Front Office Sports: There is 'momentum' towards a sale of the Minnesota Twins, could be just weeks away

[clone52]

On 8/4/2025 at 1:25 PM, Mike Sixel said:

Well, the FO said this isn't  a rebuild.....but neither of us believe that. Also again, I was replying to a post, and that was the context of my reply. Nothing more or less.

Let's be clear, though, most sites think the Twins have a lot of good prospects, but not many great ones. Since none of us are scouts, we kind of have to rely on those sites for perspective. Or not,, but that's what I do. 

Sure, everything could work! The Twins could fix Outman (hahahahaha) and Raj (who hasn't been good in the majors at all) and all of the LH OF that need to be on the 40 man somehow get playing time, and all the pitchers they traded for could reach their ceiling! (I keep seeing posts that say "if they trades work out perfectly, the Twins win the trades"....hawt takes!). But, the TWins haven't fixed any hitters under this FO. (I don't see you doing this, btw).

I do think they can build a bullpen over two years from this group. I have no idea if they have enough SP though, especially if this is a rebuild and they deal Ryan/Lopez. I have no confidence this FO can identify and develop hitters and defenders,. 

Of course it is difficult to predict prospects.......which is one reason I found it odd the Twins took most of the risk in these deals. I love they went for ceiling, though......so who knows? 

 

I don't know if its a rebuild or a retool, but its not like they gutted the entire roster.  They only gutted the bullpen. 

It is going to depend on the new owners, there are really two options.  Complete rebuild and contend in 2028 or retool and contend right away.

If they decide they can't contend, there could be a bigger selloff.  Lopez, Ryan, Ober, or you maybe sign Ryan and/or Ober if you think they can anchor a competative rotation in their mid-30's.  Jeffers, maybe even Lewis.

I think they can contend quickly.  Their rotation is really solid, and thats usually the hardest to get right.  They have a TON of outfield options (Buxton, Larnach, Wallner, Roden, Outman, Rodriguez, Jenkins, Gonzalaz, Mendez).  You'd have to have injury luck finally, but 3B is solid.  With Lee, Keaschall and Culpepper, the middle infield is covered.   Catcher is covered next year and you likely sign Jeffers longer.

1B is a big hole that if the new owner wanted to spend money, they could do a good job there.

You need catching depth, so that is a spot.

And finally the bullpen.  You've got to get that right, but there some internal options, specifically converting SPs to RPs (Prielipp, Raya, Rojas, Culpepper, Lewis for prospects or Zebby, Festa, Abel for guys who've gotten a taste).  Another option is dipping into the OF and SP prospect depth to trade for RPs.  This would best be done in the offseason, rather than at the deadline.

[The Great Hambino]

The more I think about it, the more I think the impending lockout is going to make for a really weird market for player transactions this offseason as well as during the 2026 season.  How do you plan for a competitive window if there's a real risk you're not even sure there will be much of a season, if any, in 2027?  And even if there were, it's feeling like there's going to be substantial changes that will alter how rosters are constructed.  I wonder if this might accelerate that window for some teams so they get more aggressive in 2026; it may also push teams to consider a longer-term rebuild if they think they're a couple of years away.  Does this influence the direction the Twins take over these next couple of years regardless of ownership?  Is it worth it trying to quickly rebuild a core around the Lopez/Ryan timeline if you might lose a big chunk of that 2027 season?  What even happens to player contracts in a lost season?

If I'm Falvey and ownership is letting me make the call, I might aim for 2028 if I'm otherwise on the fence given all the uncertainty.  If more teams to decide to go all in for 2026, Lopez and Ryan become even more valuable in the trade market

[nicksaviking]

18 minutes ago, clone52 said:

 

I think they can contend quickly.  Their rotation is really solid, and thats usually the hardest to get right.  

 

I don't disagree, but new owners would also have to say we are contending RIGHT NOW. Ryan, Lopez and Ober are in their primes right now, they would need to add at least two middle of the order bats ASAP or the offense peak isn't going to line up with the rotation peak.

The bullpen is tougher because I don't think you can build that with free agents or trades; it's time and patience to figure out how and which internal guys can make the step up.  Specifically, which former starters will step up as relievers. You got Sands, but the next crop of former starters-turned-relievers are still starters and it usually takes at least a season of full time bullpen work before they start paying off. 

If contending is the goal of the new owners, they are going to have a tough needle to thread.

[nicksaviking]

6 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

If I'm Falvey and ownership is letting me make the call, I might aim for 2028 if I'm otherwise on the fence given all the uncertainty.  If more teams to decide to go all in for 2026, Lopez and Ryan become even more valuable in the trade market

You might be right. And the three starters will be 32 in 2028; I'd probably want nothing to do with them long term then. 

I still don't want Falvey make that decision this year though since he certainly won't be dealing with the aftermath.

[Squirrel]

On 8/3/2025 at 9:49 AM, Fatbat said:

Yes, he did some nice things as a Twin. Most notably in their playoff run but I stand by my statement. Its nice to see him in an Astros uniform again. 
Not spending $35M/season for the next 3 years on him can help the team more than he could. 

Keep in mind, his salary isn’t the reason the Twins don’t/won’t spend money. And his salary isn’t the reason the Twins can’t seem to win. All this is is making Correa the scapegoat

[clone52]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I don't disagree, but new owners would also have to say we are contending RIGHT NOW. Ryan, Lopez and Ober are in their primes right now, they would need to add at least two middle of the order bats ASAP or the offense peak isn't going to line up with the rotation peak.

The bullpen is tougher because I don't think you can build that with free agents or trades; it's time and patience to figure out how and which internal guys can make the step up.  Specifically, which former starters will step up as relievers. You got Sands, but the next crop of former starters-turned-relievers are still starters and it usually takes at least a season of full time bullpen work before they start paying off. 

If contending is the goal of the new owners, they are going to have a tough needle to thread.

You're not wrong.  There is some circular logic.  If I think the team can contend in 2026, then they could have contended in 2025.  But, if people think the trade deadline "decimated" the team, then the only thing the Twins have to replace is a bullpen and they can contend again.

There are some other things that could help in 2026.  Keaschall and Lewis being healthy and good.  Jenkins, Rodriguez, Culpepper making the leap to the majors.  If a new owner wants to spend a bit, finding a solid 1B to maybe fill the hole left by what a healthy Correa could have been.

It seems like the "worst" trade was Varland.  But Kendry Rojas might be a stud.

I still think that if they want to contend in 2026, filling in the bullpen is absolutely possible.

 

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, clone52 said:

You're not wrong.  There is some circular logic.  If I think the team can contend in 2026, then they could have contended in 2025.  But, if people think the trade deadline "decimated" the team, then the only thing the Twins have to replace is a bullpen and they can contend again.

There are some other things that could help in 2026.  Keaschall and Lewis being healthy and good.  Jenkins, Rodriguez, Culpepper making the leap to the majors.  If a new owner wants to spend a bit, finding a solid 1B to maybe fill the hole left by what a healthy Correa could have been.

It seems like the "worst" trade was Varland.  But Kendry Rojas might be a stud.

I still think that if they want to contend in 2026, filling in the bullpen is absolutely possible.

 

This whole time my position had been that if the team added about 20M or so in payroll to sign a Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber, AND got a manger and coaching staff that wants to and is able to work with young players, this team would have been a contender next year (or the last two years actually).

But this sell off definitely put a damper on that. Not only because the bullpen got decimated, but because the Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber types would laugh and then hang up if the Twins called them. No big time free agents will want to come here now

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

This whole time my position had been that if the team added about 20M or so in payroll to sign a Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber, AND got a manger and coaching staff that wants to and is able to work with young players, this team would have been a contender next year (or the last two years actually).

But this sell off definitely put a damper on that. Not only because the bullpen got decimated, but because the Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber types would laugh and then hang up if the Twins called them. No big time free agents will want to come here now

Next year's FA market is pretty weak.

[The Great Hambino]

16 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Next year's FA market is pretty weak.

If that's true, then it seems to me that would mean it's an even nicer time to be a seller in the trade market

[laloesch]

On 8/3/2025 at 10:43 AM, Hrbowski said:

Last year was an incredible season for him, and over the course of a full season he would have been up there with Bobby Witt Jr. I think you need to reconsider your statement. He had two of his best seasons ever with the Twins, changed the clubhouse culture for the better, and was a great mentor to the young players. He had two down seasons where he was plagued by injury, yet Twins fans who love misery will only remember that.

Not a full season though, he missed 3 full months and he had a massive 4 week drought mixed in during that time that he played out of.  In 2023 he was mediocre at best and in 2025 he was downright awful with a 2 month stretch where he literally hit nothing and grounded into double plays over and over again, plus strikeouts.  That's how he was in 2023 too.  Long droughts, strikeouts galore.  The Twins got lucky and unloaded him.

[tony&rodney]

17 hours ago, laloesch said:

The Twins got lucky and unloaded him.

Well, there is still the $11+M per year for the next 3 years to pay. Either way, Correa is now history.

The club may not sell before the CBA is completed and this may drag into 2027. We just have zero idea how the sale of the team will go down. Drop the price to $1B and perhaps it sells quickly.

The Twins are not going to spend the $20M per year saved on players. It is folly to expect a $135M payroll in 2026. Look for something closer to $90M. 

Yes, the team needs a new owner and management. It doesn't seem imminent. Patience is our only resource as fans.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

On 8/8/2025 at 12:39 PM, clone52 said:

You're not wrong.  There is some circular logic.  If I think the team can contend in 2026, then they could have contended in 2025.  But, if people think the trade deadline "decimated" the team, then the only thing the Twins have to replace is a bullpen and they can contend again.

There are some other things that could help in 2026.  Keaschall and Lewis being healthy and good.  Jenkins, Rodriguez, Culpepper making the leap to the majors.  If a new owner wants to spend a bit, finding a solid 1B to maybe fill the hole left by what a healthy Correa could have been.

It seems like the "worst" trade was Varland.  But Kendry Rojas might be a stud.

I still think that if they want to contend in 2026, filling in the bullpen is absolutely possible.

 

They traded away 10 major leaguers at the deadline. 40% of the active roster

[Hubie29]

25 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

They traded away 10 major leaguers at the deadline. 40% of the active roster

And that's a good thing!

[bunsen82]

On 8/8/2025 at 10:49 AM, Squirrel said:

Keep in mind, his salary isn’t the reason the Twins don’t/won’t spend money. And his salary isn’t the reason the Twins can’t seem to win. All this is is making Correa the scapegoat

The contract timing was not good. Other than the playoff series, I never viewed Correa as a leader.  We no longer have Correa, Buxton still recovering and no bullpen and we have won 4 of 7 games. Other then small sample sizes what changed, still the same  manager. 
 

personally to me the pieces didn’t quite fit for whatever reason.  I’m not saying this version will be better, but what the Twins were doing wasn’t working.  

[Richie the Rally Goat]

50 minutes ago, Hubie29 said:

And that's a good thing!

I’m not sure I agree, the hitters traded away may not have been the right pieces to the puzzle, but the returns received were not major league players.

also I was responding to the poster who said “all they have to do is replace the bullpen”. 
 

the way I see it, they need to field a major league roster again. It’s not “just the bullpen” they need to find 3 to 5 very good relievers, a SS, starting pitcher, a left fielder, a 4th outfielder, a second baseman and a first baseman to compete.

they do not have all of those pieces internally, they may have a few of them.

they will not fill all those gaps this offseason. More likely the tear down continues.

Preparing for 2026 is a farce. It seems like a possibility to me that we could watch a Pittsburgh style perpetual rebuild for the next decade.

these games since the deadline have absolutely been more enjoyable to watch. Scrappy underdog is far more enjoyable than underachieving veterans. But the shine will fade on the scrappy underdog mentality like it did in the 90s. At least Buxton is better than Coomer.

I believe either the potential new owner signed off on all this, or the Pohlads don’t have a buyer and are cleaning off the books for the long haul. Both bode ominous

 

[nicksaviking]

On 8/8/2025 at 2:49 PM, USAFChief said:

Next year's FA market is pretty weak.

Literally only four  guys I’d want. 
 

And now with the sell off, none of those four will want to come here.

in particular, Schwarber as a DH only is going to struggle getting the money he wants. With the Nelson Cruz, Jim Thome and then going back to Winfield and Molitor, this would have been a total Twin-signing, but not if this team is in tank mode.

[nicksaviking]

On 8/8/2025 at 3:08 PM, The Great Hambino said:

If that's true, then it seems to me that would mean it's an even nicer time to be a seller in the trade market

But also means there’s no need to shed salary. If there’s no one to buy, just hold on to your wallet. Why dump Correa’s contract if there’s nothing to spend the savings on? 
 

 

[Mike Sixel]

17 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

But also means there’s no need to shed salary. If there’s no one to buy, just hold on to your wallet. Why dump Correa’s contract if there’s nothing to spend the savings on? 
 

 

To have more money. The fifth yacht needs a wash. 

[nicksaviking]

5 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

To have more money. The fifth yacht needs a wash. 

Yeah, do you need a Balkan yacht and a Baltic yacht? Can't you just have one that sails around the Iberian peninsula and meets you where you want to cruise?

Asking for a fiend. I gave up my yacht odysseys when I had kids.

[The Great Hambino]

3 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

But also means there’s no need to shed salary. If there’s no one to buy, just hold on to your wallet. Why dump Correa’s contract if there’s nothing to spend the savings on? 
 

 

My understanding is there's plenty of debt service to spend the savings on

[USAFChief]

Nm

[Fatbat]

On 8/8/2025 at 10:49 AM, Squirrel said:

Keep in mind, his salary isn’t the reason the Twins don’t/won’t spend money. And his salary isn’t the reason the Twins can’t seem to win. All this is is making Correa the scapegoat

You can buy alot of talent with $33M/yr. He had some great production but he had horrid stretches and IL stints. You can buy that kind of stuff for the major league minimum salary. Then spend the other $32M on guys that actually produce and are in the lineup every day. 

[tony&rodney]

12 hours ago, Fatbat said:

You can buy alot of talent with $33M/yr. He had some great production but he had horrid stretches and IL stints. You can buy that kind of stuff for the major league minimum salary. Then spend the other $32M on guys that actually produce and are in the lineup every day. 

Look over the list of free agents that can be signed for the 2026 season. Correa's contract released a bit over $20M ($32-11.33 Twins pay). Who are you going to sign? Who will sign? Does anyone believe the roster payroll will be above $100M?

[Fatbat]

2 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Look over the list of free agents that can be signed for the 2026 season. Correa's contract released a bit over $20M ($32-11.33 Twins pay). Who are you going to sign? Who will sign? Does anyone believe the roster payroll will be above $100M?

Payroll will be over $100M and it will be new ownership paying bills. I don’t know who they will target in trades or FA but a new roster will be built and it wont have Gasper or other AAAA guys. 

[tony&rodney]

5 minutes ago, Fatbat said:

Payroll will be over $100M and it will be new ownership paying bills. I don’t know who they will target in trades or FA but a new roster will be built and it wont have Gasper or other AAAA guys. 

Like the optimism.

[yeahyabetcha]

33 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Look over the list of free agents that can be signed for the 2026 season. Correa's contract released a bit over $20M ($32-11.33 Twins pay). Who are you going to sign? Who will sign? Does anyone believe the roster payroll will be above $100M?

When was the last time is was under $100?

[tony&rodney]

On 8/10/2025 at 8:45 AM, yeahyabetcha said:

When was the last time is was under $100?

2014. Don't count Covid year.

If the team is not sold, it seems very plausible. There is a very weak collection of free agents this winter. Combine that with one or more potential trades and the payroll drops pretty fast.

Cleveland and Tampa Bay are both competitive with payrolls below $100M and Milwaukee currently has the best record in baseball at less than $115M. 

[Squirrel]

13 hours ago, Fatbat said:

You can buy alot of talent with $33M/yr. He had some great production but he had horrid stretches and IL stints. You can buy that kind of stuff for the major league minimum salary. Then spend the other $32M on guys that actually produce and are in the lineup every day. 

You’ve missed what I’m saying, by a wide margin. So, you advocate for dumpster diving and bargain bin shopping, confident that mish mash will click and bring us a championship. That’s literally what youre saying yet many on these boards have chastised and criticized the Pohlads and FO over the years for being cheap. We all knew when Correa was signed he’d likely be moving to 3rd, thinking we had heir apparents in the wings. But for once we had a legitimate SS, something we haven’t had for years. Someone who could make the plays and be a leader on the field. He still had a couple of great years, even with the injuries, and I bet has more. But the point isn’t that we were hamstrung by Correa, we were hamstrung by Pohlads and the FO. Pohlads reduced salary after we finally had success in the playoffs, success largely due to Correa, btw. And where are the developed SS who could move Correa to third? Nowhere. Lee is nowhere near the SS Correa is, not even close. And even with time, he likely wont ever be. Did the FO draft the wrong person or is something wrong with development in the minors? We thought Royce would play short, then Lee, now we’re already looking at who is coming next. None project to be as good as what we had. So yeah, let’s dumpster dive for a SS. Lets bargain bin shop for a new team with .33million. Who’s out there? Yes, $33mil is going to buy us a team to go all the way. Without the one thing a team needs, a truly competent SS. 

[ashbury]

2 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Payroll will be over $100M and it will be new ownership paying bills. I don’t know who they will target in trades or FA but a new roster will be built and it wont have Gasper or other AAAA guys. 

You can't tell us the name of the new ownership, but you can tell us what they will do with certain players we have.

[Ghost of Kirby Puckett]

On 8/3/2025 at 9:19 AM, tony&rodney said:

FWIW, the first post deadline evaluation of organizational minor league talent put the Twins at 9th among all MLB teams and notes that all of the teams above them have much more high end talent - Fangraphs.

There are dozens of sites, some done by teenagers and some by AI, and a few may put the team above where Fangraphs puts them. 

While I am a big fan of Winokur and possibly Tait at A+, Jenkins and K. Culpepper at AA, and Keaschall at AAA, it must be noted that the Twins are still not benching good prospects because of any surplus at any level.

We 100% have a top five minor league ranking right now. Hell, even Keith Law, not AI or a teenager, who I've wondered if the Pohlads may have stolen his grandfather's farm back into the day and that explains his distaste of Twins prospects over the years, loves us in his most recent rankings. He has both Prielipp and Culpepper top 60. Along with Abel, Tait, Keaschall, EmRod and Jenkins. That is some serious talent spread out over three levels. When Gallagher is your 16 or 17th best prospect, you're doing really well.

And since you mention Winokur, who I also like, I believe he is also on the rise. His last two months he has raked, and I believe he is around 25%k rate on the season, but since the beginning of June, that number sits right around 20%. He has a ways to go, but man his skills are insane for anyone who hasn't seen him yet. Literally the guy is a 60 imo at pretty much everything but hit tool, that needs quite a bit of polish. He is very young for his level, and being asked to play the most demanding positions on the field minus Catcher. Id repeat him at Cedar Rapids to start next year, in the hopes he goes off early and really FORCES that promotion to Double AA, which will be a great challenge. But man for his age, it's still impressive. And his size, it's just crazy how he moves. Has an absolute hose. And is like a runaway freight train once he gets rolling. Fun fun player to watch.