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Going into this offseason, the Minnesota Twins know they must make some sort of addition behind the plate. The 40-man roster currently has just one catcher on it, and there are not ideal solutions throughout the system either. Unlike a time when Joe Mauer was a given, the Twins may have more questions than ever at catcher. Image courtesy of David Berding-USA TODAY Sports Over the past few seasons, Derek Falvey, Thad Levine, Rocco Baldelli (and Paul Molitor before him) have seen their starter behind the plate be a revolving door. It’s certainly not an easy position to generate consistency from, but since 2014 Minnesota has had the same catcher in the Opening Day lineup in three consecutive seasons just twice. Kurt Suzuki and Jason Castro, both free-agent veterans at the time, can make that claim. Since, Mitch Garver has drawn two starts with Ryan Jeffers being back there in 2022. From Opening Day 2004 through 2013, the Twins started a catcher not named Joe Mauer just once, when Mike Redmond was tasked with the job to start 2009. Over a stretch of ten years, Mauer was the most given thing in any Twins lineup. Finding something reminiscent of that run must be a goal for the current roster construction. Up-the-middle positions in baseball may be the most impactful players on the diamond. Joining a lack of consistency behind the plate is a shortstop revolving door that has seen no player remain more than the back-to-back Opening Day starter since Cristian Guzman in 2004. That laundry list of talents paired with an ever-changing catching situation is something that begs Twins fans to recall Mauer’s greatness. We’ll likely never see another catcher do what Joe Mauer could. Winning a batting title from that position is difficult, and doing it three times is otherworldly. Mauer’s MVP award in 2009 was one of the best seasons we’ve seen in baseball history. Consistently being able to play at such a physically-demanding position is also not something we see in today's game. Maybe Jeffers winds up developing into a consistent talent for the Twins. After all, the team was substantially higher on him in the draft than most. Jeffers could represent a strong step forward at the position given his relative youth. Even the best free agent available, Willson Contreras, is no sure thing to remain as a backstop for years since he is already 30 years old. Even if Jeffers never shows a shred of Mauer’s total ability, providing stability at such a necessary position would go a long way for the Twins roster construction. We’re just a year away from Mauer’s debut on the Hall of Fame ballot. He will likely garner strong consideration to be inducted in that cycle. Eventually, he should find his way in, the numbers are too staggering in his favor. What will be worth wondering is whether Minnesota can find the replacement they’ve been looking for since Mauer moved to first base, and if it happens before his plaque is hung in Cooperstown. View full article

Minnesota’s trade deadline shopping list should include multiple pitchers, but that doesn’t mean other parts of the roster can’t be addressed. Here are five veteran catchers expected to be available at the deadline. Ryan Jeffers’ recent thumb surgery will sideline him for up to two months, which may force the Twins to seek a veteran catcher to join Gary Sanchez. Caleb Hamilton will get the first chance to serve in a backup role, but the Twins may want someone with more big-league experience for the stretch run. Each of the catchers below comes with a different cost, and that is certainly something the team will have to factor into any decision. Tucker Barnhart, Tigers Sometimes trades in the same division can be challenging, but Tucker Barnhart isn’t going to cost a lot to acquire. He is a pending free agent, but he’s caught most of his team’s games for six of the last seven seasons. In 2022, he has hit .211/.270/.246 (.516) with six doubles across 61 games. Behind the plate, his framing ranks in the 72nd percentile. He is a backup at this point in his career, but he should be cheap for a team to acquire. Willson Contreras, Cubs Willson Contreras will likely be the best catcher dealt before the deadline. He’s a three-time All-Star, and he’s having arguably his best offensive season. In the season’s first half, he hit .253/.366/.455 (.821) with 17 doubles, 13 home runs, and a career-high 130 OPS+. He is not known as a strong defensive catcher, but his bat makes up for any defensive flaws. Contreras is a pending free agent, so a team is acquiring two months of his services. He will likely cost more prospect capital than the Twins are willing to use. Yan Gomes, Cubs Another catcher to consider on the Cubs is Yan Gomes. Unlike Contreras, he is under team control through 2024 for $6 million per season. Gomes has been an above-average catcher throughout his career, but he is 34 years old and might be relegated to backup duties. His pop time to second base ranks in the 71st percentile, and his framing ranks in the 55th percentile. During the 2022 season, he is hitting .213/.231/.311 (.542) with seven doubles and three home runs in 51 games. Sean Murphy, Athletics Sean Murphy might be the most intriguing name on this list, especially if the Twins are also interested in acquiring Oakland’s Frankie Montas. Murphy is pre-arbitration eligible and is under team control through the 2025 season. In 87 games this season, he is hitting .241/.314/.413 (.726) with 22 doubles and ten home runs. Defensively, he is one of baseball’s best backstops as his pop time and framing rank in the 88th percentile or higher. Kurt Suzuki, Angels Another cheap catching option is old friend Kurt Suzuki. In his age-38 season, he has a .546 OPS and a 56 OPS+, so it’s not clear home much he has left in the tank. Defense has never been his calling card, but he’s a familiar name to this organization. Suzuki should cost very little to acquire. Do you think the Twins should target any of these catchers before the deadline? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

This is an excerpt of an article originating at Zone Coverage. Click here to read it in full. On the surface, it was just a home run. In a year where 4,588 of them have been hit already, that hardly seems like a real headline-grabber. MLB hitters have been hitting home runs at a rate of 1.39 per game -- by far the most in a season in history. It's not even really close; the 2017 season ranks second at 1.27 long balls per nine, and no other season is over 1.20. The homer also came late in a game that ended 18-7. That type of score is more commonplace in today's game with balls flying out of the park at an unprecedented rate. Also more commonplace in today's game is position players pitching, and in this case, it was a position player serving up the hitter's second home run of the game. Alright, that's enough of that cryptic business. The home run was in Phoenix, and it came off the bat of Eduardo Escobar. That pitch was thrown by perhaps his best friend in all of baseball -- Washington Nationals second baseman Brian Dozier. If Dozier isn't his closest friend in the game, it's possible the guy catching is -- Nationals backstop Kurt Suzuki. So when Dozier -- a right-handed thrower -- attempted to sneak a 69 mph floater past Escobar -- a switch hitter batting from the right side -- the Diamondbacks' jack-of-all-trades crushed it into oblivion, well into the left-field seats. All three guys did a fairly good job of letting the moment play itself out, until Escobar did his customary home run celebration after rounding third. That's when Suzuki had to get involved, as he playfully told Escobar to get back into the dugout while Dozier simply smiled as he watched his former teammate round the bases. The trio was like mismatched socks -- a Hawaiian, a Mississippi boy and a guy from Venezuela -- who drew glee during their Twins days from bouncing around each other like said socks in a dryer.

Free agency officially kicked off on Tuesday morning. The Twins are very much in the market for a catcher, so today I thought we'd take a closer look at what is available.Yesterday, Parker unveiled our new Free Agent Tracker feature. This interactive database gives you a dynamic real-time look at players that are out there. By drilling the list down to catchers, we can get a specific view of the market for backstops. Each of these player is covered in the Offseason Handbook – which you've got grab if you haven't. (Donation-based download, free if you like!) Let's take a deeper look at the pages concerning this position: Download attachment: gmhbfac1.png Just a terrible break for Wilson Ramos. A qualifying offer would have been a no-brainer prior to his devastating September knee injury, but now the Nationals had no choice but pass. His recovery will stretch well into next season, and his long-term future behind the plate is somewhat in doubt. His agent has suggested Ramos will seek a four to five year deal. Will that offer come? Probably not from the Twins. Matt Wieters is more plausible. The Orioles declined to extend a QO so he hits the open market unencumbered. The switch-hitter had one of the worst seasons of his career, with terrible timing, but was still a very solid player who's not that old. Download attachment: gmhbfac2.png Jason Castro is my personal favorite among the free agent catchers. He was our choice in in the Twins Daily offseason blueprint. He ranks as one of the game's very elite pitch-framing specialists, and he's a capable hitter who can put the ball over the fence. Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press tweeted on Tuesday night that the Twins have expressed preliminary interest in Castro and plan to meet with his agent on Wednesday. But if the Twins want to take a less emphatic dive into the market, and aren't ready to give up on John Ryan Murphy quite yet, Alex Avila makes sense. As a lefty swinger he complements Murphy well and as a guy who's been around for eight years – many of them spent with dominant Tigers clubs – he might bring some of the veteran leadership that the Twins seem to be pursuing. Download attachment: gmhbfac3.png The remainder of this free agent class doesn't really possess anyone who could be viewed as a starter or even a primary timeshare partner. The Twins need to be aiming higher than a backup. That's just the reality. What are your thoughts? Who would you target among this crop? Or would you shift your focus to another acquisition avenue in addressing this critical spot? Click here to view the article

Around lunchtime on Monday, the Minnesota Twins will hold a press conference formally announcing the two new head executives in their reconfigured baseball operations department. Then, it's on.Among the 28 teams who fell short of the World Series, most are deep into their offseason planning. Important deadlines come fast and furious after the conclusion of the playoffs, and that's why many front offices spend weeks laying the groundwork and playing through scenarios. The Twins have had no such luxuries. Derek Falvey's tenure with the Indians lasted as long as it possibly could have, placing him in catch-up mode as he takes over in the Minnesota front office. While he has undoubtedly been in communication with his new organization, up until last Wednesday Falvey remained an employee of the Cleveland Indians, and a very occupied one at that. Meanwhile, Rob Antony has been running the show. Moving forward he will presumably be third in line behind Falvey and new general manager Thad Levine. The trio will need to come together and make some quick decisions. The annual GM Meetings get underway on Monday and run through Thursday so Falvey and Levine are reportedly set to head straight to Scottsdale, AZ following the conclusion of their introductory press conference. This will be their first opportunity to rub shoulders with other execs as official representatives of the Minnesota Twins, so it should be an interesting week. So, how will their agenda shape up as the new leadership team acclimates? The free agency process has already been set into motion, as we're currently amidst a five-day exclusive negotiating window for impending free agents. The most prominent name in that mix for Minnesota is Kurt Suzuki, who won't be back, so the Twins aren't hindered much by being late to the game. But after the clock strikes midnight and Monday turns to Tuesday, free agency will officially be open for business. Names can start coming off the market quickly so the Twins need to rapidly identify targets and begin making contacts. The team's needs heading into the winter are fairly well defined. Of course, you can find an in-depth listing of free agents at positions of need in the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook, which is available for immediate download on a name-your-price basis. Here's a quick look at some other important upcoming dates as the new regime tackles its first Hot Stove season: November 18: Deadline to add prospects to the 40-man roster and protect them from Rule 5 draft eligibility. The Twins have some critical determinations to make before this point. A few weeks ago, Seth wrote about some pitchers and hitters who are on the bubble. December 1: On this date, Major League Baseball's current collective bargaining agreement expires. In order to avoid a work stoppage, the league and players association must reach agreement on a new deal before the end of this month. There is little reason to think they won't, given everything at stake, but the new CBA could include some significant changes. The draft bonus pool system, in particular, is expected to undergo some tweaking. This could have a distinct impact on the Twins, who of course will carry the No. 1 pick in each round next June. December 2: Non-tender deadline. By this date, the Twins must decide whether to extend offers to their six arbitration eligible players: Trevor Plouffe, Hector Santiago, Brandon Kintzler, Eduardo Escobar, Kyle Gibson and Ryan Pressly. We extensively analyze the cases for each player in the Handbook. December 5-8: Winter Meetings in Washington DC. This is the heart of Hot Stove season and the most gripping period of the offseason schedule, with non-stop frenetic rumors and breaking blockbusters. The Rule 5 draft takes place on the morning of the final day. After the Winter Meetings, things quiet down for the most part over the holidays, then kick back into gear in mid-January with arbitration agreement deadline. If you've been in a slumber waiting for the postseason to play out, the time has arrived. Things are about to get going in a hurry. Make sure you snag your Offseason Handbook, for as much or as little as you want, so you'll be ready for all the action. Click here to view the article

Sometimes it's OK to admit when you're wrong... But hey, I stood in there, took my shot, and like so many Twins at-bats this year, most of my predictions ended up as swings and misses. We are about to enter the month of September. The Twins 2016 season story was written way back in April, and they’ve had the final nails pounded in the last two weeks. An 11-game losing streak is never a positive for a team. So, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my player predictions from mid-March. I think the theme of today’s story is, “It’s good to admit your mistakes.” There are a few where you’ll look at my prediction and wonder what I was thinking. I did also add the national projections from Zips, Steamer, PECOTA and Marcels and we can mock them too. It’s hard to think of now, but heading into the season, expectations were pretty high. I was hoping for 82-84 wins. Well, they’ve already hit 82 losses and have been trying for their 50th win for 11 games now. Below, you will find each player I did a prediction for. You’ll see my predictions with a link to that article. For each player, I added a few more things I was looking for this season and found a couple of key stats for each player. Click the links and re-read those. Again, I do think to remind us that projections are just that… they’re educated (or at least semi-educated) guesses. Obviously injury factors into some of these seasons as well. And hey, I may have even been fairly close on some.So enjoy this look back. Byung Ho Park 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .247/.318/.423 (.741) with 23-2B, 20-HR ZIPS: .266/.333/.463 (.796) Steamer: .256/.329/.487 (.816) PECOTA: .255/.326/.442 (.768) 2016 Actual (to date): .191/.275/.409 (.684) with 9-2B, 1-3B, 12-HR. SUMMARY: No one was real sure how to project Park. He was a big-time power hitter coming from Korea where he also struck out a tremendous amount. He certainly showed some power potential at times, but a sore wrist really affected his play (even if the team and player insist it didn’t). He was optioned to AAA Rochester after 62 games and struggled there (except for a one-week stretch). His season ended officially earlier this week when he had hand surgery. I guess of the four projections listed above, mine would have been the closest, which isn’t something to be proud or happy about. Miguel Sano 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .287/.398/.538 (.936) with 37-2B, 1-3B, 35-HR ZIPS: .249/.337/.491 (.828) Marcels: .272/.368/.497 (.865) Steamer: .257/.345/.510 (.855) PECOTA: .245/.339/.496 (.835) 2016 Actual (to date): .244/.329/.465 (.794) with 18-2B, 20-HR SUMMARY: Apparently, I just wanted to believe that the Twins could have really nice things. Now Sano is having a bad year. A look at his OPS says that he’s doing OK. But he did set the bar way too high in his debut second half. The hope was that he could take off from there and keep hitting. We knew that he would strike out a lot. I predicted 220 or so. He missed nearly six weeks due to his hamstring injury, or he might be there. He will pass Brian Dozier’s one year old Twins strikeout record, likely this week, so he’s got that. So yeah, the national rankings were also too high on him just not as much. I believe that Sano can reach the numbers I projected for him in 2016… it’ll just be later. Byron Buxton 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .247/.302/.424 (.726) with 18-2B, 1-3B, 11-HR ZIPS: .266/.310/.405 (.715) Marcel: .244/.300/.386 (.686) Steamer: .259/.309/.400 (709) PECOTA: .253/.309/.401 (.710) 2016 Actual (to date): .193/.247/.315 (.561) with 13-2B, 4-3B, 1-HR SUMMARY: Even the most pessimistic of projections was .125 too high. Buxton started slow and just wasn’t able to find success at the plate in 2016. Well he has - to some degree in AAA. The reality is that he just swings and misses too much to be successful right now. He was named the International League’s Hitter of the Week last week. He hit about .310 with homers in four straight games, and yet, he struck out about 42% of his plate appearances. I still believe that Buxton can be a star in the league. His defense alone in center field makes a pitching staff better, but 2016 just wasn’t his year. Eddie Rosario 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .282/.316/.457 (.773) with 28-2B, 9-3B, 17-HR ZIPS: .256/.287/.415 (.702) Marcels: .269/.304/.457 (.761) Steamer: .257/.291/.411 (.702) PECOTA: .250/.280/.402 (.682) 2016 Actual (to date): .266/.291/.418 (.709) with 15-2B, 2-3B, 8-HR SUMMARY: The assumption in the offseason was that Rosario would regress. I stayed optimistic that things would break well for the Twins and Rosario. Things were bad enough that he was demoted to Rochester for most of May. Since his return he’s been better. The issue remains his inability to control the strike zone. Now that doesn’t have to mean walks, though that is often a byproduct of a better approach. It just means that he has to know which pitches are strikes and which pitches he can drive, and swing at those, and not swing at things well off the plate. He’s been a little better with that since his return, but still will look silly at times. Eduardo Escobar 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .246/.295/.389 (.684) with 33-2B, 3-3B, 13-HR ZIPS: .256/.302/.409 (.711) Marcels: .250/.270/.444 (.715) Steamer: .261/.310/.393 (.703) PECOTA: .253/.294/.375 (.659) 2016 Actual (to date): .269/.299/.389 (.688) with 14-2B, 2-3B, 5-HR SUMMARY: Escobar was finally going to get his opportunity to be an everyday player this year after putting up terrific second halves the last two seasons. Unfortunately, he struggled early and then got hurt. Then Eduardo Nunez put together an allsStar rest of the half and Escobar found himself back on the bench. Now Jorge Polanco is getting most of the starts at shortstop. My projection, at least if you take away the batting average, looks pretty good with the rate numbers. However, the counting numbers just aren’t there because of the lack of playing time. Trevor Plouffe 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .252/.314/.442 (.756) with 38-2B, 1-3B, 25-HR ZIPS: .252/.315/.427 (.742) Marcels: .251/.313/.423 (.736) Steamer: .250/.315/.422 (.737) PECOTA: .246/.310/.418 (.728) 2016 Actual (to date): .260/.299/.409 (.708) with 13-2B, 1-3B, 9-HR. SUMMARY: It’s been a really tough year for Plouffe. He’s had several stints on the disabled list, and he has had some long slumps.He just isn’t getting on base the way you would hope, the way he has in the past. He’s shown some power, but didn’t take a step forward. The Twins have an interesting decision to make with him. Do they give him $8 million to keep him around and play 3B, or do they trust Miguel Sano to be adequate defensively at the hot corner. Comes down to if you think he can play more and play better than he has in 2016. Brian Dozier 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .255/.342/.457 (.799) with 35-2B, 2-3B, 26-HR ZIPS: .244/.318/.437 (.756) Marcels: Steamer: .241/.319/.405 (.724) PECOTA: 2016 Actual (to date): .270/.342/.538 (.880) with 31-2B, 5-3B, 30-HR SUMMARY: Our projections for Dozier would have looked silly had we looked a them in late May. Why were we all so optimistic? And then he took off and hasn’t stopped hitting and hitting for power since then. I projected an optimistic .015 increase in batting average which would help propel him toward an .800 OPS. Now that just looks incredibly low, but the national rankings expected even less. Dozier already has 30 homers and more triples than I projected, and he’s just four doubles shy. It’s been a phenomenal three month run for Dozier. And Twins fans can just imagine the numbers he could put up if he put it all together for a full season. Joe Mauer 2016 Preseason Prediction: .294/.363/.426 (.789) with 33-2B, 1-3B, 13-HR ZIPS: ..276/.356/.387 (.742) Marcels: .274/.349/.400 (.749) Steamer: .274/.355/.390 (.745) PECOTA: .279/.360/.387 (.747) 2016 Actual (to date): .275/.375/.401 (.777) with 17-2B, 4-3B, 10-HR SUMMARY: As we approach September, Mauer’s season has been full of mini-hot and mini-cold streaks, but overall, it has been a very solid season for the 33-year-old. After two really rough seasons, Mauer has looked a little more like the Mauer of old. No, the batting average hasn’t come all the way back, but he is again taking a lot of walk, and striking out less. The lack of doubles early in the season were inexplicable, though they’ve come back up a little bit. For the most part, he has remained healthy, played well defensively, and been a good top of the lineup hitter for the Twins. Kurt Suzuki 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .271/.320/.334 (.654) with 15-2B, 2-HR ZIPS: .253/.305/.334 (.639) Steamer: .253/.308/.354 (.662) PECOTA: .247/.299/.349 (.648) 2016 Actual (to date): .277/.318/.421 (.740) with 22-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR SUMMARY: Suzuki has played like 2014 first-half Suzuki most of the last few months. I thought that the Twins would start the season with Suzuki playing two out of three games but that it would transition to a 50/50 split in the second and third months. I figured by this time that the Twins would still be competing and John Ryan Murphy would be catching two out of three. Suzuki has hit well. Maybe it’s the Axe Bat, or maybe the fact that he is playing less overall has kept him fresh. As you can see, my .654 OPS prediction was right in line with the other projections, and he has been much better than that, even displaying some pop. John Ryan Murphy 2016 Seth’s Preseason Prediction: .280/.337/.407 (.744) with 19-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR ZIPS: .245/.295/.379 (.674) Steamer: .253/.306/.394 (.700) Marcels: .269/.323/.396 (.719) PECOTA: .254/.305/.390 (.695) 2016 Actual (to date): .075/.119/.100 (.219) with 1-2B (11 G, 40 PA) SUMMARY: Yeah, I was bullish on Murphy coming into the season. I figured he’s been solid as Brian McCann’s backup the last few years. He’s displayed some pop in his bat in limited time. And, defensively, he was said to be ‘average’ which was a significant improvement over what we’ve seen the last couple of years. Well, the defense is fine, but Murphy just hasn’t hit all year. He had like three hits in spring training. And he hit .075 in the season’s first month (admittedly a very small sample size). Unfortunately, his trip to Rochester hasn’t helped much. In his last 27 games, he’s hit .302/.337/.360 (.697) but his hot streaks have been overwhelmed by some long cold streaks. OVERALL SUMMARY: As with all of the preseason projections, I had a few that I was close on, and a few that I was way off on. As you might expect, I was a bit too optimistic on several players. Brian Dozier has significantly exceeded his projections. So have Kurt Suzuki and Joe Mauer. But for the most part, the Twins hitters have been as hoped, or worse (specifically Byungho Park, Byron Buxton and John Ryan Murphy). I recommend clicking into my preseason projection articles for more detailed keys to success and predictions. Some of them are now funny to read. Others are fairly spot on. And go into the Comments and see how your preseason predictions look now. Again, I also predicted the Twins would win about 82-84 games, so in general, my prediction game wasn’t too good this year. And, the Twins hitting has actually not been too terrible overall, especially the last two months or so when they’ve been one of the highest-scoring teams in baseball. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' pitching and defense bringing them back to reality, Byron Buxton's latest stint in the minors, pitching staff comings and goings, Kurt Suzuki on trade waivers, Brian Dozier refusing to stop hitting homers, Miguel Sano's elbow problems, what to do with Trevor May, and the worst decisions you can make with food after the bar closes. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

The Twins and interim-GM Rob Antony were active near the August 1st non-waiver trade deadline. We are nearly one-third of the way through August, and we have to wonder how busy the team will be before August 31 waiver deadline. In this article, we’ll give a refresher on what can happen during August. We’ll also take a look at which Twins players could be dealt in August.Let’s start with a reminder of the Rules of the August (waiver trade deadline). First and foremost, in order for a player to be traded in August, he has to be placed on revocable trade waivers. If a player is claimed, three things can happen. If the player is claimed by a team, the two teams have 48 hours to work out a trade agreement.The team can allow the player - and the entirety of their remaining contract - to go to the claiming team.The team can pull the player back from waivers.Now, a team can place a player on waivers a second time. However, the player can not be pulled back if he is claimed. If a player passes through waivers, he can be traded to any team. In August, nearly all players are placed on waivers once, even if the team has no interest in trading the player at that time. Why? Well, maybe the team could get offered a package they just can’t turn down. If nothing else, it allows them to gauge interest in players for potential offseason moves. Rob Antony is likely to put most Twins players on the roster on waivers, but we know that Max Kepler, Jose Berrios and Miguel Sano aren’t going to get traded. We know that Taylor Rogers, Trevor May and Ryan Pressly aren’t getting traded. However, there are a lot of Twins players who could be discussed or even traded. I’ll try to come up with a list and you can decide for yourself if you think they could or even should be traded this month. Some will be the names we heard in July. Other names might arise either as a fallback plan or as an injury replacement. THE PITCHERS Ervin Santana - His name was mentioned a lot in July as a possible trade candidate. With his long history of productive pitching and a very reasonable contract for the next two seasons, one would think Santana would get claimed. Of course, that limits the likelihood of the Twins trading him. As Rob Antony pointed out on his radio show on Sunday, they decided that if they would trade Santana, it would be for a package that they were very happy with. In other words, the Twins aren’t giving him away. Brandon Kintzler - Kintzler’s name was mentioned in trade rumors as well. Signed to a minor league contract before the season, Kintzler spent the first month in Rochester. However, since coming up to the Twins he has done well. In particular, he has done a terrific job as the Twins closer since Kevin Jepsen was removed from the role. The reality is that if the Twins traded him, they would be selling high. However, he will have another year of arbitration remaining. Even if he is in a seventh-inning role, he will have earned what he will get paid in 2017.With several options in the upper levels, selling high would seem to make a lot of sense. However, at his 2016 salary, he would likely be claimed which might limit the return. Tommy Milone - The left-hander might be of interest to the right team. His most recent outing out of the pen was successful, a role he had very limited experience in. However, he has a lot of experience and success as a starter in his career. A team that is looking for a swing man might find Milone to be a good option. Buddy Boshers - Maybe a surprise name on this list, the Twins signed him out of independent league ball in the offseason. With a much-improved array of breaking pitches, he has come a long way. Though he hasn’t been quite as good since coming back to the big leagues he was very good in AAA and in his earlier stint with the Twins. The team obviously isn’t going to trade Taylor Rogers, but maybe there’s a team in need of a left-hander. It would obviously be a minor return. Michael Tonkin - Another surprising name. Tonkin has done a nice job in his final opportunity with the Twins this year. He was one of the final men to make the 25-man roster, and only really made it because he was out of options. He’s certainly had his ups and downs this year, but he does have 65 strikeouts in 55 innings this year. What is a front office supposed to make of Tonkin and his 2017 outlook. Maybe there is a team that thinks he can pitch in the 6th or 7th inning the rest of this year and maybe become a late-inning option. The Twins front office will need to decide what Tonking can be here, and how he compares with some of the prospects who are close. THE HITTERS Kurt Suzuki - He certainly seems to be an obvious candidate to be traded. However, reports indicate there was minimal interest in the backstop due to his defense. He is having a terrific offensive season, however. If a playoff-caliber team needs a solid, reliable backup catcher who will be able to handle any situation, Suzuki would fit the bill. Suzuki is a free agent at season’s end, and if the Twins really want him back in 2017, they can sign him as a free agent in the offseason. Trevor Plouffe - There certainly would have been talked about as a July deadline trade candidate if not for his broken ribs. He’s back now and if he can play well for the next couple of weeks his name will be mentioned prominently again. He has one more year of arbitration remaining and will likely get to about $9 million in 2017. The defense at the hot corner of Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco could factor into the decision. Danny Santana - The Twins and specifically Paul Molitor seems to love the game of Danny Santana. He’s a terrific athlete with good speed and a big arm. He had the strong MLB debut in 2014 and then he struggled mightily in 2015. He is out of options so he made the team as a utility player this year, able to play six positions. What is his role going forward with the Twins? Can he be the primary utility man? Or could there be a team interested in giving him a chance for a bigger role? Kennys Vargas - Despite looking the complete opposite of Danny Santana, there are similarities between the two. Vargas debuted in 2014’s second half and showed power potential. However, he really struggled in 2015. He’ll be out of options in 2017 and there is certainly a log jam of DH and first base options in the organization. Could the Twins trade him? Byung Ho Park - After a $25 million commitment, could the Twins deal Park in the right deal? Again, it’s about the log jam at first base and DH. He has 10 AAA homers, but he hasn’t really hit well there either. It would seem to be a sell-low on a guy with three years remaining. I’d be surprised. Eduardo Escobar - Eduardo Nunez was already traded. Jorge Polanco is far from a given as a future shortstop, and Escobar has had some great second halves. Because in the worst case, he’s still a versatile utility player, he’d be a guy to keep around. It’s also why teams could show interest. Robbie Grossman - Another guy brought in on a minor league deal, Grossman took off right away for the Twins. He has cooled off and his playing time has lessened but if a team is looking for a fourth or fifth outfielder who can put together a quality plate appearance, maybe Grossman can be that guy. So there you have it, a list of Twins players that could still be moved in August. Some of course, are more likely to be traded than others. I would say that Suzuki and Kintzler are the two players most likely to get traded this month. In each case, the return would likely be a player that we have never heard of Click here to view the article

At 3:00 central time today, the annual non-waivers trade deadline will pass. The Twins already made one move. Thursday night, they traded Eduardo Nunez to the San Francisco Giants for Adalberto Mejia. Will they be able to reach any more trade agreements today?Several Twins players have had their names mentioned in trade rumors over the last couple of weeks. The player seemingly most likely to be traded before the deadline is catcher Kurt Suzuki. He has been mentioned in rumors for a month, and teams can always use a backup catcher. Suzuki is putting together one of his best seasons with the bat and has always had a strong reputation for working with pitchers. When Jonathan Lucroy used his veto power to void a trade to Cleveland yesterday, it may have slowed the process. Cleveland is one possible destination for the Twins backstop, though there are several others that would be interested in Suzuki as well. At least two Twins bullpen arms are also garnering a lot of attention from scouts the last couple of weeks. Fernando Abad was terrific the first couple of months of the season. He hasn't been as good of late, but the left-hander should be of interest to some teams Brandon Kintzler, like Abad, came to the Twins on a minor league contract before the season. He began the season in Rochester. Since he has come up to the Twins, he has been terrific. Kintzler took over the closer's role and has been very good. He missed most of last season with a knee injury, but he has come back stronger this year. Since both players are under team control for at least another year, Rob Antony needs to weigh the return with what they believe the pitchers can be next year. On the other side of that coin, the Twins need to make room for the likes JT Chargois, Mason Melotakis and others. Could the Twins find a taker who wants Ervin Santana enough to take on the remainder (or most) of his contract and give the Twins a quality prospect or two? Toronto has reportedly shown a lot of interest of late. It's hard to imagine a Tommy Milone or Ricky Nolasco trade today, but could the Twins find a team to take them before the August waiver deadline? Could the Twins deal Brian Dozier for a big haul? Would they? Do they trust the potential of Jorge Polanco? If the Twins make a trade or three before the deadline, we will attempt to post a new article right away, but as rumors and other trades around the league occur, be sure to use this thread to discuss and make predictions. How many deals will the Twins make? Click here to view the article

The All Star break is over. Now, with just over two weeks until the deadline, it’s trade season. That much was made clear on Thursday, when the Red Sox dealt a top pitching prospect to San Diego in exchange for impact starter Drew Pomeranz.Boston had been mentioned as a possible destination for Ervin Santana, who suddenly carries intriguing trade value, but is now off the board for starting pitching. And yet, one position where the Red Sox, along with many other contenders, could still use help is catcher. It's a source of offensive weakness across the league. American League catchers collectively have a .671 OPS, which is 60 points lower than the next-worst position (left field). This makes the timing of Kurt Suzuki's astonishing evolution with the bat quite fortuitous. It's difficult to comprehend, but after his scorching last six weeks Suzuki suddenly leads all AL catchers in batting average and ranks third in OPS. Given the generally subpar level of play that we've seen from him over the past two years, it's tempting to pass this off as a fluke. But Suzuki's torrid streak has sustained for quite a while and shows no signs of dissipating. What triggered this shocking turnaround? Optimal health at last? A new bat type? Plain and simple adjustments? Who knows, but this much is clear: Terry Ryan now stands at a point of great leverage. The Case For Trading Suzuki Boston's willingness to surrender Anderson Espinoza, one of the most highly regarded young arms in the minors, for Pomeranz signals that we're looking at a seller's market. The addition of a second wild-card slot means that 19 MLB teams are realistically in the postseason race, and looking for an edge. Picking up a catcher who is in the zone like Suzuki would provide just that. Some teams are flat-out desperate for any kind of offensive threat behind the plate. The Indians, who currently lead the AL Central, have had no choice but to stick with Yan Gomes as their regular despite his .166 average and .516 OPS. The Tigers are chasing them with James McCann – owner of a .208 average and .563 OPS – as their majority backstop. The third-place White Sox are trotting out Dioner Navarro, who is also batting .208. And that's just in this division. The aforementioned Red Sox, who have demonstrated an all-in type of aggressiveness, may fancy the idea of bringing in a well respected and red-hot veteran like Suzuki to bang liners off the Green Monster. He's inexpensive this year. He has a very reasonable $6 million option attached to his contract for next year. His unceasing toughness sets a good example, and pitchers love working with him. It isn't difficult to envision a scenario in which Suzuki garners some significant offers, especially if he keeps raking for a couple more weeks. Can the Twins, now thrust back into rebuilding mode, afford to pass them up? The Case For Keeping Suzuki The problem with giving up Suzuki is that the cupboard is completely bare for 2017. John Ryan Murphy is batting .208 with a .558 OPS in Triple-A, and he qualifies as the next most credible option in the organization as a starting catcher. If the Twins have aspirations of bouncing back and returning to contention next year – and it's not that far-fetched – they either need keep Suzuki and activate his option, or enter the offseason frantically searching for an answer. Are they ready to get into a high-stakes bidding war for Wilson Ramos or Matt Wieters, given the number of clubs seeking such players? Not likely. This team has stuck with Suzuki through some lean times. He stayed in the lineup steadily last year even while posting terrible numbers, and during the offseason, the front office brought in more of a caddy/protege than replacement. Now that he's finally playing up to his potential, and the organization is bereft of contingency plans, it won't be easy to pry Suzuki away. It all comes down to getting an offer that can't be refused. With 17 days remaining until the deadline, we'll see it if comes. Click here to view the article

My cell phone is what keeps me updated. Life, politics, sports. Whatever. That includes the Minnesota Twins. Whenever they score, or are scored upon, I get an update. Lately I have been seeing more of the former. The Twins have averaged 7.8 runs per game in July while going 7-3 to begin the month. They have scored in double figures four times in those ten games. Compare that with just one instance of double figure scoring in the first 78 games.Kurt Suzuki, the Twins catcher I still believe is just a stopgap for the organization, has been white-hot the last 28 games. His line of .379/.402/.592/.994 over that time is one of the best for a catcher over the last month plus. Max Kepler has been just as hot driving in 33 runs over the last 37 games. Of those 33 RBIs, 18 have come in the last 10 games. He has also hit five home runs with a ridiculous slugging percentage of .622 in those 10 games as well. That's fifth best of any rookie in the majors with at least 25 plate appearances. Minnesota has done most of their damage against the Texas Rangers. Seven of the 10 games this month have come against the American League's best team. The Twins have averaged eight runs per game while hitting 14 home runs, 15 doubles and a .328 team batting average. The run scoring against Texas is something of a tradition. The Twins have averaged 4.76 runs again against Texas since 2010, the best mark for Minnesota against any American League opponent. What are we to feel about all of this? Is this a product of the opponent? A hot team? A handful of players getting hot at the same time? First, feel happy. Some positivity from a season void of it. Second, feel optimism. Kepler. Kennys Vargas. Robbie Grossman. Even Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. They've all had a hand in this offense going crazy over the last 10 games. Not only that, they've played well in the field. At positions they were meant to play. Sano, a third baseman, is actually playing third base. Not the outfield. Meaning Kepler is getting time in right field at the major league level and not at AAA where he has already proven himself. (Side-note: The injury to Trevor Plouffe might be a blessing in disguise. This is what the team, defensively, should look like. Sano playing his natural position and a rotation of Byron Buxton, Grossman, Rosario and Kepler in the outfield. It seems to be working.) Third, don't get your hopes up that this is the start of something great for this year. The Texas pitching staff isn't all that great. The starters are good but the bullpen is dreadful. The Twins crushed an already bad bullpen into submission by taxing them to the limit. Frankly, the All-Star break could not have come soon enough for Texas. The Twins, by comparison, could have done without the stoppage in play. They could also use some more games against the AL West. Of their 32 wins, 15 have come from teams that hail from that division. They have just seven more games, three against Seattle and four against Houston, left to play against AL West teams. Fourth, it is only 10 games. A small snippet in time. Nothing to get overly hyped about if you're a Twins fan as this team will certainly find its level soon. Especially with how young this roster is. All of those things aside, it still makes you smile, if only for a moment. A break from the monotonous pounding the team had been taking. If you want to enjoy it, by all means, enjoy. Don't let my negativity drag you down. Whoop it up, baby. The Twins are coming in hot. Click here to view the article

My cell phone is what keeps me updated. Life, politics, sports. Whatever. That includes the Minnesota Twins. Whenever they score, or are scored upon, I get an update. Lately I have been seeing more of the former. The Twins have averaged 7.8 runs per game in July while going 7-3 to begin the month. They have scored in double figures four times in those ten games. Compare that with just one instance of double figure scoring in the first 78 games. Kurt Suzuki, the Twins catcher I still believe is just a stopgap for the organization, has been white-hot the last 28 games. His line of .379/.402/.592/.994 over that time is one of the best for a catcher over the last month plus. Max Kepler has been just as hot driving in 33 runs over the last 37 games. Of those 33 RBIs, 18 have come in the last 10 games. He has also hit five home runs with a ridiculous slugging percentage of .622 in those 10 games as well. That's fifth best of any rookie in the majors with at least 25 plate appearances. Minnesota has done most of their damage against the Texas Rangers. Seven of the 10 games this month have come against the American League's best team. The Twins have averaged eight runs per game while hitting 14 home runs, 15 doubles and a .328 team batting average. The run scoring against Texas is something of a tradition. The Twins have averaged 4.76 runs again against Texas since 2010, the best mark for Minnesota against any American League opponent. What are we to feel about all of this? Is this a product of the opponent? A hot team? A handful of players getting hot at the same time? First, feel happy. Some positivity from a season void of it. Second, feel optimism. Kepler. Kennys Vargas. Robbie Grossman. Even Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. They've all had a hand in this offense going crazy over the last 10 games. Not only that, they've played well in the field. At positions they were meant to play. Sano, a third baseman, is actually playing third base. Not the outfield. Meaning Kepler is getting time in right field at the major league level and not at AAA where he has already proven himself. (Side-note: The injury to Trevor Plouffe might be a blessing in disguise. This is what the team, defensively, should look like. Sano playing his natural position and a rotation of Byron Buxton, Grossman, Rosario and Kepler in the outfield. It seems to be working.) Third, don't get your hopes up that this is the start of something great for this year. The Texas pitching staff isn't all that great. The starters are good but the bullpen is dreadful. The Twins crushed an already bad bullpen into submission by taxing them to the limit. Frankly, the All-Star break could not have come soon enough for Texas. The Twins, by comparison, could have done without the stoppage in play. They could also use some more games against the AL West. Of their 32 wins, 15 have come from teams that hail from that division. They have just seven more games, three against Seattle and four against Houston, left to play against AL West teams. Fourth, it is only 10 games. A small snippet in time. Nothing to get overly hyped about if you're a Twins fan as this team will certainly find its level soon. Especially with how young this roster is. All of those things aside, it still makes you smile, if only for a moment. A break from the monotonous pounding the team had been taking. If you want to enjoy it, by all means, enjoy. Don't let my negativity drag you down. Whoop it up, baby. The Twins are coming in hot.