Ted Schwerzler

For weeks we’ve heard talk of the big names. Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith, and Noah Syndergaard were all assets expected to be moved at the July 31 trade deadline. Because the Minnesota Twins are one of the best teams in baseball they were consistently linked to the best gets, and so too were every other major market. In the end, that trio went nowhere, but it’s in how Minnesota executed on their moves that makes the maneuvering something to get behind. Without hammering out more thoughts on Sergio Romo, it’s hard to see that move as anything but a come up. I already wrote about the move when it happened over the weekend, but they turned a guy who was going to be lost during the Rule 5 draft into a strong reliever and an equal or better prospect. Knowing the goal was relief help, Derek Falvey struck early on the former Marlins close. As the deadline neared on Tuesday afternoon, apprehension began to set in. Hours faded away, they turned into minutes, and the 3pm CT mark came and went. Then there was a tweet Darren Wolfson sent simply saying, “Stay tuned.” As long as deals are finalized with the league office prior to the cutoff, they go through. Having not yet been reported, Minnesota was in fact making a move. All along it was thought that Smith was the San Francisco Giants reliever on his way out of town. Stringing together some victories of late however, Bruce Bochy’s club is going to make one more run and held onto their top starter and reliever. In doing this, Falvey likely pivoted to what can be argued as a better get. Sam Dyson is a 31-year-old reliever with closing experience. Having familiarity with Thad Levine from his Texas days, Dyson closed out 38 games for the Rangers in 2016. This year he’s posted a 2.47 ERA 2.74 FIP 8.3 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9. He doesn’t still throw upper 90’s like earlier in his career, but he sits in the middle and doesn’t give up free bases. Under team control through next season as well, this move plays into the future. Going into the deadline I opined that the Twins could do no worse than two relievers with a starter pushing someone to the bullpen as gravy. None of the big relief names moved and Dyson represents the best arm to switch teams. Outside of Chris Martin, who is an impending free agent, Romo likely comes in above the rest as well. If you find yourself disappointed that the likes of Thor, MadBum, or Greinke won’t be in the home dugout any time soon I’d like to offer some perspective. First and foremost, neither of the first two players switched teams. The Mets asked for the most important player on the Twins roster in the middle of a season, while the Giants we’re holding a big name with declining performance back for a king’s ransom. Houston did well to land Greinke, and coming in after the buzzer he certainly provided the big bang to end the day. The former Diamondbacks starter would’ve been an ideal candidate for Minnesota as adding salary is certainly an avenue they could’ve went down. He would’ve helped to solidify the rotation and also is under contract. He is 35-years-old though, and most importantly had a full no-trade clause. It was his choice where he went, and that wasn’t here. Almost as what the Twins got at the deadline is what they held onto. With the big names floated for weeks, so two were prospects like Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brusdar Graterol, and Trevor Larnach. Falvey added talent in the most necessary part of the roster without giving up a single top 20 prospect. Lewin Diaz was the highest ceiling moved, and he was unquestionably buried behind some better depth. Jaylin Davis is having an incredible 2019, but it’s come out of nowhere and again is in an area of depth. You want to see a team start to push chips in when a window opens, but you must be certain that it isn’t just cracked. The Astros have made waves the last two seasons now in the midst of a third straight 100 win campaign. The Cubs traded Gleyber Torres in a final piece World Series move after winning 97 games the year prior, and are now looking at a fifth straight 90 win campaign. Those types of moves are risky but were beyond substantiated. Minnesota should win 100 games this year but it comes on the heels of a losing season. This core looks the part of a team that should be a Postseason and World Series contender for at least the next five seasons. They have no less than 15 players that are impact talent and will be 32-years-old or under four years from now. Rocco Baldelli’s 25-man roster is good enough right now to beat anyone in the Postseason. In 2020 and beyond, some of the additional depth can be turned into more talent, as the opportunity stays present. To summarize the past few weeks that led up to a frenzied couple of hours today, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine showed poised perfection in how they handled talent acquisition. The big league club got substantially better. The farm system did not get any worse. Sustained winning is still a probable outcome and the team from Twins Territory is as dangerous as it’s ever been. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Down in South Beach tonight the Minnesota Twins proved victorious over the hapless Miami Marlins. Sitting at a local brewery for the latest Gleeman and the Geek event, the question was whether or not the away team would cap off the night with a deadline deal. Then it happened, the Cleveland Indians sent Trevor Bauer packing. Much like his heave over the center field wall in Kansas City, Mike Chernoff flipped his pitching asset to the National League. Now, it’s your move Derek Falvey.Seemingly an odd decision for the Indians to move Bauer in hopes of landing immediately usable talent, a situation presented itself in which they were able to do just that. Yasiel Puig comes to Cleveland fresh off a boxing match in Cincinatti, while Franmil Reyes and Logan Allen join from the west coast. The Indians acquire two immediate big league assets at a position of need, and two thirds of the deal brings significant team control. If you’re keeping score at home this one is a big time win for the AL Central division foe. With the ball firmly in Derek Falvey’s court, it’s on the head honcho of the Twins front office to decide what the response looks like. Recent reports suggest Minnesota has bowed out of the starting pitching market, and there’s been ample belief that some of the biggest relief arms are unobtainable. Only touting Sergio Romo to this point, a race again the July 31 3pm CT deadline is officially underway. The Big Guns While Bauer falls in this category he certainly wasn’t a lock to be dealt. Apparently the San Francisco Giants are listening to the Astros on Madison Bumgarner but it’s still undetermined whether the rental swaps teams. Noah Syndergaard turned in an 11 strikeout performance on Tuesday night which suggests that nothing is imminent and that he’s as dominant as ever. Zack Greinke is really the only other pitcher of this ilk and his no-trade clause is going to be a hurdle in almost any negotiations. Dominoes in Relief After the Toronto Blue Jays took pennies on the dollar for starter Marcus Stroman it appeared the market had softened a bit for sellers. Then the Atlanta Braves acquired reliever Chris Martin Tuesday, but it cost them former first round pick, and previous top 25 prospect, Kolby Allard. After a tough, and brief, major league debut last season Allard has spent all of 2019 at Triple-A. He’s just 21 years old and under team control until 2025. That’s an incredibly steep price to pay for a 33-year-old having his first dominant year. The Answer Ahead I don’t know that the Twins will fill all of their current 40 man openings (presently at 37), but there’s zero doubt that a move has to be made. Romo was a nice start, but he seems to represent the floor and is only a single piece for a bullpen that needs to complete a full puzzle. Having been involved on virtually every name the market has flushed out, Falvey and Thad Levine are approaching decision making time. On Wednesday the Twins will need to figure out whether an arm like Edwin Diaz (reportedly an ask of Andrew Benintendi was suggested) or Kirby Yates is the move, or if they can survive with the likes of Daniel Hudson. I’m not sure that either of those avenues are the right answer, with the ideal path lying somewhere inbetween. What certainly can’t happen is that Minnesota whiffs and wastes the opportunity that lies in front of them. The reality is that this is a trade deadline of significant importance for the Minnesota Twins for the first time in nearly a decade. Although it’s understandable to still have a long term vision, nothing is guaranteed and opportunity currently lies in the immediate future. How this front office goes about the next handful of hours will shape 2019 and beyond, but it will also be a chapter in Twins history that we likely revisit often. How would you go about the next few hours? What are some hopes and expectations for the day? Where do you believe the intentions are for what lies ahead? More From Twins Daily Is Alex Kirilloff Expendable?Reviewing MLBTR’s Top 75 Trade CandidatesWhat If The Twins Don't Go Big This Year?Deadline Rewind: A Progress Report on the Twins 2018 Trade Deadline AdditionsTwins Trade Deadline: Final TouchesTwins Moving on From SP Trade Targets?What Sergio Romo Brings to the Twins BullpenCould the Twins Afford to Take on Zack Greinke’s Contract?Trade Deadline Thread: The Rumor Mill is Working OvertimeTrade Deadline Topics: Prospects, Scouting, RumorsTrade Deadline Thread: What To Do About the Rotation?The Gauntlet 1.2; A Complete Breakdown of the Top Relief ArmsFor Enlow and Other Minor Leaguers, “No One Is Safe” At Trade DeadlineJeremy's Deadline SeriesLet's Make A Deal, Part VI: GM For A DeadlineLet's Make A Deal, Part V: Are We Getting Noah Syndergaard or Someone Else?Let's Make A Deal, Part IV: The SellersLet's Make A Deal, Part III: The AmmunitionLet's Make A Deal, Part II: PayrollLet's Make A Deal, Part I: 2020 Click here to view the article

Each year there are certain products from Topps that collector's circle on their calendar. While there's products that come in all across the pricing spectrum, it's the flagship design that typically draws the most interest across the board. Making an appearance with a shiny finish is the allure of Topps Chrome, and the slight border should provide plenty of unique looks for the 2019 offering. From a checklist standpoint, Topps Chrome is traditionally about the big name rookies. These are some of the cards you'll want to hold in hopes of rising value down the line. Unfortunately for Twins fans neither Jake Cave or Willians Astudillo represent that contingent, but on your search you could certainly land a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Fernando Tatis Jr. Typically in this space there's an avenue to break down base, insert, and hit offerings targeted towards the Minnesota Twins. This time around there's not an opportunity to do that as the checklist is extremely light. Nabbing seven different base cards the subjects include rookie cards for Astudillo and Cave, with the veterans being Kepler, Polanco, Buxton, Berrios, and Rosario. Just four insert sets are included in the product, so it's not a huge change of pace. No Twins make it into any of those groupings however, so it's simply base and hits. From an autograph standpoint Cave, Astudillo, and Stephen Gonsalves are all signers in the rookie autos checklist. The one other hit inclusion is an interesting one. At one per case the Debut Gear Relics are somewhat of a chase card. Limited to 140 total cards plus an assumed four printing plates, Brian Dozier appears in this checklist. Now with the Washington Nationals, the chrome offering of what should be something to do with his 2012 memorabilia could be a nice little offering. Releasing during the first day of the 2019 National Card Collector Show, 2019 Topps Chrome Baseball will again be a product to seek out. Simple yet attractive design makes rainbows in this product some of the most attractive to go after. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

We’re closing in on the final 24 hours prior to the 2019 Major League Baseball trade deadline. This season, with a single deadline, teams won't have another opportunity to add players outside of their organization, and the Minnesota Twins' need to supplement is as high as it’s ever been. Having made just one move of significance thus far, there’s still work to be done.Derek Falvey did a tremendous job of acquiring some initial relief help in the form of Sergio Romo. He looked like a fit for this club over the winter and netting him along with another intriguing prospect for a guy who was subject to 40-man addition is quite the execution. If we can expect that strength of process in future deals, then this club should be in good shape. The front office has displayed plenty of evidence that they operate at a very high level, but it’d be a massive misstep not to see it in action at least one more time. LaVelle E. Neal has reported that the Twins were looking for impact starters if they were going to make a move there. Marcus Stroman was a name they were in on, but the Toronto Blue Jays never circled back before accepting a lackluster offer. Noah Syndergaard is another name Minnesota has targeted, but the Mets wanted catalyst Byron Buxton to headline the return. Now seemingly out on starting pitching, the attention turns back to where it’s been needed all along. Romo represents a solid addition that should take some pressure off Taylor Rogers, but the next arm in needs to be another tier up. Continuing to add talent that slots in at the height of the talent pool and raises the bottom rung is the way in which Minnesota should operate. Any acquisition can’t fall in line with dart throws like Matt Magill, Mike Morin, or Blake Parker. Entering the final stretch and needing significant contributions in the Postseason, these arms need to be heavily reliable from the get-go. It’s a pretty risky proposition to ever give up significant prospect capital for relief pitching. There are some very strong options that are under team control going forward however (Kirby Yates, Felipe Vasquez, Raisel Iglesias, Edwin Diaz, etc) and asking on those pieces first should be a must. Will Smith still represents an immediate band-aid and should require a muted return given the impending free agency. Despite what the Giants think they may be, getting them to sell that piece would certainly be a win for a true contender. Trusting in the blueprint and belief from this front office it’d be hard to question anyone they see an ability to squeeze more from. Wes Johnson has gotten quite a bit out of some unexpected places this season, but time and remaining schedule are both of the essence at this point. I think there’s real reason to believe an Archie Bradley or Mychal Givens could be high level additions that more is gained from both now and in the future. The area Minnesota can’t afford to settle is in the land of Daniel Hudson. Sure, he’s available and a piece, but that’s not the type of acquisition a team preaching opportunity should be agreeing to. After suggesting all offseason that they would go when the team was ready, Falvey will have a hard time selling a smoke and mirrors arm as the final piece of the puzzle. Peripherals matter and although Hudson, or someone like him, may have strong surface numbers a significant amount of impending regression should be cause for concern. I’d circle back once or twice on the man known as Thor and see if Brodie Van Wagenen has gotten back on his rocker yet. If that is out of the question or eating salary to take on Zack Greinke isn’t an option, then adding two more relief arms is how this should work out. Go get Will Smith if you don’t feel the top-tier controllable arms are worth the squeeze. Then add in another Sergio Romo type, or someone a bit more under the radar, and call it a day. Falvey has a team that’s very close, and next to nothing they can do is going to sacrifice 2020 and beyond. Failing to capitalize on this position while other contenders push their chips towards the middle could represent the setback everyone is trying to avoid. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY Could the Twins Afford to Take on Zack Greinke’s Contract? For Enlow and Other Minor Leaguers, “No One Is Safe” At Trade Deadline Is Alex Kirilloff Expendable? Let's Make A Deal, Part III: The Ammunition Trade Deadline Thread: How Far Would You Go to Add an Ace? What Sergio Romo Brings to the Twins Bullpen Click here to view the article

After fighting through the gauntlet, the past few weeks Rocco Baldelli’s Minnesota Twins finally have gotten a reprieve. The team took three of four from the Chicago White Sox over the weekend, and following an off day, a three-game set with the Miami Marlins lies ahead. Miami is one of baseball’s worst teams and the Twins get them in a good spot.Brief Overview: The Twins continue their jaunt through the NL East with a trio of non-DH games. These two clubs haven’t met since the 2016 season and Miami traveled to Target Field in that action. The Marlins have the worst record in the National League and own a -97-run differential. They’re coming off a series win (3 of 4) against a mediocre Arizona Diamondbacks team, and they should be ripe for a sweep. What They Do Well: When you’re going this bad it’s hard to find significant positives. If there’s a bright spot though, it’s that this club fields the ball at a league average level. They rank 14th in defensive WAR and have posted a positive 6 DRS on the season. Though it hasn’t had a great impact in statistical output at this point, the Marlins have done a decent job of running out fresh faces. They’ve given chances to more than a handful of rookies, and for a bad team looking for an identity, allowing guys a spot to step up is hardly a bad ask. If we want to dig deep, Derek Jeter did remove the home run sculpture at Marlins Park too, so that could be considered a positive. What They Do Not Do Well: This is where the list gets long. Miami is 29th in offensive fWAR. Their hitters have combined to produce just 1.3 fWAR on the season and there’s no category in which they can hang their hat. At 87 home runs, the Twins have doubled them up and then some. No one takes less walks than the Marlins and their .124 ISO is dead last by 25 points. On the pitching front things aren’t as futile with the group being the 20th ranked unit in the majors. Caleb Smith won’t go in this series, but Minnesota will face All-Star Sandy Alcantara. The pen ranks 27th in the majors and that was with the inclusion of Sergio Romo. The Bomba Squad will need to pick their spots however, as Miami gives up the 24th fewest HR/9. Marlins Park is also 28th in Park Factors for HR in 2019 (one spot behind Target Field), so the confines don’t exactly produce an optimal environment. Individuals Of Note: Brian Anderson is one of the budding starts on this club. At 26-years-old he’s still got some youth on his side. He’s produced 1.8 fWAR in 103 games this year and leads the team with 15 homers. At third base he’s been an exceptional defender posting a 9 DRS in just shy of 570 innings played. Miami is still looking for guys to build around, but this is a player that should stick for the time being. On the bump it’s Alcantara. Opposing Jose Berrios in game two of the series, the former Cardinals prospect will look to stifle a great Twins lineup. Alcantara was acquired from St. Louis in the Marcell Ozuna deal and is in his first full big-league season at age 23. He hasn’t posted the strikeout numbers you’d expect, and his fastball has already lost some velocity. That said, if there’s a piece with workable upside in the rotation this is it. Recent History: Playing so sporadically these two clubs were dramatically different the last time they saw each other. Back in 2016 the Twins took two of three at Target Field but did so with a -3-run differential. This will be another one-off situation but should provide Minnesota with some nice opportunity. Recent Trajectories: The Twins have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games but are coming off a series victory over the White Sox. Miami has also gone 5-5 in their last ten, with a two-game winning streak. They are coming off taking three of four against the Diamondbacks. Pitching Matchups: Tuesday: Odorizzi vs Gallen Wednesday: Berrios vs Alcantara Thursday: Pineda vs Yamamoto Ending Thoughts: At this point the schedule has begun to flip in the Twins favor and lesser opponents are rearing their heads. Taking the series from Chicago was a must, and so to is this one in South Beach. A sweep would be nice but getting at least two while the Cleveland Indians play host to the Houston Astros needs to happen. The Twins haven’t swept a series since May 26th so ending that drought would be a very good look. Give me Minnesota in all three tilts. Click here to view the article

The thing with Cruz is that the Twins didn't need an OF option. Being a bat and able to take over the DH role made him an ideal fit. It's worked out better than could've been imagined.

This winter two free agents jumped out at me as being obvious fits for this Minnesota Twins team. Marwin Gonzalez with his positional flexibility and Nelson Cruz for his big bat seemed like perfect fits for a lineup needing to fill some holes. Despite Cruz getting up there in age, he hadn’t shown any signs of slowing down and the only question was whether that would carry over into 2019. Now beyond the halfway point I think we have all the answers necessary. After a National League swing in early April a handful of Twins fans popped up questioning whether the long-time designated hitter still had it. Through the first game of an April 20th doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles Cruz owns a .268/.412/.415 slash line. He’d hit just one home run and wasn’t looking like the guy that blasts 30 dingers with ease. If the 17-game sample size wasn’t enough to suggest it was too soon, then the four-hit nightcap that day should have been. After game two of the doubleheader Minnesota’s DH owned a .326/.446/.609 line and the rest may be history. With 78 games under his belt the newly turned 39-year-old has posted a .980 OPS for the Twins. That’s the best mark over any full season in his career. Slugging over .600 for the first time he’s got a career high there as well, and the .375 OBP is even with his high-water mark set in 2017 with the Seattle Mariners. ZiPS projected Cruz to post an .848 OPS in 2019 and saw him hitting 30 home runs. While the slash line will remain in flux through the end of the season, he’s already at 26 and is tracking towards 40 long balls for the fourth time in his career, and first since 2016. Obviously, the golf ball-esque baseball doesn’t hurt anything for a big-time power hitter, but Cruz is still doing plenty of this on his own. You don’t have to search far to find Nelson’s name on hard hit leaderboards. His 12.3 barrels per plate appearance are second in baseball behind only the Yankees Gary Sanchez. His 94.2 mph average exit velocity trails only Aaron Judge and his 54.4% hard hit rate is the best in the sport. Roughly one-third of the balls he puts in the air leave the yard, and a good portion of them seem to go into orbit. If there was an expected decline to come, Cruz himself seemed to miss the memo. Looking at the body of work really isn’t to suggest this is uncharted territory for Cruz, he’s had better seasons. In 2015 and 2016 with the Mariners he combined to post a total of 9.4 fWAR. It’s fair to assume production would slow as you age, but this is going to be a better year than he had as a All Star for the 6th time last season and could conceivably reach a 4.0 fWAR baseline. The Twins got Cruz for $250k less than the Mariners paid him a season ago, and the $12MM option in 2020 looks like a forgone conclusion at this point. He’ll be 40 next July and if we can take performance in this campaign as any indicator, the only thing going over the hill will be a boatload of bombas. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Minnesota needed a win tonight to secure the series victory over the Chicago White Sox. Facing arguably the worst starter for the Southsiders they were pretty heavy favorites. Even with his home run tendencies Nova kept the ball in the yard, did not get burned by the top of the Twins lineup, and earned the victory in a rather lifeless effort from the opposition.Box Score Perez: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K 64% strikes (64-100) Bullpen: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Home Runs: None Multi-Hit Games: Buxton (2-for-3, R, 2B) Top WPA: Polanco .093, Buxton .028 Perez Solid but Not Dominant The past few turns through the rotation have been pretty back and forth for the Twins lefty. After posting a strong outing against the New York Mets 10 days ago the New York Yankees beat him around last time out. Tonight Martin gave Minnesota a quality turn going six innings, allowing seven hits, and giving up three earned runs. Chicago never put two runs across in any inning against the Twins starter and Perez left down just two runs. Unfortunately Minnesota’s bats struggled to get anything going and came up empty in an early bases loaded situation as well. Next time out he’ll look to post back-to-back quality starts for the first time since May 6. Nova Neutralizes the Bomba Squad Facing the White Sox best pitcher and then their youngest one the last two nights, Minnesota sent baseballs into the Chicago sky at an alarming pace. Nova came into tonight with a 5.49 ERA and a 1.7 HR/9. Somehow the only run he gave up was unearned and Ivan didn’t let the ball leave the yard. Nelson Cruz was looking to homer in a sixth straight game and not only did he fail to do so off of Nova, but Ivan held Minnesota batters to just two hits. Sometimes baseball makes very little sense, and this lineup being shut down by this pitcher doesn’t add up. Tonight Nova came out on top. Romo Incoming During the game news broke that the Minnesota Twins have acquired Sergio Romo from the Miami Marlins. It has been confirmed that he’ll be with the team tomorrow despite the Twins upcoming trip to Miami. While the 40 man roster has openings there will need to be a 25-man roster move made. Cody Stashak was the most recent relief promotion from Triple-A and he did work an inning tonight in Chicago. It would seem to make some sense that he’d be the guy optioned back to Rochester in order to get Romo in the pen. Derek Falvey almost certainly will be making other moves, but this was a good one to get the ball rolling. Postgame With Baldelli Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here for a review of the number of pitches thrown by each member of the bullpen over the past five days. Click here to view the article

For weeks it's been apparent that the Minnesota Twins need bullpen help. As we've gotten closer to the trade deadline the certainty that moves would be made has only become more clear. Tonight while in the midst of a battle with the Chicago White Sox, Derek Falvey was working the phones and landed RHP Sergio Romo from the Miami Marlins. Romo was a free agent this offseason and signed with Miami on a one-year, $2.5 million pact. He was someone I liked for the Twins but the front office decided to stand pat after the acquisition of Blake Parker. Romo was abysmal to start the season for Miami but has been lights out of late, and his dominant slider remains as good as it's ever been. Since May 22nd Romo has pitched in 22 games going 21.2 IP. He has a 2.49 ERA and a .585 OPS against. The strikeouts have been down this year and he was at just 16/3 K/BB over that stretch, but the stuff may be as good as it's ever been. Right now he owns a whiff rate near 14% in 2019 and his 40% chase rate is a career best. When you've been doing this for as long as Romo has, and without ever being a velocity pitcher, it's the offspeed stuff that must work. Sergio throws his slider nearly 60% of the time and it's continued to be an incredible offering. His slider posts an RPM of 2852 which is 9th best among sliders in baseball this season. Falvey obviously had to part with an asset in trade, and choosing Lewin Diaz makes a lot of sense here. He's a 22-year-old that posted a sub-.600 OPS at Fort Myers last season. Having put in significant work to get his body right this winter, he's having a breakout campaign with 19 HRs and an OPS north of .900 split between A+/AA. That's really where the good news for the Twins and Diaz ends however. Lewin would need to be added to the 40 man roster this winter or be subject to the Rule 5 draft. He went unprotected and unchosen last year, but that wasn't going to happen after the results this year. In that scenario the Twins lose him for nothing. He's a great defender at first and a nice power bat, but he's also behind at least Miguel Sano, Brent Rooker, and Alex Kirilloff for major league reps at first base in the not-so-distant future. This wasn't a one for one trade either. Minnesota also got back 2018 5th round pick Chris Vallimont from the Marlins. He's pitching at Low-A currently as a starter and the righty has been a high strikeout, low walk hurler in his young pro career. He too is 22-years-old but is not subject to 40 man necessity yet and gives the Twins depth on the mound, where they need it more. Reports have also suggested Minnesota picks up a PTBNL in the deal. It would be hard to see a Diaz for Vallimont swap as anything but a win for Minnesota. They get a more usable asset and the expiration date is pushed out. If the assumption was that Diaz could be packaged to net a bigger return that's one thing, but you'd have to imagine Falvey explored those options as well. This isn't going to be the Twins only move, and probably not even their only move for the pen. As a first deal though, they smashed this one out of the park. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

I like both a lot, but given their positions and the redundancy of top prospects as corner OF’er, I’d part with Kirilloff for Thor all day long.

I think Graterol highlights how volatile pitching prospects can be. While he's a potential ace, he's also could very well be a bullpen arm.

The Minnesota Twins are going to be scouring the trade market for the next few days as they look to supplement their big-league club. Relief pitching will be the main focus, but adding a starter makes some sense too. I am out on trading real assets for rentals, but a controllable arm could be more than enticing for Derek Falvey. The premiere name out there is the New York Mets Noah Syndergaard. 2019 has been a down year, but just how good is he? Commonly known as Thor, Syndergaard is a controllable asset through the 2021 Major League Baseball season. He’s costing the Mets just $6 million this season on an arbitration deal, and that figure will rise slightly each of the next two campaigns. After posting a 2.93 ERA through his first four big league seasons he owns a 4.33 mark in 2019. Much of that is on the Mets being the worst defensive team in baseball however, as his FIP is 3.64. Drafted out of high school there’s a lot to like with Syndergaard. He has worked in the majors since his age 22 season and has consistently been among the best pitchers in the sport. Yet to win a Cy Young or make multiple All-Star teams, his best years are likely yet to come. Unfortunately, he’s never been completely healthy and has pitched over 180 innings in a season just one time during his five-year career. When he’s on the mound it’s must watch action, but you have to believe in his ability to stay there. Looking under the hood we can generate a better idea of what Thor actually brings to the table. His 98.2 mph average fastball velocity is right in line with career norms, and he’s one of the hardest throwing starters in the game. The career 13.2% whiff rate is solid and while he’s down to 12.5% this season, that’s still a strong floor. Generating a ground ball roughly 50% of the time over the course of his career and giving up hard contact less then 30% of the time, it’s a batted ball profile that should generate success. To address some of the 2019 concerns we can probably start first and foremost with the slider. Although Syndergaard can blow his fastball by many big-league hitters, it’s the breaking pitch that keeps them off balance. For whatever reason he went from utilizing the slider 20% of the time all the way down to 12% in 2019. He’s throwing his fastball more than at any point since 2016, and he’s sprinkled in a bit more changeup usage. Working with him on what is a dominant secondary offering is probably part of the puzzle here. Because he’s gone to a straighter offering more often, batters are more than likely able to hone in on the zone. We some evidence of that in his chase rate this season. Down to a career low 31.5%, opposing hitters simply aren’t offering at pitches outside of the strike zone. Despite not being egregious by any means, that input has also led to a career high 73.8% contract rate. At the end of the day it’s pretty difficult to argue against the merits of a 26-year-old fireballer that throws a ton of strikes and limits walks. Sure, the overall numbers are down some in 2019, but it appears that all the stuff is still there. Expecting Wes Johnson to help unlock everything all at once is a pretty good bet and getting a guy like this that can be worked with for a significant period of time would really bear some fruit. Organizations like the Twins really have to determine their path when looking at how to best position themselves for an ace. Derek Falvey swung for the fences on Yu Darvish as a free agent a year ago, but ultimately stopped shy of matching the Cubs offer. Regardless of that deal now looking bad, the Twins being the frontrunner on the premiere free agent starting option seems like a foolish bet on an annual basis. You can certainly draft and develop talent, but that’s also not a straightforward process and one that takes an incredible amount of time. That only leaves the trade route. Dealing for a guy like Syndergaard is going to hurt in the form of prospect capital. The Star Tribune’s Lavelle E. Neal suggested that New York has asked for both Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis, which should not happen, but any deal is going to be steep. At some point it becomes whether the front office wants to deal in dollars or prospects, and for Syndergaard the latter may be worth genuinely exploring. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

If there was any doubt, the series against the New York Yankees removed it. The Minnesota Twins need bullpen help. This team is one of the best in the American League, but that relief corps has been turned over, replaced, and fallen short on far too constant of an occasion. Unless he’s got his eyes closed Derek Falvey sees it too, and the reinforcements must be coming. The question is, who are the Twins best options?A couple weeks ago we wrapped up a bullpen target series. There’s more than a handful of guys profiled, and the acquisition cost is likely going to come in all over the place on any number of names. Minnesota will need to navigate what they’re willing to give up, how much they need in return, and to what extent this year represents an “all in” moment. From my view the Twins need no less than two bullpen arms. That could be accomplished by acquiring a starter and reliever, effectively pushing Martin Perez into a lefty relief option. Despite a poor body of work as a starter last season Perez posted a 2.45 ERA across 11.0 IP as a reliever. He danced around some danger, but the cutter out of the pen gives him a new weapon and could take his effectiveness up yet another notch. Operating with the premise of two additional arms coming, these would be my choices. All In- LHP Will Smith and RHP Seth Lugo Regardless of the San Francisco Giants current hot streak they should sell. It sounds like they’ll hold onto Madison Bumgarner, but I can’t believe they’d be foolish enough to make Smith unavailable. As an impending free agent, he’s among the most attractive relievers on the market. Smith has worked as a closer for the past two seasons and has posted a 2.50 ERA across 97.1 IP. He’s a high strikeout, low walk type, and the secondary numbers suggest the 30-year-old is for real. The bidding will be tense, but this is a guy that would stabilize Minnesota almost on his own. New York is another team that needs to sell, but with a GM in over his head they are somewhat of a wild card. Brodie Van Wagenen did a terrible job with the Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz trade, so he’ll likely be more than cautious in negotiations this time around. That could make Noah Syndergaard or Edwin Diaz returns loftier than they should be, but Lugo is a guy that looks the part of an exciting piece. Under contract through 2022 and just 29-years-old, he won’t come cheap. A former starter, he’s posted a 2.76 ERA across 150.0 IP the past two seasons. Another high strikeout, low walk guy, he’d be quite the big splash. Moderate Play- RHP Ian Kennedy AND LHP Jake Diekman Purely from a return perspective I’d imagine the general consensus would be to avoid packaging players. In this instance though, I think the Royals deal these two guys together in hopes of eating a bit more money for Kennedy to drive up the return in prospect capital. Both well-traveled veterans, there’s breakout years in play here. Moved to the bullpen full time this season Kennedy is seeing a big-time breakout. He’s posted a 3.40 ERA but has a 2.16 FIP. The 11.1 K/9 is a career best and he’s walking less batters than he ever has. The velocity has already spiked up an additional two mph and that’s before he’s begun to work with the Twins Wes Johnson. As mentioned, there’s an ugly contract in play that pays him $16.5MM in 2020 but Kansas City would be expected to swallow a considerable portion of that. Diekman is the greater wild card here but the numbers suggest improvement in a better environment. A 3.36 FIP is behind a 4.75 ERA. He’s always been a strikeout guy, but 13.6 K/9 is easily a career high. The 5.0 BB/9 is concerning but you have to like a lefty with upper 90’s stuff. Jake regressed following a trade midseason a year ago, but you’d have to imagine the Twins pitching infrastructure is superior to that of the Diamondbacks. He’s a 32-year-old impending free agent and shouldn’t bump the cost significantly in a package deal. With nonexistent movement at this point, and connectable pitching dots, the Twins have been linked to every human with a live arm. We don’t know what path Falvey is going to travel down yet, but the situation in front of him is too good not to take advantage of. There are two pairings above the represent different varieties of talent commitment, but both would drastically improve Minnesota’s chances. We’re drawing closer to a conclusion on this front, and we’ll be better able to understand a future thought process once we reach that point. Who do you want to see Minnesota target? What is the best-case scenario, and are you willing to pay the price? Today's Trade Deadline Thread Click here to view the article

In a day that included a flurry of Minnesota Twins transactions the Triple-A ball continued to fly on the farm. Bryan Sammons put up an impressive performance on the bump down in Florida, and Elizabethton walked it off on a wild night in Tennessee. Plenty of action took place on the farm, make sure to catch up with it all below.TRANSACTIONS Rochester RHP Zack Littell optioned by Minnesota LHP Devin Smeltzer recalled by Minnesota RHP Carlos Torres contract purchased by Minnesota Fort Myers RHP Jordan Balazovic placed on temporary inactive list (Pan Am Games) RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 10, Norfolk 5 Box Score Triple-A baseball has seen a meteoric rise in scoring this year with the juiced MLB ball introduced, but the Rochester Red Wings have now scored 26 runs over the last two games. Drew Hutchison made the start and went five innings allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out nine and walking just one. After a first inning run to put the home team on the board, Rochester added a crooked number in the third. Three singles scored three runs and the lead was four. Doubling the tally in the third with another trio of singles and a fielding error, Rochester was up 8-0 before Norfolk could answer. The Tides clawed back a bit in the 5th posting a five spot, but Jimmy Kerrigan notched his 4th home run and Jaylin Davis ripped an RBI double to complete a two-run 7th inning for the Red Wings. When the dust settled 15 runs were on the board and the combined hits sat at 29. Rochester was on the right side of both categories in this one however. Four different Red Wings batters had three-hit nights including last night’s power bat Wilin Rosario. These two clubs will put a bow on the series tomorrow morning. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 4, Mobile 2 Box Score Following a postponed tilt yesterday Pensacola got this one in. Playing just one game tonight the Blue Wahoos doubled up the BayBears to get the win. Bryan Sammons was on the bump and turned in six innings of solid work giving up just two runs on four hits. He struck out six and picked up his third victory on the season. Mobile raced out ahead plating two in the third inning, but Pensacola’s answer came quickly. Following a successful stolen base and a pair of throwing errors Aaron Whitefield scored the first run for Pensacola. A three run fifth inning came on the backs of a Trevor Larnach double and Joe Cronin single. Doubling up the opposition after a wild pitch allowed Mark Contreras to score from third, the 4-2 lead held up the rest of the way. Andrew Vasquez was strong in two innings of relief work while Alex Phillips picked up his first save. MIRACLE MATTERS Game Postponed KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 3 Box Score Josh Winder toed the rubber for the Kernels and came up just one out shy of going six complete. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out four. Upon his departure he was in line for the win. After their off day Alex Isola got the scoring started with a two-RBI double in the 2nd inning. Needing one more out to escape a jam in the 6th, Cedar Rapids couldn’t slam the door on the Timber Rattlers. Giving back the lead by a 3-2 tally they’d need to rally over the final four frames. A lead change didn’t take long as Trevor Casanova scored on a 7th inning error to tie things up, and Gilberto Celestino drove in Ricky De La Torre later in the inning to take the lead. Isola’s two-hit game was the lone multi-hit effort, and scratching across four on six hits was a total team effort. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Princeton 6 (10 innings) Box Score Ben Gross took the ball for the Twins tonight and went four and two-thirds. Ceding three runs on three hits, Elizabethton went with the early hook. Getting strong relief work from a trio of arms, the game was winnable in extras. Following a Princeton three-run top of the 5th, Max Smith smacked his 4th home run to answer in the bottom half. The Rays added three more between the 7th and 8th innings to push their lead to three, 5-2. Elizabehton got one back on an Anthony Prato ground out in the 8th and went to the 9th down two. A pair of wild pitches from the Princeton reliever allowed the tying run to score and force extras. After giving up a run in the top of the 10th a familiar theme came back into play. Elizabethton evened things up on a fielding error, and then following a Matt Wallner strikeout Willie Joe Garry Jr. scored the winning run on yet another wild pitch. The crazy finish capped off a sloppy night on the mound for the away team and gave the Twins a hard fought victory. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 9, GCL Twins 5 Box Score Anthony Escobar began this one for the Twins side, but it was recently signed Yennier Cano that drew eyes. After four innings of work from Escobar, and just two runs in, Cano came on to make his professional debut. According to Steve Buhr who was on site, there was lots of heat and no command. Cano walked four, gave up four runs (three earned) and allowed just a single base hit. All five of the Twins runs were of the unearned variety and they came in the 8th inning. 2019 first round pick Keoni Cavaco recorded his 4th double on the season and Victor Heredia notched the lone two-hit game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Bryan Sammons (Pensacola) 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Jimmy Kerrigan (Rochester) 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR(4) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Fort Myers) – Game Postponed #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 1-4 #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) – 1-3, R, BB, 2B #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, 2 K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Fort Myers) - Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL) - Game postponed #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured List (groin) #9 - Jhoan Duran (Fort Myers) – Game Postponed #10 - Blayne Enlow (Fort Myers) – Game Postponed #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Minnesota) - Game in progress #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 3-5, R, RBI, 2B #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Fort Myers) – Game Postponed #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - Game in progress #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) – 0-5, 3 K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) – Did Not Play #17 - Akil Baddoo (Fort Myers) - Injured List (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL) – Did Not Play #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) – Did Not Play THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Norfolk @ Rochester (10:05AM CST) - TBD Mobile @ Pensacola (5:00PM CST) – Gm 1 RHP Edwar Colina (0-0, 4.50 ERA) Gm 2 LHP Charlie Barnes (2-2, 3.29 ERA) Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (1-4, 4.10 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Luis Rijo (3-6, 2.67 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (5:30PM CST) - RHP Andriu Marin (1-2, 4.64 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! 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Arguably the most exciting game the Minnesota Twins have played in nearly a decade, the home team dropped a 14-12 affair last night (err this morning) at Target Field. It’s in these last few games against the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees that two very real truths have been exposed. For the duration of 2019 it will be how each storyline unfolds that ultimately determines the fate of the season. First and foremost, the Twins are good and can hang with anyone in baseball. There was a narrative earlier this year that Rocco Baldelli’s club was only beating bad teams. While “teams with a .500 record” is an inexact science given the fluidity of records, Minnesota is playing at something like a 90-win pace against other teams in or around Postseason contention. Yes, they’ve beat up on bottom feeders, but they’ve also more than held their own against stiff competition. As of today, both the Yankees and Athletics are slotted into American League Postseason positions. The Twins split their four-game series with Oakland posting an even run differential over the set. In five games against New York, Minnesota owns a 2-3 record and has come up just two runs short of an even run differential. With a rubber match game looming tonight, this split could get even tighter. In winning games against good teams it’s been the offense that has gotten the job done. Although the lineup has slumped from the blistering pace it started 2019 on the Bomba Squad is still pounding extra-base hits at a healthy clip. Over the course of a full 162 game schedule this collection is far too good to stay down for long. As pitching, both starting and relief, regresses towards statistical parallels it’s the bats that should be expected for a continued rebound. On the mound we’ve seen a confirmation of what we already know. In the past week Minnesota’s bullpen has blown late leads on no less than four occasions. Cody Stashak worked important innings during his MLB debut last night, and Lewis Thorpe was there the night before. Kohl Stewart was tasked with keeping a big game tied in the 10th, and any number of arms have been called upon from the Rochester pipeline. Derek Falvey knows full well that he needs to get this team relief help. Rocco Baldelli is playing Russian Roulette on a nightly basis, and the result continues to be Band-Aids on a bullet wound. The front office can’t afford to skimp on an ok veteran in the pen, this roster needs difference makers. While the long-term vision remains important, wasting a team and opportunity this good by making a safe move can’t be the plan of action. We’re on a collision course with two pivotal points in the Minnesota schedule. A week from now the trade deadline rears its head, and in just a few days the opposition gets incredibly light. Minnesota knows how this book has begun, but it’s on them to write the final chapters. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

From Denny Hocking to Nick Punto and then eventually Eduardo Escobar the Minnesota Twins have always employed a scrappy utility type of player that draws the praise of fans everywhere. Light-hitting, good defensively, and an ability to play all over the diamond, the bat is something that typically is left by the wayside. In recent years however, this organization has seen the emergence of utility men that go on to play a much more prominent role.Acquired in exchange for Francisco Liriano was back in 2012, Eduardo Escobar was a middle infielder that would shuffle his was around the diamond. After five big league seasons in Minnesota compiling a .709 OPS the 2018 season saw him break out in a big way. Through 97 games on a bad team a year ago, Escobar posted an .852 OPS and looked like he’d challenge the all-time doubles record. 23 homers were a new career high and he did it while providing utility all over. Jettisoned to Arizona Escobar left a starting position open. The expectation isn’t for a utility player to take over an everyday role, but there’s certainly at bats to be gobbled up and opportunity to be had. In 2019 Ehire Adrianza is rewriting his own narrative. In the offseason prior to the 2017 campaign Ehire was placed on waivers by the San Francisco Giants. After being claimed initially by the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota brought him in. Getting in just 70 games that season he posted a .707 OPS. Adrianza was always billed as a very good defensive shortstop who’d never been given much leash in the Bay. The Twins played him in five different positions last season and that versatility was the bulk of his value as he posted just a 0.5 fWAR and .680 OPS. Fast forward to 2019 and the explosion of sorts has happened. Adrianza hasn’t joined his teammates as a chief member of the Bomba Squad, but he’s no longer just a fringe utility man either. He’s got a career best .288/.377/.432 slash line and nearly has surpassed his career high fWAR (1.0 in 2017) through just 53 games of action. Dating back to May 12, 31 games ago, Adrianza owns a .397/.473/.603 slash line across 93 plate appearances. Jumping into his first career pitching performance 2019 has come with seven different positions on the diamond. No one is willing to suggest that Adrianza is an All-Star caliber player or the guy that you build a roster around, but he’s absolutely the type that you round out a very good team with. In the Postseason you can generally find significant value in the 25th man on any given roster. Ehire has afforded Rocco Baldelli a significant amount of versatility in his lineups, and because his bat has performed at an otherwise unseen clip, there’s been less of a dropoff when teammates have dealt with injury. Credit Adrianza for taking the path often traveled and turning it into a consistent opportunity. Rare is the light hitting minor leaguer like Luis Arraez coming up and batting near .400 for any considerable amount of time. Ehire’s trajectory is one many big leaguers before him have traveled. He could’ve been Pedro Florimon for something like 10 years and fizzled out over time. Instead he’s an irreplaceable cog on one of the best teams in baseball and all his teammates are better for it. Click here to view the article

Just make sure to bring plenty of the Lord's drink. One of you will need it haha!