Greggory Masterson

Image courtesy of © Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Despite a 31-27 record, the Twins are 24th in runs scored per game, 24th in OPS+, 25th in total bases, and 21st in offensive fWAR. They're in the thick of the race, but offensively, it has not been pretty. The thing keeping the Twins' season alive has been their pitching. They have the third-best ERA+, WHIP, FIP, and opponent’s wOBA. They boast both high-end talent like Pablo López, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober, a serviceable veteran in Chris Paddack, and young depth in Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, Zebby Matthews, and Andrew Morris—any of whom would be full-season members of the rotation in Twins’ seasons past. Some may call it an embarrassment of riches. Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya, Cory Lewis, and C.J. Culpepper all sit in the high minors. Although they are not as MLB-ready as the aforementioned names, there are reasons to be excited about each of them, as well. Before you go and get all excited, I have to say (by law) that there is no such thing as a pitching prospect (TINSTAAPP). They get hurt; their stuff doesn’t play in the big leagues; their lack of control gets exploited; they don’t have enough quality pitches. However it happens, you don’t actually have a pitcher until he sees success in the majors. Also, if I didn’t say it before, they get hurt. I mean they get hurt a lot. I’ve been wrestling with this piece for weeks (yes, I do try to put thought into my writing, even if it might read otherwise) for that very reason. The Twins have an embarrassment of riches in their pitching depth, but that depth may be needed for injury reasons (or ineffectiveness reasons, as was seen with Woods Richardson last month). But also, that depth might not materialize as big-league talent this year, especially if a piece or two are removed via trade. But, still, the Twins need hitting, and some of this pitching depth may be at the highest value they’ll ever have. Let’s break down the case for and against trading pitching prospects to bolster the fledgling lineup. Let’s Get Shopping The Twins currently have seven different starters who have seen some level of success—or have reason to believe in them—and have started at least 10 games in the big leagues. Their top three—López, Ryan, and Ober—are locked in and pitching very well. Paddack has been good for a back-end starter, and is in no danger of losing his spot in the near future. So they have three (four, if you include Morris) guys for one spot, assuming there’s no injury. Come next season, Paddack will be gone, but the other seven will still be around, and it’s almost inevitable that one or two pieces will be sent off somewhere. Granted, that might be cashing in on one of the more expensive veterans, but it’s not as if the room is slated to become any less crowded. The Twins simply need hitting. They have a rotation that can make them a competitive playoff team, but they need to be able to score runs. The team is 27-4 when scoring at least four runs. They need to be able to score those four runs. But they’re in the bottom half of the league offensively at almost any position, and an upgrade at DH is very manageable. Any notable name would make a huge difference for them, but that takes prospect capital at midseason. That prospect capital is also in a perfect spot to be spent. No one name is currently being relied on. His spot can be backfilled. Many of the potential names are unproven, which makes it easier for other teams to dream on them as future building blocks of a rotation. The most responsible thing to do may be to flip them before they prove ineffective or get injured. Shoot, Randy Dobnak and Darren McCaughan can eat some innings, if that’s what the team needs after a trade, if the depth is depleted. Again, this team has a lot of pitching and desperately needs some thump. It’s easy to look at a team like the Orioles (who have exciting hitters, no pitching, and are likely done competing already for the season) and put the pieces together. Hold Your Horses, Partner I mean, this part could just be me repeating “there’s no such thing as too much pitching” over and over again. But it’s something that we’re watching play out right now. Woods Richardson was recently demoted for performance issues, and Matthews has been shaky thus far in his abbreviated stint—though he hasn't been a disaster. Festa had three good starts early in the year filling in for López, but he was recently shut down with arm fatigue, though he's back now. And although Paddack has been thriving since his April blowup against the White Sox, there’s reason to be suspicious of him having continued success or health, which may necessitate even more starts for the less experienced players. Beyond that ever-looming threat, there’s also a philosophical issue. The Twins have only traded for one hitter mid-season during the Derek Falvey regime, and that “hitter” was third catcher Sandy León. The Twins have not valued bats at the trade deadline, potentially because a single hitter’s effect on winning and losing is a bit less defined. Pitching additions replace the weakest starter or reliever. The drop-off may not be as stark when adding a first baseman, DH, or outfielder, specifically; it's rare that a high-end player is available (let alone at a palatable price) at the same place where you have a profound need. Furthermore, the Twins have (justifiably) shied away from short-term players. A name like Ryan O'Hearn of the Orioles would certainly improve the lineup, but at the end of the year, he would be a free agent. Flipping a pitching prospect for an expiring contract echoes the trade that sent Nelson Cruz to Tampa for Ryan. It would be painful to watch that play out against the Twins this time. There’s no guarantee that the Twins will continue to produce pitching prospects like they have over the past couple of seasons, either. We shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security in that regard. The bevy of notable top-20, high-minors pitchers the Twins have right now might not be the new rule. Oh, also there might not be any payroll flexibility, given the ownership situation. Maybe all that money went to purchasing Kody Clemens’s contract. So where do you sit on this one? Are you in favor of dealing from a position of strength to dig the offense out of the cellar, or would you prefer to keep those valuable pitching assets and hope internal reinforcement and regression solve the issue? Me, personally, I really don’t know. View full article

All other things being equal, do you think that a team performs better with high levels of trust, leadership, cohesion, communication, and low levels of conflict?

Largely throwaway lines from other writing, broadcasts, or private observations from those with clubhouse access. I won’t pretend to know Guy X and Guy Y are best friends or anything, it’s just a collection of potential connections that we’ve at least seen mumbling of.

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images It’s common knowledge—or perhaps cliché, depending on your persuasion—that team chemistry is essential. Teams who stick together win together; fun begets winning and winning begets fun; so on and so forth. The Twins are winning, and, by all accounts, they’re having fun. In recent years, the Twins, at least from the outside, have appeared to value bringing in good clubhouse guys. Veterans like Carlos Santana, Michael A. Taylor, and Kyle Farmer come to mind. These are guys who could hold their own in secondary or tertiary roles on-field, but who also brought what some might call intangible skills. What intangibles are varies from person to person, but these three players were, by all accounts, well-liked, energetic, experienced, and knowledgeable about the game. One even started up some cult worship around processed meat. This offseason, as the Twins shopped the clearance rack for depth players, they came home with Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe, and Ty France. For approximately $10 million in total, the three players have each contributed to the team's success on the field this season, but they also came in with reputations as good clubhouse guys—positives from a human perspective. Truthfully, that’s a solid strategy. If you’re going to choose from a handful of fine but not exceptional players, it’s totally reasonable to give preference to the guys who are also pluses off the field. France and Coulombe bring fun personalities, and Bader has enough personality to make up for three sticks in the mud. So bring on the fun. But fun isn’t the only component of team chemistry—probably not even the main piece, though it’s often the one we think about first. In the past, I’ve highlighted factors like conflict and trust as important components to team functioning, but today, let’s talk about leadership. Shared leadership is a form of leadership that emerges within teams in which leadership responsibilities are distributed among team members. Baseball teams are going to have formal, external leaders (i.e., not a member of the team but in a position of authority) in the form of coaches and managers. But they can also have informal, internal leaders (i.e., members of the team who don’t have an official designation as an authority figure). Shared leadership tends to emerge in teams that have distinct and strong shared purpose and empowerment from the formalized leaders. In essence, a baseball team that’s united in its goals (winning games and championships) and is supported by the coaching staff will have players emerge as leaders. And according to manager Rocco Baldelli, that’s happening with the Twins this season. “We have a lot of guys in that clubhouse who do a good job of paying attention to the people around them—team-oriented guys," Baldelli said last weekend. "That’s what you need: team-oriented guys who are taking care of their own business, and who have the awareness and care factor to look around and pump a guy up when he needs it, or just talk to each other.” There have been talks of the relationships forming between players now and in previous seasons. Byron Buxton and Bader, two Gold Glove center fielders, have been iron sharpening iron, and Bader has been said to bring the best out of Royce Lewis. France and Brooks Lee have had a positive effect on each other, and Lee has also been connected to Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach in quotes on the topic. Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack have been pushing and refining each other on the mound. Carlos Correa has long been lauded for his leadership abilities. Within these teams you can have task leaders (focused on play and team goals), social leaders (focused on maintaining relationships and a good atmosphere), and motivational leaders (keeping the team working hard) in addition to coaches (Fransen et al., 2015). No one approach or leadership skillset is fit for every scenario, but it’s important to have those guys. It’s what good teams do. Historically, teams across contexts perform better when there is some shared leadership (Wu et al., 2018). From a task perspective, Baldelli explained the value of players taking on these types of role. “Staff members can do great things, but the guys in the clubhouse, they’re going through the exact same thing at the exact same time in that room. You have guys that have great perspective in there, and there’s nothing like a teammate being real with you and helping you out. That can happen so many different ways, but that’s the best way for it to work. If a staff member in any way feels like they have to be the one to always have a conversation with a player about any topic, you’re probably missing something along the way.” It’s important for players within the team to have an attitude toward winning. Part of wanting to win is improving yourself, but another part is wanting to improve those around you. Oftentimes, it’s not enough to simply be the best player you can be. You also have to get your teammates to that place, too, if your goal is truly to win games. That focus on your teammates can sometimes influence your on-field play, too. Pablo López explained in a recent interview. “At the end of the day, I want my success to be a representation of the team's success. I want to be my very best version to help the team win a ballgame—to help make the reliever who's going to pitch after me, to make their life easier; the guys behind me, to stay engaged, stay on their toes, or just give them a break because I'm getting quick innings or whatever the case may be. I have to keep that in mind. It's ok to explore some things because you want to elevate your game, but I have to keep in mind what that could mean to the whole team," López said. "it's my responsibility to also keep in mind the success of the team, and not jeopardize that as I try to explore in the regular season, when I'm trying to get the elite of the elite out." And that kind of attitude is important. In order to lead the team from within, the players need to gear their own personal aims toward the team's. Even in an individual sport masquerading as a team game like baseball, those things matter. And the Twins should be commended for developing a culture in which that is encouraged, whether that be through team culture building or roster additions. I’m never going to say that these factors are directly causing the Twins success in recent weeks, but I will say that empirical data does say these things can help. Bonus for the nerds: Okay, here’s a bonus. If you’re 1,100 words into this, I feel good about you finding this little tangent interesting. An additional factor that might be contributing to the overall, at least within one subteam, the bullpen, is described as member churn. The words “bullpen” and “churn” used in the same sentence should set off alarm bells as to where I’m going here. Coulombe has been complimented as taking something of an elder statesman, glue guy role in the 2025 bullpen, even with Brock Stewart and Justin Topa only being a year or two younger than the southpaw. Described as keeping it positive and loose with high energy (see the Redbull chugs for an example), Coulombe himself has provided leadership to that group. But the lack of member churn also helps. Churn within teams is associated with challenges like needing to introduce new members to a group, teaching them group norms, and filling in for the duties of previous members. A good climate is harder to maintain within the group if the members are constantly being switched out—and there’s been very little of that in Minnesota’s bullpen this season. Some of that is practical; very few members of the pen have been worthy of a demotion, and those that have been are out of options. So there’s been a consistent set of faces all season. This is different than in previous years, as the last two spots in the bullpen were often filled by minor leaguers on rotation or waiver claims to keep the group fresh. Fortunately, given the success of the pitching staff overall, there have been few instances in which a reliever swap is necessary. So there’s an on-field benefit at play, but it’s also allowed the bullpen to become a more cohesive group, which is beneficial in a number of ways, whether that be that players are having more fun, are easier to coach, or trust each other more. View full article

Sweet Lou and Ol Gregg are joined by Tom Froemming to discuss a week of .500 baseball. Tom gives some bold predictions featuring David Festa and Royce Lewis, and the crew talks some prospects. Gregg Gripes about Minnesota sports fans, Lou takes offense, and they play a game of Stump the Froemm. Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View full article

Sweet Lou, Comrade Cody and Ol' Gregg catch up on the latest happenings with the Twins, they gripe about Bark In The Park Night and try to nail a couple rounds of Random Twin 20 Questions. Come for the Twins talk, stay for the Bert Blyleven shade! Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View full article

Quite honestly, I was disappointed by my hero when I was 8, so I just stopped having heroes.

I’m going to mostly stay out of the comments because I’ve said my piece, but I want to make sure people know that Rose gambled on baseball games that he played in. We don’t get to use that escape hatch. He violated Baseball’s Golden Rule as a player. https://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/13114874/notebook-obtained-lines-shows-pete-rose-bet-baseball-player-1986

Pete Rose should not be in the Hall of Fame. He should not be celebrated. As a player and a manager, he committed a cardinal sin against Baseball. He broke the Golden Rule. And somehow, that seems to be brushed past when discussing the most famous player to ever break Baseball’s Golden Rule. I’m not here to talk about Rose’s off-field foibles. Between you, me, and the wall, I fall more on the side of ignoring those things in reference to Hall of Fame candidacy. What Rose did as a player and as a manager requires Baseball to permanently excise him. And too often, that goes overlooked. I’m not breaking new ground here. I don’t have any secret insight. But I want to talk about gambling—the one thing Baseball has ever put its foot down on. When people talk about Rose’s great sin against Baseball, it’s often framed around his moral character. We borrow the Golden Rule terminology from world religion and philosophy as a euphemism for gambling on baseball. We use words like “the integrity of the game.” But the “integrity of the game” isn’t some moral standard; it’s a pragmatic one. When we say integrity, it’s not about doing the right thing; it’s using the original definition—the structural foundation of the sport. The day that gambling seeps onto the field of play is the day Baseball dies. This isn’t about right and wrong. It’s about the game continuing to exist. Intrinsic to our love of baseball—and sports in general—is a basic assumption: anything can happen. Two groups square off against each other in a battle of wits, talent, effort, strength, and guile. May the best man win. Any given Sunday. Whatever the coach in Miracle said. And we have the pleasure to watch it play out. That’s why we buy tickets. It’s why we pay for an entire yearlong cable package subscription just to watch our hometown nine play all summer. We get to watch the best athletes in the world do what they’ve trained for decades to perfect. And we don’t know how it will end. It’s sweet, heartwarming even, to watch our favorite boys win. And it’s agonizing, heart-wrenching even, to watch them lose. And so much of that emotion is learning our favorite team’s fate in real-time. We ride the roller coaster along with them. They go up, and so do we. They plummet down, and so do we. But what if it was all preordained? What if there were no feats of strength or clever tricks or mental games? We would instead be watching WWE or a low-budget movie. Now there’s nothing entirely wrong with WWE or cheap films as a form of entertainment, but that’s not baseball. It’s not Baseball. Don’t get me wrong; one single person gambling on the games that they play or manager, whether they’re only betting on their team to win or not, isn’t enough to transform MLB into professional wrestling. But the true structure isn’t the only thing that matters, either. As soon as the people stop believing that the game in front of them is real, it’s as good as dead. And that’s what Baseball is fighting against. That is why the game needs to take these sins seriously. It doesn’t just make you feel icky—it threatens the institution. And so those who threaten that game need to be banished. They’re damned. There’s no purgatory for those who break the one rule. It’s nothing personal, just business. You cannot be associated with the sport after doing something that threatens to ruin it. It does not matter how many hits you had or how hard you hustled or how much children loved you. You voluntarily chose to separate yourself from Baseball. You committed a mortal sin. And yes, that sin against Baseball is far worse than other popular sins against Baseball. Steroids don’t hold a candle to the dangers associated with gambling. The winners being the baseball players who take the most drugs is a time-honored tradition, and the games are still decided on who is the best, strongest, and most focused. That’s far preferrable to the winners being the players the gamblers choose to win that day. And the league aligning itself with gambling services as advertisers is also a separate topic my own thoughts on which aren’t relevant here, but it’s brought up as a strawman in this discussion so we might as well address it. Put simply, the league encouraging fans to gamble has no bearing on the game on the field. If there’s ever evidence that the league is influencing games for any gambling-associated purpose, I want all involved parties burned at the stake as well. But until that happens, MLB partnering with those services is irrelevant. There is no coming back from what Rose did as a player and as a coach. Gambling on the game (specifically) does not make him a bad person. But it does make him a sinner against the sacred game. Baseball, with a capital B, cannot afford to welcome Rose back into the fold. That’s why it’s Baseball’s Golden Rule. Not petty morality, but an existential guard against ruin. View full article

Please don’t tell my wife

The fellas are joined by Theo Tollefson to celebrate a 6-0 week, saying nothing negative about the team. Cody questions whether the Pope has any opinions on Josh Donaldson, and then Lou and Theo attempt to Stump him. Gregg got punched in the throat so he held himself to only monologuing through half the runtime. Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View full article

With Gregg stuck in flight limbo on his way out of Boston, Sweet Lou and Comrade Cody chat about a Twins team that is still treading water after going 3-4 on their road trip. Cody gets a Gripe session of his own and gets another shot at 20 Questions. No Gregg? No problem. Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View full article

Sweet Lou, Comrade Cody, and Ol Gregg try livestreaming for a change as the Guardians feign a rain delay to give their pitchers more recovery time. They discuss the Twins' 6-1 stretch, answer listener questions, all three agree that's Gregg's newest gripe is valid, and they finish with a game of Stump the Schoen. We hope to mix in some more live streams as the season goes on! Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View full article

Enough is enough. The bear will pay.

Sweet Lou and Ol' Gregg meet up for an on-daily episode to make up for not recording on Easter. Topics include Luke Keaschall's debut, the starting rotation doing their jobs, Mickey Gasper's scorching 4 days in St. Paul, giving away tickets with cans of corn, Lou's instant replay gripe, and so much more. Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View full article

Please consult your doctor if your agreement with anything Gregg says lasts more than 4 hours