Adding to his recent comments, Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey chatted with reporters yesterday about his organization’s upcoming deadline plans, as Dan Hayes of The Athletic was among those to cover (subscription link). While Falvey didn’t signal a particular inclination to part with top prospect assets, he also made clear that the team wasn’t taking anything off the table in advance.
“We always have to be factoring all of the variables in the equation,” said Falvey, “and I wouldn’t rule out any particular asset we have in our organization.”
Falvey’s previous comments seemingly hinted at a relatively modest slate of pursuits. He had indicated that any new acquisitions would be supplementary to the existing roster core. But the latest tea leaves leave more room to read in the possibility of relatively significant additions.
The Twins obviously believe that they have a serious opportunity to make noise down the stretch and into the postseason. Falvey indicates that he sees the club as one of the top outfits in the American League. And he adds that owner Jim Pohlad is willing to boost spending to give the Twins “what we need” to improve down the stretch.
Pohlad’s own prior comments indicated that he was more inclined to dedicate payroll than to part with young talent. Even if the Twins aren’t declaring any untouchables, they’ll also be sure to explore every avenue before parting with players they think could one day be core assets. That’s particularly true when it comes to trade targets that do not come with any future value.
“Everything’s about the cost of acquisition,” Falvey explains. “Would we consider rentals? Certainly. But I would say that we obviously are going to be thoughtful about how much future value you’re giving up for that type of asset. Some of the early focus might be more on longer-term, controlled players, but we’re certainly going to look at the rental options, too.”
It’s rather evident from the outside both that the Twins have a legitimate shot at a special season and that they’re in need of some improvements. After dropping two of three in a competitive series with the powerful Yankees, the Minnesota club owns a two-game advantage over a rising Indians club that has owned the division of late. More than anything, the Twins could stand to add arms in multiple places. In particular, improving the high-leverage relief unit could make a big difference down the stretch and into a hopeful postseason run.
Kennedy could be had today…
Brett Kennedy ?
Too soon man.
They should try to make a move with the Mets. Could get Wheeler and Ramos relatively cheap. Ramos becomes a backup & could move to dh next year if they can’t keep Cruz.
This comment shows you know nothing about the Twins.
1. Cruz has an option for next year
2. The catching situation has been incredible so they have no reason to trade for Ramos.
They already have Garver, Castro and Astudillo at C. Not sure they need or want Ramos.
This comment shows you know nothing about the Twins.
1. Cruz has an option for next year
2. The catching situation in Minnesota has been one of the best in the league in regards to production.
Can I please never read the “latest tea” on a baseball website again? I realize that’s become an increasingly popular phrase but maybe we can avoid it here….
What a strange thing to be bothered by.
Am I going to stop reading MLBTR if they continue using it? No, certainly not. Does it sound like a TMZ article? Yeah. If I was reading some TMZ crap it’d be par for the course. On MLBTR, not so much. I think we can leave it out. Just my opinion.
You’re triggered by latest tea? Tea?
I hope every author uses the line “latest tea” in every article from here on out. A bowl of who cares Bigz, leave if it bothers you that much.
They can do whatever they like Trim. I can also voice my opinion. Have a nice day, big man.
The full statement is “the latest tea leaves.” This is closer to prognostication and not what you read at TMZ.
Maybe so. Could’ve taken it the wrong way. If I was wrong that’s even better. Not going to catch me critiquing their choice of words very often.
With all the faltering – mostly due to some pitching and some bad defense in the past month, I’m not too optimistic twins will make a run.
so they trade for Grienke, Take on most of the salary, move a ” starter” to the pen and pick up the best closer type available. This is the minimum they need to do: Add a Lock down ace starter, and add 2 back end closer types.. Myself I’d trade sano for grienke and escobar since they all have about the same amount of control left..
I’d be ok with that. But the Twins have never been ones to make a splash.
Unlikely Sano will be moved. He has been looking comfortable lately and doubt they trade away anything from the current big league offense.
I can’t see the Twins taking on Grienke’s salary for for his age 35-37 seasons at a cost of about $85 million over 2.5 years. I think he’d do fine, but its just not a very “Twins” move. They’d probably have to work out a prospects + salary relief style deal without taking it all on. If they can throw in a prospect and wiggle it down to $50 million over 2.5 years, that seems like the way to go.
I can’t see most teams taking on Grienke’s salary. And, he has a 15 team no trade clause
Escobar is having another awesome year and he’s on a team friendly contract. He’s a better hitter and fielder than Sano with just as much team control. To boot, Escobar is a clubhouse leader and a fan favorite. The Diamondbacks are not trading him without a substantial return and the Twins don’t need Escobar as the Twins have Marwin Gonzalez and Luis Arraez,
I don’t think they would need to give up one of their premier prospects for someone like Will Smith. Could get it done with a couple second tier guys. Giles would be more pricey but worth looking at. I would love to see Bumgarner but not if they want top notch prospects in return. One guy they should be dangling in trade talks is Nick Gordon. With Polanco signed for 4 more years and with the middle infield depth they have and have just drafted in the first round the last two seasons I think he is their best trade chip. I believe he will be a solid MLB player soon and they have the depth to allow him to go as long as they are getting some decent pitching back.
Well, the big boost is Gordon can be a playable shortstop while Polanco can’t play the position effectively.
What’s interesting here is that the Twins are actually a good fit for a Mookie Betts deal should it ever come to fruition.
They could certainly use improvements in RF behind Cave / Marwin. It would give their offense a boost with Houston and New York boasting beastly lineups as well. He would even likely improve their pitching situation by putting a truly elite defender in RF with a great arm. They have the assets to get a deal done without removing much, if anything, from the major league roster. The Sox also might take a deal without Royce Lewis given the recent extension and improved play of Bogaerts. Jordan Balazovic would probably be the centerpiece of such a deal and would give the Red Sox future low-cost pitching they desperately need with Sale/Price/Eovaldi locked up for years to come.
With the rotation options available, I’d lean towards a bullpen addition and a lineup statement. The Red Sox may be able to help with the latter. Also note, Mookie has another season before free agency, so he’s not a traditional rental.
Ok, this idea comes out of nowhere. If Buxton is healthy, they already have an elite defender in RF with Kepler. Not saying I wouldn’t like to have Betts on the Twins roster, but is that really what they need? Not really, as pitching is the MAIN need, as well as a HUGE troubled spot for the Twins right now. I like the “outside the box” thinking here, but it really doesn’t fix the problem spots for the Twins.
Its very out of left (or right in this case) field. My thought process is that Betts brings championship experience, protects them from Buxton not returning completely to form, and also gives them someone who can hit RHP and LHP. Buxton has been better this year, but his career .698 OPS leaves a lot to be desired when you’re facing up against New York & Houston.
Buxton has definitely improved. Not an unsustainable BABIP. Cut down on the strikeouts by like 5%+. Nothing against Buxton, but he could even be a piece in that deal to clear salary for next season with arbitration looming in 2020.
I agree it doesn’t solve their problem, but I’m not sure Stroman, Bumgarner, etc. do either. This would be a statement deal for the fans, player morale and to the other teams that Minnesota is here to stay & play for real in 2019. Could you imagine that lineup with Betts near the top? They have power. Speed. Betts improves their ability to hit for average and keep guys on base. It just seems to make some sense from all those angles.
Wonder if the Twin can play 4 OF and only 3 INF? Kepler in LF, Buck in CF, Betts in RF and Rosario playing the rover position…hahahaha. That would be AWESOME! It would make for a fun powerhouse batting lineup of Kepler, Polanco, Betts, Cruz, Rosario, Sano, Arraez, Garver and Buck. Gonna have to win a bunch of 10-9 games!
Twins need a starting pitcher and a bullpen bullet. But if they got Mookie Betts and somehow extended him, wow…
I don’t think an extension will happen. Mookie has been adamant that he’s going to free agency, but that doesn’t mean he won’t return to his team in free agency. He just feels he should see the market.
But it still opens a 2 year window even wider.
The Sox would want a lot more than Balazovic as the headliner for 1.5 years of Mookie Betts.
Plus the Sox are only 2 games out of the wildcard and I’m sure plan to compete next year. They’re certainly less motivated to sell than most other potential sellers (if you can even call them that).
If you wanted to motivate them to sell… you’d need a pretty big overpayment. And that probably starts with two of Lewis, Kiriloff and Graterol. Not sure why the Sox would do it otherwise.
Twins could improve their team a lot more by giving up a lot less if they look for pitching.
Long story short (I’ll avoid discussing Red Sox problems on a Twins thread), the Sox window truly could close in 2019. JD is gone. Porcello is gone. Neither is on their best year, but its still a middle of the order bat and their #3 starter. We saw what happened with Mookie when Ortiz retired behind him. If the Red Sox principal owner John Henry is telling the truth in regards to payroll, the Sox will not be in the Mookie Betts signing race. They have $75 mil+ tied up in Eovaldi Price and Sale. Add Bogey at $20 mil-ish and you’re at $95. Add Benintendi in arbitration, Bradley, Devers raises, etc. If they keep Betts, add another $25 mil if not more. That puts them right around $175 million without knowing what takes Porcello’s spot in 2020 as they go into 2021.
If they are looking to shed payroll, which they are by 2021, Betts has to be traded or allowed to walk for a draft pick. The Sox get the most by moving him sooner rather then later (see Manny Machado mistakes).
Its a complicated situation up there in Boston, and I think too many people are ignoring John Henry’s comments about an unsustainable payroll.
Its not a 1 for 1 deal and would probably take 2-3 other high-ranking Twins prospects. But the point is that they could get it done without parting with their top 2-3 and it puts the Red Sox in a much better situation in 2021 and beyond, whereas right now they look screwed with lots of big contracts invested in very few players deserving of said salary.
I’ve never given much thought about it, but an offseason trade for Betts seems almost inevitable at this point for Boston, and Minnesota seems like such a good destination for him given that the Twins still lack a true superstar.
So what’s you’re thoughts on a return of Larnach, Balazovic, Buxton, and Duran??
P.S. Its kudos to the Astros and Yankees that RSN is not confident in our ability to win in 2019-2020. They have both done an outstanding job and the Yankees trademarked the overnight rebuild. I’d like a little Cashman to rub off on DD.
Thor to MIN