Enough Already! Let's Play Ball!

On Tuesday, Twins owner Joe Pohlad told WCCO radio that the payroll would not increase significantly from its current state other than potentially in a small (inexpensive) move. Would ownership consider signing one of the big four free agents remaining (Bellinger, Chapman, Montgomery, Snell) for $30 million, even for one year? Plainly, Pohlad said, “No.” 

As expected, Twins Twitter went crazy in response to Pohlad’s candid comments and had many questions. Frankly, I’ve had to stay off of The social media company formerly called Twitter, or at least I muted the term “payroll” from my page. It’s boring. The team was honest about the TV and payroll situations going back to the GM meetings in November. There are no real surprises here. There isn’t new information. We learned that the Twins re-upped with Bally’s for one year and hope to negotiate with other MLB teams next offseason. Yup. Same topic, different day. 

Twins media gathered around Twins shortstop Carlos Correa on Wednesday in Fort Myers. Two offseasons ago, he and his new agent (at that time), Scott Boras, reached out to the Twins, which led to the two sides agreeing on a three-year, $105 million deal with opt-outs that we all knew he would take. Last offseason, we certainly recall the wildness of the Correa situation. When the Giants and Mets decided to fear Correa’s medical information, the Twins were able to swoop in and sign him to a six-year, $200 million deal that could reach $285 million over 10 years if various options are picked up. Is he disappointed that the Twins have been so public and honest about reducing their payroll? 

Fortunately, the veteran is media savvy and provided an excellent response. “I think with the team that we have right now, we can compete against anyone, and you know, whatever business stuff they're going to do upstairs, that's their business. They understand the business way more than most players do. And there's a reason why they're doing that, which is way above my pay grade. I'm just getting paid to play baseball, but I do know one thing, and it's that I trust in this group of players. I trust in the young talent that we have. I trust in our farm system, and I trust that the product that we're going to put on the field is prepared to go out there and compete against anyone.”

Those are the words of an leader! 

And I agree with the veteran. And I think most of you agree. There’s no reason to believe that this roster can not only win the AL Central but win in the playoffs again, especially if they add at the trade deadline. 

Correa added, “So yeah, you always want to have guys with names and pedigrees and guys that have done it before, but at the same time, there’s a lot of young guys out there that can get the job done. And, we obviously trust them, the guys that we have in our farm system.” 

It took several years, but the work done and the money spent on player development over the past six or seven years is bearing fruit. More coaches. More technology. More coordinators. More video. More individualized plans. More velocity. We have seen successes with position players and pitchers in various roles. There are guys ready to move up, and I like the idea of trusting them. 

Anyway, here is a list of topics I would prefer to read about or listen to than payroll. 

1. Anything. 

Oh, you were looking for a longer list. Alright, here is a partial list of topics I would prefer to read about or listen to than talk of payroll. 

1. What kind of numbers can Royce Lewis produce if he can play in 150 games? (same question for Carlos Correa… and Byron Buxton… and Alex Kirilloff… and Trevor Larnach…) 
2. Is it just me, or is Bailey Ober incredibly underrated? Why aren’t we hearing anything about trying to lock him up for the next six or seven years? 
3. Will Edouard Julien get an opportunity to hit against more left-handed pitching to see if it’s something he can improve upon? It’s an area that he says he spent a lot of time on in the offseason. 
4. How excited can or should Twins fans be about the idea of Byron Buxton playing center field again in 2024?
5. I’ve seen a couple of the Gypsy Rose Blanchard movies, her interviews in jail, and a couple of interviews since her release. I’m tired of it (but I would rather watch more of it than hear more discussion about the Twins payroll). 
6. How solid is the Twins roster (on paper) that former top 100 prospects like Trevor Larnach, Jose Miranda, and Josh Winder will likely start the season in St. Paul? Louie Varland and Jorge Alcala could start the season with the Saints. 
7. You had me at Pablo! Pablo Lopez is a preseason favorite for the American League Cy Young Award. Can he find another level and a little more consistency? 
8. What will the limitations be for Chris Paddack as he returns from his second Tommy John surgery? Seeing him come back in the bullpen last fall was exciting. Can he (or will he be allowed to) reach 150 innings? 
9. Listen to Vlad Putin talk about Russia’s history with Ukraine for an hour. 
10. Speaking of returning from Tommy John surgery, what can we expect from Matt Canterino in 2024? What can we hope for from Matt Canterino in 2024? Can he be a bullpen option in the playoffs (like Varland in 2023)? 
11. While they are unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster, it will be exciting to see how quickly David Festa and Brooks Lee get to the big leagues in 2024 and what role they will play for the Twins down the stretch.
12. Listen to a presentation created for Rhodes Scholars about Real Analysis, Differential Equations, and other mathematical fundamentals. 
13. We saw what Carlos Correa can do when the games matter, but what kind of numbers is he capable of putting up playing on healthy feet? 
14. The back end of the Twins bullpen could be very good, with Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, and Brock Stewart. They have added several veterans in an attempt to bolster the bullpen. How will Rocco Baldelli and Pete Maki utilize the bullpen in games, and how will Thad Levine and Derek Falvey utilize that depth and player options?
15. Who will be the Brock Stewart of 2023 in 2024? Which player (hitter or pitcher) will come up as a relative unknown, maybe a minor-league signing, and become a key cog on the Twins roster? 
16. Can Brock Stewart 2024 be as reliable as healthy Brock Stewart 2023 was? If healthy, he can dominate. The same is true for Jorge Alcala and Josh Staumont. 
17. I’d rather read about or listen to shows that talk about the Minnesota Vikings constantly during the offseason than hear more on the Twins payroll situation. 
18. Which Max Kepler will we see in 2024? Last July, Twins fans had given up and were entirely ready to move on from the German outfielder. Then his bat came to life, and he hit so well in the final months of the season that not only was it an easy decision for the Twins to pick up his option, but Keith Law wrote that he could have got $20 million a year for several years in free agency had the Twins declined the option. 
19. Who is the Twins #4 catcher right now? Last year, Christian Vazquez and Ryan Jeffers stayed healthy all season. That’s unusual. In the offseason, the Twins added Jair Camargo to the 40-man roster. The burly backstop can rake and does a solid job behind the plate. But what if they need a fourth catcher? Would they go with a veteran with a handful of games in the big leagues like Brian O’Keefe, or would they jump directly to their top catching prospect Patrick Winkel? Maybe Chris Williams would finally get a chance.
20. I think I’d rather take a course on colonoscopies. If it comes with labs... that's debatable.  
21. I’d rather have a conversation about what happens if Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie stay healthy and Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams progress rather than suffer from sophomore slumps. 
22. It’d be great to read more stories about the Twins players or that games start on Friday. I can’t wait to read spring training play-by-play on Twitter. I want to see more video from bullpens. 
23. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine’s contracts are allegedly up at the end of 2024. Since they joined the organization, the team hasn’t officially announced their extensions (though news came out after the 2019 season that the two had signed five-year extensions to keep them through 2024). Have the Twins extended them already? Should they? If they’re lame-duck leaders, what does that mean? 
24. Will Bobby Witt, Jr. be the top player in the AL Central this year? Earlier this month, the shortstop signed an 11-year, $288.7 million (with opt-outs starting at Year 7 and options that could make it a 14-year deal. In addition, the Royals signed #3/#4 starters such as Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo and traded for Kyle Wright. They bolstered their bullpen with Nick Anderson, Chris Stratton, and Will Smith (who has won three World Series championships in the past three years with three different teams). Have they added enough to compete with Cleveland and Detroit for second in the AL Central in 2024? 

I could probably keep going, but since it’s 2024, maybe I’ll limit my list of topics I’d much rather be reading about or listening to than the Twins payroll. 

Sure, payroll is a topic. It has been and it should be. We’ve learned long ago that while payroll is a factor, “Baseball Decisions” are way more important. More important. Do we have to talk about it every day? 

I like baseball. Let’s talk about baseball.

Repeated Disclaimer: It is perfectly fine to be a Twins fan who enjoys talking about topics like payroll. It is also perfectly fine to be a Twins fans who doesn't care about such things and wants to watch what should be a very exciting team get their season started.