LastOnePicked

"Is Correa untradeable?" Yes. Yes he is. Few teams wanted take on that salary after the red flags raised by medical assessments made during his free agent year. And now, after two years of foot injuries that have derailed his seasons? Absolutely not. No one else would take Buxton or Correa. They are ours. If the Pohlads were smart, they'd embrace that, bolster the roster around them and try to make one last playoff run with this dinged-up duo. Otherwise, they're just going to rot away on a perpetually "retooling" fourth-place club.

I'm an idiot, so it will probably be April.

That's about 50 cents too much. And I would hope I can quit any time - the team certainly did. Some of this is just sour griping. I've wanted to stream the Twins like this for years. I just really hope they'll be worth watching.

They had to know this shift was coming. Wouldn't it have made sense to keep fan momentum building in 2024, so that you can sign up 35K subscribers before opening day 2025, instead of the 8-10K they'll likely get after this season's debacle. I like the potential pricing being mentioned here, but not to watch this Twins team. Give me a feisty, fast and fundamentally sound team, sure. Not these Twins.

I love your optimism, and it was a great post. However, that "something unexplainable" was entirely explainable. They have a roster filled with significant injury histories, they have a manager that has failed to get them big-game ready (especially younger players) and their division competition is on the rise. Here's the problem: all of those things are even more true in 2025. But keep the optimism. We'll see how the retooling turns out.

Good article, and I liked the analogy about an under-funded public school. Here's the problem, though: districts in Kansas City and Cleveland received less funding, and their students performed better. That would signal a problem with the way money is spent here. And I do think they should have spent more (about $170M) this year, absolutely. You invest in Buxton and Correa and you have a not-terrible offseason the year before, you crank that competitive window open and you go for it. Otherwise, Correa and Buxton are just anchors. I would love it if the Pohlads were fanatics for the team - that'd be wonderful. They're not. So I just wish they'd put emphasis on building a smarter business. Get people back into baseball here. Have better communications, better promotions. Go out and get the best coaching staff and make a lean, feisty team. Gear up for the next competitive window, once you have a few durable stars and a top-tier pitching staff.

"Look through that window, Joe. That's Tiny Tim. He thought the Twins were going to make the playoffs again this year. He thought he'd maybe see his favorite team grab a few free agent pitchers, build off their 2024 postseason and make a run at a title. He may not see another year after 2025, Joe. If these trends continue, I see an empty little seat at Target Field. Actually, I see lots of empty seats."

You're assuming that this organization believes in consequences. Not a safe assumption. Excuses they're great at. Top 5 in baseball. Consequences, no.

This team has many problems, but Rocco is one of them and a significant one. It would have been much wiser to fire him, because ... If the roster the Twins field in 2025 truly does have a chance for a postseason run in 2025, then now is the perfect time to see what a new manager can do with this club. Will the play be more fundamentally sound? Less of a laissez faire attitude in the clubhouse? Better use of relievers and pinch hitters? More clutch performances? We've already seen how far Rocco can take a winning club in October, and it's not far. Why not see if another coach can take them farther? Or, if the roster in 2025 isn't built for success, now is a good time to audition a new staff. Don't be afraid to rotate the position for a few years, if needed. Get a feel for who communicates well. Let a new manager get started on the ground floor with a rebuilding or retooling team. I'm glad that there seems to be general consensus that this should be Rocco's last chance, but I'm hoping there will be some urgency and some fan pressure for a change if/when this team is in 4th or fifth place come June. When this team's chance does come again, Rocco is clearly not the person to get them to the next level. The sooner the organization realizes this, the better.

Exactly this. As a fan, I have no idea what the Twins are trying to become or what they're building towards. It almost seems like they thought Carlos Correa was just a magic wand they could wave into a middling roster and - poof - make themselves a contender. In a weak division, that might get you a division pennant and a Wild Card series win, sure. But two teams in this division are now ready to reap the benefits of their rebuilds, while the third remains the undisputed champion of player development and pitching pipelines. Twins ... your move?

I agree that probably it's better at this point to push forward than to rebuild (that should have started four years ago, in my opinion). But here's the problem: a payroll of $130M on this club isn't going to cut it. You can't count on 100 games each from Correa, Buxton or Lewis, so you'll need high-end replacements to fill in during long injury stretches. However, the younger players clearly aren't ready to fill those shoes. So you need a big free agent roster with proven talent ... or you'll need a lot of hope. A great coaching staff could maybe, maybe thread that needle. The one we have? No. Next year Chicago can't possibly be worse and KC, Cleveland and Detroit will likely be better. If you rolled it all back, can this Twins team compete? Absolutely not. So if you're not competing in 2025, you should probably be in a phase of rebuilding. Otherwise you're wasting a season.

Love it. We got two hilarious Stu satires in one day - this one and the one about how the Twins made the right call in keeping Rocco.

Excellent post. I think every Twins fan can handle losing or coming up short. But this season wasn't that - this was incompetence at multiple levels. Unprofessional organization and not worthy of fan support.

Target Field hasn't had any electricity for the past two months, so I think they're okay.

"Despite a vocal minority of fans calling for change," Ugh. This is a common tactic of dismissal. And my guess is that you have no real idea as to which side on this issue is the minority, unless you've done some sophisticated polling. "Some fans may want fiery speeches or emotional outbursts." Let's put this old strawman to rest. Those of us who against keeping Rocco are NOT asking for thrown chairs and tipped tables. Were asking for fundamentally sound baseball and an ability to elevate the play of the roster. Sometimes that involves confrontation. Not aggression, not buffoonery ... timely and direct confrontation. "The most successful franchises, in any sport, don’t constantly shuffle their leadership. Stability fosters success." First, please don't tell me you think the Twins are one of the "most successful franchises" - that's just patently false. Also, I think you have it backwards. Success more often fosters stability. Time alone won't simply turn a poor coaching staff into a great staff. And failure rewarded with stability leads to stagnation and incompetence. "we also can’t forget the 12-game winning streak they posted earlier this year" Since we're on the subject of not forgetting, 2022's epic collapse is worth remembering. It might also be good to remember that the regular season records you boasted about were built off of a fairly weak AL Central. And Rocco's postseason record still isn't something to write home about. "2025 will be a critical year for Baldelli. He’s earned another chance, but if the team falters again, it will be tough to justify keeping him on." Okay, is 2025 the new goalpost? Just so we don't have to repeat ourselves next offseason, what does "falters" mean? Look, if you love Rocco, just say you love Rocco. That's fine. He seems like a great human being. I'd love to have Rocco as a neighbor. I just can no longer stand having him as the Twins manager. I'm tired of watching this team falter, flail and fade away in crucial stretches and big games. I'm tired of our rookies looking disoriented and unprepared to play major league baseball. Rocco has had decent rosters and decent payroll support. Whatever the "it" factor is that makes a great manager, Rocco doesn't have it. And we've had more than enough time now to judge this fairly.

I think a lot of people on TD would have been okay with this. I just think he wouldn't have performed very well here. We get flashes, but there's something missing in the way we draft, develop or coach that would lead to a hugely productive season from a young rookie. When's the last time the Twins had a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate?

I think the word "idiot" is often overused. Most people in positions of leadership are fairly smart, fairly capable of making decent decisions peppered with mistakes. But I'm not sure it would be overused in this case. How could Twins leadership not have a plan to build off of the Correa signing, to steer away from Bally's bankruptcy, to hook new fans on streaming packages, and to re-establish a window of contention in the process. Twins could have hooked a new generation of fans, all while reaping the immediate benefits of gate receipts, merchandise and playoff pool money. $50M spent this year is potentially hundreds of millions of added revenue by 2030. Thankfully, all those involved in this debacle have been fired. Wait, they haven't? No consequences for leadership at all? Those idiots.

Wishing these folks the best, but hoping we can get some fresh perspective on the coaching staff. Can't shake the feeling that it won't matter much until a new captain boards the ship.

I just wish they'd pick a lane and stick with it. If you're a team built around Lopez, Correa and Buxton, crank open that competitive window for another few years and try a few additional big free agent splashes. If that fails, tear it down in 2027 and rebuild. That really should have been the plan last offseason, since you actually got fairly decent seasons from the big three in 2024. You may not get that again. Or, if you're a team built around the "cheap guys," turn the reins over to SWR, Lewis, Wallner and the graduating rookie class. Let them take some lumps without pretending you're a contender. Trade Lopez and Jeffers. See what your remaining veterans can bring in at the deadline. Let Buxton and Correa shift over to being mentors (their contracts are likely untradeable anyways). Set your sights on 2027. I don't understand the point of trying to build a team between these two pathways. You're either putting too much pressure on the shoulders of your rookies, or you're putting too much faith in just a few established stars. You can maybe thread the needle on this ... if you have an incredible coaching staff. Enough said.

I don't think they'd bring in someone who'd do things drastically differently, you're right. But I hope they would. I advocate that they would. I darn near demand they should. I'd actually think they'd want someone who could make their "system" work with players. If they have a winning formula in the executive suite, it's getting lost in translation. And I believe from experience that despite any executive philosophy, managers within an organization can make a huge difference. I've been a part of amazing departments for organizations with failing philosophies, all because the managers of those departments were just smart and wise. What people say and do matter. It's why some managers end up in the hall of fame.

With much respect, you don't know this. Roster construction is very important, you're right. But the way a leader communicates, encourages and develops talent matters. It may solve some things. It may lead to improved fundamental baseball. That could certainly be worth 3-5 games a year. We know that makes a difference. At this point, it's worth putting this question to the test. Especially if the FO philosophy remains the same.

This is the one thing I wish I could change about our collective mindset as fans. This wasn't disappointment; this was malpractice. I have no problem with disappointment in baseball. 29 MLB fanbases will fall short of the big championship dream. 18 will find themselves watching the playoffs from the outside. The smaller market teams will always feel this brunt more than the elites. That's understood. No cause for anger. When you have an organization that has underspent in the lean years, but refuses to overspend in the contention-window years, that's more than disappointing. When you lose critical games with incredibly poor fundamentals, that's more than disappointing. When you have epic late-season collapses, that's more than disappointing. It suggests a real problem with team culture. If the Twins had lost their season to a juggernaut team, watching a Ryan Jeffers screaming liner find the glove of a diving infielder, who fires to second, narrowly nabbing the lead runner for a stunning double play. That would be disappointing, yes. Popping up a bunt to the hapless Marlins, who catch a slumbering Santana off of second base? Dropping from 95% playoff odds to 0% in about five weeks? All of this might suggest more than disappointment.

Great questions. I think the answer is this: this organization doesn't have an identity. They don't know what they're planning for or building towards. They signed Correa, which should have suggested that it was time to bolster the roster with established free agents and use the farm system for savvy deadline trades. Create a window of contention, use your assets, bring home a title. Nope. The very next year, they treat the offseason as though they're a 100-loss rebuilding club, slashing payroll and relying on unproven rookies and waiver claims to plug huge gaps. And honestly, that would be fine ... if they were a rebuilding club. They seem like they're trying to do the one thing that NEVER seems to create championship baseball: timidly nibble, put tremendous amounts of hopes in injured players, low-grade free agents and other teams roster cast-offs and stubbornly refuse to make staffing changes when performance is poor. At that point, you're an also-ran. You're the Angels. You're the Pirates. You're a non-threat to great ballclubs. And you lose fans.

This one seems the worst to me. 11 months ago the mantra from this team was "you ain't seen nothing yet." And I guess they were right, but not in the ways we had hoped. What makes it the worst is that it's just an incredible unforced error by the organization. Last fall, I saw more Twins jerseys at work and in the neighborhood than I had in years. There was a palpable sense that the promise of having an established superstar (Correa) supporting an up-and-coming class of stars was about to yield results. After all, the curse was lifted, right? Instead, we know what happened. The organization immediately bobbled the ball on payroll and broadcasting, and that fundamental shakiness eventually hit the dugout, the batter's box and the playing field. Ripples of incompetence, staffed by people without the skills to steady the ship. And now, what exactly? Keeping payroll flat (as Joe Pohlad suggested) essentially means a cut, since payrolls across MLB tend to rise each year. The play of the rookies doesn't suggest that the farm system is building a smooth transition to the major leagues. Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City are on the rise, meaning that the Twins now share a dogfight division rather than a cakewalk division. And the central voice in the dugout - the skipper who has overseen two of these "most disappointing seasons in Twins history" in just the last three years - will remain the same. Baseball can surprise us all, but I'll be really surprised if 2024 wasn't the start of a prolonged franchise slide.

Hey, this is lovely. Seriously. But those of us who are upset about this announcement would like to see loyalty like yours rewarded with a few more championship runs to cherish. And the next Twins manager and FO staff could be like family too, you know. :) We need to open that door at some point. This organization really should do better to honor fans like you.