Nick Nelson

A new documentary series on Netflix covering one of the most riveting, fascinating rivalry moments in major-league history brings back to mind how involved -- tangentially, but repeatedly -- the Minnesota Twins were in the way this story unfolded. Image courtesy of Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK Last month Netflix released a three-episode documentary series titled The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox. Featuring a litany of interviews with players, managers and media, The Comeback vividly retells the tale of the '04 Red Sox unthinkably surmounting a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in the ALCS, along with all of the high drama that built up to Boston's climactic, curse-snapping triumph. I watched all three episodes last week and greatly enjoyed the show, which has received strong reviews and is well worth checking out. Reliving all of those events from 20 years ago, I was starkly reminded of how prominently the Minnesota Twins factored into the legendary course of events, albeit as side characters. It's not the first time they've played such a supporting role in famous baseball lore of that era. In Moneyball, which depicted the 2002 season, Minnesota essentially played foil for Oakland's little-engine-that-could narrative, ending the Athletics' lengthy in-season win streak and then eliminating the A's from the playoffs. How ironic. In The Comeback, Minnesota's role is far more subservient to the narrative; they did much to pave the way for this epic showdown, and Boston's ultimate victory. Let's turn back the clock and take a closer look. Read Twins Daily's retrospective on the 2004 season from Matthew Lenz as part of our "Twins in the 2000s" series. Big Papi Becomes a Postseason Icon David Ortiz was the biggest hero in Boston's improbable '04 postseason run, so naturally he is featured as an interviewee in the documentary. The painful circumstances of his winding up in Boston are discussed: Ortiz came up as a promising power hitter in Minnesota's system, and was coming off a 20-homer season when the Twins -- who never seemed to quite fully believe -- non-tendered him at age 26. In The Comeback, Ortiz speaks of his dejection and frustration with the experience, which helped fuel his rise to greatness. Needless to say, it is one of the most maligned missteps in the history of the Twins franchise. A colossal mistake by Terry Ryan and the front office, no doubt. But what tends to get overlooked is that Minnesota was far from alone in undervaluing Ortiz, who'd been hampered by a wrist injury. After his release from the Twins in 2002, he struggled to find a new landing spot. In the documentary, inner-circle Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez shares an anecdote about running into Ortiz at a restaurant down in the Dominican Republic that offseason, and immediately calling and lobbying Boston's front office to sign him. "We need to sign him," Martinez recalls telling the team's traveling secretary. "This guy is going to be special. Get Theo [Epstein] on the phone.” The Red Sox signed Ortiz for $1.25 million shortly thereafter and the rest is history. He emerged as a major slugging threat in 2003 and then solidified his stardom in 2004, with an All-Star 40-HR season and a playoff showing for the ages that saw him bat .373 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 14 games. He was ALCS MVP, delivering some of the most devastating blows that iconic Yankees group after absorbed in October. For Minnesota sports fans, it was bittersweet watching Ortiz blossom on the big stage in Beantown. The feelings would be similar a few years later when Randy Moss was featuring on the 16-0 Patriots, and Kevin Garnett on the championship Celtics. Boston enjoyed the greatest collective pro sports run of my lifetime, and Minnesota served as a key pipeline to their success. I'm not sure if it makes me feel more proud or petty. The Cross-Dugout Doug Mientkiewicz Trade One reason the Twins soured on Ortiz around 2002 is because they became enamored with Mientkiewicz and what he brought to the table. The organization had initially tried bringing Ortiz along as a first baseman before giving up on that notion and relegating him mostly to designated hitter. Mientkiewicz came along in the late '90s as an elite defender at first, and with a disciplined plate approach and controlled swing at the plate. He had a few truly excellent seasons for the Twins. By the time that the trade deadline rolled around in 2004, though, Mientkiewicz had been made expendable to the Twins by the emergence of top prospect Justin Morneau, who was obliterating Triple-A and ready for the majors. The Red Sox, as covered in The Comeback, were lagging behind New York in the standings and viewed their defense as a clear limiting weakness. Boston was in Minnesota playing the Twins on the day of the deadline, July 31st. Hours before game time, both were teams were involved in a complex four-way trade that sent Mientkiewicz to the Red Sox, alongside fellow Gold Glover and future Twins trade deadline acquisition Orlando Cabrera. Mientkiewicz simply switched dugouts and uniforms, starting at first for Boston that very day. He didn't hit much the rest of the way but it's fair to say his glove made an impact for the Red Sox in their charmed run. He later infamously caught the final out of the World Series for Boston and then refused to give it up. Yankees Vanquish Twins in 2004 ALDS In another universe, it might've been the Twins facing off against the Red Sox in that fateful 2004 ALCS. The Yankees needed to get past Minnesota in order to secure a semifinals rematch against Boston. While there have been plenty of lopsided Twins/Yankees playoff series over the years, this wasn't one of them. It was a battle that could have easily gone the other way. Johan Santana, fresh off a breakthrough Cy Young season, got the ball in Game 1 and shut the Yankees down to put Minnesota up 1-0 in the series. Game 2 went into extra innings; Torii Hunter gave the Twins a 6-5 lead in the top of the 12th before a gassed Joe Nathan gave up the game in the bottom half. Minnesota was two outs away from bringing a 2-0 lead back to the Metrodome, with another Johan start in their pocket. Instead, they dropped three straight and sparked the longest postseason losing streak in American sports history. This series wasn't covered much in The Comeback, which focuses mostly on Boston, but there is some footage of Yankees players celebrating their ALDS victory in the bowels of the Metrodome and it hurt. Maybe one day the prolonged postseason curse we've lived through since then will be subject of its own documentary, with a happy ending that is yet to be written. Have you watched The Comeback? Did watching it, or reading this article, spark any memories of the 2004 Twins season? Feel free to reminisce in the comments. View full article

Limited in their ability to add externally this offseason, the Minnesota Twins will inevitably be pressed to rely on reinforcements from within to drive their improvement next year. Here's why that isn't such an unwelcoming proposition. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (Luke Keaschall) and Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (Marco Raya) Generally speaking, it is unwise to expect prospects to arrive in the major leagues and be immediately effective. That goes without saying. We have seen plenty of highly touted talents flounder in their first exposure to the majors, with Brooks Lee serving as the latest example. Finding one's stride in the big leagues can take a while, and sometimes it never happens. But sometimes, it happens immediately, and the impact can be profound. In looking back at some of the most successful Twins seasons of the recent past, you can almost always find one rookie fresh out of the minors who took the league by storm and provided the team with a massive, game-changing jolt. Last year it was Edouard Julien. In 2019 it was Luis Arraez. Looking back a little further: Miguel Sano (2015), Danny Valencia (2010), Denard Span (2008) and Francisco Liriano (2006) all come to mind as rookies who dramatically changed the fortunes of their teams for the better. The 2025 Twins are going to need a spark like that, and maybe more than one. The good news is that, in addition to a hopeful sophomore turnaround from Lee, there are also a handful of prospects in the high minors who have yet to debut but could very well do so next year if healthy. Any one of these four players is absolutely capable of delivering an impact on the level of the names we just mentioned. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF I wrote recently that Rodriguez is coming in hot following another season of phenomenal performance in the minors, which saw him finish in Triple-A rated as a top-30 prospect in baseball. He's one of the most intriguing, high-upside bats in any system, with a combination of patience and power that is rarely seen. He recently underwent surgery (a "cleanup procedure") to address the thumb injury that repeatedly sidelined him this past season, and should be a full go for spring training. "He’s such a unique profile,” Derek Falvey recently told Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune. “It’s almost impossible to look at that profile and say how it’s going to translate to the big leagues because no one else has it. He’s very, very unique and he’s so young, he’s still growing and still getting better ... I’m excited about next spring training because I’m looking forward to a healthy version with a little bit more experience.” A left-handed hitter, Rodriguez can play all three outfield spots, including center. As Falvey alludes, his extreme skill set makes it difficult to project his MLB performance confidently, even by the already volatile standard of any rookie debuting in the majors. But if it clicks quickly, Rodriguez could legitimately be the best hitter in the lineup, next year and for many that follow. Luke Keaschall, 2B Since being drafted in the second round in 2023, Keaschall has carved through the minors, ascending to Double-A this year while accumulating a .300/.419/.482 slash line through 133 games as a pro. Like Rodriguez, he ranks in the Top 100 on MLB Pipeline's global prospect list, checking in at No. 63. Like Rodriguez, he finished the year on the injured list. The Twins shut down Keaschall, who was playing through a known elbow ligament injury, in August to have him undergo Tommy John surgery, with an eye on a full recovery leading up to next spring. As long as he can get back to where he was at the plate, Keaschall will become an immediate factor in Minnesota's plans. His right-handed bat could be a critical addition for the Twins, who badly need to upgrade over what they received from the likes of Kyle Farmer and Manuel Margot this season. Marco Raya, RHP In some ways, Raya was brought along very slowly and cautiously. He didn't make an official appearance until the third year after he was drafted, and his workload has been carefully managed. But in other ways, the Twins have been very aggressive, pushing him through levels quickly to the point where he finished this year with a start at Triple-A. Even with the pitch-count reins loosened somewhat, Raya still threw only 98 innings in 25 starts. It's difficult to envision him stepping into a rotation role as a starter facing lineups multiple times, but I could definitely see him an as a weapon in a multi-inning bullpen role, which I've always wondered if the Twins were grooming him for. Raya will be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to avoid eligibility for the Rule 5 draft. Connor Prielipp, LHP Prielipp has lost so, so much time to injury. He was limited to just 28 innings at Alabama, causing him to fall from the top of the first round to the top of the second, where Minnesota selected him in 2022. And arm injuries have limited him to just 30 total innings in two years since being drafted. But few would question Prielipp is capable of if healthy. The hope is that his latest elbow surgery will prove to be a permanent fix for Prielipp's perpetual health woes. He sure looked healthy in his return to action this year, striking out 41 in 23 innings for a 45% K-rate across nine appearances, most of them at High-A Cedar Rapids. Prielipp turns 24 this offseason and has barely pitched professionally. The idea of developing him as a starter feels far-fetched at this point. However, if the Twins commit to him as a reliever, he's got the stuff to enter the big-league picture very quickly. And as it happens, left-handed relief help is one of the clearest and most urgent needs on the roster. View full article

The flip side of this is that they were in position to make the playoffs in 3 of those past 4 seasons before stunning (fluky?) collapses in the final stretch in two. That actually kind of does seem like an endorsement since, as mentioned, the "momentum" from that collapse doesn't carry forward. The quality of the team and its talent does though.

It's very easy to get caught up in the dejection of a terrible late-season collapse and an offseason that promises to be underwhelming. But Twins fans shouldn't lose sight of the quality pieces in place for this team. Minnesota will be a contender in 2025. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports If you're feeling down about the Minnesota Twins, you're not alone. The latest season ended in bitter disappointment, and a long winter lies ahead filled with difficult decisions stemming from frustrating payroll constraints. It's difficult to envision the Twins getting a whole lot better on paper when they've already signaled no intent to raise payroll. Merely keeping together their existing talent will be a tall task. Vibes are not generally positive. Here on the site I've found myself covering a lot of downer topics recently, from the back concerns facing Brooks Lee and Jose Miranda to somber reflections on Alex Kirilloff's shortened career. It's time to pivot to a fresh perspective with a reminder that the Twins find themselves in a situation that is far from hopeless. In fact, there are a number of reasons to feel pretty good about the team's outlook, even if the offseason proves to be as unexciting as expected. A Contending Talent Baseline “We really had a tough run over the last six weeks and didn’t play as well as we could have and that’s on us,” Derek Falvey told Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Star Tribune at the GM Meetings. “We’ve had to do some deep dives and a lot of deep introspection with frustration around that. But we feel like that core is still there from ‘23, even the core that held us up for a good chunk of last year. I’m confident that core from last year can get us back to where we need as related to next year.” Falvey's not just blowing hot air. According to projections from FanGraphs, based on players currently in organizations, the Twins are favored to top the AL Central next year with a .520 winning percentage. They have, by one measure, the fourth-best roster in the American League heading into the offseason. That might not be terribly meaningful, because it's likely that division rivals (especially Detroit and Kansas City) will be active in improving this offseason while the Twins mostly stand pat. But it is a more objective reminder that the Twins retain plenty of proven high-caliber talent. With minor changes, this is still the same core that won the division and advanced in the playoffs in 2023. The same group that boasted the best record in baseball over a four-month span in 2024. Yes, everyone slumped simultaneously down the stretch and it was brutal to watch, but there's little reason to think that will carry forward. Because: Year-to-Year Momentum Doesn't Exist in Baseball It's debatable whether team momentum exists within a baseball season. Many sabermetric types will say no; I find that hard to fully accept after watching this year's Twins team click on all cylinders during prolonged hot streaks and then collectively go in the tank as their season-ending struggles snowballed. But when you zoom out, there is just no reason to believe momentum exists on a year-to-year basis for MLB teams. Evidence in recent Minnesota Twins history certainly argues against it. In 2016, the Twins experienced an utterly disastrous season where everything went wrong -- a "total system failure." The next year they improved by 26 wins and reached the postseason. In 2018, the Twins finished below .500, a disappointing drop-off that got Paul Molitor dismissed as manager. In 2019 they went 101-61, winning the Central behind a 23-win improvement. In 2022, the Twins collapsed in similar fashion to what we just now witnessed. They went 11-22 in September/October to fumble away a division lead they held for most of the season. As bad of a finish as you could imagine. The next year, they rebounded to win the Central with ease and then took their first postseason series in almost 20 years. So yeah, the 2024 Twins ended on a sour note. Does it matter going forward? Not really. And I'd argue that same thing goes the other way for, say, Detroit's season-ending scorcher. Young Players Follow Volatile and Unpredictable Development Paths In looking back at some of the past examples we just covered, especially the turnaround from 2016 to 2017, one thing that stands out to me is how fluctuations in performance from developing young players influenced the highs and lows. Worth keeping in mind as we evaluate a 2025 Twins team whose fate will largely be dictated by impressive talents at similar stages. Among the reasons Minnesota flopped in 2016: Miguel Sanó and Eddie Rosario both took big steps backward following impressive rookie campaigns. Top pitching prospect José Berríos floundered in his MLB debut, posting an 8.02 ERA over 14 starts despite flashing impressive stuff at times. In 2017, Sanó and Rosario were both monsters at the plate, driving much of the team's offensive improvement, and Berríos instantly turned the corner to become a frontline starter. I think about these examples as I weigh the outlooks of hitters like Edouard Julien and Lee, or pitchers like David Festa and Zebby Matthews. They weren't necessarily good this year, but they are talented players. Oftentimes it turns on a dime for skilled guys in the 24-to-27 age range. The Stars Seem to Be Aligned The core nucleus of the Twins, and the reason they cannot be discounted as championship contenders, comprises these four players: Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis and Pablo López. Appraisals may vary on these four at the moment but from my view they remain clearly the best and highest-upside players on the team. They will also combine to account for more than half the payroll next year, so much hinges on them all delivering on their promise to some extent. We didn't get full, representative seasons from any of them in 2024. Correa lost half the year to injury. Buxton missed two months of games. Lewis experienced a staggering second-half slump from which he never emerged. López pitched to an average-ish ERA overall. But we absolutely saw the signs of greatness from all four, and each one seems potentially primed for big things in 2025. While you'd be hard-pressed to call Correa or Buxton free of health concerns, each one finished the year playing and producing. Buxton looked forward to a normal offseason free of his usual rehab regimen. Correa has a full three months to treat and resolve his plantar fasciitis, which he successfully overcame in the other foot last winter. When on the field in 2024, Buxton performed like an All-Star and Correa performed like an MVP. Lewis's deep slump in August and September was obviously alarming, but you can't talk about the .496 OPS in his last 41 games without talking about the 1.000 OPS in his first 41 games. Not to mention what he did the previous season and in October. While he might have been physically drained, Lewis ended the year healthy and something tells me he'll be determined to emphatically get back to where he was. As for López, he was not amazing but he was good -- phenomenal at times -- and (importantly) healthy all year long. Per fWAR, he's a top 10 pitcher in the major leagues over the past two seasons. He's an ace. I don't really harbor any substantial doubts or concerns about him. So you take those four, and then you factor in the surrounding talent, and it's really not difficult at all to foresee a very good or even downright dominant Twins team in 2025, springing merely from the foundation that they already have in place. With this in mind, and understanding their resource limitations, a few savvy moves on the fringes from the front office this winter could go a long way. View full article

He's among the players most likely to be shopped around this offseason as the Twins front office seeks to clear payroll. Can they actually move him? Which teams might be interested? What could Minnesota realistically get back? Let's explore these questions. Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images What's Up with Chris Paddack He finished the season on the injured list, although it sounds like he was on the verge of being able to return and might have tried to do so in the playoffs if the Twins didn't collapse and miss out. Alas, he didn't appear at all in the second half, finishing with fewer than 90 innings thrown in yet another campaign plagued by arm problems. He's entering the final year of a contract extension signed in January of 2023, set to earn $7.5 million at age 29 in 2025. Over the course of three seasons in Minnesota, he has pitched to 4.82 ERA over 116 innings, including 4.99 in 17 starts this year. The Case for Trading Chris Paddack It's pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. Coming off a fourth consecutive injury-shortened season, Paddack is a major question mark going forward. His salary stands out as a big sticking point for Twins leadership as they desperately seek to shed payroll in search of flexibility to add, or merely to meet their budgeted number. He's a talented pitcher with upside, and we've seen him flash it at times as a Twin. But having Paddack around feels like a luxury, especially with young starters like David Festa and Zebby Matthews already breaking through to the majors. Although $7.5 million isn't some huge sum in the grand scheme, there's little doubt the front office would love to redirect that money toward the bullpen, bench or first base. It's no surprise Paddack was recently listed by MLB Trade Rumors among top 35 trade candidates of the 2024-25 offseason. Video: Should the Minnesota Twins Trade Away Chris Paddack? The trickier part of this discussion is building a case to trade for Paddack from another team's perspective. His track record makes it almost impossible to trust his in his health, or really even his performance when available. Then again, it sounds like he was cleared for a relatively normal offseason program, and he is a respected arm talent with a high ceiling when he's right. Paddack is still under 30, and his contract (1 year, $7.5M) could be attractive for an upside-seeking team relative to free agency options. Bobby Nightengale Jr. wrote in the Star Tribune last week that "league sources expect some interest in Twins starter Chris Paddack." Comparable Trades of the Past One of the reasons it's tough to envision Paddack's trade market and theorize a return is that there just aren't many precedents that come to mind. Actually one of the best comps might be ... Chris Paddack, who was acquired by the Twins in 2022 under similar circumstances: His previous season had been cut short by an elbow injury, but Minnesota bet on him rebounding and tapping into that ever-tantalizing upside. In that case, I think it's fair to say his arm health was more openly in doubt. Already the survivor of one Tommy John surgery, he had suffered a UCL sprain in 2021 with the Padres, receiving a stem cell injection after the season in hopes of healing the injury without a second reconstruction. The Twins knew the risk when they signed up, and indeed, Paddack made it through only five starts before needing to go under the knife once again. Despite the looming health uncertainty, Paddack did have other more appealing qualities at that time: he was three years younger, with multiple years of inexpensive team control remaining. The trade cost to acquire him is a little hard to directly assess because Paddack was shipped alongside buy-low reliever Emilio Pagan in exchange for Brent Rooker and one year of a legitimately high-caliber bullpen arm in Taylor Rogers. Another comparable player traded for in recent Twins history, I suppose, is Anthony DeSclafani. Very similar story here: pitcher with some level of proven upside, coming off elbow injury that he attempted to rehab, acquired by the Twins as part of a complicated and creative trade package. The same motivation that compelled them to target DeSclafani in that deal -- adding a veteran starter for the back of the rotation on a cheap-ish one-year deal -- would be the same one stirring interest in Paddack. It seems fair to say that if Minnesota can find a way to move Paddack, the deal will take shape in a similar fashion to those examples, with multiple players and maybe even multiple teams involved. Potential Trade Partners If there's a general sense of confidence in his health, Paddack could draw interest from a wide range of teams, especially in the midst of pervasive reduction in spending across the league (which I expect). For all his risk, the right-hander could be attractive on a one-year commitment compared to the treacherous free agent market. Here are a few team names that stand out in my mind as likely suitors for Paddack. New York Mets They have some holes to fill in the rotation with Sean Manaea and Luis Severino heading into free agency. Head exec David Stearns has been open about the need to add in the rotation. "We have to have multiple starters. We understand that," he told The Record. "We went into last offseason with the same need, and I think we'll be able to do it." New York does have a pretty solid starting pitching corps in place, so they could potentially afford to take a gamble on Paddack, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and bolster their championship hopes. Under owner Steve Cohen, the Mets are in sort of a sweet-spot for this kind of trade because they won't overly scrutinize a salary like Paddack's, but might also be looking to avoid huge financial commitments after leading MLB in payroll this year. Texas Rangers Like the Mets, Texas is a free-spending team with World Series aspirations. They also seem like a heck of a natural fit for Paddack, a Texas native known for arriving at the ballpark in his cowboy attire. The Rangers have a strong track record of taking fliers on starting pitchers whose stock is down and striking gold; Lance Lynn and Mike Minor are among the examples. They're also the team that signed Tyler Mahle to a two-year contract coming off Tommy John surgery with the Twins, although the returns haven't been so good there up to this point. Like the Mets, Texas is facing significant veteran losses in the rotation, with Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney becoming free agents. They could be looking to load up on arms. Tampa Bay Rays I don't have any specific reasons for including the Rays, other than that they are an unpredictable team with whom the Twins have done business in the past. Unlike the Rangers and Mets, they are far from big spenders, but they could be interested in acquiring a contract like Paddack's if they believe he's healthy and they like his underlying metrics. Tampa has a solid stable of young starters, but could be keen to add a veteran with frontline talent on top of it. I also think the Rays (or other teams) could be interested in Paddack as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen. Baltimore Orioles Corbin Burnes has finally reached free agency and is in search of a mega deal. Assuming they don't bring him back, he will leave a massive void in their rotation, and the O's will be on the hunt for quality arms to supplement their overflowing young offense. One name that stands out to me here as a possible return is Ryan O'Hearn, a strong lefty bat and first baseman making an equal $7.5 million in his final year under contract. Formerly a nondescript player for the Royals, O'Hearn blossomed in Baltimore over the past two seasons under now-Twins hitting coach Matt Borschulte, posting a 122 OPS+ in both, but his poor defense keeps his value in check. Conclusions When it comes to trading Paddack, there is definitely a will, but is there a way? The plausibility will be dictated by several factors: his arm prognosis, the temperature of the free-agent market, and the spending inclinations of major-league teams. If the Twins are able to move Paddack and his salary, expect the deal to be significantly more complex than a standard one-for-one swap. View full article

I don't think the premise is that you'd be getting back much at all, aside from the flexibility to use that money in other ways. Which is why I hate it. The example shared by Sherman in his article was basically to send back a couple lotto tickets in exchange for Carlos Correa and his contract, similar to the Giancarlo Stanton trade. Blech.

Trading Luis Gil to get Jake Cave and then trading Carlos Correa to get Gil back would be a really funny trade tree.

No guarantee the team will be sold at all, much less by any given point. For now we need to operate under the assumption that payroll remains static at best.

New York media is pondering the availability of Minnesota's star shortstop. Sadly, it's fair game. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images On Saturday, the New York Post published a column from Joel Sherman suggesting the following premise: "Yankees, Mets should test Twins’ waters for possible Carlos Correa trade." He proposes that both teams explore the possibility of acquiring Minnesota's All-Star shortstop, two years into a historic contract signed in 2023. Sherman's reasoning comes together like this: "Structurally, the Twins don’t work." Their core trio of Correa, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis is too injury-prone to elevate the team. "Financially, the Twins don’t work well." Too much of their now-limited payroll is invested in Correa to properly build around him. Correa's contract and checkered availability make much more sense for a big-market team with more robust resources than the Twins. Interestingly, the article includes a quote from Derek Falvey in which he directly addresses the topic, acknowledging that the Twins have "been hit" in the past with trade interest on Correa, as well as Buxton and Lewis, while conspicuously not ruling out anything out. “If they came at us, we’re open-minded to anything,” the Twins president of baseball operations shared. “Obviously Carlos has a full no-trade clause. We love him. We’re always open-minded when team teams hit us on all of our players. We’ve been hit on Carlos before, we’ve been hit on Byron [Buxton] before, we’ve been hit on Royce [Lewis] before. That’s not shocking to anybody, but we hold an extremely high bar to even start that conversation, and I still feel like those guys are critical to our success.” It might be temping to pass this off as a New York writer stirring up attention with the classic "I want that" declaration coveting a small-market star. However, that quote from Falvey was anything but dismissive. I will note that Sherman's been around quite a while and is fairly plugged in. Moreover, it's not hard to accept the logic behind either NY team being interested in Correa. The Yankees came just short of winning the World Series, with a lineup that could greatly benefit from one more star hitter (and fielder). The Mets, of course, had an agreement with Correa fall through when he was a free agent, but their dream of playing him alongside Francisco Lindor could still be in play. As Sherman notes, the amended offer to Correa from the Mets (6 years, $157 million) was not too far off from what he ultimately got from the Twins. I can also, sadly, see the logic of trading Correa from Minnesota's perspective, given the circumstances. There's no way around it: his guaranteed contract over the next several years is a major impediment for a front office now obliged to keep payroll in the $125 million range. As salaries escalate across the roster in arbitration, it will grow increasingly difficult to keep the talent core together and maintain a club capable of competing when Correa is absent – a reality that by now must be planned around. With that said ... This would be so depressing from my view. The signing of Correa was a signature moment in franchise history; the moment that Minnesota finally rose to the occasion and paid the freight for a premier superstar in an emphatic commitment to winning. Dumping that contract to a New York-based team two years later would completely undo its impact while bringing back to the surface every negative connotation associated with this team. As a fan, it would be exceedingly difficult to stomach, making you wonder what was even the point. The Twins and Yankees do have recent history of creative salary-relief trades. It was the unloading of Josh Donaldson in 2022 that opened the door for signing Correa to begin with. And that worked out well enough for Minnesota. But trading Correa would rightfully be received very differently from trading Donaldson, who was an underperforming malcontent. Correa has delivered in his first two years as a Twin, leading them to a playoff advancement in 2023 and playing at an MVP-caliber level on when on the field in 2024. He is critical to any legitimate hopes of World Series contention in 2025. It's almost impossible to envision a Correa trade that actually makes the team better, and giving him away as a pure salary dump in the name of right-sizing payroll would be damningly pathetic. I know where I stand on this topic, but I'm curious to hear from you all. What's your temperature on trading Correa? How open should the front office be to these kinds of proposed inquiries from clubs that might be better equipped to absorb his contract? Let's hear from you in the comments. View full article

A serious back injury forced Alex Kirilloff into retirement at the age of 26. While not quite so dire, there are other concerning back injuries for key Twins players we need to be monitoring heading into 2025. Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff and Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images In 2016, Ian McMahan wrote for Sports Illustrated that back injuries were on the rise in Major League Baseball. "The repeated twists, torques and dives of baseball make the lower back a weak spot for many," he wrote, noting that at that time 12% of all injuries in MLB were localized in this region. "According to Dr. Joshua Dines, assistant team doctor for the New York Mets and the author of a recent review article on back injuries in professional baseball," McMahan shared, "these problems are all too common among baseball players, primarily for the reason that baseball places a great deal of stress on the spine." Dr. Dines puts it simply: “Swinging a bat is not a normal activity." And yet pro baseball players are asked to do it hundreds if not thousands of times over the course of a season, between game action, BP and the cages. We've seen the toll it can take. Alex Kirilloff fought through a depressing array of injuries and rehabs over the years – elbow surgery, shoulder surgery, multiple surgeries on the same wrist – but the back condition he's now facing proved to be the one that pushed him to step away. When they say "the straw that broke the camel's back," it's perhaps not a random body-part choice in the expression. As many reading this can surely attest from experience, back injuries are pernicious. They tend to be mysterious in nature and difficult to accurately diagnose. Given the spine's central integration within our interconnected bodies, back issues often present as pain or discomfort in various different areas, contributing to the challenges of diagnosis. And just in terms of quality of life, back pain can be downright overwhelming in the misery it causes. It is with this setup that I regretfully acknowledge: back injury concerns involving Twins players don't end with Kirilloff. I'm not trying to be overly dire but it cannot be ignored that this is a major factor in the team's outlook. Namely, can José Miranda and Brooks Lee rebound from the issues that plagued them in 2024? Miranda was on a massive tear heading into mid-July, with a .950 OPS in his past 50 games when he landed on the injured list with a lower back strain, which was initially deemed minor. He came back 15 days later but was never the same afterward, slashing .212/.242/.301 with zero home runs in 45 games. In late September, with just two games remaining on the schedule, the Twins placed him on the injured list to close the season, once again citing a lower back strain. To my knowledge, rest and rehab is the gameplan for Miranda this offseason. For the Twins, much hinges on him bouncing back physically and producing next year, because he could well be written in as the primary first baseman for 2025 as things currently stand. Lee has a long history of his own back problems dating back to high school, when they cost him his entire sophomore season. Reservations held by teams relating to Lee's balky back were among the reasons he fell to the Twins at No. 8 overall in 2022, despite being viewed by many as the top bat in the class. This year, a back injury surfaced in spring training for Lee ("the worst I’ve ever had it"), sidelining him out of the gates. Ultimately diagnosed as a herniated disc, it cost him the first two months of the season. “I’ve been dealing with the same thing — same pain, same flare-ups [since high school],” Lee said in June, after finally joining the Saints. “It feels like I have been trying to find that magic bullet and I haven’t found it yet. I don’t know if there is one; maybe a culmination of a bunch of different things." “We’ll see if I ever figure it out," the 23-year-old said. "It will be a challenge, but I’m ready to take that on.” Despite these rather ominous remarks, Lee seemed to relieve some of the concerns about his health by returning with a bang, dominating at Triple-A and then jumping to a hot start with the Twins coming off his big-league promotion. But the second half for Lee, like for Miranda, was a major struggle. He slashed .182/.233/.270 in his last 44 games, with a three-week stint on the injured list mixed in. In this case it was a shoulder injury, not a back injury, that led to his being shut down. But Lee just never seemed healthy outside of about a month-long stretch of the season, and that renders him a major question mark heading into 2025. Alas, the Twins have little choice but to depend on him, and Miranda. There are no easy answers for this kind of thing. Undoubtedly the players and team doctors have laid out some plans to keep these issues in check going forward. A few months off can do wonders. As a matter of maintenance in the future, it might make sense to limit how many nonessential cuts these guys are taking outside of games. It bears noting that Lee, much Kirilloff, is a notorious lifelong "baseball rat" who was the son of a coach. These types are renowned for the amount of time they spend churning out reps and practicing their craft, which is a generally a positive but has downsides. I think back to that quote from Dr. Dines: “Swinging a bat is not a normal activity." No, but Miranda and Lee are abnormally good at it when healthy. Here's hoping we get to see more of that in 2025. I hate to say the weight of the offense's hopes is largely on their backs ... but, well, it kind of is. View full article

In a heartbreaking development, Alex Kirilloff has retired due to injuries at just 26 years old, ending a promising career before it ever could truly get going. Here's how I'll remember the talented, oft-injured hitter. Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Last Thursday, Alex Kirilloff announced his retirement from baseball, citing the mental and physical toll of dealing with repeated significant injuries, the latest of which is a back condition that will take up to a year to rehabilitate. He's hanging up his cleats after playing just 250 major-league games. A first-round draft pick who emerged as a top-10 prospect in the game and later became the first player in history to make his major-league debut with a playoff start, Kirilloff's future always seemed blindingly bright. Sadly he didn't have the opportunity to carve out a legacy in Twins lore as we might have dreamed based on his talent. But that doesn't mean he won't leave a lasting impression on those of us who watched his all-too-short career play out. My final vivid memory of Kirilloff is a fittingly sad one. When the Twins visited Pittsburgh to play the Pirates in early June, I made the trip to check out a new city and cross another ballpark off the list. I attended all three Twins/Pirates games at PNC Park, catching the action from different vantage points for each. In the series finale on Sunday, we were sitting in the left field bleachers, just a couple rows back from the wall. Kirilloff was in left field that day, and quite close to us, so I kept a close eye on him. I distinctly remember being struck by his body language, which signaled to me a level of deep frustration. These was nothing overtly pouty going on, but it just noticeable in the way he stood, moved around, threw the ball back in the infield ... he was bristling. At the time, I figured it was a guy carrying the mental weight of his offensive slump around with him. He went 0-for-3 in that game, dropping his slash line to .151/.222/.343 in his past 30. The team in general was struggling to score runs and he was a big part of the reason. Kirilloff had to know a demotion was soon to come. Looking back, I now have a much clearer understanding of what was tormenting Kirilloff so visibly: he was in pain. Probably an incredible amount of pain. It turned out to be one of the last games he'd ever play. The Twins returned home after the Pittsburgh series and Kirilloff went 0-for-6 in two games against Colorado before the front office was forced into action. They initially optioned him to Triple-A, at which point Kirilloff revealed the true severity of what he was dealing with. The option was reversed, Kirilloff was placed on the injured list, and he never came off it. A major-league career that started with an 0-for-15 slump ended with an 0-for-11 slump. That will be the last memory of Kirilloff as a Twin. But it won't be my lasting memory. Those of us who followed Kirilloff's journey, from top draft pick to MLB player, know better than to let the low points shape our ultimate perceptions of who he was as a player. While his playing career was heartbreakingly cut short, Kirilloff did plenty in his time on the field to cement his legacy as one of the best pure hitting talents to come through this organization. The Twins selected Kirilloff 15th overall in the 2016 draft out of a Pennsylvania high school. He was the final first-round pick made under the front-office leadership of legendary scout Terry Ryan, who would be dismissed a few weeks later amidst a disastrous season. Taking teenaged prep hitters in the first round can be risky business (see: Keoni Cavaco) but Kirilloff would prove the Twins very correct in their assessment of his hitting ability and potential. Kirilloff started raking immediately in the minors, batting .306 in his opening 55-game stint at rookie ball. He also started dealing with major injuries and surgical procedures almost immediately, as this outstanding debut was truncated by an elbow issue that required surgery the following spring, costing Kirilloff his entire 2017 season. It set the tone for a career that would be plagued by these types of setbacks and roadblocks. But it also set the tone for a player who was going to tenaciously meet the challenges head-on, time and time again. (Image via MLB.com) Kirilloff returned in 2018 and absolutely obliterated two levels of A-ball, slashing .348/.392/.578 with 20 homers, 44 doubles and 101 RBIs in 130 games. This performance sent him skyrocketing up global top prospects lists, including a placement in the top 10 by MLB Pipeline, which ranked Kirilloff as the ninth-best prospect in baseball. The following year he put up solid production as a 21-year-old at Double-A, seemingly putting himself on the doorstep of the majors just as Minnesota's Bomba Squad flexed its prowess. Then, COVID happened. The 2020 shutdown arrived with spectacularly bad timing for Kirilloff, derailing his rapid ascent toward the majors and forcing him to spend his summer toiling away at the Twins' alternate site in St. Paul, where he blew people away with his hitting displays. Kirilloff impressed enough to earn big-league promotion in the middle of the AL Wild Card series, an almost unprecedented move in MLB history. The Twins, facing elimination and desperate for an offensive spark, called Kirilloff up for Game 2 and he delivered, stroking a single in his second at-bat and becoming the first player ever to record his first hit in the playoffs. THAT will be a lasting memory. Over the seasons that followed, a similar pattern played out for Kirilloff with the Twins: He'd have a stretch of outstanding performance that would give way to a slump, then we'd later learn that he was battling through an injury that majorly inhibited his production. And yeah, those stretches were annoying, because ultimately Kirilloff was doing nobody any favors by trying to fight through these issues and playing at vastly below 100 percent. The last of these incidents was particularly vexing at the time, drawing ire from team officials and fans alike, because the 2024 Twins offense really went in the tank while Kirilloff silently struggled. But now, looking back at the totality of his career journey? I can't find myself feeling anything other than empathy and understanding. Kirilloff was trying to live his dream, only to have forces outside of his control repeatedly conspire against him. He did all he could to rise above and overcome each tribulation, only to have another thrown his way. Kirilloff was famous among teammates for his stoic demeanor, well earned from the arduous path he traveled. “You never see him smile,” Byron Buxton said back in 2021. “He’s serious." That's why it was so much fun when, during a two-homer game that showcased Kirilloff's prodigious talent that season, Nelson Cruz smushed the rookie's cheeks and pointed him toward the camera with a grin. THAT will be a lasting memory. Injuries have sadly controlled the narrative for the Minnesota Twins and their brightest talents over the past couple of decades. But we don't have to let them control the way we think back and remember these talents. Focus not on what could have been, but instead on what was. Alex Kirilloff was a special player. What will be your lasting memories of Kirilloff and his time in the Twins organization? Sound off in the comments. View full article

He appears to be the de facto 2025 starter at this point, despite having made just 12 starts at first base for the Twins over the past two seasons. How comfortable do the Twins feel with this arrangement? How comfortable should they feel? Image courtesy of Eric Canha-Imagn Images One thing I really enjoy about writing for the audience here at Twins Daily is that we have a lot of smart, well informed readers who often challenge my thinking in ways that cause me to at least reconsider my views. One such example played out last week, when I shared a series of notes and thoughts on the offseason, and opined that first base is one of the clearest holes on the roster. "José Miranda is not an option as primary starter, or shouldn't be," I argued. It was a sentiment that received pushback from several people in the comments. Their points were fair. And if I'm being honest, the odds of Miranda being Opening Day starter at first base are probably higher than I initially portrayed, so it's a subject worth exploring more deeply. Let's break down the merits of José Miranda as Plan A at first base for 2025. First, I'll outline the case against, in my mind. There are three factors that make it difficult for me to envision the Twins being comfortable with Miranda as their primary starter at first going into next season: He looked very bad defensively at first base as a rookie in 2022, and the team has shown little interest in playing him there since. Of his 182 games started between majors and minors the past two years, only 24 have been at first. The Twins NEED to get better in the field. It was a clear and critical flaw for their team this past season, biting them repeatedly at crucial moments. This factor compounds the shortcomings of Miranda defensively at first base, a position where I believe Rocco Baldelli and the Twins hold effective glovework to be of particularly high importance. Finally, it's just hard to feel super confident Miranda is going to hit. While he enjoyed a scorching midsummer hot streak in 2024, much like he did in 2022, he waned down the stretch and finished the year hurt. Miranda hit zero home runs in the second half and batted .196 in September. This isn't meant as a long-term indictment on Miranda. He's still only 26. It's very possible he will eventually be a bat and glove that the Twins can fully trust at first base. But the reality is that up to this point he's played 286 games in the majors, making more than 1,000 plate appearances, and he has produced just 1.8 fWAR total. For me, the idea of handing a guy in his situation the Opening Day starting job at first base, an offense-driven position where the Twins could really use some standout production, felt like a nonstarter. But plenty of people disagree, especially in light of the limited resources at play for the front office. So let's examine that side of the argument. It's very possible that I'm exaggerating in my own mind Miranda's defensive deficiencies at first base. I know he was unequivocally terrible during his most extensive usage there in 2022, but that was then. Though we haven't had a chance to see him play a whole lot of first since, he's graded out better in the small sample, and it's plausible he's made strides behind the scenes as well. Out of curiosity, I asked my followers on Twitter whether they'd be comfortable with Miranda as primary first baseman next year from a defensive perspective. To my surprise, the yeses outnumbered the nos by nearly two to one. Even if Miranda isn't expected to be great first baseman, you can make the argument that first base is a position where being merely capable is fine. While you're involved in a lot of plays, a good majority of them are pretty routine. At 6-foot-2, he has the size to offer a solid target radius for infielders. So let's talk about the bat. Clearly Miranda has the upside to profile as a quality hitter at first base, or even an elite one. It's just a question of how much he can be counted on to sustainably harness that ability. He had a .299/.340/.472 line heading into September last year. You'd happily take that at first, even when accompanied by mediocre defense. His final OPS+ of 112, even with the season-ending slump incorporated, represents the kind of above-average production you're looking for at a bat-first position. And Miranda has a .306/.363/.489 career slash line at Triple-A. For a good portion of the season, Miranda was one of Minnesota's best hitters. His final numbers were dragged down by that late drop-off, which was clearly affected by injury. It's not overly optimistic to believe, or at least hope, the lower back strain will fully clear up during the offseason and he'll finally pull it all together at age 27 in 2025. In fact, it's the sort of thing that the Twins front office has little choice but to put their faith in. At the end of the day, I think this is probably the most convincing argument to be made in favor of going with Miranda as first baseman in 2025. We can all acknowledge that ideally the team might add at least another Carlos Santana type stopgap so that they aren't entirely dependent on Miranda rebounding from his second half at the plate and holding his own defensively. But the Twins can't afford much in the way of luxuries. Given ownership's financial impositions, the front office is going to really have to pick their battles in terms of where they can add and upgrade this offseason. I felt strongly that first base was one spot they'd prioritize over perhaps any other. I still feel that way to an extent, but after thinking it through more deeply, I can certainly give credence to the opposite view. Miranda is a talent worth betting on. It's going to be interesting to track. Following the retirement of Alex Kirilloff, first base is among the most intriguing decision points on the roster this offseason. View full article

I agree that they didn't used to prioritize 1B defense, in the days of Cron and Sano. But I get the impression they've changed their view in recent years. They spent a good chunk of their available resources the past two offseasons on Joey Gallo and Carlos Santana, largely because of their gloves at 1B. They were open about that. This year they saw the impact that Santana's defense had all season long, saving runs time and time again. They know they need to get sharper defensively. And after all that, they're gonna run out Miranda – a verifiably poor defender thus far with like a dozen games of 1B experience the past couple years – to try and corral throws from Lewis and Julien or what have you? I just don't see it. I could well be wrong. The points yall are making are definitely valid.

I didn't say he was unplayable there. Just that he shouldn't be viewed as the Plan A starter at first base next year -- based partially on his defensive aptitude, partially on the way this team values good defense at 1B, and partially on his lack of power at the plate. He had zero home runs in the second half! This isn't necessarily an indictment of his long-term outlook, but Miranda still has a lot to prove before being handed the reins as an Opening Day first baseman on a team that wants to contend. I don't know why that's treated as some sort of anti-Miranda bias, it's just reality. He's played almost 300 major-league games and produced less than 2 WAR total. He hasn't shown the ability to be productive for more than a few weeks at a time. I don't know that there currently is a plan but I do think they will strongly prioritize finding a more experienced and natural first baseman to slot ahead of him, at least for the start of the season. Maybe they'll come up empty. But I would be shocked if they're saying right now, "We're fine at first base, we got Miranda."

He made 12 starts there this year. I don't think that's a meaningful sample to analyze. He also made zero starts there in 2023, when their primary starter was Donovan Solano, which says a lot to me about how the Twins view him. I don't think people in the org would tell you they feel confident in Miranda's glove at 1B, outside of the occasional spot start or maybe as the RH in a platoon role.

Is it considered some sort of radical position that Miranda is a terrible first baseman? I'm actually kind of blown away by the idea that anyone would be comfortable with him as starter 1A there next year. It seems pretty clear to me the Twins soured on him big-time at the position.