***Official 2018 Minnesota Twins Season Thread***

[Hollywood42]

The 2017 season has come and passed, and it's time to look forward to 2018. 2017 was a huge step forward for this team. Nobody thought they would be anywhere close to the playoffs, but we got in with the second wild card slot, but just couldn't make it happen

This team is close. All that's really missing is an ace, maybe another #3-5 type pitcher, and some bullpen help. Biggest question at this point is if we'll be willing to spend for quality in the free agency pool over the offseason. Issue is, it's not a deep pool

Darvish and Arrieta are by far the best two available. After that, we're looking at Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb, and neither of them are anything more than a #2 on a good day. I think Darvish will command much more money than the Twins can give, and I personally don't want Arrieta looking at what he's likely to get compared to what he'll likely produce on the field. While not exactly what we need (a true ace we can count on every outing), I do think Lynn or Cobb could be a good fit. Then I think it's best to wait until the trade deadline and see if we can land a true #1 for a playoff push

It's really frustrating seeing the types of players various people are saying we should sign- MLB Trade Rumors predicts we sign Juan Nicasio (though that's in addition to Lynn). Twins Daily just put out an article that makes me vomit, suggesting we should sign someone like Tyson Ross, Chris Tillman, Jeremy Hellickson, or even (gags) Ubaldo Jimenez. Disgusting. We have absolutely no need for more guys in the #3-5 range. We're already absolutely loaded there- Gibson, Mejia, Hughes, Santiago, May, Gonsalves, Romero, and more that will be competing. Adding another guy to that mix does absolutely no good. We need someone that can easily slot in ahead of that bunch and add to Santana and Berrios on the front end.

I know it's not going to be easy, but I really hope we play it smart here. I don't predict we get Darvish or Arrieta, but I hope we do make a play for Lynn or Cobb on a smart contract. I'm hoping we don't sign anyone further down the list than that. Free agency officially starts tomorrow, so we will see

After all that, we will be starting to look at signing a lot of guys to long term contracts. Buxton, Kepler, Rosario, Sano, Polanco, Berrios, and more are all guys that need to stay with this team long term. Hopefully we can make it happen!

All in all, I'm looking forward to another season! Hoping we can take another big step forward. I still don't think we're true World Series contenders at this point, but with a few smart moves, I think we can set ourselves up for a good playoff run this year and move into a really good spot for next year. Really excited about this team

[dashcol]

I think Cobb is the one we should go after. I like him better than Lynn, but I also would not be upset with Lynn. I also think Gonsalves will be a pleasant addition and could come out next year the same as Berrios, which would mean we don't need Lynn or Cobb. We could save money there to resign the guys who need to be resigned.

I also think we let Polanco go and give Gordon a chance. Polanco's bat is a bit better than Gordon, but Gordon's speed and defense is above Polanco, and his bat is not far behind. Maybe keep Polanco to be a fifth infielder to add some depth but give Gordon the full time spot.

I also am very excited for next year! Hopefully Buxton stays the way he was at the end, Mauer keeps on Gold Gloving it, and Sano comes back healthy as he ever was, and maybe a couple pounds lighter. I am also predicting Dozier hits close to 40 if not over and gets a GG at 2B.

[Eckstein197]

Is free agency already starting? Man this sports world is just too much at times lol

[Hollywood42]

Two news tidbits for the day-

Molitor is a Manager of the Year finalist! Well deserved recognition

We hired Derek Shelton as our bench coach. Haven't read much about him yet, but Heyman thought he was a good hire in his tweet

[Hollywood42]

2017 Gold Glove award winner: Brian Dozier!

[Hollywood42]

2017 Gold Glove award winner: Byron Buxton! The first of many, many GGs for him

[youseekyoda421]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

2017 Gold Glove award winner: Brian Dozier!

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

2017 Gold Glove award winner: Byron Buxton! The first of many, many GGs for him

Glad to see these two recognized for their stellar defense!

Now...can someone explain to me how Mauer wasn't even a candidate for a Gold Glove? He had a higher fielding percentage and fewer errors than Hosmer (2 vs. 4).

[mnvikingstwins]

Subscribing

[dashcol]

Glad Buxton got a GG this without playing this whole season. I really hope he gets one every year!

[Hollywood42]

Yeah. The Gold Gloves have historically been given out based on reputation instead of who deserves it. Not always the case, but far too often. It's really, really disappointing that Hosmer took home the award this year despite statistically being much worse defensively than many other AL 1Bs this year. It's really disappointing Mauer wasn't even named a finalist. That said, they also have the defensive player of the year awards that are announced in a few days, so maybe Mauer will get some recognition there

Originally Posted by youseekyoda421

Glad to see these two recognized for their stellar defense!

Now...can someone explain to me how Mauer wasn't even a candidate for a Gold Glove? He had a higher fielding percentage and fewer errors than Hosmer (2 vs. 4).

[pac_rat_76]

Have you guys ever thought of starting a "Just Twin's" thread? One that is not season specific or specific to a certain member. One that we could all share our Twin's pick-ups, thoughts, post random Twin's items and maybe even work out a few trades/sales?

[Hollywood42]

We could just do that here. A bunch of us post pickups in here already. I do like the idea though, it would be a fun thread!

Originally Posted by pac_rat_76

Have you guys ever thought of starting a "Just Twins" thread? One that is not season specific or specific to a certain member. One that we could all share our Twin's pick-ups, thoughts, post random Twin's items and maybe even work out a few trades/sales?

[Soxrule111]

Will Park be with the Twins at all this season?

[clarkzac]

Originally Posted by Soxrule111

Will Park be with the Twins at all this season?

I'd have to say no. The power was there in his first season, but he definitely struggled and wasn't able to adjust at the minor league level either. He hit .191 with the Twins in 2016 and then .247 in 142 AAA games between 2016 and 2017 with 24 home runs. And then the strikeouts were high. 80 in 62 MLB games and 162 in 142 AAA games. I really did want to see him succeed though.

[Hollywood42]

I'm guessing not, at least to start the season. The only slots he fits in at are 1B and DH, and Mauer's locked in at first, and at this point we have much better options at DH. I'm still hopeful he can figure it out, but last year he hit .253 in AAA. Not terrible, but not exactly promotion-worthy either. He's going to have to pick it up to crack the bigs again

Originally Posted by Soxrule111

Will Park be with the Twins at all this season?

Which one of you landed the Dozier super from 2017 Bowman Chrome? I had made a few offers, but it was a bit out of my range at this time, unfortunately

[dashcol]

Originally Posted by Soxrule111

Will Park be with the Twins at all this season?

I say there is really no chance. The only spot for him is DH and he has a lot of competition there; Kennys Vargas, Zach Granite, Robbie Grossman plus some others that are scratching at the door will keep Park in the minors.

[Hollywood42]

Since we're already talking about it a lil bit, here's my first set of predictions of our opening day roster-

Outfield is pretty easy- Rosario, Buxton, Kepler left to right is pretty much set in stone. Predicting our 4th outfielder will be Zack Granite

Infield actually isn't too difficult to predict either, though there are some spots up for debate. Sano and Escobar will likely split time at 3rd, with the other DHing. I still think Sano is best off being a full time DH util he proves he can stay at a healthy weight- Just too much of an injury risk otherwise. Esco has proved himself worthy of getting consistent playing time, so I hope he gets it between 3rd, DH, and filling in at SS and 2B on off days. SS I still think Jorge Polanco deserves to be the starter, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Nick Gordon up in the majors at some point. Probs a backup infielder at first, but will be interesting to see what happens if he forces us to make a decision with good play. 2B is obviously Dozier's, and 1B is obviously Mauer's

Catcher is Castro, though I think Garver sees more playing time this year. I'd like to see Mitch take some big steps forward this year. Castro has been great for us, but his bat is too much of a liability, and Garver has the potential to be our long-term catcher. Hopefully he plays well and makes some strides

DH is a bit interesting. We already have Sano and Escobar rotating there, Mauer will get some starts at DH for rest too. One name I haven't touched on yet is Robbie Grossman. I wouldn't be surprised to see us move on from him at some point this offseason. He's been a solid hitter for us, but there's no room in the OF for him, and I think since others fit into our long term plan better than Grossman, we'll likely part ways soon. He's entering first year of arbitration, and I'd rather us try to sign him to a 1-2 year deal and then get something in trade for him instead of just letting him walk. But we'll see what happens.

This certainly isn't our top need, but it could be interesting to see if we make a play at a free agent bat for DH. Maybe a first baseman to give a better option than Vargas for a backup to Mauer. Pipe dream would be Carlos Santana, and have him and Mauer rotate between 1B and DH, but I don't think that happens. JD Martinez is the best bat available this offseason, but he's going to command, and rightfully so, more money than we should give to him given our guys we already have in the OF. I think it makes the most sense to sign someone that can play 1B, if we are going to make a significant FA signing. Santana and Hosmer are the big names that fit this mold, but both will likely go to someone with a bigger hole at 1B than we have. Other available guys are Logan Morrison, Yonder Alonso, heck, maybe we even consider bringing back Eduardo Nunez. I don't think this is going to be something we really focus on this offseason, but I wouldn't be surprised if we try to bring in a FA bat in some capacity. Everyone knows our top need is pitching, so I'm still hoping we make a real shot at landing Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb, but I don't think that we will leave our offense completely untouched this offseason

Opening day lineup-

C- Castro
1B- Mauer
2B- Dozier
3B- Sano
SS- Polanco
LF- Rosario
CF- Buxton
RF- Kepler
DH- Escobar

Other relevant predictions-

-Mitch Garver backup catcher
-Zack Granite 4th outfielder
-Nick Gordon up in the bigs at some point, but not out of training camp
-We make some sort of splash in the FA pool for a bat, though not a top tier one. If this is the case, wouldn't be too surprised if the FA starts at DH and Esco is moved around the infield from day to day

[azviking101]

Since the posting fee maximums have been released, does anyone think the Twins have a chance for Otani? Rangers, Yankees, Twins are the only teams who can offer over 3 million. It also doesn't appear he's a big city guy, so maybe the Yankees don't have as much of a chance as they always think they do. He's a much better option at a much lower cost than someone like Cobb or Lynn.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb...ext-babe-ruth/

Does anyone think the Twins will even give him the chance to DH though? That seems to be the only thing he really wants.
Also how much does the posting fee matter to him? The amount of money he'd make from sponsors in a market like NY or LA would be so much more than in MN.
Obviously there's no guarantee he'll come to MLB this year and certain Twins writers have said 0% chance the Twins get him.

[Soxrule111]

I don't think so. I think Nishioka and Park will sour the front office.

[Hollywood42]

I think we could make a move, but wouldn't expect to go after him too seriously. Though it is intriguing, as it could kill two birds with one stone if he pitches like an ace and hits well enough to play DH.... But at this point I don't see it happening

[Chaddie84]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

Opening day lineup-

C- Castro
1B- Mauer
2B- Dozier
3B- Sano
SS- Polanco
LF- Rosario
CF- Buxton
RF- Kepler
DH- Escobar

When is Mauer's contract up? It feel like it's been FOREVER.

[Hollywood42]

Free agent after the upcoming season

Originally Posted by Chaddie84

When is Mauer's contract up? It feel like it's been FOREVER.

[azviking101]

Park is from Korea and the new front office had nothing to do with those deals. The new front office actually was with Texas during the Yu Darvish deal.

Free agent pitchers with no chance of being an ace get 60-70 million dollar deals like Nolasco and Hughers. The risk with Ohtani is far lower imo.

[Hollywood42]

The new management is the one thing that could prove me wrong. If they're willing to go big and take a chance, this would be the first opportunity to do it. The team has shown they're not too far away from competing- Main thing we're missing is some starting pitching. I'm wary of Otani, mainly because Nishioka and Park haven't worked out, but there are some differences there

Originally Posted by azviking101

Park is from Korea and the new front office had nothing to do with those deals. The new front office actually was with Texas during the Yu Darvish deal.

Free agent pitchers with no chance of being an ace get 60-70 million dollar deals like Nolasco and Hughers. The risk with Ohtani is far lower imo.

[azviking101]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

The new management is the one thing that could prove me wrong. If they're willing to go big and take a chance, this would be the first opportunity to do it. The team has shown they're not too far away from competing- Main thing we're missing is some starting pitching. I'm wary of Otani, mainly because Nishioka and Park haven't worked out, but there are some differences there

Ohtani being of the asian culture is the only similarity. He throws 102 and crushes home runs. Nishioka was a slap hitting guy with no power (and no other teams but the Twins were even interested in him) and South Korea leagues don't even compare to Japan leagues.

I really don't see any similarities between the situations. Most big name Japan pitchers who make the jump have success and there's been no bigger name than Ohtani.

Also is it Ohtani or Otani? Topps spelled it Otani and everyone else has used Ohtani