Nick Nelson

Image courtesy of © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins are a bad team right now. Since the All-Star break, they've been Major League Baseball's worst team. Are they going to be bad in 2026? Sure seems likely. But it's not necessarily set in stone. We've seen unexpected upstart competitive clubs spring forth from the most unlikely of places, with the Twins of 2015 serving as an apt example. Did that team make the playoffs? No, but they came pretty close, and gave us an entertaining product for the first time in many years, coming off four consecutive 90-plus loss seasons. There were a few key characteristics of that team that are worth noting as we think about the outlook for the 2026 Twins. One, of course, was the arrival of a new skipper in Paul Molitor. A managerial change could well be in play next year (and should be), but I'm not too interested in speculating about that right now. Instead, I wanted to take a look at some player-focused outcomes that could turn the tides. The purpose of this piece is twofold: to illustrate both how challenging it would be for the Twins to contend next year, because they would need not one but several of these things to happen, but also how inherently plausible it is, because none of these developments is remotely out of the question. (Well, maybe the last one.) Brooks Lee finds a sustainable power stroke. I've become a skeptic of Lee and his ceiling. I've watched his skillset flounder at the big-league level and it has drastically reduced my confidence in what he can become. He can't run, that's not going to change. He doesn't read the strike zone, that's not likely to change. And he hasn't been able to hit for much power, at least not consistently. That last thing could change. We've seen bursts from Brooks Lee. He was mashing the ball all over the field during a month of June, when he batted .348 with four homers and a .908 OPS. We saw another flurry in mid-August, when Lee popped two homers, three doubles and a triple in a six-game span. Most recently he flexed against the Yankees with a homer and double in Monday's 7-0 win. The problem is that outside of these short and fleeting glimpses of slugging ability, Lee has been a gaping void at the plate, rattling off feeble and fruitless at-bats. The end result is a .379 SLG that is especially underwhelming when paired with a sub-.300 OBP. Among the 162 players with 450+ plate appearances, his OPS ranks 148th. He's also still only 24. Lee's ability to not only make contact with extreme consistency, but with the good part of the bat — his squared-up rate is in the 74th percentile — bodes well if he can add a little muscle and swing velocity during the offseason. Lifting his average up and turning himself from a 15-20 homer guy to a 30-homer guy (and/or adding a lot more doubles) might be Lee's only path to becoming a standout regular, but it'd be a potential game-changer. Connor Prielipp is the real deal. Looking to the minor-league system, the vaunted high-level pitching depth has mostly been excavated, and unspectacular returns thus far. We've seen David Festa and Zebby Matthews falter and battle injuries. We've seen Marco Raya, Charlee Soto and others sidetracked in the minors. The Twins have yet to receive the immediate, electrifying jolt of a young pitcher who comes up and immediately outclasses the competition. Prielipp has that kind of potential. Following a long run of injuries, he has finally enjoyed a healthy season and it led him all the way to Triple-A, where he has struck out 30% of batters faced in 15 innings. It wasn't all pretty — he's also issued 11 walks and posted a 5.40 ERA — but this was just a tremendously encouraging year all-around, setting up Prielipp to make an impact early next year, if not out of the gates. In watching Prielipp pitch, I've always gotten a bit of a Francisco Liriano vibe: well built 6-foot-2 lefty with a compact delivery, hard fastball and wipeout slider. I'm not saying he can make a Liriano-level impact as a rookie, but whether as a starter or reliever, who could give the Twins' pitching staff a massive boost. The Twins got it right on at least a couple of these deadline trades. Early returns haven't been great. But the early returns aren't what matter. These trades were about the future, and that starts in 2026. There are a number of players acquired in the deadline purge who have an ability to make a positive impact next year: Alan Roden, Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, James Outman. It would require, in most cases, turning around a negative trendline. It would also mean the Twins front office was right. Hard to have great faith in either of those things proving true at this moment, but in each case the capability is there. Roden has shredded Triple-A. Abel is a borderline top-100 prospect. Bradley touched 99 MPH in his latest start. Outman certainly has pop, and isn't THAT far removed from a breakthrough rookie season. It would help if any of these guys looked particularly close to being effective regulars, but a new season will bring a fresh start, and you never know when a talented player will figure it out and turn the corner. Prospects break through in a hurry. Looking back at that 2015 team, rookie impact was the banner headline. Yes, there was a great deal of romanticizing about the vibe shift with a managerial switch and the return of a 39-year-old Torii Hunter. But it was the emergence of Miguel Sanó and Eddie Rosario, who finished third and sixth in the AL Rookie of the Year respectively, that ignited this offense. Sanó arrived in early July and mashed for half a season, posting a .916 OPS with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs in 80 games. Rosario had arrived two months earlier, homering in his first at-bat on the way to a stat-sheet-stuffing debut: 18 doubles, 15 triples, 13 homers, 11 steals in 122 games. Heading into next year, the Twins will have prospects in play who are equipped to contribute at this level: namely, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez. It's not impossible that one or both could break camp with the big-league club, but if not they'll be only a step away at Triple-A. These are premier skillsets with superstar upside. That doesn't mean it will happen right away, as Byron Buxton demonstrated in that same 2015 season, but the potential is there for historic rookie campaigns as Jenkins and Rodriguez reach the majors. And Luke Keaschall, whose own rookie year has been memorable if cut short, will already be in the mix. Royce Lewis remembers who he is. This feels like such an essential X-factor. The dominant player we saw in Lewis' first two seasons has been amiss ever since, spare the occasional nostalgic glimpse. It never came together for him this year, but importantly, Lewis appears to be as healthy as he's ever been in the big leagues. He's been in the lineup almost every day since returning from the injured list in July, while playing strong defense at third and suddenly running like crazy on the bases. Hitting is the missing piece. Lewis still looks out of sorts at the plate. But he's on track to finish the season in good shape physically, and he's got an offseason ahead to work on his swing. The last year has been rough, but let's not forget who Lewis is: a former No. 1 overall draft pick, top prospect, and emergent superstar who lifted the Twins out of a postseason curse. The 2026 season will be pivotal for the 26-year-old, who knows that as well as anyone. Pablo and Joe stay, and starting pitching depth delivers as promised. If there's one clear strength you can find when forecasting the Twins' 2026 roster (and I'd argue there is only one), it's starting pitching. This was a major focal point at the trade deadline, with Bradley, Abel, Kendry Rojas and a few lesser but potentially near-ready arms entering the mix. You put those names alongside Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, David Festa, Prielipp, Andrew Morris and others, behind an established frontline trio of Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober ... Yeah, easy to see the makings of an incredibly deep and talented starter pool here. But then, we often find ourselves saying this. The strength of Minnesota's pitching depth has mostly been more theoretical than practical. Yeah, Matthews and Festa were nice-looking prospects, but neither has been able to sustain health or effectiveness in the majors. Bradley, Abel and Rojas were interesting additions, but all three have made weak first impressions in the new organization. López, Ryan and Ober look like a playoff rotation nucleus at times, but they haven't collectively been able to get through a season without injuries or drop-offs. Ober is a big question mark right now. López and Ryan are at great risk of being shipped out over the winter, which would signal a lack of contention hope and would essentially render this entire conversation moot. The main reason I find this course of action likely is because of how very unlikely the final scenario is to reach fruition. Somehow, someway, a competent bullpen takes shape. It's not impossible. Good bullpens have materialized out of nowhere at times in the past. But this is the biggest stretch on this list, and at the same time, it's as essential as anything. Even if the starting pitching is good and the offense is improved, I can't envision the Twins being a legitimate competitive ballclub without at least a decent bullpen. Right now they are a long way from that. Heading into next season, you've currently got Cole Sands and that's it. The path to a competent relief corps would like something like this: Sands bounces back to 2024 form. Front office strikes on a couple free agent arms and maybe a trade. Most importantly, a few internal starter-to-relief transitions immediately take hold, the way Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax did way back when. Maybe the Twins decide: Taj Bradley hasn't had it click in 400 innings as a starter, let's get him unleashing triple-digit heat in relief. He's our closer. Maybe they decide, for durability reasons, it makes sense for Prielipp to go straight to the pen. Multi-inning weapon? These are the kinds of things you can dream on. And at least we have that for now. I fear that the coming offseason is going to feature little in the way of additive, contention-focused moves, but if the Twins do select to at least give it a modest effort next year (e.g. hold López and Ryan, keep the payroll at least above $100M), contention is not out of the question. Even from the eyes of someone like me, who has become very jaded and pessimistic about the outlook for this franchise. Show me you care, and maybe I'll change my tune. The opportunity begins as soon as this miserable campaign comes to a close. View full article

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images The Weekly Nutshell: What can you even really say at this point. The on-field results are beyond ugly. The team itself looks despondent and the fanbase has all but checked out, with Target Field sitting emptier than ever before while local sporting crowds readily shift their attention to football. I get that the Twins are a mere shell of their former selves, roster-wise. I get that by now, losing is more advantageous than winning in the grand scheme. But good lord man. This is hideous, shameful baseball. The offense continues to sputter along in a hapless daze while the pitching staff blows late leads day after day. Those of us still watching are searching desperately for signs of hope but finding little to cling onto. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 9/1 through Sun, 9/7 *** Record Last Week: 1-6 (Overall: 63-80) Run Differential Last Week: -20 (Overall: -83) Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (18.5 GB) Game 137 | CWS 6, MIN 5: Ober Struggles, Comeback From Twins Falls Short Topa: 1 IP, 2 ER, L Game 138 | CWS 12, MIN 3: Replacement-Level Relievers Rocked in Blowout Loss Hatch, Davis: 3 IP, 8 ER Game 139 | CWS 4, MIN 3: Funderburk and Topa Blow Two-Run Lead in Ninth Inning Funderburk, Topa: 1 IP, 3 ER Game 140 | CWS 11, MIN 8: White Sox Rally Late to Complete Humiliating Sweep Adams: 1 IP, 4 ER Game 141 | KC 2, MIN 1: López Pitches Well in Return, Offense Comes Up Empty Twins hitters: 1-8 RISP, 8 LOB Game 142 | KC 11, MIN 2: Royals Jump All Over Ryan on the Way to Lopsided Win Ryan: 2 IP, 5 ER, 4 BB Game 143 | MIN 5, KC 1: Ober Excels as Twins Snap Six-Game Losing Streak Ober: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 K 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 Sidelined since June 4th by a teres major strain, Pablo López made his return to the Twins rotation on Friday night following a relatively lengthy rehab stint at Triple-A. Facing the Royals in Kansas City, he looked mostly like himself, pitching six strong innings with just two runs allowed. Good to have Pablo back. Twins fans haven't gotten much respite in this second half, but at least they got a little bit when Noah Davis was outrighted to Triple-A in order to make room for López. The bar is pretty low in terms of pitching performance on this depleted staff, but again ... good LORD man. Davis now has a 9.53 career ERA in 62 major-league innings after surrendering nine earned runs on four homers in five innings spread across two stints with the Twins. Big downer: David Festa won't make it back this year. His shoulder issue flared up again as he tried to ramp up for a late-season return, and now he has ominously been slated for a visit with Dr. Keith Meister, signaling a fairly high level of concern. If Festa needs surgery, it will likely cost him some if not most of next season while drastically dampening his long-term outlook; shoulders are tough. Ryan Jeffers absorbed a couple of tough blows behind the plate on Thursday and was initially diagnosed with a head contusion. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was swapped out from the roster for Jhonny Pereda to add catching depth as the Twins evaluated their starting backstop. On Sunday the Twins moved Jeffers to the 7-day concussion injured list, replacing him on the roster with outfielder Carson McCusker. Also on Sunday, reliever Brooks Kriske was designated for assignment, with Pierson Ohl returning to the bullpen in his stead. HIGHLIGHTS Amid the wreckage of last week, there were a few notably strong performances, so let's talk about them. Cole Sands was dominant against the White Sox on Wednesday, striking out four over two perfect innings to protect a slim lead before his bullpen-mates blew it in the ninth. He added 1 ⅓ innings of scoreless relief on Sunday. Sands has a 17-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 11 ⅓ scoreless innings in his past nine appearances, and is coming to very much resemble the dominant version of himself who broke through in a relief role last year. This is a legitimately critical development. Sands was Minnesota's fifth or sixth option out of the bullpen for much of this season, but now is now thrust into being its de facto leader going forward. In order to have any chance of fielding a competent relief corps next year, the Twins are going to need Sands in top form. Right now we are seeing it. Taj Bradley's top form has been elusive of late, which is part of the reason Tampa was willing to part with him in a trade that helped dismantle the bullpen around Sands. Bradley was sent down to Triple-A by the Rays earlier this season, and was pitching there before Minnesota acquired him in exchange for Griffin Jax. In his Twins debut on August 24th, Bradley got knocked around by the White Sox for seven earned runs with only one strikeout in five innings. He rebounded with a good start against San Diego last weekend, and then added another encouraging showing on Thursday in a rematch against the White Sox. The results were hardly great — 5 IP, 4 ER — but Bradley was far more impressive in this one, striking out seven with only one walk. Bradley's numbers in his short time with the Twins are not outstanding (7.20 ERA, 4.01 FIP) nor are his overall stats in 369 big-league innings: 4.80 ERA, 4.33 FIP. But in a game like this, you can't miss the upside and imminent potential in his arm. Bradley will turn 25 next spring and has what it takes to plug in as an inexpensive mid-rotation fixture for several years. Zebby Matthews also pitched very well against the White Sox, holding them to one run over six innings on Wednesday, and Simeon Woods Richardson enjoyed a bounce-back outing a day earlier (5 IP, 2 ER, 7 K). Looking forward, it's easy enough to feel quite good about Minnesota's cost-controlled starting pitching depth, even with the unfortunate Festa news. Elsewhere the vibes are less good. LOWLIGHTS What did we as Twins fans do to deserve being subjected to this bullpen? It has unsurprisingly been the worst in baseball since the front office traded their top five relievers at the deadline, and this past week we got a full dosage of the ramifications. Against the White Sox, home fans watched a collection of non-major-league talents cough up leads over and over again. I know the Twins aren't trying to lose, per se, but if they were, how different would it look? Twins pitchers gave up 30 earned runs on 46 hits and nine homers in four games against the White Sox, who are heading toward 100 losses. Justin Topa surrendered a one-run lead in the eighth inning on Monday and took the loss. Thomas Hatch was blasted for five earned over two innings in Tuesday's blowout defeat before Davis came in and yielded three more. Kody Funderburk and Topa combined to blow a two-run lead in ninth on Wednesday. Travis Adams was shelled for four earned runs in one inning on Thursday, wiping out another multi-run lead. Hatch gave up four earned runs in three innings on Saturday, and Kriske yielded a couple more as a parting gift. You might say, who cares. None of these guys, sans Adams and maybe Topa or Funderburk, have much chance of playing any role in the 2026 bullpen. But that's kind of the problem! We're not even seeing potential contributors audition here in the waning weeks of a lost season. The few that are, like Adams, look bad. I tried mapping out a roster for next season and it's very hard to even theorize a bullpen composition, because there are so few credible options at the moment. The outlook for the offense feels more set-in-stone, but that's not necessarily a good thing. For better or worse the Twins are probably going to bring back a large portion of the position-player regulars who are currently flailing away and losing games day after day. I'm wondering if the returning group will include James Outman. Seemingly the club has to stick with him for more than six weeks after giving up two-plus years of (albeit an injury-prone) Brock Stewart for him. But it was difficult to comprehend what the Twins saw in Outman when they acquired him, and it's even harder now. He looks horrendous. He went 1-for-18 in seven games (four starts) last week and is now hitting .148 with zero home runs in 59 plate appearances as a Twin. Yet another brutal first impression from a trade deadline addition, which is a trend only Bradley has mildly been able to buck. Brooks Lee is much more important than Outman to the team's future, making it even more disappointing to see his bat tailing off again following a brief hot streak. Lee went 5-for-23 with a double and an RBI, and is batting .193 with two extra-base hits since his one-week power flurry in mid-August. Those bursts of production, while somewhat promising, have been too rare and fleeting to inspire a great deal of confidence. For the most part, Lee continues to look overmatched against MLB pitching. Regardless, he's all but assured of the starting shortstop job next season. TRENDING STORYLINE J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings are set to face off against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears in a season-opening divisional showdown on Monday Night Football! Two young quarterbacks with much to prove will be looking to get things started the right way for a pair of teams with high-variance outlooks, both kicking off their seasons under the bright national lights. I'm just kidding, this isn't turning into a Vikings column. But, that does sort of hint at the trending storyline surrounding this Minnesota Twins team in my mind: dying fan interest. People were already tuning out from this product even before the NFL season began, and Target Field promises to be all the more quiet and empty for the final remaining home stand, which starts next weekend. It's only reasonable and expected that sports fans are widely checking out from the Twins right now. I just find myself worrying a great deal about the go-forward. The depressing attendance totals for the White Sox series don't even fully encompass the state of affairs, because those were inflated by an existing season ticket base that is certain to dry up in the coming offseason. It's a bleak time. Watching the Minnesota Twins, the worst team in MLB since the All-Star break, get their brains beat in by horrible competition, with a roster that offers little hope of improving enough to be competent next year — that's really all I can bring myself to think about. I appreciate that the people reading this column still care. I myself will be following this team to the bitter end. But aside from us sickos, the Twins are making it extremely difficult for anyone to care and invest their energy, time, or money. Maybe in these final weeks and the coming offseason they can find something to spark a light of any kind. But the leadership of this wayward organization aren't giving us any reason to believe. LOOKING AHEAD The Twins take their final trip out west to face an Angels team that is more mediocre than terrible. That puts them several notches above Minnesota in terms of caliber, so I anticipate a series loss at minimum. Next weekend the Twins return home to take on an Arizona team the could be described similarly. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1: TWINS @ ANGELS — RHP Simeon Woods Richardson v. TBD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2: TWINS @ ANGELS — RHP Zebby Matthews v. RHP Kyle Hendricks WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3: TWINS @ ANGELS — RHP Taj Bradley v. RHP Jose Soriano FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5: DIAMONDBACKS @ TWINS — RHP Brandon Pfaadt v. RHP Pablo Lopez SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6: DIAMONDBACKS @ TWINS — RHP Ryne Nelson v. RHP Joe Ryan SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7: DIAMONDBACKS @ TWINS — RHP Nabil Crismatt v. RHP Bailey Ober View full article

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge A changing of the guard is not just underway, but nearing completion for the Minnesota Twins. In the past three years we've seen the makeup and personality of this team overhauled entirely. It's pretty wild to look back, for example, at photos from the event that took place in November of 2022 where the Twins' new branding and uniforms were unveiled. The players featured during this marketing showcase were, at the time, framed as the present core and future foundation of the franchise: Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, Jhoan Duran, Luis Arraez. The latter three have been traded. José Miranda, also presented as part of the team's core identity, has sadly sunken to sub-mediocre depths in Triple-A and will likely be moving on in the offseason. I remember the buzz from that event that players among this group were FaceTiming with Carlos Correa, still in the early stages of his free-agency odyssey that ended with a stunning to return to Minnesota. From that point, he became a chief figurehead of the Twins' identity, both internally and externally. The future looked bright, and only brighter one year later when they celebrated their first postseason win in two decades. We all know what happened next. Of the players who were featured in the rebranding promo materials, only Buxton and Joe Ryan remain — Buxton due sheer loyalty, and Ryan because the front office couldn't find the right deal in deadline trade talks, which they'll almost surely revisit in the offseason. While Buxton is beloved and finally getting more of the recognition he deserves, he's also turning 32 this offseason with about a decade of MLB tenure. For better or worse, he's largely associated with the "old guard." With their fan base demoralized and starving for hope, the Twins need to prop up a new face of the franchise: a singular player who represents the credible promise of superstardom, capable of leading the next contending core. Some might argue Luke Keaschall can be that player based on the amazing start to his career; with all due respect to his game, I don't think he is quite on that level of talent. Walker Jenkins, though, looks up to the task. He's not a good prospect. He's not a great prospect. He's a potentially generational prospect. Very few players who've come through the Minnesota Twins system have earned such a billing, and the track record for those that have is pretty good. When you take everything into account — minor-league numbers, rate of progression, rankings from local and national sources — there's a good case to be made that Jenkins is among the top three Twins prospects of this century, alongside Joe Mauer and Buxton. Jenkins, who turns 21 next February, was promoted to Triple-A last week. Aaron Gleeman wrote at The Athletic about the rarity of this achievement; even Buxton and Mauer did not advance to the highest level this quickly. While it guarantees nothing, the distinction of logging significant Triple-A time at age 20 tends to be a very favorable indicator for the future. "Triple-A action at 20 has basically meant a 50/50 shot of being an All-Star," Gleeman explained. "That includes MVP winners Mike Trout, Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Andrew McCutchen, plus Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Ketel Marte, Adam Jones, Junior Caminero and Riley Greene." Is he the real deal? You never know. But the signs are all there and Jenkins is now tantalizingly close to the big leagues. This feels like the right moment in time for an all-in commitment. For a good approximation of how this might play out in practice, simply look across the border to Milwaukee. In December of 2023, the Brewers signed a 19-year-old Jackson Chourio — viewed at the time as a consensus top-10 prospect in the game — to an eight-year contract worth $82 million. Not only did this make an emphatic statement about Chourio's place at the heart of Milwaukee's go-forward brand, while offering the potential for big long-term cost savings, but it also negated any service-time implications, and any compulsion to avoid having Chourio on the 2024 Opening Day roster. Chourio was the Brewers' starting right fielder for the season opener. He went on to produce an excellent season, producing 3.9 fWAR in 148 games to finish third in the Rookie of the Year voting while even earning down-ballot MVP votes. This year he's once again been great and the Brewers are once again in first place, viewed by many as the best team in baseball. I'm not saying it's going to go quite so swimmingly for the Twins. The Brewers were in a much better place to begin with, and in fairness, there are plenty of other examples of long-term deals inked before a major-league debut — Jon Singleton, Evan White, Eloy Jiménez, Scott Kingery — but even in the worst cases the ultimate cost was relatively negligible, and the risk is nominal in the context of say, the $70 million that Minnesota just recouped by dumping Correa. At this moment in time, I don't think it's appropriate for the Twins to ask their fans to wait and idly hope for better days. They need to take actions and accelerate the arrival of that future. They need to energize their lagging brand. Obviously the timeline must be dictated in part by Jenkins and his readiness — he is off to a slow start in Triple-A (1-for-20), albeit with solid strike zone control — but I don't see much reason to proceed conservatively or dink around with service-time shenanigans. Lock up Jenkins this offseason and give him every chance to win a spot on the Opening Day roster next spring. Heck, consider giving him a cameo in the majors at the end of this season. Show fans that the future is now, and give them something to buy into after the front office completely sold out on the previous core. View full article

Image courtesy of Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images The Weekly Nutshell: This was not a winning week for the Twins. They've had only one of those since the All-Star break, all the way back at the start of August. But it wasn't a losing week, and we'll take that. Minnesota went 3-3 and finished on a high note, sealing a series victory over a quality opponent with a crisp 7-2 triumph over the Padres, fueled by stellar performances from their All-Star starting pitcher and center fielder. The game outcomes might not matter, but it's still preferable to see the team play well versus being subjected to sloppy, lifeless, loser baseball. We did see some of the latter this past week, but it was offset by some big moments and memorable milestones. That's really you can ask for at this point, especially when the guys driving the success are largely factors in the plan going forward. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 8/25 through Sun, 8/31 *** Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 62-74) Run Differential Last Week: -6 (Overall: -63) Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (17 GB) Game 131 | TOR 10, MIN 4: Ryan Struggles Again, Twins Flattened by Superior Jays Ryan: 5 IP, 6 ER Game 132 | MIN 7, TOR 5: Late Home Runs Spark Comeback Victory in Toronto Wallner: Go-ahead HR in 9th inning Game 133 | TOR 9, MIN 8: Bullpen Blows Late Lead, Four Homers Not Enough Cabrera, Tonkin: 1 IP, 3 ER Game 134 | MIN 7, SD 4: Bottom of Order Steps Up, Matthews Pitches Well Twins 6-9 hitters: 8-13, 4 RBI Gam 135 | SD 12, MIN 3: Competitive Game Unravels in Disastrous Seventh Inning Abel: 1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER Game 136 | MIN 7, SD 2: Twins Cruise to Series Win Behind Ryan's Excellence Ryan: 7 IP, 0 R, 8 K 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 Simeon Woods Richardson was activated from the injured list on Wednesday to start the series finale in Toronto. It was his first major-league appearance in a month after Woods Richardson was sidelined by a digestive issue that sapped his weight and strength. His return did not go smoothly, as the Blue Jays jumped all over him for three homers in forced him out in the fourth inning. Pierson Ohl was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move, but we'll likely see him back up with the Twins before the season is over. HIGHLIGHTS Last year, much was made of Byron Buxton surpassing the 100-games-played threshold for just the second time in his career. This past week he passed that number again, much more quietly, which goes to show how much a healthy Buxton has suddenly become the norm. Hitting home runs? That's typical too, and Buxton drilled four more in five games to set a career high with 29 on the season. Stealing bases successfully is also routine for Buxton — second base, anyway. On Friday he stole third base for the first time in his career, becoming the first Twins player in more than a decade to notch 20 homers and 20 steals in a season. (Brian Dozier last did it in 2014.) Buck is now 21-for-21 on stolen base attempts. On top of all that, he added another play to his defensive highlight reel in center, laying out for a fantastic grab in right-center on Saturday night. Buxton's spectacular showing has been a welcome exception to the misery of this 2025 Twins season, but as I've often said, it also kind of adds to the lament because he deserved a better team. For now, the best we can hope is that he'll be surrounded by one next year, and the search is on for encouraging signs as we navigate the final month of the schedule. We got some of those from the offense this past week, which has been an unfortunate rarity. Matt Wallner heated up with a big series in Canada, homering three times and driving in six. He stepped up with a game-winning three-run blast in the ninth on Tuesday. Trevor Larnach went 6-for-12 with three RBIs and just one strikeout. Luke Keaschall homered twice, doubled and stole a base. All of these guys figure to be key factors for the 2026 lineup, so you really want to see them carry some positive momentum into the end of the campaign. Another guy we are watching closely here in the second half: Austin Martin, who is finally starting to make something out of the opportunity to show he belongs. Martin's never going to hit for much power and he's pretty much ruled himself out as an up-the-middle defender, so in order to carve out an MLB role he's got to show he can get on base, make things happen with his legs, and play good defense in left field. Martin checked all those boxes last week, starting four times and going 6-for-13 with five walks, a double and three steals in what may have been his finest week as a big-leaguer thus far. He lifted his batting average from .228 to .271, boosting his OBP all the way up to .363. That will definitely play. I'd love to see Martin playing everyday down the stretch and maybe even batting leadoff. Why not? It wasn't necessarily as meaningful in terms of future implications, but Mickey Gasper's magical moment on Tuesday was undoubtedly one of the brightest spots of the week and the second half. With the Twins down one in the ninth inning against Toronto, Gasper led off with his first career MLB home run, tying the game and setting up Wallner's go-ahead shot later in the inning. Gasper's homer came as part of a 3-for-4 game as starting catcher. He's been seeing plenty of action behind the plate with Christian Vázquez sidelined, and it's not inconceivable he could be auditioning for a similar type of role next season, given the lack of any obvious succession plan at catcher. Gasper's OPS still sits at .485 even after the breakthrough, so there's much more work to do. But could a strong month of September write him into the 2026 plans, or at least get him a spring training ticket? On the pitching side, Kody Funderburk is trying to write his way into next year's plans. In the wasteland that is Minnesota's post-deadline bullpen, Funderburk has been a clear standout, with zero earned runs allowed in 14 August appearances. He allowed just two hits over 3 ⅓ innings last week, picking up his first save of the season on Tuesday. Along with Cole Sands, who also had a sparkling week on the mound — 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K, 1 BB — that's the base for building a relief corps next year. It's not much but it's what they've got. LOWLIGHTS It's pretty safe to say Brooks Kriske and Génesis Cabrera will not be a part of the 2026 bullpen picture. At least I sure hope not. We saw the downsides of Minnesota's patchwork staff on full display in a couple of their losses last week: On Tuesday, Cabrera combined with Michael Tonkin to blow a two-run lead in the eighth, and on Saturday both Cabrera and Kriske took part in a late-game meltdown that saw San Diego pile up 12 runs after the fifth inning. Cabrera has been charged with multiple runs in four of his six appearances as a Twin, posting a 12.00 ERA. Kriske coughed up seven earned runs in two innings last week, inflating his ERA with Minnesota to 13.00. These are not the kinds of numbers you want to see. But also, like I said, they're not gonna be around next year, so at the end of the day, who really cares. The performance that opened the floodgates on Saturday's collapse was more concerning than fringy seat-fillers getting lit up on the mound. Mick Abel entered in the sixth inning of Saturday's game, with the idea being that he would piggy-back behind starter Taj Bradley and ideally take it the rest of the way. While Bradley was able to bounce back from an ugly Twins debut, tossing five innings of one-run ball against a good Padres lineup, Abel was ... not able. He struggled through a 39-pitch sixth inning and then couldn't record a single out in the seventh before getting pulled, finishing the day with six earned runs allowed on seven hits and two walks in one inning plus. Through two appearances with the Twins since being acquired in the Jhoan Durán trade, Abel has given up 11 earned runs in four innings, and he has allowed 17 of the 29 batters he's faced to reach via hit or walk. It's worth emphasizing that Abel just turned 24 earlier this month and has less than 30 innings of MLB experience. While the front office has pumped him up as major-league ready, he remains somewhat of a work in progress, adapting to a new organization to boot. And in Saturday's game he was coming out of the bullpen for the first time, adding another disruptive element. Still, with all that being said, yikes. It doesn't get much worse than this in terms of results on the mound. The quality of his stuff is evident, but Abel is clearly having a hard time commanding it, executing pitches and controlling at-bats. He was optioned back to Triple-A after Sunday's game. You wonder what the vision currently is for his role next year. A similar question could be asked regarding Woods Richardson, who gets some slack for his rocky outing this past week after the long hiatus but also hasn't been all that effective in general. Through 227 MLB innings he has a 4.43 ERA and 4.56 FIP. There's nothing all that wrong with a cheap, average back-end starter but at some point the Twins are going to need to commit to a relief development path for some of the many mid-20s arms in their mix, whether that's in September, next spring, or in-season. I'm not really sure if Woods Richardson's arsenal is a good candidate for leveling up in relief but, maybe worth a shot? TRENDING STORYLINE On Monday, with the calendar flipping to September, MLB rosters expand from 26 to 28, so the Twins will have an opportunity to add two more players for the final four weeks. Actually, three, with Abel being demoted on Sunday. Presumably they'll add a hitter and two pitchers. Who might we see? The bland and boring move would be calling up another auxiliary seat-filler like Noah Davis. The more exciting move would be turning to someone like Marco Raya, who at least offers a semblance of intrigue and future potential, though he hasn't been good in the minors this year. On the position-player side we could see a functional addition like DaShawn Keirsey Jr., or we could dream on something like an Emmanuel Rodriguez September showcase. (Highly unlikely given that Rodriguez is currently at Single-A rehabbing from another injury.) Adding to the roster-juggling dynamics, the Twins are going to need to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Pablo López, who made his final rehab start with the Saints on Sunday night (5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 7 K, 1 BB). I would think Cabrera and Kriske have put themselves on the chopping block with their performances. We'll find out soon enough. LOOKING AHEAD If you want to see some winning baseball at Target Field before the year is over, this coming week will be your best chance, with a four-game series against the White Sox. The rest of the opponents visiting in September (D-backs, Yankees, Guardians) will offer a considerably steeper challenge. For whatever it's worth, the Twins really need to take three of four from Chicago in order to have much hope of avoiding a 90-loss season. Next weekend they head to Kansas City for a showdown against the second-place Royals. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1: WHITE SOX @ TWINS — TBD v. RHP. Bailey Ober TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2: WHITE SOX @ TWINS — RHP Davis Martin v. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3: WHITE SOX @ TWINS — RHP Yoendrys Gomez v. RHP Zebby Matthews THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4: WHITE SOX @ TWINS — RHP Shane Smith v. RHP Taj Bradley FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5: TWINS @ ROYALS — RHP Joe Ryan v. TBD SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6: TWINS @ ROYALS — RHP Bailey Ober v. RHP Michael Wacha SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7: TWINS @ ROYALS — RHP Simeon Woods Richardson v. RHP Michael Lorenzen View full article

I think it was made pretty clear in the article that no one is panicking (" Is that meaningful in such a small sample? Not really."), but it's pretty astounding how bad the first impressions have been. Difficult to get much worse. And the thing is: burden of proof is on these players and the Twins to show they can become anything. MN's front office essentially bought low on all of these guys who've become sidetracked in their careers by very evident flaws, all of which have been on display. These aren't red-hot prospects getting a splash of cold water in their first exposure to the majors. They're all trending in a negative direction. When you look at past examples of success, they've been pretty much the opposite. It was instantly obvious what Joe Ryan could be. Yes there are many examples of guys overcoming bumps in the road, but, going back to the premise of the article, why should anyone be expected to trust in that? What are the past success stories in this vein that we can look to?

Image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images The bookending results of Minnesota's matchups against the White Sox thus far in 2025 are almost poetic. Back in April, in their first meeting with the reigning worst team ever, the Twins lost 9-0, falling to 0-4 on the season as Chris Paddack was bashed into submission. On Sunday, in their most recent tilt against the Sox — once again destined to finish with the worst record in baseball — the Twins fell 8-0. The product on display at "Rate Field" last weekend was simply a joke: one franchise that long ago stopped caring, and another that has freshly and emphatically joined its ranks. The White Sox are a perfect example of the fallacy of low-budget rebuilds — they've been in a perpetual state of non-competitiveness for 20 years, fueled by the false promise of a better future. Their sell-off of superstar assets in the 2010s — "nailing the art of the sale," as Jayson Stark put it — resulted in one division title and two postseason appearances, which went nowhere. At least Chicago now has a future ownership transition in place that could spell real change to their pitiful status quo. For the Twins, not so much. I've been writing about this team online for 20 years now. My first blog byline was back in 2005. In all that time, I've legitimately never felt this hopeless about the present state and future direction of the franchise. At least the dark days of 2011-16 were coated in the gloss of a still-fresh Target Field, which now sits emptier than it's ever been. Believe me, I don't want to feel this way. I generally try to remain upbeat and positive about the team's outlook, which is why I was (perhaps naively) attached to the idea they could turn things around. I believed in the guts of this roster, led by Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and a deep bullpen. Maybe not this year, maybe not with this manager or leadership. But the foundation was solid. At least, that's where I stand. Derek Falvey and the front office ripped it to shreds. They sold off parts and dumped salary to an extreme that spiraled this current roster into unwatchable oblivion while offering no real promise of future improvement — other than to the balance sheet. In return, they sell hope. I'm ready to buy! But I don't even see much of an effort to market it from a leadership regime that increasingly reeks of apathy. Falvey's empty media quotes, often delivered in friendly and unchallenging environments, offer no more assurance than the sum result of his track record up to this point. The Twins are on their way to missing the playoffs for a fourth time in five years, despite spending as much as any team in the division. On a micro level I tend to understand, if not endorse, the decisions made by this front office (prior to this past deadline). Yet on a macro level, no one can deny that the results have been unacceptable. Now, we are supposed to take it on faith that this same group of baseball decision-makers and development staffers are the right ones to spearhead the next generation of competitive baseball after the last one was deemed a complete failure and dismantled. That's a tough sell, and the toughest part is that they don't even really seem to be trying to make a case. I've seen Falvey pop up for a few bland interviews offering his usual flavor of meaningless corporate babble. No sign of the general manager Jeremy Zoll. Joe Pohlad is better off keeping his mouth shut. Anyone else want to take a shot at explaining the thought process or vision for how this unprecedented talent purge will lead to a better future? I guess not, so then we'll let the results speak for themselves. Thus far, they've been almost laughably bad. Alan Roden, James Outman, Mick Abel and Taj Bradley have looked horrible in the MLB action they've seen with the Twins, to a man. Is that meaningful in such a small sample? Not really. But good lord man, with the way fan morale and confidence have been ravaged, it would be great if one of these guys would put forth a remotely competent effort. There's nothing here to inspire real hope other than a farm system that's undeniably pretty good. But even that advantage offers faint solace, because the Twins have relentlessly failed to develop top prospects into quality major-league players. Former first-round draft picks and elite minor-league talents like Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Austin Martin, Alex Kirilloff, Edouard Julien and José Miranda have been instrumental in the collapse of this team over the past two years. Whether due to injury, stalled growth or both, the Twins' internal talent pipeline has not paid off as desired in almost every single case. Why expect different? The dream of new ownership and a true organizational reset was beaten to a pulp by the Pohlad family's reassertion of control earlier this month. It was a moment that dampened the already fizzling aspirations of fans everywhere, who now find themselves grasping desperately for hope that's nowhere to be found in an aimless franchise devoid of accountable, trustworthy leadership. Good luck with selling those season tickets. View full article

Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images The Weekly Nutshell: The Minnesota Twins have moved past the 'dead cat bounce' phase and now they just look like roadkill. The most humiliating week of on-field results in a season full of them saw this meandering corpse of a ballclub outplayed from front to back by a pair of last-place teams, dropping five of six against the Athletics and White Sox. The Twins were outscored by 20 runs and largely failed to put up much of a fight, including in an 8-0 blowout loss against lowly Chicago to close things out. I guess some folks might find solace in gravitating toward a higher draft pick. Tough for me to get excited about that personally. What I see is a losing culture starting to crystallize, with some painful downstream implications. We'll dig into those a bit as we dissect this sorry week of baseball from the hollowed-out husk of the Twins. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 8/18 through Sun, 8/24 *** Record Last Week: 1-5 (Overall: 59-71) Run Differential Last Week: -20 (Overall: -57) Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (14 GB) Game 125 | OAK 6, MIN 3: Defense Lets Ryan Down as Lineup Languishes Ryan: 4 IP, 5 ER Game 126 | OAK 4, MIN 2 (10): Offense Whiffs on Opportunities Repeatedly Twins hitters: 2-15 RISP, 12 LOB Game 127 | OAK 8, MIN 3: Last-Place A's Seal Sweep with Front-to-Back Rout Urena: 5 IP, 6 ER Game 128 | MIN 9, CWS 7: Lewis Grand Slam Helps Twins Outslug White Sox Lewis: 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, SB Game 129 | CWS 7, MIN 3: Abel Gets Rocked in Twins Debut, Digs Deep Hole Abel: 3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Game 130 | CWS 8, MIN 0: Bradley Follows with Another Ugly Debut, Bats Blanked Bradley: 5 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 K 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 Twins fans finally got their first look at two of the top pitching acquisitions from the trade deadline, with Mick Abel and Taj Bradley joining the big-league rotation on successive days over the weekend following a Triple-A tune-up to start their tenures in Minnesota. You can read about their debuts below. To make room on the roster, José Ureña and Erasmo Ramírez were designated for assignment. Pablo López made his first rehab start on Thursday for the St. Paul Saints, pitching 1 ⅔ innings before hitting a predetermined pitch count (45). López allowed four hits, a walk and a run but showed solid velocity and appeared healthy in his first game action since he went down with a teres major strain on June 3rd. López will need at least two or three more rehab starts to build up, but could be back on the mound for the Twins by early-to-mid September. Simeon Woods Richardson figures to be back sooner. He was down for a while with a bad digestive issue caused by a parasite, and hasn't started for the Twins in nearly a month, but SWR is nearing readiness. He made a second rehab appearance with St. Paul later in Thursday's game, entering in the fourth and allowing allowed four runs (3 ER) on five hits and a walk in 3 ⅓ innings, striking out four. Not the prettiest results, but as long as he's feeling physically able, the Twins will happily welcome him back into their rotation – maybe as soon as the next time through. Part of me wonders if we could see him used in at least a pseudo-relief role in September. HIGHLIGHTS Coming off a strong finish to the previous week, Brooks Lee stayed hot during an otherwise forgettable stretch for the Twins offense. Lee opened the week with another home run against the Athletics, then notched three hits including a double the following night. He finished the week 6-for-19 with six runs scored. It was good to see a couple more extra-base hits from Brooks, but I'm even more encouraged by the patience on display with five walks and just two strikeouts. Poor swing decisions have been a big issue for Lee throughout the first 150 or so games in his MLB career, and it's probably the biggest barrier he needs to overcome in order to pan out as a solid regular. The fact that he's been finding his preferred pitch to jump on more frequently of late, and laying off the pitchers' pitches to coax more free passes, is very promising. Hopefully he can keep it up. It'll be one of the team's biggest storylines into September. Another central storyline, for better or worse: Royce Lewis, whose mercurial season continues to follow a twisting path. The third baseman's frustration with another prolonged slump was growing palpable last week. He slammed his helmet in the dugout on Wednesday after coming up short of a home run, finishing the A's series 2-for-11 to drop his OPS back down below .650. Before Friday's game in Chicago, Lewis made some odd comments to reporters about not wanting to follow coaching advice and implement in-season changes because it would put his stats at risk. Thing is: he didn't have much in the way of stats to speak of, or at least not until Royce went out that very night and balled against the White Sox, launching a grand slam as part of a three-hit game that also included a stolen base and some stellar glovework at third. He homered again the following day and finished the week 6-for-23 with the two homers, a double and six RBIs. THAT is the Royce Lewis we need to see, and the guy we hope he can still be. The same version flashed briefly around the All-Star break as well, but then disappeared. Unless we can see him sustain a reasonably solid level of play over the final five weeks, rather than reverting into a frazzled out-making machine, it'll be hard to trust in Lewis as a cornerstone for 2026 and beyond. If he can't find some sort of groove the rest of the way, I'll be curious to see how the front office proceeds with their first-ever draft pick as they transition to a new core. LOWLIGHTS I'm not saying the samples are meaningful, because they're not, but given the state of fan morale, it would really be nice if a single one of the new players acquired at the trade deadline could put forth a remotely favorable first impression. Instead we've repeatedly gotten the opposite. We saw outfielder Alan Roden (via Toronto) stumble out of the gates as a Twin, posting a .463 OPS and 13-to-0 K/BB ratio through his first 40 plate appearances before suffering a season-ending thumb injury. His replacement, James Outman (via Los Angeles) has not looked much better in sparse duty. Over the weekend in Chicago, we got our first chance to see Abel (via Philadelphia) and Bradley (via Tampa), two starting pitchers who the Twins front office says they valued for their MLB-readiness. On successive days, the right-handers got blasted by a historically inept Chicago White Sox team, with Abel coughing up six earned runs in three innings on Saturday before Bradley allowed seven in five innings on Sunday. These were bad performances against a bad club. Yes, we're talking about young pitchers here, but they aren't that young. Bradley's dud on Sunday was especially troubling, because he's already got significant major-league experience (almost 70 starts) and was demoted by the Rays to Triple-A earlier this season, in large part because of the type of struggles with secondary pitches that we saw in Chicago. After coming over via trade and remaining in the minors, Bradley allowed 12 earned runs and 21 hits in 14 ⅓ innings across three starts with the Saints. Then he came back up to the majors and got ambushed by one of the worst lineups in baseball. Bradley faced 24 hitters and struck out only one. All that being said, with the starting rotation, I can see the vision. The Twins are stockpiling pitchers full of talent and intrigue, and as a team trying to compete on a budget, that's what you've got to do. Hopefully, rocky outings like we saw from Abel and Bradley – not to mention Zebby Matthews, who got tuned up on Friday to round out this ugly mess of a series against the White Sox – are bumps on the road of nonlinear development. If you squint, you can also see how this pitching vision could translate eventually to a rebuilt bullpen, whittled out of a collection of ostensibly moldable arms that don't end up as starters. The vision for an improved offense is much harder to see. This was another lousy week of production from Minnesota's lineup, which was held to three or fewer runs in five of six games against two of the league's worst pitching staffs. Aside from the flurry from Lee and the flash from Lewis, no one's hitting at all. No one's been hitting, no one seems like they're gonna start hitting. Trevor Larnach tallied one extra-base hit (a double) in 27 plate appearances. Matt Wallner went 3-for-16 with no walks. Outman struck out eight times in 14 at-bats. The idea of Kody Clemens turning himself into a factor for future planning has lost luster as he's hurtled back to Earth in the second half; Clemens was 3-for-17 with no walks last week, and dating back to the All-Star break he's batting .190 with only two homers. His on-base percentage for the season is down to .278 as he comes to resemble the expendable asset that Philadelphia placed on waivers back in April. Austin Martin started only three of Minnesota's six games, which seems telling for a guy who is fighting to carve out a role on next year's team. He went 1-for-12 with a single and a walk. It really feels like we're already reaching the end of the line with Martin, and that might also be true of Edouard Julien, who made just two starts in six games. These aren't exactly the most reassuring case studies for the organization's hitting development staff, which will now be tasked with turning guys like Roden and Outman – not to mention the next upcoming wave of hitters – into impact contributors. TRENDING STORYLINE Are we watching the final starts from Joe Ryan in a Twins uniform? It's a question that's been looming in my mind since the deadline. As I watched his latest outing play out on Tuesday, the eventuality of an offseason Ryan trade felt more inevitable than ever before. There's a good chance the front office will be motivated to deal him by their own interests, given how their go-forward strategy is taking shape. It's noteworthy that they were – by all accounts – open to trading Ryan at the deadline and reportedly came close to doing so with Boston. This is the definition of a sell-high opportunity, with Ryan coming off his first All-Star appearance at age 29 and still two years from free agency. Beyond the team's whims, I've got to think it's highly likely Ryan himself will push to be moved. I don't say this with any negativity directed toward him, and if it's how he feels, I wouldn't blame him at all. Never mind what a bummer it is to be playing your peak years for a team that's not even trying to win – the horrendous state of this ballclub actually threatens to put his earnings at risk. While Royce Lewis's comments to media this past week about prioritizing his personal statistics might have landed poorly, there is undeniable validity in his sentiment. Baseball isn't fun and games for these guys; their livelihoods are on the line. The urgency is most intense for guys like Lewis and Ryan who are still at the arbitration stage, a couple years out from free agency, still targeting that generational payday. Ryan didn't pitch as badly as his line on Tuesday – 4 IP, 5 ER – suggests. He was let down by a godawful Twins defense that missed multiple plays they should have made behind him, even if they weren't ruled errors. The negative effects of this hapless defensive unit, which was not sharp even before jettisoning several of its best gloves at the deadline, are fully felt by Ryan: the earned runs charged, the extra arm stress from long innings, the shortened outings. Meanwhile, you've got a Twins offense that routinely offers no run support, depriving him of potential wins and chances to pitch deeper into games. And on top of it, a stripped-down bullpen that is liable to let opponents cash in any stranded runners that Ryan happens to leave aboard. I see no convincing reason to believe any of these things will get substantially better next year. Putting yourself in Ryan's shoes, wouldn't you want out? I'm afraid the non-contending Twins will be all too acquiescent to any such request. Maybe it's the right move, given where things are at now. But even if we are looking at the final handful of starts from Joe Ryan in a Twins uniform – especially if we are – it's critical for him to finish this season effective and healthy, leaving no doubt regarding his outlook for next year and beyond. That is the one nut Ryan hasn't been able to crack in his big-league career so far. He'll have his work cut out for him as he kicks off the next week against an elite Blue Jays offense. LOOKING AHEAD After dropping back-to-back series against last-place teams, the Twins now will run into a pair of first-place teams. I hate to say it but things might get considerably uglier in the week ahead. The Blue Jays and Padres are two of the best in baseball, and they've been playing very well. The Twins right now look like genuinely the worst team in the majors. At least there will be some pitching probables worth checking out when the team returns home to Target Field next weekend. MONDAY, AUGUST 25: TWINS @ BLUE JAYS — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Max Scherzer TUESDAY, AUGUST 26: TWINS @ BLUE JAYS — RHP Bailey Ober v. RHP Chris Bassitt WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27: TWINS @ BLUE JAYS — RHP Zebby Matthews v. LHP Eric Lauer FRIDAY, AUGUST 29: PADRES @ TWINS — LHP Nestor Cortes v. RHP Mick Abel SATURDAY, AUGUST 30: PADRES @ TWINS — RHP Nick Pivetta v. RHP Taj Bradley SUNDAY, AUGUST 31: PADRES @ TWINS — TBD v. RHP Joe Ryan View full article

Image courtesy of Erik Williams and Jesse Johnson--Imagn Images In a recent article from John Shipley in the Pioneer Press, Twins starter Pablo López made some interesting comments, which could be described as uncharacteristic for the typically upbeat and ultra-positive pitcher. “Culture,” López said, “is one thing we’ve been lacking the last couple of years.” He spoke of his intentions to work with fellow remaining vets like Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Ryan Jeffers in establishing a new culture, but was vague in laying out his vision for the improved state: “We have an opportunity here to take this clubhouse and say, ‘Hey, let’s take this opportunity to create the culture that we’ve been lacking the last couple years,’ the culture that prevents good teams from losing a lot of games, a good culture where instead of losing five games, you lose two and the guys pick themselves up so fast that it’s like, ‘Hey, we lost two; let’s back in the winning column." “That is something we’ve discussed as a group, like, ‘Hey, let’s reshape the philosophy and culture of who the Twins are: We hold each other accountable, we play hard, we compete and we don’t take anything for granted. We’re happy to be here. You’re fortunate and blessed enough to wear this (uniform), but you also have to play hard. Just being up here doesn’t fully cut it.” Personally I have a hard time dissecting the "clubhouse culture" topic as an outsider, although I think it is worth discussing. From my view it's overblown and largely about associations between winning, losing, and the corresponding emotions or "vibes." Let's be clear: culture has been lacking for this team in the last couple of years due to a top-down apathy overtaking the organization, and a snowballing deluge of losing, letdowns and collapse on the field. No one's going to smile or act "happy to be here" while that's going on. If they did, it'd be pretty irritating. What López is describing in the above quote is simply ... winning. Play hard, compete, don't take things for granted, hold each other accountable, lose two games in a row instead of five in a row: these are basic staples of winning baseball, not cultural touchstones. Naturally, it's interesting to look at López's comments through the lens of Carlos Correa's departure, because, how could you not? Whatever shortcomings the Twins experienced from a culture perspective would have to be tied very directly to the de facto team leader whose $200 million contract was greatly motivated by his rep in that capacity. "I want to build a championship culture in this organization," Correa said back when he first signed with Minnesota. In some ways (more ways than a lot of sour fans would like to admit), Correa did deliver on his promise. He struggled for most of 2023 but stepped up in October as the Twins won their first playoff series in two decades. He was an All-Star in 2024, the best player on a top contender in the American League, before going down with an injury and setting off a team-wide spiral that hasn't stopped spiraling since. One year ago, when the Twins were 15 games above .500, I don't recall seeing any quotes from players lamenting the toxic culture or hinting at Correa's negative influence. Again: it's all reactionary based on the performance of the team and its players. Good for narratives, maybe, but not necessarily for creating an actionable improvement plan. If we try to read a little deeper into these quotes from López, as well as those from some other Twins players (such as Royce Lewis last September), we might surmise that Correa was viewed as being too demanding of others, or too discontent with losing in a way that negatively affects others. I dunno, honestly, I have a hard time buying into that as a bad thing. Accountability is what's missing in an organization that promotes, extends and reasserts its leadership amid shocking levels of ineptitude and underperformance. I can understand that the criticism and "let's get it together" urgings might ring hollow from a guy who was chief architect in the team's disappointment this year, but Correa has more track record to back himself up than anyone else in this entire organization. He was undoubtedly as hard on himself as others. Despite apparently favoring a move to third base for some time, he continued to go out there at shortstop everyday without saying a word, because he was the best they had. Now he's gone, along with the entire bullpen and any pretention of trying to compete in the near future. Rocco Baldelli and the Twins will have the relaxed, laid-back clubhouse they so desire. Meanwhile, Correa will slot back just fine into a perpetual winning culture that he helped build, as he prepares for another postseason run with the division-leading Houston Astros. For the Twins, there's talk of more talent-dumping trades in the offseason and a $100 million payroll in 2026. Somehow we're supposed to believe that Correa's desire to leave is a poor reflection of him and not this sad, rudderless organization. Correa's exit was not a solution. It's a manifestation of the core issues that will continue to plague this team until something actually changes for the better. That might start with a manager whose team can't start "playing loose" until the games no longer matter and the most proven winner is gone from the clubhouse. View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports The Weekly Nutshell: For a brief period, Twins fans got slight respite from the constant melancholy that now defines our existence as followers of this team. In the 10 days after their roster was stripped down and the front office declared contention off the table for the foreseeable future, the Twins at least played some solid ball and offered glimmers of hope that they might put forth a product worth watching in the final two months of the season. This past week, that illusion came crashing down. Going up against a pair quality opponents in the Yankees and Tigers, Minnesota looked very much like a team with no juice, minimal talent, and nothing to play for. They were handled with ease in the Bronx, as usual, before returning home and getting mostly drubbed by Detroit in front of the few local fans still turning out. But the pain of two series losses paled in comparison to the anguish generated by news that the Pohlad family is pulling the Twins franchise off the market and maintaining principal ownership, ending a lengthy sale exploration odyssey and erasing any optimism that new leadership will come and change the course of this moribund organization. It all comes together to create a very bleak and uninspiring situation. So let's break it down! Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 8/11 through Sun, 8/17 *** Record Last Week: 2-5 (Overall: 58-66) Run Differential Last Week: -13 (Overall: -37) Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (14 GB) Game 118 | NYY 6, MIN 2: Buxton Homers in Return, But Team Goes Down Quietly Twins hitters: 3 H, 11 K, 0 BB Game 119 | NYY 9, MIN 1: Rodon Carves Up Feeble Twins Lineup, Pitchers Pummeled Adams, Hatch: 6.2 IP, 8 ER, 11 BB Game 120 | MIN 4, NYY 1: Ryan Locks In, Stops a Lengthy Skid Against Yankees Ryan: 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 K Game 121 | DET 4, MIN 3 (11): Twins Come Up Empty Multiple Times in Extra Innings Twins 3 through 5 hitters: 1-13, 6 K Game 122 | DET 7, MIN 0: Detroit Dominates From Start to Finish in Shutout Victory Twins hitters: 2 hits, 0-9 RISP Game 123 | DET 8, MIN 5: Decimated Bullpen Runs Into the Mud in Middle Innings Adams and Kriske: 2.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 BB Game 124 | MIN 8, DET 1: Paddack Once Again Cures What Ails Twins Offense Lee: 1-4, grand slam 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 week started on a positive note, with Byron Buxton being activated from the injured list following a three-week absence due to ribcage inflammation, pushing Carson McCusker back to Triple-A. Buxton homered in his first game back. The next day, Matt Wallner rejoined the roster after a much shorter absence on the paternity list, with catcher Jhonny Pereda returning to the minors. Alan Roden, the only trade acquisition to see MLB action in the immediate aftermath of the deadline, was briefly sidelined with a jammed thumb that he reinjured on Thursday, leading to a ligament strain that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. Roden was placed on 10-day injured list and then moved to the 60-day IL, making way for fellow deadline acquisition James Outman on the active roster and left-hander Génesis Cabrera — freshly signed off the street to a minor-league contract — on the 40-man roster. Travis Adams was also optioned to the Saints in the roster juggle. A couple of key starters who have been out of action are on the comeback trail. Simeon Woods Richardson has been dealing with a stomach issue — according to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, a parasite that needed to be surgically removed from his digestive tract — but he's feeling better now and was sent on a rehab assignment to St. Paul. Woods Richardson started against Omaha on Friday and tossed two scoreless frames with four strikeouts. Meanwhile, Pablo López threw in a simulated game at Target Field as he builds back from his shoulder injury, with a rehab stint likely the next step. If all goes well, López should return to make a handful of starts in September, but sadly it'll likely be more about showcasing his health to potential trade suitors than helping this lost Twins team in any meaningful way. HIGHLIGHTS At least we still have Joe Ryan. For now. Ryan was one of the lone highlights for the Twins this past week, leading the charge in Minnesota's only victory in New York. He held a potent Yankees lineup to one run over 6 ⅔ innings, with the offense doing just enough to avoid blowing another fine effort from the righty, who improved to 12-5 on the season. Bailey Ober's latest start also qualifies as a positive. His final numbers (3 ER in 5.1 IP) were unspectacular and Ober only had four strikeouts, with fastball velocity continuing to hang around 90 MPH. But he did induce 14 swinging strikes, his highest total since early May. The right-hander has been mediocre in three starts since coming off the injured list (4.41 ERA, 4.40 FIP), but that's a big step forward from the form we saw in a disastrous month of June. He's pitched into the sixth inning in each of those three starts, and made them all winnable games for the Twins, so Ober once again looks like a usable starting pitcher. But it's a far cry from the frontline performer we saw prior to his drop-off this summer. Whether he's capable of getting back to that level or this is now just what he is — more of a hittable back-end soft-tosser — will have a big impact on the Twins' plans going forward ... including what they could potentially get in return for him this offseason. There weren't many offensive bright spots over this 2-5 stretch but Brooks Lee made himself an exceptional with a power outburst in the latter portion. Entering the Detroit series, Lee was slashing .167/.220/.263 with two doubles and three home runs in his past 35 games. The lack of power was beyond concerning for a guy with no patience at the plate and no foot speed to leg out weak contact. Across four games against Detroit, Lee hit for the cycle with an extra double, capping off his slugging display with a grand slam that put Sunday's game out of reach. He drove in seven runs over the weekend, sparking a lineup that has otherwise severely struggled to get going. I still view these as baby steps for Lee, who has a long way to go in order to overcome the skepticism surrounding his skill set and his MLB production through 150 games. But I wrote last week about how vitally important his development is to the Twins' outlook at the shortstop position in 2026 at a minimum, so we'll take all the positive signs we can get. Hopefully the flurry of power is something he can build on rather than another blip on the radar. LOWLIGHTS This was an ugly, ugly week for the Minnesota Twins offense. Prior to breaking out for eight runs against Chris Paddack on Sunday, they were hitting .151 with a .480 OPS with 15 runs scored in six games. The Twins somehow managed to produce just six extra-base hits in 26 innings within the favorable confines of Yankee Stadium. They got shut out and two-hit on Friday night against the veteran husk of Charlie Morton. This is brutal stuff. Aside from Lee's series against the Tigers, there really was not an exceptional offensive showing to be found across the entire Twins roster. Buxton homered to start and end the week but was quiet in between. Royce Lewis fell deeper and deeper into the throes of his latest slump, starting the week 2-for-19 before finally homering on Sunday for the first time in nearly a month. Ryan Jeffers had two singles and one RBI in his 19 at-bats. Trevor Larnach and Wallner made no noticeable noise. Even Luke Keaschall finally cooled off, going 6-for-26 (.231) with no extra-base hits. The reality of what this team is should be setting in for everyone now. And unfortunately it's really difficult to have faith in a better future for the Twins offense. The holdovers who are supposed to steer the lineup back into a contending state are doing little to inspire confidence, as are the coaches and leaders charged with guiding their development. I'm a believer in Keaschall and to a large extent Wallner, but who else? Buxton's great but he's 31 and it can't be taken for granted he'll be this healthy or productive in 2026, much less 2027. The most baffling part of the front office's approach at the trade deadline is that they did very little to address what is clearly the most broken and stifling part of their team: the offense. Roden was the only hitter they acquired who actually joined the big-league club and he could not have looked worse, slashing .158/.200/.263 with 13 strikeouts and zero walks in 40 plate appearances. This is not some young kid overwhelmed by the MLB opportunity — he's 25 and has almost 900 plate appearances in the high minors, plus 113 PA as a Blue Jay before the trade. This was a dreadful first impression and that is all we'll get to see of him. I don't want to overreact to such a sample sample, but the burden of proof is sort of on Roden and the Twins to prove he can be anything. He wasn't hitting before the trade. He was widely viewed as something of a tweener, not a top draft pick and never a top prospect. Now we're supposed to trust that this coaching staff, under which we've watched countless such players fizzle out, is equipped to unlock whatever they see in him. The same goes for Outman, who replaced Roden on the roster and initially looked like the same unproductive strikeout machine who lost favor in Los Angeles. You're saying the Minnesota Twins are going to figure out what the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't?? It's a very tough sell. The entire future of this franchise is a tough sell, in the wake of news that the Pohlads are digging in their heels and sticking around despite their level of unpopularity reaching new heights. The family's announcement on Thursday came with a tone-deaf open letter, as well as vague allusions to new minority partners who will be gaining equity in the franchise. None of this gives fans any reason for optimism that better days are ahead. I have about as much faith in the Pohlads to make business decisions with the fanbase's best interests in mind as I do in the Twins staff to turn around a wayward hitter. TRENDING STORYLINE I'm very perplexed as to what exactly the Twins plan to do with their bullpen for next year. Stewart, with his iffy bill of health and all, was under control and he has proven to be a high-caliber late-inning arm when on the mound. The Twins traded him and three other such relievers, leaving the cupboard essentially bare. They desperately need Cole Sands to reassert himself as a dependable option, because he's the only established guy they've got now. In that sense it was nice to see him close out his week with a dominant outing, striking out the side in the seventh on Sunday. But what else is there even to work with? Who are we even watching with hopeful eyes over this final stretch of the schedule to see if there are the makings of anything there? On Sunday, pitching the innings surrounding Sands were minor-league journeymen Michael Tonkin, Cabrera and Erasmo Ramírez. One day earlier it was Adams, Brooks Kriske, Kody Funderburk, Tonkin and Justin Topa navigating an ugly mess of a game. José Ureña has been getting plenty of tread as well. None of these guys, except for Sands and perhaps Adams, have any business even being mentioned in Minnesota's pitching plans for next year. Sands has been bad this year and Adams, while showing glimpses of promise, has a 7.71 ERA and is now back in the minors. Are we going to even see anyone audition for a relief role on the 2026 team, or will the Twins stay the course of merely throwing guys out there to consume innings and get through the games, with no reason for any viewer to really care about how they perform? I guess we'll have to assume the latter until further notice. Conventional wisdom is that the Twins have harvested enough talented arms that several of them are bound to pan into capable relievers. And maybe there's validity to that. But you can't just expect a bunch of guys, with no real experience pitching in short high-leverage stints, to show up in spring training next year and immediately click into those roles. I get that it happened with Jhoan Durán but he's the exception, not the rule. Even for teams that are adept at it, building a bullpen takes time, patience and a lot of luck. The Twins are going to have very little in the way of a starting point for next year's unit and it's increasingly looking like they will have almost no starting point. If you take a moment to think about this organization's historical bullpen-building efforts outside of the five success stories they just traded away, that's a proposition you'll find more scary than exciting. LOOKING AHEAD For whatever it's worth, the schedule is about to ease up. Two last-place teams are on the docket, with the Athletics first coming to town to wrap up a seven-game home stand before the Twins travel to Chicago for a showdown against the White Sox. These should sadly be some pretty evenly matched affairs. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19: ATHLETICS @ TWINS — LHP Jacob Lopez v. RHP Joe Ryan WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20: ATHLETICS @ TWINS — RHP J.T. Ginn v. RHP Bailey Ober THURSDAY, AUGUST 21: ATHLETICS @ TWINS — RHP Jack Perkins v. TBD FRIDAY, AUGUST 22: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — RHP Zebby Matthews v. RHP Sean Burke SATURDAY, AUGUST 23: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — TBD v. RHP Davis Martin SUNDAY, AUGUST 24: TWINS @ WHITE SOX — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Yoendrys Gomez View full article

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.