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With the 2022 Major League Baseball regular season coming to a close, it’s the time of the year when IBWAA members are sent out ballots to cast their selections for awards. While the year didn’t start on time, having the full 162 game schedule following the lockout was a treat, and we’ve been given a ton of great performances. You can look back to my preseason predictions if you’d like, they were made at the end of March. In turning in my ballot recently, here’s what my selections looked like. American League MVP: Shohei Ohtani (Runner Up: Aaron Judge) National League MVP: Paul Goldschmidt (Runner Up: Nolan Arenado) American League Cy Young: Justin Verlander (Runner Up: Dylan Cease) National League Cy Young: Sandy Alcantara (Runner Up: Carlos Rodon) American League Rookie of the Year: Julio Rodriguez (Runner Up: Adley Rutschman) National League Rookie of the Year: Spencer Strider (Runner Up: Michael Harris II) American League Manager of the Year: Brandon Hyde (Runner Up: Dusty Baker) National League Manager of the Year: Buck Showalter (Runner Up: Rob Thomson) American League Reliever of the Year: Jhoan Duran (Runner Up: Emmanuel Clase) National League Reliever of the Year: Edwin Diaz (Runner Up: Ryan Helsley)

Joe Mauer’s retirement has left a big hole in the Twins infield. However, the team might be looking to make a big splash on the trade market this off-season. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports the Twins and the Diamondbacks have engaged in preliminary trade talks about a deal involving All-Star Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt has been one of the most consistent players in the National League over the better part of the last decade. He’s been an All-Star for six straight seasons and added three Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. During that same stretch, he’s finished in the top-3 for MVP voting three times. Entering his age-31 season, Goldschmidt hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Last year, he hit .290/.389/.533 with 33 home runs and 35 doubles. Since 2013, he has the third highest fWAR in all of baseball. Only Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson are higher than him on that list. Goldschmidt has one more year remaining on his contract and he is due to make $14.5 million next season. Minnesota would likely need to surrender multiple top prospects in a Goldschmidt deal. It’s also tough to paint the team in “win-now mode.” There’s no guarantee Goldschmidt re-signs with the team trading for him and he will likely want to test the free agent waters. Goldschmidt might be keeping an eye on some of the big free agents this off-season to see what kind of market develops. Last year, there were multiple instances of players having to settle for contracts that might have been deemed below average. Goldschmidt might want the security of a long-term deal before hitting free agency, especially since he will be in his early 30s. If Minnesota trades for him now, they would still be able to offer him a qualifying offer. He’d turn it down and then the club could get compensatory draft pick if he decided to sign elsewhere. If they waited to acquire him in the season, Goldschmidt wouldn’t be eligible for a qualifying offer. Lots of teams might be interested in trading for Goldschmidt, but the Twins interest might not be all that serious. There’s no denying that Goldschmidt is a great player but only one year of team control is definitely a deterrent. What do you think it would take to get Goldschmidt? Do the Twins need him for next season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Recently there were two rather significant developments regarding the 2019 Minnesota Twins roster construction. With the deadline to add Rule 5 Draft eligible players to the 40-man roster now in the rearview mirror, we know how the organization handled the situation. Also, in the early stages of free agency, Jon Morosi reported that the Twins have had discussions with the Arizona Diamondbacks about dealing for Paul Goldschmidt. Both of those scenarios could be hints at what’s next from the front office. Concerning the 40-man roster and Rule 5 decisions, the Twins added Nick Gordon, LaMonte Wade, and Luis Arraez to the fold. The first two were givens while Arraez makes a ton of sense as a great contact and average hitter for a team currently lacking talent up the middle. Still having two open spots on the 40 man, the front office decided to trade reliever Nick Anderson instead of keeping him around. Jake Reed, who was deserving of a September call up, will again be exposed to the Rule 5 draft, and former 1st round pick Tyler Jay was left out in the cold as well. Given the openings on the roster there would have been no downside for Minnesota to add the likes of Reed and Jay, even if more moves necessitated their removal in the coming months. Bullpen help has been assumed to be a key area of focus this offseason, and the internal options being passed over could be somewhat of a hint. The reality is that the Twins certainly could benefit from some top tier relief help. The starting rotation is in a much better place than any time in recent memory, but it’s still void of a true ace. The depth is there but expecting the group to compete with the best in baseball is probably a bit far-fetched. Add in the reality that the game has shifted to being reliever dominated, and Rocco Baldelli would certainly benefit from some elite arms out in the pen. By deciding to forego adding internal options that would have signified depth, we may be able to assume that the intention is to truly aim high in relief. If the front office was going to target more middle-of-the-road relievers, having players like Reed, Anderson, or even Jay to slot in should things go south seems like a solid backup plan. If Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are shooting for the stars though, there should be a reasonable expectation that a backup plan becomes much less necessary. Working from a place of familiarity the Twins and Diamondbacks were trade partners just last season when Eduardo Escobar was shipped out. Goldschmidt is the premiere first basemen available at this point, and even in the final year of his deal, would be an exciting option to replace Joe Mauer. The free agent market at the position is beyond underwhelming, and exploring a trade there sends a few signals. Minnesota is clearly starting at the top by inquiring on Goldschmidt, and they’re also obviously exploring the trade market. Carlos Santana remains an ideal fit a rung down and comes with a bit more longevity provided to the club. What we can glean is that all options are being explored, and that the immediate sense points to Miguel Sano staying at third base. Both discussed situations above help to provide some clarity with regards to how Minnesota may be viewing the 2019 season. Goldschmidt fits oddly as he’s on a one-year deal, but maybe the intention is to go for it and reload. While Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, and the next wave of big prospects don’t seem to factor in before 2020, there’s plenty of talent here to make a run in the year ahead. With the Cleveland Indians clearly approaching the end of their run, Minnesota is positioned to be next in line for consistency within the division. The infrastructure has been put in place by the front office and executing on the personnel would be the next logical step. There’s a ton of money to be spent this offseason, and there will be more to go around in 2020 and beyond. Putting the pedal down now could have the Twins looking like the 2018 Milwaukee Brewers, and that’s a team who made significant noise in the Postseason. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

In the last week, we have considered potential contract extensions for Brian Dozier and Byron Buxton. Today, we will attempt to consider what a possible long-term extension might look like for Third Baseman/Designated Hitter Miguel Sano. Sano came up and showed his promise in the 2nd half of the 2015 season. He struggled in his sophomore season of 2016, a struggle that still included 25 home runs. In 2017, he was having his best season yet, but it came to an end six weeks too early when he fouled a ball off of his shin, causing a stress reaction. While there are obvious short term and long-term concerns with Sano, it is very clear that he can be a game-changer in the middle of any lineup in the game. He’ll likely set strikeout records, but he can also produce like few can.Sano will turn 25 in May. He ended the 2017 season with 2.095 years of service. He’ll be eligible for arbitration following the 2018 season unless an extension can be worked out. Sano signed back in 2009 for $3.15 million. He’s made league minimum, or a bit above the first three seasons in the big leagues. In the Byron Buxton article, I mentioned the salaries of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. While I didn’t put Buxton - and won’t put Sano - in their level, there has to be an understanding that that is the level of player that the Twins tandem could become. Could. That is the risk in a long-term contract for Sano. He could make more going year-to-year and become a free agent at age. That’s the path that Manny Machado has taken. Or, he could take some serious cost certainty for a long time. There are several really good sluggers who have taken the cost certainty of a long-term deal. Here are a few: Those numbers give us something to start with. Paul Goldschmidt is one of the best, most underrated, perennial All Stars who have an MVP you’ll find. Anthony Rizzo’s deal looks like a steal now, but it was signed a year or two earlier in the process. Now obviously Ryan Zimmerman and David Wright signed their first long-term extensions a long time ago, so we’ll have to adjust from there. Kyle Seager, as you can see, signed a year later, and that’s how he got his deal to $100 million level. -------------------------------------------------------------- ** Before we get to unveiling what a potential Miguel Sano contract extension might look like, here is a quick pitch for your quintessential Hot Stove guide: The 2018 Twins Daily Offseason Handbook is now available for preorder. Click the link to claim your copy, and you'll get it as soon as it's ready, after the postseason concludes. Same deal as last year: name your price. Recommendation is $5, but you can pay as little or as much as you wish. We appreciate any and all support! Plenty more details are on the way in the coming weeks. You can check out last year's edition for an idea of what to expect. ** --------------------------------------------------------------- Here is what I would throw at Sano as an offer. Feel free to discuss. So that is a six year, $66 million deal with an option for 2024 at $25 million with a $5 million buyout. In that deal, the Twins buyout Sano’s final pre-arbitration season, three arbitration seasons and two free agency seasons (with an option for one more). Assuming the Twins would pick up that 2024 option on Sano’s contract, he would then become a 31-year-old free agent with the potential for one more huge payday. So what do you think? Is this a contract that the Twins should like? It may feel a little low, but it does include the $1 million pre-arbitration number and a reasonable arbitration-one season. There needs to be incentive for the Twins to make such a deal, rather than going year-to-year. Sano has shown a lot of potential, but he hasn’t done a lot of the things that Goldschmidt or others listed above had at this point in their careers. The dollars in the game are higher, so there’s some adjustment for that. Of course, Sano’s side would ask for more. The Twins side would likely ask for a little less. But to me, this feels like a good medium ground. One other possibility would be a three year deal to buy out two of his arbitration years allow him to get an arbitration offseason and become a free agent. Or, the two sides could re-evaluate the dollars in the game and Sano’s value in it. What would you offer? Click here to view the article