had rotator cuff problems in 2019 which haven't been a known issue since. FWIW, had Tommy John surgery pre-draft in 2016. LHP Trevor Rogers, 25, battled a midseason back injury and a late-season grade 1 lat strain. Nothing alarming. He is making league minimum in 2023. As I've advocated in a recent video on my channel, Trevor Rogers is a buy-low opportunity for a team like the Twins. Still has high upside, is a power lefty, and his issues so far aren't problematic. Plenty of time to work with him on making some adjustments. He's not currently projected to make the Marlins' rotation and has been passed in the depth chart by Eury Perez. The Marlins have considerable rotation depth with a higher ceiling than Minnesota's depth. Whether it's Arraez or someone else being moved, Trevor Rogers should be a trade target and *might* cost less to acquire than Lopez and his storied FIP.