Seth Stohs

As written in the article, signing a league minimum guy who can also go the AAA doesn't stop them from doing anything.

Holy... if he could become as good as Sano was, then getting him would be GREAT! Dude was able to carry the offense for months at a time.

Absolutely true. He may turn it around... or he might not.

I am not sure what the Angels might want or obviously how they might feel about particular prospects. But I would think like Sands and Cruz might have a chance to get it done...

I'll see what I can do... actually, I think writing an article with the pros and cons of it is probably about all I can do...

The Minnesota Twins are said to be looking for a veteran right-handed outfielder for the 2023 roster. There are still a couple available, but maybe there is a 23-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder that could be available for a very reasonable price that the Twins should acquire in the name of adding talent and athleticism and potential and upside, and lots of key scouting report terms that we like. Maybe you agree. Image courtesy of Kirby Lee, USA Today The Minnesota Twins have been rumored to be looking to acquire a right-handed hitting outfielder. The names that have been tossed around have been free agents, over the age of 30, but there might be a young outfielder in need of a change of scenery that the Twins should consider as well, even if only as an opportunistic move. Player development is rarely linear. In fact, you could probably argue that it is never linear. It’s much more parabolic with occasional downtrends on the way up the system. For many prospects, the trend line never reaches the goal of the big leagues. Sometimes there are injuries. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to move up to the next level. Sometimes, players develop later. Sometimes they don’t. It has been made known that the Twins are looking to add a right-handed hitting outfielder. While they have clearly shown interest in veterans like AJ Pollock and Andrew McCutchen. Just this morning, Adam Duvall signed with the Boston Red Sox. But there just might be a 23-year-old outfielder with a ton of talent and potential that the Twins could acquire for very little. Jo Adell was the Los Angeles Angels first-round pick back in 2017. He immediately started flying up the organizational ladder and prospect rankings. Here is a quick look at his statistics by minor-league level: Rookie: .325/.376/.532 (.908) Low-A: .326/.398/.611 (1.009) High-A: .289/.344/.548 (.891) Double-A: .288/.372/.518 (.890) Triple-A: .271/.335/.542 (.877) Before the 2019 season, he was ranked #6 by Baseball America and #2 by Baseball Prospectus. Before the 2020 season, he was ranked #3 by Baseball America, #2 by Baseball Prospectus, and #6 by MLB Pipeline. In the Covid-shortened 2020 season, Adell was performing well at the team’s alternate site, and when there was a need, he made his MLB debut. He was pushed into action well before he was ready and in 38 games, he hit just .161. He played in 35 games for the 2021 Angels and was a bit better. He hit .246/.295/.408 (.703) with five doubles and four homers. Hoping to break out in 2022, Adell really struggled with the Angels in 88 big-league games. He hit just .224/.264/.373 (.636) with 12 doubles and eight homers. When he was drafted tenth overall in 2017, scouts from several teams insisted that he could really struggle to make contact in the upper levels. Well, that has certainly been the issue for him with the Angels. He struck out 41.7% of his plate appearances in 2020. He improved that number to a respectable 22% in 2021. But in 2022, he had 107 strikeouts to go with just 11 walks and his K-Rate was back up to 37.5% Tom Kelly used to always say that a player needed 1,500 MLB at-bats before you really knew what you had in him. Also, I think Adell may have driven TK crazy. I mean, he thought Rich Becker struck out a lot, and he never struck out more than 25.5% of his plate appearances during a season with the Twins. And Becker walked almost 12% of the time. So why would I spend time researching and writing an article on a player who has struggled this much? There are several reasons why I think it’s a gamble worth considering. First, he will turn 24 years old in April, so he is very young. He has plenty of time to develop and make some improvements. Next, Adell’s tools are elite, incredible. He stands 6-4 and over 220 pounds. He’s very strong, and very fast. He’s got a strong arm. He can hit the ball a long ways. One person I talked to referred to him as an “ultimate showcase player.” Watching him take batting prospects and run and throw is a joy. Simply, it has not yet translated to big-league success for Adell. The phrase Change of Scenery is often used to say that a guy clearly has talent but his current team just is not finding a way to pull it out of him… but maybe our favorite team can. That doesn’t always happen, but there certainly are examples. Maybe a new manager. Maybe an organizational philosophy. Maybe a coach that says something to make something click. Maybe it’s talking to the right veteran, maybe someone like Byron Buxton who obviously was as highly ranked as a prospect as Adell has been. Things didn’t immediately transfer for Buxton in the big leagues, and he’s continued to have injuries that keep him out of the lineup. But to hear the right things, whatever they may be, from a current All Star who has endured similar struggles might be a benefit. And yes, I am aware that with the Angels he has had Mike Trout doing outfield work and taking batting practice with him. But again, new situations, new voices. And hope for different results. Maybe it’s hearing from a former player. How many times have we talked about the incredible talent of Torii Hunter. But he wasn’t an immediate success in the big leagues. He made the trip from Triple-A to the big-leagues and back several times. But he kept working, endured, and became an All Star and Gold Glove winner. Maybe it’s having the right teammate on his side. The year Adell was taken tenth overall, the Twins selected Royce Lewis with the first overall pick. Lewis and Adell have been good friends since their high school days when they competed with and against each other in national tournaments and showcases. Since, they have participated in the Futures Game and Arizona Fall League together. We know that Lewis is a great leader. We see his positivity and how it affects those around him. Maybe having an old friend around might help his transition to a new team, and maybe relaxing can help him find more success. Adell has one option year remaining, so he could spend some time in St. Paul if needed. We have not heard the minor-league coaching assignments yet, but if the Saints coaching staff is similar, with Toby Gardenhire managing and Ryan Smith leading the hitters, I like his chances of improving and making adjustments. He is right-handed, and he can really complement the other young left-handed hitters in the Twins outfield such as Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, and Nick Gordon. He can also play center field if needed. Joey Gallo is only here for one year, so a more permanent, full-time role can be available in 2024. In the short-term, he can be a platoon option. From what I have been told, the Angels would definitely be willing to trade him, and the cost may not be real high. They have added several players this offseason, including outfielder Hunter Renfroe and Brett Phillips, and they added infielders Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury (who has spent some time in the outfield). Mike Trout and Taylor Ward are the primary starters along with Renfroe. Playing time with the Angels may be very limited. So why acquire an outfielder who another organization has given up on? Well, first, teams claim players at the back of their 40-man roster all year long. 99% of those players are significantly less talented than Jo Adell. And while he has struggled mightily in the big leagues, he is a great athlete with an overflowing toolbox. Whether or not he ever becomes a star, or if he becomes a solid regular, or even if he flops, that’s a risk I would take all the time. And it’s very rare to get that kind of player available for very little. The Angels really don’t need position players, but like most teams can use pitching. I really think if they offered something like a B- pitching prospect in Low-A and a C prospect at Double-A, the Angels might very well consider it. Older, I mean, more veteran Twins fans like myself may remember a similar player that helped the Twins a few decades ago. Shane Mack was the 11th overall pick out of UCLA in 1984. He had been a great college player and went to the 1984 Olympics. He made his MLB debut with the Padres in 1987 and played some more in 1988. In those two season’s, his OPS+ was 77 (23% below league average). He was injured and in Triple-A in 1989, so the Padres left him available for the Rule 5 draft. The Twins selected him, and he played five seasons with the Twins. Overall, he hit .309/.375/.479 (.854) with 119 doubles, 24 triples, and 67 home runs. He also stole 73 bases and played terrific defense, mostly in right field. He was very much instrumental in the Twins 1991 World Series championship, and is often referred to as the most underrated player in Twins history. No, I’m not going to tell you that the Adell situation and Mack’s situation 30+ years ago are identical. They were different players, and the game was played differently then. Adell is certainly bigger and stronger than Mack was and he is three years younger now than Mack was going into the 1990 season. The similarities are that they were highly-regarded, highly-drafted players with great tools and athleticism that were unable to put it together with their first team. Mack found great success with the Twins for five years. Maybe Adell can experience a similar improvement through a well-timed change of scenery and new voices. I wouldn’t expect him to perform like Shane Mack did, but if he can become a solid everyday player or even a significant role player, that trade could be great. If not, the Twins won’t be out a lot. You don’t even have to say he’s the answer to the team’s right-handed outfielder question. I’d be good with taking a flyer on a recent Top 5 global prospect and seeing what happens. The goal is to win, but it should always to continue to acquire talent. He’s a league-minimum salary guy for another couple of years, and he’s got an option remaining. This trade would not stop them from still signing a veteran right-handed hitting outfielder such as Tommy Pham or Jurickson Profar. (Update: Less than two hours later, Tommy Pham signed with the Mets.) Low risk… incredibly high reward. Your turn. What do you think about Adell? Who would you like to see the Twins acquire as a right-handed outfield option? Comment below. View full article

Look at some of the contracts from that 2012 first-round: OK, Correa would have got more than that... and Stroman got a nice contract. McCullers got like 5 years, $85 million. Matt Olson got 8 years and $168 million from Atlanta. As for Buxton v Correa... I've been told that the Twins would have taken Correa if he had been available, even if both he and Buxton were there.

Giolito and Fried were on the same team in high school, but yes, Giolito had TJ early that year. A sophomore on that team got more innings in place of Giolito... Jack Flaherty.

I like most extensions, but this is a great one. Basically they're paying him his normal this year to rehab and next year to see how it's going, and then get one more year at a very reasonable price. I really like this!

Here are the Top 20: Twins Daily's Top 20 Twins Prospects of 2020 20. Jose Miranda, 2B/3B 19. Cole Sands, RHP 18. Travis Blankenhorn, 2B/LF 17. Misael Urbina, OF 16. Edwar Colina, RHP 15. Matt Canterino, RHP 14. Matt Wallner, OF 13. Wander Javier, SS 12. Gilberto Celestino, OF 11. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 10. Blayne Enlow, RHP 9. Brent Rooker, OF 8. Keoni Cavaco, SS 7. Ryan Jeffers, C 6. Jhoan Duran, RHP: 5. Jordan Balazovic, RHP 4: Brusdar Graterol, RHP 3. Trevor Larnach, OF. 2. Alex Kirilloff, OF 1. Royce Lewis, SS:

That is the challenge of signing guys at 16 years old and sometimes reaching deals when the players are 14. Injuries. Pandemic. Growth. Maturity. Handling Money. Being away from home. So many factors involved.

I'm not a fan of DFAing Enlow. I would assume he'll be claimed. If not, good move. Ortega throws hard, good breaking ball, but hasn't put up numbers and struggles with control. But, if they claim him and put him on waivers when they sign someone else in the coming days, he's the kind of guy you'd like to get through waivers and work with.

Happy New Year's Eve, Twins Fans!! Take one more look back at the 2022 Twins according to their most-viewed articles. this one just might have you laughing at crying. Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports Before we get started with the fourth and final installment, we just want to say Thank You to our readers, our followers, those who participate in the forums, our terrific, talented writers and bloggers, those who provide videos, and just everyone who has helped 2022 become such an exciting year at our site. #5 Minnesota’s 3 Options with Carlos Correa July 23 Cody Christie It was obviously a big deal when the Twins signed Carlos Correa, and as you can tell from our Top 20 most-viewed article rankings, at times you may think that we are ABC, All ‘Bout Correa. While that isn’t completely true, Correa has certainly found himself key in many articles throughout the course of the year. This article was a little over a week from the trade deadline. The Twins were still in first place, but the injuries were catching up, especially in the pitching staff, but throughout the roster. Cody wrote about three options for the Twins at the deadline. They could keep him and make that push toward the division title. They could try to lock him up before the deadline, though Correa was always going to become a free agent again. They could trade him and receive something in return for his services over the season’s final two months. Wisely, the Twins' front office decided to be buyers at the deadline. They made significant trades, adding to their starting staff, adding an All-Star reliever and a #2 catcher. Obviously, it didn’t pay off as two of the three ended the season on the Injured List and the other regressed to the mean with the Twins. #4 Twins Fans Absolutely Furious at Surprise First-Place Start May 20 RandBalls Stu This is RandBalls Stu at his finest. It was approaching two months into the season. The Twins, who finished in last place in the AL Central in 2021, were playing well and found themselves with a nice lead in the division. However, a quick glimpse through #TwinsTwitter and many Twins-related forums found fans upset about all kinds of things. Correa was a bust. How can you send Royce Lewis back to St. Paul? The Twins front office only cares about their algorithms and spreadsheets. You know, it’s some of the silliness you may read here from time to time too. And RandBalls Stu captured it perfectly. #3 3 Reasons Target Field Attendance Continues to be Sparse May 26 Cody Christie Another topic that brought about much conversation and disagreement was Target Field attendance. Why were the Twins struggling to bring fans to the ballpark? Obviously in Minnesota, weather can be a huge factor in attendance, especially with how cold temperatures can get in April after the sun goes down. Obviously, after there were no fans in 2020 and limited fans at some stadiums in 2021, 2022 was the return to semi-normalcy. There are several reasons listed, and you may have your own. For me, the fact that such a high percentage of people simply can’t watch the Twins on TV is major. How do you gain interest in a product? Well, I’m not a marketer, but making it difficult for many people to watch easily is not a good strategy. Unfortunately, Bally’s Sports is mostly only available on cable and not included on many streaming services. What are other reasons for the Twins' struggle with attendance, and what might your suggestions be? #2 Byron Buxton Did the Twins a Favor December 12 Ted Schwerzler You just never know sometimes. I’ve written thousands of Twins blogs and articles over the past 20 years (Maybe 2003 was the start of SethSpeaks dot net). In the past couple of years, I’ve read, edited, and scheduled hundreds if not thousands of Twins articles. You just never know which ones will click, or resonate, and get page clicks. With the free agent prices skyrocketing this offseason, Ted notes that the Twins are very fortunate to have locked up Byron Buxton a year ago. And as we suspected at the time, the Twins got him for an incredible deal. Had he been a free agent this offseason, he would be looking at a Swanson contract, if not a Bogaerts-like deal. #1 Dozens Injured as Twins Bullpen Attempts to Prepare Salad July 8 RandBalls Stu Yes, RandBalls Stu has two articles in the Top 5 most-viewed Twins Daily articles of 2022. And this article came in #1. The article that came in at #4 was fantastic, but there’s no question, this was the best of the year. “Sources say the bullpen was assigned chips and ice, but when reliever Emilio Pagan got lost on his way to Kowalski’s and drove to Fort Smith, Arkansas instead, they improvised a pasta salad. That’s when the trouble began.” And hilarity ensued. What a fun, creative article from such a talented Minnesota writer With that, we wish you all a very happy and safe New Year, rich with fortune and maybe even a little prosperity. Thank you so much for stopping by the site frequently, commenting, and helping other Twins fans to check out our site Previous Articles: Part 1: 16-20 Part 2: 11-15 Part 3: 6-10 View full article

Danny Coulombe signing a minor-league deal with the Twins for the fourth straight year.

The 2022 Twins season was filled with ups and downs, but there were plenty of stories (good or bad). Today we continue by jumping into the top 10 articles at Twins Daily by page views. Which articles generated the interest of Twins fans? Image courtesy of Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports Today, we jump into the Top 20 articles at Twins Daily in 2022. We appreciate all of our readers and those who comment as well. So it's fun to look back at which articles received the most page views over the course of the year. It's also kind of a fun way to look back at some of the biggest stories of the past year. As you take a look through these top articles, think about which Twins-related stories you might say are the top 10 stories of 2022 for you. Maybe it was the Correa signing. Maybe it has been the Correa offseason saga. Maybe it was the trade deadline, or the drafting of Brooks Lee. Maybe it was the debut of Royce Lewis, or the debuts of hometown kids Louie Varland and Matt Wallner. Through the Wins and Losses, the ups and downs, it certainly hasn't been boring to be a Twins fan in 2022, even with the limited signings this offseason... so far. But who knows? Maybe some of the most-read articles at Twins daily in 2023 will be transactions made over the next month or so. Enjoy looking back at the #6-10 articles at Twins Daily in 2023. #10 Why is the MLB Increasing the Size of Its Bases? March 13 Melissa Berman Following the lockout, we kept hearing about various rules that would be coming to he big leagues starting in 2023. Melissa Berman, who had just joined us as a regular contributor, did a fantastic job of breaking down each of the coming changes, why they might be making the change, and what it might mean to teams. Her article on the increasing base sizes took off and became one of our top ten articles this year. Besides just encouraging more of the running game in baseball, it may also help players remain healthy because of a bigger first base. #9 ;Latest Twins Carlos Correa Rumors Free Agency December 10 Nick Nelson Ever since the Twins signed Carlos Correa in spring training, we knew he would opt-out and become a free agent. I’m not sure at any point did we think that the Twins would offer him a 10-year, $285 million contract. Days before Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350 million, Nick wrote up an article on the various rumors surrounding Correa. The Twins and the Giants weren’t the only teams. The Cubs were rumored to have interest. This was when there were reports saying that the Yankees had interest. It was soon after this point that the Mets showed some interest. As we know now, the Giants backed out after concerns about Correa’s physical. Hours later, news broke that Correa agreed to sign with the Mets for 12 years and $315 million. The roller coaster offseason for Correa continued as the Mets didn’t like his medicals either. So, the saga continues. #8 The Weirdest Move Minnesota Could Make October 7 Ted Schwerzler On Opening Day, the Twins sent Taylor Rogers and Brent Rooker to the Padres in exchange for Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan. Rogers started out well for the Padres but after losing the closer job, he was traded to the Brewers. Rooker played in just a couple of games for San Diego before he was traded to the Royals. Chris Paddack made just a handful of starts before he needed his second Tommy John surgery. Pagan stayed healthy, but he really struggled. Pagan has always given up a ton of home runs, but he gave up an even higher percentage in 2022. He continued to get high-leverage opportunities and put up some terrible Win Probability Added numbers. However, we keep hearing, and anyone who watches can see it, that he has some very good stuff. His fastball sits 95-97 mph. He’s got a decent slider. He has typically shown good control. One of the frustrating things about the offseason for many Twins fans came when the Twins tendered a 2023 contract to Pagan. But as Ted wrote in this article, it would have been ‘weird’ had they not done so. Of course, I think that most believe that the Twins will attempt to trade Pagan during the offseason. We shall see. #7 Pitching Coach Wes Johnson to Abruptly Leave Twins June 26 John Bonnes It was a big surprise to people around baseball when the Twins hired Wes Johnson as their pitching coach before the 2019 season. Few knew who he was, but a quick search tells us that he had a lot of success at various colleges in building pitching staffs. Johnson did a nice job with the Twins, so it was quite a surprise when it was announced that Johnson was heading to LSU during the middle of the season. Johnson is responsible (along with Derek Falvey and others) for the current Twins pitching programs and philosophies throughout the organization. They have continued to spend on technology and analytics, coaches and coordinators, and we have seen those processes working through the likes of Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson, Josh Winder, Cole Sands and others who made their debuts in 2022. However, in late June, news broke that Johnson was leaving the Twins to become the pitching coach for LSU where he would make significantly more money. Obviously at a college powerhouse like that, they wanted him to join them quickly, so Johnson had to make a quick decision. He took the job and remained with the team through the big series in Cleveland that was arguably the turning point of the season. Pete Maki took over as the team’s pitching coach. He had been an assistant and worked out in the bullpen. In reality, the change was fairly seamless in that the Twins hire Maki to be the Minor League Pitching Coordinator after he had coached at Duke. He was right there with Falvey and Johnson in determining the organization’s pitching philosophy. #6 Carlos Correa Contract: Giants Postponed Medical Concerns December 20 Nick Nelson As I mentioned in the previous installments of this series, December was a good month for Twins Daily. We would like to thank Carlos Correa for a bit of that success. The rollercoaster offseason of Correa has kept Twins fans intrigued and coming back to read updates but also to converse or share their frustration with other fans. This update from Nick came after the Giants had backed out on their contract with Correa and Scott Boras, but before the news that he wanted to sign with the Mets. What a mess! Check back soon for the Top 5 most-read articles at Twins Daily in 2022. Previous Articles: Part 1: 16-20 Part 2: 11-15 Part 3: 6-10 Part 4: 1-5 (Coming Soon!) View full article

Miguel Sano. Joey Gallo. Hunter Renfroe. The big, powerful, home-run-hitting players who strike out a ton, but what do all three have in common as it relates to this article? Well, you'll just have to keep reading. Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports One theme from this grouping of lead stories from 2022 is power, home runs, and a lot of strikeouts. Again, we are counting down the Top 20 Twins Daily articles of 2022 by page views. The stories certainly created a lot of conversation, some good, some maybe less productive. Let's jump to the articles ranked #11 through #16.Jo #15 Minnesota Twins Sign Joey Gallo December 16 Theodore Tollefson Coming off news that the Twins had been outbid on Carlos Correa by the Giants, the Twins ended the week by agreeing to terms with former All Star outfielder Joey Gallo. Many, if not most, Twins fans were not happy about the decision to give Gallo $11 million after he hit just .163 in 2022. However, Gallo was an All Star as recently as 2021 with the Rangers, and he’s won multiple Gold Gloves as well. For a one-year, make-good type of deal, this makes a ton of sense. Where many fans question the decision is because the team already has several left-handed hitting outfielders at or near the big leagues. That includes Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Nick Gordon, recently-DFAd Mark Contreras, and Max Kepler, who could soon be traded. However, with injuries, adding a guy with the type of potential that Gallo has might pay off. Or, it might not. #14 Hunter Renfroe Trade Target November 17 Cody Pirkl Twins Daily takes a lot of pride in being a great place for Twins content throughout the year, but especially during the offseason. Shortly after the conclusion of the World Series, the offseason begins and we all get a little excited about what our favorite team could do, or might do, or what we think they should do. That’s why an article like this can do well. It was known that the Brewers were likely to trade the slugging Hunter Renfroe, and the Twins were believed to be looking for a right-handed hitting corner outfielder to team with the young lefties. Logical, to be sure, but by Thanksgiving, Milwaukee traded him to the Angels for three pitchers. #13 Looking to Find a Diamond in the Rough, the Twins Have Claimed Jewell August 17 Seth Stohs What was your favorite Jake Jewell Twins memory? Well, he posted an ERA well over five in his nine games with the St. Paul Saints. That was it. The Twins were still in first place, but Cleveland and Chicago had cut their lead. The Twins needed pitching, so when the Cleveland Guardians DFAd Jewell, the Twins claimed the 29-year-old with 31 games pitched in the big leagues. Were Twins fans excited about this waiver claim, or did people just really like my creative, if not obvious, article title. #12 3 Twins Trade Targets to Watch May 22 Nash Walker Twins fans, ok, all fans, not only enjoy the offseason, but we really love the trade deadline. Before the end of May, Nash wrote an article looking at what the Twins' needs were at the deadline. What did he say that the Twins could use? Frontline Starter (they did trade for one of the top available starters, Tyler Mahle) High-Leverage Reliever (the Twins acquired Jorge Lopez who was probably the best reliever in baseball for the first half of the season.) Big Bat (the Twins traded Ian Hamilton to Cleveland for Sandy Leon, not exactly a big bat, but a big dude who was able to catch every other game while Ryan Jeffers was on the injured list. Now consider how this list compares to what the Twins needed to acquire going into the offseason. In fact, think about what the Twins still need as we approach the New Year. #11 Miguel Sano’s Looming Return July 2 Cody Christie It might be fair to say that Miguel Sano’s baseball career and his time with the Twins has been a roller coaster. Immensely talented, Sano’s career can be defined by home runs, strikeouts, an All Star appearance, and off-field issues. Despite some injuries, Sano did provide a lot of power to the Twins lineup at times, posting impressive hard-hit rates. Within a season, he could be streaky, and the streaks were extreme. He could carry a team for two months, and then he could look like he had never hit a baseball in his life for a month. His 2022 season began with a rough streak, and then he got injured and needed knee surgery. By July when he was approaching a return, Luis Arraez had taken over at first base, and Jose Miranda was coming off of a rookie of the month. How would Sano fit back into the lineup or even the roster? Stop by tomorrow as we look at at some of the Top 10 articles at Twins Daily in 2022. Previous Part 1: 16-20 View full article

As we approach the end of 2022 and look forward to what 2023 will bring, let's take a look back at 2022 and remember what some of the biggest topics were for Twins fans. To do so, we will look at the top 20 most viewed articles this year. 2022 was many things for a baseball fan and specifically fans of the Minnesota Twins. The year began with the players locked out by the owners. They reached an agreement in early March and spring training soon began. The Twins were incredibly busy after the lockout ended, signing players left and right. No one could have anticipated the Twins signing Carlos Correa to a record contract. The season began with some optimism, hoping that the 2022 season was the anomaly. Things started well. The team was fairly healthy and found themselves in first place. They remained in that spot until late August when things went downhill in a hurry and injuries caught up. But, we did starting seeing some quality pitching prospects emerge in 2022. Griffin Jax adjusted very well to the bullpen while Jhoan Duran and Josh Winder made the opening day squad. As the season progressed, we saw more and more pitchers debut. In addition, Luis Arraez got some notoriety. He was the AL Batting Average champion, went to his first All-Star game, was a nominee for a Gold Glove, and won his first Silver Slugger Award. Byron Buxton went to his first All Star Game, started and homered. And finally, the offseason has clearly been frustrating for many Twins fan so far. Fortunately, it can still be salvaged. Things went well for Twins Daily as well. After a few years of Covid, and then a lockout, it was difficult to drum up interest in the club. However, our fantastic writing staff put out a ton of excellent content all year and Twins fans found their way here. We had some nice numbers throughout the summer, but December has been a very good month. So, let's take a look back at the Twins 2022 season by looking at which articles were viewed by the most people. It's not an exact representation, but it does take a look at some hot-button topics, some intriguing questions, lots of transactions and analysis and much more that intrigued us all year long. With that, in part 1 we will look back at the articles ranked 16-20 according to Page Views. Share your thoughts and memories on them below. #20 Louie Varland will Make his MLB Debut for Twins on Wednesday September 5 Seth Stohs Louie Varland was the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2021 when he put up great numbers in Low-A Ft. Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids. He began the 2022 season at Double-A Wichita. In early August, he was promoted to Triple-A and had the opportunity to pitch in his hometown, for the St. Paul Saints. He made a handful of starts for the Saints when the Twins had a need for a spot starter. We learned a couple of days ahead of time that Varland would be making his MLB debut for the Twins in Yankees Stadium. We were excited with the news. Twins fans were excited. And Varland came through with a fantastic debut against the Yankees. His first big-league strikeout victim was MVP Aaron Judge. His first big-league home run allowed was to MVP Aaron Judge. All things considered, it was a fantastic debut for Varland. He went 5 1/3 innings and was charged with two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out seven batters. He left the game with a runner on and one out in the sixth inning. Griffin Jax came on and got Judge to pop out, but Gleyber Torres homered to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. The Twins came back to tie the game and sent it to extra games. Unfortunately, the Yankees won 5-4 in 12 innings. #19 Minnesota’s Return for Berrios Continues to Look Better June 30 Ted Schwerzler As the trade deadline was approaching, Ted took a look back one year to when the Twins traded All Star right-hander Jose Berrios to the Toronto Blue Jays for shortstop Austin Martin and right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. While Martin hasn’t raced to the big leagues as quickly as many thought he might when he was the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, but the talent and athleticism is certainly still there. He missed time with injury but made up for it with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. Woods Richardson had a strange 2021 season, but after a normal offseason and spring training, he got off to a fast start in 2022. He didn’t give up an earned run for the first month of the season. He missed about a month due to Covid, but he came back strong. Late in the year, he was promoted to Triple-A, and he made one start for the Twins in the season’s final week. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks over five innings. However, he gave up two runs in a rough first inning and settled in well. On the other side of the spectrum, it was a tough season for Jose Berrios. He went 12-7 despite an ERA of 5.23 and a WHIP of 1.46. He made all 32 starts and worked 172 innings. He led the league in both hits allowed (199) and in earned runs allowed (100). That came after signing a seven-year, $131 million extension with the Blue Jays. He will be the team’s #4 starter heading into the 2023 season, but it is likely he will be much better as well. #18 Too Many Outfielders, Another Perplexing Acquisition for the Twins December 8 Sherry Cerny Sherry was writing for herself, expressing her frustrations with a few of the Twins offseason moves so far. Certainly the article resonated with a large quantity of Twins fans who are equally frustrated. First there was the trade of one of the team’s more consistent, productive and healthy players in Gio Urshela. Then they signed strikeout-prone outfielder Joey Gallo for a similar contract while they already have several left-handed hitting corner outfielders. Thankfully the offseason is not complete. It will be interesting to see how the roster looks in early March. But for now, it’s been difficult to see the direction. #17 What’s Next for Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli September 14 Ted Schwerzler It’s one of those questions that some fans feel the need to ask when their favorite team is not winning ballgames? Should the manager be fired? Forget the injuries? Forget the slumps and struggles? The reality is managers probably get too much credit when their team wins, and they certainly take too much blame when the team loses. The Twins were in first place into late August, but at that point their pitching staff was decimated. Max Kepler missed the final month. Byron Buxton was out. Ryan Jeffers was out, replaced by Sandy Leon. Along with Kenta Maeda and Chris Paddack, Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle also ended the season on the Injured List. The Twins lineup often included Nick Gordon hitting cleanup. Gordon had a nice year, but that tells you a lot. Again, when things go bad, it’s obviously a question that has to be asked. #16 The Minnesota Twins Front Office Played Themselves December 15 Matthew Taylor No question, the Twins clear top priority this offseason was bringing back Carlos Correa. It sure appeared to be Plan A, Plan B and maybe Plan C. Sure, they were able to sign Christian Vazquez to a three-year contract, but while waiting for the Correa situation to play out, several quality pitchers signed elsewhere. You can question whether or not Scott Boras and Carlos Correa played the Twins, using them as leverage to get a bigger contract. Matthew also thinks that the Twins front office played itself this offseason. Judge for yourself. Hopefully you have enjoyed this look back at 2022. Be sure to check back tomorrow for articles that ranked 11-14th. View full article

I'd say I agree with the majority of comments in here. I don't think that the Rodon or Swanson contracts were some great deals that the Twins should have tried to top. I think Bassitt is the one contract listed that I think they maybe missed out on that is a decent deal... And that came with a Qualifying Offer.

The Twins absolutely offered 10 and $285M. They absolutely believed they were in it until that last day. There are reports saying that he was telling people on Monday that he was heading back to Minnesota, but then the Giants blew the other offers away. That's when there was an agreement... pending a physical. That's where the Twins were. If he would have accepted the Twins offer, it would also have been pending a physical. Now, who knows what the Twins doctors would have seen or found in the physical. But after the Giants brought up concerns, then the Twins absolutely would have needed to re-evaluate where they were at, and it would be crazy to increase how much you would pay a guy when there are question marks. And, as others have said... Boras being in a rush to get him signed would make me really nervous too.

My Waking Up to this News initial thoughts: - My first reaction yesterday was that the Giants looked bad, issuing the postponement but not providing much else. Of course, they really can't say anything about the physical, and this is a great example for why teams don't like when news breaks of a player agreeing to terms (PENDING PHYSICAL)... in most cases, failure of a physical would stay quiet, private. - But with this news of him heading to New York within about 5-6 hours of the Giants news, it now looks more like Correa wanted out of the Giants deal. He wants to play for a winning team. he looks at the Mets roster, the incredible starting pitching, adding bullpen arms, and the lineup, along with teaming with long-time friend Francisco Lindor and wanted to be there. Oh, and that Cohen guy is just going to keep spending. In this case, I think Correa is the one that kind of looks bad. If that's the case, he just shouldn't have committed to the Giants. However, he hadn't signed yet. Just a really weird situation.