Week in Review: Expectations Gone, Energy Unlocked

[DocBauer]

I'm staying out of the Correa convention because I'm focused on the NOW, and 2026.

Winning is a lot more fun than losing. "It's better than losing, you know?" There is no pressure on the team right now. And they have been winning some games, and have been close in a couple of losses. Some of the guys on the team right now are just enjoying what might be the hilight of their baseball career and have little chance of being part of 2026 for the Twins, or anybody else. I'm NOT being a DOWNER, I'm stating obvious truth. That DOESN'T mean we shouldn't enjoy wins and good performance! We should enjoy the good stories and good moments as they happen. But there's also storylines taking place for us to watch.

1] KEASCHALL is just NOT this good. Nobody is! LOL. But he's very talented and has a good all around profile. If his arm heals even close to 100%, he has a chance to play some LF/CF in certain situations, but he's probably the 2B for the next several years. I see some All Star appearances in his future. (But let's not freak pit when he slumps at some point).

2] LEE still has less than 600 ML PA. Considering his college and MILB career, can we stop freaking out that he's a BUST at this point? His bat needs some serious improvement as he just doesn't look like the prospect/player he is supposed to be. IMO, he's a decent/solid ML SS. That's enough...at least in the temporary...especially if/when his bat turns around. How he finishes, and what he learns and what he does in the offseason to get ready for 2026 is important. But any sort of BUST label is ridiculous at this point.

3] CULPEPPER is, frankly, better offensive and defensively from EVERY report and obvious success thus far. While not putting up the same numbers, he's basically on the same kind of trajectory that Keaschall is on. That doesn't mean he has to be the starting SS when 2026 begins. Maybe, like Keaschall, he starts in AAA to begin 2026. That's just not a bad thing. I'll let the Twins make that decision. But I'm not opposed to the Twins following more of a "Brewers" way of being more aggressive with top prospects. 

3A] RYAN FITZGERALD is a 30yo AAAA player. But a good 7 weeks showing some actual ML ability could make him a useful utility player to begin 2026 rather than signing a veteran FA for a few $M. And he might not be worth bringing back. But having SOMEONE for depth and options when you're waiting on Lee and Culpepper is probably needed. But IF Fitzgerald can show ANYTHING, it would be better to have a minimum deal guy and spend $ elsewhere, such as in the pen.

4] RODEN hasn't shown much yet for the Jays or the Twins. But we want to make a decision on his future after 140 ML PA? Really hard to ignore a 25yo player with his MILB numbers and suddenly decide he's a nobody.

5] ABEL and BRADLEY have great arms and a lot of potential. And they will be up at some point. And I can't wait to see them. But the Twins taking a look at them at AAA for a few starts where they tweak a few things isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

6] The PEN is a collection of misfit toys at this point. But Sands still has a solid arm with some pretty good stuff even though he's had a disappointing season. Can he finish strong and tweak a couple of things? Adams and Ohl have some potential as 7th-8th men in the pen. They've been training themselves all season for future roles as 1/2 and occasional 3 IP roles. Hopefully they can be used in that manner over the next 7 weeks. Topa is pitching for 2026. Can he prove his worth? Unfortunately, I've pretty much given up on Funderburk ever harnessing his stuff and being a reliable part of the pen. Could he MAYBE take a step forward to finish the season?

Thomas Hatch is an almost 32yo that has found very limited success at the ML level. Personally, I have little hope he's any kind of potential late career steal. But the year younger Brooks Kriske at least has a really good MILB career that's just NEVER translated to the ML level. (You'd be impressed if you took a moment to look). He at least offers SOME intrigue to watch going forward. But either or both could be gone tomorrow for another veteran DFA candidate that they want to look at. The same holds true for Ramirez and Urena, fill ins after the PURGE and SWR, Festa, and Lopez still out.

And there will be others signed in the offseason to replace some or all of those guys as the Twins search and hope for the next Thielbar and Stewart hopefuls. But it's worth watching to see if they DO find another one of those arms.

Young players and young arms are what I'm watching. Who takes advantage of opportunity? Who maybe takes a half step forward and builds toward 2026? (MILB included). Is there anyone they have yet to pick up that might turn our heads a bit?

The Twins are still worth watching for these reasons. While winning is better than losing, it's development and a possible surprise or two that I'm looking forward to.

[Derojo]

I laugh at: "One of the Twins darkest moments." I reject the drivel that comes out of the emotional destabilization of "fans" who don't understand (don't care?) what it takes to win a World Series. The Twins future is much brighter. Twins gained tier one and tier two prospects (Keaschall is tier two) while tearing apart an offense that consistently underperformed for over five years. Remember Joe Mauer, who never even sniffed a chance at the World Series? It's despicable that a player of his caliber never had a chance to play in the World Series.

I would far more watch a team with young players, and new prospects that learn how to play, than the offensive non-competitiveness we've had for over half a decade, and longer. The Twins were going nowhere near a World Series with this pre-trade team. Clutch players win, and we need more of them. If you can't beat the Yankees, you're not going to the World Series.

Now, we have several to many significant prospects that will come up starting in less than a year. Puckett, Gaetti, Hrbek, Brunansky, were all very young. We added: Gladden (thirty years old in 87), Baylor, and so on in 87. The 87 team had a very good young core, with Puckett being exceptional. 

We have Buxton, though he still gets injured. And we need a young core of four to five players that can compete. We don't have that yet. We might in one to two, possibly three years. You can go out in free agency like the Yankees and the Dodgers and buy your players. That's not going to work for the Twins.

BTW - The MLB landscape is far more competitive now than it was in 87 and 91, so its going to be more difficult in this age of MLB to bring home a World Series title. If you're not focused on that, you're not a fan of baseball. Which describes our current owners.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

10 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Fitzgerald is thirty. He's not part of the future. Lee was a highly regarded player, that's who you play and see if he can improve or not. 

Yes.  But at the moment Lee is effectively showing us nothing.  Maybe the thirty year old journeyman can plug the hole temporarily.  Playing time for him becomes more critical the longer Lee scuffles.  The real question (in both cases actually) is is there anything there.   

[D.C Twins]

Late to the party, buuuuutttt....

Good Lord... it was simply a X-MAS MIRACLE that we were able to unload Correa.

He was replacement level-ish this year but will be an absolute disaster by the end of this contract.

Nick.... he is already not a SS and it is on record that he no longer wanted to be one.... why are you arguing like he would have been our SS next year if we still had him? 

What if he became petulant and refused to play SS next year for us even if we wanted?! Who is to say that his feet would even allow it?

Nick... you are my favorite TD columnist and the reason I came to TD.... but your take on the C4 trade is emotional and irrational. 

 

 

[D.C Twins]

12 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

Aging star, losing athleticism, massive health concerns 

vs.

Young building block, huge potential, starter for the next 10 years

Repeat after me.... C4 had NO intention of playning SS anymore!

[D.C Twins]

13 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Counter point: No it wasn't. It was a very solid baseball decision to rid yourself of an aging star on a bad contract. Paying a third of the contract and getting nothing in return were the expectations before the trade deadline, and the Twins are lucky that they found a suitor. 

We get that you liked Carlos Correa, but this is also a player that had multiple contracts negated due to massive health concerns, who is increasingly less athletic, and now in his 30s, and who himself thinks is no longer suited for the SS position. 

It was a good trade, no matter how big of a disgrace you try to portray it to be. 

This... this....aaaaaaand this and I  will add (again)  HE DOES NOT WANT TO PLAY SS ANYMORE!  

[stringer bell]

It seems to me that Correa aged rapidly during his tenure with the Twins. He may be 30, but he plays much older and slower than he did during his first stint with the Astros. The Twins wanted him as a shortstop when it was already time for him to move to another position.

The economics of the trade are a recurring theme--selling of an inflated contract and eating part of it--and it is sad to see the Twins do this.

I think there is some level of confidence in the Twins front office that Lee will do well eventually despite having a poor start in his career. Lewis seems to be healthier and I trust that he will hit well above average again, if healthy. 

[Cap'n Piranha]

On 8/11/2025 at 8:02 AM, Nick Nelson said:

Aging star, losing athleticism, massive health concerns 

vs.

Young building block, huge potential, starter for the next 10 years

To grab those numbers for Correa, you would have had to scroll past the below.  Perhaps jettisoning the 10th highest paid player in baseball who is now below average at hitting, running, AND fielding is a prudent move?  Even more so considering that 30 is decidedly past prime for a ball player, particularly one with a checkered at best injury outlook.