Matthew Taylor

There is no denying that the 2021 offseason for the Minnesota Twins went about as poorly as possible. Knowing what we know now, though, what would the ideal offseason have looked like for the Twins? This offseason, the Minnesota Twins made six free agent signings and all of them (save for Nelson Cruz) blew up in their faces. The Minnesota Twins front office misfired badly and the losing season they are going through is the result. But what if things played out differently? In a “hindsight is 20/20” thought exercise, let’s play out what the ideal version of the 2021 offseason would have looked like for the Minnesota Twins and see how the Twins front office could have best spent their offseason dollars. In this thought exercise I am giving the Minnesota Twins the same budget as they spent in their actual offseason, which was approximately $41.75M. Additionally in this exercise, the Twins’ “ideal” offseason signings will need to be signed at a 20% increase over what they actually signed for in the offseason. This 20% increase would account for the the Twins prying away the players from the teams they actually signed with, making this a more realistic scenario of what could have been. Are “what if” games pointless as they have no bearing in reality? Probably. Are they fun? You bet they are! So let’s run through these... Designated Hitter Actual Offseason signing: Nelson Cruz - 1 year, $13MM Ideal Offseason signing: Nelson Cruz - 1 year, $13MM The only of the six offseason signings from the Twins’ offseason that they would redo in our ideal version would be bringing back Nelson Cruz on a 1 year, $13MM deal. In his 214 plate appearances with the Minnesota Twins this season, Cruz posted a .907 OPS, which led the team and was third-best in baseball after Shohei Ohtani and J.D. Martinez. The Twins had a clear need at designated hitter and opted to fill that slot with Cruz which was the right choice, which is why the Twins would make that same move again, if they knew then what they know now. Middle Infield Actual offseason signing: Andrelton Simmons - 1 year, $10.5MM Ideal Offseason signing: Kolten Wong - 2 year, $21.6MM After Nelson Cruz, the Andrelton Simmons signing was the largest investment that the Minnesota Twins made last offseason. The thought was that Simmons’ bat would play well enough and that his glove would completely transform the team. While his glove has been solid (though not spectacular), Simmons is having one of the worst offensive seasons in team history, with his OPS of .565. In our ideal offseason, the Minnesota Twins would have signed Kolten Wong for a 2 year, $21.6MM contract. Wong has been excellent with the Milwaukee Brewers this year and owns a .810 OPS. Wong is only 30-years-old and would be under contract again for the Twins next season. Wong plays second base, which means the Twins would’ve needed to keep Jorge Polanco at shortstop under these circumstances, but at 2.7 fWAR compared to Simmons’s -0.3, signing Wong over Andrelton would’ve made a big difference for the Twins. Starting Pitcher Actual offseason signing: J.A. Happ - 1 year, $8MM Ideal Offseason signing: Robbie Ray - 1 year, $9.6MM The Minnesota Twins signed J.A. Happ last offseason hoping that he could fill the fourth starter role for the Twins in 2022. Instead, Happ completely imploded for Minnesota, posting a 6.77 ERA in 19 starts. What makes the Happ signing hurt even more for the Twins is that southpaw Robbie Ray signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for the identical 1 year, $8MM deal that J.A. Happ signed for. Under this exercise, the Twins would’ve needed to pay a 20% premium to guarantee Ray’s services, but for a 1 year, $9.6MM the Twins could have signed Ray who has a 2.71 ERA on the season and just became the all-time leader in K/9 in MLB history. Starting Pitcher Actual offseason signing: Matt Shoemaker - 1 year, $2MM Ideal Offseason signing: Carlos Rodón - 1 year, $3.6MM While J.A. Happ pitched terribly for the Minnesota Twins during his tenure here, Matt Shoemaker was even worse. In 16 appearances with the Twins, Shoemaker posted a 8.06 ERA and was worth -0.7 fWAR before getting DFA’d and ultimately released. At a 20% premium, the Minnesota Twins could have signed Carlos Rodón for just $3.6MM and gotten a pitcher who has been a revolution for the White Sox this year, with a 2.43 ERA and a 12.8 K/9. Relief Pitcher Actual offseason signing: Alexander Colomé - 1 year, $6.25MM Ideal Offseason signing: Sergio Romo - 1 year, $3MM Moving to the bullpen, Alexander Colomé was yet another disastrous signing for the Minnesota Twins this offseason, as he has a 4.26 ERA, six blown saves and the worst win probability added on the team. In their ideal offseason, the Minnesota Twins would have simply brought back Sergio Romo, who they let walk last offseason, for half of the price of Colomé. Romo has put together a 3.18 ERA in 54 appearances with the Oakland Athletics and has thrived there in a high-leverage role. Relief Pitcher Actual offseason signing: Hansel Robles - 1 year, $2MM Ideal Offseason signing: Collin McCugh - 1 year, $2.16MM Finally, in their ideal offseason the Minnesota Twins would have avoided Hansel Robles and his 4.91 ERA in Minnesota in favor of Collin McHugh for nearly the same price tag. McHugh signed with Tampa Bay this offseason and has been spectacular, featuring a 1.40 ERA and 11.6 K/9. Overall let’s compare the actual offseason for the Minnesota Twins to what the ideal offseason would have looked like: Actual offseason $ spent: $41.75MM Ideal offseason $ spent: $42.16MM Actual offseason fWAR acquired (with Twins): 0.2 fWAR Ideal offseason fWAR acquired: 14.4 fWAR Again, hindsight is always 20/20 and ideal history is always going to be an unfair game to play, but laying out what the ideal offseason for the Twins would have looked like is not only fun, but interesting to look at the types of players that succeeded as we try to find free agent options for the 2022 season. What trends stick out to you from the list of “ideal” free agents above? Which of the above names were you clamoring for the Twins to sign at the time? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! View full article

In what has become an all-too-familiar trend, the Minnesota Twins followed up an exciting victory with an absolute dud. Box Score Gant: 4 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Home Runs: Astudillo (7) Bottom 3 WPA: Gant -.193, Garcia -.093, Arraez -.090 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Pitching has been the downfall for the Minnesota Twins in 2021, and pitching was their downfall again on Thursday night. The pitching didn’t waste anytime letting the Twins down at Fenway park on Thursday as John Gant was far from sharp. The scoring got started early for the Red Sox, when Bobby Dalbec cashed in on back-to-back walks from John Gant with a three-run blast to give Boston an early 3-0 lead. The Red Sox then cashed in another run off of Gant in the 3rd inning with an RBI single off the right handed bat of Alex Verdugo. In total, Gant only gave the Twins four innings while allowing four earned runs, struggling with command all night to the tune of three walks. His lack of distance turned the game over to the bullpen early, which has been a bad thing all night, and was again a bad thing. After Kyle Barraclough allowed a run in the 5th inning, things completely unraveled for the Twins’ bullpen. In the 6th inning, Edgar Garcia allowed three hits, two walks, hit a batter and threw one wild pitch. He was charged with six runs, highlighted by a home run by Rafael Devers to give the Red Sox their 10th run. The Red Sox tacked on two more runs in the 7th inning off of Edgar Garcia when Bobby Dalbec hit his second home run, this time of the two-run variety. While the Red Sox offense was on fire all night, the Twins’ bats were largely silent, as they were only able to muster three hits on the night. The Twins cashed in their only runs of the night in the 5th inning when Willians Astudillo hit his seventh home run of the season over the Green Monster. Immaculate Inning In what was an otherwise run-of-the-mill blowout game, there was a noteworthy moment in the 3rd inning when Chris Sale threw the first immaculate inning at Fenway Park since Pedro Martinez in 2002. Turtle Time With a blowout game came another chance to watch Willians Astudillo on the mound in mop up duty. He was tasked with pitching for the Twins in the 8th inning. Astudillo didn’t allow a hit or a run in his inning of work. Postgame Interview What’s Next? The Minnesota Twins will return home to kick off a three-game weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers by sending Andrew Albers to the mound to face off against Brewers’ left-hander, Eric Lauer. Bullpen Usage Chart View full article

The Minnesota Twins' bats were quiet and Kenta Maeda left the game with an arm injury in the Twins 7-1 loss to the New York Yankees. In other words, it was just another day in the Bronx for the Twins. Box Score Maeda: 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5K Home Runs: Polanco (22) Bottom 3 WPA: Donaldson -.148, Polanco -.127, Garcia -.100 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) It was a pitcher’s duel early on in the Bronx on Saturday afternoon with team aces Gerrit Cole and Kenta Maeda exchanging great performances from each dugout. The New York Yankees got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning after a hit-by-pitch by Rougned Odor kicked off a rally for the Yankees, ending with a RBI single by Tyler Wade gave the New York Yankees an early 1-0 lead. The Minnesota Twins had a great chance to get on the board themselves in the top of the 5th inning when they had the bases loaded and Josh Donaldson up to the plate, but Donaldson took a called third strike to end the Twins rally and preserve Cole’s outstanding outing. Things took a turn for the worse for Maeda and the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the 5th inning, though, when Maeda lost all control of his pitches. Maeda allowed a double and a single before hitting Anthony Rizzo, throwing a wild pitch, and walking Aaron Judge on nine consecutive balls. Following the walk to Judge and a ball to the next hitter, Maeda motioned for the trainers to come out and Maeda was promptly removed from the game with what was called right forearm tightness. Responsible for all three runs on the bases after being removed from the game, Twins reliever Edgar Garcia allowed each of the runs to score on doubles from Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit to give the Yankees a five-run inning and push their lead to 6-0. On the day, Maeda pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed five earned runs on four hits, one walk and two hit batters. Across the diamond, Gerrit Cole was much more effective for the New York Yankees, limiting the Twins to just five hits across scoreless innings while striking out six. While the rest of the Twins’ offense struggled to push runs across the plate, Jorge Polanco stayed on his ridiculous hot streak at the plate, blasting a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the 8th to give the Twins their first (and only) run of the game. The Yankees sure didn’t need any insurance runs, but they got another one in the bottom of the 8th inning on a solo shot from backup shortstop, Andrew Velazquez. The Twins would wind up losing to the New York Yankees 7-1, making it three losses in a row and cementing yet another series loss to the Bronx Bombers. What’s Next? The Twins will look to avoid a 4-game sweep tomorrow afternoon when they send Griffin Jax to the mound to face off against old friend Luis Gil. Editor’s note: It has since been announced that Sunday’s game has been rained out. Bullpen Usage Chart View full article

The Minnesota Twins’ bats got off to a quick start and Griffin Jax recorded his first Major League victory as a starter in what was a 5-3 win for the Twins over the Houston Astros. Box Score Jax: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 K Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Larnach .130, Jax .116, Thielbar .071 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) After a lackluster performance on Wednesday afternoon’s getaway game, the Minnesota Twins were hoping to get off to a quicker start in the first game of their four-game road series against the Houston Astros. The Twins got the start that they were looking for as their offense exploded out to a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning, thanks to RBI from Willians Astudillo, Trevor Larnach, Andrelton Simmons and Jorge Polanco, who continued his torrid stretch on Thursday evening. The four runs of support turned out to be all that Twins’ starter Griffin Jax needed as he kept the Astros bats quiet all night, allowing just one hit through the first five innings, until “old friend” Jason Castro finally put the Astros on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th inning. On the night, Jax pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on three hits and one walk. While Jax didn’t accumulate any strikeouts, he had Houston’s talented hitters on their heels the entire night and posted the best start of his young Major League career. After Jax was removed from a 4-1 ballgame, Andrelton Simmons provided the Twins with an insurance run in the top of the 8th inning with an RBI bunt single to score newly called up Rob Refsnyder. The Minnesota Twins’ bullpen was looking strong on the night with scoreless appearances from Caleb Thielbar, Tyler Duffey and Jorge Alcala before reliever Danny Coulombe made things interesting in the bottom of the 9th inning when he allowed Yordan Alvarez to smack a two-run home run to right field to draw the Twins’ lead down to two. Fans were nervous when Baldelli called on Alexander Colomé to close out the game for Coulombe, but he was able to answer the bell and give the Twins the victory. Raising Money For a Good Cause A fun part of the broadcast tonight was the annual Twins’ Community Fund Broadcast Auction that was run to benefit the Twins’ charity. In total, over $84,000 was raised for the Twins’ Community Fund and some pretty cool items were auctioned off. Postgame Press Conference What’s Next? The Minnesota Twins will send rookie Bailey Ober to the mound tomorrow night to face off against veteran right hander, Zack Grienke for a 7:10pm showdown in Houston. Bullpen Usage Chart View full article

With José Berríos now north of the border, the Minnesota Twins are faced with an extremely difficult task: replacing their ace of the past five years. There are five impending free agents who could be candidates for the Twins to replace their right hander. When the Minnesota Twins traded away José Berríos they gave away their most durable, consistent and talented pitcher they’ve had since Johan Santana. While the Twins will look to their farm system to fill in the gaps of the depleted rotation that Berríos left behind, they should also look to free agency to replace as much of the consistent, veteran arm of Berríos that they can. When looking for a replacement for José Berríos, the Minnesota Twins will need to look for a pitcher who mirrors the age and upside of José Berríos. The Twins should be targeting a pitcher better than impending free agent names like Vincent Velasquez and Aaron Sanchez, but at the same time avoiding aging stars that do not fit the Twins’ timeline such as Clayton Kershaw or Max Scherzer. In looking at replacements for Berríos, let’s look at pitchers aged 30 or younger who have shown flashes of excellence. Acquiring a pitcher in this mold would ideally allow the Twins to replace ~85% of Berríos’s production on a cheaper contract than the Puerto Rican right hander will command after the 2022 season. Let’s get to the list... Marcus Stroman RHP 30 years old 2019 - 2021: 306.1 IP, 3.06 ERA, 7.6 K/9 Marcus Stroman was a name that many Twins fans wanted Minnesota to sign at the 2019 trade deadline and again in free agency last offseason. Stroman ended up being traded to the Mets in 2019 and then signed the qualifying offer last offseason, but will finally be a fully unrestricted free agent this winter. Stroman is currently having the best season of his young career with a 2.80 ERA in 122 innings with the Mets. Stroman is not a lights-out pitcher with top-notch velocity, but he limits damage extremely well with pinpoint control and a sinker that induces ground balls more than 50% of the time. Stroman is still only 30 years old and has the type of profile that figures to age well. Stroman will command some big-time offers in free agency but with numbers similar to José Berríos, the Twins have a unique opportunity to replace their former ace with a new one. Kevin Gausman RHP 30 years old 2019 - 2021: 288.1 IP, 3.81 ERA, 10.7K/9 Kevin Gausman was another name that Twins fans were looking at as a potential free agent option last offseason, only to miss out on him via the qualifying offer. Similar to Stroman, Gausman is in the midst of the best season of his career, with a 2.35 ERA and a 10.6 K/9. Gausman has a nasty pitch arsenal and the type of stuff that could play over the life of a 5 year contract. Noah Syndergaard RHP 28 years old 2019 - 2021: 197.2 IP, 4.28 ERA, 9.2 K/9 Another name that was once linked to the Minnesota Twins, Syndergaard was talked about as a potential trade return for Byron Buxton when the Twins were looking for a starting pitcher at the 2019 trade deadline. Now a free agent, Syndergaard figures to be a name that will draw interest from many clubs. Syndergaard has elite stuff, highlighted by his fastball that can reach triple digits. What has held “Thor” back is injury, as he is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery he underwent at the end of the 2019 season. When healthy, Syndergaard can be one of the premier starting pitchers in baseball, and while his injury presents risk, it could also present an opportunity to get value on a potential contract. Eduardo Rodriguez LHP 28 years old 2019 - 2021: 303.0 IP, 4.40 ERA, 9.9 K/9 Moving to the southpaws, Eduardo Rodriguez has been an underrated starting pitcher with the Boston Red Sox over the past number of years. Rodriguez is having a tough 2021 season, with an ERA of 5.60, but his underlying statistics show that he has been pitching much better than that. Rodriguez would bring a left handed pitcher to a rotation and farm system full of righties, and at just 28-years-old it’s fair to wonder if the Minnesota Twins could add some MPH to his low-90s fastball and unlock even more from the promising lefty. Robbie Ray LHP 29 years old 2019 - 2021: 350.1 IP, 4.21 ERA, 11.7 K/9 After a miserable 2020 season, Robbie Ray has rebounded in 2021 and is having a career year. After always having the strikeout arsenal, Ray has found his control and is walking a career-low 2.4 batters per 9 innings. Ray is only 29 years old, and if he has truly turned a corner in terms of his command, he could be an ace for the next half-decade and a great candidate to replace José Berríos. Which of these impending free agent pitchers would be the best replacement for José Berríos? Which do you think will command the least and most money on the free agent market? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Multiple reports have confirmed that José Berríos has been traded to the Blue Jays in exchange for Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson. Jose Berrios has been traded. There have been rumors and now there are confirmations. Jose Berrios will be joining the Toronto Blue Jays as they head back to Canada to play for the first time in a long time. No doubt Berrios will be missed. He is a leader, a two-time All Star, and competitor. In return, the Twins received highly-touted prospects, SS Austin Martin and RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson. Martin was the #5 overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Vanderbilt. Martin is a consensus Top 25 overall prospect in baseball. He should soon join the Wichita Wind Surge. He is ranked #21 by Baseball America and #16 by MLB Pipeline. Martin made his professional debut this year, and he has played in 55 games for Double-A New Hampshire. He has hit .281/.424/.383 (.807) with ten doubles, two triples and two home runs. He also has nine stolen bases. Woods-Richardson was traded two years ago from the Mets to the Blue Jays in the Marcus Stroman deal. The hard-thrower is currently in Tokyo with fellow newly-acquired Twins prospect Joe Ryan at the Olympics. He is ranked #68 by MLB Pipeline. He was the Mets second-round pick in 2018 out of high school in Texas. The 20-year-old is also at Double-A New Hampshire. He is 2-4 with a 5.76 ERA in 11 starts. Over 11 starts and 45 1/3 innings, he has walked too many (26) and struck out a ton (67, 13.3 K/9). On MLB Network, former GM Dan O'Dowd said, "In surplus value, the Twins won this deal. In present value, the Blue Jays get what they need." Once the Washington Nationals traded Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers on Thursday night, Berrios became the best pitcher on the trade market, and the Twins took advantage. The Blue Jays are working to stay in playoff contention in a division currently led by the Red Sox and Rays. They are also trying to keep up with the Yankees who have added sluggers Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo the past two days. A two-time All Star, Berrios will certainly help Toronto down the stretch and, the reason they got such a big return, will help them in 2022 as well. Are the Twins done??? Don't count on it! Story will be updated as we learn more information. You can also add to the story in the comments below. View full article

The midseason hot stove got even hotter on Thursday, and a José Berríos trade appears to be turning from an "if" into a "when". Come read about all the latest news and rumors. Friday News and Rumors: Morosi: José Berríos WILL be traded today. Trade Deadline Intel from Aaron Gleeman We could be in for a busy day... Kyle Gibson Likely on the Move With this report, it certainly sounds like the San Diego Padres are MAJOR players in the José Berríos sweepstakes. The interesting angle with Gibson is that the Twins might not want to wait too long on a Berríos trade. If the Padres don't want to get left without a chair and pull the trigger on Gibson, the Twins could lose out on a potentially exciting offer from San Diego. Thursday News and Rumors: Chicago White Sox Trade For Cesar Hernandez and Ryan Tepera The first pair of trades of the day on Thursday came from the Minnesota Twins’ biggest rivals, the Chicago White Sox who traded for reigning gold glove second baseman, Cesar Hernandez and right-handed reliever, Ryan Tepera. While these moves didn’t have a direct impact on the Minnesota Twins in 2022, Hernandez has a club option for 2023 at $6M, so the Twins could be seeing plenty of Hernandez over the next year and a half should the Sox pick up that option. In acquiring reliever Ryan Tepera, the White Sox gave up their 23rd ranked prospect. Tepara owns a 3.23 ERA since the start of 2020 and is also on an expiring deal, so Twins fans shouldn’t expect the Twins to get a top prospect for Hansel Robles or Alexander Colomé should they choose to move either of them. New York Yankees Trade For Anthony Rizzo Just a day after trading for left handed slugger Joey Gallo, the New York Yankees stayed aggressive in adding another lefty in Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo owns a .792 OPS this season, but his left handed bat figures to play well in Yankee Stadium. From a Twins perspective, the biggest takeaway from the Yankees acquiring Rizzo is that the Yankees are looking to be aggressive at the trade deadline. They have been linked to José Berríos this week, but they could also have interest in other players such as Michael Pineda or Kenta Maeda as they sure look like they want to push for the playoffs this season. Los Angeles Dodgers Trade For Max Scherzer and Trea Turner The headliner deal of the day in the baseball world occurred when the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a blockbuster in acquiring multi-time Cy Young winner, Max Scherzer, along with all-star shortstop Trea Turner for a massive haul of prospects including Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray. After initial reports stated that Scherzer was going to be headed to San Diego, the Dodgers swooped in at the last minute to acquire the pair of stars from the Nationals. With Max Scherzer now off the trade market, José Berríos is far and away the biggest pitcher name left on the trade market. Additionally, with the Padres losing out on Max Scherzer and instead him signing with their division rivals, the Padres now figure to be extremely interested in Berríos and now under some pressure to perhaps overpay for him. Boston Red Sox Trade For Kyle Schwarber The trades kept coming on Thursday evening, when the Boston Red Sox traded for Nationals’ outfielder, Kyle Schwarber. This was a big acquisition for the Red Sox who are trying to maintain their lead in the loaded American League East. Similar to the Yankees, this move signaled to the baseball world that the Red Sox are all in, and has also been linked to the Minnesota Twins and José Berríos. Just how aggressive are the Red Sox going to be? San Diego Padres Trade For Daniel Hudson The final trade of the night came when the Nationals continued their sell off and traded reliever Daniel Hudson to the Padres for a low-end pitching prospect. More than 5 Teams are Interested in José Berríos Berríos has become THE name of the MLB trade deadline, with Ken Rosenthal reporting that at least 5 of MLB's contenders are interested in trading for the 2-time all-star. Seattle Mariners Pursued Trade for Berríos In addition to the 5 teams listed above, today we learned that the Seattle Mariners have pursued a trade for Berríos. Also included in the report is that Minnesota is asking for a top young starter. The headliner included in the report is Emerson Hancock who is MLB.com's #23 prospect. New York Mets Appear to Be OUT on Berríos Sweepstakes Many teams were reported to join the José Berríos sweepstakes today, but the reports made it sound as if the New York Mets are not in the mix for a Berríos trade. The New York Mets have a talented farm system with intriguing prospects such as Ronny Mauricio, but for now it appears they are not going to make a push. That can always change, though... What trades do you think will go down on deadline day? Leave a comment and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The midseason hot stove heated up in a big way on Wednesday with trades and rumors galore and the Minnesota Twins continue to stay in the news. Come read about the latest trade deadline news and rumors. Below we will review the trades from Wednesday and how (or if) they have any impact on the Minnesota Twins. Oakland Athletics Trade For Starling Marte The first trade of the day came from the Oakland Athletics who acquired outfielder Starling Marte from the Miami Marlins in exchange for former top-100 pitching prospect Jesús Luzardo. While Starling Marte is an excellent talent, the overwhelming reaction from experts was that the A’s paid a big price for Marte, who is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. This is a big development for the Minnesota Twins who appear open to moving both Byron Buxton and Max Kepler. If Marte, an impending free agent, was able to fetch a big-time pitching prospect, then Max Kepler and Byron Buxton would seem to be able to fetch even more. Milwaukee Brewers Sign Eduardo Escobar The next major deal to take place on Wednesday came from the Milwaukee Brewers when they acquired former Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar in exchange for AAA catcher Cooper Hummel. In addition to the obvious Twins connection with Escobar changing teams, the mid-afternoon deal impacted the Twins by removing a potential Josh Donaldson buyer from the trade market. Earlier this week, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that the Milwaukee Brewers had checked in on Josh Donaldson. Now that the Brewers have acquired their third baseman in Escobar, finding a potential trade partner for the Twins third baseman might be more difficult. New York Yankees Sign Joey Gallo To cap off a trade-filled day, the New York Yankees made a big move on Wednesday night when they acquired outfielder Joey Gallo from the Texas Ranges in exchange for a hefty package of minor league prospects. The trade had big ripple effects for the Minnesota Twins, as earlier in the day there were multiple reports linking the New York Yankees as a potential trade partner for Twins’ outfielder Max Kepler. Now that the Yankees traded for another outfielder in Gallo, Max Kepler’s odds of remaining with the Twins for the balance of 2022 increased. Continued José Berríos Trade Rumor Steam The smoke around a José Berríos trade hasn’t slowed down a bit as MLB insiders continue to report on interest and talk between contending teams and the Minnesota Twins for their ace starting pitcher. The big report today came from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, reporting that the Padres lost out on Joey Gallo, but are prioritizing starting pitchers and speaking with the Twins regarding José Berríos. The list of teams interested in Berríos is long, but the Dodgers and Padres seem to be the teams most often linked to Berríos over the past couple of days. How do you think today's moves impacted the Minnesota Twins? Do you think José Berríos will be moved ahead of the deadline? How about other Twins players? Who will they trade? Leave a comment and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Fitting that in a game in which its offensive leader was traded just hours before the first pitch, the Minnesota Twins' offense could only muster 2 runs en route to yet another loss, this time to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Maeda 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Home runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Donaldson -.209, Jeffers -.191, Polanco -.148 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) After the Twins and Angels played each other to a 0-0 deadlock through the first 3 innings, the Nelson Cruz-less Twins’ offense burst through for a crooked number in the 4th inning. The 4th inning rally for the Twins was kicked off by a leadoff ground-rule double by Miguel Sanó who was later brought in by an RBI double from newly called-up Willians Astudillo before Gilberto Celestino’s RBI groundout gave the Twins an early 2-0 lead. The Twins’ lead didn’t last long, though, as the Angels responded quickly in the top of the 5th inning when their bottom of the order spoiled what was a great start for Kenta Maeda. After a leadoff groundout, the Angels got a double, single and home run in three consecutive plate appearances from their 7-8-9 hitters, capped off by a three-run home run from Jack Mayfield. Aside from the rough 5th inning, Maeda put together a strong outing, tossing 95 pitches in seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, while striking out six batters. Unfortunately for Maeda, the Minnesota Twins offense couldn’t put together any runs outside of the two runs they tacked on in the 4th inning, getting blanked by the Angels bullpen and in total only tallying six hits and two extra base hits. With Nelson Cruz now off the club, hits and runs are going to be hard to come by for the Twins. In the end, the Twins ultimately fell 3-2 to the Angels and dropped down to 41-56 on the season. As the trade deadline approaches, it seems like only a matter of time until more players join Nelson Cruz in the “traded” category and the active roster looks a lot different over the last 2 months of the season. Lucky Pants? The talk of today’s game revolved completely around the departure of Nelson Cruz which occurred just before the first pitch of Thursday night’s game. One of the more touching parts of the game was how much the move impacted Miguel Sanó who developed a very close relationship with the former Twins DH. In a way to honor Nelson Cruz, Sanó wore Cruz’s pants for today’s game. With his ground-rule double, maybe the pants will be here to stay? Ohtani Tracker Target Field was packed for Thursday night’s game, in part to see the Japanese phenom, Shohei Ohtani. Unfortunately in attendance to see a ShoTime show, Ohtani had a quiet night, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Bullpen Usage Chart SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Alcala 0 23 24 0 0 47 Robles 0 19 7 0 0 26 Rogers 0 19 0 0 0 19 Colomé 0 0 26 22 0 48 Thielbar 0 0 17 16 0 33 Duffey 0 16 0 38 0 54 Minaya 13 0 0 0 0 13 Coulombe 0 0 5 0 32 37 What’s Next The Minnesota Twins will continue their homestand against the Angels on Friday night when J.A. Happ squares off against Alex Cobb. View full article

A much needed quality start on the mound along with a pair of blasts at the plate helped the Minnesota Twins get back into the win column on Thursday night as the home team took down the Detroit Tigers 5-3. Box Score Happ: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K Home Run(s): Jeffers (6), Sanó (15) Top 3 WPA: Sanó .175, Kepler .151, Rogers .079 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Entering Thursday night with J.A. Happ set to start for the Minnesota Twins, one would have thought that the Twins would need to bring their bats to the park, as Happ has put the Twins in holes all season. Thursday night was different though, as Happ put together one of his best performances of the year, allowing three runs over 7 innings and striking out 8, the second highest number of strikeouts he has recorded in 2021. In a similar fashion to how many Twins games have gone in which they received a good start from their pitcher, though, the offense looked like it might not be able to return the favor to their southpaw starter. Through 4 innings the Twins offense looked lifeless at the plate, going 12-up, 12-down to start the game. Things changed for the Twins in the 5th inning, though, when a struggling Ryan Jeffers broke through with a home run to the left field bleachers to put the Twins on the board and wake up the bats that had been dormant up to that point. After notching a second run in the 6th inning, the Twins really grabbed the game in the bottom of the 7th when they plated 3 runs, started by a massive Sanó shot above the right center field scoreboard to tie the game. After taking the lead on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly, the Twins handed the game over to their bullpen to finish the game, and in a shocking turn of events, the bullpen came through. The Twins received perfect innings from Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers to solidify a 5-3 win for the Twins. What’s Next The Twins’ record now stands at 36-50. They will come back to Target Field on Friday evening to pit Kenta Maeda against Tigers’ rookie, Matt Manning. Bullpen Usage Chart View full article

The Minnesota Twins followed up Wednesday’s drubbing with another letdown on Thursday evening. The Minnesota Twins are now 33-46 and any potential hope that was remaining for a comeback season has once again been washed away. Box Score Berríos: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K Home Run(s): None Bottom 3 WPA: Sanó -.257, Alcala -.241, Berríos -.221 -Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Prior to today, José Berríos had been a staple of consistency for the Minnesota Twins this season. That was not the case today, though, as Berríos was anything but his typical, sharp self. Berríos allowed the White Sox to run all across the basebaths today to the tune of 10 hits, a walk and 3 earned runs across 89 pitches in just 5 innings of work. For the White Sox, the scoring got started early when Berríos allowed a solo home run to right center to White Sox center fielder, Brian Goodwin. The White Sox added on again in the 3rd inning with two more runs to give the Sox an early 3-0 lead. The Twins bounced back in the 5th, though, as the bottom of the Twins lineup erupted to lead a 4-run rally in the inning highlighted by a Celestino single, Simmons double and a Nelson Cruz, happy birthday, RBI single to help the Twins take the lead back 4-3. After Berríos allowed the White Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the 5th inning, the game quickly turned into a battle of the bullpens, which has typically not been a battle the Twins have fared well in this season. The bullpen failed to show up once again for the Minnesota Twins as Jorge Alcala and Hansel Robles combined to allow 4 earned runs in 1.1 innings, giving the White Sox an 8-4 lead. The Minnesota Twins tried to make things interesting against Liam Hendricks in the 9th inning, but they were unsuccessful in mounting a comeback, ultimately losing with a final score of 8-5. The Minnesota Twins have now been swept again by the Chicago White Sox and are 1-8 against the South Siders on the season and 14.5 games back in the American League Central. Bullpen Usage Chart What’s Next? The Minnesota Twins will continue their road trip on Friday as they will travel to Kansas City to kickoff a 3 game series against the reeling Royals. The Twins will turn to southpaw J.A. Happ who will oppose Royals’ right-hander, Brady Singer. View full article

We are exactly one month away from the 2021 MLB trade deadline, and the Minnesota Twins figure to be active participants in the trade market. One player to keep an eye on is José Berríos. Who could the Twins get back in return? In his second to last season of arbitration, José Berríos has been having another José Berríos-type season. Through 15 starts, Berríos owns a 3.41 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, both numbers that would be career bests for him. Berríos has been an extremely consistent and reliable starter for the Twins all season, and the sports books reflect that, as Berríos is on the board at +5000 to take home the American League Cy Young. Along with his strong play, Berríos makes for an intriguing trade candidate because of his age and years of control. At just 27 years old, teams might be optimistic that Berríos still has another level to reach, and with 1.5 years of control remaining, they will be able to hang onto him for enough time to realize that next level. For the Minnesota Twins, it would be tough to part with such a talented arm, but with as bad as they have been in 2021 and no guarantees about 2022, it might just be the most prudent move. In laying out trade proposals for José Berríos, we will use Baseball Trade Values. BTV is a website that assigns a point total of “value” to all Major and Minor Leaguers, and based on those point values assesses whether a trade would be accepted or not. Baseball Trade Values is certainly not a perfect resource, but it gives an objective way to start the trade conversation and provide a starting point for a trade proposal. With that being said… Trade Proposal #1: In the first hypothetical José Berríos trade, the Minnesota Twins would be making a deal with the devil, sending the right hander to the Bronx. The New York Yankees are struggling mightily right now as they currently find themselves 4th in the American League East with a record just three games above .500. The New York Yankees are never going to be satisfied with mediocrity and are always going to be pushing for contention, which would make a José Berríos trade extremely tantalizing for them. In the proposed trade, the New York Yankees would send back to Minnesota Oswald Peraza, Luis Gil and T.J. Sikkema. The headliner of the deal would be Oswald Peraza, the 97th ranked prospect in baseball. Pereza is a slick-fielding shortstop, an area that the Minnesota Twins don’t have a ton of depth within their system outside of Royce Lewis who is no sure thing after undergoing an ACL repair this spring. Peraza has exceptional plate discipline and contact skills and could be the perfect pairing with Luis Arraez over the next six years. In addition to Peraza, the Yankees would send back Luis Gil who, if you remember, was formerly with the Minnesota Twins and traded away in a trade for Jake Cave in 2018. Since being traded away, Gil has turned into a borderline top-100 prospect with immense upside. At just 23 years old, Gil posted a 2.64 ERA and a 14.7 K/9 in 30 innings in AA before earning a AAA promotion. Getting Gil back in the Twins organization would be a nice flip of the script for the Twins. Finally, the Twins would also acquire T.J. Sikkema, a single-A right hander who ranks as the Yankees’ 16th best prospect. Sikkema is just 22 years old and still raw, but as a former first round pick in 2019, offers some nice upside that the Twins could use. Trade Proposal #2: In the second trade proposal for the Minnesota Twins’ ace, the Twins would deal with the other New York baseball team, the Mets. After many years stuck in mediocrity, the New York Mets have broken out as a legit contender this year, racing out to a 41-34 start with a 3 game lead in the NL East. The New York market is always going to be one that wants to compete, which is why the Mets could certainly get aggressive at the trade deadline and pursue José Berríos. Back from the Mets, the Twins could get a nice return in exchange for Berríos, as New York boasts some quality top-end prospect names. The headliner of the deal would be shortstop phenom, Ronny Mauricio, the 50th ranked prospect in baseball. Mauricio is extremely raw, as he is just 20 years old, but has as much upside as almost any prospect in baseball. Mauricio projects to be a franchise cornerstone at the shortstop position and is a prototypical 5-tool player who can run and field in addition to hitting the snot out of the ball. The Twins should be looking to get a top pitching prospect at the deadline this year, but Mauricio is the type of talent you just can’t turn away from, even if pitching is the bigger need. To supplement the addition of a bat, the Minnesota Twins could push the New York Mets and try to get a top-100 pitching prospect from them as well, which would be right-hander Matt Allan. Allan projects as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and boasts a fastball that sits in the upper-90s, along with a devastating curveball. Unfortunately, Allan underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year and will miss the entire 2021 season and potentially part of 2022. The surgery for Allan certainly adds some risk to his profile, but also means that he can be had and the Minnesota Twins have shown in the past that they aren’t afraid of an injury reclamation project as they showed with Michael Pineda and Rich Hill in free agency in the past. Trade Proposal #3: Not only are the Toronto Blue Jays competing in the best division in baseball, they also boast one of best farm systems in all of baseball, with the 7th ranked system in the league. The Blue Jays are in the rare position where they are ready to compete and also have such great prospect talent that they can afford to part with names in order to acquire a name like José Berríos who could help lead them to the playoffs each of the next two seasons. The headliner in a Berríos trade to Toronto would be right handed pitcher, Simeon Woods-Richardson, the 68th ranked prospect in baseball. Woods-Richardson has been shooting up prospect lists over this past season as he started his 2021 campaign in AA with a 2.16 ERA and 39 strikeouts over his first 6 starts. Woods-Richardson stands tall at 6-foot-3 and can pump his fastball up to 95 miles per hour. SWR is a name that could turn into a top of the rotation starter sooner rather than later and could be the ideal replacement for someone like José Berríos, who has no guarantees of staying in Minnesota past his arbitration. Additionally, the Toronto Blue Jays would send back their 8th and 9th ranked prospects in 20-year-olds, Miguel Hiraldo and Adam Kloffenstein. Hiraldo is a middle infield prospect whose long term position could end up being third base, but owns impressive power and bat-to-ball skills and could one day be a middle of the order bat. Kloffenstein is still raw in A+, but is a former 3rd round pick with a 4-pitch repertoire who projects as a middle of the rotation starter one day. Which of the 3 trades above is of most interest to you? Do you think these are fair values for José Berríos? What other trade ideas can you think of? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The Minnesota Twins got an excellent performance on the mound from José Berríos but the offense failed to do their part, giving Cleveland the win in Eddie Rosario’s return to Target Field. Box Score Berríos: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K Home Run(s): None Bottom 3 WPA: Rogers -.232, Alcala -.178, Cruz -.169 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Coming off of an off-day, the Minnesota Twins were hoping to get back on the right foot as they kicked off a 4-game series with Cleveland on Thursday night, leaning on their ace José Berríos to get them a much needed win. Berríos did all that he could for the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night and he was masterful, tossing 6.1 innings and allowing just 1 run while striking out 9, tied for his second-highest strikeout total on the season. Berríos had Cleveland guessing all night, inducing 12 swings-and-misses, leaning heavily on his curveball to put Cleveland batters away. The only damage that Berríos allowed on the night came in the second inning when Berríos allowed a walk and a single to start the inning before an RBI single from Austin Hedges. After that, Berríos allowed some spot singles, but always prevented damage and didn’t allow a single extra base hit all night. Unfortunately for Berríos, the Minnesota Twins offense provided no support on the other side of the ball, contributing their only run of the game in the first inning when Luis Arraez scored on a wild pitch. On the night, the Twins offense only mustered 5 singles and a 9th inning double from Jorge Polanco. With an offense that was finally close to full strength with Donaldson, Kepler, and Arraez all in the fold, it was an especially disheartening performance from the offense which showed no life all night. Despite the lackluster performance from the Twins’ offense, Berríos kept the Twins in the game as the Twins entered the 8th inning tied 1-1 with Jorge Alcala on the mound for the Twins. Cleveland wasted no time getting to Alcala, though, as Cleveland smacked back-to-back singles off the right hander and 2 batters later Taylor Rogers came into the game with the bases loaded and one out. From there, Eddie Rosario broke the game open in his return to target field with a 2 RBI single followed by another RBI single from Bobby Bradley to give Cleveland a 4-1 lead that would hold through the end of the game. The loss for the Twins brings their record to 31-43, again falling to last place in the American League Central and 13 games back of the Chicago White Sox. Eddie’s Eventful Return In typical Eddie Rosario fashion, his return to Target Field was not short on drama. Although he knocked in the game-winning runs for Cleveland, the most memorable moment from Eddie’s return to Target Field was his unbelievable baserunning gaffe in the top of the 6th inning. Or maybe not so unbelievable if you’ve paid attention to Eddie Rosario’s career. Bullpen Usage Chart What’s Next? Bullpen game? Bullpen game! View full article