Minnesota Sports Forum

These are my predictions

I honestly think twins will trade Berrios and Donaldson to Mets for Ronny Mauricio and Mat Allan and Mets will play 40 of the remaining 60 on Donaldson contract.

Taylor Rogers is kept and resigned to glen perkins type contract

Simmons will be traded Oakland for prospect in 12-20 range.

Polanco traded to Mariners for top 10 prospect. That contract is still super nice for a player like him.

They will extend Buxton for 2-4 year deal at 18-20 mil per year.


Trade that I'm hoping for is Berrios and Rogers and maybe Garver to Giants for Joey Bart & Luciano

Twins 2022 line up
2nd Arraez
SS Luciano
1B Killiroff
CF Buxton
DH Larnach
RF Kepler
3B Miranda
C Bart
LF Royce Lewis

Pitchers
Maeda
2 Free agent with 40 mill save between Cruz and Donaldson

Some combination of
Jordy Blaze, Duran, Joe Ryan, Ober or Dobnak

Bullpen can't get any worse than it's now lol

I was at the game last night, and figured out Cruz had been traded when Donaldson was announced at DH and we couldn't see Nellie in the dugout. As much as I hate to see him go, this is a terrific deal for the Twins...we get two promising AAA prospects, and I think it's better than 50/50 that Cruz comes back next year. What's not to like?

As Jester said, Ryan is the key to this deal (although Strotman is averaging almost a K per inning in AAA, and is only 24). Ryan only has 217 innings in the minors (not only was he a college pitcher, but he also missed last year like all minor leaguers),but his stats are nothing short of unbelievable. A .178 BAA, 0.87 WHIP and a stunning 309 K's in 217 innings...are you kidding me? He has an old-fashioned 3-part delivery (think Nolan Ryan). But the most intriguing thing about him is something jester will understand but I have never thought about...his incredibly low release point. Even though he is not short (6-2), he releases his fastball only 4.8 feet from the ground- lower than any starting pitcher in the big leagues! The average release point is 5.9 feet. Freddie Peralta currently has the lowest release point at 4.98 feet, and hitters are batting only .139 this year against his fastball. We will definitely see him at Target Field this fall, and I predict he will be in the rotation next season...hopefully with a 42-year-old Nelson Cruz back as DH.

Report in MLBTR that Yankees are interested in Kepler.

I have no idea what his value would be.

jester1534 wrote:Report in MLBTR that Yankees are interested in Kepler.

I have no idea what his value would be.

I think there would be some value there as I believe he is a good defense outfielder and is even a solid CF if you have to run him out there. His salary isn't too high for the next couple years. I'm not suggesting his value is high but I can see why a team would want to add him.

The next question is...would you consider basically trading him as a salary dump? I'm about as big of Kepler fan as there is and I have to consider it to some extent. Let's say he ain't worth keeping around for his 10 million 2024 that means the Twins will have to pay him a total of $16.25 million over these next 2 years. That's not a crazy amount of money (another reason why some team might trade for him) but maybe you could use it elsewhere. How much do you believe in Kepler exceeding what he has done the last couple years? Idk I don't feel super strongly about it. I'd honestly kinda hater to see him go but if the Twins can get some decent value for him...it might make sense.

monsterpile wrote:

jester1534 wrote:Report in MLBTR that Yankees are interested in Kepler.

I have no idea what his value would be.

I think there would be some value there as I believe he is a good defense outfielder and is even a solid CF if you have to run him out there. His salary isn't too high for the next couple years. I'm not suggesting his value is high but I can see why a team would want to add him.

The next question is...would you consider basically trading him as a salary dump? I'm about as big of Kepler fan as there is and I have to consider it to some extent. Let's say he ain't worth keeping around for his 10 million 2024 that means the Twins will have to pay him a total of $16.25 million over these next 2 years. That's not a crazy amount of money (another reason why some team might trade for him) but maybe you could use it elsewhere. How much do you believe in Kepler exceeding what he has done the last couple years? Idk I don't feel super strongly about it. I'd honestly kinda hater to see him go but if the Twins can get some decent value for him...it might make sense.

I was honestly excited when I saw the Yankees are quite interested in Max...I'm ready to move on. After 7 years, I think we know who is is...a pretty good defensive outfielder with some pop, but whose batting average will probably linger in the low 200s. His career OPS is far below average for a corner outfielder, and at 28, the upside just isn't there. And I think we have much better options in the outfield. I see Buxton, Rooker, and Larnach manning the OF next year, with Gordon, Jung-Tae and Garlick backing them up. Killiloff will be our everyday first baseman, and I think we will still have Sano (his ABs have been much improved recently). And after Tampa Bay makes their playoff run, I think it's likely Nelson Cruz will be back with his friends at Target Field for another season as DH.

Let's take what we can get from the Yankees for Kepler.

FNG wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

jester1534 wrote:Report in MLBTR that Yankees are interested in Kepler.

I have no idea what his value would be.

I think there would be some value there as I believe he is a good defense outfielder and is even a solid CF if you have to run him out there. His salary isn't too high for the next couple years. I'm not suggesting his value is high but I can see why a team would want to add him.

The next question is...would you consider basically trading him as a salary dump? I'm about as big of Kepler fan as there is and I have to consider it to some extent. Let's say he ain't worth keeping around for his 10 million 2024 that means the Twins will have to pay him a total of $16.25 million over these next 2 years. That's not a crazy amount of money (another reason why some team might trade for him) but maybe you could use it elsewhere. How much do you believe in Kepler exceeding what he has done the last couple years? Idk I don't feel super strongly about it. I'd honestly kinda hater to see him go but if the Twins can get some decent value for him...it might make sense.

I was honestly excited when I saw the Yankees are quite interested in Max...I'm ready to move on. After 7 years, I think we know who is is...a pretty good defensive outfielder with some pop, but whose batting average will probably linger in the low 200s. His career OPS is far below average for a corner outfielder, and at 28, the upside just isn't there. And I think we have much better options in the outfield. I see Buxton, Rooker, and Larnach manning the OF next year, with Gordon, Jung-Tae and Garlick backing them up. Killiloff will be our everyday first baseman, and I think we will still have Sano (his ABs have been much improved recently). And after Tampa Bay makes their playoff run, I think it's likely Nelson Cruz will be back with his friends at Target Field for another season as DH.

Let's take what we can get from the Yankees for Kepler.

How could you forget Jake Cave? :)

The problem I do see with the group you listed is that is either not exactly a good defensive group or they aren't even sure to be MLB players. Gordon isn't proven but he is young and really versatile with speed so I feel like he is a guy that can be plugged in a CF and that has a lot of value. Obviously they could also sign a vet guy for a couple million if they trade Kepler also. Depending on what they got back it might add another spot open on the 40 man they could protect another player which also has value. The source for this Yankees interest in Kepler also said the Twins asking price was really high. A couple years ago yes it was but I kinda doubt that's the case now although I could see them maybe not lol to just kinda giving him away.

I'm not a big Caveman, monster, but he's a likable guy and it's good to see him hitting well in St Paul after his return from the IL. I would actually call him a cheap alternative to Kepler if we move on from him. He's a good outfielder, and his stats are only slightly worse than Kep's. Better career batting average for Cave, but slightly better OPS for Kepler. Surprisingly, Kepler has homered once every 22 ABs in his career, and Cave is not far behind with a homer every 26 ABs. Hopefully our youngsters pan out and Buck stays healthy, and we don't need to play either Cave or Kepler. But a healthy Cave doesn't hurt us if he is needed.

MLB.com is out with their trade deadline predictions. Here's what they are saying about the Twins:

Buxton: Stays
Berrios: Stays
Rogers: Stays
Donaldson: Stays
Simmons: Reds
Pineda: Mets
Robles: Blue Jays
Colome: Phillies
Happ: A's

I'm happy about the first 3, but I would like to see Donaldson gone. He's always been one of my favorite players, but I didn't like what I saw at the game Thursday night. No chemistry in the dugout with his teammates, and didn't run out a DP grounder (he's obviously still hurt). Add to that his poor defensive year and his odd dustup with Arraez (a very popular teammate) last week, and I think the Twins are really trying to move him. We won't get much because of his contract and mediocre season, but I think we will try.

Kepler is also not on the list, and I think there is some substance to the Yankee rumors. I don't see us getting much for the other guys on the list, and I would keep Pineda if the right offer isn't there.

If Simmons goes, it will be interesting to see what we do at SS. I imagine they give it back to Polanco for the rest of the season to see if he can be adequate defensively. Tzu-Wei Lin is our AAA SS...he was a huge prospect for Boston coming out of Taiwan and is good defensively. He hit .307 in AAA in 2018, but is a .223 hitter in the majors and hasn't hit well this summer in St. Paul...he's an option if we're desperate and I'm sure we'll see him at Target Field in September. I don't think they see Gordon as an option there anymore, so the wild card is Lewis. I know there were some concerns about whether he would stick at SS, but if Simmons goes and Polanco struggles defensively, we may see Royce at SS next season.

FNG wrote:MLB.com is out with their trade deadline predictions. Here's what they are saying about the Twins:

Buxton: Stays
Berrios: Stays
Rogers: Stays
Donaldson: Stays
Simmons: Reds
Pineda: Mets
Robles: Blue Jays
Colome: Phillies
Happ: A's

I'm happy about the first 3, but I would like to see Donaldson gone. He's always been one of my favorite players, but I didn't like what I saw at the game Thursday night. No chemistry in the dugout with his teammates, and didn't run out a DP grounder (he's obviously still hurt). Add to that his poor defensive year and his odd dustup with Arraez (a very popular teammate) last week, and I think the Twins are really trying to move him. We won't get much because of his contract and mediocre season, but I think we will try.

Kepler is also not on the list, and I think there is some substance to the Yankee rumors. I don't see us getting much for the other guys on the list, and I would keep Pineda if the right offer isn't there.

If Simmons goes, it will be interesting to see what we do at SS. I imagine they give it back to Polanco for the rest of the season to see if he can be adequate defensively. Tzu-Wei Lin is our AAA SS...he was a huge prospect for Boston coming out of Taiwan and is good defensively. He hit .307 in AAA in 2018, but is a .223 hitter in the majors and hasn't hit well this summer in St. Paul...he's an option if we're desperate and I'm sure we'll see him at Target Field in September. I don't think they see Gordon as an option there anymore, so the wild card is Lewis. I know there were some concerns about whether he would stick at SS, but if Simmons goes and Polanco struggles defensively, we may see Royce at SS next season.

If they don't see another youngish player worth giving a shot at SS they can bring up a guy like Riddle or Maggi from AAA to get them through the season. Some team might dump a guy that they could claim on waivers also and they could give that guy a shot.

monsterpile wrote:

FNG wrote:MLB.com is out with their trade deadline predictions. Here's what they are saying about the Twins:

Buxton: Stays
Berrios: Stays
Rogers: Stays
Donaldson: Stays
Simmons: Reds
Pineda: Mets
Robles: Blue Jays
Colome: Phillies
Happ: A's

I'm happy about the first 3, but I would like to see Donaldson gone. He's always been one of my favorite players, but I didn't like what I saw at the game Thursday night. No chemistry in the dugout with his teammates, and didn't run out a DP grounder (he's obviously still hurt). Add to that his poor defensive year and his odd dustup with Arraez (a very popular teammate) last week, and I think the Twins are really trying to move him. We won't get much because of his contract and mediocre season, but I think we will try.

Kepler is also not on the list, and I think there is some substance to the Yankee rumors. I don't see us getting much for the other guys on the list, and I would keep Pineda if the right offer isn't there.

If Simmons goes, it will be interesting to see what we do at SS. I imagine they give it back to Polanco for the rest of the season to see if he can be adequate defensively. Tzu-Wei Lin is our AAA SS...he was a huge prospect for Boston coming out of Taiwan and is good defensively. He hit .307 in AAA in 2018, but is a .223 hitter in the majors and hasn't hit well this summer in St. Paul...he's an option if we're desperate and I'm sure we'll see him at Target Field in September. I don't think they see Gordon as an option there anymore, so the wild card is Lewis. I know there were some concerns about whether he would stick at SS, but if Simmons goes and Polanco struggles defensively, we may see Royce at SS next season.

If they don't see another youngish player worth giving a shot at SS they can bring up a guy like Riddle or Maggi from AAA to get them through the season. Some team might dump a guy that they could claim on waivers also and they could give that guy a shot.

If you remember the twins did this with the dozier trade in 2018.

Basically they took back Logan Forsythe so he could play 2nd base for the rest of the year he was just fill in for the rest of the year.