Week in Review: Brink of Disaster

[Nick Nelson]

It was a week full of blown leads and blowout losses for the Minnesota Twins. Rather than rise to the occasion on this crucial road trip, they melted into a puddle under the bright lights at Progressive Field and Fenway.

Now, the Twins find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in, needing a very favorable final week to prevent this catastrophic collapse from reaching fruition.

Image courtesy of David Richard-Imagn Images

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 9/16 through Sun, 9/22
***
Record Last Week: 2-5 (Overall: 81-75)
Run Differential Last Week: -11 (Overall: +23)
AL Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (8.5 GB)
WC Standing: 1.0 GB KC & DET

Game 150 | CLE 4, MIN 3: Offense Can't Pad Lead, Jax Gives It Up Late
Game 151 | MIN 4, CLE 1: Twins Fend Off Comeback in Stressful Victory
Game 152 | CLE 5, MIN 4: Bats and Bullpen Waste Another Great Start
Game 153 | CLE 3, MIN 2: Another Lifeless Performance, Loss in Extras
Game 154 | MIN 4, BOS 2: Twins Outlast Red Sox in 12-Inning Marathon
Game 155 | BOS 8, MIN 1: Casas Clubs Three Homers, Lineup Flatlines
Game 156 | BOS 9, MIN 3: Soft Underbelly of Bullpen Sliced Open Again

IF YOU'D RATHER LISTEN TO THE WEEK IN REVIEW THAN READ IT, YOU CAN NOW FIND IT IN PODCAST FORM. GET THE LATEST EPISODE HERE. ALSO AVAILABLE ON APPLE AND SPOTIFY.

NEWS & NOTES

In a surprising late-season move, the Twins optioned reliever Jorge Alcalá to the minor leagues on Tuesday, sending one of their most oft-used relievers to finish out his campaign away from the big-league club. The demotion made room on the active roster for left-hander Cole Irvin, who was claimed off waivers from Baltimore, with Randy Dobnak designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man.

The Irvin pickup seemed logical enough, if underwhelming; the Twins simply need innings, and as someone who threw more than 100 this year for the Orioles, making 16 starts, Irvin can provide those. However, his usage during week one with the new team was at odds with the low-leverage billing Irvin seemed suited for. 

He made three appearances, all in close games, and didn't provide much length in any of them. Irvin is not eligible for the postseason roster, but that's all the same since his performance on Sunday did much to ensure the Twins won't be there. More on that later. 

The decision to send Alcalá down speaks volumes about the front office's eroded faith in the righty. Yes, he has pitched very poorly of late, but so have a number of Twins relievers, and Alcalá still has a 3.46 ERA overall this season, by virtue of his strong first half. Evidently, the team just gave up on him after watching him cough up eight home runs in 20 second-half appearances.

After firing two scoreless innings in his final appearance with the Twins last Sunday, Alcalá joined the Saints and made two more appearances in the final week of their season, striking out four over two scoreless innings. His future with the team would seem to be in limbo, with the Twins holding a club option for 2025.

The beleaguered Twins might get some reinforcements in the final week, for what it's worth. Max Kepler is expected to take live batting practice against Chris Paddack at Target Field on Monday, after which Kepler's readiness to return will be evaluated. He's been bothered by knee soreness all season.

 

Meanwhile, Justin Topa is now rehabbing at Triple-A with an eye on getting activated into the Twins bullpen. It's possible that both he and Kepler could rejoin the team during this final upcoming home stand. If you're struggling to get enthused about that prospect I don't blame you, but both players are at least capable of high-quality play. The bullpen will take whatever help it can get at this point, but I honestly struggle to see how Kepler would fit in. 

HIGHLIGHTS

Returning from the injured list and playing through pain for the final push, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton are doing what they can to rejuvenate a putrid offensive unit. 

Correa, despite being unable to summon much power of any kind, is putting together good plate appearances and was one of the few to deliver in key spots last week. In his six starts, he notched six hits and drew six walks across 23 plate appearances. The shortstop drove in five, including all four Minnesota runs in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to Cleveland. Correa is up over 4.0 fWAR on the season, which is remarkable for a guy who has played about half the team's games.

Buxton was less effective, finishing 6-for-26 with one double on the week, but he still represented an all-around improvement over what the Twins have been getting from center field in his absence. It's inspiring to see him battle through clear discomfort while tracking down balls in the outfield and hustling on the bases. Buxton even stole a bag. If he plays at least two more games in the final week, Buck will reach the 100 mark for the second time in his career.

 

The pitching staff was going along decently until the wheels fell off during Sunday's doubleheader at Fenway. Unfortunately, one strong outing after another from the Twins rotation went to waste as the offense failed to make hay and the bullpen repeatedly broke down.

Pablo López allowed two runs over 6 ⅓ innings on Monday. The Twins lost. Bailey Ober struck out 12 over seven innings of two-run ball on Wednesday. The Twins lost. Simeon Woods Richardson held the Guardians to one run in 4 ⅔ frames on Thursday. Another loss. In the nightcap on Sunday, Zebby Matthews exited after throwing 4 ⅔ scoreless innings, and wouldn't you know it: the Twins lost.

I'm getting a little off track for what is supposed to be the positive section of the recap, I realize, but my point is: the rotation has been pretty dang good. That's something you can hang your hat on amidst all the ugliness that has enveloped this ball club. And all of these starters will be back next year, plus hopefully Joe Ryan. 

The bullpen, meanwhile, had some big highs and some big lows. Friday's game at Fenway should not get lost in all the garbage that surrounded it: probably the best all-around bullpen performance of the year for the Twins, and maybe the best pitching performance period. David Festa combined with the entire relief staff to navigate a 12-inning odyssey, keeping the team alive as the offense failed twice to score the runner from second in extras before finally breaking through in the 12th. Minnesota's pitchers totaled 20 strikeouts in the affair.

LOWLIGHTS

To be sure, the bullpen owns a fair amount of blame for the debacle in Cleveland, which saw the Twins blow late-game leads three times in four games. As good as he's been generally, Griffin Jax's outing on Monday – coughing up a leadoff double to Josh Naylor and then go-ahead two-run homer to Kyle Manzardo in the bottom of the eighth – was one of the season's most devastating. 

On Wednesday, Ronny Henriquez gave up three runs while recording just one out, after being asked to protect a two-run lead in the 10th. One day later, Caleb Thielbar wasted no time in letting the winning run score in yet another 10th-inning walk-off.

But extraordinary asks are being made of these relievers. Why does Jax have so little margin for error, almost at all times? Why couldn't the Twins come up with any offense on Thursday, forcing the bullpen to walk a tightrope inning after inning before Thielbar finally gave up an unearned run? Why was Henriquez being asked to pitch in the situation he was on Wednesday at all??

Having said all that, what transpired in the final game of the week took 'pitchers being pushed beyond their means' to a whole new level. In the bottom of the fifth, just after the Twins had finally managed to scratch across a couple of runs for a 2-0 lead, Matthews gave up a two-out double to Boston's No. 9 hitter, Ceddanne Rafaela. With the rookie at 87 pitches and the lineup turning over for a second time, Rocco Baldelli decided to go to the bullpen, relatively fresh following a day off on Saturday and a blowout loss in the earlier game. Plus another day off on Monday.

Pulling Matthews made sense, if utilizing the strength of a replenished bullpen was the plan. But the pitcher that Baldelli decided to call upon was Cole Irvin. In a game that the Twins absolutely had to have, with the season on the line, they turned to a scrap heap waiver pickup who'd been with the team for less than a week. And they got exactly what they should have expected.

Facing the top of Boston's lineup, an overmatched Irvin quickly blew the lead before getting an out, then inexplicably went out to start the next inning, putting on two runners who also came around to score. By the time Minnesota's superior left-handed reliever, Thielbar, actually got into the game, the Twins were down six runs. 

In general, I find Baldelli's decision-making as manager defensible at least, if not strategically astute. And I empathize with the hand he's been dealt: a pitching staff running on fumes, stretched thin, pushing through an endless gauntlet of close contests. Still, this one was totally lost on me. What are we doing here.

Then again, the baffling managerial decision and avalanche of runs allowed by Twins pitchers on Sunday didn't really end up mattering all that much, because true to form, the offense couldn't produce a lick. And that is where the primary blame squarely falls for this September spiral.

 

When you score 21 runs over 68 innings, as the Twins did last week, you're going to struggle to win games. The presence of Buxton and Correa has done little to animate a lifeless lineup. 

The lack of output against Cleveland's high-end staff, and especially their super-elite bullpen, was understandable to a degree. Boston should've been a breath fresh air but instead the lineup continued to suffocate, even with Correa, Buxton and Lewis starting all three games. 

In the early end Sunday's doubleheader, the Twins ran out basically their A lineup against mediocre starter Nick Pivetta and scored one run, on an error. Pivetta cruised through five innings and then Minnesota got no-hit for the final four innings by one of the worst bullpens in baseball. 

 

For a long stretch of the season this was one of the most powerful and imposing offenses in the league, ranking third among MLB teams in slugging percentage during the first half. But the Twins were a far cry on this road trip, managing just one home run and nine total extra-base hits in seven games while stranding endless runners on base.

Plenty of players contributed to this increasingly miserable drought in production. Royce Lewis remains one of the biggest second-half drags on the lineup, and he continued to be a non-factor last week with five singles and a double in 25 at-bats. He's driven in just two runs in his past 18 games. Carlos Santana, as clutch as he's been for most of the year, went silent in this key moment, managing just three singles and one walk in 30 plate appearances. Brooks Lee and José Miranda continue to be black holes at the plate, combining to go 0-for-19. Manuel Margot managed a pair of doubles but was otherwise 0-for-12, including a pair of hitless pinch-hit appearances that gave him the standalone all-time record. 

 

The Twins also got next to nothing from the catcher position, with Christian Vázquez and Ryan Jeffers going 4-for-31 with 11 strikeouts, turning in poor AB after poor AB. The unraveling of Jeffers, in particular, has been deflating given how much the team counts on his bat, especially against left-handers. He's batting .153 in September and hasn't homered in over a month.

It's hard to comprehend what we're seeing, honestly. The front office, manager and ownership can all fairly be criticized for their roles in the pitching staff's shortcomings, but this offense was built for success, and enjoyed plenty of it. Then, they just ... totally died out. 

I don't take this ongoing mega-slump as a sign that the team doesn't care, or that the players are quitting, but clearly something is systematically wrong with this baseball team. The fire that fueled the Twins throughout most of the summer, when they excelled as one of the league's best teams, has been completely extinguished. Watching different players take turns flopping and failing on the field, over and over again, has been incredibly painful to watch. No one can seem to step up and lift this group – not even a hobbled Correa who's doing all he can.

Unless they can manage to right the ship very quickly, in a major way, this will go down as one of the biggest collapses in recent MLB history. But the good news is this: there's still time for the 2024 Twins to avoid going down in history with this ignominious distinction. 

TRENDING STORYLINE

It's a race to the finish line between three AL Central teams, with Seattle hanging on the fringe of this wild-card race and looking to leapfrog two of them. The surging Tigers have moved into a tie with the free-falling Royals, with both teams now one game ahead of Minnesota in the standings. The Mariners, meanwhile, are one game behind the Twins, two games behind Detroit and KC, needing something of a miracle in the final week to get in.

The Twins have the advantage of a tiebreaker against all of these teams, so they need to merely finish with the same record or better than two of them. While Minnesota hosts the Marlins and Orioles in the final week of the season, the Royals are set to travel to Washington and Atlanta, and the Tigers host the Rays and White Sox. Passing up Kansas City might actually be the most realistic path at this point. But it's all moot if the Twins can't score some runs and win some games.

It's going to be a stressful week of scoreboard-watching and tremendously consequential baseball with everything on the line. Giddy up?

LOOKING AHEAD

The lagging Twins offense has an opportunity to finish strong at home, with a fairly appealing slate of pitching match-ups on the docket in this decisive final week of the season. The Marlins have one of the league's worst pitching staffs and are scheduled to throw three unexceptional starters at Target Field. The Baltimore series will present more of a challenge, but as things stand the Twins are on track to avoid Corbin Burnes.

TUESDAY, SEPT 24: MARLINS @ TWINS – LHP Ryan Weathers v. RHP Bailey Ober
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 25: MARLINS @ TWINS – RHP Edward Cabrera v. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
THURSDAY, SEPT 26: MARLINS @ TWINS – RHP Valente Bellozo v. RHP David Festa
FRIDAY, SEPT 27: ORIOLES @ TWINS – LHP Cade Povich v. RHP Pablo Lopez
SATURDAY, SEPT 28: ORIOLES @ TWINS – RHP Albert Suarez v. RHP Zebby Matthews
SUNDAY, SEPT 29: ORIOLES @ TWINS – RHP Dean Kremer v. RHP Bailey Ober

View full article

[tampatwins]

I said last week that this week would define their season and potential post season chances..this was not the definition that we had in mind 😬 they better sweep the marlins and then we revisit the possibility of playoffs. Otherwise, this is putrid and I’m done til they can Rocco and the entire coaching staff. Everything has just fallen off a Cliff. I get they are tired, but so is every team 

[thelanges5]

 

[BH67]

Does anyone think that opposing pitchers have deciphered the Twins' batting approach and pitched in a manner to negate it? Given the Twins' effort, I'm befuddled how the entire offense has evaporated and wonder if it's primarily a mechanical issue.

[D.C Twins]

Rocco committed managerial malpractice in the second game of the double header.

A must win game with all his best bullpen arms rested and he allowed his worst bullpen pitcher to blow up the game.

For all the Rocco apologists that say that the manager doesn't really matter or impact the outcome much....

GREAT... you won't mind indulging the rest of us who have long ago become frustrated with trying a new manager than is an actual leader with an understanding of the art of baseball.  

[Parfigliano]

I wet and saw them in Tronto and in Tampa abd MN between....quit

 

 

 

[S Bart]

If I recall correctly, the only person on the support staff that was replaced was the trainer in 2024. The coaches remained the same.

Nobody has mentioned that the hitting coach should be somewhat responsible. For example, a prior post mentioned how the opposing teams seem to know that Lewis is weak on a couple of pitches which is probably why he has performed so poorly. Doesn't the hitting coach pick up on that sort of thing in order to help a player?

I also recall Watkins waving players in TOO many times which ended in easy outs.

I realize that Rocco is a "players' manager," but does he supervise his coaches and hold them accountable or at least guide them? Is he afraid that he will hurt their feelings? I mean, they have a job to do.

Joe Pohlad has been in charge of the team for less than two years. Does he supervise Levine and Falvey?

Somebody mentioned yesterday that the owners cannot be fired. Obviously!

If the Twins do not make it to the playoffs, I do plan to write a coherent/logic-based letter to each of these individuals. It probably will not do any good, (may make me feel better) but they put the team out there as part of the community and claim to represent the state. At least for me, I feel that they have a responsibility to seek out solutions to fix the team. This all started earlier this year when Jim (a year on the job) publicly commented about not spending money which was followed by the fans not being able to view the games on TV due to that big hiccup.

Think about the money and the time that the team spends on uniform changes each year. Players have turned into fashion models each winter via the team showing off the new uniforms in a PR piece. Cmon.

Board as of 2024 per the Twins Website

Chairman: Jim Pohlad (noted as Control Owner)

Board Member: Bill Pohlad

Board Member: Bob Pohlad

Board Member: Joe Pohlad (Noted as Executive Chair)

Board Member: Dave St. Peter

When I was a young kid, I ran into an elderly man with a stogie at Met Stadium and had a great chat with him. It was the legendary broadcaster Halsey Hall. Halsey (not Carey or Rizzuto) originated the baseball term, "Holy Cow". Unfortunately, he would not be saying it in a positive way based on what is taking place nowadays. Carneal and Hall are probably turning over in their graves.

I'm an old man who grew up with the Twins, Maybe I should not care, but it has been part of my life.

Edited September 23, 2024 by S Bart
Addition

[JADBP]

There is no getting around it.  This team has QUIT.   Given up.  Tanked.  Not even trying.  And, yeah, Rocco's game decisions are not helping....but he isn't out on the field...the players are and they have completely DONE with this season.  

I keep wondering how this happened?  What are these players thinking? Here's some possibilities:

"Hey, all I gotta do is claim bi-lateral leg weakness for a season or two and I will get a statue outside of the stadium!"

"Heck, they traded for TREVOR RICHARDS at the deadline!  Come on guys, jump on the bandwagon . . . we're gonna win the division now!"

"Geez, is this 5th-grade T-ball where everyone gets a chance to bat?  What's going on?  I can't get more than three innings into a game before the coach subs me out for some lump batting 0.211.  Why bother."

"Come on, guys, hurry this up!  I got a plate of Extra Hot Wings waiting for me at Runyons!"

Submit your best suggestions.  

[Boswell]

On three… CANCUN!

[mikelink45]

I am in Madrid and the weather is beautiful and still I find myself following these games. I just had a good cup of Americano and I still can't get over this collapse. 

[Aerodeliria]

"But the pitcher that Baldelli decided to call upon was Cole Irvin. In a game that the Twins absolutely had to have, with the season on the line, they turned to a scrap heap waiver pickup who'd been with the team for less than a week. And they got exactly what they should have expected."

Dumping Alcala to make room for Irvin is simply beyond mind-boggling. We now have no middle relief to speak of. We haven't had any fielding for months due to the ring-around-the-rosy defense strategy (costing the Twins loads of games). No one can hit apparently (why did this happen suddenly?) despite all of the lefty/righty matchup moves and the new line-up every night. Rocco doesn't seem to trust his young starters at all.

 

The Twins might stumble into the playoffs but this isn't the NBA (or is it?).

 

[Fezig]

7 hours ago, BH67 said:

Does anyone think that opposing pitchers have deciphered the Twins' batting approach and pitched in a manner to negate it? Given the Twins' effort, I'm befuddled how the entire offense has evaporated and wonder if it's primarily a mechanical issue.

I wonder....can a team use that information with a pitcher going through the lineup the third time through or does it just work the first two times. Asking for a friend.

[Peter]

4-2 will get us in playoffs-we need to support the twins this week!!! It’s going to be nerve wracking/stressful and intense!!! No Vikings/twolves/wild chat saying I can’t wait for season!!! Love all 3 teams but this is twins chat room NOT Vikings/twolves/wild chat!!! WE MUST support our twins NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

[William K Johnson]

Rocco needs to understand that the game is played by humans, not computers.

[chinmusic]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am in grid Madrid and the weather is beautiful and still I find myself following these games. I just had a good cup of Americano and I still can't get over this collapse. 

How dare the Twins rain on your parade! (and I'm not being sarcastic). Chin up🙂

[Nick Nelson]

1 hour ago, William K Johnson said:

Rocco needs to understand that the game is played by humans, not computers.

These kinds of comments are confusing to me because, like, no computer would advise using Cole Irvin in that situation. It was a statistically horrible move.

[twinzcynic]

2 hours ago, Peter said:

4-2 will get us in playoffs-we need to support the twins this week!!! It’s going to be nerve wracking/stressful and intense!!! No Vikings/twolves/wild chat saying I can’t wait for season!!! Love all 3 teams but this is twins chat room NOT Vikings/twolves/wild chat!!! WE MUST support our twins NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

I'm starting to think your username is just short for "Dave St. Peter"

[Finfineman]

 Its alot of things but mostly starting Mathews, Festa and the others who have about three wins and ten losses.  Ive been saying it all year with soooooo many dissenters and negative replies.  They should have signed Sonny Gray.  His 13 wins with a 71-win team last year would have translated to the Twins winning the division and/or being solidly in a wild card position.  Dont tell me he wanted to leave.  That has been proven not true.  The Twins didnt try.  Good teams keep their good players.  The Twins revenue according to Forbes was 342 million in 2023.  Their payroll was 156 million.  That is almost a 200-million-dollar difference.  The Pohlads are worth about four billion.  Are you telling me they couldnt find 25 million to pay Gray or another Ace?  They paid themselves...... very well thank you........once again.  The bottom line is they lined their pockets and cheaped out......on us.......the fans.

[USAFChief]

31 minutes ago, Nick Nelson said:

These kinds of comments are confusing to me because, like, no computer would advise using Cole Irvin in that situation. It was a statistically horrible move.

Rocco looked no farther than "there's a LH hitter due up. My laptop says LH pitcher here."

[LambchoP]

The way they have mis managed Alcala has been very frustrating. All year long he's been one of our best relievers, even though he hasn't been used optimally. We better pick up his option next year. It's not like ownership is going to spend on anyone legit, so we're going to need all the help we can get. 

[Five minute major]

This franchise is at it's lowest point since the contraction days of Pohlad senior.    

• Rocco is and has never been an MLB caliber coach.  His approach and 100% reliance upon analytics is brutal.   I have never seen a coach with less "feel" for a game than Rocco.    It makes for a boring product to watch as well.   This team seems absolutely reading for golf season.   Maybe the minor league catcher is a symptom of the overall organization.   Something is not right.
• The Pohlad kids seemed to have returned to their Dad's philosophy of profits over product at an extreme level.   This off-season was one of the worst in the history of the franchise considering the high hopes that fans had after a playoff series win.   Even, without any FA signings of note,  there was still hope with some of the exciting young prospects like Brooks Lee.    But the absolute brutal trading deadline period extinguished any glimmer of hope that ownership was trying to win.
• Injuries to the star players are beyond a coincidence.   No franchise has suffered the number of games lost to it's best players like the Twins.  It has haunted the franchise since Tony Oliva and seems to get worse as time goes by.  Lewis, Buxton, Kepler, Correa and Ryan all missing significant time.  
• The TV deals that left many fans in the dark for months.   Unacceptable.
• The apathy of the fans is very real as attendance is down.    

This franchise is in desperate need of new ownership.  Similar to what happened to the stale VIkings prior to Red McCombs (and Randy Moss) who absolutely reinvigorated the franchise particularly with younger fans.   The Pohlad's would make a killing selling this team and the fans would love an ownership group that matches the philosophy of the other three ownership groups in this town that are spending to the max.

 

 

[SD happy]

3 hours ago, Peter said:

4-2 will get us in playoffs-we need to support the twins this week!!! It’s going to be nerve wracking/stressful and intense!!! No Vikings/twolves/wild chat saying I can’t wait for season!!! Love all 3 teams but this is twins chat room NOT Vikings/twolves/wild chat!!! WE MUST support our twins NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

I’m with ya, Peter!!!

[PDX Twin]

The Twins seem to do best on off days. There will soon be many more of them to enjoy.

[USAFChief]

44 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Rocco looked no farther than "there's a LH hitter due up. My laptop says LH pitcher here."

And furthermore he made the decision before the game started.

 

[thelanges5]

51 minutes ago, Finfineman said:

 Its alot of things but mostly starting Mathews, Festa and the others who have about three wins and ten losses.  Ive been saying it all year with soooooo many dissenters and negative replies.  They should have signed Sonny Gray.  His 13 wins with a 71-win team last year would have translated to the Twins winning the division and/or being solidly in a wild card position.  Dont tell me he wanted to leave.  That has been proven not true.  The Twins didnt try.  Good teams keep their good players.  The Twins revenue according to Forbes was 342 million in 2023.  Their payroll was 156 million.  That is almost a 200-million-dollar difference.  The Pohlads are worth about four billion.  Are you telling me they couldnt find 25 million to pay Gray or another Ace?  They paid themselves...... very well thank you........once again.  The bottom line is they lined their pockets and cheaped out......on us.......the fans.

Gray is on the Il to end the season. 

[NYCTK]

9 hours ago, S Bart said:

If I recall correctly, the only person on the support staff that was replaced was the trainer in 2024. The coaches remained the same.

Nobody has mentioned that the hitting coach should be somewhat responsible. For example, a prior post mentioned how the opposing teams seem to know that Lewis is weak on a couple of pitches which is probably why he has performed so poorly. Doesn't the hitting coach pick up on that sort of thing in order to help a player?

I also recall Watkins waving players in TOO many times which ended in easy outs.

I realize that Rocco is a "players' manager," but does he supervise his coaches and hold them accountable or at least guide them? Is he afraid that he will hurt their feelings? I mean, they have a job to do.

Joe Pohlad has been in charge of the team for less than two years. Does he supervise Levine and Falvey?

Somebody mentioned yesterday that the owners cannot be fired. Obviously!

If the Twins do not make it to the playoffs, I do plan to write a coherent/logic-based letter to each of these individuals. It probably will not do any good, (may make me feel better) but they put the team out there as part of the community and claim to represent the state. At least for me, I feel that they have a responsibility to seek out solutions to fix the team. This all started earlier this year when Jim (a year on the job) publicly commented about not spending money which was followed by the fans not being able to view the games on TV due to that big hiccup.

Think about the money and the time that the team spends on uniform changes each year. Players have turned into fashion models each winter via the team showing off the new uniforms in a PR piece. Cmon.

Board as of 2024 per the Twins Website

Chairman: Jim Pohlad (noted as Control Owner)

Board Member: Bill Pohlad

Board Member: Bob Pohlad

Board Member: Joe Pohlad (Noted as Executive Chair)

Board Member: Dave St. Peter

When I was a young kid, I ran into an elderly man with a stogie at Met Stadium and had a great chat with him. It was the legendary broadcaster Halsey Hall. Halsey (not Carey or Rizzuto) originated the baseball term, "Holy Cow". Unfortunately, he would not be saying it in a positive way based on what is taking place nowadays. Carneal and Hall are probably turning over in their graves.

I'm an old man who grew up with the Twins, Maybe I should not care, but it has been part of my life.

Billionaires are often obsessed with legacy. Send them the drastically different comments sections of Twins fans discussing Carl Pohlad and how Padres fans discuss Seidler. 

 

[chpettit19]

Total system failure of a month for the major league club. I'll be surprised if changes don't happen during the offseason. Not sure how you can look at this situation and think there's nothing that needs to change. Unless you made some profit and that's all you care about. You really want to alienate your fans? Follow up "right-size our business" after winning your first playoff series in 2 decades with not making any changes after the next season that saw your team completely collapse over the last month and a half of the season. Oh, and mix in having your team's games go dark on TV for many of your customers for multiple months while the team is actually entertaining. 

The Pohlads aren't going anywhere (or so I assume), but Dave St Peter should already be sipping mai tais on the beach somewhere after being fired. Falvey, Levine, and Rocco better be called into the owner's office and be able to explain their steadfast refusal to change tactics that lead to Manuel Margot being 9th on the team in plate appearances on the season, and 8th in plate appearances during the week your team watched their playoff spot finally go away.

On a related note, why is Edouard Julien on this roster right now? They have to have 14 position players. The core of their strategy is to use every last roster spot they can to find guys who can do 1 singular thing on the field and put them into position to do that 1 thing as often as possible even if it means them having to be in other spots they simply can't succeed in more often (see Margot, Manuel as example A). But then in the most important stretch of the season they handcuff themselves with a player they don't see any situations worthy of them playing in? Why not roster Keirsey or Helman or someone who you can at least use as a defensive sub and/or base stealer? 

I've been pretty neutral on the FO and Rocco. But watching the on and off field roster management decisions over the last week has been mind boggling. I can usually find some way to defend/explain their decisions. I don't get the Alcala or Henriquez demotion decisions. I don't get the Cole Irvin just because he's left handed when Zebby is cruising and not in trouble decision. I don't get the Julien on the roster decision. I don't get the Margot playing against righties decision. I don't get making decisions like it's July 23rd and not September 23rd. Time for new voices and new decision makers for the Twins.

[BH67]

6 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am in grid Madrid and the weather is beautiful and still I find myself following these games. I just had a good cup of Americano and I still can't get over this collapse. 

Take a baseball siesta. Set your alarm for March.

[thelanges5]

The organization they should model is the Padres. They seem to understand that sports is entertainment. They talk about winning and take action to support it. Sign exciting players, make moves to get better, and win. They are competitive every year and average over 40,000 fans per game.

We wouldn’t even have to spend as much money as them, but you have to give people a reason to watch, attend games, and buy merch. 

[NYCTK]

7 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Gray is on the Il to end the season. 

That's not really relevant. He had a pretty darn good year and 2 yr $50 mil left on his contract, which is pretty low risk, comparing to Correa's 4 yr $133 mil.