ChrisKnutson

Kepler (L) Polanco (S) Cruz ® Donaldson ® Sano ® Rosario (L) Garver ® Arraez (L) Buxton ®

All we need is one more starter and I don’t care if it’s Walker or Cashner, but we need one more. However, if the FO is still keen on adding an “impact starter,” then they should start being a little more aggressive because there’s plenty of teams to deal with, although the 3 teams that’d I’d consider the most are the Marlins, Red Sox, or Pirates. Marlins: Miami should be our prime target given their starting pitcher depth and the strong likelihood of them once again finishing last in the NL East. If you remember, earlier in the offseason it seemed as though there was going to be a deal revolving around Cave and Hernandez, although with the Dickerson signing that now seems unlikely. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a deal to be had whether it’s for Hernandez, Alcantara, or Smith. Red Sox: I understand that the headlines have been all over a Betts/Price package, but what about an E-Rod/Price package instead?? Then perhaps Boston would be able to afford Betts and we’d get two legitimate impact pitchers. If not, there’s always Eovaldi; who I think could flourish under Wes’ tutelage. Pirates: After the Marte trade, it seems like Cherington is in search of lower level prospects which should definitely be appealing to the Twins. The options we have to choose from are either Archer or Musgrove, and both seem to be capable of far more than what’s been shown in Pittsburgh.

If not Pittsburgh, Miami would be another ideal trade partner.

Excited about the jerseys, but honestly the Nike logo kinda kills it for me... I mean, they atleast could’ve put the swoosh on the sleeve.

Perhaps I’m overvaluing Harper, but I could see him bringing back another Dakota Chalmers.

I understand Dobnak’s become somewhat of a fan favorite, but I got a feeling that if he proves himself as even a league average starter he could possibly find himself included in a deal for a frontline starter at the deadline. Honestly, I could see the same thing possibly happening to the likes of Astudillo and Cave as well.

Cubs, Phillies, and Red Sox would be good fits for him. I wonder how much he’d bring back because while he’s no high leverage arm, it’s not like he’s a depth piece either.

If I’m Bloom, why not package E-Rod and Price together and then go all in on Betts next offseason??

Instead of overpaying for Alcantara (who I’m a fan of by the way), I believe the FO is much more likely to pursue a potential bargain like Nick Pivetta who was predicted by many last year to break out. Perhaps all he needs is a different approach with the help of Wes and change of scenery. With hopes of winning the NL East, the Phillies have fallen short of the WC two years in a row meaning it’s unlikely they’re gonna want to waste any more time on tapping into Pivetta’s uncertain potential after bringing in Gregorius, Wheeler, and Girardi along with everyone else that they brought in last offseason. Simply put, I believe there is a sense of urgency in Philly right now and instead of rolling with Pivetta perhaps they could turn him into more pitching depth in form of Littell, Dobnak, and Harper. Furthermore, I also suspect the Phillies FO might also be very interested in Astudillo’s bat and versatility as Realmuto’s backup instead of Knapp; who could also be apart of the deal.

I’m guessing the FO finishes off the offseason by signing or trading for another mediocre starter with some upside (Elieser Hernandez or Andrew Cashner). However, I wouldn’t be disappointed because I’m also anticipating the FO to finally unload some of team’s high end prospects for a frontline starter and a shutdown reliever at next year’s deadline (Archer, Giles, Doolittle, Gray, etc). Furthermore, I expect this new trend to continue for atleast another 3 seasons.

Sanchez and Walker may be the most interesting options, but Cashner to me seems like the most dependable option, yet still has some upside to tap into.

Imagine if Romero bounces back and Graterol performs as expected...

If he’s going to be in the bullpen, I’d like to see him pitch around 70-80 innings to build up some sort of workload. And with Berrios and Pineda as the only starters under contract next season, perhaps ST 2021 would be the best time to transition him back to the rotation.

Realistically, my list would be: 1) Robbie Ray 2) Jon Gray 3) Chris Archer 4) Caleb Smith 5a) David Price 5b) Nathan Eovaldi Theoretically, if circumstances were to entirely play out in the Twins favor my list would be: 1) Eduardo Rodriguez 2) German Marquez 3) Noah Syndergaard 4) Charlie Morton 5a) Robbie Ray 5b) Yu Darvish

Why stop at Harvey? The FO should be handing minor league deals to guys like Allen, Hernandez, Holland, Salazar, Vizcaino, Cingrani, and Sipp.

I’d take a chance on either Archer or Eovaldi if they can rebound.

McHugh as a reliever definitely intrigues me, but if we’re still looking for another starter to sign I’d much rather turn to either Walker or Cashner.

Last season Donaldson got most of his at bats at cleanup, why not continue that trend?? I mean, why move Polanco from #2 spot where he had a .378 OBP against righties which was actually 3 points higher than Donaldson (against righties) in a batting spot that relies more on getting on base and being able to steal a base once in a while. Simply put, Donaldson is a run producer who’s belongs at either #3 or #4, although after the season Cruz had at #3, I’d prefer to keep him at cleanup.

Given how this offseason has gone, I’d honestly be ok with either Seager or Longoria. The offseason would still be a failure, but at least rookies like Raley and Rooker wouldn’t be handed a starting position and Marwin would get to stay in a utility role.

It may not be starting pitching, but what about Carlos Santana?? At the very least he’s an upgrade from Cron, although not as much as Donaldson would’ve been...

Apparently there’s a 50/50 chance that Arenado gets traded, doesn’t sound like a bad alternative to me.

If Donaldson isn’t signed this team is in trouble.

If we’re discussing plausible ML trade pieces, I think both Littell and Dobnak could be included as well.

I gotta believe Garver will still be around by 2023, but in a limited role. When it comes to Sano, I think there’s a near definate chance he leaves for a big market team. I really hope Buxton and Rosario are retained, although I wouldn’t grossly overpay to keep them around.

The most realistic plan I can think is signing Donaldson, signing Buchter, and trading for Caleb Smith.