mumoo13

Interesting concept to create a list for, thanks for starting this discussion! Agreed that Sano's recent track record has been bad, but his upside makes him much more valuable than any of the others. My definition of the value of an asset would be who you would keep if you had to choose, and the choice would definitely be Sano (assuming the Twins don't suddenly get a conscience about off the field issues). And I can't think of any different definition of value of an asset that would result in a different choice.

While it's important to sort out existing assets and develop the core, there is a balance between that and being competitive in 2019, and it would be disappointing to end up with a payroll of ~$100M or less. Given that Austin's upside and flexibility are limited, and the potential commitment to Cruz would be 1 or 2 years, this seems like a situation where it would make sense to get the free-agent even if it means giving up on potential value in Austin. And we don't get Cruz, and Austin/Cave platoon at DH is a nice fall back plan.

With Rosario-Buxton-Kepler playing almost everyday, shouldn't that make it easier to have Grossman as the 4th outfielder? He can DH against lefties with Mauer or Morrison sitting, and just be on the bench against righties. He can play in the outfield once in a while, but if an outfielder goes on the DL we can call up Granite.

We should make sure to give Garver enough playing time, which won't happen in the majors. So I would choose between Murphy and Gimenez.

I like the possible lineups a lot. Only significant change I would make is against LHP, we shouldn't bench Rosario too often because his splits are pretty even, and the defensive downgrade to Grossman is probably bigger than the defensive upgrade from Sano to Escobar. I think a more common lineup should be: Versus LHP: Byron Buxton CF, Robbie Grossman DH, Brian Dozier 2B, Miguel Sano 3B, Kennys Vargas 1B, Max Kepler RF, Mitch Garver C, Eddie Rosario LF, Jorge Polanco SS

Are there any indications on how Trevor May will be used yet?

Does keeping 4 middle infielders in the majors mean that we'll only have 4 outfielders? Does that mean no more Danny Santana?

If we go with Adrianza at SS, how do we get Polanco at bats? Play him at 3B, Sano at DH, and Vargas on the bench?

The problem is we have too many players who can only play 1B, which will continue to be a problem this year regardless of win-loss record.

Good article focusing on the future of the pitching staff, which should be more important than the present. Adding De Leon to this group will definitely help, but I don't think the Twins should use the #1 pick on a pitcher unless he is actually the best player in the draft, which probably will not be the case.

He shouldn't be playing often, and he definitely shouldn't be hitting at the top of the order, but as far as backup outfielders go, he is pretty cheap.

Trading Suzuki would allow us to bring up Murphy for the rest of the year and make a more informed decision on what do to next year. And that decision could be to re-sign Suzuki even if we trade him.

Why isn't Grossman considered a candidate for a full-time role? Is his defense that bad?

I think a couple of mid-level prospects should be enough if we don't have to pay a lot of the salary. Although he has been our best starter, he won't be part of the next playoff team and trading him will open up a spot for someone who might. But we should be patient until the deadline to try to get as much as we can.

Last year he also had a pretty good April before falling off. Does something change for him in May, or has he just been lucky the last two Aprils?

If we bring up Rosario, it should be to replace Buxton instead of to platoon with Grossman. Grossman should be playing every day and we should be open to the possibility of him being in our long term plans.

The problem is, according to Rob Antony's comments yesterday, no one is calling for any of them. But instead of DFAing someone, I think we have to wait for an opportunity to get something back for at least one of Plouffe, Escobar, Nunez, Park, and Dozier. Until then I would send down Park so that Sano, Plouffe, and Mauer can play 1B, 3B, and DH, and have Nunez start at SS. Mauer can rest more often, which would allow Escobar to get in the lineup once in a while. That way we maximize at bats for Nunez, Plouffe, and Dozier to give them a chance for increased trade value.

My guess is Kepler or Buxton, and then Santana and Arcia would platoon in right. Which wouldn't be terrible, since it would be good to have Arcia play more while still having Kepler and Buxton play every day.

Do all NL teams get higher priority than all AL teams for an NL player? If so, then all NL teams must have passed on Ramirez, which isn't a great sign.

How about trading Park? Unlike most other players his value could be at a higher point, and it would open up space for Vargas or Walker.

I think we need Walker to drastically lower his strikeout rate in AAA before we call him up. Seeing how much Buxton, Rosario, and Sano have struggled with strikeouts, Walker could be a disaster.

I can't imagine this is helping the trade market for Plouffe. As long as Polanco is up, he should be getting more playing time at the expense of Dozier and Plouffe until they start to hit decently.

None of Sano, Buxton, Berrios, Meyer, or Rosario (if I remember correctly) had consistent success at AAA before being called up. I know it's surprising that 4 out of 5 did so badly at the same time, but aren't we setting ourselves up for this possibility by consistently skipping AAA?

The biggest problem with having May be the closer is that will make it less likely that we give him the chance to start again.

I wouldn't mind seeing closer to a 50/50 split between Suzuki, who isn't doing that well either, and Murphy. But giving Murphy a majority of the playing time while he's hitting this badly would feel like we're giving up on the season.