Twins

[glenn57]

  effin Twins!!!!!!!! think i'll become a cubs fan!!!!!!!!

[Steve-o]

Ya gotta give sumthin' to get sumthin'.  I hope they guessed right this time and don't end up with ANOTHER pitcher who is on the verge of breaking down or tests positive for steroids in spring training.

Infield hitting *might* have been considered a strength on paper, but those players have to stay healthy, which has been something that this Twin's regime has struggled preserving.

[dutchboy]

Kirilloff should be ready to go. If healthy he will be .320 with 25 HR, 90 RBI

[KEN W]

They needed another good starting pitch more than a singles hitter. Also got a top 100 minor league player.

[KEN W]

Twins have 4 minor league prospects ranked in the top 100. 2 infielders, 1 pitcher, and 1 outfielder.

[Gunner55]

  Miranda showed he deserves to start too.

[dutchboy]

They moved Miranda to 3rd when the gave Urshela away and cut the Fat Kid.

[Gunner55]

Urshela was probably going to walk after this year anyway, so it's the old too much $ for too little control story there IMO. He's still unsigned too, he wants $10 & they've offered $8.4. I'm sure Miranda's play made it easier to let him go & at least get something in return. I do think they might've been able to do better though, as he had a really good year for the Twins, but that also means more $ in his new deal too.

[dutchboy]

Third will be noticeably weaker  IMO. Miranda has been a nice story to this point but he needs to prove it some more for me to be 100% in on him. He could be another Sano, flash, fizzle & done. Or Kepler without the glove.

We will see I guess.

[Gunner55]

  https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/minnesota-twins-2023-projected-starting-lineup-after-trading-luis-arraez 

[Bobberineyes]

Trading him really surprised me at first. But after reading more about it makes sense.  He was fun to watch that's for sure.

[Steve-o]

I just hope the clubhouse continues to have good chemistry after he is gone.

Now I will always be watching his career with interest.

[KEN W]

The Twins are acquiring centerfielder Michael A. Taylor in a trade with the Kansas City Royals. The Twins are sending Kansas minor league pitchers Evan Sisk and Steven Cruz.

They've also added outfielder Joey Gallo to the lineup in free agency. The addition of Gallo and now Taylor will increase the likelihood that the Twins will trade Max Kepler.

[Gunner55]

A little more on the Arraez trade https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/scouting-reports-on-jose-salas-byron-chourio-heading-to-the-twins-in-luis-arraez-trade/. Both the young guys are expected to be at least a year or 2 away.  

[Steve-o]

The Twins are acquiring centerfielder Michael A. Taylor in a trade with the Kansas City Royals. The Twins are sending Kansas minor league pitchers Evan Sisk and Steven Cruz.

They've also added outfielder Joey Gallo to the lineup in free agency. The addition of Gallo and now Taylor will increase the likelihood that the Twins will trade Max Kepler.

Hmmm...   

The Twins NEED pitching and have been trying to build up a farm system from an empty cupboard.

The Twins seem to have pretty good outfielding.

So they trade two farm system pitchers for another outfielder - so that they can trade another outfielder for something else?   

[KEN W]

I think we need to see what this looks like when they are finished making moves.

[Gunner55]

  For 1 thing, all 3 of the OF starters have won Gold Gloves & Taylor's was in CF. So, if/when Buxton goes down again, they have a solid backup. Gallo has 2 GGs in RF but played LF last season & is more than capable in CF as well. Larnach will be in the mix in LF IMO too.

[Steve-o]

With all those skilled outfielders...  are they planning on having another pitch-to-contact pitching staff this season?   

[glenn57]

as long as the Pohlad family has any ties to the Twins.............there not going anywhere!!!!!!!11

[Steve-o]

I have no clue how much the Twins make or lose every year.  Or perhaps like a lot of pro sports teams owners...  they really don't make their big profits until they sell the franchise at 10x or 50x or 100x what they paid for it.

All that said, if I owned the team, I'd probably run it like a business too, watching the bottom line year over year.  And you probably would too.

Problem is in baseball, some teams have bigger TV contracts and some teams have owners with more money than the Pohlads and don't care if they spend it all on a winning baseball team. 

So, yeah, maybe the Twins won't ever be going anywhere with these owners.  But every once in a while a bunch of over-achievers pop up and makes the season a little more fun.

Like the song says:  "...if they don't win its a shame."  Its still one helluva pass time!

[Gunner55]

With all those skilled outfielders...  are they planning on having another pitch-to-contact pitching staff this season?   

Bundy & Archer are gone, besides that was more of Gardy philosophy...........................wish they'd been able to keep Wes Johnson though.

[KEN W]

THE problem with baseball is that there is no salary cap like football. So as steve said.....big local TV contracts make the difference. Look at football. Every team has an equal chance to have good players. Spend your money smartly and every team has a chance.

Baseball is..... the rich sign whoever they want and the low population teams get what is left. Will never change as the rich won't let it.

[Gunner55]

Read where the NYY are interested in Kepler.

[dutchboy]

I'm probably the only guy in Minnesota who would rather keep Kepler. He's young, he's cheap, he plays almost every day, very good defensibly & has shown the ability to put the ball in play. IMO you can never have to many guys who aren't strikeout prone.

My OPINION only.

[glenn57]

I'm probably the only guy in Minnesota who would rather keep Kepler. He's young, he's cheap, he plays almost every day, very good defensibly & has shown the ability to put the ball in play. IMO you can never have to many guys who aren't strikeout prone.

My OPINION only.

i'm with ya dutchy.......when i do get to watch the twins i enjoyed watching him. he has a sweet swing!!!!! i like Arreaz to but..........

[Gunner55]

  Twins now have 5 lefty hitting OFs for the 2 corner spots & DH. Kepler is the oldest & most expensive. He's due $8.5 this year & there's a club option for $10 next. SF, LAD, & Seattle are all looking for OF help too. Might be able to get some pitching help in return.

[dutchboy]

Twins now have 5 lefty hitting OFs for the 2 corner spots & DH. Kepler is the oldest & most expensive. He's due $8.5 this year & there's a club option for $10 next. SF, LAD, & Seattle are all looking for OF help too. Might be able to get some pitching help in return.

SF, LAD & Seattle are contenders, I don't see them trading any pitching other than maybe single A types. I'd rather see how Kepler starts the season out and worry about him around the trade deadline. I don't think he would bring anything that would help the Twins this year. Other than the salary dump. Who knows, maybe he bounces back with a good year.

[Gunner55]

Yeah, I think he'll definitely benefit from the new rules this year. He's been 1 of the most heavily shifted guys in MLB last couple years because he's such a dead pull hitter. He had a lot of hard-hit balls that didn't fall for him because of that the last couple seasons too. I agree, it would most likely be a young arm or two that's not ready for the majors for a season or 2.

[KEN W]

Yeah.....forgot about the new rule changes. Will be interesting to see how this affects each hitter.

Pitch clock
2 infielders on each side of second base with both feet on the infield dirt.

[dutchboy]

Add the shift change along with bigger bases and it will bring speed back in the game also.