Seth Stohs

Yeah, I included Fermin in the catcher spot just because Perez played a lot of 1B and DH and Fermin should probably catch more in 2025. For the other teams, I just had one and included one in the bench (to be posted on Tuesday). As far as 1B, I see little reason for them to go after anyone there. I mean, Pete Alonso isn't an option. I think I'd rather take my chances on one, if not both, Miranda and Julien hitting like we know they can. They already added Gasper, Mike Ford, and brought back Yunior Severino.

I think DFAing Camargo would be a mistake. He is the one catcher other than the two starters that is essentially ready to play. Cartaya is probably at least a half-season away, maybe a full year. Gasper's an emergency catcher probably only. Could they pass Canterino through waivers? Maybe, but I doubt it. I sure wouldn't. Henriquez - too much potential. Helman - too versatile, with the ability to hit and field and run. Gasper - in my mind, he'd probably be first, followed closely by Tonkin. But DFAing Gasper would mean getting rid of the still-high potential of Jovani Moran.

I think trading Willi Castro is something that could happen. Helman can hit just as well as Castro, probably run as well and defend as well... but for $740K rather than $6.4M. I can certainly see Helman being a DFA option, but that would be unfortunate.

I actually agree that he's shown an ability to be a solid reliever in a couple of roles. Hasn't been consistent in AAA, much less MLB, but he's still so young and has electric stuff. My comment would be that if he is "fascinating" and "could blossom into a bona fide high-leverage reliever," then why would they consider DFAing him?

The Minnesota Twins' offseason has been pretty uneventful, but it isn’t as if the other AL Central teams are making big moves to push and pressure them. Let’s look at the projected starters for the five teams, starting with the infielders and catchers. Image courtesy of Colt Keith (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images), Jose Ramirez (© David Dermer-Imagn Images), Bobby Witt Jr (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images), Royce Lewis (© Peter Aiken-Imagn Images), Andrew Vaughn (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images) As I considered how to go about writing this series of articles looking at the AL Central rosters to see how the Twins stack up against the other teams, I realized that it has the potential to be really long. And I don’t want to do that to you, especially knowing that rosters will likely change at least a little bit over the next six to eight weeks. So I plan on splitting it into three or four parts; Infielders/Catchers, Outfielders/DH/Bench, Starting Pitchers, Relief Pitchers. Below, I’ll go position-by-position and post who I think will be the starter. With the name, I’ll include their fWAR from 2024. At that point, I will add a couple of sentences with thoughts on the position, but I also want to leave it to your opinion and how you choose to rank the five teams at each spot, and ultimately how to rank the five teams as a whole. Hopefully, this series can generate some good discussions. Catchers Twins: Ryan Jeffers (1.7) Guardians: Bo Naylor (1.6) Royals: Salvador Perez (3.2), Freddy Fermin (1.9) Tigers: Jake Rogers (2.2) White Sox: Kyle Teel (played in minors) There are a couple of extremes in this grouping. I don’t know if Kyle Teel will make his MLB debut right away on Opening Day, but the Top 25 overall prospect who came to Chicago in the Sox-on-Sox trade involving Garrett Crochet reached Triple A a year ago and is very close. If he starts in the minors, Omar Narváez will likely get some more service time. On the other side is Salvador Perez, who I believe is going into his 37th season with the Royals. But he just continues to put up numbers. He will likely DH more and maybe even get some more time at first base, but it is noteworthy to see how well Freddy Fermin did in his opportunity. Jake Rogers had a down season. Bo Naylor will have to play without his brother, but having defensive whiz Austin Hedges to work with will certainly be helpful. And I’m biased, but when Ryan Jeffers is on, I’d put him with anyone in this group. First Base Twins: José Miranda (1.1) Guardians: Carlos Santana (3.0) Royals: Vinnie Pasquantino (1.5) Tigers: Colt Keith (1.8) White Sox: Andrew Vaughn (-0.2) This offseason, the Twins lost Carlos Santana to his original team and Alex Kirilloff to injury-induced early retirement. For this exercise, I have José Miranda at first base, and you could put names like Edouard Julien, Mickey Gasper and others in for the Twins. We’ve seen the upside for both Miranda and Julien, and if they can perform near that level, the Twins will be happy. Santana had a remarkable season in 2024 for the Twins. He won his first Gold Glove Award and was a solid offensive contributor. Pasquantino has all the talent, but he has missed some time with injuries. He takes his walks and has the power you look for at this position. The Tigers recently noted that Colt Keith will move over to first base to accommodate Gleyber Torres's arrival. What does that mean for former top pick Spencer Torkelson, his present and his future with the Tigers? Andrew Vaughn took over at first base when José Abreu left the South Side. I think it’s fair to say that, at least, Vaughn has been better than Abreu, but he’s really struggled. He should be traded, and could perform better with a better team around him. Second Base Twins: Brooks Lee (-0.3) Guardians: Angel Martinez (0.0) Royals: Jonathan India (2.8) Tigers: Gleyber Torres (1.7) White Sox: Lenyn Sosa (0.1) I placed Brooks Lee at second base. It’s possible that he and Royce Lewis could change places, but I went this direction. He was underwhelming in his injury-plagued partial rookie season, but I doubt any evaluators worry much about his ability to hit in the long term. Martinez (or someone) will need to replace Andrés Giménez, who was traded to Toronto. The Platinum Glove defender has struggled offensively. I still think that Cleveland will sign Jorge Polanco to play second base for a year. Speaking of trades, the Royals traded Brady Singer to Cincinnati and brought back Jonathan India, the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year. He should provide the Royals with an on-base guy at the top of the order, a missing ingredient for them in 2024. The Tigers added Torres on a one-year deal. It was clear the Yankees had no interest in bringing him back, but it could be a very nice signing for Detroit. Third Base Twins: Royce Lewis (1.2) Guardians: José Ramírez (6.5) Royals: Maikel García (1.1) Tigers: Jace Jung (0.1) White Sox: Brooks Baldwin (0.1) José Ramírez is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He has been an All-Star in six of the past seven seasons. He’s finished in the Top 6 in MVP voting six times in the past eight seasons, including three top-3 finishes. The 32-year-old is signed through the 2028 season. A typical Ramírez season, I think, remains what we Twins fans believe Royce Lewis can do if he is able to play a full season and realize his upside. Consider: in Lewis's MLB career, he has played in 152 games and has been worth 4.0 fWAR, with 27 doubles, 33 homers and 104 RBIs. That's even with his late-season struggles in 2024. The sky remains the limit. Jace Jung was a top-50ish prospect, but it will be interesting to see if the Tigers are able to add Alex Bregman. Maikel García is a nice player for Kansas City, although pushing him down the lineup with the addition of India will help him. And someone has to play third base for the White Sox. Shortstop Twins: Carlos Correa (4.3) Guardians: Brayan Rocchio (1.1) Royals: Bobby Witt, Jr (10.4) Tigers: Trey Sweeney (0.4) White Sox: Colson Montgomery In 2024, Carlos Correa was well on his way to his best season since 2021, or 2017, or 2016. Unfortunately, plantar fasciitis cost him about 10 weeks of game action in the second half of the season. He was on his way to a 7-8 WAR season. And that would have been about 2.0 WAR less than what Royals shortstop Bobby Witt accrued in 2024. If not for Aaron Judge’s crazy numbers, Bobby Witt would have been the easy MVP choice. The 24-year-old fills up a stat sheet like few others. He played 161 games, led the league with a .332 average, and had a .977 OPS. He also led the league with 211 hits, including 45 doubles, 11 triples and 32 homers. He stole 31 bases and won both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove. Equally important, I believe he has taken over the top spot in my personal favorite non-Twins player to watch, taking the mantle from Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, who stole it three or four years ago from Francisco Lindor. Last season, the Royals paid him just $2 million in the first year of an 11-year, $288,777,777 contract that could keep him in Kansas City through the 2034 season (though he can opt out after 2030). SHould he stick around that long, the club has an option that could keep him there through the 2037 season. Bryan Rocchio is a fantastic defensive shortstop for Cleveland. Sweeney came to the Tigers in a mid-season trade, and he ended up taking over at shortstop for Javier Baez. It will be very interesting to see what AJ Hinch does at shortstop over the next couple of seasons. Colson Montgomery has been a Top 100 prospect at times and could debut in 2025. Summary At the beginning, I made the note that you should think through how you would want to rank each of these positions. Maybe you even want to consider degrees in 'better than'. Just for fun, I tried two exercises. The first chart simply ranks the teams, with "1" being the best player at each position, "2" being second best, and "5" being the worst of the group. In this case, you can see how the teams rank (at these positions) with the lowest total being the best. The second chart simply is a chart in which you get to divvy up 10.0 points for each position. Depending on how detailed you want to get, you can use whole numbers, as I did in the first two rows, or use fractions like in the last three rows. In my example, I have given Bobby Witt (Royals SS) five of the 10 available points. The intent for these is to see where each team's strengths and weaknesses may be relative to the rest of the division. As you know, it's all a matter of opinion. Even projections are calculated opinions and guesses. So, have some fun with this and make it your own. If you think Bobby Witt should get all 10 points, that's totally up to you. Or make up your own system of rank and comparison. Think you have a good system? Share it in the comments for us to all try. Even if you don't formalize your rankings in a chart, please leave a comment below with how you would rank the positions. Who would make your All-AL Central Preseason First Team? Check back in coming days for the outfielders/DH/Bench and then the pitchers. View full article

Looks like no Twins will be heading to Arbitrations Cases... which is good. Nice work by Doogie Wolfson and Dan Hayes to beat the national guys on most of these.

That is a risk I would take every day of the year. A Former Top prospect from a top development organization coming off a tough year at Triple-A at age 23 for a DSL pitcher.

They've named his position... assistant player development. Essentially, I believe, he's taking Julio Borbon's job (he left a few weeks ago to become the Brewers 1B coach). My assumption is he'll be working throughout spring training and then get time at all of the affiliates, maybe a little extra in Venezuela, and he'll get plenty of office time too. The Twins have a 3B coach. This has nothing to do with that.

The A's continue to spend some money. Late tonight, we learned that our old friend Brent Rooker has agreed to a 5-year, $60 million extension. It essentially buys out his three arbitration seasons and two years of free agency. There is also a vesting option for a sixth season at $22 million. The A's will play in Sacramento the next three years before moving to Las Vegas. Read more here. On a personal level, I couldn't be more excited. Such a great dude, hard worker, studies the game, studies hitting, knows himself...

It's been a quiet offseason for the Twins and their fans, but what does that mean for the 2025 Twins roster? Is there enough talent and depth to compete in the AL Central? Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images It has been a painfully slow offseason for the Minnesota Twins and their fans. Aside from the basic, offseason business (40-man roster decisions, Rule 5, arbitration), the Twins have made a handful of minor-league signings and one trade. That’s it. So, if you’re a Twins fan like me, I’m sure you’re often asked, “Are they going to do anything this offseason?” In the early years of the Derek Falvey Era, the answer would have been, “Certainly.” It may not have always happened before February, but the Twins were active, even in some price range sections that they previously had not shopped in. Fans understand that there is a budget, but with Falvey, the sense was that he pushed that every year. Until last year when ownership insisted that he cut $30-35 million from the payroll. And now this offseason, the goal is to remain pretty similar to 2024, if not down just a little bit. We have seen free agents such as Max Kepler, Kyle Farmer, Caleb Thielbar, and Carlos Santana sign elsewhere as free agents. Even guys like Diego Castillo (the pitcher), Steven Okert, Matt Bowman, Caleb Boushley, Jay Jackson have signed elsewhere while Manuel Margot is still unsigned. The Twins did bring back Scott Blewett and Daniel Duarte on minor-league deals though. Alex Kirilloff abruptly retired. But that doesn’t mean that the cupboard is bare. Honestly, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean that the team can’t compete to return to the playoffs in 2025. What might the Twins Opening Day roster look like if the season had to start today? Note: the season doesn’t actually start for nearly three months, so assume that the Twins will have a few more transactions by then. Starting Rotation (5): RHP Pablo Lopez, RHP Bailey Ober, RHP Joe Ryan, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Chris Paddack Summary: Pablo Lopez is a borderline ace. His salary jumps precipitously in 2025, but with some of the offseason free agent pitcher signings, it appears that the Twins were wise to lock him up nearly two years ago. Bailey Ober continues to improve. He has pitched quite well since he was first called up to the big leagues. He is in his first year of arbitration. So is Joe Ryan who also has continued to get better and make adjustments since his debut. Unfortunately, he missed the final six weeks of the season but should be on track to return by opening day. Simeon Woods Richardson came on early last season and did not give up his rotation spot. He made his starts and he showed some signs that he can be a mid-rotation starter. And, I’ve included Chris Paddack here for now as well even though rumors are that the Twins may want to trade him. When healthy, he can provide some quality innings. He just hasn’t been healthy since joining the Twins. Next In Line: RHP David Festa, RHP Zebby Matthews David Festa came up and also showed signs of high potential starting stuff. He’s got the pitches and generally throws strikes. He will just need to be more consistent with them Zebby Matthews began the 2024 season with the High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels. He dominated his way through the system, and by mid-August made his debut. Certainly he was rushed a little quicker than they may have wanted, but the stuff is there. He could use time in St. Paul to continue developing, but these two are ready when needed. Others on the 40-man roster: RHP Travis Adams, LHP Brent Headrick, RHP Marco Raya. Others in the upper levels: RHP Andrew Morris, RHP Cory Lewis, RHP Huascar Ynoa, RHP Randy Dobnak, LHP Christian MacLeod, RHP C.J. Culpepper, RHP Kyle Jones, RHP Pierson Ohl. Bullpen (8): RHP Jhoan Duran, RHP Griffin Jax, RHP Cole Sands, LHP Kody Funderburk, RHP Jorge Alcala, RHP Justin Topa, RHP Michael Tonkin, RHP Eiberson Castellano (Rule 5), RHP Brock Stewart (IL) Summary: Duran may have had a down season, but the potential remains for him to be dominant at the end of games. Remember, he began the season on the IL. Meanwhile, Jax became one of the best relief pitchers in all of baseball. Could he return to starting? Maybe. Cole Sands was the most improved Twins player in 2024. He turned question marks into exclamation points and looks to continue to gain confidence. Jorge Alcala had his option picked up and at times looked like a late-inning option. Justin Topa missed nearly the full 2024 season with a knee injury, but the Twins signed him, Tonkin and Stewart to provide some veteran bullpen options. With Caleb Thielbar signing in Chicago, Funderburk is one of just two lefty pitchers on the 40-man roster. I have Eiberson Castellano on the roster, working as a long reliever, since he was the team’s Rule 5 pick. He has to remain on the roster all season or offered back to his original team. Next In Line: RHP Louie Varland, RHP Ronny Henriquez, LHP Brent Headrick, RHP Scott Blewett. Louie Varland is a big leaguer. No question about that in my mind, and he could be dominant out of the bullpen. I think he should be on the Opening Day roster, but for now I have them keeping Tonkin and Castellano on the roster so as not to lose them. Henriquez showed at times last year that he can be a really good, multi-inning reliever in the big leagues. And, Headrick could start or relieve. He’s the other lefty on the 40-man roster. He missed most of the 2024 season with a forearm injury but returned late in the year. And, my advice would be not to give up on Matt Canterino. He has tremendous stuff and a great attitude, and what a story it will be when he gets an opportunity in the big leagues! Others on the 40-man roster: Matt Canterino . Others in the Upper levels: RHP Daniel Duarte, RHP Darren McCaughan, LHP Jaylen Nowlin, RHP Kyle Bischoff, RHP Ryan Jensen, RHP John Stankiewicz, RHP Michael Martinez, LHP Aaron Rozek, RHP Cody Laweryson, Catchers (2): Ryan Jeffers, Christian Vazquez Summary: If I’m in charge, I would try hard to lock up Jeffers to a four-plus year contract extension. While he hasn’t always been consistent from month to month, he provides solid offense, include 20-homer power. The Twins have reportedly tried to trade Vazquez for awhile, but they won’t get anything in return without eating some of his contract, in which case, they might as well just keep him. That said Jair Camargo is ready to roll. Next in Line: Jair Camargo. Camargo has provided a powerful bat for the Saints the past two seasons, and he is a solid backstop with strong communication and leadership skills. He could handle the backup role. And, while he has been a catcher in the minor leagues, newly-acquired Mickey Gasper is really more of a DH/1B than a catcher. That said, if his bat is good, and he could play adequate first base or second base, he’s fine as the #3/emergency catcher. Others on 40-man roster: Mickey Gasper Others in the Upper levels: Patrick Winkel, Ricardo Olivar, Noah Cardenas, Andrew Cossetti, Alex Isola, Infielders (6): Jose Miranda, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, Edouard Julien, Willi Castro Summary: We know that Carlos Correa will be the team’s shortstop anytime he is healthy. We know that Royce Lewis will start at one of the infield positions, second base or third base, when he is healthy. For Lewis, I think it’s only fair to pick a position in spring training and go with it rather than have him bounce around. I believe that the Twins should look to lock up Brooks Lee long-term right now and hand him the position that Lewis doesn’t play. Willi Castro can play all three of those infield positions as well as at least two outfield spots. That leaves the big question mark at first base. With Carlos Santana going back to Cleveland and Alex Kirilloff retiring, who will play first base? For me, I would ask Justin Morneau to be at spring training nearly every day and work with Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien on first base defense every single day. Invite Mickey Gasper and Yunior Severino and Mike Ford. Aaron Sabato can be there, and so can Luke Keaschall. We have seen the kind of impact that Miranda and Julien can have on the offense when they are going well. Next in Line: Mickey Gasper, Michael Helman If the Twins were to play Edouard Julien and Jose Miranda at first base and DH, then having Gasper on the roster as the #3 catcher and the backup first baseman can make some sense. Michael Helman has played a lot of minor league games at second base, third base, shortstop, and all three outfield positions. There is a ton of value in that, especially if Willi Castro remains an everyday player. Others on 40-man roster: Mickey Gasper, Michael Helman Others in the upper levels: Mike Ford, Yunior Severino, Aaron Sabato, Ben Ross, Payton Eeles, Jorel Ortega, Jake Rucker, Tanner Schobel, Luke Keaschall, Anthony Prato, Outfielders (5): Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, Austin Martin, DaShawn Keirsey Summary: For nearly a decade, we have been able to play Max Kepler’s name in this group. His contract ran out and he recently signed with the Phillies. However, the Twins have some talented outfielders who, frankly, outperformed Kepler last year. It starts with Byron Buxton who returned to center field last year and surpassed 100 games played. Flanking Buxton will be a couple of lefty-hitting corner outfielders in Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner. Both have had success and did so in 2024. Both are ready to take another big step forward in 2025. All three are first-round picks. So was Austin Martin who debuted early in the 2024 season and showed his athleticism in the outfield and on the base paths. He could be a platoon option in left field. He’s got a good eye at the plate. And DaShawn Keirsey’s speed and defense alone should give him a chance. He can play all three outfield spots including a strong centerfield. And, his offensive numbers in 2024 show what kind of stat line filler he can be. Next in Line: Michael Helman, Emmanuel Rodriguez As noted above, Helman’s utility make him a valuable player in the organization. Along with the ability to play six defensive positions pretty well, he has raked in St. Paul the last couple of seasons, and he can steal bases. Emmanuel Rodriguez is a Top 25 prospect in all of baseball, and he’s been putting up offensive numbers since his pro debut in 2021. He missed a lot of time last year with a hand/wrist injury but still put up numbers when he was on the field and ended his season in St. Paul. Others on the 40-man roster: Michael Helman, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Others in the Upper levels: Allan Cerda, Kala’i Rosario, Walker Jenkins, Anthony Prato, Carson McCusker, Will Holland, Jeferson Morales, Kyler Fedko. Potential Lineup vs RHP: Brooks Lee 2B, Carlos Correa SS, Trevor Larnach LF, Royce Lewis 3B, Byron Buxton CF, Matt Wallner RF, Edouard Julien 1B, Ryan Jeffers C, Willi Castro DH. Potential Lineup vs LHP: Byron Buxton CF, Carlos Correa SS, Royce Lewis 3B, Ryan Jeffers C, Jose Miranda 1B, Brooks Lee 2B, Austin Martin LF, Matt Wallner/Trevor Larnach RF, Willi Castro DH. So what do you think? In my opinion, there remains an awful lot of talent on the roster. Players lost this offseason can be replaced by players with more upside. The top three starters are all very exciting, and there is some depth for starting pitchers with guys who have some big league innings under their belts now, or should be debuting in 2025. View full article

This is the most important statistic for both of them! Gonzalez started the season at age 19 in High A. (same with De Andrade and others). Yasser Mercedes overall numbers are solid, but if you just look at his FCL numbers, they're remarkable. He just happened to move up to Fort Myers for like 2 weeks and struggled mightily. But his athleticism is unreal. He'll be fine.

OK, I was randomly thinking about the Covid season and that I had created 3-4 Minnesota Twins Jeopardy games. I have enjoyed looking back at them. I think you will too. Having looked back, I realize that these were from the offseason AFTER the 2020 Covid season. #1: https://jeopardylabs.com/play/twins-daily-offseason-jeopardy #2: I can't find #2. It's also possible I jumped from 1-3. I don't know. #3: https://jeopardylabs.com/play/twins-daily-minnesota-twins-jeopardy-3 #4: https://jeopardylabs.com/play/minnesota-twins-jeopardy-4 Would you like to see more stuff like this?

It's time to see what the Top 5 articles of 2024 were at Twins Daily. I sense a pattern. Over the past several days, we have been counting down the Top 25 most-viewed articles in 2024. As I've written, I personally really enjoy looking back and seeing what our readers most enjoyed and what articles brought people to the site. I think that you will notice an interesting trend in the top five. If you have missed any of the previous installments, check them out here: Part 1: 21-25 Part 2: 16-20 Part 3: 11-15 Part 4: 6-10 #5: Twins Prepping Audra Martin to Make Pivotal Start Against Guardians Lou Hennessy August 8 Twins fans have enjoyed seeing Audra Martin reporting before and during Twins games. Her postgame interviews are great. Her interviews with fans at their first Twins game are great. Her in-game interviews with the parents of players making their MLB debuts are amazing. She joined the Moorhead Orchestra and played the National Anthem with her fiddle before a game a few years ago. In early August, she brought the house down when she sang ‘God Bless America’ at Target Field. However, with the Twins needing a starter for a huge series against the Guardians in mid-August, Rocco Baldelli and Pete Maki strongly contemplated turning to Martin to make a crucial start. While clicking around the rabbit holes of YouTube, they found a video of a Catch with Audra segment. Strong arm. Good mechanics. Athletic. Good control. They were also aware of her love of hockey and figured she must have a ‘tough guy’ mentality. Ultimately, the Twins used a combination of David Festa and Zebby Matthews. Even Ronny Henriquez and Steven Okert got starts. Maybe going with Audra would have been a good idea. “I just want to help the team however I can. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to make a breakthrough here,” she said as she turned back to her microscope, where she has been researching a cure for cancer. “It’s all in a day’s work.” #4: Twins Apologize for New Sing-a-Long Song RandBalls Stu April 12 Those that have gone to Target Field in recent years know that during the 7th inning stretch, Take Me Out to the Ballgame is played. Later, a crowd-picked song plays and fans sing and dance in an attempt to get on the big screen. The songs can be across genres, but they are known to all audience members. According to RandBalls Stu, the team’s in-game production staff hoped to add some new options. A couple were tried out, and one song in particular created quite the fire storm. #3: With TV Rights in Flux, Twins Close Target Field to Spectators and Media RandBalls Stu May 3 “The best way to experience Twins baseball is with the mind’s eye,” said a team spokesperson. “That’s why we’re closing Target Field to all spectators and media, effective immediately.” As more and more fans (specifically Comcast subscribers at the time of this article) were unable to watch, it became important for us to put RandBalls Stu on the case and see what he could find out. Being fair is really important, and if some Twins fans can’t watch their favorite team, maybe the ‘right’ thing to do was to not let anyone see the games. No fans. No media. No TV or radio. “As for how fans can follow the team going forward, the spokesperson said, ‘The oral tradition predates the printing press. Stories will travel from person to person, strengthening the bonds of family and enriching our neighborhoods. If you want to know if Austin Martin is getting called up, put down your phone and ask someone.’” #2: On Royce Lewis, Quadriceps Strain, and the Twins’ Options Lucas Seehafer March 29 Opening Day in Kansas City. First at-bat of the season for Royce Lewis? A home run. Second at-bat of the season? Solid single. Unfortunately, Carlos Correa followed with a double. Lewis took off, hoping to score on the play. Unfortunately, he pulled up at third base limping. He came out of the game with a quadriceps injury that cost him about six weeks. Lucas has been writing at Twins Daily for several seasons. In his “real” job, he is a professor and a physical therapist. When there are injuries, we really appreciate him letting us know what we need to know about the injury. What happened? What happened to the body part? What does the diagnosis or grade of injury mean in practical terms. What is a typical return timeline from that injury, and how or why could that vary? #1: Congress Votes to Shut Down Cleveland Guardians Until We Can All Figure Out What’s Going On RandBalls Stu June 28 Every year, it seems as if Twins fans look at the Cleveland Guardians roster, and aside from Jose Ramirez in the lineup and a Tanner Bibee or Shane Bieber in the pitching staff, they never seem like a clear-cut top team in the division. And yet every year, there they are, at or near the top of the division. I’ve mentioned several times that from mid-April through the end of July, the Twins had one of the top records in MLB. And yet they were barely able to make up any ground against Cleveland. In late June, RandBalls Stu wrote about the government investigating the Guardians and trying to figure out what was happening. “‘There’s no way their record can be that good,’ said (Amy) Klobuchar. ‘We’ll get to the bottom of it.’” There you have it. The Top 25 most-viewed articles of 2024. What does it mean that four of the top five articles were satirical? Do we normally just take things too seriously and people just want to have fun with it all? As always, we appreciate RandBalls Stu, and “Sweet Lou” Hennessy has added several really good pieces as well. Happy New Year to all! View full article

Today, we jump into the Top 10 most-viewed articles of 2024. It is probably fair to say that this collection of articles represents the season pretty well. Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler clearly had a lot of fans in the Twins organization and among Twins fandom. With 15-16 years in the organization, seeing them heading elsewhere certainly has an effect on readers. Player leaving. Ownership cutting payroll significantly. Hoping for a new television deal, and then going back to Bally's. It was a tough year for the Twins and their fans in 2024. But that doesn't mean there weren't lots of positives. Let's see if any positive articles fell into our Top 10 Most-Viewed Twins Daily articles this year. #10: Max Kepler: A Minnesota Twins Era Nearing Its End Cody Christie August 22 16 seasons is a long time. Max Kepler signed with the Twins as a 16-year-old in 2009 out of Germany. Recently, he signed a one-year contract with the Phillies. The 31-year-old literally spent over half of his life employed by the organization. He made his debut for the Twins in 2016 and spent parts of nine seasons in the big leagues before becoming a free agent this offseason. In late August, he was clearly injured and played just six more games before going on the Injured List. Cody looked back again at his time with the Twins, on and off the field. He had moments of greatness, and generally was steady. It is just unfortunate that he needed to miss so much time late in his time with the Twins. #9: Minnesota Twins Acquire Outfielder Manuel Margot from Dodgers in 3-Player Trade Seth Stohs February 26 The Twins were looking for a backup outfielder, preferably right-handed, and able to play all three outfield positions including centerfield. They clearly had a number that they were willing to spend on that position, and rather than go with a free agent, the Twins made a trade. The Twins sent minor-league Gold Glove shortstop Noah Miller, a first-round pick in 2021 from high school in Wisconsin, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In return, the Twins received veteran outfielder Manuel Margot. Essentially, the Twins paid him $4 million for the season. He played in 129 games, the most since 2019 with the Padres. He started slow. Over the first two months, his OPS was below .530. He posted an .839 OPS in 22 games in June. He was brought in to play primarily against left-handed pitchers. In 172 plate appearances, he had a .540 OPS against right-handers. In 171 plate appearances against southpaws, he had a .713 OPS. When he started against a left-handed starter, his OPS was .846 (.422 vs. RHP). In a completely random, fluky stat, he went 0-for-30 in pinch hitting opportunities. He became a free agent after the season. In my personal opinion, this trade has the potential to be a very good deal for the Twins. In addition to Margot, the Twins received 21-year-old infielder Rayne Doncon from the Dodgers. He split the season between Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids and hit a combined 24 doubles and 11 homers in 2024. #8: The Jorge Polanco Trade Fails the Simplest of Tests John Bonnes January 30 The Jorge Polanco trade news article showed up in our Top 20 most-viewed articles. Obviously dealing a guy who spent 15 years in the organization will be a big deal. In the top 10 is an article from The Geek with his opinion of the trade a day or two later. Generally speaking, I think he was just fine with the return they got for Polanco. They got a top 100 prospect, an intriguing pitching prospect, a very solid reliever, and an oft-injured starting pitcher who has had some success in the past. However, he believed (and most would agree) that it made the 2024 Twins worse. On the other hand, the Twins added a reliever and two quality prospects for one year of Polanco and could play Edouard Julien everyday at second base. 11 months later, this trade ultimately had no (or very little) impact on the 2024 Twins or Mariners. Polanco was hurt some and when healthy, struggled to hit above the Mendoza Line. DeSclafani didn’t pitch at all, and Justin Topa only pitched in three games all season due to a knee injury, and that was on the final weekend. Gabriel Gonzalez and Darren Bowen remain solid prospects, though with less luster when they were acquired. Long-term, they could help the Twins on the field or even in another trade. Topa will be back with the team in 2025. #7: Twins Could Swing Blockbuster with Red Sox Ted Schwerzler January 17 We heard the Twins were going to lower payroll. We heard the Red Sox were also going to try to lower their payroll as well. However, none of us was willing to fully believe it. Instead we continued to think through and speculate potential deals and trades that could work for both teams. The Twins were believed to be looking to move Christian Vazquez and his contract. The Red Sox were said to be shopping Kenley Jansen. No such deal was ever made, and of course we have no way to know if any such conversations were ever had. Probably not. Vazquez had another year that certainly wasn’t worth anywhere near $10 million. Jansen had another very solid season with a solid 3.29 ERA and a very good 1.06 WHIP. His 10.2 K/9 was in line with his numbers in recent years. #6: The Twins are Killing Their Brand and It’s Brutal to Watch Nick Nelson May 7 Before the 2023 season, the Twins named Joe Pohlad as their new public-facing owner. Fans thought the family’s third generation might run things a little differently. And, when Carlos Correa came back to the Twins with a $200 million contract, there was reason to believe. The 2023 payroll was well above its payroll had ever been, and we all hoped that might be a number that could continue to rise. The 2023 season saw the Twins not only win the division title, but they won their first playoff game and first playoff series in two decades. Fan excitement was as high as it had been in probably 20 years. When their season ended, so did their deal with Bally Sports/Diamond Sports. The hope was that they might be able to score a big, new TV contract. Grace! (Those who listen to the Crime in Sports podcast know what that means!) At that point, Derek Falvey talked openly about the payroll being reduced “substantially.” Over time, we learned that could be cut by as much as $35 million. Then news came that they had taken a one-year deal with Diamond Sports for less money and with them fighting bankruptcy. Would they actually get the money? And if they did, and didn’t spend it on players, the owners would just have more money. Either way, fans who had not been able to view games on TV still couldn’t in 2024. And this article was in early May, just before the Twins played very well for three months. It’s fair to say that their messaging to fans since this article hasn’t improved. At least not until after the season when we learned that the Pohlad’s were contemplating selling the team. It may take some time to complete that process, but when that happens, the Twins business will be able to pivot in a direction that hopefully will excite fans. Frankly, they have a ton of work to do to bring back disenfranchised fans who have found other things to watch since they couldn’t watch the Twins. Oh, and while we love Cory Provus, seeing Dick Bremer ousted after 40 years as the Twins TV voice and arguably their greatest ambassador. Frankly, that’s part of what is important about Twins Daily. 365 days per year, you can find new content on the Minnesota Twins. There have been times in recent offseasons where you might find five to seven new articles in a day. We want the Twins to be successful. We want them to have more fans. That isn’t just good for us. It is good for the Twins that there are still some communities of Twins fans, of diehards. However, they have a ton of work to do to bring back the casual fans, or even bring in new fans. Sorry that one got a bit negative, a bit preachy. Sorry about that! I'm guessing many of you might agree. Feel free to discuss the owners, the TV situation, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, and more. View full article

In Part 3 of the most-viewed articles at Twins Daily in 2024, we'll talk TV, Yankees, an in-season decision, and a couple of Twins trades that still get talked about. Check it out below. Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-Imagn Images (September 2017) As we continue to countdown the Top 25 most-viewed articles at Twins Daily in 2024, I continue to chuckle a bit, intrigued by which articles end up ranking high and receiving so many clicks. Some make sense. Others just feel really random, and the five articles today exemplify that. Let's jump right into it and see which articles received the 11th through 15th most page views. Feel free to discuss any of those articles or start thinking about what you think you will find in the Top 10. #15: The Twins Made a Decision about Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien, but It May Not be the Right Choice Matthew Taylor June 3 Throughout the course of a season, there can be difficult decisions for a front office. In early June, Royce Lewis was set to come off of the Injured List. Veteran role players Kyle Farmer and Manuel Margot were struggling, but they weren’t going to be DFAd that early. Some may have thought Jose Miranda. He was the one called up when Lewis went on the IL. But he was playing really well and crushing baseballs. In the end, the decision was pretty easy. Edouard Julien, who was terrific as a rookie in 2023, was hitting below .200 and had more than three times as many strikeouts as walks. It was probably the easy decision, but check out why Mr. Taylor thought that it might not be the right answer. #14: Twins Send Jorge Polanco to Mariners in Five-Player Deal Matthew Trueblood January 29 He had been the longest-tenured Twins player at that time, having signed just days before Max Kepler in 2009. He had one more season on his long-term contract, plus an option year. However, the Twins were under orders to drop $30+ million from their 2023 payroll. Polanco was traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for reliever Justin Topa, veteran and oft-injured Anthony DeSclafani, pitching prospect Darren Bowen, and outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez. DeSclafani missed the whole season with injury. Topa pitched just a couple of innings over the season’s final weekend after dealing with a knee injury all season. Bowen showed his potential at times in Cedar Rapids. Gonzalez spent most of the season at age 19 in Cedar Rapids. Unfortunately his power wasn’t on display and he missed a couple of months with a back injury. Topa has a couple of years of team control remaining while Bowen and Gonzalez can develop under team control for several seasons. Meanwhile, Polanco fought through arguably his worst season and the Mariners chose not to pick up his option for 2025. #13: Eduardo Escobar Trade Turned into a Coup for Minnesota Ted Schwerzler May 13 At the July 2018 trade deadline, the Twins traded fan-favorite Eduardo Escobar to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for outfield prospects Ernie de la Trinidad and Gabriel Maciel, and a hard-throwing pitcher in A-ball named Jhoan Duran. Despite missing the season’s first month with an oblique injury, Duran has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball the past three seasons. 2024 was definitely a step backwards for Duran, in terms of velocity and results, but remains a strong late-innings option for the Twins. Escobar was just coming into his own, and he continued to get better in Arizona. In 2019, he was an All Star and hit 29 doubles, 10 triples, 35 homers and drove in 118 runs. The D-Backs got two prospects from the Brewers at the July 2021 deadline. #12: How Can I Watch the Twins Today? (And Seven Other Questions about the Twins-Bally-Comcast Clustermuck) John Bonnes May 1 Unfortunately, it’s been a question since 2021 when YouTube TV and other streaming services quit dealing with regional sports networks. The Twins, and several other teams, have been - to some degree - held hostage, losing significant dollars with almost no say in the decisions. The thought was that it was going to be cleaned up last offseason. Instead the Twins went back to Bally Sports for one year. The Twins TV future remained a topic throughout the year. Even after the year when the team announced that it would team with MLB TV in 2025 and hopefully bring the Twins games to more people’s TVs. Of course, I’m not sure everyone understands the minute details of the TV deal the Twins have for 2025. Or, maybe it’s just me? #11: Yankees 5, Twins 1: Umpires Stubbornly Refuse to Award Five Runs for Cool Homer Ted Schwerzler June 4 After every Twins game, you can find a Game Recap at Twins Daily. It isn’t your typical postgame article on the game. We’ll look at Win Probability, and we try to highlight key plays in the game. Maybe there was a unique play. In this game, the primary thing that may have made it take get so many views is that it was against the Yankees. In this game, former Twins prospect Luis Gil started and pitched well, as he did most of his Rookie of the Year season. Gleyber Torres hit a home run that literally would only have been a home run at Yankees Stadium. Not one of the other 29 MLB stadiums. Let's discuss. What are your thoughts on the Polanco trade, nearly one year later? How clear are you about how we will be able to watch Twins games in 2025? Do you think it is clear-cut that the Twins won the Escobar-Duran trade from 2018? Or even just let us know what you might want to see from the daily Game Recaps. View full article

I don't know if Mauer has any interest in any sort of minority ownership. I am pretty well certain that he has no interest in being a primary owner. And, his net worth is not even close to being able to do that. I hope he's asked about his level of interest, but knowing him a bit, he isn't interested in being involved on a daily basis. He much prefers to spend quiet time with his family.

Today we jump into the Top 20 most-viewed articles from Twins Daily in 2024. Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images A terrific free agent signing. A spring trade. Some funny stuff. And a concert? Check out which articles were ranked 16th through 20th most viewed at Twins Daily in 2024. Part 1 (21-25) #20: Twins to Sign Veteran Free Agent First Baseman Carlos Santana Nick Nelson February 2 It seemed like such a non-inspiring signing when it happened. Just weeks from the start of spring training, the Twins signed the 37-year-old first baseman for one year and $5 million. He got off to a slow start, but this turned into one of the team's better free agent signings in recent years. He really helped an infielder that needed it by playing tremendous defense. At season’s end, he had earned his first career Gold Glove Award. He was also a finalist for a silver slugger after posting a .749 OPS, 26 doubles and 23 home runs. Carlos Santana recently signed a one-year, $12 million contract to return to the Guardians, the organization he spent the first 10 big-league seasons with. #19: Twins Trade Nick Gordon to Marlins for Left-Handed Reliever Steven Okert Parker Hageman February 11 Nick Gordon had a breakout season for the Twins in 2022. In 136 games, he hit .272/.316/.427 and was able to adequately fill in when needed at second base, left field, or center field. Unfortunately, he was hurt much of the 2023 season and Willi Castro filled in that same role and same production. Out of options, the Twins shipped Gordon to the Miami Marlins in exchange for lefty reliever Steven Okert. Ultimately, neither player remained on their new team’s roster the entire season. #18: Max Kepler Loses Arm, Insists He Shouldn’t Need Injured List Stint Lou Hennessy June 26 Satire is fun. Every week, Rand Balls Stu has been providing satire to Twins Daily for several years, and this year, Sweet Lou joined him with the occasional fun article. The Twins have certainly had more than their fair share of injuries in recent years. There was a photo available this year that showed Max Kepler fielding a ball with his glove, but it appears that he has no right arm. Lines like Kepler revealed to his manager Rocco Baldelli that “he has a little nagging pain in his left arm, mostly due to the fact that it was torn clear off his torso over the weekend.” “Yeah, it hurts, but I’m not sure I’m ready to call it an actual injury yet.” #17: Twins Promotional Schedule 2024: Flo-Rida Postgame Concert Melissa Berman February 18 You never know which articles are going to excite a site's readership. Apparently Twins fans were pretty excited about the team's promotional schedule. Of course, it includes the typical giveaways such as Hat Day and Bat Day. They announced the 2024 dates for Star Wars Day and Prince Night. They had three bobblehead giveaways. However, a June 14th ticket to the Twins/A's game also would get to stick around for a postgame concert by Flo-Rida. Thousands of fans would stick around Target Field for the opportunity to Get Low. #16: Not Wanting to be Outdone, Joe Mauer Trying to be Twins Next Owner Lou Hennessy October 3 Sweet Lou has joined Stu in providing Twins Daily's readers with chuckles... But in this case, Lou was also a bit of a fortune teller. This article was written and published days before news broke that the Pohlad's were contemplating selling the team. The idea that led to this article was Buster Posey taking the reigns over the Giants baseball operations. What do you think? Should Joe Mauer throw his name in the ring? Which were your favorite articles or stories from 2024? View full article

With 2024 coming to a close, it's time to look back at the most-viewed articles on this site. Do you have your favorites? Image courtesy of © Denny Medley-Imagn Images 2024 was a year filled with ups and downs. Twins fans were excited coming into the year after the team ended its playoff losing streaks. Then we heard about payroll being cut. Then came the Joe Pohlad "right sizing" comments came out during spring training. But over a stretch from mid-April until mid-August, the Twins had one of the top records in baseball. Carlos Correa had returned to All-Star form, but his plantar fasciitis returned and he missed two months. Byron Buxton missed a month. Several young, immensely talented hitters just stopped hitting. The team found themselves falling from second place to fourth place in the division. While the Twins haven't had a lot of news (other than the Pohlad family announcing they are looking into selling the organization, the Ishbia Brothers are contemplating a purchase, and the Twins got Mickey Gasper from the Red Sox for Jovani Moran), Twins Daily has continued to pump out multiple articles every day. 365 days. That's a lot of articles, but today we'll start talking about the 25 most-viewed articles at Twins Daily in 2024. #25: Twins Make Seven Roster Cuts as Spring Training Ends Ted Schwerzler March 26 The Opening Day roster is a huge deal for players and for fans. Sure, roster changes sometimes start on Day 2, but lining up on the baseline on Opening Day is pretty special. Just a couple of days before Opening Day, the Twins set their 26-man roster by sending seven players to minor-league camp. All seven were not on the 40-man roster, so none were surprises. Veteran relievers Matt Bowman and Jeff Brigham were sent down. So was catcher Brian O’Keefe, who the Twins released before Opening Day. Former Twins utility player Niko Goodrum was back in the organization. He didn’t make the Opening Day roster and was traded to the Rays 40-man roster shortly after this. Twins prospects Chris Williams, Michael Helman and Anthony Prato also stayed with the big-league club throughout all of spring training. Helman made his debut in September. #24: Royce Lewis Has Run Out of Gas Nick Nelson September 9 In mid-June, Royce Lewis was quoted as telling hitting coach David Popkins, “Hey, I don’t do that slump thing. That’s not a real thing for me.” As you know, he proceeded to slump most of the final two months of the season. Much was made of the quote, and it obviously is easy to make a meme around it. The rest of his quote is just as important. He continued by saying, “I understand that that’s a thing, baseball, you’re going to go into a slump or whatever, but for me, I don’t have that mindset. It’s a new day.” In other words, he knows there are slumps and they will happen to everyone, but he keeps telling himself that each day is a new day and what has happened in the past doesn’t need to affect today. After dominating through his first 40 games of the season, his numbers certainly regressed in the second half. #23: The Writing Seems to be on the Wall for Alex Kirilloff Eric Blonigen August 18 The Twins top pick in the 2016 draft, Alex Kirilloff was deemed a natural-born hitter. When healthy, he showed a solid approach, used the whole field and showed real power potential. Unfortunately, in the minor leagues and in the big leagues, he missed significant time for a variety of reasons. Wrist injuries were frequent and frustrating. Again, when he played pain-free, he showed what he was capable of. However, he’d slump, not say anything and really struggle. Then we would find out he’s been playing hurt. The same happened in 2024. When the Twins optioned him to Triple-A, he let them know about his back pain. Fans started questioning whether he could ever stay healthy, and some even questioned his will to play. (which is never fair) Less than two months later, we learned just how serious his back pain was when he retired from baseball. He needed a back surgery that will hopefully allow him to live a normal, pain-free life with his family. However, he will not be able to play baseball again. #22: Carlos Correa Trade Buzz is Heating Up Nick Nelson November 9 Carlos Correa has a full no-trade clause in his contract, but that certainly won’t stop teams from calling up Derek Falvey and asking about the Twins All Star shortstop. It only makes sense. Some of the big market teams are looking for a third baseman, and that is something that Correa could do. He’s had plantar fasciitis that have cost him two or three months the past two seasons. Other teams are aware of the Pohlad’s comments on lowering payroll. Correa is owed $128 million over the next four seasons. He also has four option years beyond that where his salaries drop from $25M to $20M to $15M and $10M. I would guess the odds of a Correa trade are pretty low, but the Twins should take the calls and see what teams are willing to offer. #21: Core or Out the Door: Twins Trade Candidates Cody Christie November 3 At the conclusion of the season, Cody posted a two-part series on 10 top Twins players. For each, he basically asked if the player is part of a long-term core or if the player is potential trade candidate. The group of five players includes arguably the top five players on the team. Do you agree with his assessment on how likely each is to be traded? Over the coming days, you'll be able to see what the Top 20 most-viewed articles at Twins Daily in 2024. What were some of your favorites of the year? View full article