Jeremy Nygaard

It's been a few months since John and Jeremy got together to record a new podcast. But we did on Wednesday night under unique circumstances: We're retiring Across the Meadow. John is moving to Montana as he took in job in the sports reporting business. That's a little bit too far to walk to record a show.We managed to cover a lot in our final 73 minutes. First and foremost, what signing Josh Donaldson means. We also discussed how the bullpen and rotation may look and if it makes sense to start dealing prospects. It was a fun ride while it lasted. Thanks for being a part of it! As always, all of our podcasts are available here or you can download directly from iTunes here. Wish John the best at @MillerJohnP. Click here to view the article

I was basing that on a 3/6/9/12 model plus buyouts. Maybe 5/7.5/10/15 (4/37.5) is more realistic.

You could literally add Gerrit Cole to this team in February or trade for Mookie Betts in July. Heck, you could do both. Finding a spot for either would be really easy. You could do neither and still make the playoffs.

Did you miss both the Lance Lynn signing two years ago and the Marwin Gonzalez signing last year? If you can look at my projected roster and not find a way to add a better player, then I must have put a really good team together. I think you're just arguing to argue at this point, which is a good place for me to stop.

One of the first things I say is that this is going to be a slow free agent market. Then I detail how I'd put together a team that should probably still win the AL Central in that slow market. Then I close by citing low payroll and the ability to continue shopping into Spring Training or add at the deadline. If anyone is so hellbent on adding Cole or Strasburg, is your plan just to wait them out and see what happens? While it's possible, I don't see either signing before the end of January. You can have a full team together and re-evaluate later. Then, maybe, you strike. Maybe it's a pitcher. Maybe it's a position player. The Twins have done this a lot under Falvey and Levine and it could totally happen again. I don't have the answer to who it would be... but it's certainly a possibility, as I alluded to.

Sure, Rortvedt could totally be that guy. We could see Jeffers/Rortvedt as the primary catchers in a few years with Garver getting time behind the dish and at first base. Regardless, I'm not interested in signing a catcher for multiple years... especially Grandal!

Though their age is similar, I just feel like Bumgarner has an older arm... if that makes any sense. I get Wheeler's history hasn't been free of injury... but I trust Wheeler five years from now more than Bumgarner. And I might be totally wrong!

Teams that have a lot of good major league players have less room on the end of their 40-man than teams that don't. (That's probably oversimplifying it.) Those spots become that much more precious for those teams and they have to decide how to use them. High upside guys? Close to ready guys? Specific skill-set guys? Currently, they have a lack of position players, that much is clear... they have a lot of swingmen-type pitchers. I don't know what they'll decide. Chalmers and Duran are high-ceiling pitchers, that I'm not willing to lose for nothing. Blankenhorn and Raley are guys that I think could help soon. Jax... it's nothing specific, I just think he has a chance to be special. I'm as curious as anyone (except Seth and JJ Cooper, probably) how the 40-man deadline plays out.

Castro is going to get multiple years. Ryan Jeffers is a year away and has consistently hit RHPs better than LHPS. He's the ideal Robin to Garver's Batman. Give me Vogt for one year over paying Castro for more than one. (Also give me Vogt for one year for less than Castro for one year.) So I'm going to go ahead and disagree with Castro being the better option, for a few reasons.

I just don't think it's realistic that the Twins sign either of these two. (But I'd be jacked if they did.)

In fairness, I've been "trade Rosario" since he debuted, though I came off that strong stance while he was cheaper. The Marlins are looking for outfielders, have a hitting coach that is familiar with Eddie, he's from Puerto Rico and the Twins/Marlins have matched up on a good trade for both teams very recently. There's a lot of reasons that this particular trade makes sense. (Plus it's my blueprint...)

Much has been made of Thad Levine’s quote last year where he said, “When (the window is open), we plan on striking.” So much, in fact, that the Twins fan base - one that’s always rabid for big moves only to be left mostly disappointed - expects this offseason to include a few of them. That’s how a team “strikes,” right? But let’s pump the brakes on that idea a little bit as I present to you my 2019-2020 Offseason Blueprint.The window is just opening and should be open for a while, I’m not adding anyone on a multi-year deal that isn’t going to help extend that window - Sorry, MadBum - but wouldn’t hesitate to add older guys on one-year deals. The next wave - Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Royce Lewis and a herd of young pitchers - is going to be here faster than anyone expected. And I trust most of the core that’s here now more than the guys that would command big money in free agency. Of course, the pitching rotation has to be addressed. Re-sign P Jake Odorizzi to a 3-year/$42 million deal. First up, Jake Odorizzi’s decision. By offering Odorizzi the Qualifying Offer, the team has seemed to identify him as someone they view as part of their core, or at least someone that could be part of their core. Accepting the offer is a simple way to guarantee $17.8 million in his pocket. It’s also a terrible way to guarantee future earnings, which is why I think Odorizzi says “no thanks” and searches for a three- or four-year deal. With draft pick compensation attached, I think that deal comes from the Twins. Something in the range of 3-years/$42 million sounds reasonable (could the Twins front-load his deal?) and I could see added language for a vesting fourth year included. A three-year pact lines up his free agency with the end of arbitration (at least for now) for all of Jose Berrios, Byron Buxton and Taylor Rogers. Add INF Travis Blankenhorn, P Dakota Chalmers, P Jhoan Duran, P Griffin Jax and OF Luke Raley to the 40-man roster. Five may be too heavy, but I view Duran and Chalmers as locks. Non-tender 1B C.J. Cron. Outright P Ryne Harper. Though the team has money to spend, committing in excess of $7 million on Cron is not something I’m comfortable with. I wouldn’t rule out bringing him back, but opening up a spot at first base gives the Twins more flexibility, whether that be for a different first baseman or moving Miguel Sano to first base and adding a third baseman. Harper doesn't need to be outrighted at the same time, but I found a need for a 40-man spot later in the offseason and he's the odd-man out. Extend CF Byron Buxton (4 yrs/$32m) and LRP Taylor Rogers (4 yrs/$24m) Though signing guys to extensions shouldn’t be the biggest news of the offseason, it should be a telltale sign of how the Twins view things going forward. The club needs to establish their core and lock them up. So far, they have done so with only Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler. I’ve never been a huge proponent of extending pitchers, so though I’d approach Jose Berrios about an extension, I wouldn’t put him in the extend-or-trade category. Byron Buxton and Taylor Rogers wouldn’t fit in that category either, but both should be pursued to sign contracts into their free agent years. The reasons are two-fold: These are core guys that can help extend the window. Both players, especially Buxton, could have their costs skyrocket. Locking them in at a set-cost helps establish a long-term plan for a team so aware of their financials. Eddie Rosario, and to a lesser extent, Miguel Sano, could both fall into the extend-or-trade category. Both have two years of control left. Both have clear ability, but obvious flaws in their game. There are prospects who will be ready soon that could replace Rosario’s production at a fraction of the cost. I fully expect Rosario to be traded this off-season, which we’ll look at later. If the Twins can hash out deals with Byron Buxton (4 yrs/$32m spread evenly, with two options), Taylor Rogers (4 yrs/$24m spread evenly, with an option), that would put in place two more important pieces of their core through 2023. Sign P Zack Wheeler to a 5-year/$95 million deal. (If you swing and miss, sign P Rick Porcello to a 1-year/$9 million deal.) Re-sign P Michael Pineda to a 1-year/$8 million deal. Re-sign RP Sergio Romo to a 1-year/$3 million deal. Sign C Stephen Vogt to a 1-year/$5 million deal. I anticipate the free agent market being slow. The big fish are all represented by Scott Boras, which means they aren’t coming off the board until very, very late. That’s likely to slow down the market for everyone else. Even with the assumed return of Jake Odorizzi, the rotation is still two starters short. As much fun as Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg would be, they are going to require 6- or 7-year deals. Zack Wheeler might require a fifth year and the Twins should be willing to go that length. A five-year pact for $19 million annually is doable with the way the extensions have been formatted. If the Twins shoot their shot on Wheeler and miss, I wouldn’t look at any other longer-term deals. I’d shift my focus from signing one of the group of Michael Pineda (yeah, I would), Rick Porcello, Cole Hamels, Alex Wood and Homer Bailey to signing two of them. One-year deals with a team option preferable. While rolling with one-year deals on questionable starters during the clear window of contention seems counterintuitive, the moves that have been made previously have all ensured the window should stay open for, at a minimum, four more years. Making a long-term commitment to anyone - especially pitchers - comes with great risks as the results seem to decline rapidly on the wrong side of the 30… the age where most pitchers first hit free-agency. In addition to adding to the rotation, I loved what Romo brought to the bullpen and adding Vogt fills the backup catcher void, adds a good platoon partner for Garver and gives the team a tad more flexibility as he's played both 1B and LF periodically. Trade LF Eddie Rosario, P Blayne Enlow, INF Jose Miranda and P Luis Rijo to Miami for LP Caleb Smith and P Jose Urena. On the trade fronts, it’s simple: Zero in on controllable arms that can help for multiple years. Whether a sign of things to come or not, the Twins held on to their closer-to-the-majors pitching prospects, instead showing a willingness to trade on-the-cusp hitters and pitchers at the lower levels. There should be willingness to move Rosario and Sano if it can help accomplish the goal of moving the team both further into contention and to keep the window of opportunity open longer. In this particular trade, the Twins would be getting back a lefty for their rotation in Smith, who's controllable for four more seasons, and Urena, who could used in either a starting or relief role and who has two years remaining before free agency. That leaves a full 40-man roster and a 26-man/Opening Day roster that looks like this: Download attachment: 20pr.JPG Granted, Michael Pineda won’t count against either roster for the first six weeks of the season, that spot will be used on another young bullpen arm (such as Fernando Romero or Devin Smeltzer). Other things to consider: Marwin Gonzalez, Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver will split the shared at first base. Marwin Gonzalez and Jake Cave will be the primary left-fielders until Alex Kirilloff comes up (which he would, if I were in charge, in June). As you can see in the table above, Opening Day payroll is south of $120 million. By all forecasts, this is on the low end. This would allow the team to either (or both) shop free agents all the way until spring training (like they have done the last two years) and/or add payroll at the trade deadline. Additionally, the Twins would enter 2021 with around $58 million committed to a core of Wheeler*, Odorizzi, Rogers, Buxton, Kepler and Polanco. *Obviously, as previously stated, if the Twins miss on Wheeler and replace him with Porcello, payroll drops into the $106 million range, which allows additional flexibility when needed. The possible ways the Twins organization navigates the waters of this off-season are endless. But the reality is simple: the team needs to make moves that keep them competitive for the next half dozen years without sacrificing the payroll flexibility that they’ve established since Falvey and Levine took over. Check out these other Offseason Blueprints: Building a Bullpenner Hooking a Big Fish Making Big Betts ~~~ What would your blueprint look like for the Twins this winter? Download your copy of the Offseason Handbook and use it to construct a champion. Share your vision for discussion in our Create a Blueprint forum thread. Meanwhile, stay tuned to TD as our writers will be formulating offseason plans from different perspectives all week long. Click here to view the article

I was operating under his remaining suspension (37 games), not the original length, so 15 may be accurate.

The JDA has been adjusted since then, but I can't find specific verbiage either way. He would be eligible for Spring Training and would get up to 12 days in the minors.

This is a no-brainer "yes" in my opinion. What's the worst-case scenario? He accepts and the Twins have a rotation piece locked in for $13,780,645? (My math: $17.8m / 186 calendar days x 144 (37 games and 5 off days means he'll be active for 144 days)). That amount of money certainly wouldn't hinder the Twins from making other moves and they'll know early about a second firm piece of their 2020 rotation. (Unlike this past year, the Twins will need a 5th starter during March and the early parts of April, so that is one downfall.) After the way he pitched this season, there's going to be a market for him. And coming unglued from pick compensation in early-June, plus serving a suspension, and needing to "rehab," the signing team isn't getting more than a couple months of him next season. So his choices are getting a multi-year deal and the signing team giving up a draft pick or taking $13 million and be free of the compensation when he hits the market after 2020 at age 31. This also seems like a no-brainer for Pineda.

For the last time under the current rules, teams will be able to add as many as 15 players to their active bench once the calendar turns to September. Teams won't add that many, but we can certainly expect the bullpen shuttle to finally stop when rosters expand. Players like Devin Smeltzer, Lewis Thorpe, Kohl Stewart, Cody Stashak and Randy Dobnak will know where they'll spend the entirety of September relatively early in the month.There are other players currently on the 40-man that may receive the call as well. Will Willians Astudillo conveniently be brought back from his rehab on September 1st? Will Nick Gordon be recovered in time to finally experience his first major league clubhouse as a player? Today, we'll look at six players who are not currently on the 40-man roster who could help the Twins wrap up the AL Central pennant. While not all of these players - and perhaps most - will not join the team, they all offer something that could make an impact on the current team. RHP Brusdar Graterol - With Graterol, it's not a matter of if he joins the Twins, but when. After missing a few months earlier this year with a shoulder ailment, he has returned to Pensacola and pitched in three games, all relief appearances. In those games he's thrown five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out four. Of the 64 bullets he's fired, 43 (67.2%) have been strikes. Most impressively and famously, Graterol threw a fastball 103.8 mph in his last outing. He joined the Red Wings on Monday. He spent 10 days in Pensacola after recovering from his injury. How long will he be in Rochester? OF Alejandro De Aza (pictured) - Before being placed on Rochester's injured list on Sunday with a hand contusion, De Aza slashed .333/.410/.588 (.998) in his 28 games with the Red Wings. De Aza, 35, has not played in the MLB since 2017, but does have postseason experience which could help in September. In 2014, De Aza went 7-for-21 with three doubles and three RBI for the Orioles, who fell to the Royals in the ALCS. De Aza would be limited to below-average defense in an outfield corner (or DH), but would provide both experience and depth in the form of a left-handed bat who hits righties well. OF Ian Miller - Miller came to the organization in August from Seattle in a minor-league trade. The potential value of adding Miller to the big-club comes exclusively from his legs. Over his seven minor league seasons, Miller is 240-for-289 (83%) on stolen base attempts. The Twins this year - without Byron Buxton - are 11-for-28 (39%). I'm not suggesting the Twins bring up Miller to have him steal a bunch of bases. But the lack of successful stolen bases suggests that the team doesn't have a ton of speed. And there's going to be an occasion (again!) where a game will hang in the balance with a runner on first with one out or nobody out... and we'd all prefer that runner (or pinch-runner) is someone actually fast, not someone that is fast compared to the TwinsDaily writing staff. (Jeremy's note: When TwinsDaily writers competed at the mascot race a few seasons back, I won. And it wasn't even close. Believe me, these other guys aren't fast. They made me look like The Freeze.) LHP Ryan O'Rourke - Since ROR last pitched the for the Twins in 2016, he's had Tommy John surgery and bounced around baseball, eventually recently bouncing back into the organization. O'Rourke has always been death to left-handed hitters and could be a very useful commodity in September. RHP Jorge Alcala - Along with Graterol, Alcala joined Rochester on Monday. Acquired in the Ryan Pressly deal last July, Alcala has been a less-heralded prospect than many and his results haven't done a lot to make people take notice. In 26 AA games (16 starts), Alcala went 5-7 with a 5.87 ERA. He allowed a WHIP of 1.47 and opponents hit .284 off of him. But since moving exclusively to the bullpen in late July, Alcala has been a different dude. In 10 2/3 innings, Alcala has allowed seven hits and two walks (0.84 WHIP) and has struck out seven. Like Graterol, he's pounded the strike zone - 106 strikes in 165 pitches (64.2%). Pre-season scouting reports had Alcala up to 98 mph as a starter. In short stints, he'll be over 100 mph. Combine that with an above-average slider... and this bullpen might be OK after all. C Wilin Rosario - Like De Aza, it's been a bit since Rosario was a major-league baseball player. After hitting 28 home runs and finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting as a 23-year-old in 2013 with Colorado, Rosario had three years that increasingly got worse before playing the last three years in Korea and Japan. Back in America in 2019, Rosario has hit .307/.347/.527 (.874) in 385 plate appearances. He's a liability behind the plate, but could play there in a pinch. While it's not likely for Rosario to come up with the pending addition of Willians Astudillo, Rosario would be a phone call away if any of the three catchers go down to injury. Click here to view the article

The Twins started a HUGE series against the Indians on Thursday night. We recorded a new podcast just before that series kicked off. In addition to previewing the Indians series, we also discussed Sam Dyson, the future of the rotation and bullpen, and what's going on with the lineup. We also dreamed about a future free agent signing.If you don't have time for all 69 minutes, at least make sure you listen to the discussion around the 45 minute mark. The topic: Did Trevor May really get a plaque for hitting 100 mph? As always, all of our podcasts are available here or you can download directly from iTunes here. Click here to view the article

The deadline is upon us and the time to make a deal is closing fast. We all have great ideas to make the Twins franchise World Series champions for the first time since 1991. So you're the GM, what are you going to do? Have you missed the earlier parts of this series? Part 1: 2020 Part 2: Payroll Part 3: The Ammunition Part 4: The Sellers Part 5: Who Are We Getting? ********** The previous five articles linked above have led us to this place: willing to take on payroll, less willing to deal the best of our assets, but understanding the cost to do business in terms of adding controllable pieces. My wishlist (in no particular order): A controllable starting pitcher - Beyond Jose Berrios and the team holding an option on Martin Perez's contract for 2020, the other 60% of the rotation is on expiring contracts. While the current rotation has been durable and, at a minimum, capable, adding a quality starter to the stable would be a big step for this pennant race and next year. A relief pitcher - While a reliever with team control would be preferred, getting a rental would suffice. An elite pinch-runner - There will come a time between now and the end of the season that Nelson Cruz, Miguel Sano or Jason Castro will be the tying or go-ahead run on second base... and out of the dugout will trot Ehire Adrianza. Adding this piece would be ideal at the end of August, right before rosters expand... but that's not allowed anymore. So we shop in July! Holding on to my top six prospects - What? If I can accomplish the above tasks without moving any of Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brusdar Graterol, Jordan Balazovic, Jhoan Duran or Trevor Larnach, I'd be ecstatic. It doesn't mean I won't do it. I'd just prefer not to. Without further adieu, my moves: Acquire SP Mike Minor from the Texas Rangers. It's not the most appealing name, but Minor has had the most productive 2019 season of all the pitchers rumored to be available. Why the Rangers? While the Rangers are playing .500 ball, it's not happening for them this year. And if they're honest with themselves, it's not happening next year either. Plus, GM Thad Levine used to work under Rangers GM Jon Daniels and they have a great relationship. How does Minor fit? Well, this does give the Twins six pitchers for five spots. At its simplest, someone is going to have to move to the bullpen. I'd suggest being more creative, limiting Michael Pineda's innings and using Martin Perez in more of a swing role. I'd also find a way to get Devin Smeltzer the occasional start. Plus, Minor is under contract for another year. Controllable starting pitcher, check. The cost? You skipped the previous two parts, didn't you? Minor isn't going to come cheap, unfortunately. I'm probably going to have to give up one of the prospects I don't want to. If Trevor Larnach is involved, the cost probably wouldn't be much more. But there's a chance the Twins get this done without Larnach. A package of A-ball players fits in really well with where Texas is as an organization. The package(s): Quantity: SS Wander Javier, RHP Blayne Enlow and RHP Luis Rijo for LHP Mike Minor. Quality: OF Trevor Larnach and RHP Griffin Jax for LHP Mike Minor and minor-league RP CD Pelham. Quick Take: Is the Stroman deal what the market is going to be? If so, maybe the Twins can get Minor for less. If not, maybe neither of these packages get it done. --- Acquire RP Ian Kennedy from the Kansas City Royals. Just like Minor, Kennedy is not the most appealing name. But he's been dang good as the Royals closer this year. Why the Royals? If you can convince them to deal to a division rival, this is a no-brainer. Kennedy is owed over $20m through the end of next year, and the Twins are in a position to take on salary. The combination of those two things drive down the cost in terms of prospects. How does Kennedy fit? Kennedy has 20 saves in 23 opportunities and has been equally as good against right- and left-handed hitters. I wouldn't "demote" Taylor Rogers, but I'd be more inclined to use Rogers in earlier high-leverage situations knowing Kennedy is more than capable of closing out games. Oh, and he continues to serve in that role through the upcoming back-to-back World Series championships. Reliever, check. The cost? Money, mostly. How much the Royals send over determines the level of prospect. The package: RHP Johan Quezada for RHRP Ian Kennedy and $5 million. Quick Take: The Royals pay just the rest of this year's salary (or maybe less) and in return get a flame throwing prospect who they will add to the 40-man roster this offseason. Bad teams having a closer is a luxury that the Royals are capitalizing on. --- Acquire OF Jarrod Dyson from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Yeah, we're doing it... Why the Diamondbacks? They're setting themselves up as sellers, but maybe shouldn't be. At any rate, I want the one of the fastest runners in baseball on my team. How does Dyson fit? He fits great as a fourth outfielder... on a team that doesn't really employ a fourth outfielder. If Buxton were to miss time, this is a pretty easy transition. Otherwise, he's a pinch-runner and fourth outfielder. The cost? Dyson is owed $1.2m over the course of the season. Now, about that 25-man spot he's going to need.... I'm trading 2B Jonathan Schoop. With Marwin Gonzalez and Ehire Adrianza capable of being the second baseman if something were to happen to Luis Arraez. The package: 2B Jonathan Schoop for OF Jarrod Dyson. (And whatever else, from either side, to make the deal work.) Quick Take: The Diamondbacks have played Ketel Marte at both 2B and CF, so this move forces him to CF full time. Both Dyson and Schoop are on expiring contracts. This changes Arizona's lineup (more pop, less speed) if they want to continue going for it. Or maybe they flip Schoop. --- You're in charge. What are you doing? Click here to view the article

Romo isn't going to be the only move. The last part of this series is my GM FOR A DAY article. Bring on the additions!

The most forward-thinking teams approach the deadline as buyers and sellers. If the Twins can make a move to improve their ball team both for now and the future by selling an expiring contract, they can't be closed-minded to it. I don't think Odorizzi goes, because he'll likely bring back a draft pick by being QO'd (or he'll be back on a 1-year deal), neither which would be bad. I also don't think Castro gets moved because they would be super thin with only Garver. But I wouldn't be shy in including Schoop or Gibson. Arraez/Marwin can take care of 2B and whoever comes back would slide into Gibson's spot in the rotation... but you'd still need to add to the bullpen.