Twins Rumors: Blake, Escobar, Hardy

why would the Braves trade Yunel to the Twins when they can get Peavy for him?

I don't think there's any way the Twins deal Baker or Slowey. I think the trio of Liriano/Baker/Slowey are virtual untouchables for them.

They'd probably deal from OF depth or pitching depth, but not both. So either Delmon Young for Escobar, or Perkins plus a prospect for Escobar. Something like that.

I don't see any of the Twins "big 3" in their rotation going anywhere though.

How high are Braves fans on Prado? The Twins really need to fill SS AND 3b this offseason, so maybe a package deal could be worked out.

I really believe a 3-team deal could work between the Twins, Padres and Braves as well. The Twins have what both the Braves and Padres need (athletic young OF's and extra young, talented pitchers) and the Braves and Padres both have what the Twins need (excess young INF's at SS or 3b).

I say go to hell! haha

I wouldn't trade either Mauer OR Liriano on their own for Wright, and I love Wright.

How high are Braves fans on Prado? The Twins really need to fill SS AND 3b this offseason, so maybe a package deal could be worked out.

I really believe a 3-team deal could work between the Twins, Padres and Braves as well. The Twins have what both the Braves and Padres need (athletic young OF's and extra young, talented pitchers) and the Braves and Padres both have what the Twins need (excess young INF's at SS or 3b).

Prado is huge next season. He's a right-handed hitter which we are in dire need of and he hit very well last season. He proved he's an every day player. The Braves need anything BUT OF prospects.

The Braves need an ace, a #3 starter, bullpen help, and right-handed hitting. The Twins have Liriano...

Delmon Young is a Braves type of hitter. Also, Perkins or Blackburn (either one) is a #3 pitcher in the NL.

As for Prado, I wouldn't expect him to play SS. I was thinking Lillibridge to bridge the gap there, but don't know the Braves fans' thoughts on that either.

I'd say that depends on what Bill Smith does this winter. If he does indeed get the SS and 3b they need by dealing off excess in the OF and SP, then yes, the Twins should be a scary team next year, and even scarier when the new park opens in 2010.

I still see this as a possibility:

SS JJ Hardy to MIN
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff to MIN
RP Cla Meredith to MIN

SP Jake Peavy to ATL

SS Khalil Green to MIL
SP NIck Blackburn to MIL

SS Yunel Escobar to SD
LF Delmon Young to SD
SP Charlie Morton to SD
CF Jordan Schafer to SD
SP Boof Bonser to SD

The Braves would never trade Escobar for Young straight up. If Escobar is available he is the best ss on the market The Braves could put Infante in left and hed produce as well if not better than Young.

Maybe Lillibridge and Prado for Young or a Pitcher. Lillibridge will play great D and has some upside. Prado will be a solid offensive third baseman. There's the left side of your infield.

Maybe that's not enough for Young but I seriously doubt the Braves value him particularly highly. He isn't what we are looking for.

Krisjian, have you been stalking me? I have a lot of similar thoughts on a multi-team trade. I haven't thought about including the Brewers as well to make it a 4-way deal, but there is a lot of merit in that thought.

Escobar is younger and cheaper than Hardy. He plays far superior defense and hit 18 points higher than Hardy this season. Hardy did hit 14 more home runs but only had about 15 more RBI's. When considering service time contract and defense Escobar is more valuable than Hardy.We could call up Heyward, Schafer or even Cody Johnson and they would hit more than 10 home runs in a full season.

Also Young isn't remotely close to what the Braves are looking for. We want a power hitting outfielder. Young hit 10 home runs last season.

I think there will be a lot of disappointed Twins fans next year if you really think they will be a dominant team. That was a bad offense that got a lot of luck with RISP to score runs. Unless they upgrade that offense I think they sit around .500.

Imagine this lineup next year:

1. Denard Span LF
2. Alexei Casilla 2B
3. Joe Mauer C
4. JJ Hardy SS
5. Justin Morneau 1B
6. Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B
7. Michael Cuddyer RF
8. Jason Kubel DH
9. Carlos Gomez CF

World Series here we come!

Just because the Twins traded entirely too much to get young it doesn't mean any other team will. The Twins should keep Young because they obviously value him higher than any other organization.

Yep, that would be sick, Krisjian. And really, that trade is a good trade for all 4 teams. It solves all needs. Great work.

As for Escobar vs. Hardy, it's good to hear that you guys value AVG and RBI's (two antiquated, almost worthless stats) over HR's. Nice justification.

And as for value, it's not just about present-day value/production. Delmon's ceiling is still very high, and he does have a lot of value in the game. I don't think many GM's would think Delmon for Escobar is an unfair trade for either team.

Oh, and Krisjian, my only issue is your lineup. I bet they'd go with something more like this in that scenario:

Span-LF
Hardy-SS
Mauer-C
Morneau-1b
Kouzmanoff-3b
Kubel-DH
Cuddyer-RF
Casilla-2b
Gomez-CF

Kubel's a better hitter than Cuddyer and I don't think they'll break up maybe the best 3/4 going in baseball anytime soon, despite the lefty-ness.

And let me be clear; I think the Braves would more likely want one of Perkins/Blackburn over Delmon in a deal, but Delmon still has a pretty good shot to develop 30-40 HR power (he's just 23) and I could see a future OF of Delmon-Gorkys-Heyward being pretty damn solid (banking on Schafer being gone in any deal involving Peavy).

I think that Hardy and Escobar are comprable players; both are excellent defenders and have comprable stats; Yunel is a .288/.366/.401, while Hardy is a .283/.343/.478. Hardy has more power, while Escobar has a better OBP, and strikes out less.

The reason that Escobar would be more valuable to the Twins is service time. Hardy is in his 2nd arbitration year and is set to make 4MM+. Escobar is only in his 2nd service year, and will make ~$400k for the next two seasons.

But all in all, the Braves are not actively looking to trade Escobar. They'll only concede to trade him for very specific returns (i.e. Peavy). Personally I think it would take 1 for 1 with Slowey, Baker, or Blackburn to give the Braves a reason to think about it. Otherwise they're just creating another hole whilst trying to fill another.

This is an eyepopping opprotunity for Atlanta I think. Minnesota has a large amount of players that would fit into Atlanta's offseason plans. Delmon, Blackburn, and Slowey have always been appealing to me and I think if the Braves could get a young SP and Delmon from Minnesota for Yunel and a mid-level prospect like Locke, we should do that in a heartbeat because of Young's eye-popping talent.

Well moving blackburn or Delmon is a possibility please people stop throwing out Slowey and Baker. They are not going to be moved. Perkins is also on the market to be sure as well as Cuddy. Personally i think we should either hold on to our young pitching and make a push for Furcal (who doesnt cost any draft picks) or do a 3 way trade with SD and ATL. Kevin Kouzmanoff/Yunel Escobar/reliever to the Twins
Delmon Young/Jake Peavy to the Braves
Jordan Schaffer/Glen Perkins/Tommy Hanson/Matt Guerrier/2 other prospects to the Padres. This was posted on twinkietown.com and i think it has some merit. The braves would have to pry lose on tommy hanson but they do get a remarkable upside bat in delmon young. thoughts?

"Sanchez for Hardy
or
Cain for Hardy + Gamel"

You're crazy if you think the Brewers consider either of those deals. Absolutely terrible.

Hey Brewers fan ... Do you have any catching in your system ? If the Braves trade Escobar they may be in on Hardy. Think there would be any interest in Tyler Flowers ?

We have a ton of catching. Angel Salome was the Southern League batting champion, he'll start in AAA, Jonathan Lucroy will start in AA after posting a .901 OPS in West Virginia and .843 OPS in Brevard County and after that we have Eric Fryer, Shawn Zarraga and Brett Lawrie lower in the system.

Ander, Either switch blackburn to perkins or humber or bonser, or upgrade the prospect you are providing.

Also, Boof Bonser could definitely be a solid starter in the NL. Especially in Petco. I could definitely see him adding value to a deal.

"Scouts have already said if Cain/Fielder trade went down, Brewers would have to add prospects to even the deal.

Fielder is worth more than Hardy.

Sanchez for Hardy would be a fair deal. He is a power lefty which isn't in huge supply in MLB.

Cain for Hardy and prospects is fair as well. If not Gamel then it would take several other high prospects.."

It's a lateral move at best for the major league club and you expect them to add more? Go ahead and keep them then, they're not worth that much.

Cain for Fielder is in NO WAY a lateral move...

Cain will make 2 mil / 4 mil and option 6 mil the next 3 seasons.

Fielder thru arbitration will make 10 mill or more...

If Cain was on the open market, he would EASILY make 10+ mill a season for multiple seasons.

You have to look at the business side as well.

"You have to look at the business side as well."

You only need to look at the business side when you're desperate to shed payroll. We're not desperate. Filling one hole to create another solves absolutely nothing.

"I'm not sure this conversation really means anything, because Bill Smith is an idiot. Thanks for Johan!"

The deal that put you over the top! I missed it, when is the World Series parade for you?