Twins Ownership Transition Goes from Quiet Money Move to Extremely Minnesotan Palace Intrigue

[Nashvilletwin]

2nd derivative question from the takeover by Tough Talking Tom: how does this impact player morale and commitment? Specifically, how do Ryan (could he be enticed to sign an extension) and Buxton feel (willing to stay)?

Too early to tell - there are no indications as to any change in direction yet. 

[rdehring]

12 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

I would say Tom Pohlad has about a month, at most, to initiate change. The failure to initiate change would be a clear signal that there has been almost a complete lack of attention given to the baseball operations department and display a lack of consideration for the fan base. No change would signify that Tom Pohlad is not a serious person. I'm willing to give him the benefit of doubt, for about another month. 

 

Agree with your thoughts, tony.  But it is gonna take longer than a month for the biggest change.  We don't know what Falvey's marching orders were from Joe.  Expect it is different today.  Assuming their operating plan is changing, he will need time to either get on board or be out the door.  With spring training now less than 60 days away, today isn't the time to make a change.  

Personally, I see the current Front Office as having about 6 months to get on board with whatever change is going to happen which time would be approaching next summer's trade deadline.  By then they will also know more about the 2027 season.  If a change of the front office is going to happen, I see it being later next summer.

As for smaller changes, hopefully we will see a few over the winter.  Will they be bringing in a few more free agents?  If so, how much will they spend?  Will there be a few trades?  Makes sense to trade a few players from positions like the corner outfield for a bullpen arm.  Or two.  Are we going to see changes in the support staffs?  Minor league coaches?  Scouting, etc?  

[The Great Hambino]

On Gleeman's podcast, he went into further detail about Tom's answers to some of the questions posed.

Tom mentioned that the change in power was more or less agreed upon a month ago.  That would mean that Tom is on board with all the actions they've taken so far this offseason.  It would also mean that when Falvey suggested they have about $20MM to spend in free agency at the winter meetings, this was coming from Tom.

It was also mentioned that Tom really thinks the Twins can compete this year.  That means they're sitting on their valuable assets and making small additions at the margins (Bell, for example) and expecting to compete that way. 

In other words, they're going to operate the exact same way with the same core (minus Correa) they have the last two seasons, only now they don't have a bullpen.  In other words, nothing is changing.

If I wanted to try to spin this as a positive, I suppose I could guess that Tom is giving Falvey one final chance to show that his plan can work.  And when it inevitably doesn't, he'll clean house.  But that's just wasting another year on mediocrity, eroding the value of those valuable assets, and doing nothing to pull fan morale out of its current tailspin.

He can say whatever he wants.  His actions thus far suggest nothing is changing in how they operate.  The more I hear from him, the more discouraged I become.

 

 

[LastOnePicked]

38 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

2nd derivative question from the takeover by Tough Talking Tom: how does this impact player morale and commitment? Specifically, how do Ryan (could he be enticed to sign an extension) and Buxton feel (willing to stay)?

Too early to tell - there are no indications as to any change in direction yet. 

This aspect fascinates me, yes. It's now 100% clear to me that they're going to nibble, which is exactly what Buxton said he wouldn't tolerate. Do they go directly to Buxton and Ryan and say, "Hey, go out and play a great first half. If we're close to contending for a WC spot, we'll add some big trade additions if they're in the final year of their contract. If we're not close to contending, we'll get you out of here by the deadline. Deal?"

[tony&rodney]

10 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Agree with your thoughts, tony.  But it is gonna take longer than a month for the biggest change.  We don't know what Falvey's marching orders were from Joe.  Expect it is different today.  Assuming their operating plan is changing, he will need time to either get on board or be out the door.  With spring training now less than 60 days away, today isn't the time to make a change.  

Personally, I see the current Front Office as having about 6 months to get on board with whatever change is going to happen which time would be approaching next summer's trade deadline.  By then they will also know more about the 2027 season.  If a change of the front office is going to happen, I see it being later next summer.

As for smaller changes, hopefully we will see a few over the winter.  Will they be bringing in a few more free agents?  If so, how much will they spend?  Will there be a few trades?  Makes sense to trade a few players from positions like the corner outfield for a bullpen arm.  Or two.  Are we going to see changes in the support staffs?  Minor league coaches?  Scouting, etc?  

When things are broken you fix them. The house that needs painting, gutters, whatever has an owner who is not interested or saying, I'm going to get to that next summer." Waiting has been the refrain for several years. Some will point to budget ..... wait until there is more money. Some will point to the CBA ..... wait until there is a new CBA. Some will point to ownership ..... wait until there is a new owner. Some will point to this current change from Joe & Jim to Tom .... wait until he has a chance to see how things are going. Some will point to Wallner, Lewis, et all being given a chance to be superstars ..... wait until they develop.  Wait, wait, wait  ................

The style of play and the unbalanced roster needs immediate attention. Josh Bell added to the problem. Read the Fangraphs.com article on the Bell and  Garcia signings. Falvey can move into the business department. He cannot have anything to do with the baseball side. The philosophy of the team needs to be addressed asap. This can be done with as few as 3-4 trades and a couple of free agent signings. Most people may say that is beyond realistic. Preller and Dipota among others would disagree. Tom Pohlad is capable of making the necessary changes. He could make significant changes soon.

The manager and coaching staff is fine. They are in place. They needs a few tools and to be left to their own decisions about how to run the baseball roster and games. They can't wait to get started. Tom Pohlad cannot wait any longer watching poor decisions being made. It's not the money, it's the mindset. 

What would it hurt to wait until next October? The simple answer is opportunity cost. Injuries to valued players could happen. Ryan Jeffers will be a free agent, Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez will enter their walk seasons. Buxton and Lewis will be down to two years left on their status. If mistakes were made in the past, it might have a heavy influence or bearing on today but it doesn't matter because the past is gone. Now is the time to act. 

[Riverbrian]

10 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

On Gleeman's podcast, he went into further detail about Tom's answers to some of the questions posed.

Tom mentioned that the change in power was more or less agreed upon a month ago.  That would mean that Tom is on board with all the actions they've taken so far this offseason.  It would also mean that when Falvey suggested they have about $20MM to spend in free agency at the winter meetings, this was coming from Tom.

It was also mentioned that Tom really thinks the Twins can compete this year.  That means they're sitting on their valuable assets and making small additions at the margins (Bell, for example) and expecting to compete that way. 

In other words, they're going to operate the exact same way with the same core (minus Correa) they have the last two seasons, only now they don't have a bullpen.  In other words, nothing is changing.

If I wanted to try to spin this as a positive, I suppose I could guess that Tom is giving Falvey one final chance to show that his plan can work.  And when it inevitably doesn't, he'll clean house.  But that's just wasting another year on mediocrity, eroding the value of those valuable assets, and doing nothing to pull fan morale out of its current tailspin.

He can say whatever he wants.  His actions thus far suggest nothing is changing in how they operate.  The more I hear from him, the more discouraged I become.

 

 

In 2026

They are going for it.

I believe it will lengthen whatever this is. I believe that we will lose significant trade value with Joe Ryan at the very least in order to go for it. Ryan Jeffers trade value could be lost in it's entirety. 

They can survive it with some momentum into 2027 but the only place momentum will take place is with the young starting pitchers developing and the young outfield group developing and I fear that going for it... is counter to the development of young talent. So... it's quite possible that any momentum toward the future will be facing self imposed strong headwinds.   

If this attempt at going for it in 2026 doesn't work. They will probably have to do next off-season what they should have done this off-season and do so without the trade value that is available right now. 

If this doesn't work... it will certainly set us back a year perhaps two or three years.  

[LastOnePicked]

8 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

It was also mentioned that Tom really thinks the Twins can compete this year.  That means they're sitting on their valuable assets and making small additions at the margins (Bell, for example) and expecting to compete that way. 

That's sad to hear. Then he really is an idiot. Or, more charitably, he knows nothing about baseball and the actual state of the team.

[tony&rodney]

9 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

On Gleeman's podcast, he went into further detail about Tom's answers to some of the questions posed.

Tom mentioned that the change in power was more or less agreed upon a month ago.  That would mean that Tom is on board with all the actions they've taken so far this offseason.  It would also mean that when Falvey suggested they have about $20MM to spend in free agency at the winter meetings, this was coming from Tom.

It was also mentioned that Tom really thinks the Twins can compete this year.  That means they're sitting on their valuable assets and making small additions at the margins (Bell, for example) and expecting to compete that way. 

In other words, they're going to operate the exact same way with the same core (minus Correa) they have the last two seasons, only now they don't have a bullpen.  In other words, nothing is changing.

If I wanted to try to spin this as a positive, I suppose I could guess that Tom is giving Falvey one final chance to show that his plan can work.  And when it inevitably doesn't, he'll clean house.  But that's just wasting another year on mediocrity, eroding the value of those valuable assets, and doing nothing to pull fan morale out of its current tailspin.

He can say whatever he wants.  His actions thus far suggest nothing is changing in how they operate.  The more I hear from him, the more discouraged I become.

 

 

This may be exactly correct. I cannot disagree with anything you say. I want to believe that Tom Pohlad wants to effect change for the better. I'm trying to be an optimist. If everything that Gleeman discusses and what you say is the case, there is a clear conclusion. The Twins will not sign any important players or conduct any meaningful trades. That is very disappointing and discouraging. It would also paint Tom Pohlad as a fool if that is the case. I guess we shall see what develops in the next two months. I'm hoping for the best still. 

[laloesch]

11 hours ago, DocBauer said:

"We’re in the business of winning baseball games," Pohlad said. "We’re not in the business of making money to put money in our pockets. Every dollar that we make should be put back on the field, in stewardship of this team and in an effort to win a world championship."-- Tom Pohlad 

Actions speak louder than words.  I'll believe it when I see it.  This is all smoke and mirrors word salad from the Pohlads.  I don't believe for a second that they were losing 40 million a year annually with the Twins.  I do believe their revenues took a hit with the TV debacle, and dropping revenues, but they still were only at 140 million at one point as far as payroll goes?  They were still in the profit zone.

I still hold firmly to the earlier report that most of the debt was from Carousel motors (which they are selling) and their other commercial real estate holdings which tanked during Covid.  As was reported by some months ago they shifted that debt to the Twins franchise knowing they were going to either sell outright or sell shares like they did and pay it all off.  That was the angle all along.  Pay off all of that debt and seed some control to other partners in exchange.   

[Jeff K]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

I would say Tom Pohlad has about a month, at most, to initiate change. The failure to initiate change would be a clear signal that there has been almost a complete lack of attention given to the baseball operations department and display a lack of consideration for the fan base. No change would signify that Tom Pohlad is not a serious person. I'm willing to give him the benefit of doubt, for about another month. 

 

I fully agree.  Anything longer than that and the Twins are truly running a replay of the past 2 seasons.  He utilized the word accountability and that needs to apply to more than his brother.  Falvey must go.

[laloesch]

20 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

This aspect fascinates me, yes. It's now 100% clear to me that they're going to nibble, which is exactly what Buxton said he wouldn't tolerate. Do they go directly to Buxton and Ryan and say, "Hey, go out and play a great first half. If we're close to contending for a WC spot, we'll add some big trade additions if they're in the final year of their contract. If we're not close to contending, we'll get you out of here by the deadline. Deal?"

That's what they should do to be honest.  This team is light years away from competing for a world series as it's currently constructed.  This team would get destroyed by the Blue Jays, Dodgers, half a dozen other teams in the playoffs if they make it at all.  There are just too many holes.  They keep slapping patches on a leaky boat but it is sinking.  It's time to reboot completely.  They aren't gonna be extending Ryan or Lopez again, so you might as well maximize trade value and deal them both.  And sit down with Buxton and offer him an out.  He has hinted recently he might be willing to drop his no trade clause to play for a world series contender before he retires.  Give him his wish if that's what he desires.  Reload on prospects and try again.  

[laloesch]

1 hour ago, LewFordLives said:

There's clearly a lot of confusion within ownership and the front office. They went big with Correa, and then backtracked a few years later. Did they completely miss on TV revenue projections?  Were they expecting attendance to bounce back?    

Now all of the sudden they have money to spend again (relatively speaking).  Would they have traded Duran if the front office had more insight into the potential budget?  Based on the timing of how things went down last summer, ownership clearly knew that new minority partners were coming on board to help with the debt situation before the trade deadline.  None of it makes any sense.

I think the Correa trade was good.  I really think he was an albatross contract they had to get out from under considering his production.  I fully endorsed dumping him despite some of the opinions contrary to that here.  The bullpen gut is a different story.  I think they got shafted on the Duran deal but we'll have to wait and see how that works out.  I think the moves were the Twins trying to right the ship financially but I don't expect them to add 20 million to the payroll as others have said.  The new operating level is around 100-110 million in my opinion and that's depressing.  That means the Twins CAN'T resign Lopez or Ryan in two years.  They need to trade them soon and get maximum return for them in prospects if this is how it's going to be. The Josh Bell signing makes me want to vomit.  I don't want him manning first base but that appears to be the direction in 2026, another Band-Aid one year fix.

[LA Vikes Fan]

56 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

On Gleeman's podcast, he went into further detail about Tom's answers to some of the questions posed.

Tom mentioned that the change in power was more or less agreed upon a month ago.  That would mean that Tom is on board with all the actions they've taken so far this offseason.  It would also mean that when Falvey suggested they have about $20MM to spend in free agency at the winter meetings, this was coming from Tom.

It was also mentioned that Tom really thinks the Twins can compete this year.  That means they're sitting on their valuable assets and making small additions at the margins (Bell, for example) and expecting to compete that way. 

In other words, they're going to operate the exact same way with the same core (minus Correa) they have the last two seasons, only now they don't have a bullpen.  In other words, nothing is changing.

If I wanted to try to spin this as a positive, I suppose I could guess that Tom is giving Falvey one final chance to show that his plan can work.  And when it inevitably doesn't, he'll clean house.  But that's just wasting another year on mediocrity, eroding the value of those valuable assets, and doing nothing to pull fan morale out of its current tailspin.

He can say whatever he wants.  His actions thus far suggest nothing is changing in how they operate.  The more I hear from him, the more discouraged I become.

 

 

I think the hard part here is what can Tom do relatively quickly to show there is a change. Also, what is the baseline from which we measure the change? Changes in the business side, back office, etc. may be meaningful but we won't know that, so those kinds of things don't change the fanbase's perception of the team or indicate a shift to a "go big or go home" from the previous half-measures. In other words, he may be doing big things that we can't see or don't understand so we think it's just more of the same. For example, Falvey said he has $20M to spend. That may be a big move from before - Joe may have said don't spend any money but we'll never know that is a change. That puts Tom in a tough spot - he needs to do something visible to show that things really ae changing, but you don't want to do something just to do something and Falvey may not be the guy to pull off anything big even if you want to do something big. 

Two obvious answers. The first is improve the on the field product with one or more free agent signings or a trade. For a FA, there isn't much left assuming we aren't in on the $15M plus guys or guys to far on the wrong side of 30 other than relievers. The name that stands out is Ryan O'Hearn.  He would be a big upgrade at 1B and Bell can move to DH/backup 1B. That means Wallner in RF (not ideal) with Roden/GG/Jenkins/Emma/Fedko either in AAA or on the bench. However, if we did sign O'Hearn and then cut/traded Larnach and Outman so Martin and Roden are the 3rd/4th OF, we've really improved the team while still leaving open a spot for one of the young guys to take now or by mid-summer. Same if we made a trade for a quality OF like Abreu in Boston by giving up a real SP like Ober, SWR, or Bradley plus a strong developmental guy.  Sign at least one good reliever like Fairbanks or Pierce Johnson and a lesser light like Coulombe or even Taylor Rogers and it looks like you're at least trying. If we got the equivalent of O'Hearn or Abreu plus 2 quality relivers, then I would start to think "maybe things are changing".  

The second is to engage with the fanbase. Get your ass out of the owner's box and sit in the stands with the fans. Rotate sections and talk to fans so you see what motivates the people who care enough to buy tickets. Give free or heavily discounted seats to organizations, schools, boy and girl scout troops, the Y, whoever you can. A kid gets a report card of all As or even half As and half Bs, he or she gets two bleacher tickets so they can go to a game with their Mom or Dad. Mom and Dad or group members get a coupon, so everyone gets a free or very cheap hot dog and a soda and the chance to buy a hat for $5. The Dodgers sell a simple kid's hat for $10 at the stadium, and they sell thousands a year. All of sudden, half the kids in school are wearing the hat. The kids, groups, and Mom or Dad will love you for it. Do it and publicize the crap out of it. Fill the seats even if they aren't paying much but fill the seats. A baseball game with 30,000 fans is so much more electric and fun that people actually want to come back. It also motivates the players. Don't be afraid to take criticism and deliver a consistent message of "we haven't been good enough. We are going to get better. Give us a chance and you'll see" and then deliver. Sign kids up for the kid's club and then give them something that actually has value - a chance to win tickets, stories, chances to meet players, etc. Go old school if you have to but get people engaged. Sorry for the rant, but that's what I would do. 

[MesaTwinsFan]

Let's all not forget these are the same pohlads that offered up our Twins for contraction and took full credit for Calvins farm system that won our two World Series. Talk is big heard this song and dance before

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, The Great Hambino said:

 

In other words, they're going to operate the exact same way with the same core (minus Correa) they have the last two seasons, only now they don't have a bullpen.  In other words, nothing is changing.

 

Nothing is changing ON the field, which, yeah we all expected that. I'd guess the goal is to make changes off the field. These are still the business-first people, the kinds of guys we've been dreading all year. They are going to invest their efforts and possibly money to get more people into the stadium, better advertising, merchandising and TV revenue perhaps. Then, hopefully for us if that works, they'll re-invest that profit into the team to then get even more people into the stadium, better advertising, merchandising and TV revenue.

Any on field improvement this year will be ancillary and unrelated to the real efforts. But certainly more talented business people are involved now so they will know how to improve the bottom line. And screw them for only caring about that.  But continuing to improve the bottom line should at some point involve improving the payroll. Obviously not this year.

[tony&rodney]

6 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Nothing is changing ON the field, which, yeah we all expected that.

I'll fully admit I'm naive. I expected major changes on the field. The idea of hoping for a 72 win team if all goes well seems as cheerful and exciting as freezing rain in December. I'm still hopeful of changes to the team.

[nicksaviking]

8 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

I'll fully admit I'm naive. I expected major changes on the field. The idea of hoping for a 72 win team if all goes well seems as cheerful and exciting as freezing rain in December. I'm still hopeful of changes to the team.

I'm not saying the team can't be better. I think the juice of a new coaching staff might help in that regard all by itself. But I'd guess any on field improvement will be independent of the decisions new ownership makes this year.

[Woof Bronzer]

2 hours ago, rdehring said:

But it is gonna take longer than a month for the biggest change. 

Tom said he's not about half-measures.  He's a "go big or go home guy".  So far they are doing a half measure.  If we are to believe Tom, who says he thinks the team will compete, he'll inject about $50m to the payroll immediately.  If not, we will know he is lying and isn't actually a "go big or go home guy" at all.  

He has said a lot of bold things that are going to live on the internet for a long time.  You cannot come out and call yourself a "go big of go home guy" and then go out and sign Josh freaking Bell and a couple scrap heap relievers.  

[Linus]

The most interesting comment to me was the reference to running the same playbook over and over and expecting a different result. Falvey is a one trick pony and that trick ain’t working so Tom will get a chance to show us if he is serious. 

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

I think the hard part here is what can Tom do relatively quickly to show there is a change.

He can go big or go home.  Commit to one or the other.  SHOW us you don't believe in half measures.  If they keep down the current "nibble at the edges" half-measure we will know nothing has changed and Tom is as untrustworthy as every other Pohlad.  

I think it's stupid to invest money in this roster, but Tom said what he said.  Either back it up with some cash or be an adult and tell fans our core isn't good enough and we need to build for the future, we're going to follow the early 80s playbook of letting the kids play and hoping it pays off like in 87.  That's one of the first things Carl did when he bought the team.  Why not say you're coming fill circle and honoring Carl's legacy and we're building an organization that will compete for a World Series in 4 years just like in the 80s.  We've done it once and we can do it again.  

He could also fire Falvey tomorrow.  That would represent change.  

[The Great Hambino]

39 minutes ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

I think the hard part here is what can Tom do relatively quickly to show there is a change. Also, what is the baseline from which we measure the change? Changes in the business side, back office, etc. may be meaningful but we won't know that, so those kinds of things don't change the fanbase's perception of the team or indicate a shift to a "go big or go home" from the previous half-measures. In other words, he may be doing big things that we can't see or don't understand so we think it's just more of the same. For example, Falvey said he has $20M to spend. That may be a big move from before - Joe may have said don't spend any money but we'll never know that is a change. That puts Tom in a tough spot - he needs to do something visible to show that things really ae changing, but you don't want to do something just to do something and Falvey may not be the guy to pull off anything big even if you want to do something big. 

Two obvious answers. The first is improve the on the field product with one or more free agent signings or a trade. For a FA, there isn't much left assuming we aren't in on the $15M plus guys or guys to far on the wrong side of 30 other than relievers. The name that stands out is Ryan O'Hearn.  He would be a big upgrade at 1B and Bell can move to DH/backup 1B. That means Wallner in RF (not ideal) with Roden/GG/Jenkins/Emma/Fedko either in AAA or on the bench. However, if we did sign O'Hearn and then cut/traded Larnach and Outman so Martin and Roden are the 3rd/4th OF, we've really improved the team while still leaving open a spot for one of the young guys to take now or by mid-summer. Same if we made a trade for a quality OF like Abreu in Boston by giving up a real SP like Ober, SWR, or Bradley plus a strong developmental guy.  Sign at least one good reliever like Fairbanks or Pierce Johnson and a lesser light like Coulombe or even Taylor Rogers and it looks like you're at least trying. If we got the equivalent of O'Hearn or Abreu plus 2 quality relivers, then I would start to think "maybe things are changing".  

The second is to engage with the fanbase. Get your ass out of the owner's box and sit in the stands with the fans. Rotate sections and talk to fans so you see what motivates the people who care enough to buy tickets. Give free or heavily discounted seats to organizations, schools, boy and girl scout troops, the Y, whoever you can. A kid gets a report card of all As or even half As and half Bs, he or she gets two bleacher tickets so they can go to a game with their Mom or Dad. Mom and Dad or group members get a coupon, so everyone gets a free or very cheap hot dog and a soda and the chance to buy a hat for $5. The Dodgers sell a simple kid's hat for $10 at the stadium, and they sell thousands a year. All of sudden, half the kids in school are wearing the hat. The kids, groups, and Mom or Dad will love you for it. Do it and publicize the crap out of it. Fill the seats even if they aren't paying much but fill the seats. A baseball game with 30,000 fans is so much more electric and fun that people actually want to come back. It also motivates the players. Don't be afraid to take criticism and deliver a consistent message of "we haven't been good enough. We are going to get better. Give us a chance and you'll see" and then deliver. Sign kids up for the kid's club and then give them something that actually has value - a chance to win tickets, stories, chances to meet players, etc. Go old school if you have to but get people engaged. Sorry for the rant, but that's what I would do. 

What can Tom do relatively quickly to show there's a change?  He can start by not following the exact same strategy of making marginal additions to a deeply flawed roster in hopes it results in a legitimately competitive team, which is what they've done for the past two years.  For all his talk of "we can't keep doing the same things and expect a different result," every indication based on the moves they've made thus far and what Falvey has stated the free agent budget to be is that they are, in fact, using the exact same strategy.  And based on Tom's quotes and the supposed timeline of Joe getting pushed out (a month ago), this is Tom's strategy, or at least one he's agreeing to go along with.

They are not a Pete Fairbanks away from having a competitive bullpen (no one currently on the roster is worthy of a top 3 slot in a competitive bullpen - not yet, anyway).  They're not signing O'Hearn (which I wouldn't hate in a vacuum) on top of Bell with the budget they have and all their other needs.  They are not set up to be competitive with a $115MM payroll and the current make-up of the roster.  Before someone brings up the Brewers, that roster was balanced perfectly.  They were above-average in just about everything.  The Twins as currently constructed are ... not.

That would leave two options - well, three options, but it's probably too late in the offseason to can Falvey at this point - to demonstrate change. 

1. Crank up the investment in the roster if you insist that you can be competitive while you still have control of Lopez/Ryan.  At a bare minimum, that means restoring payroll to at least the level of last year so you can demonstrate that the Correa savings actually are being reinvested into the roster.  That would go a long way toward showing fans that it really was a baseball move and not a cost-cutting one.  This path would be more fun, but probably not fiscally realistic at this time.  Plus, the flaws in the roster might be too significant for even that level of investment to overcome, and a failure of this strategy would put them in the worst possible position when Lopez/Ryan/etc are gone.  Which leaves:

2. Start the rebuild for real.  Move your most valuable assets and target 2028 for real competition.  Surely this would disappoint some fans, but just as many would see this as a path toward actual competitiveness; a sign that we're finally getting off the hamster wheel and making moves with an actual championship window in mind.  You can still do all the fan engagement stuff you mentioned.  If you're targeting kids to fill the seats (which I agree you should be), they're not going to be turned off because they won 65 games instead of 72.  But they will be able to start to identify with the young players that would be the core of a team that's ready to rock in two years.  Now compare that hypothetical roster - one that's been supplemented with the returns from the trades of your valuable assets, plus the truly impactful free agents they'd be able to afford - to whatever would be in place after another couple failed runs at mediocrity.  The difference is night and day.

That's my realistic/pessimistic (depending on your point of view) take.  If you truly believe that they can be legitimately competitive (not outside-shot-at-the-third-wild-card competitive) with this roster and budget, then I think we're in "agree to disagree" territory

 

 

[Cris E]

26 minutes ago, Linus said:

Falvey is a one trick pony and that trick ain’t working so Tom will get a chance to show us if he is serious. 

I understand the frustration, but Falvey has been getting whip-sawed by weak ownership for several years here and fans need to know that he always spent the money he had. If you think Falvey was the one who chopped the payroll you're out of your mind. He's the swashbuckler that loves the big splash deals. Shazam, Lopez!  Voila, Correa! Poof, extensions! He's been told to live within the family budget and he's trying. Now the family fought it out and he's getting new direction. No one has announced what those numbers are, but the chaos is real. 

Josh Bell might be a good or bad sign, depending on how prominently the new boss was involved. A flashy trade for a young 1B might have been a better indicator of change, for example. But it was still better than a full endorsement of Cody Clemons as one of _our_ guys that we _totally_ believe in. 

[Rhyno006]

Quote

"...and I think the rub, if you will, on the organization, historically speaking, is there’s a feeling which I might share that we continue to run the same playbook over and over, thinking for a different result.

Ok, so this tells me that at least one member of the Pohlad family isn't totally tone deaf to at least some of the outside perception of their ownership... or that the minority owners have told them as such. And that's I guess nice to hear as opposed to what we've been hearing from the other brother from the same mother over the last few years.

That being said, lip service is just that: time to put their money where their mouths are because that's generally how baseball works these days. I'll give them a year or so to figure it out, but with a possible lock out coming in '27 it may bleed into several years beyond before we see much improvement.

Time will tell, and the team on the field will be the barometer.

[Mike Sixel]

3 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

On Gleeman's podcast, he went into further detail about Tom's answers to some of the questions posed.

Tom mentioned that the change in power was more or less agreed upon a month ago.  That would mean that Tom is on board with all the actions they've taken so far this offseason.  It would also mean that when Falvey suggested they have about $20MM to spend in free agency at the winter meetings, this was coming from Tom.

It was also mentioned that Tom really thinks the Twins can compete this year.  That means they're sitting on their valuable assets and making small additions at the margins (Bell, for example) and expecting to compete that way. 

In other words, they're going to operate the exact same way with the same core (minus Correa) they have the last two seasons, only now they don't have a bullpen.  In other words, nothing is changing.

If I wanted to try to spin this as a positive, I suppose I could guess that Tom is giving Falvey one final chance to show that his plan can work.  And when it inevitably doesn't, he'll clean house.  But that's just wasting another year on mediocrity, eroding the value of those valuable assets, and doing nothing to pull fan morale out of its current tailspin.

He can say whatever he wants.  His actions thus far suggest nothing is changing in how they operate.  The more I hear from him, the more discouraged I become.

 

 

Exactly.

[Nashvilletwin]

3 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

On Gleeman's podcast, he went into further detail about Tom's answers to some of the questions posed.

Tom mentioned that the change in power was more or less agreed upon a month ago.  That would mean that Tom is on board with all the actions they've taken so far this offseason.  It would also mean that when Falvey suggested they have about $20MM to spend in free agency at the winter meetings, this was coming from Tom.

It was also mentioned that Tom really thinks the Twins can compete this year.  That means they're sitting on their valuable assets and making small additions at the margins (Bell, for example) and expecting to compete that way. 

In other words, they're going to operate the exact same way with the same core (minus Correa) they have the last two seasons, only now they don't have a bullpen.  In other words, nothing is changing.

If I wanted to try to spin this as a positive, I suppose I could guess that Tom is giving Falvey one final chance to show that his plan can work.  And when it inevitably doesn't, he'll clean house.  But that's just wasting another year on mediocrity, eroding the value of those valuable assets, and doing nothing to pull fan morale out of its current tailspin.

He can say whatever he wants.  His actions thus far suggest nothing is changing in how they operate.  The more I hear from him, the more discouraged I become.

 

 

This is the most depressing post I’ve read this year - and that’s saying a lot.

If Tough Talking Tom were the driving force behind this unrealistic nibble strategy, the hiring of Shelton and the signing of Bell, this franchise is in even worse shape than we thought.

What if, heaven forbid, it’s actually Tough Talking Tom who is under the spell of Falvey Rasputin and Joe actually was the smart one trying to make big changes? Good Lord.  

[tony&rodney]

There is a path that doesn't involve major expenditures. That path does involve hard decisions on baseball strategy and roster makeup. The signing of Josh Bell, in a vacuum, is not horrific. Signing a pure DH when your team is flush with DH types begs to differ with common sense. Those who see Bell at first base have likely not watched him play the bag. Julien, yes Edouard Julien, is a far better first baseman than Bell. I guess we have to hope that Bell thrives in the DH position. Of course, that creates major problems elsewhere.

The Twins were at roughly $93-95M. last week. There are two decent players who are scheduled to earn near $10M in Ober and Larnach. Ober may be at a lower value than previously and Larnach may only return the 35th best prospect from someone but it clears funds and positions for players who need playing time. Those steps alone leave $20-30M available to meet needs. The lack of planning and forethought boggles the mind. Hey, I actually like both Ober and Larnach, but where do they fit on this team?

If I'm paying someone else to do a job, I'm still cognizant of whether the job was done and if it was done to reasonable level of satisfaction. Tom Pohlad should have minimal awareness of the organization and the baseball roster. He can always ask for confidential outside advice from people in the business. Rolling with yet another offseason as the last two just doesn't cut it for me. Changes can be made and they could start today if there was a serious concern.

[Wrongdog2]

Groundhog Day..................Probably thinks a left handed Shortstop is a good idea

[LA Vikes Fan]

45 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

What can Tom do relatively quickly to show there's a change?  He can start by not following the exact same strategy of making marginal additions to a deeply flawed roster in hopes it results in a legitimately competitive team, which is what they've done for the past two years.  For all his talk of "we can't keep doing the same things and expect a different result," every indication based on the moves they've made thus far and what Falvey has stated the free agent budget to be is that they are, in fact, using the exact same strategy.  And based on Tom's quotes and the supposed timeline of Joe getting pushed out (a month ago), this is Tom's strategy, or at least one he's agreeing to go along with.

They are not a Pete Fairbanks away from having a competitive bullpen (no one currently on the roster is worthy of a top 3 slot in a competitive bullpen - not yet, anyway).  They're not signing O'Hearn (which I wouldn't hate in a vacuum) on top of Bell with the budget they have and all their other needs.  They are not set up to be competitive with a $115MM payroll and the current make-up of the roster.  Before someone brings up the Brewers, that roster was balanced perfectly.  They were above-average in just about everything.  The Twins as currently constructed are ... not.

That would leave two options - well, three options, but it's probably too late in the offseason to can Falvey at this point - to demonstrate change. 

1. Crank up the investment in the roster if you insist that you can be competitive while you still have control of Lopez/Ryan.  At a bare minimum, that means restoring payroll to at least the level of last year so you can demonstrate that the Correa savings actually are being reinvested into the roster.  That would go a long way toward showing fans that it really was a baseball move and not a cost-cutting one.  This path would be more fun, but probably not fiscally realistic at this time.  Plus, the flaws in the roster might be too significant for even that level of investment to overcome, and a failure of this strategy would put them in the worst possible position when Lopez/Ryan/etc are gone.  Which leaves:

2. Start the rebuild for real.  Move your most valuable assets and target 2028 for real competition.  Surely this would disappoint some fans, but just as many would see this as a path toward actual competitiveness; a sign that we're finally getting off the hamster wheel and making moves with an actual championship window in mind.  You can still do all the fan engagement stuff you mentioned.  If you're targeting kids to fill the seats (which I agree you should be), they're not going to be turned off because they won 65 games instead of 72.  But they will be able to start to identify with the young players that would be the core of a team that's ready to rock in two years.  Now compare that hypothetical roster - one that's been supplemented with the returns from the trades of your valuable assets, plus the truly impactful free agents they'd be able to afford - to whatever would be in place after another couple failed runs at mediocrity.  The difference is night and day.

That's my realistic/pessimistic (depending on your point of view) take.  If you truly believe that they can be legitimately competitive (not outside-shot-at-the-third-wild-card competitive) with this roster and budget, then I think we're in "agree to disagree" territory

 

 

I don't think you and I are so far apart. I really do question whether the current "core" is good enough even if augmented by 3-5 Solid or better MLB players like O 'Hearn and Fairbanks. Still, I see enough to make it worth one more shot, particularly with a new manager. What I would like to see is the addition of a middle(ish) of the order FA bat like O'Hearn or a trade for a guy like Duran or Abreu, which I know means giving up multiple pitchers since I would not trade Ryan or Lopez for either player or anyone like them. It would have to be Ober plus a Matthews type prospect. Sign 2 FA relievers, one of whom has to be a potential closer like Fairbanks or Johnson,  or at least at the level of Seranthoney Dominguez, plus a lesser LH guy like Coulombe or Rogers, Festa moves to the bullpen as the #2 closer. Lopez, Ryan, and Buxton stay but only for now. If the Twins are competitive and look like they have potential in the first half of 2026, you roll the dice and maybe even add at the deadline. If not, the bloodletting begins in earnest. It is 2025 all over again or maybe even bigger. Ryan, Lopez, Jeffers, Lewis, and Buxton are all available as is Bell, O'Hearn and the veteran relievers you signed. Stock up on highly ranked prospects and point to 2028. 

In other words, give it one more half season to see if these guys can contend and give them a chance by adding some talent. If they can't, blow it all up and re-stock for 2-3 years down the road. 

[amjgt]

Some quick hit thoughts, which are going to be all over the place

1) The top person in the organization changed. That's huge, even if the last name didn't change. It's still a Pohlad and I understand the skepticism that it will lead to any real change, but think about you and your siblings and how different you can be from each other. We have no real idea how different Tom is from Joe (why must they all have 3-letter names?!?!?!), but it's a big change.

2) Man have I grown sick of Falvey. I've given him every possible chance and he's done some good things (not enough), but I just can't listen to him talk any more. It's like listening to the Peanuts teacher at this point. I'm going to guess Joe and Falvey were pretty in sync. Based only on the last 24 hours of getting to know Tom, I'm going to guess he's not a big Falvey guy. I haven't seen a single quote where he mentioned him (like... "I look forward to digging in with Derek and really figuring this thing out) and he wasn't at the press conference yesterday.

3) What's Tom's goal here? I mean, it's probably to make money, but based on what seems like a little Pohlad family war, maybe he fancies himself the hero of this story. The "go big or go home" quote can easily just be meaningless words, but if he's looking to be the hero, then heroes really do go big or go home. He's not going to be anyone's hero getting the Pohlads 5% on their money. Leopold might be here because Tom likes what he's done with the Wild, which in a lot of ways (especially in the last week) has been "go big or go home"

4) Lot's of voices on here clamoring for a rebuild. Maybe that's the right baseball call and maybe it's not, but I really have a hard time seeing how that's the right business move, especially in the next two year window. The casual fan won't look at a rebuild as a positive move and public interest will continue to dip (possibly completely crater). This new crew seems like they will take the path of "maintain and slowly grow."

5. But having said that, they do need something splashy. I'm going to go back to the framework of a trade that I just can't shake. Pablo for Jarren Duran (we would probably need to include a prospect). The public isn't going to be like "Yay! We got rid of Pablo," but it will do two things. a) balance our roster a bit, and b) clear some money under what is probably a 120M internal salary cap to make a big splashy move.

6) Last one. I worry that even if they truly wanted to, Twins leadership fears that it's not a good idea to go big in 2026. Imagine having a really nice 2026. Fans are coming back. The team outlook is looking good. Finances are turning around, then the 2027 labor mess happens and all of the gains they've made are lost because of something that's not really in their control. Sounds like the 2019 Bomba Squad momentum that got completely stifled because of Covid 2020. 

[rdehring]

3 hours ago, laloesch said:

Actions speak louder than words.  I'll believe it when I see it.  This is all smoke and mirrors word salad from the Pohlads.  I don't believe for a second that they were losing 40 million a year annually with the Twins.  I do believe their revenues took a hit with the TV debacle, and dropping revenues, but they still were only at 140 million at one point as far as payroll goes?  They were still in the profit zone.

I still hold firmly to the earlier report that most of the debt was from Carousel motors (which they are selling) and their other commercial real estate holdings which tanked during Covid.  As was reported by some months ago they shifted that debt to the Twins franchise knowing they were going to either sell outright or sell shares like they did and pay it all off.  That was the angle all along.  Pay off all of that debt and seed some control to other partners in exchange.   

You state that the debt if from Carousel motors, which they are selling.  Wrong.  Had the wifes Q5 in for servicing yesterday, asked when the Pohlad's sold.  The person I was speaking with said it was about two years ago that it was sold.

Don't know where you are reading reports that the debt is from Covid/Carousel.  I recall reading a piece in the Strib business section this past summer.  Or maybe it was spring.  Anyway, the professional reporter was clear that 100% of the Twins debt was from the Twins operations, including money they have invested into Target Field over the years.  But I guess you will choose to believe what you read here and elsewhere opposed to a professional business reporter.