Sherry Cerny

Hey Nashville!!! I am ALSO cheering for him!! I think we have the tools for him to do what he needs to be successful, he just has to put in the work!

Gary Sanchez had worn out his welcome in New York. He arrived as a top prospect and became an All Star and won a Silver Slugger Award. In the last two years, things have gone downhill. His bat no longer allowed the team to look past his awful defense. But at least one fan believes that he is capable of a big comeback season. Initially, I was excited about the Twins receiving a catcher via trade. After losing Mitch Garver via trade, receiving a catcher in a later trade made sense. That excitement cooled when looking at Gary Sanchez's offensive and defensive numbers. I quickly realized that he has not been good. He has had some moments of improvement and growth, but overall, nothing shows he is worth hanging onto. With everything he's had stacked against him, a change of scenery, moving from the Bronx Bombers to the Twins, maybe just what revives his career. As I break down his defensive and offensive woes, I also found that his hard work ethic, along with fresh hitting and catching coaches, maybe just what Sanchez needs to make a comeback. Replacing a fan favorite When news broke of Mitch Garver's trade to the Texas Rangers, there was a collective shock and sadness from Minnesota baseball fans. The trade was hard to digest, but the Twins had an everyday shortstop and still had Ryan Jeffers and Ben Rortvedt behind the plate. Just as fans were coming to terms with that trade, and then excited by the Sonny Gray trade, an even more shocking trade came to light. Late Sunday night, the Twins sent Josh Donaldson, Ben Rortvedt, and the newest acquisition Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Yankees in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela. The initial assumption was that the Twins might use Sanchez in a trade for pitching, but with Garver and Rortvedt on new teams, Gary Sanchez will likely be one of the Twins' catchers. There is no doubt that Garver showed big improvements over his time with the Twins, both offensively and defensively. Because of that, as well as his presence in the media and on Twitter, he became a fan favorite, The idea that Gary Sanchez of the hated Yankees is replacing a fan favorite may not be sitting well with many Twins fans. Defensive Struggles It will take a lot of change for Twins fans (or coaches or pitchers) to be comfortable with Sanchez behind the plate. His defensive metrics show that he struggles with pitch presentation. The numbers tend to improve and improve more as he works on his positioning and framing. They will have to improve for him to keep playing. https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/gary-sanchez-596142?stats=statcast-r-fielding-mlb The 6'2", 230-pound catcher has been tagged "The Worst Catcher in Baseball," and we can see why if you go solely on his defensive metrics. Watching the video helps as well. Gary Sanchez's pitch framing and balance issues have been the bane of his existence in New York. A catcher's success is based on his positioning behind the plate in an effort to effectively frame a pitch, which seems to be Sanchez's biggest downfall. He has consistently had a problem maintaining his balance on his left side, leading to dropping down to his knees, which has allowed a lot of passed balls. With framing and receiving, he sits back on his heels with his seat below knee level, and he's moving to the ball with his whole body. Gary Sanchez Catching Problems Dissected Because of his positioning, Sanchez catches the ball with large swiping motions instead of small movements receiving the ball. There is no thought that he will ever win any Gold Gloves behind the plate. Last season, he spent time in on the New York bench, including during the playoffs. The Yankees invested in help for Sanchez that may have helped him get started in the right direction, even if it was too little too late. Offensive Struggles Even though he wasn't what the Yankees were hoping for after his rookie season in 2017, the team continued to give him chances because of his offensive performance early in his career. Gary Sanchez is fantastic offensively, he is an All-Star, but the past two seasons, on top of his defensive struggles, he has still struggled offensively. The one-time All-Star has slumped recently in numbers. The one thing that Sanchez is very capable of is hitting home runs. Last year Sanchez hit 23 home runs, one of them being a clutch grand-slam to win the game on September 5th, 2021, to beat the Orioles. I hope that Sanchez is willing to do whatever it takes to improve and give the Twins the edge they are deserving. The Yankees saw enough potential in Sanchez to invest time and coaching to improve his skills and get back to where he was before his injuries in 2018. Willingness to do the work The Yankees hired a catching coach, Tanner Swanson (the former Twins minor league catching coordinator), specifically to work with Sanchez. Swanson previously helped Mitch Garver improve, and it seems that the catcher whisperer had done it again. While working with Swanson, Sanchez had a vast improvement cutting down on passed balls based on changing his position behind the plate. Sanchez does have an impressive pop time of 1.93 seconds (League average is 2.01 seconds) and a cannon for an arm. When he is set right, and in a good rhythm, Sanchez quickly gets people out almost anywhere on the field, which is a defensive dream. After working with Sanchez for some time, Tanner Swanson told AP News, "I think overall just a much more confident version of the Gary Sánchez than we saw in 2020," Swanson said. "He has attacked the offseason and been accountable for his performance in 2020. I think he's in a perfect place, and his process is sound. I've been pleased." With Swanson at the helm, Sanchez learned how to use minimal glove movement to improve his strike count by reaching from below the strike zone and making small quick movements to steal the 'low-strike,' a technique Swanson also worked on with Mitch Garver, Ben Rortvedt, and other catchers in the Twins organization. As Sanchez continued to work on his defense, it was clear that he was not improving much. When he stopped being productive with the bat too, he needed to move on from the Yankees. Gary Sanchez is not a lost cause yet; perhaps a change of scenery by moving to Minnesota, a new catching coach, and a second chance would benefit the catcher. Why I Believe Gary Sanchez Can Have a Big Comeback Season The Twins have hired several new coaches in the offseason, but two will be especially instrumental in working with Sanchez. David Popkins is the new hitting coach, and on December 10th, the Minnesota Twins hired a new coach, former big-league catcher Hank Conger who has been coaching in KBO since before the pandemic. Hank Conger is a former MLB catcher who bounced around as a coach in the minors for three seasons after his 2015 season with the Astros. He has spent the past two years as a coach in Korea for the Lotte Giants. While this will be his MLB debut as a coach, the resounding applause of his hire is promising for the Twins and, hopefully, the catcher core. Conger has seen a lot of change from when he was drafted and began in professional baseball to now. Pitch framing is his most significant focus. All of his managers were former catchers; Conger was able to get many perspectives that he credits with who he was as a catcher and how he is now as a catcher's coach. When it comes to pitchers and hitters that come up, Conger's focus is on how he can help the catchers have all the information on his pitchers and the opponent's hitters. Information comes from scouting reports or in-game information. The relationship with the pitchers is just as crucial to Conger as it should be to the catcher. The catcher-pitcher relationship is the most important relationship on the field; from game management to communication, there must be trust between the two players and, most importantly, hard work. Sanchez is no stranger to hard work with pitchers; in fact, he's previously worked with Sonny Gray, the most recent Twins pitching acquisition from the Cincinnati Reds, and they have a history. Both players played for the Yankees in 2018, but the relationship was not productive. Gray had Sanchez as a catcher, but after a string of miscommunication and inconsistent tempo between the two, Gray opted for Austin Romine as his catcher. That did not stop Sanchez from wanting to improve. Gary Sanchez spent a lot of time watching Gray and Romine from the dugout, learning the pitcher and catcher's pitches, personality, and tempo. The hope is that the reunion in a new environment will work together with the help of the pitching and catching staff to create the tempo they couldn't find in 2018. Be ready for a big season Sanchez is no stranger to powerful hitting and elite catching. The past two seasons, he certainly has struggled to find his stride. Whether it was a case of being in his head or his mechanics, there is an opportunity here in Minnesota for Sanchez to start fresh. If Sanchez can improve his form behind the plate and framing, he just might become a dangerous weapon for the Twins, both defensive and offensively. He already possesses the power at the plate with his swing to be a part of the beloved "bomba-squad." Whether as the DH or behind the plate, he has the potential to be a significant asset on this squad. The Twins organization is set up for players to succeed. They are finding the coaches and players to grow a successful team, and if he puts in the work to be successful, and with the new rotation of pitchers and coaching staff, Sanchez will have a chance to shine. View full article

This morning I was woken up to, “I know your alarm is set for 8:30, but you need to wake up and see who you just signed for three years, $105mm.” I sleepily sat up as the name Carlos Correa was uttered, and I rolled over to check my phone, which had 105 notifications from Twitter, texts, and various news outlets. I am not a morning person, so waking up and being slammed with big news was not the way to start my day. Since coming back from the lockout, the Minnesota Twins have made some wild trades. It hasn’t felt like the usual off-season Twins front office with the acquisitions made. The front office is actually making moves, and shocking moves at that. The first shock was trading out Mitch Garver to the Texas Rangers for shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and minor league righthander Ronny Henriquez. Not a blockbuster deal by any means, but for fans who are attached to players, seeing Garver traded was a slap in the face. Kiner-Falefa wasn’t with the Twins that long. The front office pulled a double-play and traded Kiner-Falefa, Ben Rortvedt, and fan-favorite Josh Donaldson to the Yankees for Gary Sanchez and third baseman Gio Urshela. To say the fan base was shocked is an understatement, more like gobsmacked. Sanchez has been a liability both at and behind the plate since 2018. So when the front office decided to keep Sanchez instead of using him in a trade, the fans were less than pleased. The Twins also signed a deal with Chi Chi Gonzales and picked up catcher Jose Godoy. The tornado of trades and the deafening silence after made Twins fans nervous. The Twins, not having a full roster of starting pitching and no shortstop, left rumors about Frankie Montras, Trevor Story, and Sean Manea in talks eating at the fans. We shed tons of players and salary, so what were we waiting on the front office to do? Free agents continued to sign with other teams, and it was beginning to feel like just a typical year in the Twins front office, clear salary and doing nothing. That all changed in the early morning of Saturday, March 19th, when Mark Berman from Fox 26 in Houston, that the Twins had a deal with Houston Astros shortstop, Carlos Correa. Twitter had spent six hours in excitement and losing their minds before I even was ‘scheduled’ to be awake. The one part of the acquisition I liked was that Houston and Yankees fans were both highly agitated and that was almost enough to make the contract worth it! Once, I could sound off a couple of foul-mouthed tweets trying to figure out where this came from, considering I went to sleep praying that we would get some information on Trevor Story; I was majorly confused. The Twins made a HUGE acquisition, but they also pulled some considerable rabbit out of their “I’ll show you” hat either to 1. prove they could pay that much for someone, or 2. wanted fans to be proud of them, which they did both. But not all fans. It’s me; I’m that fan. I take baseball very seriously. It’s personal to me for many reasons, so when we pulled a player from the 2017 Astros, I was not too fond of it. The 2017 Astros not only cheated to win the World Series but also received immunity and not a single punishment. That felt like an injustice to baseball, and I have written off the players and the team. Everything that I loathed about that time was staring directly at me, including my moral compass about being a baseball fan and happy for my team. I am not a fan of Correa. I am still upset that he would insult the game like that. I know teams cheat; I am not naïve or blind; I was frustrated with how Major League Baseball and the Commissioner handled everything. It took me a few moments and rambling conversations in the shower while I got dressed and with my group chat. My group chat consists of avid female Twins fans from everywhere. While I was supportive online, I was honest about my frustration in my group, and one friend chimed in and made a good point, “The cheating isn’t allowed in this Twins culture, and once players leave Houston, the stigma tends to be to leave as well. This [sic] (being with the Twins) is the Carlos Correa Redemption Tour.” I liked that; it means that I don’t have to like Correa or the trade, but it gives me a mindset to be good support for my followers and other fans. There is no doubt at all that Correa’s numbers are good. They are downright impressive. 2017 was also a long time ago. It may take me a while to get there, but I did say this morning, and I will say again, “if he has changed and he is good for the boys, and they are happy, then I am happy for everyone else.” Being a fan of a team means being objective and also wanting to win championships, and I believe that is what the Twins front office is trying to do. Carlos Correa agrees to 3-year/$105.3M contract with Twins | SportsCenter I am happy and impressed that we have pulled a player like Correa, but we still need starting pitchers. We are going to have to concede some pieces for that to happen. I wish we would have gotten pitching and then a shortstop, but now that we have the big piece, we need to continue building around that, and thinking about what will come from that is unnerving, because it’s clear, the Twins front office isn’t done. So while I am excited to see what we can do or choose to do with starting pitching, I also know that there will be a sacrifice in players who made the same fans this morning who were happy…extremely upset. You have to take the good with the bad, the attachments with the releases, and the business with the emotions. That’s baseball.

absolutely and I am really thankful that everyone took time to read it and truly see what it means to them as the spouses. They are truly inspirational women!

ha ha ha ha - he is!

absolutely. it was a shocking experience for myself as well!

so far it's been great for them and Sarah is super excited!

oh yeah!! There are great exotic vets down there! and Sarah is amazing!

absolutely! it was my pleasure and I enjoyed it!

Thank you! it was a great time interviewing them!

Recently, I had the privilege to sit down with three outstanding wives of Minnesota Twins players. After the meeting was over, I sat back in my chair and took a deep breath because as impressive as the players are, their wives are the real MVPs, and these are their stories. I have been watching baseball for as long as I can remember. I have always loved everything about baseball; the sounds of the park, the food, and every play on the field. I learned a lot watching what happens on the field, in the dugout, and the bullpen, but one thing that I had yet to learn was that the struggle to get to that place meant putting a lot of stuff on hold, including relationships. Since they were in high school, Allie and Sarah have been with their husbands, Brent Rooker and Mitchell Garver, respectively. While the couples have been together for over ten years, "together" is a relative term when you're in a baseball family. The term "grind" was mentioned frequently in the interview because that's what being a baseball player is. When the guys aren't playing, they are training. There is never a time when they aren't getting ready for the next game. Because the guys are always on the go, independence has always been important to the wives. All women have their own lives, careers, and individuality, which is empowering. At the same time, they are proud to be Mrs. Cave, Mrs. Garver, and Mrs. Rooker. Saige, Sarah, and Allie are friends, daughters, career women, and mothers. The time they spent growing up while they supported their spouses, Allie and Sarah didn't know in high school or even early into college that the guys would play baseball outside of college. Contrary to popular belief, the women with their spouses from an early age genuinely don't rely on their spouses "being drafted ." The reality of players making it into the majors is that Less than eleven in 100, or about 10.5 percent, of NCAA senior male baseball players, will get drafted by a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Approximately one in 200 or roughly 0.5 percent of high school senior boys playing interscholastic baseball will eventually be drafted by an MLB team. Allie and Sarah knew that their individuality and success were just as crucial as their husband's baseball careers. Allie and Brent Rooker went to different colleges out of high school, and long-distance didn't stop until after the Minnesota Twins drafted Brent in the 1st round (35th overall pick) of the 2017 amateur draft. Along with Brent being drafted, he and Allie got engaged in 2017. Still, there was no time to get into family mode because Allie graduated as an RN and started working in her field after college. And for Brent, the grind toward the majors began immediately. When the Minnesota Twins drafted Mitch Garver in the 9th round of the 2013 amateur draft, Sarah was in the middle of Veterinary School. They spent more time apart as Mitch found himself playing minor league ball with the Twins and Sarah finished her degree in Oregon. They had been together at the University of New Mexico, but Sarah had goals of becoming a vet, and she knew that would mean more time apart to attend school in Oregon, so while Mitch went off to play baseball in Florida, Sarah went to OSU to complete Vet school and graduated in 2018 with her Doctorate. Even though she graduated, she couldn’t join Mitch yet on the road as she started working in New Mexico. She officially joined Mitch in 2020, just in time for the pandemic. Saige and Jake Cave met when they were a little bit older. Saige had just graduated from college in Florida, and Jake was playing in the New York Yankees minor league system in Tampa. Saige was out walking her dog when they crossed paths, and that is the story. The simplicity of the story is as genuine as they are. She had already graduated college and was a nanny full-time. As a former D2 athlete, Saige vowed that she would never marry an athlete because she knows the grind and the demand, but she couldn't say no to Jake's charm, and the rest is history. They spent a lot of time as a new couple bouncing back and forth in Pennsylvania in the minor-league system. The travel was arduous, but luckily, Saige is from Pennsylvania and had family there. Their lives collided together in 2018 when Jake was traded from New York to Minnesota. The three women were very close and confided in me when I asked, "How important is this circle?" "It's incredibly important." Says Sarah. "I don't know what I would have done without these two," says Saige. "They literally are so welcoming and loving, and we spend all day texting and snap chatting back and forth. Allie sends the funniest stuff." "It's nice to know that someone gets it," Allie says, "Jake and Brent are also really close, and there is a picture of them from Brent's first day on the field smiling and Jake congratulating Brent." The women genuinely care for each other and look out for each other. None of the wives got the opportunity to travel with their husbands to games in 2020, which subsequently was the pandemic year, making 2021 their first full-time travel year. It blew my mind to think about that. These couples put their heart and soul into not only themselves but also grinding through rookie-ball, minor league ball, trades, and finally landing on your feet with a team, and life throws you a literal curve-ball. Their lives aren't all glam and cash-flow, which is how some people think it happens. It's not. The three of them, while they show their strong sides, show concern for what happens on the field. Sarah said that baseball is a day-to-day job. There is no guarantee, as demonstrated by the pandemic and the current lockout. If they don't have their careers, when baseball stops, so does the income, and that's a terrifying idea. All three wives recall their husbands having scary, possibly career-ending injuries and the fear that went into those moments. Brent suffered a displaced fracture of his right forearm on September 13th, 2020, when a pitch hit him against Cleveland. Jake played with a broken back in 2021 and ended up on the sixty-day injured list for rehab. And Mitch took a foul tip to the groin on June 1st, 2021, during a game with Baltimore and ended up on the injured list after emergency surgery late that night. Sarah and Allie both told me that the scariest thing for them was that they were not only not at the games where their husbands were injured, but their phones were blowing up with people asking if their husbands were okay. Having to take in that emotion and sort through the truth and what is being said in the media is very frustrating. "I am already VERY pregnant at this point and very emotional," says Sarah, "and I can't do anything for him right now, and that got to me. Thank God for the medical team." "Yes! The trainers, the Twins medical staff, they are our best friends," pipes in Allie, "They are there waiting for the guys in the waiting room to give us updates and reassure us." "They are literal lifelines," Says Saige, beyond thankful for the staff who helped bring Jake back from a broken back. "He broke his back giving himself to baseball, and it was reassuring that they were dedicated to helping him get better." Between the pandemic and injuries, 2020 and 2021 were stressful, and 2022 isn't any less stressful. While Sarah and Allie have their jobs to help cover the bills. The guys must stay in shape and ready to go to spring training at a moment's notice. Staying in baseball shape and baseball-ready means putting in eight to ten-hour days. It's bad enough when your husband is amid a lockout that threatens his career, but during the season, there are also bad days, bad games, and bad plays that haunt the guys when they come home. While the wives say they certainly need their space after a bad day, they are never petulant, maybe just a little in their head or a little off. What cures their post-game blues? Babies. The adorable babies that they come home to after a game. The kids, Gamble (Sarah and Mitch) and Blair (Allie and Brent), are close together in age and are rumored to be betrothed later in life. The oldest of the crew is Sloane, Jake and Saige's daughter, and she had the job of entertaining us and did a great job! That morning we talked; we were all in our sweats, hair up, kids and dogs everywhere. It was the most laid back conversation, and I realized that these are moms, just like me, like the other women baseball fans. Their main priorities are their families, the kids, and keeping life as simple as possible in a chaotic role. Finding the balance between being an individual, friend, daughter, wife, and mom is not easy. But they do it. And they do it with grace, messy buns, and a smile. Having a solid community is essential because the outside world can be cruel. Their husbands have a bad day at work, and everyone knows about it. What makes it harder about bad games and injuries is what people say about their husbands online. Talking to the women about what they go through, reading, and seeing those things changed my life and outlook on baseball. These three baseball players are not millionaires, as people have been screaming about on Twitter for the past six weeks. But they do fall into the 65% of MLB players who make under $1MM. The lockout is not easy on the families. Mitch is in his second year of arbitration, and makes more than league minimum, but that doesn’t change the impact of the lock out. They may make more than the average Joe, but the average Joe has one home, one State to live in, and a job he can drive to every day. These families have to be prepared for the season with housing for spring training, a house or apartment in the State where they play ball full time, and their place in their home state. Their paychecks ensure that they can afford to play next season and take care of their family in the off-season. Even with all the stress, crazy schedules, the current lockout, I have never seen stronger, happier women. These women not only empower their husbands, but they also empower each other. As a baseball fan, I was shocked that they wouldn't watch baseball without their husbands playing. But, watching their husbands play is one of the most endearing, exciting things they experience. Their first at-bats stick out as core memories for the wives. "Don't strike out" is the only thing Sarah is thinking as Mitch takes the plate for the first time on August 19th, 2017, knowing that is a genuine possibility. They laugh about their passion for the game and how it never leaves their minds. On off-days, any of them can ask their husband, "What are you thinking about?" Saige says, "Usually Jake says, 'my hitting,'" as she laughs. The players are either thinking about training for baseball, their last game, their upcoming game, or their swing. While they don't know specifics about their game day routines or superstitions, one thing they do know is the smiles on their husband's faces as they play the game they grew up loving. As dedicated as the players are to their craft, they are devoted equally at home. All three women talked about how amazing the guys are with the kids. The lockout has left the families stressed, but the ability to have more time together, which none take for granted. Already following in dad's footsteps is Sloane Cave. Sloane loves to play baseball, and Jake loves to help her play. Sloane talks about going on the field with dad and watching him play, but some of her fondest memories she will have with dad allow her to play on her youth team with dad being the coach and the mentor. She loves that one-on-one quality time with Jake. The kids have a unique advantage that many kids don't, and that's watching dad play baseball, going on the field, in the dugout, and hanging out with the other major-league players and their families. When it comes to strength, baseball players are some of the strongest athletes I have encountered. Mentally and physically, players have to be ready for quite literally anything that happens in a game, from injury to a long stretch or dive to get the ball or to be fast enough to round the bases when a line drive hugs the foul line deep into left field. But, what's more, vital to the players are the families that stand behind them. 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

I understand that completely. I love our prospects, I think there are other possibilities for trade than our prospects. I think it’s necessary to have a good arm right now that we wouldn’t have to give up a lot for. We also could spend 150mm on various free agents, there are options!!

Absolutely!!! Experience is important, and I think Bassitt has good experience to help us out.

Bassitt is my number one choice. I think he would be a great fit.

The offseason is upon us again! With the ratification of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), free agency is back, and teams can start making trades again. The Twins made some moves before the lockout, but they are still in need of pitching. There are several pitchers that might be available via trade. The Twins made one minor acquisition before the lockout, adding right-handed pitcher Dylan Bundy. In 2020, he posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.03 WHIP but had a setback in 2021. While the Twins fans were hoping for starting pitching, they weren’t impressed with the last purchase. Now that the lockout is over and baseball can get back to business, here are my thoughts on the top five trade candidates to help the Twins pitching staff.. 5. Luis Castillo Luis Castillo (29/RHP) carries a career ERA of 3.72, with a strikeout rate of 23.9% and a higher walk rate than Tyler Mahle at 9.3%. During the 2021 season, Castillo was tied for the most games started (33) but also tied for the most Base on Balls (75) and losses (16). With one of the highest amounts of innings thrown, there will be negative numbers. Nash Walker wrote about Castillo's impressive ability at limiting home runs which is more significant than worrying about walks. Because his cost for trade is so high, I am ranking Luis Castillo as a last resort because the possibility of a package deal with this player is slim. Luis Castillo is a massive commodity in trade talks right now, and the Angels have shown interest. Castillo still has two years of club control at the price point of around $7.6MM. There has been no speculation about what the Reds would want in return, considering they are shopping three of their pitchers right now. 4. Chris Bassitt Chris Bassitt (33/RHP) has an overall impressive ERA of 3.15 (ERA+ of 130) over his 27 starts and 157 innings pitched in 2021. He has been an above-average pitcher since Tommy John surgery back in 2018. Bassitt was a Cy Young contender the past two seasons and could be a safe bet for the Twins, which knowing the Twins is all they are willing to do when it comes to pitching. One of the best options available for the Twins, Bassitt is on the cheaper end of the trade scale, due for arbitration in 2022, and in 2023 he will be a free agent. He has been a Twins Daily favorite for trade talks in the past. The trade would be worth it to get what the Twins need out of him before he becomes a free agent. It wouldn't be the best trade the Twins could make, but it would be something that could help through the 2022 season with starter pitching. 3. Sonny Gray Sonny Gray (32/RHP) has a solid arm; his age doesn't seem to deter him at all from being one of the Reds best starting pitchers. James Cameron talked about in his Twins Daily post relaying that Gray has the makings of a great starting pitcher for the Twins. One of the things that makes Gray a solid choice is his ability to grow and change. His pitches have made him dangerous on the mound. He has a strong four-pitch mix that has long made him a quality starter. . The Reds have not been shy about shopping Gray, along with his counterparts Mahle and Castillo. Gray is projected to make $10.67MM in 2022 and remains under club control for 2023 via the $12.5MM club option. 2. Frankie Montas Frankie Montas - (28/RHP) The Oakland Athletics have had a solid pitching rotation, including Montas, who slid into the number six position of the 2021 Cy Young Award voting. The 28-year-old right-hander has command of the mound. His fastball was in the range of 90-99mph throughout the 2021 season, contributing to the 26.6% strikeout ratio compared to 7.3% walks and earning him a 3.36 ERA. While he struggled in the minors, he continued to pitch smarter and work harder to create reliable confidence for his team throughout 2021. His age makes him a prime candidate for creating a long-term contract with the organization that picks him up. With Montas's previously moving around from team to team, a long-term solution might be great not only for him but for whoever picks him up. The Twins have pieces to trade to acquire Montas. The A's know what they have in Montas, making him potentially a more challenging trade, leaving the possibility of a three-team trade, but the Twins could avoid that with the right offer. 1. Tyler Mahle Tyler Mahle may not have the name recognition and notoriety that his Reds teammates do, but he's developed into a quality mid-rotation arm over the past two seasons. Mahle owns a 3.72 ERA with an impressive 28.1% strikeout rate against a respectable 8.9% walk rate. Throughout his career, the most considerable concern has been his walks and home runs. Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors projects a $5.6MM salary in 2022 for Mahle. Mahle is the youngest of the possible acquisitions mentioned, so he'll pitch nearly all of the 2022 season at 27 years old. Out of all the Twins' options, Mahle would be a great asset to the Twins starting rotation; Trading for Mahle just might be the smartest option for the Twins to start. Free Agency is going to be insanely competitive in the coming days which could be good for the Twins. That said, due to the competitive nature of free agency and the potential for scorned owners, lots of teams may be looking to trade possibilities. While age is a factor, so is longevity and more and more baseball players are showing age is just a number and can work past their “prime”. Sonny Gray would be a great addition to the Twins rotation, but if it’s money they are worried about, Tyler Mahle will be the best option, in this fan's opinion. What do you think the Twins should be looking for in a pitcher? Should they be looking on the free agency market or play it safe and offer trades? 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Baseball transcends beyond the field. It speaks a language felt by players and fans alike. It brings people together, sometimes from very different walks of life. Baseball can bring fans together, in a community like Twins Daily. The players have a special bond, a Baseball Brotherhood, that no one but them will ever understand. For Patrick Mahomes and Latroy Hawkins, baseball gave them a life-long friendship. Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with former Twins pitchers Pat Mahomes and Latroy Hawkins to talk about their thirty-year friendship. I was all set with my pen, notes, and questions, and was anxiously contemplating how I was going to ask them. However, I found that I didn't need questions at all. The conversation took a fantastic direction, and I was just a spectator listening to the story of their friendship journey. Baseball provided the catalyst. Pat Mahomes was the Twins sixth-round draft pick out of high school in 1988 and started his professional career in the Twins Rookie League at 17 years old. He came from the small town of Lindale, Texas, in the northeast part of the state. At that time, there were only maybe 2,000 people, and almost none of them were white. When he arrived in Elizabethton, Tennessee, to start his career, several teammates told Pat that all the black people lived on a hill in the Appalachian Mountains. Pat refused to go up in the mountains, he didn’t believe he needed to. He knew that he was in the minority, but he refused to let his race determine his place in society or on the baseball team. Pat was not afraid to speak his mind. He didn’t put him into a specific category or let anyone else do it either. He got an apartment in the next city over with one of the first-rounders on the team, and they drove in every day for practice and games. They split rent and gas and lived on $700 per month salaries. LaTroy Hawkins was raised in the much larger city of Gary, Indiana. However, the demographics of Gary were the same as Lindale, nearly 100% black. Hawkins was the Twins seventh-round draft pick in 1991, also out of high school. LaTroy said he wasn't 'treated' a certain way by any of the Twins players, but when he arrived at Fort Myers after the draft and for spring training in 1992, he said the culture shock was looking at people who didn't look like him. It was a whole new world because there were no white kids where he lived and went to school. Mahomes said he had been with the Twins for a few seasons when LaTroy, Jacque Jones, and Torii Hunter showed up to minor league spring training. He knew as a black player what they were about to go through, the same adjustment he went through when he came to camp. Pat took them all out to eat to help them get acquainted and feel comfortable. Maybe even just to let them know that they weren’t alone. The truth was that Pat “didn't have anyone there for him when he came to the organization”, and he wanted to be there for the next generation. They never felt like they were 'outsiders' with any group they associated with: Whites, Blacks, Dominicans, and Pat and LaTroy weren't afraid to get out of their comfort zone. The group of them together loved to talk and engage with other players from other places or countries, pushing others to communicate and engage. Eventually, with their determination to show the players it's good to get outside their comfort zone, Pat and LaTroy became the glue that sealed the groups and team together. They believe their ability to adapt and have confidence in their craft and person made them successful during their careers. Pat and LaTroy didn't spend a lot of time together on the field, a total of two-and-half seasons collectively. Both players were in big-league spring training in 1992 for the Minnesota Twins, and then Pat got called up to the Major Leagues in April. He was the only rookie pitcher that season on the 40-man.roster Pat may have left LaTroy in the minors, but not the friendship. While in the majors, Pat read scouting reports and newspapers on who was up and coming in the organization. Some baseball players pay close attention to the prospects coming up because they are playing for their careers. Pat saw LaTroy's name come up in reports all the time, and he knew he was coming soon. He wasn’t worried about his job; Pat knew they had a special connection, and he was eager to see the rookie doing so well and on the move. Mahomes was living with Scott Erickson in 1995. Erickson got traded halfway through the season, leaving Pat heartbroken. However, the trade made way for Hawkins to come up to the Major Leagues. When a player is traded, league rules required that the team cover rent and continued to do so after Erickson left. So when Pat called LaTroy to congratulate him, he knew he was pitching the next day and invited him to come to live with him (rent-free). That was the beginning of the strongest friendships brought on by baseball. Pat looked out for LaTroy. He always had his back, whether walking into the minors or starting his first game in the big leagues. The relationship isn't one-sided. It runs both ways. The two men could not be farther apart in personality. Pat attributes a lot of his 'grounding' to LaTroy. Pat was the "Wild Child," unafraid to speak his mind when he thought it was warranted. LaTroy, on the other hand, as Pat says, is "a little more professional. A solid guy." They have a good balance in their relationship. One is a little less, the other is a little more, and vice versa. It just depends on the situation. That translates on and off the field. Pat said, "LaTroy was always confident. He never looked like he didn't belong there." If either was pitching and the game was not going the way they wanted, there was no need for alarm. However, if their poise or composure looked out of the ordinary, that's when they would pick up the phone and say, "Okay. What's going on?" No pep talks. No advice. They tell each other what they see. They don't fight. Being blunt and honest keeps it that way. Sure, they may get upset at the other's observation, but that's what family does. Their bond is a lot like brothers, like family. They are each other's keepers. LaTroy confides that while he has blood siblings, there are things that Pat knows that his siblings don't. They look out for each other, and if LaTroy were to call Pat and tell him he needed him, Pat would show up, "No questions asked," LaTroy said, "even if they were going to the moon." Their relationship has poured into the next generation. Hawkins was instrumental in raising Mahomes’s first-born son, Patrick Mahomes II. Pat entrusted the care and his son's life to LaTroy, making him his Godfather. The three of us giggled as we talked about Patrick's love for ketchup that I had read in an article earlier in the week. They both confirmed that ketchup to Patrick was just as important as family and football. As they reminisce over funny memories, they recalled the time they played winter baseball together in Puerto Rico. Patrick never slept, and since Pat had to pitch the next day, LaTroy took Patrick during the wee hours of the night (or morning) to Burger King to get french fries and "hundreds of packets" of ketchup. As Patrick grew up, he got more involved in sports, and they watched him grow and develop. They traveled all over the country, watching him play football, baseball, and basketball. They knew from a young age that Patrick was 'special,' a word they don't use lightly. They knew he would be a professional athlete, but they were not expecting it to take the turn that it did. They both paused as Pat told me about his favorite LaTroy Hawkins moment. It was Patrick’s Super Bowl in 2019, and what it meant to the two of them as friends because it was almost the Super Bowl that never was. LaTroy teared up and said, "He did it." LaTroy teared up again, hearing the story. It wasn't about the win. It was the fact that collectively they impacted Patrick’s life to where he left his comfort zone and took a chance on himself and was living out the dream neither of them could have ever imagined. Patrick almost didn't play football. He had been on the baseball scouts' radar for years. He had natural talent as a baseball player, which was well known, but he had a passion for football. During his final year of high school, Patrick had agents and Major League teams calling him before the baseball draft. During the draft, sitting in the room waiting to be drafted, he leaned over and looked at his dad and said he didn't want to pursue baseball professionally; he wanted to try football. The Detroit Tigers still drafted the younger Mahomes, but only in the 37th round, knowing that he wouldn’t sign. He was headed to Texas Tech to play quarterback. Patrick wanted to take a chance on himself and play the game he loved, football, in college. Pat was worried everything he learned wouldn't translate from high school to college, to the NFL. Pat reached out to LaTroy in true family fashion, not out of concern, but confirmation this was a good choice. LaTroy was in Brazil when he got the phone call from Pat and Patrick. When LaTroy answered, Pat said, "Hey, he doesn't want to play baseball. He wants to play football," and LaTroy said, "Okay." That was it. One word, Okay. The trust that if LaTroy says, "Okay," it's going to be okay, and the rest is history. History is so abundant with these two I didn't have to ask a single question; Pat and LaTroy just told the story of their friendship. It's a story of two young players that went from watching out for each other on the field to two old(er) friends who would do anything for each other at the drop of a hat, even if it means going to the moon. View full article

Baseball is in her blood. From a young gal who grew up watching the White Sox with her dad who is a 41-year-season-ticket-holder, Betsy Helfand got the baseball bug at a young age. Betsy Helfand grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and, like most kids, would go to the field with her dad to watch her hometown team. She grew up cheering for the 2021 American League Central Division Champions, but she is one of the best Minnesota Twins beat reporters. As a female who loves baseball myself and writing about baseball, Betsy was one of the first people I followed, and she should be one of yours. She is well versed in the sport, has outstanding skill in writing about it, and brings content to Twitter that all Twins fans should see. Betsy left the Windy City to come up to the Minnesota Tundra to attend college at the University of Minnesota. She jumped in both feet into her future of journalism while there, starting immediately with The Minnesota Daily (a 501(c)(3) student-led media organization), providing in-depth coverage of the University's sports teams. She attended various sporting events and games. Betsy worked hard to develop relationships with coaches and players, giving them an element of trust. Trust is huge in the journalist community. Relationships and networking rely on it. Because of her hard work, eventually, Betsy oversaw a team of writers, giving her time to focus on editing and broaden her journalistic knowledge by working with the media teams to create content for the website. Before graduation, she interned with the Pioneer Press as a freelance writer through practicum courses offered at the U. There; she wrote stories on tight deadlines in high school and college sports: getting them written, edited, and up for online content. There was no sport that she didn’t cover or a job that she turned down. Because she was able to cover so many sports and focused more on her writing and content than the team she was covering, it’s easier for her to have neutral feelings about which teams win or lose. She can be objective and bring the story that gives readers the facts, which readers genuinely appreciate. The time, effort, and work Betsy put in throughout college paid off. After graduation in 2015, she landed her first job. She started her career with Major League Baseball (MLB.com), covering the Twins. Because she was working for Major League Baseball, she also covered other teams such as the Brewers, Cardinals, and Red Sox, when she wasn’t covering the Twins. Her assignment was to create content for MLB and MLB At-Bat, previews, game time stories, and news for every Twins game at home. Betsy moved around in the sports journalism world, covering different sports, writing other columns, and even lived in Las Vegas (a KFAN listener favorite) covering the 51's, the Triple-A team for the Mets. As fate would have it, in 2018, she wound up back in Minnesota after a job with the Pioneer Press (where she interned) opened up as the lead reporter for the Twins organization. Betsy's days include a ton of prep work and travel to cover our favorite team. Betsy only missed a handful of the 162 games that the Twins play. Betsy grew up loving baseball, so while it’s her job, she never feels like she is “working.” She truly enjoys watching the game and has a passion for the sport. She doesn’t take the chance to sit down and talk with players for granted. It is one of the highlights of her job. She enjoys the one-on-one time she gets with players and a chance to see things from a different perspective than that of the regular fan. Her vantage point from the press box is pretty cool too. Covid changed all that, though. When the pandemic hit, the in-person interviews changed to zoom interviews, quick, short one-on-ones that made it hard to get a good idea of how the players were feeling because they were being rushed or moved onto the next journalist. If there was a specific question for a player, she would not get to ask her questions because not every player got to come to the "zoom room." 2020 was hard for many reasons, but for journalists, everyone was getting the same quotes, story, and feed for every game. Zoom had its advantages; it was quicker so that journalists could wrap up and edit for print, but it was tough to stick out as an individual when you're telling the same story as everyone else. When the pandemic turned a corner, and 2021 had a regular baseball season, she got the chance to be down on the field every now and then with the players, which she really enjoyed. She got a chance to walk around while players were working out or hanging out by the dugout to ask questions. She also had more access to players and with interpreters Kenta Maeda and Elvis Martinez assisting Spanish-speaking players. She could get back to in-depth questions and share banter with the players. When Betsy arrived early, she enjoyed things like Nelson Cruz taking ground balls at first and second base, which she said was a little bit of a shock, but fun to see! Nelson Cruz was always doing something to practice, improve, or help others. He also was great with journalists. Baseball is a business. Betsy understands that. But when Nelson Cruz got traded, even she felt that one. Her goal is always "Short games and good stories." The reality is that we all get attached to players as we continue to grow in our craft, and Nelson was always a favorite. He loved talking to the press. He was always friendly, outgoing, and willing to share anything he could to help someone get a story. So when he left, along with fans, journalists were also saddened. "Nelson was the exception to the rule [of baseball]." Not all stories that we write are fun or have happy endings, but being a journalist for a sport like baseball means there are a lot of great moments that are covered that tug at the heartstrings in a good way. Getting to cover Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat going to the Hall of Fame was a story she enjoyed covering. In the midst of the pandemic, a lock-out and nothing going on, Tony Oliva was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, giving Minnesota baseball fans a morale boost. Her article is one of my favorites. When I asked her about her articles, I asked if she received any harsh criticism from fans. "Luckily," She said, "I don't get much negativity." When people care about the team, they read what you write. Writing about baseball is not always easy because not everyone understands the new stats and numbers. She likes to be a part of the human story and cover the technicalities. One thing that she is very proud of is her balance in writing. It's essential to be mindful of the audience. Everyone is coming from a different knowledge base, and she does a fantastic job of not alienating the younger crowd or not giving the older fans what they want to know. In this article, Betsy talks about the breakdown between left and right field, and it's enough information for the avid fan and written understandably enough for the average or new fan. Betsy stays busy during the lockdown and the offseason. Just because baseball has shut down doesn’t mean that content for her has. Betsy has been spending time covering the Olympics and recently finished an article on the U.S. Men’s hockey team that is in hopes of winning gold. Off the cuff in the conversation, Betsy brought up that she feels blessed to be where she is in her career. She has a lot of female support in her growth and credits Audra Martin and Marney Gellner as outstanding mentors. She has enjoyed the relationship genuinely with them, and Audra even helped Betsy fix a bruise in Cleveland after Betsy had an unfortunate accident. Betsy is one of the best baseball writers in Minnesota. She is also down-to-earth, kind, and quick-witted. If you are new to baseball or have even been around for a bit, it would do you well to get to know her and read her content. You can follow her articles at: Twincities.com and on Twitter: @betsyhelfand View full article

From the suburbs of Minneapolis, Heather Rule grew up knowing that her heart was in journalism and that her favorite baseball team was the Minnesota Twins. Read about how she went from a Twins fan to a Twins Media Content Creator. Heather Rule's talent and passion for writing and print journalism started at a young age. She grew up sitting down with a book and reading or writing stories. While attending high school in Andover, Minnesota, Heather got her first authentic look at print journalism and reporting and became very active in the school newspaper. She covered the school's activities, sports, and special projects for the paper and worked on the yearbook. While writing and editing in high school, she knew that she wanted a future in journalism and even knew which topic she wanted to write about: Sports. She attended St. Thomas University in St. Paul, where she got her degree in Print Journalism. While attending college, she was a staff writer for the Aquin newspaper (no longer in print) and ended her time there as the sports editor until graduation. She credits her time writing for the Aquin as the catalyst for her passion for sports journalism. Her first full-time journalism job was with the Post-Bulletin in Austin, Minnesota. She didn't initially get to write about sports, but she took every opportunity she could to take every assignment. She got a lot of experience reporting weekly features, education, crime, and other breaking news. Experience that paid dividends as she moved forward in her career. It didn't take long, though. Soon Heather would get a chance to follow her love of sports as she moved from Austin to Albert Lea. At the Albert Lea Tribune, she got to dip her pen back into sports writing, and she hasn't slowed down since. She got chances to interview players, watch and report on sports and write her pieces. While in between writing jobs and waiting for the next opportunity, she took freelance writing jobs and continued to network. Her networking paid off, and in 2015 her journey with the Twins started. MLB created a start-up program for in-game coordination of social media, and Heather heads up the official Minnesota Twins Twitter account during the games. Immediately my heart sank and my anxiety went up, thinking of all the crappy things I tweeted during games not knowing this sweet soul was on the other end of the keyboard. A team of them works together; they have different people for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. It's a smooth-running operation and one that keeps them on their toes. Heather says that attention is an important part of it. Her job is timely updates with embedded videos and gifs when there is a home run, an incredible stolen plate, and our favorite, the walk-off. She beams when she talks about her job and her experiences as a part of the media team. Being so quick to the keyboard is not easy, though. She has to be ready to go at a moment's notice, or sooner, and she is! I asked her how hard is it not to take things personally when people are rocketing off comments during the game? She doesn't take it personally because no one is attacking "Heather." That is a calming feeling because this writer is known to have been one of those people. Her smile grows slowly across her face as she starts to talk about some of the things that fans get up in arms about. The lineup? Yep. The daily lineup is the one thing that will get fans just bent out of shape, and I laughed when she said it because I AM that fan. It strikes a chord with us, and we take things like the lineup personally! I am not sure what we expect from responding to the tweet sent out by Heather through the Twins account. Do we expect the social media staff who sees the tweets to tell Rocco Baldelli we are displeased? It seems so comical now, but I suppose in the heat of the moment, as a fan, we get tied up in the possibility that the lineup means another loss. It's not that she doesn't care. Heather cares very much. She is so in love with the sport and our hometown team that she keeps track of her fun statistics and the regular game-time statistics. One of the fun statistics Heather keeps track of is engagements and if the Twins won that game. Creating her statistics for games makes slower games a little more fun to watch. We even giggled about the Rally squirrel, and she burst my bubble when she told me that we did not succeed with the "Rally Squirrel." But it made the fans happy, that's what mattered, and the content it generated for the social media team. She sits down a few hours before the game, whether she is watching at the park or at home, and preps for the game and what players have things coming up: streaks, milestones, hitting records, and fun facts to watch for throughout the game. She notices many things that many of us don't because of her attention to detail and the desire to bring the story to us through game-time tweets. Heather is always ready to get us the best content, images, and gifs she can throughout the game. How does she get the images she does? A fantastic media team. They have videos and photos throughout the whole game. If she sees something happen, she can radio down to the videographers on the field, let them know what she just saw happen, and they will send the clip in to get up on Twitter. That way, if you missed a Miguel Sano home run because you decided to go to the bathroom, or you missed Jorge Polanco stealing another base with that signature smile on his face because you had to let the dog out, she is there to bring you those moments and all the moments in between. And what happens if she has to wait for an image? No fear. She has folders and files of gifs and videos ready to go when a player does something; she has them sorted by a player, by hit, by date, by weather, you name it, she's got it. Heather takes her job seriously and puts in a lot of work to give fans the best image and content she can. I can say that Twins Twitter, both the in-game account action and the tweets and reactions from fans, make the experience a lot more enjoyable. Heather helps create a community during a game that keeps us excited or sometimes pushes our blood pressure up, but she never lets us down. I have a new appreciation for Twins Twitter and the great job that Heather does to bring us all the fun content she does. Make sure to check out Heather’s website and blog listed below! She currently has eight books out including Women in Media, Women in the Olympics, and Sports Greatest Turn-Arounds. All her information is listed below: Website: http://www.heatherrule.com Sports blog: Thoughts from the Stands Social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. View full article