Ope, Didn't Mean to Let You Have Hope

[LyleCole]

I will disagree with the basic premise.  This was a "fire sale" of the 2025 season.  It is over and the management knew it.  

So they moved just about every player that was in their final year of their contracts and "sold" them as rental players to teams looking for specific talent.  Of course, the return on a rental player is not significant but the fact is they got something for players that they would become free agents at the end of the season (they could literally resign almost the entire lot of them).

Correa was a pure no doubt salary dump, but it is also a fact that Correa has not really played up to the level of his salary and missed a lot of time.  Saving that money, even if they had to send a lot of cash to Houston is potential addition through subtraction.  Signing Correa to his extension in Minnesota is one of the worst mistakes the team has made this century.

The only true "core" players that were traded were Duran and Jax.  I think the return for Duran was satisfactory.  MLB has Tait rated as the 4th ranked Twins prospect and Mick Abel as the 6th.  (Kaelen Culpepper is the 5th ranked player and while Most would disagree I would bring him up to the big leagues now).  I am less impressed by the return for Griffin Jax.  I am not sure about Taj Bradley as anything more than a 5th-spot starter on a good team.   

But if you look at the team's future much of their core players still remain.  This was a team that they tried to build around Buxton and Lewis, the only flaw in the plan being that htey can never stay healthy.   They still have a pretty solid top 3 starters in Lopez, Ryan, and Ober if they all stay healthy.  They have some reasonable players like Brooks Lee, Matt Wallner, Larnach, and Ryan Jeffers to complement and perhaps it is time to go for broke on Emmanuel Rodriguez (if he could stay healthy), Keaschall, and the aforementioned Culpepper. 

Even if 2026 is a down year a bit, going young gives them time to develop the pitchers too.  I think they need to commit themselves to rebuild aroudn the core players they have.

[Loops]

For management that wants better fan support this was not the right way to go about things. Why should we spend professional sports prices to see a AAA team? You can argue the way things were going was not moving us into deep playoff runs. But this just tells the fans that management has given up. It is a sad day to be sure. I just hope the new owners will show more of a commitment to the team without resorting to relocation.

[S Bart]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

The only core they got rid of is CC. That's it. Nothing else has changed in the core. 

So, you don't count the top 3 relievers as part of the "core" when the manager uses them excessively? I would also have considered Bader as a core piece in 2025. More importantly, Rocco struggled with the team dynamics previously and now...?. A good portion of this current team has little big league experience. I guess we will see...maybe the young guns will become the wild bunch out of the corral. 

[Mike Sixel]

8 minutes ago, S Bart said:

So, you don't count the top 3 relievers as part of the "core" when the manager uses them excessively? I would also have considered Bader as a core piece in 2025. More importantly, Rocco struggled with the team dynamics previously and now...?. A good portion of this current team has little big league experience. I guess we will see...maybe the young guns will become the wild bunch out of the corral. 

Sort of? It's the hitting and fielding, for to awful drafts and development, that is the core that needed replacing. That was really my point. That part isn't changed at all. Indeed, only one new player is on the roster...... And somehow no one could be better in center than Martin or Kiersey......

[S Bart]

20 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Sort of? It's the hitting and fielding, for to awful drafts and development, that is the core that needed replacing. That was really my point. That part isn't changed at all. Indeed, only one new player is on the roster...... And somehow no one could be better in center than Martin or Kiersey......

Martin and Kiersey :) right.....I think losing Bader and Castro are losses also...but they were expected via trades. The "coreless hitting" hasn't been there most of the season and the pitching is now much weaker. This whole thing reminds me of when that old fart Carl attempted to contract the team (the county and fans paid the brunt of the cost of the new stadium). It is more than just this week...it is comments made by JOE P, last fall, the streaming fiasco last season, Falvey, Rocco, etc...As mentioned on the Skor North broadcast today, there is little hope until they sell the team, wipe out the GM, manager., and invest. Until then, it will be AAA ball at best in my view. Twins fan for life here...but darn if I will buy a ticket until the sale takes place.

[Doctor Gast]

Thank each Twin that have left the Twins, a special thanks to those who were part of the '23 team. Correa, Castro, Duran, Jax, Stewart, & Varland, God bless you, have a great rest of the season & postseason & career. You'll be missed! Do us fans proud, I'll be cheering for each one of you!

[High heat]

Falvey doesn’t care he did it for his next job……MLB owners are a small group he was the good soldiers and did as was told to “ make right the payroll”.   Aka do what you have to do to make the Pohlads $ as they walk out the door.  
 

If the Pohlads are still owners in December and January he will sell both Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez for nothing.  
 

Team will be terrible for the next two seasons and hopefully new ownership comes in and fires the entire front office and a rebuild starts.  
 

Falvey will get another job in MLB someplace else, no future here and doesn’t care about getting future pieces here knowing his regime failure here and is getting replaced.  
 

It was and is all about making sure the Pohlads made money so they can pay the real estate taxes for there failed downtown buildings. 

[1985Fan]

I became a fan when I was young and the Twins were awful. I enjoyed the early Dome years when at least they had a manager with a sense of humor, they had some young guys that showed a glimmer of hope, and it looked like the team was playing hard. They were the absolute laughing stock of the league. Gaetti and others later told stories of opposing players calling them the “Twinkie’s’ and telling them they were a AAA team. They were hopeless, but since I root for the underdogs, I pulled harder for my Twinkies. You can imagine how crushing the end of the 85 season was with the Ron Davis blown saves. So much pain the fans endured.

Then came the miracle of 87. The long suffering fans erupted in pure, unadulterated joy. See video of the celebration at the Dome after beating the Tigers to see what fan appreciation and joy is. It’s impossible to describe the feeling of suffering with a team that finally triumphs. Read Jim Klobuchar’s column after Twins won in 87. He comes as close as possible in describing what that title meant to Twins fans and Minnesota. As Tug McGraw said, “you gotta believe!”
Fast forward to present. I am hopeful a new owner will flush the FO and manager to get this thing turned around. I hope it doesn’t get as bad as the early eighties! Sometimes you have to take the pain and suffering to truly appreciate the joy. Buckle up Twins fans, I think we’re in for a rough ride!

[tarheeltwinsfan]

8 hours ago, Glorybound said:

Well I guess Funderburk needs a job and pretty sure he couldn’t cut it on a winning team. Heck he might be the new closer.

Funderburk sure closed out the Cleveland game tonight.

[Robert Gauthier]

Reading the Strib article tonight, I have one thing to say to the scumbag owners, after this year I will not renew flex tix, and I hope the Pohlads are proud of what they did to their legacy.  They have padded the payroll with family, Pohlads illegitimate kid and they have shat on the fans too many times.  What they did to Varland was despicable, Falvey must go with new owners, his approach is a failure.  Pure and simple

[USAFChief]

14 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

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

That's the thing though.

Ditching France didn't save any money. Something like $100K

[USAFChief]

12 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

Your 100% correct - I can't comprehend the purpose of that other than to assume the Jays would take France (and the 350K he's still owed) unless we gave them Varland for nothing.  Since saving money appears to be the only goal - that would fit.

They didn't save $350K.

They're still going to pay someone (presumably the MLB minimum) to take his place on the 26 man.

They saved about $100K.

Not even Pohlad would give away Varland for $100K

[JD-TWINS]

On 8/1/2025 at 10:27 AM, ToddlerHarmon said:

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.

With Lewis hurt for last 2 years (while often underperforming) and CC hurt a big % of ‘24 …….. with Keaschall (a real Spark) going down almost immediately & with Lopez & Ober out………. there was no “one other guy” that pushes the Team forward and makes them a winner………more competitive, sure, but not 15 games better in ‘25 nor 8 games better in ‘24.

[JD-TWINS]

10 hours ago, USAFChief said:

That's the thing though.

Ditching France didn't save any money. Something like $100K

They could have traded France w/o Varland …… it makes no sense unless they really like the lefty from Toronto a bunch.

Who knows Louie may have texted Falvey an emoji after his Penmates were gone or maybe he yelled at the wrong guy in management?

Control through ‘30 - most appearance out of the Pen - putting together great year & a local kid made good……………I’m in Cincinnati and assumed their was some local buzz on what happened. I certainly don’t get it - have heard pundits on MLB TV say the pitcher from Toronto has a future.

I was not surprised or really bothered by any trade up until Jax - Taj Bradley has some experience and real upside, so I moved on - Varland though???

[NYCTK]

10 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

They could have traded France w/o Varland …

Varland was the centerpiece. Not a throw in. France probably isn't even discussed without the conversation starting around Varland. 

[The Great Hambino]

11 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

They could have traded France w/o Varland …… it makes no sense unless they really like the lefty from Toronto a bunch.

Who knows Louie may have texted Falvey an emoji after his Penmates were gone or maybe he yelled at the wrong guy in management?

Control through ‘30 - most appearance out of the Pen - putting together great year & a local kid made good……………I’m in Cincinnati and assumed their was some local buzz on what happened. I certainly don’t get it - have heard pundits on MLB TV say the pitcher from Toronto has a future.

I was not surprised or really bothered by any trade up until Jax - Taj Bradley has some experience and real upside, so I moved on - Varland though???

My theory: Louis was the anonymous source to Dan Hayes that no one wants to be here if there selling like this

[Hubie29]

On 8/1/2025 at 9:57 AM, 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.

Hopefully fans would be smart enough to stay away and not give the team a nickel.