awmonahan

I'm not sure what he could have been going through, but I assume you have to be very competitive to be a D-1 athlete and minor leaguer - to tip pitches against your team would be crazy. But, it sounds like he did it. The next step is contrition. But, if he offers a specific apology about throwing the game, he is at risk of being banned for life. It's a crappy catch-22. Hopefully an opportunity can be negotiated and he can explain himself. It sucks to see a young man's life thrown off track like that.

Tender. Pitching is not easy to find. He's been an asset to the team, and this team is lacking in depth and quality everywhere. Maybe he's valuable as a starter or a reliever or a trade chip. I'd expect one of those to work out. I wouldn't move into the off-season planning for blue skies with this team, its lack of investment and injury history.

He was a great story for sure. Hopefully this is just the beginning, but the big jumps in innings outched always scare me. I don't remember who the writer is for The Athletic, but they have an annual article about potential pitcher injuries based on huge increases in IP. I expect Preilipp will be in it, and will read with fingers and toes crossed.

Ultimately, I think this is about getting Shelton the pitching philosophy and coach(es) that matches his management style. But, I think they really did Maki a disservice. He can rightfully claim some credit for fully unleashing Pablo Lopez, getting Joe Ryan to an All-Star level, increasing Bailey Ober's pitch speed (which has come back down), and unlocking Taj Bradley. Work with Connor Prielipp and building the bullpen that was demolished also seem fair to stake a claim to. By all means, they should get Shelton the system and people he wants/needs, but I hope they have a good plan. Because when the FO provided reasonable talent, Maki and team helped mold a great bullpen and a strong rotation.

But the promotions will be sick! I, for one, can't wait for Plasma Donation Night! If enough of us pitch in, we might get a right-handed reliever next year!

All of those guys will be in the rotation this year. There's just not enough inning build up for whoever the top five are to manage it through the year. Add in injuries and we'll surely see every one of them who is available. For the younger guys, it makes sense to go with the hot hand early. Unless something is probably wrong with Ober, he'll be in, but he's always gotten a shorter leash than the others. I'm curious how it will play out, even if the season will be brutal to watch at times.

I'd like to see this team reward results a bit more. GG is an example of that. He was available and performed and he continues to do both. I appreciate having a big leaguer with experience, like Larnach, but we've been waiting years for him to come through with consistency. If the team is going to suck, let's reward the guys who are performing and get them the ABs and innings they need to succeed in the future.

I like the idea, especially with someone else's cash, but I think it's been done a disservice by saying "competitive window". Maybe it depends on your definition of "competitive" or "window".

When nit on the field, he should be on an IV drip at all times.

Pray for LaTroy Hawkins.

You have to at least give him the start of the season. His profile has such potential. I think his 2025 is exacerbated by Larnach and his continued mediocrity. I'll never understand the Twins extending Lsrnach a 2026 contract.

I don't disagree with anything here, but have also felt versions of this for the past few off-seasons. Fingers crossed we have a healthy year with some guys peaking at the right time.

There is very little blame assigned to billionaires that outweighs having billions of dollars. It's one of the wonders of being disgustingly wealthy and owning the failing organization. Unless the Twins someone go bankrupt (which MLB won't allow), there's no price to pay for the Pohlads.

Getting a professional, stabilizing force in the lineup is important for such a young team. But, I think that's Bell's role and there's even positional overlap. This team is going to be ok at best. The young guys need to be on the field and getting ABs. Overloading with old 1B/DH types goes against the long-term plan of seeing which young players will stick.

It's so meta. This writing concept is the baseball blog equivalent of a March signing of Joey Gallo.