***Official 2016 Minnesota Twins Season Thread***

[Hollywood42]

Yeah, it's early, but I'm bored, looking forward to next season, and I wanted to be the one to make the thread

Here's the thread for the Twins' 2016 season! Discuss, debate, and have fun!


I'll start things off with news of Torii Hunter's retirement coming out today-

Man, what a career! You just have to be super thankful for everything Torii has done for not only the Twins, but baseball as a whole. I know lots of players that aren't Twins fans at all, but loved Torii- He's just that kinda guy. He'll certainly be missed on the field, but in the clubhouse as well. I was kinda surprised to see him retire now, as he certainly contributed on the field, but he's earned this retirement. From a business standpoint, opens up our outfield now too- Opening day OF Rosario, Buxton, Hicks from left to right sounds pretty good! But anyways, I hope the Twins find a way to keep Torii in the clubhouse somehow- I am positive his leadership and personality played a large role in the Twins' success this year. That would be large shoes to fill

I have much, much more to say about the Twins, but I'll leave it at that for now. Go Twinks!

[HOFAutoRookies]

A little soon lol. Need a break after the WS

[Hollywood42]

Hell na, I'm ready to go!

Originally Posted by HOFAutoRookies

A little soon lol. Need a break after the WS

[Eckstein197]

Wow this is early lol. Normally I would have nothing to say because this season isn't even over yet but with Torii retiring, I feel I should chime in.

It's sad to see a legend like him retire, and he meant a lot to us Twins fans for a long time. He did a lot for this team. I doubt he will do anything with the team this upcoming year, he will probably take a year and do nothing, which he has most definitely earned. So happy I got to see him play in person before he retired.

Silver lining, it clears up the OF logjam a little bit which will help come next season

[Hollywood42]

Trying to keep the posts to a minimum until after the WS, but... Hey you guys... The Rockies didn't pick up the option on Justin Morneau's contract...

As much as he doesn't fit into our lineup at all, I would absolutely 100% love it if Morneau came back to MN for a year or two. I've missed him since the first day he was traded (still remember how devastated I was when news broke, even tho we all knew it was coming and I was trying to mentally prepare myself), and man... What I would give to see him back in a Twins uniform

Edit- Wouldn't be too surprised if he decides to retire now after his latest concussion last season. But, then again, he did come back after it last year and played pretty well for a stretch. So, maybe he'll want to play a few more years. I think Minnesota would be the perfect place for him to finish out his career

[TGutta]

While I agree with you that it would be cool to have Morneau back, I just don't see where he fits. If he would be open to playing as a DH/Bench option then I think we would be open to it, but I'm sure he can find consistent playing time with another team if he wants. The only way a DH spot could open up for him here is if we trade Plouffe and put Sano at 3B, but even then I think we need to have that spot open for some younger guys or possibly look at other FA options.

Speaking of Morneau and all the great work he still does in the community, anybody planning on going to his appearance at Fan HQ at the end of November? Hoping to drop off some coats on Monday on my way into work to get an auto ticket. Not sure what I will have him sign yet though.

[Hollywood42]

I know, he doesn't fit at all. I'm really just trying to figure out ways that it could possibly work. DH would definitely work, but only if Plouffe is traded (which I'm still not enthusiastic about), or somehow Mauer is traded (won't happen). There's an outside chance he could fit in as a backup/pinch hitter, as you mentioned, but who know's if he'd want to be in that role or not. And I agree signing him probably wouldn't be the best move for the team as we should look at younger guys and other positions. But at the same time, I think he could kinda work as a bench role. I just really want him back!

I always want to do this every year, but never get to it. It'll be tough now coming from back from school, as I'd have to hope there's still tickets left the day of the signing and go drop off my coats on that Saturday morning. And, like you, I have no idea what I would have him sign. Already have a signed jersey from him, and I don't have any unsigned pieces for him right now, so I'd probably have to buy something, and I really don't have the funds for a nice enough piece right now most likely. Still, I'm hoping that I'll be able to find a way to make it work. All that goes out the window tho if my family is traveling for Thanksgiving- Don't know what our plans are yet

Originally Posted by TGutta

While I agree with you that it would be cool to have Morneau back, I just don't see where he fits. If he would be open to playing as a DH/Bench option then I think we would be open to it, but I'm sure he can find consistent playing time with another team if he wants. The only way a DH spot could open up for him here is if we trade Plouffe and put Sano at 3B, but even then I think we need to have that spot open for some younger guys or possibly look at other FA options.

Speaking of Morneau and all the great work he still does in the community, anybody planning on going to his appearance at Fan HQ at the end of November? Hoping to drop off some coats on Monday on my way into work to get an auto ticket. Not sure what I will have him sign yet though.

[PejaD]

Does Torii get his number retired? Immediate reaction is yes, but statistically his Twins #'s are similar to Bob Allison and Gary Gaetti than #14 or #6.

[TGutta]

Originally Posted by PejaD

Does Torii get his number retired? Immediate reaction is yes, but statistically his Twins #'s are similar to Bob Allison and Gary Gaetti than #14 or #6.

I will say yes, not only based on his #'s but also the impact he had on the team and being the face of the franchise during their return to relevancy amid the possibility of contraction.

[Hollywood42]

I'm not sure, but if he does get it retired, I definitely agree it will be largely because of this

Originally Posted by TGutta

I will say yes, not only based on his #'s but also the impact he had on the team and being the face of the franchise during their return to relevancy amid the possibility of contraction.

[Twinscollector]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

Trying to keep the posts to a minimum until after the WS, but... Hey you guys... The Rockies didn't pick up the option on Justin Morneau's contract...

As much as he doesn't fit into our lineup at all, I would absolutely 100% love it if Morneau came back to MN for a year or two. I've missed him since the first day he was traded (still remember how devastated I was when news broke, even tho we all knew it was coming and I was trying to mentally prepare myself), and man... What I would give to see him back in a Twins uniform

Edit- Wouldn't be too surprised if he decides to retire now after his latest concussion last season. But, then again, he did come back after it last year and played pretty well for a stretch. So, maybe he'll want to play a few more years. I think Minnesota would be the perfect place for him to finish out his career

My guess is that Morneau retires. He's made plenty of money, has strong family ties to the area (wife) and seems to really fit the Upper Midwest culture. Plus, I'm sure the Twins would love to have him work for them in some capacity. Community relations, etc... He is still very well liked around here. I never heard a bad word about him when he left. He knew it was best for the Twins and for his career to move on. But always came back in the off season. He, along with Hunter, will probably both get their numbers retired in the next couple of years. Many people forget that Morneau was a more productive hitter than Mauer during their time together. It was just Mauer was a catcher putting up un-catcher like numbers.

[NeilCO]

Can't wait to see how Buxton and Sano develop this year!

[Hollywood42]

Yes, he's a fantastic guy, and I hope that whenever his career is over, the Twins will make an effort to keep him with the organization in some aspect. I dunno, I'm not fully convinced he'll retire yet tho. I wouldn't be surprised if he does tho. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he tries to play another year or two. If he does, and AL team might be better for him so he could DH instead of either playing at first or not at all

Not sure if he will get his number retired, but I certainly hope he does. Don't know if he performed at that MVP level for a long enough time with us. But yes, he certainly was a stellar player. Really, really, really sucks that he got that concussion. It really derailed is career. He had something like 3 straight MVP-level seasons and was working on a 4th when that happened. His entire career would have played out differently if he had just slid differently, the defender was positioned just a bit differently, the throw was off target, etc.... It sucks

Originally Posted by Twinscollector

My guess is that Morneau retires. He's made plenty of money, has strong family ties to the area (wife) and seems to really fit the Upper Midwest culture. Plus, I'm sure the Twins would love to have him work for them in some capacity. Community relations, etc... He is still very well liked around here. I never heard a bad word about him when he left. He knew it was best for the Twins and for his career to move on. But always came back in the off season. He, along with Hunter, will probably both get their numbers retired in the next couple of years. Many people forget that Morneau was a more productive hitter than Mauer during their time together. It was just Mauer was a catcher putting up un-catcher like numbers.

[Hollywood42]

Hoping Sano doesn't fall victim to the sophomore struggles we have seen from both Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas now. Same goes for Eddie Rosario. I'm not anticipating that will be an issue for Sano, and Rosario has really looked comfortable all year as well. But, you never know. I think Buxton just needs more time in the MLB to get adjusted. Maybe he's not the next Trout, but I think he can certainly still be a very good player. We'll just need to give him more time

Originally Posted by NeilCO

Can't wait to see how Buxton and Sano develop this year!

[HOFAutoRookies]

Really weird they showed a clip of Arcia for the MLB commercial just before the start of the 6th lol

[Twinsfan33]

Really excited for next season. I just found out that Buxton will still be rookie eligible next year as he had 129 AB's. 1 more and he would've qualified. I think he's the front runner for ROY in the AL. I think the Twins need to trade Plouffe for preferrebly a Catcher. Say Plouffe for Gary Sanchez? He's been sitting in the Yankees minors for awhile and is blocked by McCann. We could move Sano to third, open up a spot for a DH, and maybe even go out and spend some money ( Chris Davis Anyone??). Sanchez could either start out at the Bigs or if he needs some more time open the season at AAA. I think that would put them over the top and for the forseable future.

[TGutta]

Originally Posted by Twinsfan33

Really excited for next season. I just found out that Buxton will still be rookie eligible next year as he had 129 AB's. 1 more and he would've qualified. I think he's the front runner for ROY in the AL. I think the Twins need to trade Plouffe for preferrebly a Catcher. Say Plouffe for Gary Sanchez? He's been sitting in the Yankees minors for awhile and is blocked by McCann. We could move Sano to third, open up a spot for a DH, and maybe even go out and spend some money ( Chris Davis Anyone??). Sanchez could either start out at the Bigs or if he needs some more time open the season at AAA. I think that would put them over the top and for the forseable future.

I agree in that we need to trade Plouffe and shift Sano to 3B, but I'm not sure Plouffe is enough to get Sanchez from the Yankees. May have to add in a prospect in the 10-20 range, and at this point I wouldn't be against throwing Kohl Stewart in along with Plouffe as I feel that would get the trade done. We terribly need a young catcher, and even if that trade above is overpaying a little bit in terms of the potential that Stewart still has, I would do it.

As far as going after someone like Davis in FA, I would much rather them use the money on a top flight pitcher (would never happen). David Price has said in the past that he loves MN, I would throw all my eggs into that basket and try and get a deal done. See if you can get somebody to take on even half of Nolasco's salary in a trade just to free up some more money. That would be my offseason dream..

[Hollywood42]

I have a lot to say about my hopes for the offseason. Will probably post them later today

[Hollywood42]

Alright, this will probably be very long post, but let's do it- Here's my offseason predictions/hopes for the Twins. Along with each of my main points, I'll rate how realistic it is of that happening on a scale of 0-5, with 1 being "it won't happen", and 5 being "it 100% will happen"

1. Get rid of Nolasco and Pelfrey. Realistic rating- 4. Neither pitcher brings much of anything to the table for us, and we need to clear up our rotation a bit. Hughes, Santana, and Gibson are locks as starters. I really like what Tyler Duffey did at the end of last year, and I think he ends up taking the 4th or 5th slot in the rotation. That leaves one slot for Milone, Berrios, Meyer, May, Nolasco, or Pefrey. Needless to say, that's a lot of pitchers competing for one slot, even though May will probably stay in the bullpen (I'm fine with that, he excelled out of the pen after he was moved there last year). Right now, I like a strong competition between Milone and Berrios in spring training camp for that last slot in the rotation. I'd be ecstatic if Berrios breaks camp with the team, but I don't think he's been long overdue and I don't think we have any reason to rush it yet. Still plenty of time for Meyer to figure things out too. Bottom line though, Nolasco and Pelfrey need to move to different teams. Nolasco has NEVER given the Twins much of anything. I don't care if we have to eat his salary at this point. He needs to go. If we can another team to take even just part of his contract, that's a success in my mind. It's time to accept that the Nolasco signing didn't work out and move on. Same goes for Pelfrey. The Twins have given him chances time and time again, but it always ends up with him having a bad ending and costing us a game. Last year he was much better at getting through the opposing lineup the first and second time, but when the third time rolled around, he got shelled. It's time for Pelfrey to move on and let someone that will give us a better chance of winning take the mound instead. With Pelfrey's contract now up, I would be surprised to see him back with the Twins next year


2. Find an long-term answer at catcher. Realistic rating- 3. I rate this a 3 on the realistic scale because while it is a very pressing need, I can see the Twins leaving Suzuki at catcher for and putting off the issue for another year. With that being said, I really hope the Twins address this issue this offseason. I like Kurt, but he's getting old for a catcher and it's starting to show on the field. I think the Twins should look to trade him if possible, otherwise let him be a backup until his contract expires. In a perfect world, the Twins would find a trade partner for Suzuki and let Fryer/Herrmann be the backup catcher to a solid young player that can play catcher for the long term. Someone mentioned Gary Sanchez from the Yankees earlier on, and while I think this might be a little more than the Twins will be willing to pay for, I think he would be a great acquisition. I don't really have any other specific ideas on players to solve the catcher solution, but it is something that must be addressed if the Twins want to take another step forward next year


3. Figure out what we want to do with Trevor Plouffe. Realistic rating- 5. I am not someone that will jump on board with the idea that we MUST trade Plouffe, but the Twins need to figure out what they want to do with him. Our lineup is better when Plouffe is playing. That is a fact. Trading Plouffe would hurt the abilities of our lineup. But, we need to decide if we want Sano to be a MLB third baseman, or a MLB DH. If we want him to play 3rd, we need to move Plouffe so that Sano can take over the first base role full-time. I think that is the more likely result, but it is something that needs to be discussed sooner rather than later. If Sano is going to be our long-term 3rd baseman, we need to trade Plouffe this offseason and get maximum value for him. I'd be sad to see him go, but it would be necessary if Sano is to be a MLB 3B


4. Make a serious attempt to sign a stud FA pitcher. Realistic rating- 3. I've said it before and I will say it again- The Twins won't be a legitimate contender until we have a true ace. Hopefully Jose Berrios will be a stud someday. But I still seriously think we need to make a serious attempt to land one of the top FA pitchers that will be hitting the market this offseason. This list includes Greinke, Price, Cuteo as the top group of guys that will command high price tags. The Twins won't have enough money to get Greinke, but imagine David Price in a Twins uniform. That would be amazing. Cueto would be fantastic too, but I would rather have Price. There are a few second tier SPs that will be FAs too- Jordan Zimmerman, Fister, Samardizja, Chen, Kazmir, Leake, Lackey, and more. One of these guys would be a great addition to the Twins too, but the Twins should set their mind to trying to sign Price. Doing so would immediately make the Twins exponentially better. The front office has shown more and more willingness to go out and spend money on players the past few years, but they have yet to jump into the lottery for a true stud player. I don't know how realistic this is, but if the Twins want to get to the playoffs next year, signing a top FA SP would be a fantastic first step to achieving that goal


5. Sign Justin Morneau. Realistic rating- 1.5. This is more wishful thinking that likely to happen. But I would LOVE to see Morneau come back to the Twins to finish out his career. He doesn't fit into our lineup as a starter, but I think he could work as a DH/backup 1B/bench/pinch hitter roll. His career should end in Minnesota. I fully hope he wants to keep playing another year or two. I don't think it is very likely that he does end up with the Twins again next year. But, if nothing else on this list comes true, I would absolutely love to see Morneau in a Twins uniform once more


Much, much more to come from me this offseason, but I thought I would start with the above. Let's discuss!

[Twinsfan33]

Originally Posted by TGutta

I agree in that we need to trade Plouffe and shift Sano to 3B, but I'm not sure Plouffe is enough to get Sanchez from the Yankees. May have to add in a prospect in the 10-20 range, and at this point I wouldn't be against throwing Kohl Stewart in along with Plouffe as I feel that would get the trade done. We terribly need a young catcher, and even if that trade above is overpaying a little bit in terms of the potential that Stewart still has, I would do it.

As far as going after someone like Davis in FA, I would much rather them use the money on a top flight pitcher (would never happen). David Price has said in the past that he loves MN, I would throw all my eggs into that basket and try and get a deal done. See if you can get somebody to take on even half of Nolasco's salary in a trade just to free up some more money. That would be my offseason dream..

Would love to hear where you heard that David Price loves Minnesota. Not saying that you're wrong but I've just never heard of that before.

[TGutta]

Originally Posted by Twinsfan33

Would love to hear where you heard that David Price loves Minnesota. Not saying that you're wrong but I've just never heard of that before.

Here is just one quote from an article. Whenever he plays in MN he is very active on Twitter about being so happy to be here and doing different things around the city.

Detroit Tigers ace David Price spoke with great candor and perspective throughout a 1-on-1 interview with FOX Sports on Friday, a day before our broadcast of his complete-game victory over the Chicago White Sox | FOX Sports

“I don’t think it would be quite the same. Some of the other All-Stars might be in their free-agent year, as well, so I don’t think I would have an experience like I did last year. Last year was definitely the best experience I had at the All-Star Game, and it wasn’t just because of (how the players treated me). I was still with Tampa. Minnesota is my favorite AL park to go to. I love that city and the ballpark, and we were opening there after the All-Star Game, so I got to stay there for like a week. That was really cool.”

[Hollywood42]

Price on the Twins would be fantastic. I'm not convinced yet that the Twins will dig into their pockets and make a serious attempt to sign him, but we need an ace before we will be real contenders. I would love Price in a Twins jersey

[Eckstein197]

And now we can officially start offseason talk/next season

The Royals winning was unfortunate, but it's nice because their window is closing because THE TWINS WINDOW IS OPENING BABY

[Twinsfan33]

Originally Posted by TGutta

Here is just one quote from an article. Whenever he plays in MN he is very active on Twitter about being so happy to be here and doing different things around the city.

Detroit Tigers ace David Price spoke with great candor and perspective throughout a 1-on-1 interview with FOX Sports on Friday, a day before our broadcast of his complete-game victory over the Chicago White Sox | FOX Sports

“I don’t think it would be quite the same. Some of the other All-Stars might be in their free-agent year, as well, so I don’t think I would have an experience like I did last year. Last year was definitely the best experience I had at the All-Star Game, and it wasn’t just because of (how the players treated me). I was still with Tampa. Minnesota is my favorite AL park to go to. I love that city and the ballpark, and we were opening there after the All-Star Game, so I got to stay there for like a week. That was really cool.”

Okay thanks for posting. I haven't heard that before. It sounds like he at least would have some interest in us. The next step would be if the Twins have the same interest in him aka want to spend the coin to get him. He would definetly be fun to watch as an Ace. I would feel fantastic if the Twins were to some how pull off the miracle and sign him. I think for them to do that though they are going to need to dump some contracts though.

[TGutta]

Originally Posted by Twinsfan33

Okay thanks for posting. I haven't heard that before. It sounds like he at least would have some interest in us. The next step would be if the Twins have the same interest in him aka want to spend the coin to get him. He would definetly be fun to watch as an Ace. I would feel fantastic if the Twins were to some how pull off the miracle and sign him. I think for them to do that though they are going to need to dump some contracts though.

Thinking REALLY outside the box with these thoughts, but what would anybody think of these moves? Not sure if the Twins or other teams would be interested in the proposed deals, but at this time of the year it is always fun to speculate!

Twins trade: Kyle Gibson, Ricky Nolasco, Danny Santana, Engelb Vielma
Rockies trade: Jose Reyes

I really like Kyle Gibson and want the team to keep him, but to make a trade like this happen you have to give something up. We are taking a large contract in Reyes, but getting rid of Noalsco's salary while also freeing up a rotation spot. Santana still has moderate potential that they can plug into SS with Vielma giving them someone to develop.


Twins trade: Trevor Plouffe, Kohl Stewart
Yankees trade: Gary Sanchez

With Sano emerging and not wanting to keep him as a DH at this young of an age, something needs to happen with Plouffe. He has been a solid player for us, but I believe that this is the right time to look into trading him. Stewart has seen his upside dip the past couple seasons with extremely low strikeout rates. Hopefully that will turn around this season, but I am not optimistic. Sanchez would immediately turn into our catcher of the future, and while wanting him to play everyday I think we start the season with him and Suzuki sharing time, with Sanchez slowly turning into an everyday player around mid-season.

Trading, releasing, or benching Mauer at this point is not going to happen whether fans want it to or not, so we need to look at other ways to get creative. It looks like Mauer has approximately $69 Million left over the next 3 seasons. I go to him and try and renegotiate a deal similar to what the Nationals did with Scherzer. Offer to pay him $3 Million/Year for 10 years after he retires. That saves us approximately $10 Million a year over the next 3 seasons, more than enough to help put towards the next big move.

Sign David Price, 7 Years, $200 Million

It will likely take that much to sign a guy like Price, but if the Twins want a #1 SP in FA that is what they will have to pony up. The contract will likely look bad in the later years, but that is the risk you take in trying to win a World Series. Plus it shows to the team and the fanbase you are series about wanting to win.


2016 Opening Day Roster

C - Kurt Suzuki/Gary Sanchez
1B - Joe Mauer
2B - Brian Dozier
3B - Miguel Sano
SS - Jose Reyes
LF - Eddie Rosario
CF - Byron Buxton
RF - Aaron Hicks
DH - Kennys Vargas/Oswaldo Arcia

UT - Eduardo Escobar

SP - David Price
SP - Ervin Santana
SP - Phil Hughes
SP - Tyler Duffey
SP - Tommy Milone (Jose Berrios in early May)

RP - Alex Meyer
RP - Trevor May
RP - Kevin Jepsen
CP - Glen Perkins


Obviously there are other positions on the roster that I did not mention, but tried to hit the key ones. This is definitely not any kind of well thought out prediction by me, just some random thoughts today!