You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
MLBTR 2022-23 Offseason Chat: Minnesota Twins
powered byJotCast
Steve Adams
12:15
Hey guys -- we'll get this started in a couple hours. Feel free to submit a question in advance if you'd like, and I'll be back to chat from 3-4pm CT!
2:55
Salutations! Let's get underway a bit early
spike owen
2:55
Is Duran's future in the pen now, or are the twins going to transition him back to a starters role?
Steve Adams
2:56
The Twins haven't given any indication they'll consider this, nor should they, really. Duran was one of the five to ten best relievers in baseball last season, and his track record of injuries when working as a starter is somewhat notable. I understand the appeal of seeing him do that over five to six innings rather than one to two innings, but the velocity and stuff would take a step back in longer outings.

The Twins badly need to upgrade the bullpen, and taking their best reliever out of that role runs counter to that
Josh
2:57
What are the chances the Twins find a taker for Kepler this offseason?
Steve Adams
2:59
I don't think it's a matter of "finding a taker" for Kepler; he's a perfectly solid right fielder, albeit one who feels like he should be better than he is because the offense is just pretty pedestrian.

That said, plenty of teams would fine with an average-hitting, plus to plus-plus defender in right field when he's earning $8.5MM next season and has an affordable club option for 2024. I don't think the return on a Kepler trade is going to be monumental or anything, but it's not as though they'll need to dump him like he's a bad contract.

Plus, some clubs might hold out hope that shift restrictions will help to improve Kepler's offense. That's probably true to an extent, but last year's 46% ground-ball rate is a disaster with or without shifts. Kepler needs to elevate the ball more (and pop it up less)
Levine
2:59
In hindsight, DidI give up too much for Jorge Lopez
Steve Adams
3:01
The Twins gave up one decent prospect (admittedly someone who was seen as kind of a helium prospect at the time) in Cade Povich. The rest of the package was a fringe reliever who isn't a lock to survive on the Orioles' 40-man roster (Yennier Cano) and a pair of teenage lotto tickets who haven't even hit short-season ball yet.

It looks worse now that Lopez struggled down the stretch, but I'd still make that trade every time if I were them and still believe Lopez was too good pre-trade not to turn things around to an extent in 2023-24.
Mick
3:02
Will letting go of Sano come back to haunt the Twins??
Steve Adams
3:03
I get the nervousness because Twins fans are still (rightly) traumatized by letting Ortiz go for nothing, but Sano has had about 100 chances and never put it together. They can't keep throwing money and playing time at him; they were right to move on.
Hal
3:03
Nick Gordon turned into a nice super-utility option last year. Chances his bat can sustain to be more than just a valuable utility man long term?
Steve Adams
3:04
I think Gordon's more or less what we saw last year -- an outfield-first, occasional infielder with a decent bat against right-handed pitching. I don't envision him becoming a starter or an everyday bat, but that doesn't mean he's not an unexpectedly useful piece all of a sudden.
zoilo s ghost
3:04
will buxton ever be able to have a full healthy season?
Steve Adams
3:05
Probably once or twice, but it doesn't really matter. His base salary is $15MM and he can justify that by appearing in like 80 games per season.
Zac
3:05
Assuming the Twins won’t get into the range Correa is looking for, do the Twins have a shot at Swanson or Bogaerts?
Steve Adams
3:08
Yeah, either is financially feasible. Bogaerts might take a new franchise-record contract, but we don't have him surpassing the Mauer total ($184MM) by all that much.

I think the Twins would genuinely like to keep Correa, and I can see Scott Boras talking Jim Pohlad into something wacky for Correa in a way that I cannot see Trea Turner's agents swaying the Twins on a player they don't know/already love. I still think it's likelier that Correa leaves.

So, if the Twins are going to spend wildly on a shortstop it'll be Correa and not Turner, whose price tags are reasonably close. But both Xander and Swanson will have lighter asking prices (we have both between $150-200MM) and thus feel reasonable enough for a team with this much payroll space.
Noah
3:08
What is it gonna take (years, $$$) to bring Correa back?
Steve Adams
3:09
9-10 years at $30MM+ (a bit more than 30 if it's nine years, probably)
Jim
3:09
Will Rocco’s habit of pulling starters so early keep free agent pitchers from considering the Twins?
Steve Adams
3:10
It's not really a Rocco Baldelli thing. It's an MLB thing. I tell Twins fans this all the time -- I live in Minnesota -- the average start around MLB this season was like 5 1/3 innings. The Twins were under that, but that's in part because they had Archer throwing 3-4 innings per start by design early in the season -- and because the front office targeted guys like Archer and Bundy, who were clear five-inning pitchers at the time they signed.
3:11
Will an old-school guy like Justin Verlander be jazzed about the possibility of being pulled after 5-6 innings because of pitch count? Probably not. But Verlander's not going to sign in Minnesota anyway; older aces like him and deGrom are all but certain to prioritize immediate contenders, and that's a tough sell for the Twins coming off their 2021-22 seasons.
Twinkies
3:12
Will we trade Buxton?
Steve Adams
3:12
Nope
Waffle the Cat
3:12
Do the Twins take a shot at Carlos Rodón or Jacob deGrom?
Steve Adams
3:14
Rodon, I can see them in the mix for, sure. DeGrom, I don't expect for the reason I just listed above.

That said, Rodon should clear Robbie Ray's $115MM guarantee with relative ease and is arguably the most desirable starting pitcher on the market. The Twins don't have a history of winning bidding wars like that. That said, they went to nine-figure offers on Wheeler and Darvish, and they showed multiple times now that they're willing to sign a free agent who's tied to draft-pick compensation.

I still think a trade for a starter or signing one of the better second-tier arms is likely, though.
Likelier*
Guest
3:14
It is clear that the Twins have money to spend. Other than SS, what other FAs could you see them targeting?
Steve Adams
3:17
They're in a pretty fun spot for fans, because the roster is flexible enough that they could realistically pursue just about any free-agent position player. If Correa signs elsewhere, they can realistically pursue either Bogaerts or Swanson. Willson Contreras would fit there. Any of the second-tier starting pitchers, and to an extent, Rodon, are all viable.

Outside of Trea Turner, there are very few free-agent hitters that I think would be squarely ruled out as a fit for the Twins. I guess Brandon Nimmo would be an expensive and odd fit, so they could pass on him, but broadly speaking, the wide-open payroll and flexible roster make this maybe the most interesting Twins offseason I can remember following.
Guest
3:17
The Twins had a lot of success with small ball in the past (early 2000s with much focus on moving guys over on the base paths). Think they’ll ever go back to that approach?
Steve Adams
3:18
Baseball in 2003 and baseball in 2023 aren't the same, and the Twins' payroll and resources have changed dramatically -- such that they don't need to effectively be forced into relying on that brand of baseball because the best they can afford to try to add some pop to the lineup is late-30s Rondell White
Alex
3:19
Is Lewis still the long-term solution at SS?
Steve Adams
3:21
I don't see how any team can look at a kid who tore the same ACL twice in a span of 15-16 months and say "Yes, we have no doubts he's our long-term shortstop." They might hope that to be the case, but you can't know until you see how he recovers -- and scouts from other clubs were never wholly convinced that Lewis was a shortstop in the first place.

They'll be in the mix for the big four shortstops this season (well, for Correa/Swanson/Bogaerts more likely than Turner)
Julio
3:21
Who hangs up first?
Corbin Burnes for Emilio Pagán, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Connor Prielipp, and Marco Raya.
Steve Adams
3:22
I'm not sure what Emilio Pagan's doing in a Corbin Burnes proposal, but that's not getting Burnes regardless.
Dutch
3:22
Triple A, bullpen or 5th spot in rotation for Louie Varland?
Steve Adams
3:23
I doubt they head into the year with Varland in the rotation unless they lose multiple starters in Spring Training. He'll be one of the first options up from St. Paul if/when they need an arm.
Lou
3:23
Do you think the Twins could be a player for Josh Bell? The front office has money to spend and has shown hesitancy to commiting to pitchers
Steve Adams
3:26
Sure, Bell would fit well enough there -- though they've preferred to use the DH as a carousel to keep guys healthy since they moved on from Nelson Cruz. You could conceivably play Bell at 1B regularly in Minnesota, but he's pretty prone to peaks and valleys at the plate and isn't really a plus defender there. It's not the cleanest or best fit for Bell, but if the front office loves him, like I said ... they can be pretty open-minded this winter.
sberg
3:26
Rank the likelihood of the Twins signing these FAs:
  • Correa
  • Rodon
  • Verlander
Steve Adams
3:27
The order that you have them. I don't really think any are necessarily "likely" on an individual basis, but it's easier for me to see Scott Boras selling Jim Pohlad on Correa after having him for a year. The bidding on Rodon's going to be fierce, and I don't think Verlander will have much interest in signing with a team coming off a pair of losing seasons.
Load More Messages
Connecting…