LastOnePicked

I don't know. Each flashed some legitimate ability to succeed at the big-league level. I'm guessing another organization could have unlocked more. The Twins are just too good at getting less production out of more potential.

This is why it would have been really, really nice to see what a change in managers could have potentially done for these guys. Maybe nothing. But maybe something. Baseball is just such an emotional game, and nobody seems to be able to help players like Miranda, Lewis and Julien adjust. Or even to distract them from their jitters. It might even have been helpful to have a manager that young players were afraid to disappoint, But we'll never know, because it will still be Rocco as these guys chase the last of their dreams in the Twins organization. Remind me again - why is he still managing the club after the fire sale?

"I remember the Twins facing Urena when he was with the White Sox in 2023 and thinking it must feel rotten to have to watch Urena pitch for your team. Well karma giveth and taketh away," FINALLY! WE KNOW WHO TO BLAME FOR ALL OF THIS! Thanks a LOT, Hans! Great write-up, by the way. The humor peppered in there is appreciated.

All good points, but I can't help but wonder if 5 inches hadn't made the difference between him being traded or staying. If that loud, long out in Dodger Stadium had instead gone over the wall tied the game, and if the Twins would have taken that crucial series, I can imagine a momentum shift big enough to see him as a part of a 2026 quick retool and a 2027 team comeback. Nah, nevermind. This team didn't have the gas.

I'll buy. I've heard Mikulski Bog Lake is worth every penny.

This. I want a rebuild, but part of a rebuild means putting these younger players into a position to be future contributors. I would love to see the Twins play .500 ball the rest of the way. And I think they need a new manager to instill some better habits. I'd also be pretty furious if I were a team that played my games against the pre-deadline Twins, where my chances of winning were about 50% - then to watch my competition get to play their games against the post-deadline Twins, where their chances of winning may be as high as 70%. It damages the integrity of a more balanced MLB schedule.

Tell me how the post Trade Deadline is going without telling me how the post Trade Deadline is going ...

In the aggregate, no. In fact, their spending is back to mid-90's Metrodome-era, relative to the league. They made a couple of splashes for a few years (which had been promised as a part of being gifted Target Field), and were never even in the top five spenders in the AL. Not once. They should have done more with what they had when they spent, yes. But I'm not going to applaud a legacy of below league-average spending.

I'm gonna click "Like" for your thoughtful breakdown of the plan. Not because I like the plan.

Nailed it. I don't think there's any other logical conclusion.

I struggle to understand how trading away effective, team-controlled relievers who have - and probably will - outperform their contracts helps facilitate a sale. It's like buying a business known for it's very effective, low-cost staff and then having the previous owner fire them all before the sale is final. This benefits your new business how exactly? These moves convinced me this team isn't going to be sold.

This was a chilling read. The level of deception and dysfunction it suggests with this club is really something. First of all, Falvey told the press this was a "retool." That suggests that they have - and may target - talent to keep them in the mix in '26. Now, in private, he's telling Correa it's a "rebuild" and that they aren't even going to try and win for the duration of his contract. Now, I never believed this was a "retool," but words matter. So does integrity. Apparently, Correa (a guy you pay) is more deserving of the truth than the fans (the people who pay you). Second of all, the Twins did Correa a favor and helped him save face. His stock had dropped tremendously after the "failed" physicals during his free agent offseason. The Twins stepped in as if none of that mattered. What's wrong with repaying that favor by offering mentoring and guidance to all the young guys Correa said had so much promise? Every player in that clubhouse deserves to go somewhere where they have a chance to win and their kids can watch them go out there in the playoffs and perform. I can't imagine what Buxton, Lopez, Ryan, Lewis, Jeffers, etc, etc. are thinking when they hear that Falvey made a special apology to Correa for dashing his Twins playoff dreams. By the way, Correa did plenty to dash Twins playoff dreams, too. If you're Correa, don't you say something like, "Look, this isn't working. Let's try and swing me over to third. I look forward to helping these guys get better quickly. I'd like to coach someday, so this is a good challenge for me. Plus, if we get new ownership, maybe we can right this thing pretty quickly. Let's win here like we planned." Which brings me to this inescapable conclusion: the Pohlads ain't selling. How would Falvey possibly know which "direction we are going"? You'd think he'd say something like, "Look, with the impending sale of the club, things are uncertain. We're going to have to be okay with that uncertainty." But no, Falvey seems to know exactly where all this headed. And how would he know that unless he knows what we don't know? I firmly believe that this fire sale will be followed by 3-5 years where the Pohlads milk revenue sharing to recoup their "losses." I really hope I'm wrong. These quotes suggest I'm not.

I meant to post this on YouTube, but your "Tears Tiers" about the trades yesterday was perfect, Tom. A+.

Good luck. This is one thick noggin, ideal for the work. If they sold human mallets at Dior, that's where you'd find me. That's where the rich shop for such luxuries, I hear.

Hmm. I think there might have been at least a few days following the 2023 season where the organization wasn't driven by fan passion. This letter is a joke. Just like the organization. And, again, I'm still in favor of rebuilding. It's the "how" that makes all the difference. This garbage ain't it.

They did, yes. But too many of those trades were the equivalent of torching the lumberyard next door, too. This team did not get substantially better for 2028-29 yesterday. That's why I'm not happy.

I know there's still a Blewett out there. Go get him. One can only hope they can find guys named Poppout, Bust and Hazbin, too. Get to know 'em!

What substances are floating around in this wildfire smoke that would provoke this kind of delusion? That's just fun snark. No offense intended. Be great if you're right. Can't see it myself.

I sometimes wonder how ultra-wealthy people became, or remain, ultra-wealthy. With the Pohlads, I'm completely stumped. Based on the way this franchise is run, I'm not even sure if they have the wits to tie their shoes. But here's my big fear: yesterday's sell-off indicates to me that they're taking the team off the market. I can imagine them fielding a league-minimum salary club, milking revenue sharing for profits until 2030 and using those profits to pay off their personal debts. Then maybe they'll put the team up for sale again. I don't mind some bumpy rebuild years. I mind if the Pohlads are involved in any way.

I'm glad they're still playing with human mallets. When Ai comes for my job, that's the kind of lateral career opportunity I'm looking for.

I wanted a rebuild, but I don't think they picked a lane. Selling off long-term controllable assets signals a long-term rebuild, meaning that they would target A-ball or AA prospects with very high ceilings. Instead, too often they traded for failed MLB-ready prospects. As Gleeman noted, they can't even develop their own failed MLB-ready guys, what maxes them think they can fix other team's washouts. What was the thinking? To be ready for some kind of mysterious 2026 playoff run? The returns are very underwhelming. These trades made the Twins immediately worse, and with a real rebuild mentality, that's fine. But they also made the 2028-29 Twins worse than they could/should have been, and that's insane. Falvey was in over his head yesterday ... and the competition pounced.

That's the language my ol' Dad uses when he watches the Twins.

DO NOT TRADE TARGET FIELD, DEREK!!!

TD writers are going to have a terrible case of writer's cramp after today. I feel for you all.

Yes, but we've had many sad days in three of the last four years. The collapses in those years were also indicative of massive failure. But better to rebuild than to keep failing to meet expectations over and over and over.