Are the Twins Becoming the American League’s Version of the Pittsburgh Pirates?

[Craig Arko]

5 minutes ago, JADBP said:

Lol. Too late . . .  The sky has already fallen!

I’m still holding out for contraction. Auction off Target Field and give the money back to the taxpayers of Minneapolis. 

[JADBP]

5 hours ago, Dawgzilla said:

Twins have already attained that status late in the year with dwindling and lethargic attendance.  It will be hard to reignite any enthusiasm going into next season.  As in the movie Taken, with Liam Neesome quote .."good luck"!!!!!

Actually I like the Bruce Willis quote from Diehard better:  “Yippie-Kai-Yay, M***********!”  I think that best verbalizes the Pohlad’s feelings towards the fans.  

[GNess]

2 hours ago, USAFChief said:

This is a for-profit site. They make money by getting views. Content drives views.

So yes. I'd imagine they expect their writing team to put out daily content.

At, uh...Twins Daily.

Now, if people want smoke blown up their collective asses, I guess that could be done.

Personally, I'd rather the editorial marching orders be an attempt at honesty, good or bad. Call it like you see it.

And again, Personally, I think there's precious little good about this organization to write about currently.  I'd be hard pressed to come up with bunnies and unicorns to write about....daily. 

 

Well stated.

As a fan I would prefer consistent excellence, but that''s not realistic so I try to enjoy all phases of being a fan. That includes when the team is struggling to get it right and sharing my views and learning of others' views of what is going right/wrong with the team with a community of Twins fans such that gather on Twins Daily can be embraced as a positive part of the experience. 

[old nurse]

4 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Somebody has to write articles every day. Not every day has something actually happening.

So they write about something not actually happening 

[DJL44]

38 minutes ago, old nurse said:

So they write about something not actually happening 

I suggested they write about the MLB playoff games that are happening every day and people treated that suggestion like I was asking for articles about birdwatching and trainspotting.

[Craig Arko]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I suggested they write about the MLB playoff games that are happening every day and people treated that suggestion like I was asking for articles about birdwatching and trainspotting.

What’s wrong with birdwatching and trainspotting?

[Riverbrian]

34 minutes ago, Craig Arko said:

What’s wrong with birdwatching and trainspotting?

I'm Ok with some Birdwatching Articles. Great Idea. If content gets tight... tear down the walls that limit the content options. 

I've become a Bird Watcher. My son bought me a bird feeder with a camera attached and I really enjoy it.

That's was the exact moment that I realized that I had become old. 

Trainspotting? No Way... I hate trains. Especially when you are stuck in your car watching them for 15 minutes to an hour. 

Although... I do have one question and nobody has been able to answer it. 

Who the hell is doing all this train art. They all have the same block letter format and they rarely say anything so it seems like one person is doing all of them... but that can't be.

So I assume there is college out their teaching the train art format and they are running amok out there spray painting trains. 

 

[weitz41]

Using the Pirates as a punching bag over payroll seems a bit extreme. A while back there was an article asking something like are the Twins the most irreverent team in MLB.

I'm guessing the Cubs and Astros may have something to say about dumping your (not good enough) roster for future success.  

Magic 8 ball... is the Twins payroll going up?

Magic 8 ball... is Padlo Lopez getting traded this offseason?

Magic 8 ball... is Joe Ryan getting traded this offseason?

Magic 8 ball...

It keeps telling me to "Cannot predict now"

[Road trip]

Pirates have Livvy Dunne in the stands for 1/5th of their home games.  Edge, Pirates. 😁

But, more seriously, the Twins are probably more like the AL version of the Reds than the Pirates.  Cheap owners, poor tv revenue, dependent on developing their own players, capable of making the playoffs when the stars align, but have typically exited early.  Making a run in the playoffs apparently takes a minor miracle or a fluke, and is probably only going to happen very rarely under baseball's current financial structure.  I'm hoping for one more World Series in my lifetime.  It's been 30+ years.  If I can get that I'll be happy.  

[Riverbrian]

1 minute ago, Road trip said:

Pirates have Livvy Dunne in the stands for 1/5th of their home games.  Edge, Pirates. 😁

But, more seriously, the Twins are probably more like the AL version of the Reds than the Pirates.  Cheap owners, poor tv revenue, dependent on developing their own players, capable of making the playoffs when the stars align, but have typically exited early.  Making a run in the playoffs apparently takes a minor miracle or a fluke, and is probably only going to happen very rarely under baseball's current financial structure.  I'm hoping for one more World Series in my lifetime.  It's been 30+ years.  If I can get that I'll be happy.  

I saw 1987 and 1991. I'll certainly take another. The Twins are my favorite team in all of sports... But if I had to choose between the two.

I'd take a Vikings Superbowl Win First. 

[Major League Ready]

5 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

It's actually been exactly 10 seasons in a row of losing records for the Pirates; they had a nice 3 year run with McCutchen where they made the playoffs with some good teams that couldn't get out for the first round. Very Twins-like.

Of course they had 20 years of losing records and no playoffs from 1993-2012 after losing Bonds...

I just happen to have the win data compiled since 2000.  It's actually the Royals with the lowest overall win percentage.  I also have the number of 90/94 and 98 win seasons compiled to provide some context to the number of good teams they have had over this period of time.  Here it

		90	94	98
		Wins	Wins	Wins	Win %
1	Yankees	16	14	7	0.579
2	Dodgers	13	7	5	0.566
3	Cardinals	13	6	3	0.554
4	Braves	12	9	4	0.545
5	Red Sox	13	8	2	0.545
6	Giants	7	4	2	0.521
7	Angels	7	6	3	0.521
8	Oakland	10	7	2	0.518
9	Cleveland	10	3	1	0.516
10	Astros	8	5	4	0.513
11	Phillies	5	2	1	0.508
12	Blue Jays	3	0	0	0.503
13	TWINS	6	4	1	0.502
14	Mariners	6	1	1	0.499
15	Mets	4	3	1	0.499
16	Cubs	5	4	1	0.498
17	Tampa	9	5	2	0.497
18	White Sox	4	2	1	0.494
19	Brewers	5	3	0	0.493
20	Rangers	6	2	0	0.491
21	Nationals	5	2	0	0.486
22	Dbacks	5	2	1	0.484
23	Padres	1	0	0	0.474
24	Reds	3	1	0	0.471
25	Marlins	1	0	0	0.468
26	Tigers	4	2	0	0.464
27	Rockies	3	0	0	0.462
28	Orioles	3	2	1	0.453
29	Pirates	2	2	1	0.447
30	Royals	1	1	0	0.436

[SteveLV]

The numbers are what they are, but they are obviously skewed by what division each team played in over this time frame:  easier to chalk up wins in weak central divisions than on east or west coast.  Have only had balanced schedules for very short duration of this compilation.

The Yankees have not had a losing season for 23 years.

The Dodgers have made the playoffs 13 consecutive years.

The rich are going to out-perform the poor.  There may be flukes, but money will win out.

NFL Salary cap and floor with full revenue sharing, and you won't see this type of domination.  Baseball is less inclined to this phenomenon than football, where a QB like Brady can allow a team to dominate for many years.  Baseball has no equivalent, although Ohtani is close!

[Craig Arko]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I'm Ok with some Birdwatching Articles. Great Idea. If content gets tight... tear down the walls that limit the content options. 

I've become a Bird Watcher. My son bought me a bird feeder with a camera attached and I really enjoy it.

That's was the exact moment that I realized that I had become old. 

Trainspotting? No Way... I hate trains. Especially when you are stuck in your car watching them for 15 minutes to an hour. 

Although... I do have one question and nobody has been able to answer it. 

Who the hell is doing all this train art. They all have the same block letter format and they rarely say anything so it seems like one person is doing all of them... but that can't be.

So I assume there is college out their teaching the train art format and they are running amok out there spray painting trains. 

 

On the back of Wheaties boxes there are coupons for admission to The Famous Train Artists School. You just make a drawing of Thomas the Tank Engine, and send it in. But it’s why they all look the same.

[KirbyDome89]

7 hours ago, Trov said:

Baseball is a business, and the fact that fans expect owners to be willing to lose money on it to me is crazy.  The writer also talks about trading Glasnow and Meadows in same as Cole, but they were not similar type trades.  Cole was traded because it was clear he would not resign and they wanted to get something in return outside a single draft pick.  Glasnow and Meadows were traded in an effort to help win then as it win now move, that failed terrible.  

The pirates have been a terrible run organization for years, not just because the owner is trying to max out profits, but because they never seem to have a clear direction.  They trade prospects for vets, but then trade vets for prospects. They have also failed at developing hitters for several years too. 

The fact that people actually believe these owners are anywhere close to losing money on these franchises is crazy to me...

The Pirates have been a terribly run franchise, but the prospects for vets swaps aren't intrinsically problematic. I mean, what are you supposed to do as a FO, tell the fans to go **** themselves at all times? Do you just sit around and act as a permanent feeder org for big market clubs while selling hope that everything coalesces at the perfect time to make a playoff run? 

Are the Twins the Pirates? No, because Pittsburgh has a much longer history of recent ineptitude. If you slashed the Twins' payroll in half, i.e. start subtracting guys like Lopez, Correa, Buxton, and even some marginal FA signings, are the Twins not a team that has failed with development and largely acted rudderless the last 3-4 years? I think you're massively understating the impact ownership has on putting a competitive team on the field. 

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I'm Ok with some Birdwatching Articles. Great Idea. If content gets tight... tear down the walls that limit the content options. 

I've become a Bird Watcher. My son bought me a bird feeder with a camera attached and I really enjoy it.

That's was the exact moment that I realized that I had become old. 

Trainspotting? No Way... I hate trains. Especially when you are stuck in your car watching them for 15 minutes to an hour. 

Although... I do have one question and nobody has been able to answer it. 

Who the hell is doing all this train art. They all have the same block letter format and they rarely say anything so it seems like one person is doing all of them... but that can't be.

So I assume there is college out their teaching the train art format and they are running amok out there spray painting trains. 

 

Blue Jays? Orioles? Cardinals? 

I love trains, and I live in a town with multiple tracks because it's near a major yard, so I'm used to having to wait pretty regularly. 

But I love riding them. Mrs. IT and I are finalizing a trip on the Southwest Chief from Chicago to L.A., timed to coordinate with Iowa basketball games at UCLA and USC. I guess that means my favorite birds to watch are Hawks. 

And yeah, the art. I've wondered too how people pull off putting paint on train cars. I'm not smart enough to know where there are gang markings or other inappropriate stuff, but it sure looks like some of those folks are pretty gifted artists. 

 

[RpR]

30 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

 But I love riding them. Mrs. IT and I are finalizing a trip on the Southwest Chief from Chicago to L.A., 

 

 

It will never happen, but that is some thing I have always wanted to do.

Although, when I ride a train, at least before welded rail, the clickety-clack and wobbling car would put me to sleep quickly.  I would probably not remember much . 🥸

[T.O.]

11 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I didn’t say it has to be puppies and kittens either. I just meant why worry about something before it actually happens? What is the point?

If you take away the uninformed opinions or worrying about things that haven't happened there wouldn't be much left.
I'm sure most find what's happening to the Twin unbearable. When the organization is secretive and can't even articulate a direction forward posting opinions gives people some sense of control? Maybe? 
As fans we need to talk about something.

Some puppies and kittens would be nice sometimes.

 

                                                             DREAMING OF A WORLD SERIES

[Parfigliano]

They are the Pirates

[Riverbrian]

11 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

Blue Jays? Orioles? Cardinals? 

I love trains, and I live in a town with multiple tracks because it's near a major yard, so I'm used to having to wait pretty regularly. 

But I love riding them. Mrs. IT and I are finalizing a trip on the Southwest Chief from Chicago to L.A., timed to coordinate with Iowa basketball games at UCLA and USC. I guess that means my favorite birds to watch are Hawks. 

And yeah, the art. I've wondered too how people pull off putting paint on train cars. I'm not smart enough to know where there are gang markings or other inappropriate stuff, but it sure looks like some of those folks are pretty gifted artists. 

 

LOL... There should be more Bird names for MLB teams.

My favorites are Cardinals and Jays. They are perhaps the most handsome bird in these parts. 

I've actually never seen an Oriole. I might be to far north for them. 

Got a pair of nesting Cardinals. The Male I've named Bob. The Female is Billie Lou Brock. Don't spend a lot of time thinking about the Billie part. 

Riding a train can be enjoyable. Sitting at railroad tracks waiting. That's too painful and I'm not strong enough to pull the train out of the way. 

[Hrbowski]

3 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

I'm Ok with some Birdwatching Articles. Great Idea. If content gets tight... tear down the walls that limit the content options. 

I've become a Bird Watcher. My son bought me a bird feeder with a camera attached and I really enjoy it.

That's was the exact moment that I realized that I had become old. 

Trainspotting? No Way... I hate trains. Especially when you are stuck in your car watching them for 15 minutes to an hour. 

Although... I do have one question and nobody has been able to answer it. 

Who the hell is doing all this train art. They all have the same block letter format and they rarely say anything so it seems like one person is doing all of them... but that can't be.

So I assume there is college out their teaching the train art format and they are running amok out there spray painting trains. 

 

I was trying to decide between birdwatching and watching the Dodgers/Phillies game this afternoon when I got off work and I decided to go birdwatching. It seemed funner than listening to some boring national media announcers glazing Ohtani for the millionth time...

[T.O.]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

Blue Jays? Orioles? Cardinals?

 

I enjoyed watching the Blue Jays beat the Yankees. It's Twins adjacent because Varland pitched 4 times. Three good outings, 1 bad.

We're OK without Varland cuz we got prospects.  

[Riverbrian]

13 minutes ago, T.O. said:

I enjoyed watching the Blue Jays beat the Yankees. It's Twins adjacent because Varland pitched 4 times. Three good outings, 1 bad.

We're OK without Varland cuz we got prospects.  

Varland's bad inning wasn't helped by Aaron Judge who SOMEHOW got around on what was an excellent inside pitch from Varland against a guy with 2 mile long arms... Who SOMEHOW got around on it and KEPT IT FAIR and of course off the fair pole for another Home Run for a guy who hits a lot of them. 

It was one of the most impressive things I've seen. That Judge is special. 

[Riverbrian]

39 minutes ago, Hrbowski said:

I was trying to decide between birdwatching and watching the Dodgers/Phillies game this afternoon when I got off work and I decided to go birdwatching. It seemed funner than listening to some boring national media announcers glazing Ohtani for the millionth time...

I'm switching between the Dodgers/Phillies and the Wild. I'm trying to watch the Wild but this Dodgers game won't end. 

I'll add this... LaPlanta is an excellent Hockey PBP talent. 

[The Great Hambino]

5 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

What’s wrong with birdwatching and trainspotting?

I've never seen Birdwatching, but Trainspotting was really interesting in a messed up kinda way.  Ewan McGregor's breakout role

[JBK]

22 hours ago, Wyorev said:

I believe that a salary cap - something owners are pursuing - would be terrible for baseball fans. Owners like the Pohlads would manipulate the heck out such a construct, find a way to spend even less, and claim they weren’t allowed to try to win… Billionaires tend not to care what other people think or to be very benevolent.

That last sentence is the world we live in

[High heat]

There needs to be a hard and fast rule for MLB teams regarding spending all of the revenue sharing $ on player salary or related player pay. 
Incentives teams to spend $ on paying players early pre arbitration.  Making future fixed cost an asset not a burden. 

Maybe a bigger penalty on high revenue generating teams and limited penalties for medium to low revenue generating teams who spend over during (competitive windows) 

[Major League Ready]

29 minutes ago, High heat said:

There needs to be a hard and fast rule for MLB teams regarding spending all of the revenue sharing $ on player salary or related player pay. 
Incentives teams to spend $ on paying players early pre arbitration.  Making future fixed cost an asset not a burden. 

Maybe a bigger penalty on high revenue generating teams and limited penalties for medium to low revenue generating teams who spend over during (competitive windows) 

If this was the rule, they could still keep every dime they generate outside revenue sharing.  I don't see this as having any impact.

They tried to increase penalties for high revenue teams and the players union to a hard stance against.  They players actually wanted to reduce revenue sharing.   

[TNtwins85]

On 10/9/2025 at 6:51 AM, Doug Y said:

A salary cap and a salary floor should be implemented immediately. Every other major sports league does it. But that is not what the commissioner wants. He wants the top seven biggest metro area teams in the playoffs and World Series every single year. He doesn’t care about small market teams. And it is pushing fans away in small markets.

A salary cap and floor are not the quick fix like everyone thinks they are. These two words are just the narrative being pushed by the league and the union to make it seem as these two things are the only option. Also, it doesn’t help the game, the fans, or the players. Quick fixes never fix anything and ultimately make things worse. Why do you think that NFL teams comprise 7 of the top ten most valuable sports franchises? Why has the average NFL ticket gone up over 500% since 1994? Just like everything it all benefits them and not you. Or the younger more cost effective and more exciting players that drive today’s game. Baseball isn’t football, or basketball for that matter. That’s a good thing.

[mluebker]

On 10/9/2025 at 8:18 AM, jorgenswest said:

Those strong prospect rankings have not translated to winning for the Pirates.

Maybe too much looking at stats and not enough looking at players.

[KBJ1]

Full and.complete revenue sharing like the NFL. I don't buy the argument that rhe commissioner wants only major market teams in the WS. Some of the most watched WS ever were small market teams- including the Twins.