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    Notes about the team are posted here.

    115 rumors in this category

      Matthew Taylor

      In his latest article, Bobby Nightengale reported that the Twins had talks with the Mariners at the trade deadline, but a deal never came together because Seattle was unwilling to include two of their best prospects. Minnesota’s ask? Two top-100 prospects.

      Nightengale also noted that the Twins actually preferred 18-year-old catcher Eduardo Tait over Phillies shortstop prospect Aidan Miller. The hesitation with Miller, ranked #17 in baseball by MLB Pipeline, came from concerns about his ability to stick at shortstop long-term. Miller, currently in Double A, has posted a .740 OPS this season. The Twins felt Tait carried more upside and made him their request from Philadelphia instead.

      You can read the rest of Bobby’s piece here.

      What do you think, do you like Tait over Miller?

      Matthew Lenz

      Byron Buxton, in the midst of an MVP caliber season, has also been having the healthiest year of his career.

      While we don't know a lot of information at this time, the Twins.TV broadcast reported that Buxton exited Saturday's game in the top of the seventh inning with soreness in his left side. Trevor Larnach replaced Buxton, which in turn shifted Willi Castro to left field and Harrison Bader to center field. There didn't seem to be any specific play that led to Buxton being pulled from the game. One silver lining is that it doesn't sound like it's a lower body injury, which has plagued Buxton for a majority of his career.

      Buxton has been on a tear this year with an OPS of .951, including 23 home runs. He's added 17 stolen bases and continues to contribute platinum glove level defense. If he were to miss time, it would almost certainly force the Twins hand to sell their expiring contracts - something that has been rumored but to this point there's been just one report indicating a team is interested in one of those players.

      Stay tuned to Twins Daily for updates on Buxton's status.

      Matthew Taylor

      The Minnesota Twins have begun locking in their 2025 draft class, announcing the signings of three of their top selections, including their first-rounder, just days after the MLB Draft.

      Marek Houston, the Twins' first-round pick at No. 16 overall, has officially signed for $4,497,500, slightly under the assigned slot value of $4,929,600. Houston, widely regarded as the best defensive shortstop in the class, brings elite glove work and advanced instincts to the organization. Though questions remain about the bat, his athleticism and polish make him a potential fast mover in the system.

      Joining him is Riley Quick, the Twins' supplemental first-rounder out of Alabama, who signed for his full slot value of $2,692,000. A hard-throwing righty with a deep pitch mix, Quick profiles as a potential rotation mainstay with multiple plus offerings and a competitive SEC pedigree.

      Second-round pick Quentin Young, the nephew of former Twin Delmon Young, also signed for full slot value at $1,761,600. One of the more intriguing upside plays in the class, Young brings raw but electric tools, boasting elite athleticism and massive power potential. If the Twins can refine his approach, he could become a high-ceiling force in the lineup down the line.

      The Twins are expected to announce additional signings in the coming days as they work to finalize the rest of their 2025 class.

      Stay up-to-date on the 2025 MLB Draft with Twins Daily's draft tracker.

      Matthew Lenz

      With the 2025 MLB draft behind us, many prospectors will be updating their prospect lists. Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic is one of the first to do so.

      Of the 21 Minnesota Twins draftees, three of them make Gleeman's top 20 from jump.

      Marek Houston, the Twins' 16th overall pick, cracks the top 10, coming in at number 7 on the list. Currently, he looks to be a glove-first shortstop, though his hit tool improved over three seasons for the Wake Forest Demons.

      Riley Quick, drafted 36th overall (1st round comp pick), rounds out the top 10. He's been compared to 2023 Twins draftees, Connor Prielipp, as a drafted out of Alabama with big-time stuff but injury concerns.

      Quentin Young, drafted 54th overall, comes in at number 15. A prep infielder, Young is extremely young, raw, and projectible.

      Other notable movement in his top 20 includes SP Dasan Hill jumping from 20th to 6th, OF Gabriel Gonzalez from 21st to 8th, and SP Jose Olivares from 35th to 20.

      Be sure to check out our 2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker for in-depth scouting reports and articles on the most recent group of draftees.

      After you do, let us know what you think of the Twins draft in comments!

      Billy Mock

      With the 149th pick in the draft, the Twins selected their fifth pitcher in seven picks, keeping up with a pitcher-heavy draft. They selected Matt Barr, a JUCO product from Niagara County Community College. Barr was the highest-ranked JUCO prospect in MLB's draft rankings. 

      After spending his freshman year with Niagara, Barr committed to Tennessee for the 2026 season. Still, it became pretty clear he wasn't making it to campus as he continued to rise on draft boards throughout the cycle. In 57 innings across ten starts, Barr struck out 94 hitters while posting a 1.74 ERA. 

      Barr is an athletic 6'6" and 195 pounds, and is still very projectable at 19 years old. The feel to spin the ball stands out here as all three of his offerings come with high spin. He throws a mid-90s fastball with a lot of ride, and complements it with a sweeping slider and a more traditional curveball. The mix has the potential to be a nightmare for right-handed hitters, and he has also flashed a cutter as a more platoon-neutral offering. He has yet to develop another arm-side pitch, which should be in the cards for the Twins as he has the upside to be a big league starter. The command also requires further development, but his delivery and athleticism suggest his command could emerge as average to above-average. 

      Billy Mock

      The Twins selected their third pitcher of the draft with their fourth-round pick. Reitz is an Oregon product and ranked 191st on MLB Pipeline's draft rankings. A 20-year-old junior set to turn 21 in a little over a week, this spring was Reitz's first year with Oregon after he spent his freshman and sophomore years at Saint Mary's.

      Reitz made 11 starts and 16 total appearances for the Ducks this spring, posting a 3.50 ERA while striking out 73 in 64 1/3 innings. What immediately stands out about Reitz is his height. At 6'11", Reitz is easily the tallest player in this year's class, and surprisingly moves fairly well. However, his long levers have made it harder for him to repeat his delivery and command the strike zone with consistency. His command has improved throughout his college career, but there's still a lot of progress to be made before you can start dreaming of him as a big league starter.

      It's a four-pitch mix right now with Reitz throwing a fastball, cutter, slider, and a changeup. His fastball has reached the upper-90s but actually doesn't create a whole lot of extension. Suppose the Twins can get him down the mound further, that fastball can become quite the weapon. He is pretty reliant on his mid-80s cutter, which has the potential to be an above-average offering, as does his slider and changeup. Aside from his height, there isn't too much that jumps off the page here, but there is definitely a high enough floor for the Twins to work with, potentially turning him into an effective starter at the next level. 

      Matthew Lenz

      In the latest update of the sale of the Minnesota Twins, Charley Walters is citing industry sources who say "the [Minnesota] Twins have an offer on the table."

      He goes on to say that "Major League Baseball is expected to guarantee the Twins' debt reportedly more than $400 million."

      So, why isn't this bigger news? Well, it's not been confirmed outside of an "industry source" and it's in the "Don't print that" section of the article linked in the tweet above. At this point, it's just a rumor.

      What does it mean that MLB is "expected to guarantee the Twins' debt?" Well, that answer is also a bit unclear, but our own @Peter Labuza did some speculating and digging saying "If I had to guess, MLB would "buy" the debt and then have the team pay MLB rather than the Pohlad's...?" He goes on to cite the Debt Service Rule from the Atlanta Braves public filings:

      "Each MLB Club is subject to certain MLB imposed restrictions on its ability to incur indebtedness in amounts that exceed specified thresholds. In particular, each MLB Club is generally required to keep outstanding indebtedness minus a certain amount of excludable indebtedness at or below 8.0x available cash flow (or in the case of MLB Clubs which have a new stadium, at or below 12.0x available cash flow), with the amount of excludable indebtedness for fiscal year 2023 set at $125 million and for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2026 set at $100 million. This is referred to as the Debt Service Rule. MLB Clubs must certify compliance with the Debt Service Rule annually and the failure of an MLB Club to comply during two consecutive fiscal years may lead to certain remedial measures being imposed by the Commissioner of Baseball, including, but not limited to, prohibitions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness and repayment of outstanding indebtedness."

      Moreover, using the NFL as an example, Labuza says "[NFL] owners can "borrow" from the league at a cheaper interest rates than banks, etc."

      On the other hand, @John Bonnes speculates at a more simple explanation,  asking "rather than come up 1.5B cash, [maybe prospective owners] can come up with 1.1B cash and take on the $400M loan gradually?"

      While it's our speculation and educated guesses on our end, it helps provide a little bit of clarity on a somewhat vague and unclear statement from Walters piece.

      Do you have any insight on the matter? Please share in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      It's been two weeks since Royce Lewis strained his left hamstring leaving the Minnesota Twins scrambling to cover the hot corner.

      In a positive development, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic is reporting that Lewis will begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, June 27th.

      While Lewis struggled to find his bat after missing the first month of the season, but seemed to be turning a corner before his latest injury. In the meantime, Brooks Lee has been a solid replacement for Lewis and is recently enjoyed an 18-game hitting streak and his hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games.

      Once Lewis' rehab assignment is over, should he join the Twins ASAP or get extra reps in St. Paul? Join the conversation in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      The Minnesota Twins depth took another hit today, but this time it comes on the offensive side of the ball.

      After missing multiple games this weekend, Mickey Gasper, has been placed on the Triple-A injured list with plantar fasciitis. An issued that has plagued All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa in previous seasons.

      With the Twins in a 3-13 funk, some speculated whether recalling Gasper from Triple-A St. Paul could help the big-league club. Gasper, 30, was dominating with the Saints slashing .318/.418/.609 with 10 home runs. His production has resulted in a 165 wRC+.

      However, the same hasn't been true in his cup of coffee with the Twins this season. In 39 plate appearances, the switch hitter has a .488 OPS with just one extra base hit - a double - good for a wRC+ of 47.

      If the Twins plan to change things up, they may have to look at getting slugger Carson McCusker some at-bats, though he doesn't answer the Twins need for help on the dirt. Ryan Fitzgerald may be the next man up to fill that need, who has also been very productive for the Saints.

      Do you think anyone currently in Triple-A could help the Twins right the ship?

      Matthew Lenz

      Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic is reporting that Minnesota Twins starting pitcher prospect, Andrew Morris, was placed on the 15-day IL with a right forearm strain.

      The news is yet another pitcher injury for the Twins, who recently lost Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews to injury. In addition, Bailey Ober recently mentioned a hip issue that's impacting his mechanics, though he's been able to continue pitching.

      Morris has been very up and down for Triple-A St. Paul with five starts of four earned runs or more and seven starts of two earned runs or less. In all, it had amounted to a 4.41 ERA across 63 1/3 innings.
       

      With all the injuries, Morris was on the short list of pitchers who could be next in line to head West down 94 to Target Field.  Now, we await to learn the severity of his injury but it's safe to assume he'll be shut down for awhile.

      Do you think there is something to all these injuries or is it just coincidence?

      Matthew Lenz

      As the standings currently sit, the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Detroit Tigers are the top two teams in the American League Central.

      Major League Baseball and ESPN are rewarding them by flexing their Sunday matinee to Sunday night baseball on June 29 starting at 6 PM.

      For the Twins, this will be their first time on Sunday Night Baseball in five seasons. They last played on Sunday Night Baseball in 2020 against the Chicago Cubs. That game featured six shutout innings from then rotation ace Jose Berríos followed by three innings of dominance from the Twins bullpen. Max Kepler had himself a night going 3-for-5 with a two run blast. Also of note, Target Field has not hosted Sunday Night Baseball since its inaugural season, according to Declan Goff.

      Hopefully the Twins can play better in front of a national audience than they did in front of their own fans against he Texas Rangers. 😬

      Matthew Lenz

      After injuries to Zebby Matthews and Pablo López, we knew the Twins were going to have to figure out how to manage the pitching staff. This led to promotions of David Festa, Simeon Woods Richardson, Travis Adams, and Danny Coulombe. Adams has since been sent back to Triple-A St. Paul and Woods Richardson is coming off an abysmal outing against a below average Texas Rangers squad. Now, the Twins have transferred López to the 60-day IL and have claimed left-handed reliever, Joey Wentz, from the Pittsburgh Pirates to help eat innings out of the bullpen.

      Wentz, 28, has thrown 26 innings across 19 appearances with an ERA of 4.15 (3.77 FIP) and a 9.5% strikeout minus walk rate. He's a typical Falvey-esque pitcher with an extension in the 88th percentile and a mid-to-low 90s fastball that he counters with horizontal movement (cutter). He also has a curveball as his third offering.

      This is just a depth move by the Twins, who have relied heavily on their bullpen in the early going, but may also spell the end of the road for the struggling Jorge Alcala.

      Do you think this signals the end for Alcala? How long does Wentz last with the Twins? Join the conversation in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      Baseball America released their June top 100 prospect rankings and it doesn't come as a surprise to see one name fall. While Luke Keaschall  and Emmanuel Rodriguez saw their stocks jump two spots, Walker Jenkins saw his fall two spots despite two people ahead of him in the May rankings graduate.

      It's not surprising to see Jenkins drop on the list, going from #11 in May to #13 in June, as he's been out for a majority of the season. He just returned on June 3rd in the Florida Complex League. A good month could see him back in the top 10 for the July Update.

      On the other hand, Rodriguez has been his typical "on-base machine" self with the St. Paul Saints this year carrying a .400 OBP. Along with a high walk rate, he has a high strikeout rate due to his patient plate approach. He's annually towards the bottom of the Minor League leaderboard in swing and contact rates. More than most prospects, Rodriguez is a massive wild card as to whether the prospect pedigree will turn into production at the big-league level.

      Finally, Keaschall was moved to the 60-day IL and is expected to be out for the foreseeable future although should return this season.

      Matthew Lenz

      Tanner Schobel, the Minnesota Twins second round pick from the 2022 draft, was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

      Schobel (who has split time at second, third, and shortstop) has a slash line of .292/.372/.465 with seven home runs in 234 plate appearances. His plate discipline has been extremely impressive with a low 14.1% strikeout rate and a high 10.7% walk rate. He's add seven stolen bases to his stat line to boot.

      Baseball America has the 24-year-old utility man as the Twins eighth rated prospect with mostly average to above-average tools, although below average power. 

      View Schobel's scouting report here:

      Do you think there is any chance we see Schobel with the Twins in 2025? Are you planning on seeing him in-person at CHS Field? Join the conversation in the comments!

      Brock Beauchamp

      In a recent roundup on MLB.com, early results on MLB television ratings were revealed. They include:

      • MLB on Fox is up 10%
      • MLB on ESPN is up 22%
      • MLB Tuesday on TBS is up 16%

      Perhaps most importantly, it appears substantial gains are being made in the 18-34 age demographic, a decades-long weakness of Major League Baseball.

      This is in sharp contrast to the World Series, which has been in decline for years and is often used as a benchmark for the overall popularity of the sport. I was able to find World Series ratings dating back to 1968, and until 2007 the World Series never carried a rating under 10. That slowly spiraled until it hit its low-water mark of 4.7 in 2023 as the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks squared off.

      MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred have aggressively pushed rules changes, largely in an attempt to capture younger demographics that have abandoned baseball in favor of football and basketball.

      Is baseball on the rebound with fans or is this just a blip on the radar?

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