Are Comments About the Twins' Culture More a Reflection of Correa, or Rocco's Clubhouse?

[D.C Twins]

5 hours ago, DJL44 said:

True, but there's also not that much difference between managers at the professional level. They all run the same batting and fielding practices. The differences are subtle and there is rarely a truly incompetent manager at the MLB level. If the Dodgers swapped managers with the Twins, would either team notice?

Yes... yes it would  IMO..... I certainly would try it in a heartbeat.... can you make it happen :)

[purplesoldier4u]

Like most of the commenters, I have played a lot of different sports, on a lot of different teams, at a lot of different levels and in my mind, I tried to control only what I did.

That said, as a very athletic, but talentless, hack, I did the best I could and tried not to be influenced by what was happening around me. However, when I would hear coaches or teammates denigrating other players or coaches, it really bothered me.

Unfortunately, I fell victim to the same trap of many who play team sports, and I'm not sure if I was part of the solution or part of the problem ... probably both. I was definitely a front-runner when things were going well and a David-downer when things were bad.

When my kids played sports, I liked to coach, but realized that would bever be my forte. Was it me, the players, the parents, the league, the sport, the rules, etc., who knows? Probably all of the above.

Coaching highly-paid athletes must be a less than fantastic job. Some coaches, like O'Connell and Fleck are enthusiastic leaders. Some like Baldelli, Finch, and Hynes seem uninterested. Some like TK and Reeve always seem crabby; yet, they are the only ones with titles.

My lengthy dissertation aside, maybe it's as simple as just another voice being needed. 

[DocBauer]

Nick, I usually love your perspective and just about everything you post. You generally seem to be logical and provide a wide lens. A LOT of us were and are still emotional about the trade deadline, as well as the announcement of the Pohlads still being in charge. I think you still need a step or two down from your emotional mountain.

The title SHOULD have been something more akin to: "Is the Twins culture a reflection of ownership or Rocco's clubhouse? And is there a plan in place"?

To at any point blame Correa for wanting a better, more clued-in and competent team on the field makes no sense. That's akin to saying Gray's leadership asking all pitchers to watch bullpens and discuss approach was a bad thing, even though other pitchers stated it was a welcome change and they embraced it.

Correa has stated over and again how he wanted the Twins to WIN, and he wanted to be a part of it. He was so invested, he knew the MILB system as well as most posters here on TD.

Now, if there is something under the surface that we as the public don't know about regarding Correa in the clubhouse, I'd sure like to know about it.

On record and off record, there are reports of Rocco assuming blame for the failure to end 2024, and the failure of 2025. That's a man stepping forward. But whether anyone likes him as a manger or not, HE ultimately doesn't make the roster. That's still the FO, albeit with some input from him.

Whether Rocco is a good manager, a mediocre manager, or a poor manager is up for debate. But regardless of his talent level as a manager, he has to do the best with what he's got. Rocco has stated that he's tried to be calm and daily focused on positives. He's also tried to be angry and curse and try to shake things up. For the past 365 days or so, nothing has stopped a tumble for a team that was WINNING in 2024 before a collapse that suddenly happened.

I'm not going to assign blame to ownership to FO to Rocco and his coaches with any sort of percentages as that would be misguided at this point. I will only say, crap still rolls downhill doesn't it?

But what is the plan???

We can debate all day long about the talent on hand vs the Blue Jays, but the fact is Popkins was dismissed at the end of 2024 and immediately grabbed up by the Jays. They currently lead the AL in runs scored. NOT saying Borgshulte is a poor hitting coach...a few players have previously commented on help he provided them...but the Twins currently rank 23rd in runs scored. They were around 11th place in 2024. 

So the offense has TANKED by changing whatever approach they previously had. How much of that is on the FO, the coaching, and the players?

Again, does this organization actually have a plan?

To anyone who hasn't been paying attention, 2 things have been taking place the past few years.

#1] The pitching pipeline might not be flowing as freely as some would like, but it's produced an improved Ryan, and Ober, Festa, SWR, Matthews, Duran, Jax, Varland, and some very intriguing prospects on their way up. Some close. BTW, Cleveland's valued pipeline ALSO includes TRADED FOR options. They simply DIDN'T draft all of their arms.

#2] While the scouting/drafting department hasn't ignored POWER...and they SHOULDNT...they've also been drafting more athletic, speed, and defense players the past few cycles. Keaschall is the 1st to reach the ML level. And while only a small percentage of players will ever actually reach the ML level and be quality starters or solid bench players, they HAVE made a deliberate effort to go away from pure power to athleticism. 

But what is the plan going forward? The FO COMPLETELY destroyed the pen in order to shake up the roster...and that includes the $ saved from Correa...because that was a strength position to deal from.

There is a method to all the madness if the Twins FO NOW KEEPS the ONE STRENGTH of the team, which is the rotation, and builds around it.

Is there a plan in place?

IF Larnach is moved by himself, or part of a package with another solid player/prospect in place, they might add a solid RP. Then, they have to look at all the arms currently in play as options for the pen. Plus, of course, a couple of fliers that might be the next Stewart or Thielbar.  

Offense and defense, they need Lee to improve. They need to get Lewis RIGHT. Wallner, despite his flaws, is a .800÷ OPS performer. Jeffers is a solid catcher and amongst the top 4-5 offensive catchers in the game. Can Rodriguez ever stay healthy enough to just take a spot? How soon might Culpepper and Jenkins debut? IMO, Fedko needs an honest look as a 4th OF.. Right behind him is Gonzalez as a DH/corner OF, even as a player as platoon player...but he might be better than that. But these guys are CLOSE!

I'm deliberately ignoring bench options like Schobel if he's healthy and figures it out at the ML level, or DeBarge, or Winoker down the line. Or even Clemens as a solid bench player for the immediate future.

There's actually a lot of PLAYER talent on hand that needs a step forward, or is just about ready to debut.

So what is the plan?

IF we really want to compete and re-tool for the future then the WORST THING the Twins could do is trade Lopez or Ryan. Those 2 and Ober lead the rotation with Matthews, Festa, SWR, Abel, Morris, and others right behind. And Ryan should be a priority extension signing. 

WITH arbitration $ figured in, the Twins are only sitting about $90-95M. Even if Larnach is moved for something else, the Twin are sitting $92M-ish.

This means the "luxury" of spending $20-25M on a bat or two, or a RP or two, and STILL have a payroll below 2025 for the Pohlads. 

But it still comes down to Falvey and Zoll...though I wonder how much control Zoll has at this point...in regards to change and/or additions. A new deal for Jeffers for 2 additional years and Ryan for an additional 3yrs DOESN'T blow up ANYTHING for 2026 as their extensions wouldn't even take affect until 2027, assuming there is a season to be played. 

Once again, IS THERE A PLAN IN PLACE? I'm looking at YOU Falvey. 

I think Rocco and Twins fans would love to see some top prospects given a chance to build an exciting contender team with a great rotation and the ability to score runs, play a small game once a in a while, close out games you can win, and be a contender because the Twins have a good staff with more arms coming up. 

And while I still have concerns about COACHING our top prospects, I want to see them ASAP.

IF the FO suddenly decides to trade away Lopez or Ryan, then I'm all about torches and pitchforks. Falvey should resign at that point and just state: "this isn't what I signed on for".

It's ALL ABOUT IS THERE A PLAN IN PLACE? 

 

[Squirrel]

3 hours ago, Aggies7 said:

Yes it’s very odd to argue that everyone in management, on and off the field, should be fired, but the guys who left the organization are very sad they were let go. That’s TD for ya.

No one has said this. 

[old nurse]

The culture comes from the players. Way back when Gaetti was not a good 3b. He worked on it.  I can’t remember if it was a player telling the story or the sportswriter was at the Metrodome late at night. They heard a racket going on and found Pucket, Hrbek and a couple others down in the batting cages. The question was asked, why are you here so late. Pucket responded, nobody works harder than we do.  The culture of working everyday to get better. That is on the player.  It is o the FO to find those kinds of guys. 

[Aggies7]

53 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

No one has said this. 

Chpettit’s argument is that the guys who were traded did not want to be, yet he also believes everyone in management should be fired because they haven’t done a good enough job. Since the people not doing a good job in management have yet to be fired, why would any player worth his weight want to stick around for that? I would hope if you worked at a place with terrible management and no discernible plan for success, you’d want to move on as well.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

4 hours ago, Doc Lenz said:

when Jax came out of the Dodgers game I said to my son “this team is broken and he’s done with it”. There was no respect at all for the manager and you could notice other small things prior if paying close attention.

There have been too many times when Rocco went out to to the mound to make a pitching change, and the starting pitcher talked him out of it. Usually it’s the starting pitcher but in this case it was Jax.

So does he know when to take out a pitcher, or not? How much conviction does he have in his decisions?

This is not something that should be overlooked. There aren’t statistics on this that can be tracked, but I would think a manager gets one of those every five years or once a career. Pretty much every starter on the Twins has told Rocco to go pound sand back to the dugout, 

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, Aggies7 said:

Chpettit’s argument is that the guys who were traded did not want to be, yet he also believes everyone in management should be fired because they haven’t done a good enough job. Since the people not doing a good job in management have yet to be fired, why would any player worth his weight want to stick around for that? I would hope if you worked at a place with terrible management and no discernible plan for success, you’d want to move on as well.

I understand your logic hence your stated opinion. Discern better between stating opinions as facts. You were arguing that everyone wanted out, but maybe clarify that by stating it’s your conclusion because it’s how you would feel despite there being a lack of evidence that all players are saying this.

Do you think there is a culture problem? If so, what is the root of it? Was it Correa? Baldelli? What? That’s actually the premise of the article. And if Lopez and some of the other ‘vets’ agree that there has been for a while, why did they wait until now to try and do something about it?

[Rod Carews Birthday]

2 hours ago, Aggies7 said:

Chpettit’s argument is that the guys who were traded did not want to be, yet he also believes everyone in management should be fired because they haven’t done a good enough job. Since the people not doing a good job in management have yet to be fired, why would any player worth his weight want to stick around for that? I would hope if you worked at a place with terrible management and no discernible plan for success, you’d want to move on as well.

Sometimes people want to stay because they are invested in a place or a team, knowing that poor management is often temporary.  Whenever I was in that situation, I stuck around because I wanted to, and in each case, I survived longer than the bad management.  Some players, like Bader or France, have only been here for a few months and have little to nothing invested personally and emotionally in the team. Being trade probably isn't a huge deal one way or the other for them.   For others -- Duran, Varland, etc. -- they have a long history with the organization that has been more good than bad, plus some loyalty to the team that gave them their chance.  A trade for players like that would be a pretty traumatic experience.  Some are in the middle -- Paddack, Correa -- with a moderate level of time with the team.  Those are players that might break either way.  

At the end of the day, these guys are human beings just like we are; and they have a variety of emotions and motivations to do what they do.  I think it is simplistic to suggest that "everybody wants out" or "everybody wants to stay", just like it is silly to suggest that Baldelli (or any manager) is the best or worst manager ever.  The truth likely lies in between.  

[Western SD Fan]

After reading all of the comments, I like to play a game like we are a jury in a civil case in a state where we are allowed to assign blame in percentages rather than point the finger at one particular person, since I do think that the clubhouse culture "failure" has been driven by the entire organization, from ownership to the players themselves.  With that being said, let's try to analyze the "blame game" into percentages:

1.  Ownership:  Everything starts from the top and I'm not sure this ownership group has a plan other than the Twins are not making them enough money.  I haven't been in the camp blaming ownership for not spending enough money on the team.  That's the FO's job to fill out a team given the payroll budget set by the ownership.  Plenty of other teams are more competitive and spend less than we do (pre trade deadline) such as Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Kansas City.  Where ownership needs to share a lot of the blame is due to the Jekyll and Hyde approach to the team.  They sign Correa to the opt-out contract in 2022, and it seemed to work for everyone.  Ownership would have had to sign off on the 6-yr Correa contract for 2023 and beyond and subsequently allowed the payroll to rise to the highest it had ever been as an organization for 2023.  Then, after we had the best season in over 20 years, ownership pulls the rug out from all of us and says they need to "right-size" the payroll.  Again, this isn't as much of a rant that ownership should have spent more.  It's more that they switched gears and chose profits over building a sustainable winning team.  It's not that easy to build a sustainable winner when only a few of your players are soaking up nearly half the payroll because your FO thought they had a bigger payroll than they actually did.  Ultimately, ownership likes to play the hokey pokey with the team, sometimes they are active, sometimes they are not, and nobody knows when the music starts up again.  Finally, you add the potential sale of the organization adding confusion to all as nobody knows where they will be from year to year.

2.  Front Office:  One thing to commend with this front office is that they have typically brought in good vibes or clubhouse veterans, be it Nelson Cruz, Bader, Coulombe, France, Santana, etc.  Donaldson was definitely questionable, but he has seemed to be the exception, not the rule.  Correa, who I will address later, is definitely more complicated than a straight good or bad clubhouse guy.  We can argue over the quality of moves that the FO has done, but that is not the question we are answering here.  In answering the question addressed to us, the FO has largely done a good job in bringing in good clubhouse guys into the organization.

3.  Manager (and coaches):  Ooooh.  My favorite subject.  Full disclosure.  I've been in the Fire Rocco camp for well over a year now, but I will try to bring facts and proper comparisons to my argument why Rocco needs to shoulder a lot of blame for a poor clubhouse culture.  Many players have made statements throughout the year that the clubhouse is their domain, and they don't want the manager sticking their head in a place that the players don't believe they belong.  Ultimately, it's the manager's job to actually manage, not only the game on the field, but the team personalities off the field, as well as hold the players accountable for their play on the field.  I will suggest that Rocco does a better job managing player personalities than he does actually having to manage a younger team that need more of a guiding hand navigating the pitfalls and perils of playing in the majors.  Rocco is closer to Aaron Boone, as we have seen with his success managing an older, seasoned team as we did in 2019.  With that being said, let's compare Rocco to some other managers:  Tom Kelly and AJ Hinch.  Both managers have been considered to be player's managers, just like Rocco so there is no argument from that standpoint.

Tom Kelly:  For those of us who watched the game on Sunday, we heard a story from Corey Koskie where he marched into TK's office and asked why he wasn't getting any playing time.  TK responded bluntly that he had no position that he could trust Koskie to play with any level of confidence.  Koskie's response?  Get a coach to constantly work with him on his fielding by hitting grounders with the fungo bat until Koskie finally improved his fielding.  I think it worked out alright for Koskie.  Have we heard of an example of this done by Rocco & Co. (Coaches) with any players on the team?  We have heard of Correa working with Lewis and Lee and France working with Clemens, but no coaches actually working with these players to improve their skills.  Whether that is true or not, the fact that we haven't even heard of players working with their coaches on elements of their game is an indictment on Rocco and Company.

AJ Hinch:  Probably my best comparison as he has led two teams from youth to the playoffs.  Let's set aside the cheating in 2017 for the moment as I want to concentrate on his job managing the Tigers.  Hinch told Baez that if he wanted to continue to start on the team that he needed a new position as Trey Sweeney is taking over SS.  Baez responded by learning CF and being a utility man as he has played CF, 3B, SS, and 2B this season in which he made the AS team.  Another example was with Spencer Torkelson.  Torkelson was a promising first round draft pick (1st overall).  Sound familiar Royce Lewis?  Torkelson wasn't performing, had even been optioned back to Toledo for a time.  Hinch comes in and tells Torkelson that if he doesn't improve, he won't be playing.  Another case of where it's up the manager to identify what is not working and work with the FO to make the changes necessary for the betterment of the team.  To be fair, we have seen this with some players (Wallner, Larnach, Miranda, Julien), but not with Hinch and the Tigers when dealing with a high-profile prospect (Torkelson) nor with the most expensive player on the team (Baez).  I've advocated for some time that it may be time to send Lewis down to AAA just to get his confidence back, but it's probably too late for this season and I'm not sure there is anyone in AAA at the moment that is really worthy of taking Lewis's position away from him.  This is another case where Rocco and Company do not seem to be impressing on the younger players where they are failing from a fundamental standpoint nor giving them a pathway to improve, which can lead to apathy in the clubhouse and a poor clubhouse when the team is losing.

Carlos Correa:  Likely going to be one of the most polarizing players the Twins have had in a long time.  I believe his 2022 contract was basically a showcase year for him to get a big contract.  I also believe that he was told by the FO that the ownership was willing to spend on a winner in Minnesota and his ego needed to prove to the Astros that he could lead a winner with another team after basically being pushed out of the organization for Pena.  As we all know, this dream worked for one year and like us fans, reality set in for Correa that the ownership wasn't really serious about building a winner in Minnesota.  If the wins came, they came, but that was not their priority.  I think this is something we can all agree with so with that, I will address the pros and cons of Carlos Correa's time in the organization.

Pros:  I believe that Correa was a consummate professional for the most part.  Many players have attributed improvements to their eye at the plate, better footwork on defense, or even day-to-day exercises to Correa.  He was always in a teaching moment when something didn't go right.  Such as warning the on-deck batter on a pitch to watch for or working with Lewis or Lee on footwork or ball placement even in-game.  If Lee turns out to be a serviceable SS the remainder of the season, he likely has Correa to thank for working with him.  It looked like he did sacrifice his body multiple times for the betterment of the team as shown with the 2023 playoff run and trying to come back in 2024 to rescue the already sinking ship.  As we have seen his resurgence with the Astros post-deadline, it does look like that he should have been shifted to 3B a while ago.  He still played SS as that was the position that gave the Twins the best chance to win even if he would have been a better 3B than Lewis.

Cons:  There are a few, but they seem to be poignant and can be concerning in terms of how the clubhouse runs.  First, there have been rumors floating around post-deadline that while Correa was great with working with younger players to improve their craft, he wasn't always patient with them.  He demanded perfection and was harsh on players that couldn't live up to his standards.  Very tough for a team full of younger players that have been bouncing in and out of the minors and puts added pressure on them when they don't perform up to scratch, especially when many of these players have not been given a full chance to claim a spot on the team.  This could be construed as another indictment on Rocco and Company as it's the COACHES job to help these players develop and not Correa.  Another point on this is the fact that the best ability is still availability.  It's tough to listen to a leader when they are on the IL and may or may not be in the clubhouse on a day-to-day basis while being injured.  It can be tough to listen to someone criticize you when they are not even on the field.  I've always been skeptical of Correa's connections with the FO as it seems like that when things aren't going well, he can just bypass chain of command and go right to Falvey or Zoll with his problems.  That seems to emasculate Rocco and Company, and it shows the players that they may not have to listen to the message that Rocco is trying to deliver if they can package their complaints to Correa and have Correa contact Falvey.  I have no evidence of this actually occurring, but just speculating on what is the worst that could happen knowing this connection exists.  Even at deadline time, Correa had to come in and mediate a meeting between Rocco and Jax.  This seems very strange to me.  Does this mean that Correa ran the clubhouse with an iron fist and all concerns had to run through him?  Does this mean that Rocco was so unapproachable that Correa had to intervene whenever there was strife between the players and the manager?  I don't know nor do I want to guess.  It all amounts from the rumors floating around that Correa had the clubhouse so tightly wound up with the pressure to win that the clubhouse wasn't fun nor a refuge for players in a place where they are going to spend the most time at during the season.

Buxton/Lopez/Jeffers/Vasquez:  Some of whom may have been considered other leaders on the team had various roles.  We saw this with Vasquez as he was responsible for the HR props the past few years.  It appears that these players show more quieter leadership skills as in leadership by example rather than being vocal like Correa was.  These players let Correa, for better or worse, be the sight and sound of the players.  They may need to bear some responsibility for letting the clubhouse get as bad as it has been reported provided, they did very little to address it privately, as I would expect them to do.

The Players: This is kind of a mixed bag depending where you are on the spectrum.  If you're a veteran, you likely already have your routine established and you're likely just trying to fit in for the purpose of winning.  The better veterans (Bader, France) work with the younger players and give them tips on how to improve their game.  If you're a younger player (terms of service not necessarily age), you're just trying to stick with the team and not trying to step on anyone's toes or be thought of as a malcontent that needs to get shipped out.  You tend to look up the veteran players and try to see if what is working for them can work for you.  You're likely a follower in the clubhouse and just don't want to make waves.

I'm sorry for the long comment or short article.  I have to flesh out all of my thoughts before I can assign percentages of blame and who should be responsible for the Clubhouse and Twins Culture.  Since Correa is part of the conversation, we have to restrict the time frame to where he was a part of the team (2022-2025)>

Here are my final results:

Ownership: 50-60% - I think it begins and ends with ownership.  Their Jekyll and Hyde approach to payroll and expectations left the FO in a lurch and hurt the FO's chances of adding to a team that could have been a contender while hamstringing 1/2 of the payroll to a few players, thus keeping them from making the moves that were needed.  Add to that a year's worth of having the team up for sale to pull the team off the market in the end just added to the confusion.  I assume that players don't care who owns the team as long as the checks clear, but here is where it matters.  Here is where it does matter to the players.  The players care about getting paid and winning.  Ownership affects both in how hard does ownership go in arbitration to limit the player's paycheck or how does ownership feel about trying to build a winning team.  If your ownership is confused about what direction they want to go, the players are confused on what to think about their role in the organization and ultimately the clubhouse, leading to some strife.

Front Office:  5-10% - While they do pick the ingredients (players), I would say that the FO has done a pretty good job signing veterans who provide a good clubhouse presence and drafting players who seem to be team-centric.  I think they did their job in providing the best clubhouse presence that they could.

Manager and Coaches:  20-30% - This may be a tad high and I'm definitely not in the camp that Rocco is responsible for 15 losses each year as other commenters have mentioned.  I do think it is safe to say that Rocco is responsible for up to 5 losses each year and it wouldn't be that hard to go back and find them.  Rocco is the final voice in terms of managing not only the team, but the clubhouse in general and making sure that his voice is still being received by the players.  I'm fine with Rocco not making his discussions with players public.  There is a story about Terry Francona when he chided Elly de la Cruz.  They had a discussion, Cruz apologized for his actions, and that was the end of it.  Nothing was public about what the discussion was about, and Cruz improved his play.  Everyone wins.  We don't hear this from Rocco on his involvement on trying to correct player's on-field play.  We hear more about how players like Correa, Bader, and France have helped the players make changes to their play over Rocco and the coaches.  There also comes a point where the manager has lost the clubhouse, much like Scott Servais did in Seattle last year.  The players need to have faith in their manager.  If they don't, that will definitely affect the Clubhouse culture.

Carlos Correa:  10-20% - This likely depends on how much you put on him as a leader in the clubhouse.  If you consider his connections with Falvey, his unrelenting desire to make a winner in Minnesota, his demands for perfection, and his willingness to work with younger players, it seems like he had an outsized influence over the clubhouse.  If the rumors are true that he had the clubhouse wound pretty tight, then he should deserve an outsized blame for the state of the clubhouse as he was the vocal leader of the clubhouse.  

Buxton/Lopez/Jeffers/Vasquez: 0-10% - Again, this will likely vary on what you think their role should have been.  If you think that they could have done more to cut the tension in the clubhouse, then they should be assigned some responsibility.  If you think that their example of preparation and play is enough as a leader, then there likely isn't much responsibility given to this group of veterans.

The Players:  0-10% - As stated above, most of these players are either trying to establish themselves or veterans trying to establish themselves on a new team.  Few of these players look to rock the boat and likely go along with the established Clubhouse attitude, whether they agree with it or not, to try to make the team better, or if you're a short-term veteran, to showcase your talents so you may be traded at the deadline.

[Ryan_K]

16 hours ago, NYCTK said:

As it pertains to Correa, I think he probably did view himself as a clubhouse leader and cared about the culture and mood of the team...right up until the 2024 trade deadline. It was reported that he provided a list of players to Falvey that he wanted to see the Twins target, and after seeing them bring in a complete nobody, I can imagine him quitting on the organization.

Even though he actually performed well in the second half, I think it's feasible that the trade deadline broke the camaraderie and culture of the Twins clubhouse. I'm only a fan, and that's the point I quit on the organization, so I can only imagine how much worse it would be inside the locker room.  

 

Yes, if you uprooted your entire life based on promises of competing and investing in the team, I'd be not happy as well. I'd say it goes back to the off-season befoythat fresh off the play offs, they did not double down and invest, that showed the team leadership didn't believe. It's not about money always, the other currency is prospects and they could have made trades for talented pre arb or early arb players

[h2oface]

All supposition with no real knowledge of what is actually happenng, or did actually happen in the clubhouse. Some incredibly long winded, albeit an interesting if not vain excercise.

Actions. We all saw Correa loaf to first. Often. Has it changed? So many of these guys don't even run to first. They loaf. And I don't mean on only grounders. A healthy Buxton doesn't give up on an infield grounder, but Larnach and Wallner and Lewis and Julien and Castro (did) and Jeffers and Lee do. Hell, Lee even watched his post Correa Grand Slam land only a couple seats back in the right field seats, and didn't run first. Just admired the hit that might have bounced off the sandstone. Countless (and Correa was guilty often) batters missing a double or triple, or getting thrown out trying too late, because they watched and loafed, and didn't run immediately full speed out of the box, admiring their hopeful contact. Shameless and shameful. That is the culture, and it is still here. Keaschall looks like he wants to change it, and not by being long winded with words, but by playing the game with lust and desire. It seems the "core" is the problem. They are still here, and Correa was a big contributor.

Blame it on the FO and Baldelli. They deserve it for so many reasons. But I blame it mostly on the players that don't seem to even enjoy the game and how lucky they are to do it for a living. Regardless of all the crap they they might have to put up with in the background, it doesn't stop them from playing the game with passion and fire.

[h2oface]

8 hours ago, Ryan_K said:

Yes, if you uprooted your entire life based on promises of competing and investing in the team, I'd be not happy as well. I'd say it goes back to the off-season befoythat fresh off the play offs, they did not double down and invest, that showed the team leadership didn't believe. It's not about money always, the other currency is prospects and they could have made trades for talented pre arb or early arb players

Seriously? He still lives in Houston. He didn't uproot anything. Houston said "good luck, see you later, we aren't paying that pipedream". He bailed out (self uprooting?) of the first deal even after only giving his 3 year contract one compromised year! He wasn't "investing" in a culture in Minneapolis. He was going anywhere the Dior money came from, and overvalued himself as was played out by losing 2 larger contracts. Many teams that had money would not sign the infamous cheater. He only ended up here because the Twins were the last team to offer to pay him way too much, and the season(s) were starting. And then he sucked for the first part of both the signing years. And he was only on the field half the time. He ran as soon as he could. Sure he wanted to win. Who doesn't? It was only always about the coin. Actions say it all. The rest was the sideshow that so many Twins' fans were suckered into believing. They would boo Altuve while admiring Correa! How does that even compute? He played his part, but uprooted his entire life? Hardly. Now he has run home, taking another $33 million from the Twins culture as he parted. Returning to his true culture, where he can be a clog and not a leader, and let others take him to the playoffs, instead of him taking others.

Maybe a person shouldn’t be defined by a snapshot of one bad  decision. The cheating. But the decision wasn’t just one time. It was hundreds and possibly thousands of times being a part of the same repeating decision. 

[kenneth frank]

Culture. That's what Ron Gardenhire had in the clubhouse, he made the game fun

[Whitey333]

Great article and responses.  Ive never been a fan of Rocco mainly due to his lack of in game managing skills and his laid back attitude.  He doesn't demand accountability nor does he accept it.  Falvey and Baldelli with their big spread sheets and cybernetic overload is the biggest hurdle they must overcome.  Both Baldelli and Falvey need to go.

[saviking]

The only thing that has changed is that Correa is gone.

[cooldude]

22 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

The culture that was developing in 2023 was basically flushed with the “right-sizing” deflation announcement after the good season. Everyone was caught in the malaise. This flows top down from ownership.

This is my take as well. We were all crushed by the "right-sizing" decision as fans, and it's not hard to imagine how that would feel for the players. The bad culture, the ****** play, it all seems to have started there. As Craig Arko said, it all flows top down from ownership. They built this.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

As everybody seems to forget, professional athletes are human beings, not robots, and that professional baseball is a job in entertainment, not a true athletic competition.  In a game where extremely small things determine success or failure, extremely small things can impact how people play. When you are in a bad mood or a negative environment, are you always producing 100% at your job?

Culture, to some degree, is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Winning perpetuates a positive culture, while losing perpetuates a negative one. You can have the best "culture" people in the world, but that does not always translate to success. The reverse of that statement is also true.

As a decades-long sports coach, I can tell you that leader impact on culture is important, but not as important as the individuals within that culture. Rocco could be the best (or worst) at building a culture, but how the players navigate that culture is all that matters. You can have a laid-back atmosphere that wins, especially if the players stay positive and work to succeed.

I am more curious as to how the organization works to get the best out of their players? I am not talking coaching, but more of the little things. The Vikings consistently rate as one of the top organizations for incoming players because of how the players are treated, creature comforts, facility, etc. When Chris Paddack got traded he publicly destroyed the Twins in this area. To me, that says a heck of a lot more about the organizational view towards money and players then any fan perception.

[Otaknam]

“It was reported that he (Correa) provided a list of players to Falvey that he wanted to see the Twins target, and after seeing them bring in a complete nobody, I can imagine him quitting on the organization.” I’m not aware of Correa providing a list, but if he did it would be inappropriate, even for a de facto clubhouse leader. Winning solves a lot of issues, But when a veteran team is losing the undercurrent will be strong and  will contribute to team malaise. 

[AKTwinsFan]

Its definitely Baldelli. If we had serious owners we would have fired him after the complete failure at the end of last year, and mostly through this year. They are too MN nice. We tried a reset but its gonna continue to stay the same until we hire on a new manager. 

[Nshore]

Rod Carew stole home 7 times with Billy Martin as manager in 1969.  Good managers have a way of motivating even Hall of Fame players like Carew to  attack the other team in new ways.   Baldelli's idea of challenging a player is to make them play 5 positions.  I just think they could do better on the field level in playing aggressive, focused  baseball.  If Joe Pohlad is serious about this, he needs to find a GM who is better at finding talent, and a manager who is better at lighting fires under players.

[mnfireman]

23 hours ago, mnfireman said:

As Sheldon Cooper would say - fun fact, the Twins and Astros have the same record since the trade deadline passed, 7-9...

Update, both teams 7-10 since trade deadline....

[USAFChief]

3 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Update, both teams 7-10 since trade deadline....

Why do we care about this?

[glunn]

On 8/19/2025 at 5:23 PM, old nurse said:

The culture comes from the players. Way back when Gaetti was not a good 3b. He worked on it.  I can’t remember if it was a player telling the story or the sportswriter was at the Metrodome late at night. They heard a racket going on and found Pucket, Hrbek and a couple others down in the batting cages. The question was asked, why are you here so late. Pucket responded, nobody works harder than we do.  The culture of working everyday to get better. That is on the player.  It is o the FO to find those kinds of guys. 

I agree, but would also like a manager who inspires players to give 110% effort, like taking late night batting practice, as well as an organizational culture that preaches and rewards hard work and fundamentals. My sense is that the Twins' have not adequately emphasized working hard to play top level defense and in my mind that is one symptom of a culture of apathy.

 

 

[old nurse]

4 hours ago, glunn said:

I agree, but would also like a manager who inspires players to give 110% effort, like taking late night batting practice, as well as an organizational culture that preaches and rewards hard work and fundamentals. My sense is that the Twins' have not adequately emphasized working hard to play top level defense and in my mind that is one symptom of a culture of apathy.

 

 

Offense pays the bills. Being of sound defense left with Tom Kelly’s retirement  I would have no idea if Baldelli inspires the players, tries to inspire the player or fails to inspire the players. Apathy is on the players.