Ope, Didn't Mean to Let You Have Hope

[Chris Hanel]

Image courtesy of © Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

There was a time, not so long ago, that the Minnesota Twins fanbase knew only one outcome. For close to two decades, no amount of momentum or excellence could counter the brick wall that awaited them in the postseason.

Eighteen consecutive times, the Twins threw all they had at that wall. They chipped, scraped, clawed, and flung themselves at it. In so many moments, it looked like they were through. But in the end, they were left unable to breach it, and in the aftermath, we were left scarred by the futility of it all.

Subsequently, even in the brightest moments of the regular season, the joy to be found was tinged with a sadness that it was only temporary. ‘Buy-in’ wasn’t feasible anymore, when even the mightiest lineups could be left without answers as soon as the postseason began. How can you get excited about a franchise when it seems to be governed by a completely different set of natural laws in October?

And then, 2023 happened. 

It was glorious, that brief moment in time. Twins players, some homegrown heroes, finally seemed to acknowledge how this ignominy had affected the fans, and responded by righteously seizing the moment. Pablo López reminded us how to believe in Minnesota. Royce Lewis put the offense on his back. Carlos Correa served as the defensive linchpin we knew him to be, and Jhoan Duran violently shut the door on the Toronto Blue Jays as the stadium lost its mind. It was a cleansing catharsis. We sobbed tears of relief we didn’t even remember we had in reserve. We saw with our own eyes what we refused to believe for so long: that victory was possible. And not just once, or twice, but three times! The Twins walked onto Target Field having split the first two games in Houston, possessing home-field advantage, and actually internalizing the idea that in the end, a path was laid in front of us all that didn’t lead to heartbreak.

No, the 2023 Twins didn’t bring home a trophy. But out of that ordeal, we were given a gift that might be just as valuable: being unburdened, by the notion that October baseball didn’t come with a pre-ordained outcome.

A resurgent team, a beautiful ballpark, a fanbase reinvigorated, and an organization primed to continue their hot hand. The wave that had gathered momentum since the hiring of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine in 2016 had finally reached its crest, and breached the first barrier that had stood since 2004. With that milestone achieved, Joe Pohlad and his kin were given the easiest layup in sports. That they could see the Minnesota Twins ascend to unprecedented heights, if they simply stayed the course and allowed the current that had carried them that far to continue pushing them forward.

But we would know the Pohlads’ feelings on the matter just weeks later. Any further progress would be on indefinite hold, in order to get the balance sheets in order, and ‘right-sizing’ was the watchword of the day. Now, 20 months later, with nearly half the roster sold and the franchise all but certain to follow, the fallout of that choice has been realized. It's another sad chapter in the story that’s unfolded since that brief window of euphoria.

Having been starved for financial support and paralyzed by a possible sale, Falvey has built a major-league roster that is now a shadow of its former peak. Bringing Correa to Minnesota and securing his long-term future was undoubtedly the signature achievement of the Twins front office, something Falvey could point to as proof that his mission was to not settle for playing the role of a small-market underdog. But surely, the game plan was that reinforcements would be needed to support the largest free-agent deal in franchise history, rather than serving as the final piece needed for contention. Now, a salary dump sending Correa back to the Astros serves as a depressing bookend to the Josh Donaldson fiasco, a move which helped free the resources to bring Correa to town in the first place.

Along with Correa, nine other players have been shipped to every corner of the league, and the quotes from current and former players alike have taken a sour tone. Rocco Baldelli’s clubhouse has never been a safe harbor for toxicity, but one has to believe he has the hardest test of his managerial tenure in front of him to close out this lost season.

Was this flurry of trades the right decision from a strategic perspective? Divorced from the emotion of the moment, I’m sure a strong argument is there. Many words have already been spilled on the core pieces that remain, the impermanence of what was lost, and how none of this should be regarded as a true rebuild. But I cannot shake the feeling that as the 2025 season is written off, we have had one very hard lesson dumped at our collective feet: The pain that we feel now was worth the money to someone else.

[Ed. note: Chris posted this on his blog here at TD, initially. We're moving it to the front page, with his permission, but go check out his work in that section, too.]

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[nicksaviking]

Depressing day for sure. So many talented MLB players removed for so many non-top prospects nobody has heard about. And people on this site are pretty well plugged in. It's just really hard to understand the motivation for most of these moves. 

[ToddlerHarmon]

Subtitled: How the Pohlad Kids Lost a Billion Dollars in Franchise Value.

They didn't have to sign Gray, or Kepler. One $20M/year slugging first baseman, instead of "right-sizing", and maybe the last 2 years we don't collapse.

Correa showed them how it could be done, and they weren't interested.

[farmerguychris]

6 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Depressing day for sure. So many talented MLB players removed for so many non-top prospects nobody has heard about. And people on this site are pretty well plugged in. It's just really hard to understand the motivation for most of these moves. 

I don't think its difficult at all to see the motivation for these moves - to keep more money in the Pohlad's pockets.  That was the obvious direction ownership gave the FO - 'go get back some of my money'. 

[mluebker]

Excellent eulogy for the end of an era. Regardless of whether there’s a new owner or if the Pohlads are still around, the Twins will be a very different team next year. And next year starts today.

[In My La Z boy]

The sale of the team is the paramount concern obviously. You have to believe Falvey was instructed to do this, and sadly, reports out of Houston seem to indicate Correa & Altuve cooked the Houston trade up. I think its good riddance Correa for working the phones and angling his way out of here and back to there. Must have been some bad team karma going around that clubhouse when your supposed leader is trying to get out. We still have a starting staff and an everyday lineup. Who needs a bullpen and a bench 🙃 Let's play the kids! 

[Bodie]

4 minutes ago, mluebker said:

Excellent eulogy for the end of an era. Regardless of whether there’s a new owner or if the Pohlads are still around, the Twins will be a very different team next year. And next year starts today.

Too bad it didn't start last September...

[Parfigliano]

I will never understand moving Varland.  It looks like it was just to ditch France.

[CRF]

I don't think even Falvey is that stupid, to gut the team like this on his own. He was given a directive to unload as much as he could. I'd even be willing to bet that he feels like sh*t today after he nuked the team yesterday. I'm sure they'll try and put some kind of positive spin on it, but no one will believe it. 

[Bodie]

17 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Depressing day for sure. So many talented MLB players removed for so many non-top prospects nobody has heard about. And people on this site are pretty well plugged in. It's just really hard to understand the motivation for most of these moves. 

Yesterday was not depressing, it was the first indication that anyone connected to putting this roster together (roster, not team - team indicates you have a collection greater than the sum of your parts.  This was an anti-team, a collection of 25 men worse together than as individuals) finally figured out that there wasn't much about the aggregate that merited keeping it assembled. 

Am I happy?  Hell no!!! There has been nothing about this ML "team" that gave me any hope for the future for far too long.  This is a good first step.  We all know what else needs to follow... hope Derrick was asking about job openings when calling around!

[LakesPibble]

The site is trollingus today.

[LastOnePicked]

I sometimes wonder how ultra-wealthy people became, or remain, ultra-wealthy. With the Pohlads, I'm completely stumped. Based on the way this franchise is run, I'm not even sure if they have the wits to tie their shoes.

But here's my big fear: yesterday's sell-off indicates to me that they're taking the team off the market. I can imagine them fielding a league-minimum salary club, milking revenue sharing for profits until 2030 and using those profits to pay off their personal debts. Then maybe they'll put the team up for sale again.

I don't mind some bumpy rebuild years. I mind if the Pohlads are involved in any way.

[Woof Bronzer]

13 minutes ago, CRF said:

I don't think even Falvey is that stupid, to gut the team like this on his own. He was given a directive to unload as much as he could. 

Exactly right.  Why in the world would Falvey choose to do this?

[Doc Lenz]

Underlying thing is Rocco’s job security through next year. When folks continue to ask for his firing they will say “ he’s doing a great job, who could win with this roster”. His mismanagement including a lack of teaching fundamentals is so obvious.  The “Twins way” is to pack and leave town.

[LewFordLives]

34 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

I will never understand moving Varland.  It looks like it was just to ditch France.

Agreed. I didn't have a problem with trading most of those guys. I certainly didn't like the return we got for some of them, but at least you can justify the move in your head. Even Duran. I hate the trade and hate the return, but if the goal was to save money, at least that's a reason.  

But Varland, Stewart, and to some degree Jax?   Why???  Varland and Stewart aren't making that much and they were essentially given away for nothing. Varland isn't even arbitration eligible.  Was this done purely out of spite?

[Spiritualized]

28 minutes ago, In My La Z boy said:

The sale of the team is the paramount concern obviously. You have to believe Falvey was instructed to do this, and sadly, reports out of Houston seem to indicate Correa & Altuve cooked the Houston trade up. I think its good riddance Correa for working the phones and angling his way out of here and back to there. Must have been some bad team karma going around that clubhouse when your supposed leader is trying to get out. We still have a starting staff and an everyday lineup. Who needs a bullpen and a bench 🙃 Let's play the kids! 

Agree 100%. The Pohlands have done so much damage to a once proud franchise. Who would even want to play here? What free agent? The only way I'd attend a Twins game is if they lowered their prices to that of the Saints and even then there'd have to be free beer involved...

I can't be bothered with this club until new ownership is appointed and even then I'll be suspicious. It's damn sad.

[GeorgeLooney]

11 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

I sometimes wonder how ultra-wealthy people became, or remain, ultra-wealthy. With the Pohlads, I'm completely stumped. Based on the way this franchise is run, I'm not even sure if they have the wits to tie their shoes.

But here's my big fear: yesterday's sell-off indicates to me that they're taking the team off the market. I can imagine them fielding a league-minimum salary club, milking revenue sharing for profits until 2030 and using those profits to pay off their personal debts. Then maybe they'll put the team up for sale again.

I don't mind some bumpy rebuild years. I mind if the Pohlads are involved in any way.

This right here 

[Randy Griffith]

Someday, when all the dust has settled, we will once again have a team capable of reaching the post-season.  Let's hope that all those players traded away won't have extra incentive to get back at the organization that made them so unhappy.  Bring up the Wind Surge team as a group, and let them learn together at the Major League level.  Get a manager in here who will bunt, hit-and-run, bench players for poor performance or lack of hustle, and let the chips fall where they may.

[Muppet]

No worries about this from me. This team was terrible. Without the White Sox being all-time terrible, the Twins were battling for worst in the AL. This core was not going to compete next year either. It is a bummer to lose Varland, but I'm not getting all worked up about it.  Duran was the best player to get traded, hopefully they got more than they gave up. Most of the rest were leaving after this year, overrated (Jax), or dragging the team down (Correa).

I am in no position to have an opinion on the haul they brought in, so I'm not going to try. Sure I don't know whether I'd trust the front office to do a great job, but  just in executing this fire sale they did better than they could have. 

To me this is a fresh start. If the 2026 team is going to suck, at least it will be with young hopefuls rather than old has-beens. Now if the team is sold, the new owners, presuming they will spend money, have a blank slate to play with... and hopefully a larger pool of quality prospects to develop. 

They burned it to the ground, and for that I am happy. 

[Bodie]

13 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Exactly right.  Why in the world would Falvey choose to do this?

Why on the world would you put this roster together?  Or even worse, the roster they broke spring training with?  That is inexplicable. 

Recognizing that you have built a turd sandwich when shooting for a BLT, and burning it down is the sanest thing about this last 2 years!

[Woof Bronzer]

Just now, Bodie said:

Recognizing that you have built a turd sandwich when shooting for a BLT, and burning it down is the sanest thing about this last 2 years!

Burning it down doesn't help Falvey though.  It only helps the Pohlads.  You think Falvey is planning for, what, 2031 as the next window?  There's almost no chance he's still here in 6 years.  

[P Meyer]

39 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

I will never understand moving Varland.  It looks like it was just to ditch France.

I know some disagree with this, but IMO it is the only reason I can see to trade a player they didn't need to trade while getting an underwhelming return.

[Bodie]

Just now, Woof Bronzer said:

Burning it down doesn't help Falvey though.  It only helps the Pohlads.  You think Falvey is planning for, what, 2031 as the next window?  There's almost no chance he's still here in 6 years.  

F##k Falvey. He is gone.  New ownership or not.  Yesterday was the unofficial announcement that the Twins will have a new GM.   Everything he has done regarding everyday players has just been publicly repudiated.   Toss in the tarnish that is the vaunted "pitching pipeline" and what is there to hang your hat on?

Either he is gone at the end of the year, or he will be a titular GM with zero say in player decision (done in the hope he quits saving a few bucks...), and the boy genius won't stand for that...

I want him fired.  Publicly. With reasons explicitly spelled out.  I want it done rudely and with a 1 hour time limit for him to get everything off Twins property.   With  promises of law enforcement removing him if he is still there in 61 minutes.

I won't get my wish, but he ain't going going to be the man with the say-so no matter what.

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

It's just really hard to understand the motivation for most of these moves. 

The motivation is pretty obvious though. This team is bad. And this team would continue to be bad in 2026. 

So they decided to mix things up. Trading from the talented yet volatile and underperforming bullpen to try to build up the team elsewhere. And getting rid of a bad contract of an aging former star. 

The Varland move itself is also easy to understand even if you disagree with it. They got a great pitching prospect and a major league ready LF that's younger (and more encouraging) than Larnach. For a failed starter that has had a pretty good season as a RP but whose upside we know is limited.

[Aggies7]

1 hour ago, In My La Z boy said:

The sale of the team is the paramount concern obviously. You have to believe Falvey was instructed to do this, and sadly, reports out of Houston seem to indicate Correa & Altuve cooked the Houston trade up. I think its good riddance Correa for working the phones and angling his way out of here and back to there. Must have been some bad team karma going around that clubhouse when your supposed leader is trying to get out. We still have a starting staff and an everyday lineup. Who needs a bullpen and a bench 🙃 Let's play the kids! 

This is the story right here. We’ve all worked in toxic environments with bad management at some point. It’s not even a debate anymore about the manager’s inability to competently run the clubhouse. The fact that he’s still employed after the events of yesterday.is mind numbing. 

[Woof Bronzer]

1 minute ago, Bodie said:

F##k Falvey. He is gone.  New ownership or not.  Yesterday was the unofficial announcement that the Twins will have a new GM.   Everything he has done regarding everyday players has just been publicly repudiated.   Toss in the tarnish that is the vaunted "pitching pipeline" and what is there to hang your hat on?

Either he is gone at the end of the year, or he will be a titular GM with zero say in player decision (done in the hope he quits saving a few bucks...), and the boy genius won't stand for that...

I want him fired.  Publicly. With reasons explicitly spelled out.  I want it done rudely and with a 1 hour time limit for him to get everything off Twins property.   With  promises of law enforcement removing him if he is still there in 61 minutes.

I won't get my wish, but he ain't going going to be the man with the say-so no matter what.

I don't like Falvey, I want him gone too.  The Pohlads obviously like him, because he does what they want and makes them money.  A self respecting GM would have quit yesterday, because the Pohlads ensured the team will be worse which will reflect on him.  This is what Terry Ryan did the first time around.  But for some reason Falvey stayed.  I suspect we'll learn why soon - either the Pohlads aren't selling and he just secured his job for the foreseeable future ("see, I can take orders, I can cut costs") or maybe he is going to receive some golden parachute when a new owner takes over so he's just hanging on long enough to cash in.  Who knows.

As long as the Pohlads are here, so is Falvey.  

 

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, farmerguychris said:

I don't think its difficult at all to see the motivation for these moves - to keep more money in the Pohlad's pockets.  That was the obvious direction ownership gave the FO - 'go get back some of my money'. 

Yeah, a lot of it is saving the Pohlad's some cash for sure. But that doesn't explain the very inexpensive Louie Varland.

[NYCTK]

29 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Burning it down doesn't help Falvey though.  It only helps the Pohlads.  You think Falvey is planning for, what, 2031 as the next window?  There's almost no chance he's still here in 6 years.  

This drastically overstates MLB rebuilds. As long as you have a middle tier farm system and a clear vision, you can turnover a roster and compete pretty quickly. It just takes bold management. Don't think Falvey is the guy that is going to be able to do that, happy to see him fired, but there's at least now a path. Is 2027 overly ambitious? A bit, but that's about the end of Buxton's shelf-life so I see them really trying to build towards that. 

 

 

[CRF]

I hope to God, that yesterdays debacle doesn't mean that the team is no longer for sale. That would be a crushing final blow to this whole mess. It's bad enough that the Twins will suck for the next few years, but to not have a new ownership group in here, would destroy all hope.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

The thrill of victory AND THE AGONY OF DEFEAT. My Houston Astro friend texted me a thank you for returning  his merchandise and for paying for the shipping. I couldn't even think of a clever reply, because he was correct.