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When Rocco Baldelli watches his team take the field on Opening Day, he will be hoping they can play the way they did down the stretch last year. Despite holding onto the division lead early, Minnesota struggled to create much separation between themselves and the competition. The organization still needs to make additions, but more general enhancements could help out this team.
Getting in on the holiday spirit, here are five gifts to bestow upon the Twins for 2024.
1. A Healthy Byron Buxton
What this looks like remains to be seen. We haven’t been given more than 100 games of Buxton since 2017, and that was the only time in his career. When right, the argument can be made that the Twins' center fielder is among the best in the game. Buxton is capable of gaudy offensive numbers, with defense that can compare against anyone.
Last year, both the Twins and Buxton were focused on getting him to a certain number of games played, rather than working toward getting the most value from him each time he stepped onto the field. Coming off another knee surgery, the hope would be that Buxton can roam center again and, more than just being available, can show off all of his tools. Baldelli’s lineup gets better with the best of Buxton in it, and baseball fans everywhere benefit from watching him play.
2. The Real Carlos Correa
A season ago, Minnesota was gifted an opportunity to sign Correa to a long-term extension. It wasn’t seen as likely when he first joined the Twins organization, and it took other deals falling through for it to happen. Still, he was in uniform for Baldelli on Opening Day, which was great. Unfortunately, the production wasn’t up to the standard he set for himself, and a good portion of that could be traced back to his plantar fasciitis problem.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Correa reaching his career norms would be a significant boost for everyone involved. The Twins must replace the lost production with the Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda departures. Finding new arms to take their spots in the rotation will happen, but some of the production can be shifted to the lineup. Correa left plenty to be desired offensively a season ago, but that has never been his track record. Parlaying the postseason success into a big 2024 could have him back in the MVP discussion.
3. Another Developmental Success Story
Minnesota hired Falvey to establish a pitching pipeline similar to what the Cleveland Guardians had built. There’s a good argument to be made that we are seeing it take place on the farm. Louie Varland and Bailey Ober have both graduated and become usable talents, despite their lack of draft pedigree, and Joe Ryan has ascended to heights the Rays didn’t see from him.
For the Twins starting rotation to remain both good and supported, continuing that development is a must. Emerging names this season could include a resilient Simeon Woods Richardson or the continued blossoming of names like David Festa and Marco Raya. Minnesota establishing another high-level, cost-controlled pitcher this season would be a considerable boost.
4. Some Television Certainty
This may be more for the fans than for the Twins themselves, but establishing a path forward when it comes to broadcasting rights is a gift that needs to keep on giving. Not only do fans want to see the end of blackouts, but the talk of payroll decreases due to lost revenue hurts following such a great year. It’s evident, at this point, that the dollars will be muted, but by how much and for how long surely depend on what happens with this opaque situation.
Sure, the Twins could strike another one-year deal with Bally’s before the company goes under, but preparing for what happens next must mean looking beyond 2024, too. It’s crazy that no resolution has been announced at this point in the offseason, and the same charade cannot be allowed to play out a year from now.
5. A Full Series Win
Last October, the Twins got the proverbial monkey off their back when they ended the 0-18 postseason losing streak. Then they knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, before falling to the Houston Astros. Everything was set up for Minnesota to knock off the reigning World Series champs, and they just weren’t ready to take that next step.
Having experienced that level of excitement and winning, Baldelli must guide his squad to the next level. Winning a five-game series and making it to the American League Championship Series should be the goal. While the Los Angeles Dodgers are heavy World Series favorites after signing Shohei Ohtani, the American League should be seen as much more wide-open. It can be a “why not us” attitude from Minnesota, and taking their 2023 trends a step further would be great to see.
When considering the year ahead, what other gifts would you offer the Twins? What do you think they need to get most urgently?
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