#AskBW (10.12.22): Offseason Targets, Shortstops & More
#AskBW (10.12.22): Offseason Targets, Shortstops & More
You asked questions; I answered them
Welcome back to another edition of Q&A at Access Twins called “#AskBW.”
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Should be pretty easy, right? Let’s talk to it:
I don’t think so. It took a lot of injuries to get him to the big leagues, and I think the Twins will want to see more than 50 games from him at Triple-A before giving him extended runway in the big leagues.
Beyond that, I think the Twins are hoping for something out of Trevor Larnach and Alex Kirilloff next season, and that’s before considering if they add any outfield help as well.
I’d call it a longshot.
…he is a free agent, after all. But no, I don’t think that’s on the docket.
What a gut punch. But you know what? I saw a lot of people maligning Scott Servais’ decision to put Robbie Ray in, but I actually think I kind of get it. He’d burnt up his bullpen for the most part to that point.
Ray is a legitimately good big-league starter — for crying out loud, he won the Cy Young just a year ago — and while Yordan Alvarez doesn’t have any issues facing lefties, the pitcher side of those splits matters, too.
Opposing left-handed hitters batted just .212/.260/.387 against Ray this season. That’s nothing to shake a fist at.
I think I’d have made the same decision.
You know, it’s kind of funny. I saw a few people wondering if Jermaine Palacios would be next season’s Opening Day shortstop — much like people were wondering if Tim Beckham would be this season’s Opening Day shortstop before Carlos Correa signed.
This is much ado about nothing. The Twins will have to add a shortstop in some form or fashion, be it bringing back Carlos Correa or otherwise. If we consider Correa “out of the organization” for all intents and purposes right now, I’d say next season’s Opening Day shortstop isn’t currently in the organization.
I might be one of the last people who still believes the true talent level of this roster can compete in the playoffs. I think the team has plenty of talent on the offensive side, 3-4 guys I’d trust to go five innings in the playoffs and a bullpen that has rounded into form talent-wise — I have a lot of faith in Jorge Lopez, for what it’s worth — that can make some noise in October.
They need to be healthy. This was such a wasted year in so many ways — and health is No. 1 with a bullet for me.
Can a training staff shoulder the entire blame for this? I don’t know the answer to that — though I suspect not.
The current roster, with a few solid additions — a really good starter and someone who can hang at short — is still in the picture in the AL Central next season. Fight me, if you must.
Classic.
It feels like a copout, but staying healthy is going to matter so much. It’s not just Byron Buxton, either. It’s Larnach, Kirilloff, Jorge Polanco, Ryan Jeffers, Royce Lewis…any number of these guys.
From there, I’d like to see the Twins add a No. 1 starter. I know I’m the kind of writer/person who says that teams can do things in the postseason without a true No. 1. And to some extent, I do still think that’s accurate.
But I think the thing the Twins are missing, without a doubt, is a No. 1 starter. Let me explain.
I think the Twins have plenty of guys who could peak as a No. 2 starter. I believe they have plenty of guys to fill out a bullpen. I think they have enough offensive firepower to hang with most teams — again, all of this is when they’re healthy.
They don’t have a No. 1 starter. They don’t have one and arguably haven’t since Johan Santana. Francisco Liriano was pretty damn good for a minute there, but the one thing I just don’t see coming from inside the organization is that No. 1 which allows everyone in the rotation to slide down a notch where they fit comfortably.
You can most certainly win a World Series with this rotation:
Carlos Rodon
Sonny Gray
Tyler Mahle
Joe Ryan
Bailey Ober/whomever you like
Follow up from above:
I don’t know that it’ll matter that much. It certainly won’t hurt, though. Something to monitor in this respect is how well Cleveland fares in the playoffs after beating up on a bad AL Central schedule. The Guardians were 58-36 against teams below .500 and 34-34 against teams .500 or better. Similarly, the Phillies were just 34-47 against teams over .500.
The Twins, by comparison, were 39-53.
The first people who come to mind are Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, but honestly, it’s more for the successes they’ve presided over rather than what I know about them personally.
As much as I’d like to see them go for one of the big guys, I kind of wonder if they won’t sign Elvis Andrus — Levine connection from Texas — as a bridge guy to Royce Lewis while pushing their chips in on pitching.
If that’s the case, I would hope they land a top guy like Rodon and even perhaps another secondary guy cut from their typical mold of “has been good in the past and we think we can get him there again.”
If they do that, I would hope for Noah Syndergaard but more likely expect someone like Mike Clevinger or Sean Manaea.
If you want a deep sleeper though? I’d like to see them take a shot at Matthew Boyd.
Hmm.
Starting Lineup (9)
C- Ryan Jeffers
1B- Alex Kirilloff
2B- Jorge Polanco
3B- Jose Miranda
SS- Elvis Andrus
LF- Trevor Larnach
CF- Byron Buxton
RF- Joey Gallo
DH- Luis Arraez
Bench (4)
C- Mike Zunino
IF- Charlie Culberson
IF/OF- Nick Gordon
OF- Gilberto Celestino
Rotation (5)
SP- Carlos Rodon (or similar caliber pitcher)
SP- Sonny Gray
SP- Tyler Mahle
SP- Joe Ryan
SP- Bailey Ober
Bullpen (8)
RP- Jhoan Duran
RP- Jorge Lopez
RP- Jorge Alcala
RP- Griffin Jax
RP- Caleb Thielbar
RP- Kenta Maeda
RP- Emilio Pagan (Last Chance U), or Trevor Megill
RP- Jovani Moran
It’s probably gonna have to be a swap of change-of-scenery types. I’d try for Elieser Hernandez of Miami. He throws the hell out of the ball but can’t keep it in the yard.
Let’s say Rodon is too obvious of an answer. In that case, how about…Nathan Eovaldi? He’s not super young, but he still throws hard and strikes guys out. I also think Andrew Heaney could be worth a look, or Jameson Taillon if they want to aim a little bit higher.
Well first, Paddack won’t be able to help them until later in the season, if at all. We’re still not sure what role Maeda will play. Similarly, there’s no proof that Ober or Mahle can stay healthy moving forward — at least not enough to write them in pen into next season’s rotation reliably.
So to that end, I think it’s way more about addition than subtraction here. Having guys like Louie Varland, Josh Winder and Simeon Woods Richardson waiting in the wings is definitely a good thing, but that is a shaky six you’ve listed from the standpoint of Ryan being the most healthy one — and he missed a little bit of time due to COVID this season.