Nick Nelson

Image courtesy of Aaron Doster-Imagn Images It was one of the most mystifying moves made at the trade deadline: Brock Stewart to the Dodgers for a 28-year-old outfielder named James Outman. Unlike a majority of players acquired by Minnesota at the deadline, Outman was not anything resembling a prospect or youthful building block. He's what we would call a "post-hype" player — he initially exploded onto the scene, bursting with promise, but has since faded into obscurity. Two years ago, Outman finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, and appeared to be embedding himself as a cornerstone in the Los Angeles outfield. It speaks volumes that by the time LA traded him, he was serving in a minimally-used bench role, and when the Twins acquired him, they sent him to Triple-A despite his nearly 800 plate appearances in the majors. Outman did what you hoped he would do: he went to the minors and hit. Following an 0-for-12 start with the Saints he went on a nine-game hitting streak with six extra-base hits (three homers). Now we'll get a look at Outman in the big leagues, as the Twins announced on Saturday that he's been recalled to replace Alan Roden, down with a sprained UCL in his thumb. Roden came over in the other candidate for most mystifying move at the deadline: trading local legend Louis Varland and his many years of team control to the Blue Jays. In a small sample of 40 plate appearances Roden was doing little to impress, with a .463 OPS and zero walks. So the bar is low for Outman, who unfortunately offers no guarantees of improving upon that production. From Top to Bottom: James Outman's Rise and Fall in Los Angeles Outman’s rise to the majors was a rapid and impressive climb: drafted by the Dodgers in the seventh round in 2018, the outfielder steadily developed his power-speed profile in the minors before breaking out in 2022 with a strong showing at Double-A and Triple-A. That earned him a midseason call-up, where he homered in his first big-league at-bat. In 2023, Outman was a regular for the 100-win Dodgers. He slashed .248/.353/.437 with 23 homers, 16 steals and 68 walks. Unspectacular but very solid production. He finished third behind Corbin Carroll and Kodai Senga in Rookie of the Year voting. In what will sound like a very familiar story to Twins fans, who watched Edouard Julien receive ROTY votes that year on the AL side, Outman was handed the reins following a strong rookie campaign — and completely flopped. He was the Dodgers starting center fielder to open 2024, but slashed .147/.250/.266 through 36 games and was demoted to Triple-A. Since then it's been nothing but extremely poor performance and diminishing opportunity for Outman. In 200 MLB plate appearances across 2024 and 2025, he has a 45 OPS+ and a negative-0.7 fWAR. This made him an odd return in a 1-for-1 trade for Stewart, who was finally healthy and dealing out of the Twins bullpen. I suspected at the time that this value swap said more about the state of Stewart's medicals than Outman being viewed as some untapped asset, and sure enough, Stewart is already on the injured list in LA with shoulder inflammation. Still, I don't doubt that the Twins saw things in Outman they felt they could build on. And if they can turn him into any kind of useful piece, that would be a win, because while they're overloaded with lefty-swinging outfielders they are far from overloaded with guys who can play a decent center field. The Twins indicated that they assigned Outman to Triple-A initially to help him find his timing after playing sparingly for the Dodgers. The small sample of performance would seem to suggest that worked, as the 28-year-old started slow and rapidly improved. But was that two-week stretch enough to truly find his swing in a way that will translate to the majors? We're about to find out. The Key to Unlocking Outman's Upside For better or worse, Outman is going to swing and miss at a level that'll make Matt Wallner blush. Even at his best, Outman had one of the highest whiff rates and strikeout rates in baseball. Making contact with regularity is not something he is going to do well, under any circumstance. But if we look at his Statcast profile from 2023, we do find a few things he was doing very well, and Minnesota's front office would surely like to tap back into those strengths. Discipline is the glaring capability that has vanished from Outman's skill set since 2023. Back then, laying off the junk and drawing walks at a steady clip was a key part of his success, enabling his standout bat speed and barrel rate to carry him despite limited contact. It's a big part of what currently makes Wallner great. Now it'll become the most important thing to watch with Outman. We know he's going to strike out a lot. Can he put forth competitive at-bats, draw the occasional walk, and let his raw power do the work? It's not something the Twins have specialized in; they currently have the sixth-worst team BB-rate in the majors, and were seventh-worst last year. Welcome the the Post-Hype Desert While Outman offers some intrigue, it feels hard to have any confidence that the Twins are going to turn around his wayward performance. As I alluded earlier, the post-hype player in his mid-to-late 20s is an all-too-common prototype around here, and in fact, those players are arguably at the crux of this team's downfall. Minnesota planned around Julien, and José Miranda, and Trevor Larnach, and many others over the course of the past few seasons only to see regression spiral uncontrollably, time and again. Can they get Outman on track and help him find what he lost as a hitter? I wish that this team's track record gave any reason to believe it. Soon enough, we’ll learn whether the Twins can finally flip the script on their hitter development woes. Outman is up, and his Minnesota debut could arrive as soon as Saturday night. View full article

You keep bringing up this quote as some kind of dunk but it was accurate then, and accurate now. Ownership impact is exaggerated and overblown by fans. Teams win in spite of bad owners and now that's what the Twins are going to need to do. Which is why I wrote this: "I'm sick of ownership being a central topic of conversation. I want to talk about the controllable things that really matter to winning baseball games: development, decision-making, performance. If this shakeup leads to ownership just getting out of the way and fading into the background again, that would be wonderful."

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images On Thursday night, after the Minnesota Twins dropped their series opener against the Tigers at Target Field, the Twins TV postgame show was interrupted by a group of fans, who gathered nearby the studio setup on the stadium concourse and began chanting "Sell the team" so loud that it audibly overwhelmed the broadcast. It was impossible for analyst Tim Laudner to cogently get his thoughts out while competing with the sound of this angry chorus. I felt genuinely bad for him, and I commend Laudner and Katie Storm for handling a tough situation as professionally as they could. I don't feel so bad, however, for the target of these boo-birds — an ownership group that completely brought this upon themselves. It's not so much what they've done, but what they say. I'm sure that in the minds of the Pohlad family, there were good reasons for the payroll slash following the 2023 postseason breakthrough. I'm sure they have enduring confidence in the people running this team, and in their own ability to steer things in the right direction with support from a more engaged and invested set of minority partners. Fans just don't wanna hear it. We're tired of the endless stream of empty platitudes and meaningless corporate speak coming from this organization. For Joe Pohlad to come out and talk about how much they want to win, following a deadline (full of "baseball decisions") that all but dashed such hopes for this year and next, rings hollow. It was transparently about money. His comments about the nature of this non-sale of the team are an affront to the intelligence of fans. It was transparently about money. We see what you're doing. You're not cute or slick. The more this ownership group tries to blow smoke and claim that "No actually, everything's fine and this leadership is good," the more resentment will fester from fans who care about this team, who care about the future of baseball in Minnesota. What we saw erupt on Thursday's postgame broadcast was not just frustration, but outright anger and disgust. It's justified. If the Pohlads were surprised or taken aback by it, then maybe it's a wake-up call they needed. Expecting any other reaction to Thursday's news would hint at a delusional level of obliviousness, but then, that's par for the course with this operation. I like to think there is a way forward out of this, even if the team remains technically under Pohlad control. There is a world where the new limited partners are actually invested in the team's success, rather than insisting upon it as unsubstantiated lip service. If these newcomers, minority stakeholders though they may be, are ousting Pohlad family holdovers who didn't care, that could be a potentially substantial shift in the right direction. Massive debt coming off the books could lead to greatly increased spending flexibility, theoretically. I hope that happens. I hope the chanting and the lamenting and the rancor come to a simmr. Not because I'm sympathetic for the Pohlads and the heat they're getting, but because I'm sick of hearing about it. I'm sick of ownership being a central topic of conversation. I want to talk about the controllable things that really matter to winning baseball games: development, decision-making, performance. If this shakeup leads to ownership just getting out of the way and fading into the background again, that would be wonderful. Unfortunately, on this and many other fronts, comments from the people in charge give us little reason for belief. The tone-deaf rambling from Joe Pohlad and Derek Falvey are only worsening sentiment around this organization and it's morale-crushing course of action. But at this point I don't think anyone really cares what either of one of them has to say anymore. Until we actually see something different, the Pohlad ownership will continue to vilify themselves and ensure they are the center of attention and angst in Twins territory. It only feels like a matter of time before fans are being escorted out of the stadium for slinging SELL t-shirts. “Our fans are passionate. Our fans want to win. We have that in common — we want to win, too," Pohlad told the Star Tribune when asked about the vocal criticism direct toward his billionaire bunch. "I’d rather have passionate fans than fans who are disengaged." Better put some kind of action behind that claim or Joe is going to find his stated preference really put to the test. View full article

It's not a straw man, it is a central storyline of this franchise right now. Who's playing SS next year? If it's not Brooks Lee then you're putting your entire faith in a good Double-A prospect who will be 23 years old. People really don't seem to comprehend how hard it is to find even an average MLB shortstop, which Correa was at his worst. It's a really important position!

Aging star, losing athleticism, massive health concerns vs. Young building block, huge potential, starter for the next 10 years

"Aging star" he's 30 years old. Are yall living on a different planet? This has nothing to do with me liking Carlos Correa. I've been as vocally critical of anyone for him this year but that doesn't mean I lose sight of reality. There is no grounds for calling this a solid baseball decision,. It was a loser-minded salary dump that made the team worse this year and beyond.

It's not "now" disgraceful. It was disgraceful when it happened, it is now, it will be a year from now. Carlos Correa was not blocking any worthwhile young players from getting opportunities. Trading him accomplished nothing other than clearing up the books for billionaire owners. This kind of excuse-making on their behalf will never cease to mystify me.

So we're just treating Luke Keaschall, who at this point is looking like one of the Twins' most successful (among the few) position-player development stories of this generation, as the baseline expectation. Got it. He doesn't play SS by the way. I understand that Culpepper is off to a hot start in Double-A and it's easy to dream on that but folks we gotta settle down. The rate of even very good prospects turning into starting-caliber MLB shortstops is extremely low.

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images The Weekly Nutshell: Luke Keaschall's first week back in action for the Twins started and ended the same way: with dramatic two-run homers that gave fans a necessary morale boost in the wake of one of the darkest moments in franchise history. With their rookie phenom back in the lineup, the Twins won four of five games, putting forth an impressive display against the Tigers on the road and then taking care of the Royals at home. Keaschall's presence was felt, but in general the Twins looked like a team that was playing much more free-and-easy after their front office waved the white flag on this season. You had a waiver claim in Thomas Hatch come in and throw four scoreless innings against Detroit. You had minor-league journeyman Ryan Fitzgerald hitting a key two-run blast for his first major-league hit at Target Field. I'm not sure the team should be commended for getting its play in order only once the games essentially stopped mattering, but there is a refreshing aspect to watching players like Hatch and Fitzgerald — for whom these opportunities do matter greatly — doing something with them after watching veteran fixtures stumble in key spots over and over again for four months. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 8/4 through Sun, 8/10 *** Record Last Week: 4-2 (Overall: 56-61) Run Differential Last Week: +10 (Overall: -24) Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (11 GB) Game 112 | DET 6, MIN 3: Tigers Slice Into What Remains of Twins Bullpen in Middle Innings Davis: 1 IP, 3 ER, L Game 113 | MIN 6, DET 3: Twins Pounce on Paddack as Keaschall Homers in Return to Action Keaschall: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI Game 114 | MIN 9, DET 4: Offenses Combine for Six Home Runs, Hatch Holds It Down in Debut Roden, Lee, Martin: HR Game 115 | MIN 9, KC 4: With Pressure Off, Lineup Goes to Work Against Lugo and Royals Jeffers: 3-4, 2 RBI Game 116 | KC 2, MIN 0: Twins Can't Come Up with a Big Hit, Strand 10 in Shutout Loss Twins hitters: 0-10 RISP Game 117 | MIN 5, KC 3: Keaschall Goes Oppo for 11th-Inning Walk-Off to Seal Series Win Keaschall: 3-5, HR, 2 RBI IF YOU'D RATHER LISTEN TO THE WEEK IN REVIEW THAN READ IT, YOU CAN GET IT IN AUDIO FORM! FIND THE LATEST EPISODE ON OUR PODCAST PAGE, AS WELL AS ON APPLE AND SPOTIFY. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNELS SO YOU DON'T MISS OUT! NEWS & NOTES The long-awaited return of Luke Keaschall was the big story of the week, and he made it a bigger one with his spectacular re-entry to the lineup. Out since April 25th with a fractured forearm, Keaschall was activated from the injured list on Tuesday for the second game in Detroit. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was optioned Triple-A, with the addition of Alan Roden diminishing Keirsey's already minuscule role. Having cleared out their bullpen at the trade deadline, the Twins are now desperate for usable arms, and they've been inclined to grab any pitcher that happens to find himself on waivers. The aftermath of the deadline is a favorable time for this type of scouring, because a lot of fringy big-leaguers find themselves displaced from 40-man rosters as the result of new acquisitions. That was the case for both Thomas Hatch and Brooks Kriske, who came aboard via the Royals and Cubs, respectively. They'll serve in long-relief roles as Rocco Baldelli and the Twins try to navigate through innings in these remaining 45 games. Out of the picture for now is Noah Davis, who was optioned to Triple-A after giving up five earned runs in three innings as a Twin. Minnesota's long-running streak of using only two starting catchers finally reached an end. Christian Vázquez was placed on the injured list with a left shoulder infection, which apparently required surgery. Organizational newcomer Jhonny Pereda was called up to take over Vázquez's roster spot, but it was Mickey Gasper who got the first nod to start at catcher on Sunday. Simeon Woods Richardson was forced to the IL by a stomach issue that delayed his latest start. Byron Buxton was not activated during the Royals series over the weekend despite some level of expectation that he would be, suggesting that pain from his rib inflammation is continuing to linger. No reason to rush anything with any of these guys, obviously. HIGHLIGHTS Ever since getting a glimpse of what he can bring to the table back in April, Twins fans have been eagerly and impatiently awaiting the return of Keaschall. During his three-month absence, the season spiraled into oblivion and the front office made a bold pivot toward the future. Keaschall wasted no time showing why he figures to be a central part of that future, launching a two-run homer in his first at-bat on Tuesday night and later driving in another run on a single. Keaschall was back in the lineup on Wednesday, notching two doubles and again driving in three. He picked up six more hits in the Kansas City series, including two more doubles and Sunday's walk-off homer. The 22-year-old is slashing .415/.500/.707 with just three strikeouts through 48 plate appearances. This is an introduction to the majors like we've never witnessed before. Keaschall's presence is electric and the lineup just feels different with him in it. His return is a jolt of excitement that Twins fans badly needed following the deadline purge. Another much-needed positive: Travis Adams' performance against Detroit on Monday. Starting at Comerica against the division leaders, Adams allowed two runs over five innings and looked downright nasty at times, racking up seven strikeouts and 15 whiffs. If he could turn himself into a factor on the 2026 staff in some form, that would be a big boost for the Twins as they look to rebuild their bullpen from the ground up. Zebby Matthews followed with an outstanding start of his own on Tuesday, holding the Tigers to one run in five innings while striking out six and walking one. Consistency is the key now for Matthews, who has alternated between looking very good and very hittable in his rotation turns. But it's great to see him throwing hard and missing bats after spending time sidelined by a shoulder injury. Some other notable standout performances from the past week: Ryan Jeffers had four multi-hit games and ran his active hitting streak to 12 straight contests. For the week he went 12-for-26 with a homer and three doubles, raising his OPS by almost 40 points. Trevor Larnach homered in back-to-back games at Detroit. He had gone deep just once in his previous 26 games, slugging .259 during that span. It's been a very disappointing season for Larnach, who could really use a strong finish to convince Twins leadership (current or future) that he's worth keeping in their plans. Matt Wallner went 4-for-15 with two homers and a double, continuing to show remarkably improved discipline at the plate with three walks and only three strikeouts. Wallner has a 16-to-13 K/BB ratio dating back to the All-Star break, and he has a 1.035 OPS in that stretch. He went on the paternity list on Saturday (congrats!) but should be back in the lineup in the coming week. LOWLIGHTS Not everyone is making the most of the opportunity being put in front of them. Austin Martin had a nightmarish series in the outfield in Detroit, reinforcing the skepticism around his capability in center, which is essential to his staying power as a big-leaguer. The bat just doesn't impress – Martin did pop a solo homer in Detroit but otherwise had just three hits in 19 at-bats. He also hasn't proven to be much of an asset on the basepaths, where he made multiple sloppy mistakes. Gasper has the chance to get some substantive major-league playing time here in the final weeks of the season, and if he doesn't do anything with it, probably his last chance. He got four starts against Detroit and Kansas City – two at DH, one at first, one at catcher – and went 1-for-15. His week ended with a strikeout on a bunt foul with the winning run on second base and no outs. I guess you might as well keep feeding him plate appearances to see if any of that production from Triple-A can materialize, but Gasper has shown very little in the major leagues. Royce Lewis, who was really heating up in the latter half of July, had a very rough week, finishing 2-for-19 with a double in five games. On Saturday night he went 0-for-4, stranding runners in scoring position every time he came to the plate. After briefly getting his OPS up over the .700 mark, Lewis is back down to .659 and he's now gone over three weeks without a home run. The lone holdover in Minnesota's high-leverage relief mix, Cole Sands, has looked pretty awful since the deadline, which makes the idea of starting over in the bullpen feel all the more intimidating. He gave up two runs on three hits in one inning against Detroit on Tuesday night, then gave up a go-ahead two-run homer against Kansas City's Vinnie Pasquantino on Sunday. Sands' ERA now sits at 4.50 one the season. He hasn't been good this year, but at this point he's the best they've got heading into 2026. TRENDING STORYLINE The player whose performance and growth over the final seven weeks of the season are most critical, for my money, is Brooks Lee. The disgraceful trade of Carlos Correa leaves a massive hole in the team's short-term plans at shortstop unless Lee can fill it, and now is his time to prove he's up to the task. So far he's not making a strong case. Through 148 MLB games Lee has been a sub-replacement level player, posting an OPS 25% below average while offering horrible plate discipline, middling power and zero footspeed. His luster as a former high draft pick and top prospect have worn off as his sample of sub-par play in the majors has grown. Lee swatted a home run in Detroit, as he's shown the propensity to do from time to time, but otherwise there was just way too much soft contact, ground balls and terrible swing decisions. Hard-hit line drives are way too hard to come by. Since the start of July he is batting .170 with an OPS barely over .500. In 109 plate appearances during this span, he has hit one double. One! Slashing doubles to the gaps was supposed to be one of his signature skills. It's just another glaring example of how much Lee has fallen short of what the Twins and evaluators thought he could be. At a minimum, Lee needs to show over the remaining stretch of the season that he can handle short defensively. But from my view he's got to show something more at the plate to warrant being given the starting shortstop job next year. You can't just run this offensive profile out there and cross your fingers indefinitely on an offense that desperately needs to improve. Then again, I'm not sure what choice the Twins are going to have either way. There are no worthwhile shortstops hitting free agency in the offseason and Kaelen Culpepper will need more time in the minors. I guess all those fans who are thrilled to no longer have to watch an average shortstop who made a lot of money can now enjoy watching a vastly below-average one while ownership gets to keep said money. Good stuff. LOOKING AHEAD There's nothing like a trip to Yankee Stadium to test the Twins' improved vibes. Out that way, vibes are not so good, with New York tumbling in the standings and putting a once-surefire postseason berth at risk. Minnesota has an opportunity to intensify the misery of Yankees fans, which I personally would take a lot of satisfaction from. After the quick trip out east, the Twins return to Target Field for a four-game series against the Tigers, which in another reality would have been a really exciting and meaningful divisional showdown as the stretch run heats up. Oh well. MONDAY, AUGUST 11: TWINS @ YANKEES — RHP Zebby Matthews v. RHP Will Warren TUESDAY, AUGUST 12: TWINS @ YANKEES — TBD v. LHP Carlos Rodon WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13: TWINS @ YANKEES — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Cam Schlittler THURSDAY, AUGUST 14: TIGERS @ TWINS — RHP Charlie Morton v. RHP Bailey Ober FRIDAY, AUGUST 15: TIGERS @ TWINS — RHP Casey Mize v. RHP Jose Urena SATURDAY, AUGUST 16: TIGERS @ TWINS — RHP Chris Paddack v. RHP Zebby Matthews SUNDAY, AUGUST 17: TIGERS @ TWINS — RHP Jack Flaherty v. TBD View full article

This is the kind of thing I'm talking about with Lee. Perceptions that are completely disconnected from reality. You're so offended by reading a statistically backed criticism of his play that you'll quit reading an article?? Lee's sprint speed and bat speed are the same as they were last year -- in the 15th and 17th percentile of all MLB players. He's hitting .174 for with a 520 OPS since the start of July. There are no signs of momentum or progress in his game. I'll agree that he's young and it's possible he could turn it around if he starts reading pitches better or hitting the ball harder, but those things aren't happening right now. At all. I'm analyzing based on the present reality and what it portends.

Thank you! I am reading these comments (and my twitter replies) and am legit blown away by the amount of slack Brooks Lee gets. Is it just because he looks like a ballplayer? Or doesn't strike out? The guy has shown no ability to control the zone, his bat speed is bottom-tier and he can. not. run. He's been sub-replacement level with no signs of improvement. Yet typically demanding fans are okay with saying, "Yeah he's our starting shortstop next year. Whatever." I don't get it.

The free agents at shortstop this offseason, FYI Shortstops Tim Anderson (33) Orlando Arcia (31) – $2MM club option with a $1MM buyout Bo Bichette (28) Willi Castro (29) Ha-Seong Kim (30) – can opt out of remaining one year and $16MM Isiah Kiner-Falefa (31) Dylan Moore (33) Kevin Newman (32) – $2.5MM club option with a $250K buyout Miguel Rojas (37) Trevor Story (33) – can opt out of remaining two years and $55MM

Looking into this! Sorry Melissa

Image courtesy of Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins spent years and years trying to find a starting shortstop they could trust. A glance through their Opening Day starters over the past couple of decades reveals an endless folly of trial-and-error at one of the sport's most critical positions. The Twins cycled through players who could field but not hit (Pedro Florimón, Nick Punto). Players who could hit but were clearly stretched defensively at short (Jorge Polanco, Eduardo Escobar). Players who were once-elite defenders but plainly just washed up (Andrelton Simmons, Adam Everett). Players who were ... Jamey Carroll?! We can add "shortstop prospects" like Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe to this list as well. Throughout all these years, fans persistently commented about the over-abundance of shortstops in the system and the team's unflinching tendency to keep drafting them with high picks in spite of it. In retrospect, it's a good lesson on the nature of the shortstop position, and the culling of talent as prospects advance and get pushed to other places by ever-heightening defensive standards. Since Target Field opened in 2010, the Twins have used eight of their 24 first-round or supplemental first-round draft picks on players who were classified as shortstops: Levi Michael, Nick Gordon, Royce Lewis, Keoni Cavaco, Noah Miller, Brooks Lee, Kaelen Culpepper and now Marek Houston. Some of their biggest international free agency investments over these years have been at the shortstop position: Miguel Sanó, Wander Javier and Danny Andrade to name a few. And yet, not until the Twins made their biggest free agent signing in franchise history — by far — to bring in an established star did they finally manage to field a legit two-way shortstop. Despite his four-year stay in Minnesota featuring two half-seasons and much of the worst performance in his career, Carlos Correa still produced the most WAR of any Twins shortstop in the past three decades. After being salary-dumped to Houston in a shameful roster dismantling at the trade deadline, Correa made an interesting comment to reporters: “I’ve been wanting to play third base for the past couple of years, but it wasn’t happening in Minnesota. We were waiting for a shortstop to come in and now that I get to play third base it would be great for me at this stage of my career.” It's a silent but damning indictment of Lee, who was once the subject of Correa's immense praise during his first spring camp. No one can deny how promising the former top-10 draft pick looked then, and no one can deny how greatly his outlook has dampened in the two years since. With Correa out of the picture, Lee is first to get a crack at the starting shortstop position. Is he up to the task? Right now it looks like the answer is a resounding no. Lee has played about one full season's worth of major-league games (145) and hasn't been bad. He's been awful. Among 280 players with 500-plus PAs the past two years, Lee's .277 wOBA is tied for 22nd-worst and his negative-0.2 fWAR is 16th-worst. More disturbing than the poor performance is the lack of any standout skill or trait to build on. Lee can put the bat on the ball with consistency but that is about it, and has no value on its own. He swings at everything. He has no real power, outside of running into a mistake pitch for the occasional home run. He is SHOCKINGLY slow, with a sprint speed on par with Ryan Jeffers. Even defense, formerly his most reliable floor-setting skill, has failed him this year: Lee's negative-4 DRS is better than only Edouard Julien and Trevor Larnach among current Twins. Granted, much of that poor glovework came at second and third, but it's not exactly an endorsement of his capability to handle short, where his arm is pretty borderline. I still believe Lee has some talent, along with a pretty good pedigree and track record prior to 2024. No such player should be written off at age 24 with a mere 500 big-league at-bats under his belt. But as he continues to falter and show the opposite of improvement, the idea of Lee tapping into some perceived upside from his minor-league days has all but vanished. My expectation is that Lee will get the rest of this season as regular shortstop to try and give us some reason to believe. It's the right move, and also, they really have no other options. If Lee doesn't show significant improvement, especially with some of his underlying issues, in the final two months I don't see how you could pencil him in as the 2026 starting shortstop, regardless of contention hopes. Right now he is not a major-league player. Yes he's young. Yes he was a high draft pick and a good prospect. Yes, the (current) manager seems oddly obsessed with him. These are not reasons to give Lee a free pass to indefinite playing time while he puts forth an offensive profile offering no chance at sustained success. There isn't a path to production when you can't control the strike zone, can't run, and can't hit for any kind of consistent power. With a deteriorating plate approach and a sub-70 MPH bat speed, there's no tangible reason to envision these weaknesses going away. If Lee is not the starting shortstop in 2026, it's anyone's guess who it might be. The bright side of this whole situation is that the Twins have a pair of intriguing shortstop prospects now rising through the minors in Culpepper and Houston. But, folks, we just went through a litany of once-promising shortstop prospects who all fell by the wayside. I get that Culpepper is red-hot in Double-A and Houston has the freshness factor, but let's take a step back and look at the reality of what it takes to develop a true, MLB-caliber starting shortstop. Back the start of the season, I wrote an article raising alarm about the Twins' lack of organizational shortstop depth. "The Twins' entire shortstop situation teeters on the health and availability of Carlos Correa — a superstar whose presence is absolutely pivotal, and whose absence could send shockwaves through a team with no real contingency plan." Thankfully, this outlook has improved somewhat with the breakthrough from Culpepper and the drafting of Houston. But there seems to be a widespread overconfidence that one of those two will pan out as an MLB-caliber starting shortstop (of which there are maybe 25 in the world?) and the problem will solve itself. History proves this to be wishful thinking. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but after saying goodbye to arguably their most talented shortstop ever, in return for absolutely nothing, the Minnesota Twins are back to wandering the desert at this position of paramount importance. It's a storyline that will be as central as any other in their efforts to retool and return to contention while steering clear of another prolonged drought. View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images The Weekly Nutshell: Opportunity came knocking, and the Twins flung open the door. As a non-contending team with plenty of useful contending pieces, Minnesota's front office was in position to take a very active approach at the trade deadline, and they surpassed even the most ambitious expectations by dealing away 10 players before the dust settled. That included Carlos Correa and the entire back end of their bullpen, tearing down the fabric of a team that was built for ongoing continuity and competitiveness. Their final game before the trade deadline was a 13-1 debacle that, in fairness, gave all the impressions of a team begging to be ripped apart at the seams. That's exactly what happened, and by the time the Twins showed up in Cleveland on Friday, their roster felt almost unrecognizable, absent so many long-tenured players whose success stories we've watched and cherished. In their place: random minor-leaguers and promises of a better future from a front office that created this mess to begin with. This was a dark week for the Minnesota Twins, and its implications will shape the franchise's journey for many years to come. For now, let's try to get our bearings and catch up on all that just occurred. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/28 through Sun, 8/3 *** Record Last Week: 2-4 (Overall: 52-59) Run Differential Last Week: -15 (Overall: -34) Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (12.5 GB) Last Week's Game Results: Game 106 | MIN 5, BOS 4: Lee Delivers Walk-Off Hit in Rain-Delayed Bottom of Ninth Keirsey Jr.: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI Game 107 | BOS 8, MIN 5: Two Homers from Lee Not Enough as Ohl Gets Rocked in Debut Ohl: 3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H Game 108 | BOS 13, MIN 1: Despondent Twins Submit Meekly, Drop Fourth Straight Series Twins pitchers: 16 H, 4 HR allowed Game 109 | CLE 3, MIN 2 (10): Williams Outduels Ryan, Lineup Silent Outside Martin's Three Hits Twins hitters: 14 K, 2 BB, 0 XBH Game 110 | CLE 5, MIN 4: Ober Looks Okay in Return to Rotation, Offense Can't Break Through Ober: 5 IP, 4 ER, 2 HR Game 111 | MIN 5, CLE 4: Twins Take Early Lead, Hang On for Rare Close Victory in Cleveland Urena: 4 IP, 2 ER; Ramirez: SV IF YOU'D RATHER LISTEN TO THE WEEK IN REVIEW THAN READ IT, YOU CAN GET IT IN AUDIO FORM! FIND THE LATEST EPISODE ON OUR PODCAST PAGE, AS WELL AS ON APPLE AND SPOTIFY. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNELS SO YOU DON'T MISS OUT! NEWS & NOTES Oh, where to begin. I guess from the start: The Twins made their intentions clear at the very beginning of trade deadline week, sending Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers alongside Randy Dobnak on Monday in exchange for a young catching prospect named Enrique Jimenez. Two days later the Twins made their first true emphatic "sell" move, shipping Jhoan Durán to the Phillies for a young right-handed pitcher named Mick Abel and another, more highly-touted young catcher in Eduardo Tait. Then came deadline day on Thursday, and that's where the floodgates really opened. A quick rundown: Harrison Bader was traded to the Phillies for RHP Geremy Villoria and OF Hendry Mendez. Danny Coulombe was traded to the Rangers for LHP Garrett Horn. Willi Castro was traded to the Cubs for RHP Sam Armstrong and RHP Ryan Gallagher. Brock Stewart was traded to the Dodgers for OF James Outman. Griffin Jax was traded to the Rays for RHP Taj Bradley. Louis Varland and Ty France were traded to the Blue Jays for OF Alan Roden and LHP Kendry Rojas. Carlos Correa was traded along with cash to the Astros for LHP Matt Mikulski. It was one of the most sad and surreal days in franchise history — a deadline purge the likes of which Major League Baseball has rarely seen. A wave of new players were called in to backfill all of these suddenly vacated roster spots, including Roden who joined the active roster immediately following his acquisition from Toronto. Also called up from Triple-A: Austin Martin, Edouard Julien, Ryan Fitzgerald, José Ureña, Erasmo Ramírez, Pierson Ohl and Noah Davis. Bailey Ober was activated from the injured list to start on Saturday night. Byron Buxton was placed on the IL on Tuesday with his inflamed ribcage not improving quickly enough. Luke Keaschall continued to progress in his Triple-A rehab, and could potentially be activated in the coming week. HIGHLIGHTS With the Twins turning their attention fully from the present to the future, the rest of this season will be spent focusing on the development of players who can aid their efforts to retool and return to contention with a reconfigured makeup. We know Matt Wallner can be a pivotal factor in this pursuit, so it was nice to see his bat show some life in a week where he went 6-for-17 with two home runs, a triple, five walks and just four strikeouts in 22 plate appearances. With Correa now out of the picture, shortstop belongs to Brooks Lee for the time being. His audition in August and September will go a long way toward helping the Twins understand whether they can trust him as their starter at the position in 2026. Lee gave us another burst of impressive production early in the week, delivering a walk-off hit on Monday night and then coming off the bench to homer twice and drive in five on Tuesday, before going 1-for-15 the rest of the week. Consistency and discipline continue to hold Lee back, but Tuesday's game was a nice reminder of what he is capable of at the plate. Austin Martin is someone who's going to have a big chance to reassert himself in the team's plans here in this second half. He took a promising step in his first game with the Twins this season on Friday night, notching three hits as leadoff man. He figures to see plenty of playing time in the outfield the rest of the way, and it'd be great if he could prove worthy of a role because the team really needs a dependable right-handed bat to balance out all of these lefty-swinging outfielders they keep on amassing. LOWLIGHTS The dismantling of this roster that took place at the trade deadline was nothing short of a disgrace, and a turn of events that makes it harder than ever to have faith in this front office's leadership and judgment. While the decision to give up on this season and recoup value for players on expiring contracts is unfortunately understandable, the Twins went far beyond the traditional concept of a sell-off by trading away several valuable relievers who were under team control, and leaving the bullpen cupboard bare. The idea of being opportunistic or selling high with relief pitchers is logical, but based on the collective returns, it isn't really clear that Twins got the kinds of overwhelming offers that should have been required to warrant parting ways with these late-inning fixtures. On balance the upgrades to Minnesota's system don't feel transformative, and the best player they got back is probably at least three years away. The Varland trade — a breakout hometown bullpen star who isn't even in arbitration yet — was particularly shocking and confusing, with Bob Nightengale of the USA Today writing that Minnesota's decision to move Varland for a couple of unspectacular prospects left "Twins players seething and rival GMs dumbfounded." Nothing was quite so shameful as the decision to dump Correa's contract, unloading one of the team's most talented players in a stunning admission of failure and commitment to futility. Look, I've been as hard on Correa as anyone this season and I honestly believe that no individual deserves a larger share of the blame for what's happened to this team ... But I also recognize that he has the capability to individually uplift the team in a way few others can match. Which is what drew Houston's interest. That interest, combined with Minnesota's hell-bent directive to shed as much salary as possible, paved way for a trade that sent Correa to the Astros in exchange for essentially nothing — financial relief that realistically will not be reinvested into the Twins roster. In the meantime, we as fans now get to follow and watch his hollowed out roster the rest of the way. Julien is back, not necessarily because the Twins felt he deserved it, but just because they needed a body. (He's looking pretty much the same as before, by the way, and hitting at the bottom of the order.) The bullpen, now absent all of its most trusted options, is going to be a grind to manage and watch, with plenty of innings to come from Michael Tonkin, Davis, Ureña, Ramírez, and other replacement-level arms with no future potential or upside. Gonna be fun. TRENDING STORYLINE I'd like to at least get a look at some more of the young players that the Twins front office sold out half their roster to acquire. Thus far only Alan Roden has joined the Twins, and he hasn't looked all that impressive out of the gates. Which is not surprising because he had a .589 OPS with the Blue Jays. While many prospects the Twins got back in all of these deals are a little further out, there are plenty of guys with big-league experience and readiness who should be able to help now, or very soon. That includes Taj Bradley, who has thrown more than 350 major-league innings with the Rays. While initially assigned to St. Paul, I'm guessing Bradley will be up in the Twins rotation before long. The same should be true for Mick Abel, the 23-year-old righty acquired in the Durán trade. He made six starts for the Phillies this year but his Twins system debut came in Triple-A on Sunday, and Abel pitched very well: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K. The opportunity to see these potential long-term contributors get their first reps in a Twins uniform gives us something to look forward to, at least. I'm also somewhat curious about James Outman, the outfielder who came over from Los Angeles in exchange for Brock Stewart — certainly one of the weirder deals made by Minnesota amid this flurry. The Twins gave up the next two years of Stewart and got back a 28-year-old outfielder who has been mediocre in the majors, and trending downward. Then they sent him to Triple-A? Falvey indicated that the team still feels Outman's swing needs some work, but again, the guy is 28. He is Trevor Larnach's age. He's not a prospect. Anyway, I assume we'll see a fair amount of roster contortion in the weeks ahead as things shake out following a drastic overhaul. That Minneapolis/St. Paul shuttle is really gonna get the miles in over these next couple months. LOOKING AHEAD The Twins will face a tough task against the division leaders in Detroit, not that it really matters anymore. Simeon Woods Richardson had his originally scheduled start pushed back to Wednesday due to stomach issues. As of now, to my knowledge, no starter has been announced for Monday's series opener in Detroit. (I'll be there, and am willing if needed.) Facing Paddack on Tuesday should be fun. I'll be very curious what kind of turnout and reception the team gets upon returning home to Target Field next weekend. I can't imagine it will be pretty. MONDAY, AUGUST 4: TWINS @ TIGERS — TBD v. RHP Casey Mize TUESDAY, AUGUST 5: TWINS @ TIGERS — RHP Zebby Matthews v. RHP Chris Paddack WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6: TWINS @ TIGERS — RHP Simeon Woods Richardson v. RHP Jack Flaherty FRIDAY, AUGUST 8: ROYALS @ TWINS — LHP Noah Cameron v. RHP Bailey Ober SATURDAY, AUGUST 9: ROYALS @ TWINS — RHP Seth Lugo v. RHP Jose Urena SUNDAY, AUGUST 10: ROYALS @ TWINS — LHP Bailey Falter v. TBD View full article

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images MINNEAPOLIS — In a bold move to cement their organizational identity of baffling inertia, the Minnesota Twins announced a sweeping series of contract extensions for front office and coaching personnel Friday, following a deadline talent purge that subtracted 40% of the active roster. Derek Falvey has been promoted, by himself, to a newly defined role as King Emperor of Baseball, Business and Organizational Excellence. This follows in the footsteps of Falvey being elevated to the vaunted POBABO role after Minnesota's late-season collapse in 2024. "We feel really good about the direction we're headed," said Falvey, pointing in no particular direction. "There is tremendous opportunity in continuing to stay the course, and consistently pursuing the avenues we have a responsibility to navigate." King Emperor Falvey pronounced that manager Rocco Baldelli, whose contract was discreetly extended earlier this year while overseeing another abomination of lackluster baseball performance, has been re-extended for another 10 years, with an unprecedented managerial no-trade clause. "This season and the last season and the last five seasons haven't gone exactly the way we would have liked them to," Falvey said. "But Rocco continues to show up every day. He is putting on the uniform, sitting in the chair, staring out over the dugout railing." The internal extensions and promotions didn't stop there. The Twins also announced on Friday that they have signed Matt Borgschulte to a double-lifetime contract, ensuring that not only will the club's hitting coach remain under contract for the remainder of his career but also for one or more future generations of his family lineage. "We felt it was important to ensure that type of continuity," said Falvey while promoting Jeremy Zoll to Super General Manager. "Change can be disruptive to a status quo that is ultimately almost close to acceptable and adequate." When contacted on vacation in the Seychelles, outgoing ownership figurehead Joe Pohlad seemed surprised to learn the Twins were still playing baseball. “Who? You mean Mary-Kate and Ashley?” he asked. Upon clarification that the question referred to the Minnesota Twins baseball team — which his family still nominally owns — Pohlad replied, “Oh, those Twins,” followed by a long pause during which he appeared to become distracted by a butterfly. Pohlad, who is reportedly scouting potential synergy investments in underwater pickleball courts, said he trusts Falvey to run the organization. “We’ve empowered Derek to make the tough decisions, like which internal employees to reward for externally visible outcomes,” Pohlad said. “Frankly, I love what he’s done. Nelson Cruz is just so fun to watch.” As for the fans, Falvey reassured them that these moves are all part of a long-term vision. “We’re not reacting to short-term results,” he said. “We’re reacting to long-term optics. And from where I’m sitting — in a newly renovated executive strategy suite — the optics look strong.” View full article

Image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images On Thursday, Derek Falvey oversaw one of the darkest and most depressing days in the history of the Minnesota Twins. An unprecedented deadline fire sale saw the team part ways with not only a handful of rental players, but also several key fixtures in what was supposed to be their ongoing contention window. The Twins wiped out their bullpen for years to come, traded Carlos Correa for nothing, and announced to the world that they've given up on the blueprint they spent years and years carefully crafting. Not only will Minnesota struggle to field a full major-league roster for the remainder of 2025, but the '26 club has been kneecapped around Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan. How many of those four will even still be around next April? It's a complete disgrace. On Thursday evening, as the rubble of his demotion settled and smoldered, Falvey stepped up to deliver his version of accountability. He went on a Zoom call with a bunch of reporters, who had no real opportunity to challenge or press him on anything, and spouted off the usual stream of empty corporate-speak. Given the opportunity by KSTP's Chris Long to send a message directly to fans who might be dismayed over the dismantling of the team, Falvey gave a rambling and side-stepping response, offering assurances that the Twins will play "fun baseball games" over the next few years. (Woo-hoo!) In his message, Falvey invoked a couple past examples of deadline "seller" moves that worked out well under his watch, so as to validate the approach being taken now. Trading Eduardo Escobar in 2018 was hard, he said, but it got us Jhoan Duran. Trading Nelson Cruz in 2021 was hard, he said, but it got us Joe Ryan. Of course, the problem with these examples is that they aren't comparable to what just occurred. Escobar and Cruz were impending free agents. There was no reason not to trade them if you thought those teams were going nowhere (they weren't). What happened on Thursday was a thorough gutting of the team's structural essence. Correa, Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland and Brock Stewart were all under control for multiple more seasons. The club's most miraculous free-agent signing ever and four of its biggest bullpen development success stories in decades, gone in exchange for coin-flip prospects and James Outman. Falvey states that he believes in a remaining core led by Buxton, Lewis, Ryan and Lopez. It is, in my opinion, a core worth believing in. But at the same time he fails to address why he stripped down the 2026-27 rosters surrounding those players, disingenuously portraying this as some routine trade deadline operation. It is exactly why people like me have stopped trusting Falvey or having any patience for his tired shtick. I'm not naive enough to think he's making all of these decisions singlehandedly. I have little doubt that there was a directive from above to cut future financial commitments aggressively, and his front office went about trying to do what they could under those parameters. But by now, they owe it to the fans to be a little more up-front and honest about that. "At my core, I'm a fan," Falvey pandered in his presser on Thursday night. Are ya bud?? Then my question is why he makes no effort to actually engage with fans and address their concerns in a direct manner. There are many opportunities to do so if he's willing to move past the boundaries of buttoned-up mainstream media appearances, which his ultra-old-school predecessor was oddly far more inclined to do. If you've been a follower of Twins Daily for long enough, you might recall that we used to put out an "Offseason Handbook" at the end of every season, and each year, general manager Terry Ryan was kind enough to sit down with a blogger for a candid and open conversation about the state of the team. This included the late stage of his tenure where the Twins lost 90 games in several successive years. He knew the conversations would be critical and at times very annoying, but it was clear TR saw his primary obligation as being to the fans. He didn't back down from his decisions or philosophies. I don't see Derek Falvey doing anything like that. If he (or Jeremy Zoll) wants to connect to the fans and actually explain these decisions there is no shortage of avenues for doing so: blogs, podcasts, web shows. There happens to be a pretty popular podcast that Falvey's former GM just appeared on a few weeks ago. He could even choose to show up in these less formal environments as a more genuine and substantive interviewee. Imagine! If not, then there should be little question as to whether this organization makes a leadership change when an ownership transition takes place. At some point, this charade has to end. It’s a farce that fans are expected to place their faith in Falvey’s “vision” when all evidence points to regression, dysfunction, and a leadership group that shields itself from real accountability. This franchise just blew up years of planning and player development in a single day, and its architect won't even bother to face the music in a transparent or challenging setting. If Falvey can’t defend his decisions with honesty, clarity and respect for the people who actually care about this team, then he has no business continuing to make them. View full article

I don't think anyone is arguing against selling rental players at this point. The point from two weeks ago, which is now being relitigated for some reason, was: 1 - let's not draw conclusions right now, because there are many games to be played before decision time, and 2 - let's hold those guys if still reasonably in the fight (they're not anymore). Fair point on Ryan. It would be nice to get lucky. I wish I could convince myself that guys like Bader or Castro are going to be THAT coveted.

Personally I don't see selling low on guys with multi-year control to be a viable path, and I don't think it will be considered. Lee and Ober are probably untradeable at this moment.