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Despite all the turmoil, Carlos Correa is widely expected to sign with the Mets, meaning the Twins will have missed out on him along with every other top free agent target. Thus, we're left to wonder how (or if) they'll use up their remaining available payroll dollars. It's hard to find many realistic and remotely appealing possibilities at this point. But there is one trade scenario I keep circling back to – a high-risk gambit that could transform the top of the Twins rotation. Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports When we put together our Offseason Handbook at the end of last season, we explored a number of trade candidates for the rotation, noting that this has been the front office's preferred avenue for acquiring frontline starters. Several options were mentioned, with varying levels of feasibility. Among them was Pablo Lopez, whom the Twins reportedly engaged the Marlins about earlier this offseason. Another was Chris Sale, who hasn't been connected to Minnesota officially – to my knowledge – but lurks as a potentially pivotal remaining piece in this offseason's landscape. As noted in our Handbook writeup on Sale, his Hall of Fame career has taken a sharp detour since turning 30, with his tenure in Boston largely hampered by injuries and frustration. Last year things reached a painful crescendo, when Sale broke his wrist while biking to get lunch as he was recovering from another surgery. The premise here is that the Red Sox might be motivated to move on, with Sale still owed another $55 million over the next two seasons and Boston's short-term contention hopes in doubt. A report in the New York Post in late December indicated that there could be an opening. "Chris Sale is a pitcher [teams] could look at," wrote Jon Heyman. "The Red Sox told teams early they had no intention to trade Sale, but they’re open to listening on starters now." The "but" there seems to indicate Sale could be among the trade chips they've softened on. Sale is of course familiar with the Twins, and vice versa. The southpaw has tended to be oddly vulnerable against Minnesota's lineup, with a 3.91 career ERA that far exceeds his 3.03 overall mark. But that shouldn't distract anyone from the fact that Sale was among the top 3-to-5 MLB starters in the 2010s, with one of the most dominant track records in history. From 2013 through 2018 he was a top five Cy Young finisher every single year. He holds the all-time MLB record for best strikeout rate (11.1 K/9), and K-BB ratio (5.33). The tall, lanky, hard-throwing left-hander is a force the likes of which baseball has rarely seen. Given their current financial situation, the Twins could reasonably take on the remaining two years of Sale's contract at $27.5 million apiece. If they move Max Kepler's salary, they can do it without even raising total payroll for 2023. It's the kind of short-term, high-AAV, big-upside deal the front office loves. Meanwhile, Sale's price tag along with his age and recent health issues should keep the trade cost in check. There are two key sticking points when it comes to sizing up Sale as a trade target. The first is those health issues. Sale has thrown a total of 48 ⅓ innings since the 2019 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020 which cost him most of 2021. Last year brought a barrage of unfortunate (yet unrelated) health woes: a stress fracture in his rib during spring training, a finger fracture suffered on a line drive in July, a wrist fracture suffered on a bike ride in August. I'm not saying this pattern of injuries isn't concerning, but it might be less concerning, than – say – recurring forearm or shoulder soreness. And when he's made it to the mound over the last couple seasons, Sale HAS been very effective: 48.1 IP, 3.17 ERA, 10.6 K/9. A possible silver lining to all the missed time these past three years is that Sale's arm, which accrued 1,600 major-league innings through age 30, has gotten a bit of a respite from all the wear. Maybe that will help him thrive in his mid-30s. Or maybe all of these various injuries are signs of a body breaking down. That's one thing the Twins would have to contend with in going after Sale. The bigger hurdle is his no-trade clause. We all know the general attitudes among established frontline starting pitchers with regards to Minnesota. They don't want to come here. Is there any reason to think Sale would feel differently? I guess it feels possible to me. He's familiar with the Midwest and AL Central from his glory days with the White Sox. He could reasonably view the Twins as having a better path to contention right now than the Red Sox. He might also welcome the chance to pitch in a more pitcher-friendly park, under less media scrutiny, as he trends toward free agency at age 35. How realistic is that? Maybe not very. But I'm running out of realistic scenarios that would involve the Twins spending their available funds and meaningfully improving the team's upside. Acquiring Sale would be an audacious gambit, but one that could result in landing the true veteran ace they so desperately need. It might be the only remaining path. View full article

Chris Sale Tommy John Q&A Heezy 1323 It has been reported that Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox will undergo UCL reconstruction surgery, also known as Tommy John surgery. Sale has not pitched in a live game since August 13, 2019. He then went on the Injured List on August 17 and did not return for the remainder of the 2019 campaign. He was reportedly seen at that time by several of the best-known US surgeons who care for pitchers and a decision was made to hold off on surgery, and instead try a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection. He finished the 2019 season with a 6-11 record and ERA north of 4.00, significantly below the standard he had established throughout his excellent career. This is on top of the fact that Sale has yet to even begin his 5-year, $145 million contract extension. Sale will now miss whatever portion of the MLB season is played this year, as well as potentially some part of the 2021 season. A number of questions can often surround a decision such as this, so let’s cover a few things that readers may find helpful. (Disclaimer: As per the usual, I am not an MLB team physician. I have not examined Sale or seen his imaging studies. I am not speaking on behalf of the Red Sox or any other team. This article is for educational purposes only for those who might want to know more about this injury/surgery or about how these types of decisions get made.) Question 1: What is this injury? How does it occur? The ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL) is a strong band of tissue that connects the inner (medial) part of the elbow joint. (Figure 1) Though it is relatively small (about the size of a small paper clip), it is strong. The native UCL is able to withstand around 35 Nm (or about 25 foot pounds) of force. However, by available calculations the force placed on the elbow when throwing a 90mph fastball exceeds this, at around 64 Nm. How, then, does the UCL not tear with each pitch? Fortunately, there are other additional structures around the elbow that are able to ‘share’ this load and allow the UCL to continue to function normally (in most cases). The flexor/pronator muscles in the forearm are the most significant contributor. The geometry of the bones of the elbow also help. In many cases, the UCL is not injured all at once (acutely), but rather by a gradual accumulation of smaller injuries which lead to deterioration and eventual failure of this ligament. When the ligament is injured, it obviously does not function at 100% of its normal capacity- in which case the other structures around the elbow are required to ‘pick up the slack’ in order to continue throwing at the same speed. This is why when a pitcher reports a ‘flexor strain’, there is concern that the UCL is not functioning properly – the muscles of the forearm are being forced to work overtime to compensate for a damaged UCL. There are also cases where the ligament does fail suddenly. These are often accompanied by a ‘pop’ and immediate significant pain. Question 2: What do players report as the problem when their UCL is injured? Most commonly, players report pain with throwing at the inner part of the elbow as the most pronounced symptom. However, other symptoms can also be present including loss of throwing control/accuracy, inability to fully move the elbow, swelling, numbness or tingling of the hand and more. Symptoms can be significant almost immediately, or they can begin very subtly and slowly increase over time. Once they have reached higher levels of baseball, most players are aware of this type of injury (thanks to efforts toward education for coaches, athletic trainers and others) and are able to recognize symptoms and report them to the appropriate personnel. Question 3: Once the player is concerned about an injury to the UCL, what happens next? Most commonly the player will be examined by an athletic trainer or team physician to assess the injury and direct further treatment. Often, xrays will be performed of the elbow to assess the bones of the elbow joint for any abnormalities. There can sometimes be bone spurs, small fractures, bone fragments or other findings on these xrays. However, much of the time the xrays are normal and an MRI may be performed to further assess the situation. An MRI allows us to see the soft tissues around the elbow in addition to the bones. Specifically, we are able to look more closely at the actual UCL itself, the surrounding muscles as well as get a closer look at the nearby bone. (Figure 2) The MRI helps the treatment team get a sense of the integrity of the ligament, which allows for the next step in the process: deciding how to treat the injury. Question 4: How are UCL injuries treated? This is where the challenges often really begin. Much of the time, the UCL will appear abnormal on MRI. There are a handful of grading systems that are used to classify these injuries (one of which, incidentally, I helped create), though there isn’t one that is universally used or agreed upon. Generally speaking, they try to separate injuries into those that are partial tears or complete tears and also try to identify the specific location of the damage. The damage can occur at the upper end of the ligament (called the humeral end), the middle (called midsubstance) or at the lower end of the ligament (called the ulnar end). In those cases where there is a complete tear of the ligament (meaning that the ligament is no longer in continuity and attached at both ends), there is near universal agreement that surgery is typically necessary to allow that athlete to return to competitive throwing activities. The problem, however, is that most MRI’s show a partial injury to the UCL. These injuries can be extremely difficult to predict how they are going to respond to a chosen treatment. In addition, athlete A can have an MRI that looks much more abnormal than athlete B, yet the symptoms of athlete B are substantially worse. This is the basic cause of the uncertainty as it pertains to treatment for this injury. There has been tremendous research performed attempting to quickly identify ways to reliably separate those throwers that are going to need surgery from those that will not. Indeed, with pitchers such as Sale, there can be tens or even a hundred million dollars plus at stake. However, to date there is not a perfected method that can be used for every athlete to make this surgery vs. no surgery decision. Question 5: What non-surgical options are available? There are primarily two non-surgery options available to these athletes, and I’ll attempt to briefly cover them here. A) Physical therapy- the commonly used ‘rest and rehab’ method. This is probably the most important component of any treatment plan, and a good therapist who has specialized training in the care of overhead athletes is critical. Often, the athlete is prescribed rest from throwing in order to allow the UCL an opportunity to ‘settle down’ any inflammation and perhaps perform some healing of the injured tissue. In addition, as we discussed above, the muscles of the forearm contribute to stability of the elbow joint. Strengthening these muscles (along with a number of other muscles throughout the body) contributes to ‘protecting’ the UCL from further injury. As the recovery progresses, a return to throwing program is initiated, usually starting with a small number of throws from a short distance and gradually progressing to longer throws with greater effort and eventually throwing from the mound (for pitchers). This hopefully results in a more well-balanced and mechanically sound athlete who is more evenly distributing the forces of throwing across the various anatomic structures involved. B ) Platelet rich plasm (PRP)- This is a product that is obtained from the athlete’s own blood which is drawn and then spun in a centrifuge to separate the blood into its components. The portion of the blood which contains the platelets is then taken and injected at the site of injury to the UCL. This injection includes a number of chemical signals (called cytokines) that regulate healing and inflammation (along with many other things). The injections are thought to help with healing of these partial UCL injuries. The available data on this is mixed, with some studies showing improved results with PRP and others showing no difference. In the linked study, the rate of ‘successful’ non-surgical treatment was 54% (including both PRP and non-PRP athletes). Question 6: How is the decision to proceed with surgery made? This is probably the most challenging part of the evaluation process of UCL injuries. There are a tremendous number of factors which play a role in this decision. These include the specific characteristics of the athlete (such as age, position, role, contract status, stage of career, desire to continue playing and several others); exam and imaging findings (understanding that these are frequently ambiguous); as well as response to previous non-surgery treatment (to name a few). Often more than one expert opinion is sought, particularly when it is a big name/big contract player. Usually, surgeons will speak with a number of people when considering options including the athlete and family, team doctors and staff, team officials, and other experts (who may or may not have seen the patient themselves). In my experience in these situations, the vast majority of the time there is a consensus amongst those involved how best to proceed. Occasionally there will be differing opinions, in which case the athlete often has to make a choice on how to proceed. Question 7: Why didn’t Sale just go ahead with surgery last fall? I suspect that this is a question that many Red Sox fans are wondering about right now. As discussed above, these decisions are typically difficult and have many contributing factors. While it may seem as though ‘rest and rehab’ never works and everyone should just go ahead and have Tommy John surgery at the first sign of trouble, that is not really borne out in the data. There is some variance depending on the definition of ‘successful return to play’ used in any particular study, but for the most part the rate of success of Tommy John surgery in pitchers is around 80-85%. That means about 1 in 5 never make it back to pitch. This may not seem like bad odds, but I submit that your opinion might change if it was your elbow (and livelihood/contract) at risk. As they say, hindsight is always 20/20. In the case of Sale, I suspect that the season being shortened by the unusual circumstances of coronavirus this year likely also played a role. Once it became clear that a full season would not be played, the decision may have been easier. I think I’ll stop there for now (if anyone has continued to read this far…). If people are interested in technical aspects of how the surgery is performed, please let me know in the comments an I’d be happy to do another post about it. I have spare time currently, as you might imagine. Stay safe everyone, and please listen to the medical professionals who are trying to help us combat this virus. It is a serious threat to our way of life, and we need to treat it as such in order to minimize the damage. Thanks for reading.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. News came out on Thursday evening that Edwin Encarnacion has signed a three year, $60 million contract with Cleveland. Encarnacion's season came to an end at the hand of Cleveland in the playoffs this year. After pushing their way into the World Series and coming up short in a Game 7 against the Cubs, Cleveland is adding a major impact bat, arguably the best bat on the free agent market.Things have been interesting this offseason in the American League Central. Let’s check out where the four teams are and what more they might want to do. Might as well start with the defending AL Central and American League champions. CLEVELAND Signing Edwin Encarnacion is a big deal. Mike Napoli is a nice player and continues to show great power but Encarnacion is one of the best hitters in baseball. He has a tremendous eye. He puts the ball in play, and he can hit the ball a mile. You have to wonder if Chris Colabello knew about this signing when he agreed to a minor league deal with the team earlier in the week. Cleveland had been pretty quiet this offseason to this point, but they should have been. They have terrific starting pitching. Their bullpen is stacked. They have a terrific lineup that will now only be enhanced in the middle. Not only is Cleveland trying to defend their AL Central crown, but this is the kind of move that makes them a legit World Series contender again. DETROIT The Tigers are that team that could go in either direction. In the last couple of offseasons they have lost the two 2016 Cy Young Award winners (Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello). Justin Verlander may have deserved the American League Cy Young Award in 2016, and Jordan Zimmerman missed a lot of time in the first season of his huge contract. But Miguel Cabrera is still there. Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez aren’t getting younger. They did trade Cameron Maybin right after the conclusion of the season, but they have been quiet. There were rumors of them dealing JD Martinez, but at least to this point it hasn’t happened. Unless they are surprisingly able to keep all of their pitching healthy, it’s hard to think they can compete with Cleveland. Are they good enough right now to be a Wild Card contender? Maybe. KANSAS CITY The Royals added outfielder Jorge Soler from the Cubs, but to do so, they traded Wade Davis, one of baseball’s best closers. The Royals, after representing the American League in the World Series the two previous years, went backwards in 2016, finishing 81-81. During the Winter Meetings, there were a lot of rumors about the Royals looking to make some trades involving some of their talented players that are about to get expensive.To this point, Davis is the only player they have traded. They haven’t done much in free agency either. They brought back Drew Butera. Rumors have seemed to quiet in Kansas City. Maybe they are going to spend to keep their talent. I doubt it. They’re going to have to make some tough decisions on players such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakus, Lorenzo Cain and others. They do still have a strong bullpen, even with the loss of Davis. CHICAGO The White Sox were one of the biggest winners at the Winter Meetings. They were able to trade Chris Sale to Boston in exchange for baseball’s top prospect Yoan Moncada, a triple-digit throwing phenom in Michael Kopech, and two more solid prospects. The next day they traded outfielder Adam Eaton to the Nationals in exchange for their three top pitching prospects (Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning). There continue to be rumors that they are making every attempt to trade Jose Quintana (for another king’s ransom, and understandably so). Could they also trade third baseman Todd Frazier? And I’m a little surprised that they haven’t already traded closer David Robertson. Clearly they are not looking to compete for division titles the next couple of years, so there really is no reason for a top closer. With the closer market as it has been this offseason, Robertson should be able to bring back another nice prospect haul. The White Sox are punting the next couple of seasons to take a run with a new core in a couple of years. They went from one of baseball’s worst minor league systems to having one of the top ten systems in baseball. They also signed lefty Derek Holland to take Sale’s spot in the rotation (no, he’s obviously not replacing the production of Sale, but he can be a solid contributor. MINNESOTA So, what have the Twins done, coming off of their 103-loss season in 2016? Well, first they hired Cleveland’s assistant GM Derek Falvey to change the direction and lead the organization. Then he hired Thad Levine - previously the long-time assistant GM in Texas - to be the team’s new General Manager. The new regime went into the offseason aggressively. They targeted Jason Castro and were able to sign him. It was a clear sign that things will be different in the Twins front office. Castro hasn’t hit well the last three years, but he’s consistently been a top pitch-framer. The thought is that what he does with the bat is a bonus. However, if he can convince the home plate ump that borderline pitches are strikes instead of balls, he will help his pitching staff. There have been Brian Dozier trade rumors since the season came to a merciful ending, maybe even earlier. Things are pretty quiet right now. It could mean that talks have backed off. It could be that the Twins and Dodgers are giving each other the Christmas weekend to collect their thoughts. Who knows? It could be the calm before the sto… trade. The Twins are a few years ahead of where the White Sox are trying to get. Their high-level prospects are here. They took their lumps in 2016. You’ve heard it before, but the Twins have the talent to win ten more games in 2017 than they did in 2016 just by the progression of the likes of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Jose Berrios, Ryan Pressly, JT Chargois. Over the next couple of seasons, the Twins will likely also get contributions from several of the following: Mitch Garver, Stephen Gonsalves, Tyler Jay, Nick Gordon, Fernando Romero, Felix Jorge, Kohl Stewart, Jake Reed, Nick Burdi, Trevor Hildenberger and more. Will they all pan out? Of course not. That’s not how it works. Surprisingly, there has been little talk about Ervin Santana this offseason. Teams know what they are getting in him, and the fact that Jason Hammel is currently the best free agent starting pitcher on the market, you would think there would be more interest in a quality pitcher at a reasonable rate for just two years. Do the Twins need to trade Brian Dozier this offseason? Absolutely not. If they don’t get a package that Falvey/Levine are thrilled with, they should hold on to him. As much as it might be fun to see a 2018 rotation including Berrios, De Leon, Romero and Gonsalves, the Twins should absolutely expect to get more than just one pitcher with four MLB games under his belt for a guy like Dozier. The Twins won’t compete with Cleveland in 2017, but they should be greatly improved. Short-term, it’d be far better to keep Dozier and Santana. Long-term, which is clearly the more wise, logical view that the front office should be looking at, most would say that adding a couple of top prospects to help them in 2019 and beyond is the more important goal. The other thing to remember for Twins fans (and for the other teams), there is still a lot of offseason to go. The White Sox are likely to trade at least one more start (Quintana, Roberton, Frazier). The Twins are still quite likely to make a trade involving established veterans for near-MLB ready talent. Detroit? They probably should start selling off ,but maybe they won’t. Kansas City could also trade some of their stars. Cleveland might be done, but they are also in the catbird seat. The Encarnacion signing certainly indicates to their fans that they’re looking to be even better than they were in 2016. It just feels like there is still a lot more to happen, transaction-wise, in the American League Central following the holidays. Who knows, maybe even during the holidays! Click here to view the article

During this week's Winter Meetings we've seen the Chicago White Sox trade two of their premier players, Chris Sale and Adam Eaton, for a total of seven prospects. The moves have skyrocketed the White Sox farm system, which has been rated in the bottom third of baseball for several years. With Sale and Eaton both being very valuable thanks to their ages and team-friendly contracts, the White Sox managed to land both quality and quantity in terms of the prospects they acquired. For the Twins, it's likely the front office will have to choose between quality and quantity in their deals this winter.It's not difficult to imagine Derek Falvey & Co. making a couple of similar deals, though on a slightly smaller scale. But with a solid young foundation already in place and more help on the way with the No. 1 pick in this upcoming June's draft, should the Twins be more focused on top quality in their returns? The Brian Dozier trade winds continue to swirl, but things have been curiously quiet on the Ervin Santana front. Maybe neither of them get traded this offseason, but it seems obvious that if one goes there's not much reason to hold on to the other. So why not try to move them both in the same deal? There are rumored to be multiple teams interested in Dozier, but the most smoke has been surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers. And, like most teams, the Dodgers could use another starting pitcher. This would be the ultimate putting all your eggs in the same basket deal, but how about offering Dozier and Santana for 20-year-old wonder boy Julio Urias? Getting third and fourth starters, middle relievers or solid everyday players is never all that difficult. Every year those types of players can be acquired on the free agent market, and with a core of cheap young players coming up and Joe Mauer's contract coming off the books soon the Twins should have spending room in the future. Getting aces, shutdown closers or stud hitters is extremely difficult. Even when those players become available you either have to sell your farm system just to get them as a half-season rental or sign them to ridiculous free agent contracts that are two or three years longer than you'd like. As with any young player, Urias is a lottery ticket, but his odds of giving you a jackpot are as high as they get. And if Urias hits you would have a player who is great, young and under extended team control. Of course, all this is assuming the Dodgers would even agree to the swap. Despite facing more advanced hitters his entire minor league career, the Mexican lefty dominated. Urias has a 2.66 ERA and 10.5 K/9 over 267 1/3 innings in the minors. He got the call to the show last season as a 19-year-old and did not experience much of a learning curve. Over 77 innings with the Dodgers, Urias had a 3.39 ERA and averaged 9.8 K/9. That's the kind of player who is next to impossible for the Twins to acquire under normal circumstances. Jose De Leon, the most rumored centerpiece in purposed Dozier deals, looks completely ordinary next to Urias. But still, it's much more likely Dozier is traded for a package of youngsters. And to be fair, both Falvey and GM Thad Levine have first-hand experience acquiring some really impressive players in such packages. But when those trades don't work out, well ... we all remember the Johan Santana trade. Maybe the Urias scenario isn't realistic, but what do you think about the idea in general? Should the Twins shoot for the moon and package Dozier and Ervin in the same deal, or should they try to diversify their returns and trade them in separate deals for packages of prospects? Click here to view the article

Crickets... That's the sound coming from Minnesota Twins camp so far at the Winter Meetings in Washington DC. There has been some Brian Dozier talk, though some of that was because he was scheduled to be at the meetings for other reasons. They promoted a couple of guys in the scouting department. They signed Ben Paulsen to a minor league deal. Traditionally, Wednesday is the busiest day at the Winter Meetings. The first few days involve a lot of discussions, and then the GMs (and Chief Baseball Officers) take what they've heard and start to reach agreements, be it with free agents or with other trade partners.While such a quiet Winter Meetings may have been frustrating under the Terry Ryan regime, it is completely understandable under Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. As Nick wrote last night, "The Twins moved quickly on Jason Castro, because doing so was necessary to lock up the coveted catcher, but now there is little need for urgency." They should not feel pushed to rush on a Brian Dozier trade. They are 100% correct in saying that they need to be "inspired" to trade him. They should expect elite, young pitching in return. I agree with their philosophy of taking a broad view of the organization before jumping into too much drastic. That’s why I think they’re wise in keeping a lot of the current front office, shifting some people around, and bringing in new talent when it is available. Likewise, they need to know the ins and outs of their 40-man roster and the entire minor league system. While they certainly had some information on everyone in the organization, they likely have grown their knowledge of their new organization tenfold since taking over. There is talent in the organization. Consider in the last year or two the Twins have called up Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario, Jose Berrios, JT Chargois. Adalberto Mejia was acquired in the Eduardo Nunez deal, and he’s a solid starting pitching prospect who should get more of an opportunity in 2017. Also in the next year or two, we could see players like Mitch Garver, Nick Gordon, Engelb Vielma, Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, Mason Melotakis, Trevor Hildenberger, John Curtiss, Stephen Gonsalves, Kohl Stewart, Felix Jorge, Fernando Romero, Tyler Jay and others. I’m not naive enough to think that they will all pan out. I do know that the more players with the potential of the above names, the more likely that a few of them will pan out and become very good major leaguers and several more will still be able to contribute in a role of some sort. Add to that list a few more prospects with big league potential from a likely Brian Dozier trade, and that’s encouraging. But again, that’s not to say that the Twins should do nothing at all. It’s just important to know that they don’t have to have all of their offseason transactions complete by Thursday. We have heard that the Twins have had discussions regarding Dozier. Yesterday, we learned that they’ve had some discussions regarding Brandon Kintzler. We heard last week that they’ve had some discussions about Kennys Vargas. And, while we haven’t heard it, I would think that some discussions have been had about Hector Santiago. The Winter Meetings are about having those discussions in person. Some deals could be made today or tomorrow, but some discussions with teams or free agents could linger for the next few weeks. And, frankly, there are always still quality players available in January. So, the crickets are chirping, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. BRIAN DOZIER UPDATE TUESDAY RECAP A few things did happen at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday. Here’s a quick rundown: Mike Berardino informed us early in the day on Tuesday that the Twins had re-signed RHP Yorman Landa to a minor league deal. That is almost surprising because why wouldn't they wait until after Thursday's Rule 5 draft to do that. Assuming he's actually signed (and hasn't just agreed to terms) before Thursday morning's Rule 5 draft, he would be eligible to be selected.The big news was, without question the Chris Sale trade to the Boston Red Sox. While there were rumors involving the Nationals earlier in the week, it sounds as if the Red Sox made their offer late last week and let the White Sox see if anyone could top it. Well, offering Yoan Moncada (the #1 prospect in baseball), Michael Kopech (a risk, but a guy who throws 100+ and ‘could’ be a starter) and two other prospects would be tough to beat. Making it better for the White Sox, the Red Sox are still on the hook for the $30 million signing bonus they gave Moncada. For the Red Sox, well, they have a rotation of Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez.The White Sox likely aren’t done, and they will likely maintain contact with the Nationals. Jose Quintana is one of the more underrated starting pitchers in baseball, and the Nationals may be a place for him to go. The White Sox will likely also continue shopping 3B Todd Frazier and RP David Robertson.The Red Sox were actually quite busy on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the acquired reliever Tyler Thornburg from the Brewers for three young players including corner infielder Travis Shaw. Thornburg is another strong bullpen arm ready to set up for Craig Kimbrel. Shaw is the guy who beat out Pablo Sandoval as the Red Sox opening day third baseman. Sandoval ended up having surgery. He returned to the Instructional League this fall, and clearly the Red Sox would like him to be their third baseman and this helps open that up for him.The Red Sox also signed veteran first baseman Mitch Moreland. Moreland has an OPS over 1.000 in his career at Fenway Park. He also is statistically one of the best first basemen in baseball defensively. Makes me wonder if Hanley Ramirez makes the move to DH at this point.After midnight, Bob Nightengale tweeted that the Cubs and Royals have an agreement in place. Wade Davis will go to the World Series champs with OF Jorge Soler heading to the Royals. Davis has just one year left on his contract. Soler is immensely talented, but he’s stuck behind the likes of Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and even Albert Almora in the Cubs talented outfield.A couple of former Twins players found 2017 homes on Tuesday. Carlos Gomez re-signed with the Texas Rangers. He agreed to a one year, $11.5 million deal (pending physical, of course).Wilson Ramos, who would have made a ton of money if not for his late-season knee injury, agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Rays on a two year deal with $12.5 million guaranteed and incentives that could push the deal to $18.25 million over those two years. Again, it is pending physical, which, based on how his rehab is going, could be complex. He is likely to miss at least the first half of the 2017 season, so my assumption is that his incentives would be simply based on Games Played or Plate Appearances. If he’s healthy and able to play, he’ll make more money. But the Rays minimize their risk somewhat too.Yesterday, we heard that Cleveland was talking to Edwin Encarnacion, probably the best hitter on the market. He’s not a guy I would necessarily want to see in the lineup against the Twins 19 times a season. Tuesday, we learned that they talked to another former Blue Jays hitter as well, Jose Bautista. The thought of him hitting against the Twins 19 games a year, rather than six of seven, is a bit scary.Aroldis Chapman allegedly has a $92 million offer on the table. To me, that would likely be a six year deal, right? The Yankees have said they haven’t offered him that. It’s hard to believe that Miami would have offered him that. So, who could have made that offer? Or, is that a case of an agent leaking something, hoping to boost the deals that Chapman has already been offered. He’s going to get paid, for sure. Kenley Jansen is going to make a ton of money too.Feel free to ask questions, discuss rumors or transactions, and enjoy the day. Click here to view the article

Brian Dozier came to town on Monday. The power-hitting second baseman was in DC at the Winter Meetings for a marketing, promotional event for Under Armour. However, with his name mentioned in all kinds of trade rumors, it certainly brought about reason for more talk. But on Monday it appears it was all talk for the Twins new front office, and throughout baseball. There weren't any major transactions announced on Monday, but there was plenty of talk, and much of it was in the American League Central. As always use this thread to share rumors and transactions throughout the day as you hear new information. Of course, if the Twins do make a transaction, we'll post that in an article as quickly as we can.The Winter Meetings are often a place where there is a lot of talking, but there aren't necessarily a lot of transactions. That was the case Monday, but a lot of the talk centered around the American League Central. Here's the rundown from Monday as we look forward to Tuesday at the Winter Meetings when we expect some of these talks to turn into official transactions. The big talker from Monday was the Chicago White Sox. It appears they are going into full rebuild mold. It looks like they are attempting to follow the plan of the cross-town Cubs. Names like Todd Frazier, Adam Eaton and others could be on the move. However, the Chris Sale rumors really heated up on Monday night. It was reported that the Nationals and White Sox are a long way down the path toward a deal that would involve Chris Sale. The White Sox would likely receive elite pitching prospect Lucas Giolito and top outfield prospect Victor Robles, and maybe more. The Nationals appear resigned to the fact that in two years Bryce Harper will leave for major money as a free agent, so they are going to go for it. A rotation with Max Scherzer, Chris Sale and Stephen Strasburg at the top of it would give the Nationals a real shot. With Mark Melancon signing a four-year, $62 million deal to be the Giants closer on Monday, the market for top closers has been set. Aroldis Chapman is said to be looking for six years (though I can't imagine him getting it). Kenley Jansen is going to also get huge money, likely from either the Marlins or the Dodgers. With that as the backdrop, the White Sox should certainly look to deal their closer, David Robertson. He's signed at a fair price for the next two years, and if the White Sox are selling, they don't really need an elite closer. Also last night, rumors came out that Cleveland was very much in on former Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion. Despite getting to the World Series, Cleveland didn't have many elite hitters. They had several very good hitters, but Encarnacion would give them an elite bat in the middle to team with Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana to give them a very good lineup to go with their very good pitching staff. They would not only be the favorites in the American League Central, but a favorite to return to the World Series. The Royals certainly are making it known that they need to sell off some of their top talent. It appears they are making attempts to deal outfielder Lorenzo Cain. As Brandon Warne often says, Cain can provide young Torii Hunter defense while providing veteran Torii Hunter offensive production. He was hurt some in 2016, and his defense will soon start to go in the other direction so now is the time to deal him. Back to the closer discussion, the Royals are also said to be dangling Wade Davis. Davis was hurt in the second half of 2016, but he could command a huge return. The Cubs are said to be interested. Jorge Soler's name has been mentioned though I would think that the Cubs would have to add at least one, and maybe two, more pieces. DAILY DOZIER UPDATE Dozier appeared on MLB radio, and Derek Falvey was on earlier on Monday. Both were certainly saying the right things, especially when meeting with local Twin Cities media. Dozier made it clear that he would like to be part of the solution in Minnesota. He's invested a lot of time, work and passion into becoming a great player with the Twins. He wants to stay. But at the same time, he is intrigued by the rumors and says he has paid attention. He wants to win. He wants to be loyal. And he understands the business side of the game in which a 100-loss team needs to add as much talent as they can, even if it means difficult decisions. For his part, Falvey is saying the right things too, which isn't easy. He isn't flat-out lying and saying that nothing's going to happen. He talks about the respect that Dozier has earned and deserves, but he does so while clearly getting a lot of interest from teams on the second baseman. There wasn't a lot of new information on Monday. Jon Heyman pointed out that he learned the Yankees have inquired about Dozier. It's good to hear some specific names of other teams, even if just to let the Dodgers think that they need to up their offer if they really want to acquire Dozier. The Yankees added a lot of talent last summer from their trades of Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. Certainly Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge would likely be unavailable. But would pitching prospects like Luis Severino or lefty Justus Sheffield be available? Sheffield is the brother of Jordan Sheffield whose name has been mentioned as a possible return from the Dodgers. James Kaprelian is another pitching prospect of note. Clint Frazier is their top prospect, according to MLB.com. He came to the Yankees in the Andrew Miller deal and played in AAA the second half of the year. The Twins like their talented outfielders from Georgia high schools! An outfield of Kepler, Buxton and Frazier would sure be fun to watch grow! Gleyber Torres came from the Cubs in the Chapman deal. The shortstop was one of the top prospects in the Arizona Fall League and is a top shortstop prospect in the game, ranking even higher than Nick Gordon. A middle infield down the line of Torres and Gordon would sure be nice. They both would start 2017 in AA Chattanooga. This is likely just wishful thinking as I doubt Torres is be available. Let's be honest. Outside of Brian Dozier talk and rumors, things have been very quiet on the Twins front, as it has been throughout baseball through one official day of Winter Meetings will that change on Tuesday? Here's the question for you to discuss and answer in the comments below - along with discussing other rumors of the day - In your opinion, what are the odds that the Twins trade Brian Dozier a.) before the end of the Winter Meetings on Thursday, or b.) this offseason? Discuss below, and take the Twins Daily Twitter survey by clicking below. Click here to view the article

Today, the Winter Meetings officially begin. There was an awards banquet on Sunday night, but the full slate of meetings begin today. Use this thread as the official Twins Daily rumor mill. If you read or hear some Twins-related rumors, post them in the comments. If you are hearing big player movement, post them here. Obviously if the Twins make any major league moves, we'll post that in its own article, but let's let the discussions begain.The best thing about the Winter Meetings is all the rumors. The worst thing about the Winter Meetings is all the rumors. We're going to hear a lot of conversation, a lot of rumors. Again, GMs will be talking to GMs. GMs will be talking to Agents. GMs and other baseball executives will have media sessions, and fans everywhere will cling onto every single word. It's fun to read all the rumors. First, it's fun to contemplate what it would take for the Twins to get Player X. Second, it is then fun to think about how that player will look in the lineup. Third, the reality is that the teams each will likely make just a few transactions, so there will be many more rumors than there are actual transactions. Here is a tremendous interaction/discussion from MLB Network between Greg Amsinger, Dan O'Dowd, Ken Rosenthal, and Peter Gammons, discussing how teams try to use the media and how media tries to decipher all the information they're being given. Again, the Dodgers remain the leaders, but wouldn't it be fun to have an idea of who those other four or five teams might be? Adding some fun to the discussion, Brian Dozier is scheduled to be at the Winter Meetings on Monday. He is there for a marketing commitment for Under Armour, but the timing is still interesting, of course. Maybe he can finally get some time and meet Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. We'll see what comes of it, if anything. It will also be fun to see what happens around the AL Central. Cleveland is obviously going to be good for awhile. Will they do much? The Royals were up to $135 million last year, and they're projected to be at $148 million. Sources told Ken Rosenthal that their break-even point is between $115-120 million, so they will likely be looking to deal some of their key players. They've got a lot of players in that group that are just starting to make some really good money. So, which will they keep and which will they trade? The Tigers are rumored to be shopping JD Martinez and Ian Kinsler. Miguel Cabrera said he's willing to be traded, but that is unlikely. The White Sox are clearly shopping Chris Sale. Atlanta and Washington are the two teams most mentioned. Dealing Sale would certainly hurt the White Sox short-term, but they could get a huge return for him as he is easily one of the top 10 starting pitchers in baseball. The White Sox have one of the worst farm systems in baseball, so they would add some talent. A few more notes: Yesterday we wondered about Andrew McCutchen going to the Nationals. We just mentioned that Chris Sale has been mentioned with the Nationals. For what it's worth, the Nationals said on Sunday that they feel they have the players to get both.Matt Holliday, who missed most of the 2016 season with injury, signed a one year, $13 million deal with the New York Yankees. Obviously he can hit when healthy. More important, the one year deal isn't prohibitive to the Yankees, who don't want to be paying into the luxury tax.Joe Nathan, who is 42, says that he wants to pitch again in 2017. He pitched just one game in April of 2015 (against the Twins) and needed Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Cubs and pitched in three games for them before they let him go. He signed with the Giants and pitched in seven games for them.Where will Edwin Encarnacion and his stupid imaginary parrot wind up?Which of the Big Three closers will sign first? Mark Melancon, Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen?So there is some stuff to discuss to get things started this morning. Discuss any of these topics and keep checking back as more rumors come and go throughout the day. Click here to view the article

Wickens grew up in Ontario. His baseball path took him to Ft. Myers out of high school where he attended Florida Gulf Coast University. He was a teammate for three seasons with White Sox ace Chris Sale. He was the Twins 33rd round pick in 2011, and since then he has gradually moved up the system. In 2015, he was a contributor to the Southern League champions, the Chattanooga Lookouts. Wickens is a very versatile player. In 2015, he played all four infield positions as well as left field and center field. He doesn’t just fill the space, he plays them well defensively. Offensively, he is a line drive, doubles hitter. He has a very good approach at the plate.In 2013, Wickens was honored with a Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service for his efforts in Ft. Myers. At the time, Wickens said, "Harmon was a killer on the field and a gentleman off of it, and I think that’s how the Twins organization wants their players to be." Recently, Wickens sat down and answered several questions. Enjoy the Q&A, and feel free to comment or ask questions below. ----------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs (SS): Being from Ontario, I assume we have the ability to guess who your favorite team was growing up? Who were some of your favorite players? Stephen Wickens (SW): My favorite team growing up was obviously the Blue Jays. The players I loved to cheer for were usually the grinders, which always ended up being fan favorites, players like Reed Johnson and John MacDonald. Obviously every little kid loves the long ball, so it was always nice seeing Carlos Delgado hit a few into the stands. SS: Let’s go back to your high school days. Did you play other sports, or were you involved in other activities? SW: When I was younger, I basically played every school sport you could. Whether it was baseball, hockey, volleyball, cross-country or wrestling, I tried to stay as active as I could while loving any form of competition. But as I got later into high school, I stuck with just baseball and hockey. I then had to make a decision on what sport I thought I could get the most out of because they were becoming too time consuming and also way too expensive with all of the equipment and traveling. I stuck with baseball, but sometimes wonder what it would be like to play hockey at a higher level. Who wouldn’t love to play hockey, 82 games instead of 162, while also playing in the winter and getting to sit back and relax during the summer. SS: How did you go about going from Ontario to Florida Gulf Coast University to play college baseball? SW: In my last year of high school, I joined a program called the Ontario Blue Jays. In the fall we would travel all over the Atlantic Coast playing various DI, DII, and NAIA schools. We ended up playing against Florida Gulf Coast before a Perfect Game tournament and the rest was history. They offered me a scholarship the next day, and I basically accepted right then and there. Being a baseball player from Canada, I don’t think there was a better place to go to school. Going from playing baseball for 6-7 months of the year to now being able to play all year round, couldn’t ask for anything more. SS: What were the highlights of your time in FGCU? Were you a big fan of Dunk City? SW: The highlight of my time at FGCU was winning our conference (Atlantic Sun) for three consecutive years. We weren’t eligible for post-season play in my first two years because we were in a transition period, going from DII to DI. My Junior year was kind of a disappointment because we won our conference but ended up losing in the conference tournament, so did not get a bid to a regional. We thought we may get a bid because Chris Sale was our Friday night starter and anyone we played first round we could have definitely played spoiler. But that never came into fruition. As for “Dunk City” that came about after I had already graduated. I loved to go watch the basketball games though. Our women’s team was always very good, but I’m jealous I never got to experience one of the men’s basketball games when they made their NCAA Sweet 16 run. SS: Describe the type of player that you are to the fans? What makes you successful? SW: I see myself as a smart, hard-working player, who battles for everything he’s earned. I am the type of player who is going to put the team first, and also understand what kind of player I am. I’m obviously not a guy who’s going to go out and hit a bunch of home runs, but I can get hits, walks, steal bases, score runs, make plays, and I think any player can be successful when they understand what their role is and what type of player they are. Being able to make adjustments day-by-day, pitch-by-pitch, is the most important tool any player can have, and being a guy who doesn’t necessarily play every day, I take pride in making those adjustments as best I can. SS: What are those things that you feel you needed to spend the offseason working on? What will be the keys to you taking the “next step?” SW: You can obviously never stop working in any area of your game. I think being more consistent in every aspect of my game is the key to taking the next step. I think the guys you see in the MLB are there for a reason, and that’s because they play at a higher level on a consistent basis. I have no doubt in my mind that I have the skill level to play in the major leagues, I just need to take advantage of opportunities when they come my way. SS: You played 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF and CF for Chattanooga in 2015. How many gloves do you bring to the ballpark, and what does being versatile mean for you? SW: I take pride in being a versatile player. I believe I can play at a high level at most positions in the field. It’s obviously an asset being able to play multiple positions as you are not limiting yourself, as you now have multiple ways of getting into the lineup as well as getting to the MLB. SS: What was it like being part of a really strong Lookouts roster all season, and being a guy who often hit near the top of the order on such a successful team? Did you ever find yourself watching the game and saying “Wow!” when a teammate (someone like Sano, Buxton, Kepler, Walker, Berrios, etc.) did something? SW: Being a part of that Chattanooga roster was awesome. The coaches and players were great. It was the most fun I’ve had in my baseball career. The chemistry between the guys on the team was the best I’ve been a part of, even with the roster changes. Guys came up and down, but the atmosphere never changed. We always knew we were going to win, we always felt like we were going to win, and we did win. Playing with Sano, Buxton, Kepler, Walker, Berrios etc. is always fun to watch. There were a lot of loud noises in that ballpark. And I may have kinked my neck a few times. But it;s not really new to me, I’ve been watching these guys do these things for years. Now it’s everyone else’s turn to join in on the fun and watch and hear it happen up in Minneapolis. SS: How do you balance wanting to win with wanting to keep advancing through the organization? SW: I think they come hand in hand. I think every organization wants players on their team that are hungry and understand that there is a difference between winning and losing. If you can be fortunate enough to be part of some winning teams, I think you can stick around for a long time. SS: When you get away from baseball, what do you enjoy doing? SW: During the off-season I keep it pretty simple. Movies, TV, cards/board games, and just hanging out with friends and family. You miss out on a lot of things when you’re away at baseball all year. So just enjoying your free time is nice. SS: What are your goals for the 2016 season? Are there certain numbers/stats you’d like to focus on? SW: Coming out of spring training I’d love to start out in Rochester. I’ll be ready to compete for a job and hopefully perform the way I know I can, and the rest will take care of itself. I try not to pay attention to numbers/stats too much because it will only get you in trouble. I’m in the mindset that if I do my job to help the team, then good things will happen and my year will be reflected correctly. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? SW: There have been tons of people who have played a major role in getting me to where I am today. Obviously my mom and dad who drove countless hours, taking me to practice and games; doing all the research on colleges and universities; or just giving me the opportunity to play baseball. I’ve had the opportunity to play under a lot of different coaches. I credit each one of them with my development. I think having an open mind in any sport is key to having success because there isn’t just one way of doing things. I tried to take everything I could from each coach. Whether the advice was good or bad, it didn’t really matter because you’re just getting to learn the game from a different set of eyes. The more knowledge you have the better, and whatever worked for me I kind of just stuck with. SS: What would it mean to you and your family to put on the Minnesota Twins uniform and play a regular season game in the big leagues? SW: Getting an opportunity to put on a Twins uniform would be a great honor. There are only so many people who can say they had a chance to play in the MLB. I think every kid dreams about being that “hero” they grew up watching. And if I ever get that opportunity to play in the MLB, I feel like I will have reached some sort of immortality. Whether it’s one game, 100 games or 1,000 games, no one will ever be able to take that away from me. Being able to achieve a lifelong goal in anything would be very rewarding and satisfying. --------------------------------------------------- Again, a big Thank You to Stephen Wickens for taking his time to respond to our questions. Best wishes for a strong 2016 season. Click here to view the article

It's going to be a crowded weekend for sports fans. Gorgeous weather plus the dreaded White Sox mean it's a perfect weekend to catch a game - but which one? As usual, we break it down scientifically: Best Game To Watch An Ace Pitcher Before He Serves A Suspension The White Sox had two pitchers suspended for “five games”: Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija. But Samardzija pitched in Wednesday’s bizarre empty-ballpark game, so Twins fans will only get to watch Sale this series. He pitches Thursday night.Watching him might be fun for pitching connoisseurs, but likely won’t be for Twins fans. Sale has a career 2.37 ERA versus the Twins, which includes nine starts and eight relief appearances. Not that the suspension would have pushed him back more than a single game anyway, but he’s appealing it, which is why the Twins get to see him this homestand. Winner: Thursday, unless the Twins can find a way to get Sale suspended some more. Hmmm… Best Game To Watch the White Sox Lose Their Minds We all know by now that the way to make the White Sox go Defcon 6 and pile up a bunch of suspensions is to yell at one of them after a comebacker. But that takes a special kind of crazy, as demonstrated by Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura. Unless the Twins plan on putting Oswaldo Arcia on the mound, I don’t think we have a player who can generate those kind of fireworks. But hitting a few Sox with pitches might do the trick. Only one pitcher on the Twins staff has hit more than one guy with a pitch this year: Mike Pelfrey. He’s also known as one of the nicest guys in the game, unfortunately. But that won’t necessarily stop the White Sox. Winner: Sunday, because Pelfrey pitches that day. Unless the Twins decide to let Oswaldo Arcia pitch, in which case you do whatever it takes to make it to the ballpark Like miss the birth of your only child. Trust me on this. . Best Weather The baseball gods might not like Twins fans, but we’re in good standing with the weather gods this year. We have four straight days of 70s and 80s coming up and May is just starting. It doesn’t look like rain during game time for any of the matchups right now, with the possible exception of Sunday. So let’s go with: Winner: Saturday, because it’s an afternoon game and 81 degrees. #SuckItWinter Least Likely To Interfere With Binge Watching The NFL Draft Winner: Sunday, which is also the day there is a chance for rain. The weather gods apparently hate the football gods. Best Game For Getting A Free Beer And Celebrating The Wild In The Playoffs Friday night the Twins play at 7:00 and whenever you lose interest in the game, you can stroll two block over to Mason’s (6th and Hennepin) and join the MinnCentric guys, including yours truly, at our Wild Support Group Game One Party. It’s free and includes a free beer and “Lucky Lemon Bar”. It does not get better than this. Winner: Friday Best Game For A Sneaky Twins Victory The White Sox this year only have a 541 OPS as a team against left-handers. That includes a loss against Tommy Milone, who takes the hill for the Twins on Saturday afternoon. The White Sox just haven’t faced many southpaws so far this year – but that’s a good thing too. Winner: Saturday Best Game At Which To Catch A Home Run Ball White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has started 2015 right where he ended 2014 – by slugging the snot out of defenseless baseballs. He already has five home runs on the year and most have been pulled to left field, which is the easiest place to hit home runs in Target Field. By the way, I see a pair or tickets in the second row of section 128, right next to the left field foul pole, for just $11 apiece on Ticket King. Winner: Four way tie. Best Game At Which To Meet The Love Of Your Life Twenty-five years ago tonight I was mocked for my exceptional volleyball skills by a cute Philadelphia blonde. Four years to the day later, I married her. We have spent most April 30ths since then, and several other key moments, at baseball games and Thursday night will be no exception. If you’re looking for magic in this world, I highly recommend a baseball park. It has worked for me. Winner: Me. Click here to view the article