Jeremy Nygaard

The possibility of an International Draft (to replace the current system of International Free Agency) has been discussed for the last five or so year, but actual details of a proposal to be included in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement emerged Saturday morning according to MLB.com. Just a few weeks ago, teams throughout major league baseball added a number of international free agents. For the most part, these prospects are 16 or 17 years old. What has always been odd about International Free Agency is that teams enter agreements with players (or their trainers/agents) when they are as young as 12 or 13 years old. On the surface, that's problematic enough. But below the surface, there are lots of other shady - or worse - things happening. So it makes sense that MLB is trying to fix the problem and some details about the proposal have been revealed. A 20-round, 600-pick draft. Each pick would have a slotted signing bonus. Undrafted players could still be signed. Would increase money spent on international players by $13 to $15 million. Draft picks could be traded. There are also some other neat (in my opinion) parts of the proposal, including how the draft order would be determined. Teams would be placed into groups of six and each group would rotate where they select each year in the draft. For example, a teaming picking in the top six wouldn't get a top-six selection for the next five years (unless they traded into this spot). Simply speaking, each team would draft in each spot over a 30 year period. This reminded me of an article I read about a similar suggestion for the NBA back in 2013. Another interesting tidbit in the proposal is that teams would receive supplemental selections for drafting and signing players from non-traditional baseball countries. Though it's not clear which countries these are specifically, the Twins signing Max Kepler from Germany would be a great example of such a signing. Before an agreement is reached, there are likely to be some tweaks, but the reveal of any details would seem to suggest that progress towards a deal - at least in this aspect - is on the right track. What do you think of this concept? Do you like it, or does it present more questions? More Twins Daily Content — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

While Target Field sits idly by without baseball, US Bank Stadium will host the Cambria College Classic beginning Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6. The Gophers will host five other teams, including two Big Ten teams and the #11 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The inaugural event was hosted in 2020 and the 2022 version (following a one-year hiatus) will follow a similar schedule. The three Big Ten teams will rotate playing the non-Big Ten teams over the weekend. Friday, March 4 11:05 am Michigan State vs. Kansas 3:05 pm Illinois vs. Notre Dame 7:00 pm West Virginia vs. Minnesota Saturday, March 5 11:05 am Notre Dame vs. Michigan State 3:05 pm West Virginia vs. Illinois 7:05 pm Kansas vs. Minnesota Sunday, March 6 10:05 am West Virginia vs. Michigan State 2:05 pm Kansas vs. Illinois 6:05 pm Notre Dame vs. Minnesota From the view of prospect-watchers, the field doesn't offer too much (right now) in terms of high-end 2022 draftable talent. In fact, only Notre Dame 3B/RHP Jack Brannigan (Baseball America's #85 prospect) shows up in any of the most popular Top 100 lists. But that doesn't mean that there won't be talent in Minneapolis this weekend. The Gophers, whose roster boasts 16 players from Minnesota and 6 from Wisconsin, are 3-6 on the season and host South Dakota State on Wednesday night. Senior catcher Chase Stanke has five home runs in ten games. Sam Ireland, a junior pitcher, has been the Gophers best starter, but the rest of their pitching staff has been somewhat of a mess. Notre Dame, who is 5-1 this season, boasts a lineup that is batting a collective .348 and has an OPS just shy of 1.000 (.959). The offense is currently being led by sophomore CF TJ Williams and senior 1B Carter Putz. Notre Dame's rotation is a combined 5-0 (in 5 starts), striking out 44 in 34 innings. Notre Dame will play Minnesota in the tournament's finale. Nick Juaire, from Farmington, is a catcher on the team. Also of note, Casey Kmet, brother of Cole, who currently plays for the Chicago Bears, is also on the team. West Virginia is 6-2 and has two wins over Central Michigan, who was ranked #16. They've also been very good offensively so far, batting over .300 as a team. Michigan State is 3-4 on the season. Illinois (2-4) and Kansas (3-3) just played three games against each other a couple of weeks ago. At any rate, if you're a fan of baseball who needs a fix, nine games in a controlled climate might be what you need. Tickets for this weekend's event are available here. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

I don't have a great feel for what the Twins are thinking yet (nor do they, given the time of the year), but for reference, BA has their top college pitcher at 13 and MLB has their top college pitcher at 12. So I think it's fair to say that the general consensus is that it's not a great year for high-end college pitching.

While there may not be Major League Baseball in the near term, there is a lot of baseball to follow. Amateur scouts are already being kept busy recruiting college and high school games around the country. Each week, I'll take a look at whose stock is rising or falling, provide links to interesting mock drafts and update my personal Top 8 draft prospects. The return of baseball has been a welcome sight to fans. No, we’re not talking about Major League Baseball (yet), but we are talking about the rest of baseball. College seasons have started, with many northern playing teams having flown south for the spring. High school seasons are getting underway in some parts of the nation, while the Midwest will have to wait - for the most part - until the snow clears up. The season is upon us and there has been plenty happening already. Carlos Collazo of Baseball America dropped his weekly draft stock watch. Collazo was in Florida for the weekend where he was able to see one of my favorite prospects in this year’s draft, prep outfielder Elijah Green. He followed that up with another piece of rising and popup prospects. The Athletic took a very thorough look at shortstop Brooks Lee of Cal Poly. Lee, who many consider that top collegiate bat, would be a welcome sight if he were still available when the Twins come on the clock. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel put out his first draft ranking of the year. As exclusive ESPN+ content, it’s behind a paywall. The story of this draft is in both the prep-hitting class and how many of those top prospects - Druw Jones, Green, Jackson Holliday - are sons of former professional athletes. With the return of college baseball, the dudes over at Fangraphs posted their first-weekend update. The Twins are set to pick eighth, so I’ll leave you each week with my Top 8 Prospects. At this point, it is a baseline only based on who I like and less on anything else. As the draft approaches, I’ll try to make this reflect how I think the Twins will stack their board with some explanation. 1) Druw Jones, OF, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) 2) Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly 3) Elijah Green, OF, Florida prep (Miami commit) 4) Termarr Johnson, 2B, Georgia prep 5) Jacob Berry, 3B, LSU 6) Dylan Lesko, SP, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) 7) Jace Jung, 3B, Texas Tech 8.) Chase DeLauter, cOF, James Madison MOCK DRAFTS / PROSPECT BOARDS Baseball America - v1.0 (2/10/22) / Top 100 (1/17/22) MLB.com - Callis - Top 10 (12/15/21), Mayo - Top 20 (7/20/21) / Top 100 The Athletic ESPN - Early Draft Rankings (7/26/21) ($$$ - ESPN+) / McDaniel’s Draft Rankings (2/24/22) Fangraphs - The Board / 2022 MLB Draft Rankings and Offseason List Primer (11/30/21) Just Baseball v1.0 (2/10/22) Prospects Live v1.0 (1/24/22) My MLB Draft (1/18/22) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

I was going to chime in to add any critical information or questions that came up. But.... these comments are really good. There's a reason that TwinsDaily is the best place for Twins fans and it's because of the educated visitors/posters (not my mediocre articles).

College baseball started nationwide over the weekend and one name notably absent during the showdown in Nashville between Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State was former Commodore pitcher Kumar Rocker. Rocker, as you may recall, was drafted by the Mets last year but did not sign before the signing deadline. When Kumar Rocker and the Mets failed to reach an agreement last summer, it left few options for Rocker's baseball future: return to Vanderbilt for his senior season or play professionally, albeit in a league not affiliated with Major League Baseball. It became apparent quickly, if not immediately, that Rocker, who is represented by super-agent Scott Boras, would not be returning to play college baseball. So here we are in February, draft season upon us, with the most well-known draft-eligible pitcher appearing destined for independent baseball, eventually. The journey from now until the draft is going to be clouded in mystery. Let's look back at the path Kumar Rocker took to get here. Kumar, son of former NFL player Tracy Rocker, was drafted out of a Georgia high school by the Rockies in the 28th round of the 2018 draft but elected to enroll at Vanderbilt where he quickly burst onto the scene. The success he had as a freshman was unprecedented: striking out 114 batters in 99 2/3 innings, Rocker won 12 games and had an ERA of 3.25, but his persona grew as a big-game pitcher as he led the Commodores to a national championship. Along the way, Rocker was the eighth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the NCAA tournament, but the first to ever do it in a Super Regional Game. He set a College World Series record, fanning 11 against Michigan on his way to a 2-0, 1.46 ERA in the CWS, taking home Most Outstanding Player honors. All the momentum he took into his sophomore year, which he also started with a bang came to a screeching halt when COVID shut it down in early March of 2020. Rocker, though, returned to dominance in the spring of 2021, posting a 14-4 record with an ERA of 2.73. He struck out 179 batters in 122 innings. But four of his starts, including his last one in the College World Series, are best described as clunkers and some of the polish that made Rocker such a shiny prospect had started to wear off. Teammate Jack Leiter flew past Rocker on draft boards and prospect lists and Rocker, who was widely mocked as the first overall picks for much of the spring, started to tumble amidst concerns that, physically, something wasn't right. The Mets, picking 10th, had agreed to pay Rocker well over-slot and executed their whole draft around this idea. The $6 million agreement was public knowledge before the paint was even dry on the rest of the draft. Rocker probably wouldn't have dropped to the Mets if this agreement wasn't in place before the draft started. And that's where things took a weird turn. Rocker, who didn't participate in the pre-draft sharing of medical information, was deemed to have some shoulder/elbow irregularities in a post-draft physical done by the Mets. Boras, on the other hand, shared that imagining showed no discernable difference from an MRI Rocker had done years prior. The Mets held firm and didn't even offer Rocker a contract (and they didn't have to because of the lack of shared medical information). Kumar Rocker will be draft-eligible again in 2022. Where, when and how much he throws prior to the draft will remain a mystery. But when the draft starts, there's little doubt that Rocker won't be among the best available arms. The question, though, is whether or not there are enough answers for the Twins to feel comfortable drafting him. Don't forget to check out the other content here at TwinsDaily. Our draft series kicked off last week and we'll have more throughout the weeks leading up to the draft. February 15 update And there's the prospect rankings series as well. Honorable Mentions Prospects 16-20 Prospects 11-15 #10: Josh Winder, RHP #9: Chase Petty, RHP #8: Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP #7: Jhoan Duran, RHP #6: Matt Canterino, RHP #5: Joe Ryan, RHP #4: Jordan Balazovic, RHP #3: Coming tomorrow View full article

With all the uncertainty surrounding the game of baseball, we can still count on high school and college seasons going on as scheduled*. And while a continued (and eventually resolved) lockout would definitely impact the 2022 MLB Draft, there are still many draft-related topics to be tackled between now and whenever that is. *Considering that weather is always a thing and COVID is, you know, still a thing. We don’t know when or where yet. We also don’t know how significantly all of the draft rules will change as the new CBA is negotiated. Things like forfeiting draft picks for signing free agents seem to be on the chopping block. Will small market teams still get compensatory picks? Will there be a lottery (or something crazier like Jayson Stark’s idea, subscription required) to determine draft order? Will we ever get to a point where teams are able to trade draft picks (besides the “competitive balance” picks)? All of these questions are going to be answered later, and we’ll have that coverage right here. In this first article leading into draft season, there will be a lot of links to other places, where you’re welcome to go and start forming your own opinions on players. (I'll get into specific players a bit next week.) Baseball America (led by Carlos Collazo) pushed out their first mock draft (subscription required) late last week. The two-headed monster of Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com have started their season with their Top 100 Prospects and Callis put out an early Top 10 picks mock draft last month and the two of them going back-and-forth through 20 picks before the draft order was settled in September. Neither ESPN (led by Kiley McDaniel) nor The Athletic (led by Keith Law) have dropped their first mocks. These sites and Fangraphs are widely considered the industry leaders in draft coverage. But there are other mock drafts out there too: Prospects Live released a mock draft early last month. My MLB Draft updated theirs on January 18th. Just Baseball put out their first mock draft last week. You can find many others as well. If you click through those mock drafts or look through prospect ratings, you’ll quickly see how they are top-heavy with hitters. But if you’ve clicked through mock drafts in previous years, you’ll also recall how opinions on players quickly evolve. In fact, Baseball America posted all of their mock drafts side-by-side after the 2021 draft. Their original #1 pick? Drafted tenth and didn’t sign. The college catcher that went first overall? They had him mocked at #21, but had a different college catcher mocked at #2 (who ended up going 67th.) All of that is just a long way to say: It’s super early… but that doesn’t make it less fun. And there will be plenty of Twins-focused coverage right here. ~~~~~ On a more personal note, I’m back! For draft coverage anyway. If you’ve been around Twins Daily for a while, you may remember me from its early years and covering the draft. (I’m pretty sure it was 2012-2017, but things all tend to run together.) I had to stop, though, when I took a job coaching basketball that required me to shift my focus. I’ve since stopped doing that, too, to spend more time watching my kids grow up and love to play sports as much as their dad did. I’ve always been enamored by drafts, in any sport. Did you know that WWE has an annual draft? I didn’t either… but when I learned they did, I started watching it. The NFL Draft is one of my favorite days of the year. Did I skip prom in high school to watch the NFL Draft? I might have. The MLB Draft, though, is so different. Very few names are household names or as the scouts say, “famous.” In no other draft does a team select someone that they don’t, won’t, or can’t sign. In no other drafts are players forced to make such a tough decision (go pro or not) after being drafted? In the middle of my original run covering the draft for Twins Daily, there was a situation where a player was drafted and agreed to sign before a physical turned up some new information. The Twins - within their rights - wanted the player to sign for less. With this potentially freed up money, they turned their sites on two other players who weren’t going to sign but could be convinced with additional bonus money. In the end, none of them ended up signing with the Twins (though they all ended up hearing their name called again). But at the time, trying to provide breaking draft coverage - and ending up in the crosshairs of a baseball agency - was more taxing than I wanted it to be. So it’s not going to be quite like that anymore. I’ll let Callis, Mayo, or whoever break the signing details. And I’ll keep readers updated here on those things. My plan is to post something weekly, probably on Tuesdays, covering the things that happened since the last update. Some posts figure to be longer than others. Some, especially those in February and March, might be much shorter (or possibly skipped if nothing noteworthy happened). And then we'll ramp it up as the draft gets closer. Heck, maybe even Aaron and John will let me back into the KFAN booth again to talk about the draft. Anyway, I’m glad you’ve come along for the ride. I hope you enjoy it. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Order the Offseason Handbook — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook , or email View full article

Ceiling - if the power comes and he irons out all the defensive questions: Mookie Betts, with less speed. His floor: Marwin Gonzalez, Twins 2020. I do like my comp as a more versatile Luis Arraez as a median.

I wouldn't worry too much about being a RP yet. He's going to end up there if he doesn't get the walks under control, but he's had a really weird year with the Olympics interrupting his year. I'll give his 2021 year of stats a pass.

I love Martin and might drive the hype train. He was playing 3B at Vandy, but questions about his arm strength and accuracy led to a move to CF. You can live with seeing how that plays out while developing, but the likelihood is that SS/3B and CF won't be long-term homes. 2B/LF is probably how this plays out. He could turn out to be what you wish Arraez would be defensively, with a very similar offensive profile if the power doesn't develop.

I think the organization is probably ok with their CF depth if Buxton sticks around. Celestino and Cave (I know) with Gordon and, potentially, Royce Lewis. With no Buxton, the depth chart is scary. (But in that event, you're signing someone to a one-year deal hoping to cash in at this time next year.)

Traditionally, buying teams aren't trading major league contributors. And the selling teams are content to turn their major league players into younger, cheaper, controllable players. It's how the Padres got Fernando Tatis Jr for James Shields. It's how the Brewers got Josh Hader for Carlos Gomez. It's how the Mets got Noah Syndergaard for R.A. Dickey. All seem lopsided towards the prospect side now. (And each team getting the prospects got more than just the guy I mentioned.) Obviously they don't always turn out. But that's what makes this all so entertaining.

I wrote the Pineda piece prior to him pitching last night. His value is higher today than yesterday. Great question about the CBA... I have no idea. I'd *guess* it would still happen.

All of these returns include a "big name" and I think that's the cover charge on doing business with the Twins about Berrios.

It's one thing to say "we plan to compete" and another to make the moves to actually compete. I really think the FO planned/plans to compete in 2022, but then realized that moving Berrios/closing the 2022 window that was only slightly opened anyway might be less favorable then moving Berrios for a haul. If it's not a haul, they say, "Yeah, we always planned to compete in 2022." (Before trading Berrios in the offseason.)

The trade deadline is fast approaching, and Twins Daily has explored many of the teams that the Twins could potentially trade with. Let's take a shot at putting all of those puzzle pieces together and preview what the organization could look like when the dust settles. The Twins made their first big move sending Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay in exchange for two pitching prospects. There were reports over the weekend that Byron Buxton won't be signing a contract extension with the club and rumors of willingness to listen on team-controlled players such as Jose Berrios, Taylor Rogers, and Max Kepler. So, where do we go from here? We're going to start with the players on expiring contracts. Trade Andrelton Simmons to the Reds for SS Gus Steiger. Steiger, who is from Minnetonka and played collegiately at South Dakota State, signed with the Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and would provide organizational depth in Fort Myers. The Twins would send no cash in the deal, leaving the Reds on the hook for the remaining $3.5 million on Simmons' contract. Trade Michael Pineda to the Astros for P Misaell Tamarez. Tamarez has less than 75 professional innings under his belt and has a walk rate over six, but he also strikes out more than a hitter per inning and has some ceiling. Tamarez would join the Fort Myers staff, where he could start or relieve. The Twins would get all of next year to evaluate Tamarez before deciding whether or not to add him to the 40-man roster. Pineda has $3.4 million left on his contract, which the Astros would pick up. I'd also expect Big Mike to be back with the Twins on a two-year deal this offseason. Trade Hansel Robles to the Red Sox for RP Durbin Feltman. Boston will give up Feltman, who may help in a bullpen someday, for Robles, who will help them in the bullpen for the rest of the year. Robles is owed less than $700,000 for the remainder of the year. Feltman, who has seen his velocity dip since turning pro in 2018, is the type of prospect on who the Twins could take a chance. If they can unlock some of that lost velocity, there is a chance he could be added to the 40-man when first eligible this upcoming offseason. Trade J.A. Happ to the Phillies for a PTBNL or cash. Happ broke into the big leagues with Philadelphia in 2007 and can provide rotational depth. The return for Happ would likely be a little bit of cash to offset his contract. He's still owed just shy of $3 million. The Twins would stay on the hook for almost all of that. The only other impending free agent is Alex Colome, who has been bad this year. If there's a team interested, he could be had for a meager price. Even if the Twins pay the remainder of his salary, the return will be low… in fact, it would be a win if someone else would be responsible for buying out his option. Before going on to the next - and definitely more debatable - part, one thing that needs to be discussed (because it will get a lot of consideration) is the 40-man roster. Except for Drew Strotman, none of the actual or projected returns to this point include someone on the 40-man roster. The Twins also have five players on the 60-day IL that will need to be activated this offseason. Now, granted, the roster has several fringe-40-man players that can be removed, but the organization has to be very careful about the position they put themselves in with acquiring players. Part of the reason Tampa Bay was ok giving up two of their top prospects for Cruz likely had to do with the crunch they were going to face this offseason. (They probably would have lost Strotman on outright waivers.) Just by my quick estimation, there are eight players (seven pitchers!) that I think are more likely to get added to the 40-man than not either later this season or in the offseason. If the Twins are going to rebuild, they would be wise to acquire prospects who are at least a year away from needing to be added to the 40-man roster. Whatever Taylor Rogers did to his finger last night puts his status on the trade market in question. If healthy - and if I were calling the shots - I would have him very available. But for this exercise, he will remain with the Twins. I'm not going to trade Josh Donaldson either. My stance would be that I would make him available, but I want a fair prospect return. The money complicates that. The Twins, in my opinion, will move Donaldson if someone is willing to take on the remainder of his contract. That will minimize the return. Josh Donaldson is too good of a baseball player just to give away. I'll listen on Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco, but I don't see either getting moved. Kenta Maeda as well. For an overpay, I'd move every one of them. Now for the big dogs… Not only do I think Byron Buxton will not be moved, I believe a whirlwind Trade Deadline Week is going to be capped off with a Byron Buxton extension. Maybe it won't be Friday because the front office will be busy. But soon enough that the fanbase won't be able to check out for the year. Jose Berrios is a different story. Even a week ago, I wasn't convinced that Berrios was going anywhere. Now I've done a complete 180 and think there is no way he's not traded. And there's going to be a market. Take your pick… San Diego is aggressive, has prospects, and is forward-thinking enough to pull off another blockbuster. Would they include any of their four top prospects? Would MacKenzie Gore, who's been a mess lately, even be enough? Or would the Twins shoot for the injured CJ Abrams or Robert Hassell? Could the Twins bring back Eric Hosmer's bad contract to help the Padres out financially and ask for another top prospect too? The Dodgers don't want to share the spotlight. Is it really a possibility that they offer Dustin May? If so, that is a conversation that needs to be had. Maybe the Giants won't want to be outdone, and though they can't offer a top-end pitching prospect, they do have prospect currency, including SS Marco Luciano and C Joey Bart. There should be enough interest that the Twins don't have to settle for prospects that aren't in the top tier. The AL East is also worth watching. Toronto (P Nate Pearson and SS Austin Martin) and New York (P Deivi Garcia) would both be able to move the needle. The NL East is just as interesting. The Mets have the prospects, but all are a few promotions from the major yet. (Plus, Kevin Mulvey is no longer available.) The Braves could be a match. So what would I do….? I'd call Trader Jerry and make a deal with the Mariners. The basic framework would be Jose Berrios for P George Kirby. Kirby is a Top 20 prospect and hasn't reached AA yet (but will soon). The Mariners are also in the market for an infielder. Does expanding the deal to include Jorge Polanco make sense? Would the Mariners have any interest in taking on Josh Donaldson? Does DiPoto want to roll the dice on Taylor Rogers being ready soon and helping out down the stretch? It would be hard to bet against the Mets, Dodgers, Padres, or Yankees in a bidding war, but the Mariners are a longshot who could make the best deal for both teams. Maybe the holes these trades would create would have to be filled internally, which may not seem to scream "we're competing in 2022," but in a season with so many questions and so few answers, do we really want to be tricked into thinking that's possible anyway? View full article

The Braves find themselves in a precarious position after losing one of the game’s young superstars, Ronald Acuna, to a season-ending injury right before the All-Star break. They may end up tempted to move some of their pending free agents as the month comes to a close. But with only a handful of games separating them from the East-leading Mets, they are currently one of the few teams in baseball already aggressively buying. What’s Their Situation? Atlanta is the three-time defending division champs and came one game short of the World Series last year. They currently find themselves behind the Mets and neck-and-neck with the Phillies. Their odds to win the division, though, trail only New York, according to Vegas Insider. What Do They Need? Down all three outfield starters from Opening Day, the Braves would need to start there. Acuna is out for the season (at least), Marcell Ozuna’s status in society needs to be resolved before a Major League team even considers playing him again and Christian Pache, recovered from injury, is back in the minor leagues after struggling. The Braves started out their second half by acquiring Joc Pederson from the Cubs. Pederson fills a spot for this season, but has a hefty mutual option for next year that will likely lead to the Braves choosing to let Pederson head to free agency Looking ahead, you can’t confidently place a single player in their 2022 Opening Day outfield. The pitching staff is in pretty good shape. While it’s possible they add some reinforcements, the priority for the Braves - if they choose to add - is the outfield. Which Twins Are the Best Fit? Max Kepler, under contract for around $20 million and three more seasons after this one, is the most obvious fit. He’s both versatile and affordable and could be viewed as expendable with the emergence of Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach. In 2019, Austin Riley, currently manning third base for the Braves, primarily played left field. The reason: Josh Donaldson. Donaldson had a great year (124 OPS+) and used it to sucker a team into committing at least $90 million to him. The Braves didn’t want to commit the years and cash to Donaldson in free agency, so it would require the Twins to kick in a large amount of money. Hansel Robles could be a cheap bullpen option for any team looking to make a bullpen upgrade. Especially if that team isn’t sure where it’s going to stand in August. Jose Berrios and Taylor Rogers could help out any team who plans to compete in 2022, though if the Twins were motivated to move them, that market would probably grow in the off-season. Who Could The Twins Get Back? Kyle Muller, RHP, 23yo - Muller is MLB-ready and has spent time both with the Braves and at AAA. He may not project as more than a mid- to late-rotation contributor if he can’t bring his walk rate down. But at 23, Muller still has upside. Freddy Tarnok, RHP, 22yo - Tarnok is a prospect who comes with both a high-ceiling and a low-floor. The fastball that nearly reaches triple-digits is something to like. His slider and changeup are still works in progress. If both improve, you have a starter with a lot of potential. If neither become a usable pitch, you likely end up with someone who never cracks the big-league roster. Ambioris Tavarez, SS, 17yo - The Twins have added a number of shortstops to their system over the last ten years, yet there is no obvious answer to the question, “Who is the Twins shortstop of the future?” Tavarez has yet to make his professional debut. But if the Twins are building for the future, adding another shortstop would make sense. View full article

100% agree. And you're getting hardly anything - maybe nothing - for someone taking Donaldson's entire contract. (Might have to throw a prospect in with him.) He's more valuable to the Twins.