Richard

Can we make a decision on the fifth spot before we see them pitch? Are there any reports on how they've come into camp? I know that Maeda said he has no restrictions this camp and I haven't seen much on Ober. I would try to get Maeda as many innings this spring as he feels comfortable with. We'll see what the Twins plans are based on how much he pitches. If he pitches a ton I'd image he'd have the fifth spot, but if he throws some here and there then he'll start in the pen.

I am very interested in how the battle for the 4th outfield spot is going to happen, and who wins it; we have four, almost five guys to fill that role. How much do Kiriloff, Larnach, Gordan, and Celestino play this spring training? Will Matt Wallner get a real shot at making the opening day roster?

Anything more than 100 innings would be fantastic. I don't expect that to be the case. We'll get a better picture about his health and ability during Spring Training. As long as he shows that he is healthy and is consistent, this season will be a win for him and the Twins.

I am all for trading Kep, but why don't we take a chance and see if the shift rules benifits Kepler. Heck if we keep Kepler in right and let him prove he can hit, wouldn't it make more sense to trade him then? By keeping him on opening day, Gallo would probably start in LF, with LArnach and Kiriloff fighting for the 4th Of spot which might help both of them.

Would be all in on this guy. He might be expensive as he would automatically become the best pitcher on the market now that Eovoldi has signed. Fujinami is a career 3.17era/1.35whip/9.04SO9 guy in the NBP. He's also pitched for the Japanese national team, and made mlb players, like a young Jose Altuve, look silly in 2014. I feel like he would be perfect for Minnesota and would probably slide into a setup role. Low risk, high upside addition.

Would Adames interest you?

If you were to swap Arraez with Polanco, you'd be right there I believe.

What about Polanco and a higher upside arm?

If we tear it all down, there's no guarantee that we can build it back up again. Unless it's with a new front office, I'm not confident this FO could be able to find the pieces to rebuild.

Does Kirilloff become a trade chip for the Twins?

Who do you think would bring him to Minnesota? A Kiriloff or Larnach? Polanco?

All we need from Buxton is 100+ games. We need Gray, Mahle, and Maeda to all preform like number 2-3 guys. We also need someone to step up at the corner outfield spots.

It's a year of a .300avg 30 hr guy who would be a great boost to the top of the lineup and has some defensive flexibility. Not to mention that he was a part of the 2018 Red Sox who went on to win the World Series. He has the post season experience and he knows how to get there. Even a year with Devers could be enough to at least get us to the post season.

You're right! Thank you for bringing up Polanco. That would work better for the Twins! An Arraez-Buxton-Devers lineup would be insane. I do fear that Polanco would call for a Balazovic type arm, which would be worth it for Devers.

We do need to bring in a back end guy for the bullpen. What about the long relief role? We know the starters are probably only going to go 5 innings. Maybe a guy like Ronny Henriquez wins the role in Spring Training?

Would you give up Balazovic for Devers? I wouldn't mind that too much. Kiriloff wouldn't be a terrible idea either, as he is projected to probably end up at first. I think Devers will eventually end up a first as well.

I was just thinking that our major need was a balanced slash line. I get the on base hitting, but why not get a guy that can hit .300 with 30 hrs? A Varland could be the name piece for a guy like Jorge Mateo.

If I made this deal, I would move Miranda to first, and see how lee performs at short. Despite what some people are saying, Lee is not going to be with the Twins until 2024 at the earliest. Wander Franco made his debut when he was 20, after 2 and a half seasons in the minors. The Twins also gave Josh Donaldson a 4 year, 92 million dollar deal when he was 34, coming off of an injury ridden year where he didn't play even close to his prime. I don't think that a 7-9 year deal worth 23-27 million a year would be too outlandish.

I was thinking that a 25-30mil average contract might make more sense with Devers as he won't block some of the up and coming short stop prospects. Devers will also be 27 around the time of a deal.

The Red Sox only really have Verdugo and Hendrequez in the outfield. Their right fielder at the moment is Rob Refsnyder. Kepler's defense would be valuable in Fenway's spacious right field, and the AL east is pretty Lh hitter friendly. The Twins might want to throw in a guy by the likes of Varland or Balazovic.

While reading “3 Third Baseman Trades that Could Provide the Twins a Productive Bat” posted by Nate Palmer, I got a very interesting idea. The first trade he proposed is one for Rafael Devers, which got me thinking… The Minnesota Twins are in a unique place where depth isn’t quite a concern anymore. If healthy, the Twins have six or so guys on the 40 man roster that could compete for the fifth spot in the rotation, and a crowded outfield littered with guys vying for the corner outfield and bench spots. The looming issue now is trying to wade through the marshes and finding the guys that can be impactful. It is make or break years for guys like Alex Kirloff, Trevor Larnach, and Gilberto Celestino, all of which are entering arbitration soon. If you take a step down, you’re welcomed by the likes of Matt Wallner and maybe Royce Lewis, who should be given an opportunity. Then there’s also the question that arose when the Twins handed out a one year, 11 million dollar contract to Joey Gallo. It almost feels certain that the Gallo deal will force Max Kepler out of Minnesota. Kepler and Gallo are defensive difference makers but both are offensive liabilities. Keeping both will pry valuable innings away from the aforementioned players, and the plus defense Byron Buxton offers in centerfield mitigates the necessity for strong corner outfield defense. One name that has been floating around trade rumors is Luis Arraez. Although reports are connecting him to being involved in a deal for starting pitching, I believe one wouldn’t be too far fetched to think that he could be involved in a deal for a big name hitter. The 2022 American League Batting Champion might have reached his peak value. There’s no question about what kind of hitter he is. Arraez will slap the ball all around the field, and he will get on base frequently. However 2022 unveiled a flaw in his game. When not being the designated hitter, Arraez was primarily penciled in at first and second base with an occasional appearance at third base. The Minnesota Twins have a second baseman, Jorge Polanco. The Minnesota Twins also might have their guy in first base, that being Alex Kirloff, who might be forced out of the outfield. So where would Arraez play? Since the departure of Nelson Cruz in 2021 as part of the Joe Ryan trade, Rocco Baldeli has utilized the designated hitter role as a way for guys to get at bats without being in the field, almost acting as a mini rest day of sorts. The designated hitter role could also be reserved for Byron Buxton, who hit there in 35 games in 2022. Arraez has entered his arbitration years and also has some concern about his ability to stay healthy. He has been placed on the injured list five times since 2020. A growing concern is his knees, which has caused 2 of his five trips to the injured list, with Covid-19, a concussion, and a right shoulder strain rounding out the other three. With La Regadera only getting older, his knees will continue to get worse, trust me. With Max Kepler and Luis Arraez on the “chopping block,” we can start to look for trades. One name that has been floating around recently has been Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox (thanks to Nate Palmer for the idea). The Red Sox do not have the best track record recently when it comes to retaining talent. They traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers in 2020. They traded Andrew Benitendi exactly a year later to the Royals in 2021. Then in 2022 they lost Xander Bogaerts to free agency and ultimately to the Padres. One similarity that can be drawn from all three moves is that they got paid once they left Boston. Betts signed a 12 year, 365 million dollar contract with the Dodgers. Benintendi received 8.5 million dollars in 2022 from the Royals. Bogaerts just signed a 11 year, 285 million dollar deal with the Padres. Rafael Devers will probably be the next homegrown talent to walk beyond the Green Monster, seeing as he will garner a contract somewhere in the twenty plus million dollar range. The Proposal: The Twins receive: Rafael Devers The Red Sox Receive: Luis Arraez, Max Kepler, A Player to be Named Later Why It Works for the Twins Getting rid of Arraez and Kepler would be beneficial to the Twins long term. Devers would become the starting third baseman which would force Miranda to slide over to first base, where he played 77 games in 2022. First base would probably become Miranda’s long term home anyway, with reports stating the Twins front office has questions with his defense. Why it Works for the Red Sox Unlike the Twins, the Red Sox do have some questions when it comes to outfield depth. Enrique Hernandez has centerfield tied down, while Alex Verdugo (who was acquired in the Mookie Betts trade) will start in left. Max Kepler would replace, funnily enough, former Twin Rob Refsnyder in defending Pesky's Pole. Kepler’s plus defense would bode well in Fenway Park’s spacious and tricky right field. Kepler might also see an increase in offensive production playing in the American League East, which is very left-handed hitter friendly. The Red Sox were plagued with a -52 runs differential in 2022. They would benefit highly from a guy by the likes of Luis Arraez. Heck, any team would. Arraez would give the Red Sox a great presence in the designated hitter role and could allow Trevor Story to return to short while Arraez splits time at second with Christian Arroyo. If the Twins do make this trade, a 300 plus million dollar contract might make more sense. Would y’all take this trade? What would you change? Sorry for the long post. View full rumor

Big Trade Alert: This is with a trade I proposed in a forum about improving 3B, which you can find here. I proposed a trade for Rafael Devers that sent Luis Arraez and Max Kepler plus a player to be named later back to the Red Sox. As for Carlos Correa, I made a super outlandish and unrealistic proposal for a 3 year, $90mil deal similar to the one he signed with the Twins prior to the 2022 season. With his injury concerns, I figure that high average, short contracts are in the future for Correa. Joey Gallo replaces Max Kepler in RF, although he could also slide into LF easily. I added veterans Michael Fulmer and Will Smith to fill in the back end of the bullpen and I believe Ronny Henriquez has the stuff to win the long relief role. We are a little bit over budget, but that's well worth getting to the playoffs and making Twins fans happy. C: Christian Vazquez ($10.00M) 1B: Jose Miranda ($.70M) 2B: Jorge Polanco ($7.50M) 3B: Rafael Devers ($18.8M) SS: Carlos Correa ($33.00M) LF: Alex Kirilloff ($0.70M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Joey Gallo ($11.0M) DH: Matt Wallner ($0.70M) 4th OF: Kyle Garlick ($0.70M) Utility: Nick Gordon ($0.70M) Utility: Gilberto Celestino ($0.70M) Backup C: Ryan Jeffers ($0.70M) SP1: Sonny Gray ($12.00M) SP2: Tyler Mahle ($8.00M) SP3: Kenta Maeda ($9.00M) SP4: Joe Ryan ($0.70M) SP5: Bailey Ober ($0.70M) 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: Ronny Henriquez ($0.70M) RP: Michael Fulmer ($2.30M) RP: Will Smith ($7.30M) Payroll is 5.60% over budget

I think a Devers trade would be very intriguing. I would be willing to trade Luis Arraez and Max Kepler for a year of Devers and a serious look into an extension. Devers has a great bat, not only for average but for power (29 HRs in 2022) as well. I would imagine he would share time at first and third, eventually settling into a first base role as 2022 saw his defense dwindle to a -2 OAA. The Red Sox have Verdugo and Hernandez in the outfield and Kepler would slide in nicely to defend Pesky's Pole. Kepler could also benefit from playing in the AL East which has been great for LH hitters. The trade would allow Trevor Story to slide back to shortstop and Arraez can take over at second or third with Arroyo taking second. Arraez also provides some much needed base hits in a power-heavy Boston lineup. It would also likely require a low tier prospect as well in the form of a player to be named later (according to Baseball Trade Values). What do y'all think?

How many games do we have to lose before we hand the season over to the young guys? We have guys who are right there on the fence looking in, both hitters and pitchers. Eventually we'll have to sort them out. on the flip side... What's the magic number for wins before we make a deal to improve the now? If we do get 100+ games from Buxton and Miranda builds off of 2022, how hard will we push for the playoffs?