5 Gifts for the Twins in 2024

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Minnesota Twins will come into the New Year looking for a way to defend their American League Central division title. For that hope to be realized, they'll need a few key things to happen. The division might be wide-open at the top, but the reigning champs should feel good about their chances.

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

When Rocco Baldelli watches his team take the field on Opening Day, he will be hoping they can play the way they did down the stretch last year. Despite holding onto the division lead early, Minnesota struggled to create much separation between themselves and the competition. The organization still needs to make additions, but more general enhancements could help out this team.

Getting in on the holiday spirit, here are five gifts to bestow upon the Twins for 2024.

1. A Healthy Byron Buxton
What this looks like remains to be seen. We haven’t been given more than 100 games of Buxton since 2017, and that was the only time in his career. When right, the argument can be made that the Twins' center fielder is among the best in the game. Buxton is capable of gaudy offensive numbers, with defense that can compare against anyone.

Last year, both the Twins and Buxton were focused on getting him to a certain number of games played, rather than working toward getting the most value from him each time he stepped onto the field. Coming off another knee surgery, the hope would be that Buxton can roam center again and, more than just being available, can show off all of his tools. Baldelli’s lineup gets better with the best of Buxton in it, and baseball fans everywhere benefit from watching him play.

2. The Real Carlos Correa
A season ago, Minnesota was gifted an opportunity to sign Correa to a long-term extension. It wasn’t seen as likely when he first joined the Twins organization, and it took other deals falling through for it to happen. Still, he was in uniform for Baldelli on Opening Day, which was great. Unfortunately, the production wasn’t up to the standard he set for himself, and a good portion of that could be traced back to his plantar fasciitis problem.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Correa reaching his career norms would be a significant boost for everyone involved. The Twins must replace the lost production with the Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda departures. Finding new arms to take their spots in the rotation will happen, but some of the production can be shifted to the lineup. Correa left plenty to be desired offensively a season ago, but that has never been his track record. Parlaying the postseason success into a big 2024 could have him back in the MVP discussion.

3. Another Developmental Success Story
Minnesota hired Falvey to establish a pitching pipeline similar to what the Cleveland Guardians had built. There’s a good argument to be made that we are seeing it take place on the farm. Louie Varland and Bailey Ober have both graduated and become usable talents, despite their lack of draft pedigree, and Joe Ryan has ascended to heights the Rays didn’t see from him.

For the Twins starting rotation to remain both good and supported, continuing that development is a must. Emerging names this season could include a resilient Simeon Woods Richardson or the continued blossoming of names like David Festa and Marco Raya. Minnesota establishing another high-level, cost-controlled pitcher this season would be a considerable boost.

4. Some Television Certainty
This may be more for the fans than for the Twins themselves, but establishing a path forward when it comes to broadcasting rights is a gift that needs to keep on giving. Not only do fans want to see the end of blackouts, but the talk of payroll decreases due to lost revenue hurts following such a great year. It’s evident, at this point, that the dollars will be muted, but by how much and for how long surely depend on what happens with this opaque situation.

Sure, the Twins could strike another one-year deal with Bally’s before the company goes under, but preparing for what happens next must mean looking beyond 2024, too. It’s crazy that no resolution has been announced at this point in the offseason, and the same charade cannot be allowed to play out a year from now.

5. A Full Series Win
Last October, the Twins got the proverbial monkey off their back when they ended the 0-18 postseason losing streak. Then they knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, before falling to the Houston Astros. Everything was set up for Minnesota to knock off the reigning World Series champs, and they just weren’t ready to take that next step.

Having experienced that level of excitement and winning, Baldelli must guide his squad to the next level. Winning a five-game series and making it to the American League Championship Series should be the goal. While the Los Angeles Dodgers are heavy World Series favorites after signing Shohei Ohtani, the American League should be seen as much more wide-open. It can be a “why not us” attitude from Minnesota, and taking their 2023 trends a step further would be great to see.

When considering the year ahead, what other gifts would you offer the Twins? What do you think they need to get most urgently?

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[Karbo]

My wishes would be good health, at least 2 MLB quality starters, good weather and lots of luck!

[KBJ1]

A right hand 5 tool player for LF.

Lourdes Gurriel fit that bill perfectly for an affordable price. Sucks that we didn't go after him.

 

[Doctor Gast]

I'd like to add a Lopez-type trade, that'd be nice. That'd be a good off-season gift. Under Paparesta's care, I'm optimistic about the performances of many of our players.

[miracleb]

Goal:  Win the World Series

[Major League Ready]

1&2 are very important to the next 5 years so yes, huge!    I am going to be greedy with #3 and expand the wish to us seeing multiple prospects step up.  #4 is big for the entire game not just the Twins.  It's time to make baseball more accessible.  The bonus would be if the new distribution model helps the small and mid-market teams close the revenue gap just a little.  My fear is that a new model could be even more beneficial to large market teams.

[JD-TWINS]

RH hitting 5 tool guys & 2 MLB quality starters are big asks with an organization spending considerably less in ‘24.

They need to move Polanco’s salary and his inconsistent availability over the past two seasons.

With Kepler & Wallner in the corner spots against RH pitching (75% of games) the need for a big addition RH bat seems unnecessary to me. Team’s performance v. LH pitching went up considerably in 2nd half last year. With CC’s health better, Buxton’s health better, Miranda’s health better, Jeffers starting in 25 more games, it seems the RH bats are in the line-up and competent enough to allow the team to focus on pitching help. (Farmer - Lewis - Lee - Severino - Martin are all part of the RH potential in the line-up)

Sign Clevinger for $13M/yr for 2 years with a player option in the 2nd year. Trade 3-4 guys to Milwaukee for Devin Williams. Pitching staff would be considered elite with these 2 additions at less than $20M total per year for next 2 years. After Polanco is moved it only changes Payroll by $9M from wher it is at today.

[DJL44]

The news about a 1 season negotiation with Bally's is so frustrating. Kick the can down the road one year and try it all over again. The Twins will wait for MLB to figure out the future of television distribution for them. No innovation from this management team.

[Riverbrian]

All of these gifts are tied to each other in one way or another.  

Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton will be paid between 46 and 50 million collectively for the next 5 years during a time when media revenue is forcing budget downward.

That 46 to 50 million can't be replaced with players who will perform that also cost money. The Twins can't pay 46 to 50 million a year on players who are not performing or healthy plus pay players that cost significant money and provide the needed production that those two were supposed to provide.  

Gifts #1 and #2 are obviously extremely important but nothing is more important than gift #3 for now and forever.    

With Gift #4 a question mark along with Gifts #1 and 2. Gift #3 becomes critical. It becomes the only way to staff the roster with decent talent.  

With money tightly budgeted due to media revenue question marks and Correa and Buxton taking up almost a majority of the available budget. The only way the Twins can bring in talent is with gift #3.

Gift #5 becomes a real possibility with gifts #1, #2 and #3. 

Gift #5 will could be a big help to gift #4 in the future. 

[DJL44]

20 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton will be paid between 46 and 50 million collectively for the next 5 years during a time when media revenue is forcing budget downward.

But somehow only for the Twins with all 29 of the other MLB teams unaffected.

[Riverbrian]

6 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

But somehow only for the Twins with all 29 of the other MLB teams unaffected.

Are the other 29 teams unaffected? 

 

[Guest]

I read the first item: 1. A Healthy Byron Buxton, and just stopped to think about it.

Whenever I read comments about a healthy Byron Buxton it makes me think of my phone battery. I can charge it up to 100%, but when I go look at the battery diagnostic it tells me my five-year-old battery as the capability to hold 80% of the charge that it could have held when it was new. So, my thought was the same as Ted's, what's that even look like. 

The storm has passed through our area, the roads are being plowed, and I wish any of you who are travelling to have a safe trip.

[Major League Ready]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

The news about a 1 season negotiation with Bally's is so frustrating. Kick the can down the road one year and try it all over again. The Twins will wait for MLB to figure out the future of television distribution for them. No innovation from this management team.

Do you have information the rest of us don't have?  How do you know Bally's is not offering the same amount as last year which would be more than the team was counting on which would probably mean spending would not go down as much as anticiapted.  It would also give the Twins and MLB a year to develop a better distribution model.  I don't think we have enough information to have an opinion on the relative merits of a one-year deal with Bally's so why be frustrated?

[Brandon]

🎁 #6 no sophomore slumps 

🎁 #7 return to health and form for both Killeroff and Miranda.

🎁 #8 Vazquez finds his bat and hits next year at a 105+ OPS rate.  
 

🎁  #9 Julien’s glove makes a run for a gold glove or atleast becomes a good asset.  
 

🎁 #10 The only reason I can see Varland in the rotation instead of the bullpen is I can see him pitching 180 innings a season without getting hurt so he does that with an ERA below 4.00.  
 

🎁 #11 The Twins find another bullpen stud on a minor league contract.

🎁 #12 We find a willing trade partner to get us the playoff starter we need without giving up too many prospects or costing us players on the team we need.  
 

Now we have the 12 Days of Christmas 🎄 covered.

[Blyleven2011]

 Rocco Baldelli watches his team take the field on Opening Day, he will be hoping they can play the way they did down the stretch last year ...

I think Rocco watches his spread sheets more than the players on the field  ...

Sorry , I couldn't resist  ...

My number 1 want is a bit of old school and new school combined in our game of professional baseball   ...

I truly believe we could get more runs scored by combining new and old strategies  ...

and we are going to need more runs if a quality starter isn't acquired  ...

[DJL44]

6 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Are the other 29 teams unaffected? 

Kansas City and Cincinnati are spending money this offseason.

[DJL44]

5 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

Do you have information the rest of us don't have?  How do you know Bally's is not offering the same amount as last year which would be more than the team was counting on which would probably mean spending would not go down as much as anticiapted.  It would also give the Twins and MLB a year to develop a better distribution model.  I don't think we have enough information to have an opinion on the relative merits of a one-year deal with Bally's so why be frustrated?

Bally's sucks for fans and for the team. They can't even get the games into people's homes. Their app crashes all the time. Bally's has already announced that they are ending MLB broadcasting for the rest of the teams at the end of 2024.

Going back to Bally's when they've already had several years to prepare for the transition is a management failure. The Twins had an opportunity to lead the pack and they're opting back into a broken distribution model. The only thing I can figure is MLB said "we have a plan for 2025 on, don't make any long-term contracts".

[Riverbrian]

35 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Kansas City and Cincinnati are spending money this offseason.

Both teams still have RSN money coming in. 

Both teams spent comparatively low money last year, The Royals at 91 million and the Reds at 87 Million.  

The Twins spent 159 million in 2023. 

The Reds haven't raised payroll yet. They shed a big Joey Votto contract and others and they still haven't spent all of that that money. 😎

 

 

 

[Major League Ready]

15 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Bally's sucks for fans and for the team. They can't even get the games into people's homes. Their app crashes all the time. Bally's has already announced that they are ending MLB broadcasting for the rest of the teams at the end of 2024.

Going back to Bally's when they've already had several years to prepare for the transition is a management failure. The Twins had an opportunity to lead the pack and they're opting back into a broken distribution model. The only thing I can figure is MLB said "we have a plan for 2025 on, don't make any long-term contracts".

I hear ya but there is much we don't know.  Just because Bally's is making a push does not mean the twins have to go with them but why not listen to what they have to say.  Maybe the negotiations include an update to their app for example.  What if it means $20M more than the next best alternative?  Going with Bally for a year might fit into a bigger picture plan the league is developing.  Who knows?  I am just saying let's see how it shakes out before we conclude the merits of whatever they are doing.

[Fatbat]

#13 Ballys write the Twins a check for $40M and the Twins spend a bunch of it on the acquisition of another ace SP. extra $$$ is always nice around the holidays! 

[HerbieFan]

2 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Both teams still have RSN money coming in. 

Both teams spent comparatively low money last year, The Royals at 91 million and the Reds at 87 Million.  

The Twins spent 159 million in 2023. 

The Reds haven't raised payroll yet. They shed a big Joey Votto contract and others and they still haven't spent all of that that money. 😎

....and both teams are not paying Correa.  Don't get me wrong...I'm glad we're paying him.  Just saying...

 

 

 

[Fezig]

A pitch count that goes above 100 and starters that can complete a 9 inning game. Although, Ryan did get close with his two inning playoff gem.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

19 hours ago, Brandon said:

🎁 #6 no sophomore slumps 

🎁 #7 return to health and form for both Killeroff and Miranda.

🎁 #8 Vazquez finds his bat and hits next year at a 105+ OPS rate.  
 

🎁  #9 Julien’s glove makes a run for a gold glove or atleast becomes a good asset.  
 

🎁 #10 The only reason I can see Varland in the rotation instead of the bullpen is I can see him pitching 180 innings a season without getting hurt so he does that with an ERA below 4.00.  
 

🎁 #11 The Twins find another bullpen stud on a minor league contract.

🎁 #12 We find a willing trade partner to get us the playoff starter we need without giving up too many prospects or costing us players on the team we need.  
 

Now we have the 12 Days of Christmas 🎄 covered.

And a partridge in a pear tree

[Doctor Gast]

21 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

 Rocco Baldelli watches his team take the field on Opening Day, he will be hoping they can play the way they did down the stretch last year ...

I think Rocco watches his spread sheets more than the players on the field  ...

Sorry , I couldn't resist  ...

My number 1 want is a bit of old school and new school combined in our game of professional baseball   ...

I truly believe we could get more runs scored by combining new and old strategies  ...

and we are going to need more runs if a quality starter isn't acquired  ...

You are forgiven, I sympathize with you

[Doctor Gast]

23 hours ago, Brandon said:

🎁 #6 no sophomore slumps 

🎁 #7 return to health and form for both Killeroff and Miranda.

🎁 #8 Vazquez finds his bat and hits next year at a 105+ OPS rate.  
 

🎁  #9 Julien’s glove makes a run for a gold glove or atleast becomes a good asset.  
 

🎁 #10 The only reason I can see Varland in the rotation instead of the bullpen is I can see him pitching 180 innings a season without getting hurt so he does that with an ERA below 4.00.  
 

🎁 #11 The Twins find another bullpen stud on a minor league contract.

🎁 #12 We find a willing trade partner to get us the playoff starter we need without giving up too many prospects or costing us players on the team we need.  
 

Now we have the 12 Days of Christmas 🎄 covered.

Now make that into a song :)