A Radically Different Deadline Approach Has Led to the Same August Results for the Minnesota Twins

[MeleMouth]

4 hours ago, Eris said:

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I believe that the trades were made to maintain fan interest/attendance rather than with an expectation that this team would be competitive in the postseason. 
 

For several years, the strategy has been to squeak into the playoffs by taking advantage of playing in the weakest division in baseball and then hope for the best.

This is actually relatively sane behavior, because most businesses try to pay the least possible to develop the products they need to make get results in their market. This is basically what the Twins do, because they have a monopoly in their market. The problem, of course, is that many market monopolists in MLB have more resources and many other monopolists with resources similar to the Twins compete in more difficult divisions so competition forces them to be smarter in managing their resources in order to maximize their revenue. Then, once the playoffs come around, the Twins monopoly loses to these wealthier or smarter monopolies.

[weitz41]

A historically terrible AL plays a large part in this comparison.  In fact, it makes it apples to oranges IMO.

Let's count our blessings, a CEO that says we're going to be completive or one who says we need to right size payroll? A GM that says your right Shelty, Lee isn't a SS, Royce you're not our 3b anymore, Wallner got strike out in AAA? Now low and behold we've promoted two guys in August.

Sure, they should have traded Jeffers and Larnach at a minimum at the deadline. But really how many more LH outfielders do we need? 😜

[HarmonK03]

This team badly needs new and competent leadership to lead the baseball operations.  That is where I am holding Tom P. accountable, hire someone with experience and get out of their way.  Let them present a plan and what resources are needed, if they are reasonable approve it.

Whatever plans Falvey has had are a mystery to the fans and that is a problem.  You need to be able sell what you are trying to accomplish and that can be done without giving details, a good leader knows how to do this.  And this is something Falvey was not and Zoll is even worse.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I still am all for the 2026 version of the trade deadline. 100%   Play each game like there is no tomorrow.  A caveat...I'm 81 and i live each day with gratitude and optimism. 

[Hubie29]

3 hours ago, GNess said:

 The moves made didn't cause the losing record in August.

 

 

 

 

It's the moves they didn't make. They lost Ryan, added Kremer. Added Hoffman to a bullpen revolving door. Where did they add anything on the offensive side or defense?

[LastOnePicked]

3 hours ago, MeleMouth said:

Then, once the playoffs come around, the Twins monopoly loses to these wealthier or smarter monopolies.

The Pohlads have plenty of money. It's the intelligence deficit that's the real issue with this club.

[LastOnePicked]

11 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I'm 81 and i live each day with gratitude and optimism. 

That's great, and I love it. Here's hoping you reach 101.

But the problem with the "play each game like it's your last" approach for a major league team is that you can actually damage tomorrow's chances with today's mistakes. That's precisely what happened this past offseason.

[LastOnePicked]

Good article, Nick. The reason why the records are pretty much the same is that this is still pretty much the same organization. There wasn't a single elite player of the roster last August, and there's not a single elite player on the roster this August. You need elite talent somewhere on the mound or the field or the batter's box to win. 

It's possible that Jenkins will be elite. We'll just have to see.

[shimrod]

1 hour ago, HarmonK03 said:

That is where I am holding Tom P. accountable, hire someone with experience and get out of their way.  Let them present a plan and what resources are needed, if they are reasonable approve it.

I expect an experienced baseball executive plans how to win. Tell him the goal is to maximize profit and he finds another team to work for. 

 

[jkcarew]

What the Twins added this year makes it RADICALLY different from last year? I would say not really. And when you sell the guys they sold last year (relievers) you don’t get THAT much top end MLB ready talent. That would have come with trading a Buxton or Ryan at any point in the past 12 months (theoretically in Buxton’s case). Still, a healthy Abel might have moved the needle.

[JADBP]

3 hours ago, MeleMouth said:

For several years, the strategy has been to squeak into the playoffs by taking advantage of playing in the weakest division in baseball and then hope for the best.

This is actually relatively sane behavior, because most businesses try to pay the least possible to develop the products they need to make get results in their market. This is basically what the Twins do, because they have a monopoly in their market. The problem, of course, is that many market monopolists in MLB have more resources and many other monopolists with resources similar to the Twins compete in more difficult divisions so competition forces them to be smarter in managing their resources in order to maximize their revenue. Then, once the playoffs come around, the Twins monopoly loses to these wealthier or smarter monopolies.

I disagree with your assumption that many companies try to spend the least amount to develop their products.  There are companies that try to develop the best products and become market leaders recognized for innovative, high quality, high reliability products...some obvious names come to mind...maybe Apple, Rolex, Ferrari, the Los Angeles Dodgers and many, many more.  There are also companies that live at the are perennial bottom feeders, like dollar stores, budget airlines and the Los Angeles Angels.  But here is the thing:  Dollar stores are very, very profitable.  

MLB is an odd duck.  Is it a business?  Is it the National Pastime?  Is it supposed to be profitable or winning?  Is it even a regional monopoly (anymore)?  It is entertainment business and the owners rightfully try to make a profit--if for no other reason than profit sustains the organization for years (except probably Cohen, LOL). If you lose money year after year, then you end up like the Twins, with $500 million in debt and you are forced to sell the team.  

Because owners are usually not baseball men, it is their job to hire managers to run the team.  And the Twins have been very bad at hiring management for a very long time.  Falvey's decision-making was all over the place, culminating in disaster last year.  Joe Pohlad was an embarrassment. Zoll doesn't give us much confidence.

Twins Profitability has been very bad to non-existent for years (racking up $500 million in debt).   And, as a result, they cut salaries, killing fan interest and attendance.  Price slashing or "right-sizing led to the demise of RadioShack, Toys R Us, and Sears and could still destroy Boeing.  Its very tough road and few succeed and it will never work in modern professional sports.

Smart, well-run, small market teams are out there (Milwaukee, KC are good MLB examples).  But the Twins just seem to keep flailing.  Can Tom fix what Joe broke?  That's the question.  But, to do so, he has to first fix the fundamental problem with the Twins:  BAD MANAGEMENT--up and down the organization.  Just moving Falvey was not enough.  Zoll is simply the new name atop the same organization.  As Townshend said:  "New boss....same as the old boss."

Counting on increased revenue sharing with a new players agreement is just delaying more failure.  It is NOT going to make a poorly managed team run better.  I expect it will take years to untangle this mess at 1 Twins Way.

[Bodie]

8 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Twins are funner to watch this year but still not a very good team.  Lots of holes to filled.  Still hard to understand their philosophy.  Pohlad gloating about adding 8 million to payroll lands flat when you consider it was reduced by nearly 60 million the past year and a half.  The players added at the deadline are marginal at best and certainly not better than the players we traded away last year.

Funner and competitiver.

 

Helluva difference from last year.