purppride1

Bingo. Never been a huge Kepler fan. He should be better than he is. I know he's still young and could put it together, but as you indicate, he's about to start getting expensive and I'm just not convinced he is worth it. Not married to CarGo as the replacement, just a guy I like. I totally get the Coors effect, just nobody outside of Harper on that list that blows me away. BTW... very important point for those who think we should be able to woo a Machado or Harper type... We can offer a player more than the Yankees, Dodgers, etc, but once that player's agents starts figuring out the marketing and merchandising deals they can land in those big cities, relative to what they can get here, we may still fall short. There's nothing ownership can do for that other than overpay so much that they offset those deals too, but then they just move the bar for the next guy and we're stuck in the same rut. I've seen so many anti-Pohlad posts on here and I don't necessarily disagree with some of them, but I think it's overly simplistic to blame the owners for not landing stars who have free will to make their own decisions and will consider factors beyond just the team's offer. By all accounts, the Twins were active last offseason. I'm hopeful they will be active this offseason. Just don't assume that the ones we miss on are because ownership was cheap. Let's just hope they land a few good ones...

Fans in every market are saying the exact same thing.

Very fair question. I'd love some combination of Escobar (slide Sano to 1st), Carlos Gonzalez (trade Kepler) and another good arm. Plus some bullpen help but that always tends to work itself out.

I agree 100%. Best case scenario is Gordon forcing his way in, but based on his AAA performance so far it's far from a sure thing... I don't think giving a guy like Murphy assurance the job is his in 2019 is the problem. It's 2020 and 2021 that may be more up in the air. Especially if Lewis keeps progressing. Any MI the Twins pursue who wants a multi-year deal will probably look at this team as a less-than-ideal scenario just because of what's coming. Unless they miraculously get Machado to play SS of course, and slide Polanco to 2B, then this is settled and Gordon probably becomes trade bait, but EVERY TEAM will make a run at Machado, the chances that happens are so remote...

Y'all are coming around! As I said in my post last week, I prefer option 1 if you can get any kind of a prospect with upside. At this point I think that only happens if a strong playoff team loses their 2B to injury and is desperate. If that doesn't happen, I love the idea of a 1 year, prove-it deal towards the end of the season, if he doesn't cool way off. Several reasons: Table setter - he doesn't have Dozier's power, but if he can get on regularly like this (won't stay this high, I know, but he is showing good, professional at-bats, using all fields, not just getting lucky) having him at the top of the order is nice. Mauer is likely gone next year. MAYBE Buxton is back, but I doubt they have him at the top of the order early. Forsythe is a solid 2-hole hitter in next year's lineup. Insurance - There's no way Gordon performs well enough down the stretch here to write him in for 2019. Something has been exposed in AAA that he needs to figure out. I still love him and see him as a long-term fixture, but I think he HAS to go back to AAA next year and at least have a couple solid months before he comes up. You can't bank on that, so you need a stop-gap vet. A guy like Murphy isn't going go come here knowing he will get bounced around unless we dramatically overpay him. Someone like Forsythe makes more sense as insurance. We saw what happened this year when we banked on Sano, Buxton and Polanco being keys to the team in 2018. Young players are volatile.Roster Flexibility - As has been mentioned in the other thread, if Gordon DOES figure it out and take over at 2nd, you still have tons of flexibility with Forsythe. FA Flexibility - The key to everything Falvine has done from a fan's perspective is what do they do this offseason? People aren't excited about a rebuild, but if they spend the money with a good FA class, it will pay off. (I know...loading up the system was good too, just focusing on the fact this doesn't have to mean long-term "rebuild"). They will have plenty of payroll flexibility, they SHOULD be active, but they can't sign everyone. Getting a value filler at 2B to bridge the gap to Gordon could help them overpay for someone at another position (or three).Old School - this is more personal preference, but I love that Forsythe is looking like your old school middle infielder. Like a Greg Gagne type. Not special, but solid player you can count on most days. Of course, there's always the chance he regresses to his LAD form, but there's enough in his history from Tampa to think this could be sustainable (at a more reasonable level of course) and maybe LA just wasn't a good fit for him. Time will tell...

If Pineda pitches well enough in 2019 to get a big contract: 1.) We got a steal in 2019 then 2.) We'll have first shot at extending him 3.) If he leaves for big money, we'll get a pick out of it too. The structure still rewards the Twins if he recovers and returns to form. The risk is entirely in his ability to recover. Everything I've seen from NYers is he's a tough SOB who will fight his way back as quickly as he can.

I totally agree. That's why I think they need to extract a good young arm from the Mets as well to make it happen. Change of scenery could help Harvey, but it's a risk. The upside is fantastic though, if he clears medical check, he's only 28.

I heard the Mets are dangling Harvey for a good reliever. We don't have that to offer, but I like the idea of Dozier for Harvey and an upside "A" arm (or one of their numerous better rated arms coming off injury, just something to mitigate the risk that comes with Harvey)

If we get something else as well, I'd be OK with getting the San Diego pick. Not sure how we keep him though... http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/10/16/13297764/2016-sickels-sleeper-allen-cordoba