LastOnePicked

Same. I was really wary about the re-signing of Correa, but I could kinda see a plan in place. Take a few lumps, get a few key prospects to the cusp, bring in a top free-agent to fill a huge hole, make the playoffs regularly and then let the excitement generate more revenue. In 2023, you could kind of see that all coming to fruition. But then they realized they had spent too much, and they panicked and retreated. Basically, the worst possible move for the moment. Since then, it's been a mess. To be fair, it was probably going to be a mess regardless. It's bad enough to have Buxton as an annual question mark. It would have been worse to have Correa be your salary centerpiece and perpetually hurt. Just as the 2022 medical reports suggested he would be. The answer is: get smarter. Smart organizations are flexible. They weather storms. They don't put all of their eggs in one free agent basket. They don't sign a Correa - they develop a Correa. I think attendance would already be league average here if baseball fans could sense an intelligent plan being put in place.

My foolish best-case scenario is that Tom Pohlad actually has some pride. He's tired of his family name being linked to a chronically-underperforming team, and he's going bring this team from its current sorry state to an MLB powerhouse over the next decade. He's going to make something of himself - and this club - in the process. That's silly, I know. Let a guy dream. Worst-case scenario is that the team gets owned by the kind of investment groups that have been buying up and ruining things like bowling alleys and veterinarian clinics across the country. As MLB owners of a mid-market team, they'll suckle off of increased revenue sharing while doing nothing for the long-term health of the team or the sport.

The core of this franchise's problems summed up perfectly in one tuck-in sentence.

Payroll really shouldn't be a worry for this team. The teams that are beating them soundly in this division have lower payrolls. This team need to boost its braintrust. And the big worry for this team is that there's almost no pitching to speak of in the farm system. So they better figure out what 2028 and beyond look like. Bradley might be fine. Prielipp might continue to develop. Neither are aces. And beyond those two, only huge question marks.

Selling this low on Joe Ryan would be monumentally stupid - which is why I'm increasingly convinced the Twins will do it. Last offseason was the time to rebuild, and they chose not to. So, this offseason is the time to reload. They might only be two relievers and a 1B away from a realistic WC run.

I wonder how inflation and fuel prices impact a mid-market team's expenses as well. I'm sure it's not huge money, but it probably adds up.

If they're genuinely, earnestly trying to win in 2027, Royce has to go. It's a shame and an incredible waste of talent, but a team that's trying to win can have his level of 1B production in the lineup. I hope he revives his career, but it likely won't happen here. If they're trying to nibble their way into WC contention, then I can see them keeping Royce and continuing to kick the can down the road. It's possible that he comes back fairly strong and makes himself a better trade chip. Unlikely, but possible. But why would you nibble when you're at the end of the Lopez and Ryan contracts? It's 2027 or bust for this team - barring some starting pitching miracle that emerges next year.

I don't have an optimistic view at all and even I think they have to go for it this year. They made their bed - time to see this "win now" idea through. A few good contracts could maybe make just enough difference.

All good points. You're on fire lately. But I do think they could have gotten a nice lottery-ticket prospect for Bell this year. Poor guy's always got his bags packed - he's probably stunned he finished the whole season here.

Has anybody heard of the concept of buying low and selling high? It's a pretty neat idea. Look into it if you haven't. There has literally never been a worse time, value-wise, to trade Joe Ryan. Wasn't the whole premise of keeping Ryan and Lopez last offseason based on the idea of squeaking open this team's WC contending window for two full seasons? I know we're just speculating here, but if they actually do trade him this offseason, it will be proof that this organization has totally lost the plot.

Hmm. You must be picking up on something I'm not. All I'm getting - and I feel it myself - is that folks are very weary that Buxton will be clearly not healthy and clearly unproductive but they'll keep putting him in CF and keep deferring to his judgement because he's the "team leader." He's got real competition for CF now. Hopefully Shelton remembers that, if they're really trying to win, the needs of Buxton's reputation are secondary to the needs of the team. I don't doubt Buxton's resolve one bit, but I do sense that it comes with a kind of stubbornness.

"Speaking of outfielders, Byron Buxton is the most obvious name on the list, when healthy. Being realistic, if he’s available, he’s playing. And yes, until further notice, he’s the center fielder. This almost isn’t even worth discussing. Yes, he’s coming off of labrum repair, and there’s uncertainty about his status, but if he’s healthy, he’s playing. You can’t stop it from happening." This is really weird phrasing, Greggory. Do you think there's a large continent of fans here who would actually want to keep a healthy, productive Byron Buxton from playing? I think the concern that some folks here have is: what if he's not healthy but says he is? What happens if he's hitting .190 in June and his defensive metrics really start to lag? Shelton has already declared the clubhouse here "Buxton's Clubhouse." They've doubled and tripled down on him being the face of the Twins over the years, but it's a face fans are still more likely to see in a billboard than on the field. If it's not coming together in 2027, how long are they going to defer to him and keep doing what isn't working? But if he's actually healthy and actually producing, then of course we want him playing. Who would think otherwise?

I hope the excuse that "well, he got put into the role so late this year" starts to fade away. Tom Pohlad has admitted in several interviews that he was selected to lead the ownership group in early December 2025. Plenty of time to have put even a modest free agent spending plan in place with Falvey/Zoll. The priority for the family was to reduce their own debt, not to increase the team's chances of winning.

"The 2025 trade deadline fire sale damaged whatever goodwill remained between the Pohlad family and a frustrated fan base." I know I'm an outlier, but the deadline fire sale didn't damage my goodwill whatsoever. If anything, it increased it. When a mid-market team realizes that it has no realistic shot at winning, it absolutely has to maximize its future chances for success. It's idiotic NOT to do this. The Varland trade went too far, but by that point Falvey was addicted to making deadline trades and had to be sent to a GM rehab facility. Here's what damaged my goodwill: The Pohlads put the team up for sale and then we find out there's over $400M in debt that's attached to the sale. That's like telling a potential homebuyer that there's a body buried in the basement. The Pohlads took the team off the market and then prattled on about their deep and sincere desire to be stewards of this organization because they felt there was no out there better to run it. The Pohlads announce a new group of investors joining the ownership group. Are those investors there to offer perspective and boost the team? Nope - they're there to buy the Pohlads out of their debt. Tom Pohlad steps in and puts a promising rebuild to a screeching halt. Instead of restocking the minors with potentially elite future talent, the Twins get another year without a playoff berth. Just a year later, those trade chips are virtually worthless. Cutting payroll doesn't bother me. If you don't have the money, don't spend it. I live by that motto and I'm fine with the Pohads living by that motto, too. Just don't be stupid. That's my golden rule for anyone who pulls strings with this organization. If losing kept me away I'd never be a Twins fan after 1991. It's sheer stupidity that will keep me from showing up at Target Field.

Certainly my favorite Twins story of the year, yes. But I read stuff like this and I wonder - who decided that Maki needed to go? What did they base that decision on? Yes, staff ERA was something like 25th in MLB, but I thought we were past using ERA as the best measurement of pitching success. Also, team defense was 29th in MLB. It seems like Twins' poor defense was always extending innings for the pitching staff.