LastOnePicked

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.

Good find. Good fit. If the Twins truly have a desire to win in 2027, this is the kind of signing that would communicate that to the fans. It's also a good reminder to the organization that half-measures are very costly. A rebuilding team didn't need a Varland or a Bednar, but now that they want to push their chips in again, they'll have to pay market rates to recoup lost talent. Just be sure to kick the tires and read medical reports carefully this time. (Note: this has been fun, but I would bet almost anything the Twins won't sign him.)

He won't know the difference. Besides, it's the main idea that matters here. Good stuff.

That's a very good idea, actually.

There has probably never been a worse time to trade big leaguer Joe Ryan than right now. No GM in MLB would give you anything above thirty cents on the dollar in terms of potential value. He's going to have to stay. He's going to have to turn things around.

Can you send this to Tom Pohlad's office, please?

Sure. Just be careful with assumptions. I hated this season, but I delighted in Royce's brief resurgence, Taj Bradley's improvements, Brooks Lee's steady growth, Walker Jenkins' sweet swing, Emma's infectious energy. I act like I know a lot, but I didn't even think Connor Prielipp would make it to the bigs, much less get better over a whole season. I'm going to be hard on this ownership and this team because I have seen first-hand what championship baseball can do for a state. Not only that, what championship baseball can do for parent-kid memories. Our Wheaties box is a holy relic at my folks' place. My Dad may not remember much at this point, but he remembers those games we saw together in '87 and '91. He worked overtime to afford those tickets. It's been too darn long. Period. Any middling mindset or brain-dead baseball move that interferes with building a championship team here should treated like a mortal enemy or a disease to be eradicated from the body. I'm tired of being nice about this bottom-quartile baseball team.

"We think there's an opportunity to restructure things, to create a fresh voice and new message, and see real value in that and bring in a different set of strengths and weaknesses and how the team all functions," Zoll said. So if I read this right, Zoll sees real value in bringing in a new set of coaching .... weaknesses ... as well as strengths? Really? C'mon Twins FO - if we have to listen to what you say, you all should have to listen to what you say too. It's a small little goof, I know, but my experience in corporate America taught me that if you can't talk straight then you probably can't think straight. I feel for Maki. He struck me as a fairly smart guy doing his best. Some of these arms really showed improvement. Prielipp actually got stronger as he went along this season. I can't help but wonder if the overall results here say much more about the Twins consistently horrid defense than it does about the pitching staff. Not crazy to move on to a new coach, but Zoll better put more emphasis on finding coaching strengths than weaknesses.

That's a pretty low bar though, isn't it? How many people own businesses that they want to be unsuccessful? I can think of the movie Major League and Mel Brooks' The Producers, but that's about it. Here's where great journalism could maybe help. The next time Pohlad is doing a session like this, ask him how he believes the two AL Central playoff teams got there this year. What has he learned so far about the pathways to playoff baseball? My guess is that, even after a full season in the role, he still couldn't answer that question.

Hey, if you believe then you believe. Arguing with people about what they believe is like arguing with people about their dreams. It's not real to me, but it's real to you. But I do think it's important to get the facts straight. You point to Joe Pohlad's comments from 2024. But what about his thoughts from 2023? This is straight from Twins Daily, March 3, 2023: "Joe Pohlad’s interaction in the team’s baseball operations since returning to the front office in 2018 has not come without experience. He spent time as an assistant in the baseball operations department beginning in 2007. His experience there, which not many owners in Major League Baseball have had, sheds light that he is willing to shed the common trope Twins fans attribute to his family; the “Cheap Pohlads.” When asked individually at the January 11 press conference if Correa’s re-signing shows critical fans that ownership is committed to building the team for a championship, Joe Pohlad responded, “I hope so. I think how we view it, or at least how I view it, is this the best route for us in order to get to where we want to be, which is a competitive team that can compete for a World Series?. Ultimately, the goal is to win and is every move we make going to add to that and achieve that goal? And this [signing] is gonna do that.” Isn't this essentially the exact same sentiment as what Tom expressed yesterday? I mean, yes, Joe didn't mention a number like $100M specifically, but he didn't have to - the Twins were already spending well above that. And it's pretty easy to brag about increasing payroll on the eve of a labor dispute that almost certainly will require all teams to spend well above what the Twins are currently spending. Honestly, I don't even need Tom Pohlad to give a specific number right now. That would be silly at this point. And he could have said that they're going to spend $200M next year and I wouldn't be impressed ... because I'm not convinced they have the right people and the right plan to spend it well. Until I can see that there's an actual plan in place to build a winner, and until I can see that the Twins are making noticeably smarter moves than their competition, I'm not really interested in a single word ownership has to say. At this point, it's just the buzzing of a housefly.

Plus, it's genuinely refreshing to see the Twins actually stand to gain from one of their own late blooming prospects.

Yes, yes and yes. Something like this would be music to my ears: "We know where the holes are going to be in this roster. The GM's job will be to identify the best candidates to fill those holes. My job will be to work with our partners to get him the resources to bring these guys in. Can't say how much money that will involve yet because I don't know. And by the way, it's just not the roster. We've got to get this entire system up to speed. And fast. We took a risk last offseason that we intend to make pay off. And we've got teams in our own division that are already a few steps ahead of us." Took me 30 seconds. This stuff isn't rocket science.

The battle lines are drawn. Those of us who wanted a full offseason rebuild are going to point to every lost potential prospect as the difference-maker we needed down the line. Those who wanted to take a shot with what we had are probably living by the idea that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Can't keep your powder dry forever. Something like that. If Lopez, Ryan and Buxton have a great year in 2027 and the team makes a real playoff run, I will welcome a massive avalanche of "I told you so"s. It would be fun. But right now, Team '26 Rebuild has a solid 1-0 lead. Chief is great. None of this stuff is ever personal from my perspective.

If they're trading Lee next year, it means they've started a roster reboot at precisely the wrong time and with the wrong players.