Two Very Different Roads Forward for Twins Roster After Pohlad Family Ownership Decision

[JADBP]

The Twins now find themselves in a horrible situation.  They tried t ok sell but no one is willing to buy outright this failed franchise.   I have to believe the Pohlads asked for $1.7B with the new owner taking on $450 million in debt, meaning you are paying over $2 Billion for a failing team. That would have broke the deal to any potential buyer.  Really —the best the Twins could do is clear $1.2 B. 
 

Now here are the problems:  they tore down the team and repeatedly and absolutely angered the fan base over the last 2-3 years.  Putting buffoon Joe in charge lead to mistake after mistake (apparently Invle Jim has to step in to save him from time to time, like with Correa).  The players are confused and unsettled.  Some want out (some got out).  Management and coaching seems rudderless and unrespected by the players.  
 

what chance do they have at pulling in free agents?  Who would want to join this mess?
 

Total system failure has lead to the fans abandoning the team. Attendance is caving.  Season tickets have disappeared.  So, with declining revenues and unhappy fans and players, what do the owners do?  Nothing!  Just dump all the salaries and then keep doing what they have been doing for the last 10 years.  Same-O same-0!  Nothing changes.  
 

Pretty disheartening!  But what else can I do but abandon the Pohlads???!?!!

[terrydactyls]

3 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

Name a position that's easier to fill?

Manager, 3rd base coach, hitting coach.   But that has nothing to do with my comment.  If it's so damn easy to find a first baseman, why haven't they done it?

[tony&rodney]

5 hours ago, In My La Z boy said:

If you are not a fan of Falvey than you shouldn't advocate for him receiving more "prospects" to NOT develop for an already stud pitcher like Joe Ryan.

I don't want Falvey around. I also have zero input on his presence. Like I said, if the Twins can find another way to improve the team, great. I like Ryan in a Twins uniform. Why? Because he pitches instead of just throwing and he competes. I really doubt he would resign with the Twins after 2027 unless a Crochet level  offer came his way in the next year. Will that happen?

We all see the Twins differently to an extent. Here is what I see as needs for the team: 1. settle on a guys who will be the starting pitchers. We know there will need to be about 8 candidates due to injuries and/or ineffectiveness; 2. rebuild the bullpen; 3. find players who can fill C, 1B, 3B, SS, LF, and RF. My confidence level in Buxton and Keaschall may be too high. I think the Twins have DH covered; 4. settle on who are candidates for utility and back up positions. How does this all happen? Your guess is as good as anyone's, including the front office. I will simply say "Good luck" and wish for all the best because that is all I can do.

[USAFChief]

3 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

Name a position that's easier to fill?

There are no easy positions to fill.

I mean, somebody will stand there at 1st tonight and all next year. That part is easy.

Getting a player that helps you win is difficult. 

At. Every. Position. 

[Major League Ready]

46 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

There are no easy positions to fill.

I mean, somebody will stand there at 1st tonight and all next year. That part is easy.

Getting a player that helps you win is difficult. 

At. Every. Position. 

Fair enough but would you disagree that of the 8 positions 1st base is the easiest to fill.  Does anyone go from 1B to 3B or the OF because they can't "stay" at 1B or do they go to 1B when they can't play 3B.  If the latter is true, there will be a greater supply of 3B than 1B and I think we can all agree that the up the middle positions are more difficult to play.

[jorgenswest]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I mean, looking at the FA list, it's hard to see how they spend their way into a much better team.

They aren't signing a long term SS or OF, given their prospects. They aren't signing a 3B or 2B given Lewis and Keaschell. That really leaves 1B and C.....go look at those options!

I don’t think a free agent is the best route because the long term commitment doesn’t always work well for mid market teams. They could compete for Alonso or Bellinger who have player options and would be wise to get into the market at a high point. They would fit at 1B but it wouldn’t be worth it. At catcher they could fill some of that salary space to extend Jeffers. In any case they should play him 2/3 of the time next year and his wRC+ of 113 will fit pretty well there.

I would rather they give up prospect capital for a top of the line up bat. That might be a bat that has a year or two left in arbitration before they become a free agent. Those kinds of deals happen every winter. The Twins don’t need long term control here. They have been pretty successful at building a prospect pool and not so successful at reaping the fruits of that pool. They can afford to trade from their prospects.

A reasonable response would be that the Twins wouldn’t do either. Probably true. I am not here to guess what the Twins will do. I am just offering my thoughts on what they should do. Responding to the OP I think there is a road to a competitive team in 2026. 

[David Maro]

Ryan won't be signing any long term deal here because the team is years away from anything. The White Sox traded Crochet because he wanted out and you can't have a unhappy player in the dugout.

Now that Polhad's aren't going anywhere that means Falvey and Baldelli won't be either. That means more time of unwatchable baseball. 

[old nurse]

7 hours ago, rdehring said:

Truth is we all are going to have to wait and see what happens this winter and during the next season.  The only thing I think I know is that it will be interesting.  Or maybe I should have said HOPE it will be interesting.

Personally, I expect to see several moves come winter.  I don't know what approach they will take with pitching, but as of today they should have a strong starting rotation.  Three top starters at the top, three guys (Festa, SWR and Matthews) who will have over a year of big league experience, and three young guns picked up at the deadline, Abel, Bradley and Rojas.  That's nine which should give them an excellent starting rotation, depth at St. Paul and one or two who can be moved to the pen or traded.  Should they choose to attempt to compete in 2026, that starting staff would be one of the better ones in baseball, assuming reasonable health.

The problem this team has had is in the field.  Their position players have been a big disappointment with their bats and the defense has been spotty, at best.  With Rodon here and several young outfielders expected to compete for positions soon, I see them moving on from one of Larnach or Wallner.  I also don't know what to expect from Lewis, who has to be a huge disappointment for the Twins.  Does he still have value should they consider moving him?

I remain hopeful that they try to bring in a couple bats and relievers this winter and try to compete in 2026.  Like all guys my age, we want to see the Twins compete.  And soon!

As a RF Wallner is about in the middle of the pack for batting. As DH of LF Larnach would not have a trade market.  Almost all teams have someone who can do the job better 

[ashbury]

This is a really bad graph.

The scale for the dollar figure bar chart starts at 0 (where no team can reside) but goes only as high as the Twins go, not the major leagues as a whole.

By contrast, the scale for the line graph goes from 22 to 12, lopping away both the top and bottom of the ranking.

Addressing both of these issues together would result in a graph that looked a whole lot less dramatic and ominous.

 

[D.C Twins]

Yes to Lopez trade for the right price... no to Ryan.... he will still be relevant to  2027 and beyond. 

You cannot simply replace a #1 pitcher... don't even try

I would keep Ober as well. 

[tony&rodney]

4 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

I would rather they give up prospect capital for a top of the line up bat.

Do you have any ideas of a top of the lineup bat that could be acquired for prospects? I would assume if you are talking about a good hitter/fielder, you are also willing to trade any of the Twins prospects.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, D.C Twins said:

Yes to Lopez trade for the right price... no to Ryan.... he will still be relevant to  2027 and beyond. 

You cannot simply replace a #1 pitcher... don't even try

I would keep Ober as well. 

How would Ryan be relevant to the Twins after 2027?

[sweetmusicviola16]

7 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I mean, looking at the FA list, it's hard to see how they spend their way into a much better team.

They aren't signing a long term SS or OF, given their prospects. They aren't signing a 3B or 2B given Lewis and Keaschell. That really leaves 1B and C.....go look at those options!

Yup. The C FA's upcoming  are not good to say the least. Best option for C's is Jeffers, and he doesn't actually improve the team since he's already one of us. Not holding my breath that he will resign here. Not to mention does he fit in the budget. Other than the standard upcoming arb increases I just don't see us spending. Aside from the 5-6mil vets, most of whom should be avoided.

[beckmt]

I expect a total teardown, with the possibility (very real) of a lockout in 2027, most small market owners are cutting payroll to the bone until this is settled.  It could be a long time.  So I expect Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Jeffers, Lewis, Larnach, and possibly Wallner to be gone this winter.  It is the only way to make a profit next year to tide you over for maybe a very short season or no season in 2027.  

[jorgenswest]

49 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Do you have any ideas of a top of the lineup bat that could be acquired for prospects? I would assume if you are talking about a good hitter/fielder, you are also willing to trade any of the Twins prospects.

You would want me running the team because I would be very willing to trade prospects. Two examples without looking at the rosters if every team. Contreras from Milwaukee is a possibility as the Brewers have a catcher coming and they are willing to deal players as they get expensive in arbitration. Contreras from St. Louis is playing 1B and St. Louis might want out of the contract. Those are two roads the Twins can look either getting an arb2 or arb3 or someone who has a year or two left on the free agent deal. Both players have two years left with the elder Contreras having a club option for 2028.

[LastOnePicked]

11 hours ago, In My La Z boy said:

Trading him for some future magic beans is a loser in the money making department in my opinion.

You're speaking Joe Pohlad's love language.

I virtually guarantee they will trade Ryan in the offseason. They have no interest whatsoever in trying to build a winning team. They don't have the talent, the guts or the motivation. These minority stake investors are merely along for the asset appreciation ride, and maybe also the promise of amped-up revenue sharing.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

You would want me running the team because I would be very willing to trade prospects. Two examples without looking at the rosters if every team. Contreras from Milwaukee is a possibility as the Brewers have a catcher coming and they are willing to deal players as they get expensive in arbitration. Contreras from St. Louis is playing 1B and St. Louis might want out of the contract. Those are two roads the Twins can look either getting an arb2 or arb3 or someone who has a year or two left on the free agent deal. Both players have two years left with the elder Contreras having a club option for 2028.

Ok. Fine. Who are you trading to St. Louis or Milwaukee?

[dxpavelka]

16 hours ago, In My La Z boy said:

Question: What is the best possible return could you hope for in trading Joe Ryan?
Answer: Another Joe Ryan
Question: Then why trade Joe Ryan?
Answer: 

 

no logical answer exists

you don't get better when your best players are playing for other teams

 

[In My La Z boy]

19 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

Hey, I want them to win just as much as you do!  I'm on the other end of the spectrum, where I was too young to really be able to enjoy 1991 - even though I was the only one in my kindergarten class to sit and watch the victory parade on the TV our teacher wheeled into the classroom.  So at least you got to fully experience a couple of championships!

I just don't see a realistic chance of them competing next year.  It would be a longshot even if they brought the payroll back to 2024-25 levels.  So I'd rather see them angle for more realistic contention a couple years down the road.  Maybe by then the new CBA reshuffles the deck and they hit 2028 ready to truly roll.   That's my hope, anyway, for all Twins fans

Every year my hope is we'll be the ones who beat the odds like this years Brewers. In the spring no one thought much of Milwaukee. Every single year there is a "Brewers" - the little choo choo train that makes it up the hill. Our current squad could be this squad next year. Why not? Go back 4 months and read about all the "why nots" about the 2025 Brewers. But just look at them play 😀 

[In My La Z boy]

10 hours ago, LastOnePicked said:

You're speaking Joe Pohlad's love language.

I virtually guarantee they will trade Ryan in the offseason. They have no interest whatsoever in trying to build a winning team. They don't have the talent, the guts or the motivation. These minority stake investors are merely along for the asset appreciation ride, and maybe also the promise of amped-up revenue sharing.

Could be. Hope not. The appreciation ride is a long one. Carl never got to taste the fruits of it, but ya, he gave us 2 world series titles and tried to field a competitive team for the most part. Nowadays these small market owners only try and be competitive occasionally with long gaps of rebuilding and ******** speak 👍

[Richie the Rally Goat]

On 8/15/2025 at 9:04 AM, mikelink45 said:

The third and worst case is to continue to be middle of the road, continue to flirt with 500.  Watch players like Ober pass their peak, hold on to Larnach, Julien, Martin, Clemens, Gaspar, Roden and believe in the BP that we currently have.  

100% option 3: Dither

this is the most likely scenario, and worst case, as it has been what Falvey and Pohlad have done for years. 

[madtowntwin]

In terms of the Brewers - And I watch a lot of them here in Madison - Several factors have fallen into place in terms of this year's success. Several of their younger players have developed in terms of their plate discipline and performance - And not just Chourio. Most, if not all, can RUN. Yelich - While not playing to the level of previous seasons - Is at least approaching that level. Misiorowski has emerged in fairly dominant fashion though he struggled last night. Peralta has pitched like an Ace. Woodruff has surpassed all expectations in his return from a career threatening injury. Quintana has surprised. Megill has been great in the Closer's role after the team traded Devin Williams to the Yankees. I could go on...

Point is - Just like there are many moving pieces to a single game of baseball - The same complexity of naturally extends to the season as well. The "Brewer Way" is not a simple recipe to be emulated or copied and more specifically is it really even relevant...The market they compete in includes the Cubs and Cardinals which are larger than their own. This year has obviously been successful effort. Lots of managerial comments have been made about the Twins. Keep in mind Counsell bolted for Chicago a few seasons ago. It seems while Milwaukee's success in pertinent by proximity - The teams we should most be concerned about are the ones in our own division and similar in market size. 

With Twin's ownership - The New Boss is the same as the Old Boss...But this is not happening within a vacuum. The Twin's Media has already begun critique and analysis. This site and fandom in general are skeptical and critical. The product is on the field for observation and grading. Time will tell if claims of being competitive ring true or hollow. Pohlad ownership seems to be at fork in the road. With the new partners will direction change...Attanasio has faced criticism for his wallet and decisions in Wisconsin as well. Now we sing his praises...How quickly things can change??!! Win Twins!!

[madtowntwin]

10 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Ok. Fine. Who are you trading to St. Louis or Milwaukee?

Umm...No way they trade Contreras. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

10 hours ago, LastOnePicked said:

You're speaking Joe Pohlad's love language.

I virtually guarantee they will trade Ryan in the offseason. They have no interest whatsoever in trying to build a winning team. They don't have the talent, the guts or the motivation. These minority stake investors are merely along for the asset appreciation ride, and maybe also the promise of amped-up revenue sharing.

Or potentially hostile takeover (of sorts)? Wait for the Pohlads to dither away more money, get desperate while resting on their laurels and then having to sell the rest of the team below market because they continued leaning into their incompetence?

[madtowntwin]

On 8/15/2025 at 9:47 AM, terrydactyls said:

If a competent first baseman is so easy to find, why did the Twins sign Ty France this past off-season and now have Clemens and Julien alternating there?

With so many middle infield prospects on the horizon I would encourage Royce Lewis to get comfortable with a first baseman's glove. This especially when you look at possible free agent options...

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, madtowntwin said:

Umm...No way they trade Contreras. 

This conversation was not about who cannot be acquired. It is about what player or players (prospects) are you willing to trade for what good, useful. every day top or middle of the order hitter. Pure speculation. It's just an exercise. 

FWIW, there is actually no way to know what players will not be traded. MVPs and H of Fame players have been traded in their prime. The list of untouchable players traded is in the hundreds. Who predicted the trade of all five of the Twins top relief pitchers?

The bottom line remains, the Twins need position players. Who and how do they acquire such players?

In the previous comments, jorgenwest suggested a trade for one or both of the Contreras's, a perfectly reasonable idea. I asked who goes the other way.

[jorgenswest]

10 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Ok. Fine. Who are you trading to St. Louis or Milwaukee?

Whatever it takes. The Twins have the prospect capital to make it work. They aren’t out of reach. It will take more to get the younger Contreras.

Someone with BTV might offer a starting point.

[terrydactyls]

24 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Whatever it takes. The Twins have the prospect capital to make it work. They aren’t out of reach. It will take more to get the younger Contreras.

Someone with BTV might offer a starting point.

"Whatever it takes."  Wow.  How about Jenkins, Keaschall, Gonzales and Dasan Hill?  

[madtowntwin]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

This conversation was not about who cannot be acquired. It is about what player or players (prospects) are you willing to trade for what good, useful. every day top or middle of the order hitter. Pure speculation. It's just an exercise. 

FWIW, there is actually no way to know what players will not be traded. MVPs and H of Fame players have been traded in their prime. The list of untouchable players traded is in the hundreds. Who predicted the trade of all five of the Twins top relief pitchers?

The bottom line remains, the Twins need position players. Who and how do they acquire such players?

In the previous comments, jorgenwest suggested a trade for one or both of the Contreras's, a perfectly reasonable idea. I asked who goes the other way.

Whatever....Your "Exercise" is one of futility. You MAY be able to pry their top catching prospect from Triple A, but I stand by my statement - I do not believe Contreras is available. You can ramble on for several more paragraphs if you wish. FWIW. 

[tony&rodney]

9 hours ago, madtowntwin said:

Whatever....Your "Exercise" is one of futility. You MAY be able to pry their top catching prospect from Triple A, but I stand by my statement - I do not believe Contreras is available. You can ramble on for several more paragraphs if you wish. FWIW. 

Clearly you struggle with reading comprehension. These were not my suggestions at all in any way or fashion. In fact I don't necessarily believe the ideas are completely workable.  I was merely entertaining other people's thoughts without judgement on my part. Apparently you have insider knowledge though which we shall all acknowledge. FWIW.