Handbook Sampler: Berardino Sets the Stage

By Mike Berardino:

Minnesota Twins offseasons typically haven’t been like most others around the major leagues. Well-practiced stealth and ultimate frustration have mostly been their M.O., with far more tire-kicking than jersey-holding marking their frozen winters of so-called hot stove activity.

Oh, there was the wild week in late 2012 – just before I joined the St. Paul Pioneer Press as Twins beat writer – that saw both Denard Span and Ben Revere dealt away for young pitching prospects Alex Meyer and Trevor May, respectively.

The winter of 2013-14 brought the two-pronged free agency push that lured veteran right- handers Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes to the Upper Midwest despite their Southern California upbringing.

And, of course, there was the signing of free agent right-hander Ervin Santana in December 2014 – a quick pivot after the failed pursuit of a Francisco Liriano reunion – that worked out better than most such investments did for the Terry Ryan regime.

Since the arrival of Falvine (imaginary trademark) in the fall of 2016, however, the Twins have been far more active during baseball’s supposed downtime. They jumped in quickly and signed catcher Jason Castro away from the Houston Astros for three years and $24.5 million shortly after taking over.

That, of course, was followed by the month-long Brian Dozier soap opera in which the slugging second baseman and team MVP was peddled around the league in hopes his historic 42-homer season would bring a cache of high-end prospects in return. (It didn’t.)

Want to read the rest of this story, followed by 70 pages of in-depth analysis of the Twins offseason that’s about to get underway? Claim your copy of the 2019 Offseason Handbook and you’ll receive it as soon as the World Series ends. Also, make sure to follow Mike on Twitter.