Lou Hennessy

First of all, I could never become the general manager of my beloved Twins, because it would create a conflict of interest that would require me to resign from Twins Daily. I’ve built an empire over here, and I’m not about to give it up to play second fiddle to President of Baseball and Business Operations (POBABO) Derek Falvey. But if they did ask me how I would approach this offseason, here is what I would tell them once the check cleared. Image courtesy of © Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images (Shane Bieber) This series of articles is a primer on the release of our new "You're The Twins GM!" tool where you play the role of Derek Falvey and build your own Twins offseason. Please visit the tool here and join in on the fun! Overall Approach This is going to be a pivotal season for the Twins as they try to keep their window of contention open. Despite the epic second-half collapse, the core of this team still has substantial upside, and now is the time to double down on them, especially without the seamless ability to add more star power on the free agent market. If things go south again in 2025, they’ll likely be dismantled anyway. My plan calls for the team to keep their offensive nucleus that includes Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee, as well as their promising top three starting pitchers in Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober. It will also rely on young pitchers such as Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, Zebby Matthews and others to help carry the load for large portions of the season. Some key differences include the dismissal of all of the team’s free agents, as well as a few trades to create some much-needed wiggle room. Non-Tenders and Extensions I would decide to let veteran relievers Michael Tonkin and Justin Topa walk rather than pay them their modest raises in arbitration. It’s another bust from the Jorge Polanco-to-Seattle trade from last year, but Topa should be seen as one of the fungible relievers who can be found on the open market at various points throughout the season. One of the most underrated aspects of the current front office was their ability to sign young, core hitters to long-term deals that locked in their arbitration prices and ate a free agent year or two. We saw this with Polanco, Max Kepler and Miguel Sano. The first two went rather swimmingly for the Twins and probably saved them some money, and while Sano didn’t live up to expectations, his deal wasn’t really a hindrance to the club at any point and he had the prospect pedigree to suggest he could’ve reasonably had an even bigger breakout. I want to see the Twins do that again, and I want them to bury any sort of hatchet they have with Lewis. I lock the former first overall pick into a five-year deal that pays him $6 million this year, $10 million in 2025 and $17 million in each of the next three seasons, with a $23 million player option for 2029. That’s $67 million guaranteed to a player that has battled health issues every year since 2020, but has shown tremendous upside. If he opts into his age-30 season at the tail end, the deal will be six-years and $90 million, and still allows him to explore another big payday as a free agent in 2030. Trades The first move I would make is to shop catcher Christian Vázquez and as much of the $10 million that is owed to him for 2025. I find a taker in his former ballclub, the Boston Red Sox, who still value him as an asset even if not for his entire salary. They agree to take on half of the contract, freeing roughly $5 million for the Twins to use elsewhere, and the return is simply a player to be named later or cash considerations. I would then trade Willi Castro to the New York Yankees for lefty reliever Tim Mayza and $2 million in cash. At just $2 million for his final year of club control, he then becomes the de facto replacement for Caleb Thielbar in a bullpen that is sorely lacking in left-handed talent. Next, I would flip Chris Paddack to a big market club that has the ability to gamble on his production on top of his $7.5 million contract. The big-pocketed Mets take the bait, agreeing to pay the entire salary, but they require a prospect kicker or two in return. The Twins include third base prospect Rubel Cespedes and relief prospect Cody Laweryson. I would also make a minor swap with the Chicago White Sox, acquiring relief pitcher Gus Varland for 21-year-old starting pitcher Jose Olivares. I’m picturing the two Varland boys holding down spots in the Twins’ bullpen for the next few years, maybe giving each other a boost as if they were a bonded pair in Backyard Baseball. And if it doesn’t work out, the elder Varland still has two option years remaining and would be low-cost to acquire. Free Agents Even after the trades, the Twins would still have just a little wiggle room to add if they want to remain at or near their $135 million payroll from last year. The good news is that there aren’t many holes to fill. One glaring need, however, remains at first base. So I would try to sign switch-hitting slugger Josh Bell, who should be available on a modest one or two-year deal after hitting a combined .248/.322/.412 (.734 OPS, 102 wRC+) over the last two seasons. While those numbers certainly seem underwhelming for a now 32-year-old, it puts him firmly in the Twins' wheelhouse price-wise and still provides considerable upside. In the second half of last season, Bell rediscovered his power stroke, with an .885 OPS and 145 wRC+. He would be a reasonable, lower-cost replacement for Carlos Santana, and he’d pair extremely well with Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien, who will likely be part of that rotation between first base and designated hitter. Let’s give Bell a two-year deal with a $7 million average annual value. I would then try to sign veteran backstop Jacob Stallings to a one-year deal for $2 million. He provides at least adequate offense for a backup catcher, but his framing and overall defense are a step down from Vázquez. But at just one-fifth of the cost, he could be a useful complement to Ryan Jeffers. The last free agent I would make might come off as controversial for a team with limited resources and a win-now mentality, but I would try to reel in starting pitcher Shane Bieber to a back loaded multi year deal. He’s going to be out of commission until the middle of the season after undergoing elbow surgery last summer, but Falvey is as familiar with the former Cy Young winner as just about anyone, since he was a major proponent in the Guardians’ decision to draft the righty back in 2016. Would Bieber be amenable to a modest $4 million salary with a major jump in 2026? Maybe a $17 million salary in year two, with the option to opt out after the 2025 season? This would give him a solid payday should his recovery not go as planned, and it would give him the option to re-enter the free agent market next year if he does return to form. We saw that type of contract work really well when the Twins brought in Michael Pineda. Could it work again? Conclusion After making these moves, the team would sit at a total salary of roughly $135.4 million, which is right in line with where they sat in 2024 and where they anticipate being in 2025. They lose their three veterans in the salary dump, give up a few down-list prospects, extend Lewis and add a few veterans, one of which could make an instant impact, with the other being a high-upside gamble. Their season-long success likely relies on better health from their core hitters (which is no sure thing), but their additions could help fill the void as secondary contributors, with the potential to be game-changers in the second half. Most importantly, this roster looks the part of a contender on-paper, which will be pivotal as they try to regain trust and goodwill with the fan base, as well as interest from a potential buyer. What do you think? Is this yet another pipe dream from the twisted mind of Sweet Lou? Do you think this would be a contending roster? Which of these moves do you like, and which do you hate? Let us know in the comments, and as always, keep it sweet. Want to build your own Twins roster? Hit the button below! Start Your Payroll Blueprint Now View full article

The Twins’ President of Baseball and Business Operations (also known as the POBABO) is sure to have his hands full and his pockets empty as he takes on yet another role with the organization. Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images When there’s a major shift in direction for an organization, whether that be in the front office or on the business side of a venture, the new appointments that are inevitably announced are bound to raise some eyebrows. Not this time. Just two days after officially taking the reins from Dave St. Peter on the business dealings of the Minnesota Twins, the organization has made Derek Falvey their official appointment to lead their newly-created, but perpetually effectuated, Council of Payroll Efficiency (COPE). This department is being put into place by the Falvey-led administration to make sure there never needs to be right-sizing of their payroll ever again. “Just add it to the pile of things they’re making me do,” an exhausted Falvey said as he swept the stairs next to Gate 3 at Target Field. “First they told me to handle the baseball operations department, then they want me handling the business dealings, then they said they want me heading the custodial team and the culinary services division. Now I have to find a way to cut costs across the board? Oh, sorry, I mean to promote payroll efficiency.” Falvey will now be tasked with making appointments of his own for this council. First, he’ll want to find a Director of Payroll Efficiency (DOPE), a Talent Recruiter of Payroll Efficiency (TROPE), and a Liaison Assistant Surrounding the Health of Payroll Efficiency (LAST HOPE). He says the council is undecided on if they’ll bring on a Certified Associate, Negligence Testing and Leader of Unbalanced Payroll Efficiency (CANTALOUPE). “Fans may not know this, but we’ve always operated with payroll limitations. I know it seems like we always just spend spend spend, but we actually do consider how clean our books are at every waking moment,” Falvey said as he chipped yet another acronym onto his crowded desk nameplate. “Now we’ll have a council that can formally direct our decisions in that regard.” So who will he hire next to join this council? Is there a weekend cable news host looking for work? Maybe a maniacal billionaire with a keen interest in mid-market professional baseball teams? Whoever Falvey brings in will have to be on the cheaper end of the scale, otherwise they will be classified as Outside Payroll Efficiency (OPE), and the Twins will scooch right on past them. View full article

Few players were more responsible for the team’s first-half success this year, but the surprising All-Star's decline in the back end of the 2024 campaign was an integral part of an epic collapse. Does this “guy who can play anywhere” have a place with next year’s Twins team? What’s Up With Willi Castro The Twins signed Willi Castro to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training in 2023, and he’s rewarded them with near-everyday play: 282 games of above-average production in the last two seasons. He has 5.6 fWAR in those two seasons, more than every Twins hitter except for Carlos Correa. When you take into account his $1.8-million salary in 2023 and just a $3.3 million payday in his All-Star 2024 campaign, it’s an easy call to suggest he’s been this front office’s best acquisition from a pound-for-pound value standpoint. But heading into his final year of arbitration control, Castro is expected to reel in somewhere in the neighborhood of $6.2 million (as projected by MLB Trade Rumors). If he’s the player we saw in the first half of last season, that’s an easy call to pencil him into the 2025 blueprint. But his rotten second half (wherein he hit .219/.298/.329, good for an 82 wRC+) makes it a riskier decision, especially given the logjam of position players in the organization who are either already established in the major leagues or knocking on the door for a promotion. The Case for Trading Willi Castro That leads to some of the indications that the Twins could be behooved to ship Castro to another organization, while his market value is still relatively positive. Not only could the Twins get salary relief from replacing his projected salary with someone making the league minimum (such as Brooks Lee), but they might even get a modest return. Would the Twins get a blue-chip prospect for one year of control over Castro? Surely not, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they could get something intriguing for someone who plays multiple positions (more on that later) and was an All Star just last year. If the Twins are confident in some of their younger pieces stepping up to fill Catro’s shoes, now could be a good time to dive headfirst into that long-term plan. Lee could fill any of the infield positions that Castro was entrusted with over the last couple years, and Austin Martin (or even an outside addition at a more palatable salary) could theoretically handle his duties in the outfield. Inquiring teams could be interested in Castro as an everyday utility player, as he’s been with the Twins so far, or they could even try to plant him at a defensive home if they have a specific need. The versatile utility player started at least 20 games in left field, center field, and at each infield position aside from first base. While he didn't raise any eyebrows at any one position, he mostly held his own at each station. Castro likely wouldn’t require an exorbitant return package, especially if the acquiring team eats that salary. If the Twins can find a way to shed the roughly $6 million Castro will make (likely in addition to another move to shed salary owed to someone like Christian Vázquez or Chris Paddack), they may have just enough wiggle room to make a move for one of their areas of need. It would be placing a lot of trust in less-seasoned young players, but it could be for the best given the circumstances. Comparable Trades of the Past There have been a couple trades in recent years that run along parallel lines to this sort of move. The Twins traded Gio Urshela to the Los Angeles Angels after tendering him a contract for his final year of arbitration in the offseason before the 2023 campaign. Like Castro, Urshela could be entrusted with multiple positions (though not nearly as many as Castro), and was set to earn roughly $8 million. Instead, the Twins sent him to Anaheim for Alejandro Hidalgo, who was a 19-year-old at High-A at the time, as well as the ever-important salary relief. That same day, the Twins found themselves on the opposite side of that coin when they traded for Kyle Farmer, who was seen as a capable stopgap at shortstop if needed, or ideally as a bench option who could play elsewhere around the diamond. They gave up Casey Legumina, who was a fringe top-30 organizational prospect at the time. While these moves were made concurrently, they each represent decent comparisons for what to expect in a potential Castro deal given his positional flexibility and the salary that would be exchanged. Potential Trade Partners Due to a dearth of options at a few positions in the free agent market, Castro could be an enticing option for teams with more room to spend and a specific hole to try and fill. He provides offensive upside from both sides of the plate (especially as a righty) and has been a threat on the bases as recently as 2023. Keep these teams in mind as we look for a club that could be interested in Castro for his contract year. Boston Red Sox Like the Twins, the Red Sox couldn’t find their footing in the second half and should be looking to rebound in 2025. But unlike the Twins, the Sox have ample spending room, as they are about $50 million short of last year’s payroll, with no indication that they’ve been directed to scale back. Castro likely wouldn’t be their priority this winter, but he would be an improvement over internal candidates such as infielders David Hamilton and Nick Sogard. Could the Twins try to flip Castro along with former Sox-fan favorite Vázquez in a bigger deal that provides considerable payroll relief? Toronto Blue Jays Another AL East team that found themselves in a disappointing place at the end of the season is our friends north of the border in Toronto. It’s a pivotal year for the club, as their two superstar position players, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are both entering their contract years. If they want to make some noise as a contending team, they’ll want an improvement over their projected starters at third base (Ernie Clement) and in left field (Nathan Lukes). Maybe the Twins could try to get an enticing (albeit flawed) relief option in return, such as Dillon Tate (4.66 ERA in 2024, two years of club control remaining) or Brendon Little (4.27 ERA across 46 ⅓ MLB innings over the last two years, making minimum salary). Houston Astros The AL West powerhouse is likely to be quite active this winter, as they have significant holes at third base (assuming they don’t re-sign superstar Alex Bregman), and in the outfield aside from Kyle Tucker. They are also set to have roughly $30 million to play with just to get to their 2024 payroll level. Castro could give them a starting-caliber option at each of these positions, or could be a lethal platoon and pinch-running option for a slowish, top-heavy offense. Could the Twins ask about former global top prospect Forrest Whitley, who is now a 27-year-old that has battled injuries for the last four years? Would Minnesota have to throw in another kicker in addition to Castro to get it across the finish line? New York Yankees The reigning AL champions are set to lose both Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres to free agency, and while they will certainly try to keep the former in the fold, the Yankees could eye Castro as a suitable (if partial) replacement for the latter. Castro would provide them with some much-needed speed and defensive versatility, which could entice the bombers if they wish to keep Giancarlo Stanton as a permanent designated hitter or move Aaron Judge out of center field. With the Soto sweepstakes likely to drag on for a while, Castro’s fit with the Yankees might not become clear until later in the winter, but it’s always smart to expect the big-pocketed clubs to bring in more than they need on the surface. Conclusions A trade of Castro probably comes down to two factors: how much salary could the club shed in such a move, and how confident are the Twins in his potential replacements? There’s plenty to balance as the team makes their deliberations, but either way, Castro has been an incredible value since signing that minor-league deal. Can the Twins squeeze just a little more value out of him? What do you think? Should the Twins try to move Willi Castro this offseason? How confident are you in the club being able to replicate his production in 2025? Let us know in the comments, and as always, keep it sweet. View full article

Many questions rose to the surface when it was announced that the Twins’ general manager would not be returning in 2025. Twins Daily asked their best paranormal investigators to seek answers on location at Target Field. They weren’t available, so they sent Sweet Lou instead. These are his findings. Image courtesy of Purple Wolf Graphics I took one last drag from my cigar and put it out between the eyes of the bronze TC Bear statue that sits outside Target Field. I’m starting to forget why Bonnes sent me back to this madhouse in the first place. It’s a cloudy evening in Minneapolis in late-October, and I hadn’t been back to the ballpark since it was announced that Thad Levine, the Twins’ general manager for the last eight seasons, was mysteriously dismissed at the end of this season. Twins’ spokespeople said all the right things in the aftermath. That his role had been diminished as the rest of the front office found their footing. That he was looking for a new challenge. You know, the usual answers as they try to save face. But my bigwig bosses at Twins Daily weren’t buying it. Something weird was going on. Something… spooky. Rain started to sprinkle as dusk sank deeper into night.. I flipped the collar of my trench coat and shook the droplets off my black fedora as I made my way through the gate marked for Media/Paranormal personnel. I remembered what Bonnes yelled at me before I left our downtown headquarters (Bricksworth Beer Co.): “Sweet Lou, the rest of the staff is busy doing actual baseball research, so I need you to make yourself useful for once. Try to poke around the executive offices to see if you can figure out why Thad is leaving so suddenly,” the Geek ordered as he pulled my Naz Reid IPA away from my parched lips. “And you better do it for free, damnit!” I’m led through the empty, muted halls of Target Field to Thad’s office by a nameless, overworked intern who has an eerie glaze over their eyes. We pass two other interns who I swear are exact replicas as my guide. Same glossy stare, same robotic pace, same Twins branded Stanley tumbler. I can’t tell if they really are clones made by the front office to save money on hiring, or if I’m getting so old that all these kids are starting to look the same. Never mind them, Sweet Lou. One crisis at a time. I’m left by myself in Thad’s office to see if he left any clues behind as to why he felt the need to leave this organization in such a hurry. I start with his bookshelf that sits behind his exquisite mahogany desk. It’s filled with everything from timeless baseball community must-reads like Moneyball and The Art of Fielding, to whatever it is that LaVelle is putting out these days. But one small, leather bound paperback caught my eye. It was sticking out from the rest of the collection, as if someone rushed to stuff it back into place. I grab it carefully and slowly pull it back. As I pull it back, I hear a strained voice whispering in my ear. Is it chanting in tongues? “Humber… Guerra… Gomez…Mulvey…” “Is there a spirit present?” I blurt out as my eyes dart around the room. I look through my coat for my emergency exorcism supplies. A cross made from broken bats that were shattered by Emmanuel Clase’s cutters. A vile of holy water collected from the troughs of the Metrodome. Before I can grab them the voice continues. “Hoey… Delmon… Tsuyoshi… Hardy…” The whispers continue and the room starts to spin. I woke up on the floor in a cold sweat. A flash of lightning is followed by a booming crash of thunder outside the rain-soaked window. I look down at the small leather bound book that is now opened in my hands. The cover now has a massive scratch across it. But at the bottom, there’s a scribble in black pen. It reads - The Personal Diary of Bill Smith. I open the journal to the last page with writing on it, maybe halfway through the book. The last entry went as follows: I don’t know how much time I have left. I can hear something scratching at the door every time I close my eyes. I can’t sleep because I keep thinking about the transactions that - - - And that was it. The bottom of that page had been ripped out. Maybe Thad was haunted by the moves the Twins had made that never really panned out. That has to be it. I should get back to Bonnes to tell him my hypothesis. Suddenly I can see my breath. I hadn’t felt this frigid since Opening Day at Target Field back in, well, every year. Did the Pohlads refuse to turn on the heat again? Another strained whisper fills the air. “Ponson… Sierra…Livan…Pelfrey…” This time it starts getting louder with each passing phrase until it’s practically shouting in my ears. “Correia… Nolasco…Doumit… Byung-Ho…“ The room starts spinning again and I fall back to the floor faster than a flawed roster’s 90% probability to make the postseason. I wake up sitting in Thad’s desk chair, but I can’t move a single muscle. I try to scream, but all that leaves my mouth is a tiny whimper. I look up to see a tall, cloaked figure hovering in front of me. “I’ll tell you what I told Bill and Thad,” said the raspy-voiced mysterious spirit. “It’s not the terrible moves you make that haunt you. It’s the ones you didn’t make because they weren’t in the budget.” The office door swings open violently, and from the darkness on the other side emerges a tall man wearing a stylish button-down dress shirt from Hammer Made. He stomps forward slowly, like Frankenstein’s monster. As he passes the threshold, I can see that it’s Thad himself, but his eyes are completely blacked out. He stops in the middle of the room and his head starts spinning, like the girl from The Exorcist, or Mike Maxx when he’s forced to learn how to pronounce yet another player’s name that has an accent. . “Wheeler… Rodón… Darvish… Sonny…” Thad chants. I’m now realizing that it was his voice whispering in my ear. Only this time, he’s chanting names of players that would have been clear fits with the Twins had their price tag not been so deservedly exorbitant. It’s all starting to make sense. Thad Levine had been haunted by the moves he wasn’t allowed to make due to financial limitations, and it drove him mad, just as it had for Bill Smith. Well, Smith, and Thad’s predecessor… Before I connect the dots, the cloaked figure removes his hood, revealing himself to be none other than Terry Ryan. “That’s the reason these fools couldn’t last,” he said with an insidious grin. “If you can’t do the job under budget, then you shouldn’t do it at all…” Terry and Thad simultaneously lock their gaze on me and point in unison. Suddenly, a rabid TC Bear charges through the door and his giant stupid mouth opens wide and covers my head. I squeeze my eyes shut and scream as loud as I can. When I open my eyes and look around, I’m back at Bricksworth with about half a dozen empty pint glasses around me. Had I dreamt the whole thing? I walk down the street to Target Field. Everything is bone dry, as if it hadn’t rained in months. It felt so vivid, but I guess it was all in my head. I shake off the otherworldly sense of dread I had been feeling, and start walking back toward my place, ready to work on my next piece. I call Bonnes and let him know I might need a day or two to shake this nightmare off. “Who is this? How did you get my number? Don’t call me anymore.” he exclaimed before hanging up. I chuckle to myself. Same ol’ Bonnes. I pass the bronze TC Bear statue I had dreamt of, and I can’t help but notice the ashy burn mark between his vacuous, dead eyes. View full article

Eight current Twins were named winners of the annual awards, including six for their performances on the field. While there were a few surprises, each of these Twins had something about their season that provided interesting context to their success. Image courtesy of © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Sure, there’s plenty more to the game of baseball than the firehose of in-depth information and statistics that seems to sandblast us each season. But each of the Twins who were recently named winners of the annual Diamond Awards has some nerdy tidbit that colors in between the lines, giving a fuller picture of what made them unique this season. Inside Edge Advance Scouting provided us with some fascinating (and admittedly pretty nerdy) notes that can help contextualize the six Twins whose performance on the field led to these awards. Most Valuable Player - Willi Castro “Willi Castro netted five extra hits against the shift (seven hits caused by the shift, two hits that were robbed due to the shift) in the 2024 season.” Castro was not the betting favorite to be named the MVP of this year’s club. Sure, the versatile 27-year-old had by far his finest season, and certainly warranted a selection to the All-Star Game at the time. But his dismal second half was a significant factor in the team’s freefall, and he ended the season with a good-not-great .247/.331/.385 slash line. Regardless, his nerdy stat regarding the shift, paired with a dramatic dip in his second-half BABIP (batting average of balls in play), help to paint a picture: Castro may have had some good luck in the first half of the season and some bad luck in the second half. His true offensive profile likely lands somewhere in between. Now, is it possible that Castro’s approach led to more hits against the shift? Sure. But his plus-five hits ranked second in all of baseball, and I would find it hard to believe that he had the second-best ability to snipe these kinds of hits intentionally, whatever his speed and his proclivity for chaos would imply. Pitcher of the Year - Griffin Jax “Griffin Jax struck out 27 batters on three pitches in the 2024 season.” While Castro’s selection as MVP raised a few eyebrows, the Pitcher of the Year award was a pretty easy choice. Whether you follow the on-paper stats or trust the eye test more, Jax excelled. He was by far the most dominant arm at the Twins’ disposal for the entire year, and he shot himself into the “Best Relievers in the American League” conversation with a fantastic campaign that saw him pitch to the tune of a 2.03 ERA across 71 innings pitched. His 27 three-pitch punchouts led baseball, and is a perfect distillation of his emergence into relief ace status. HIs elite sweeper, paired with his excellent changeup and some upper-90s velocity on his fastballs, truly made him a nightmare to face. Outstanding Rookie - Simeon Woods Richardson “Opponents had a Hard-Hit Rate of just 21% against Simeon Woods Richardson on low breaking pitches.” Woods Richardson was another reasonable selection, as the rookie cemented the middle of the Twins’ rotation for much of the 2024 season. He finished the year with a solid 4.17 ERA across 28 starts, with a considerably more encouraging campaign than his final line might suggest. He simply ran out of gas by the time the calendar flipped to September, where he had a 6.48 ERA in five exhausted starts. Nevertheless, his 2024 season was a huge win for the club’s rotation outlook going forward, and his nerdy stat makes it easy to see which part of his arsenal will keep him in the big leagues. The righty had a strong penchant for avoiding hard contact on his breaking pitches--11th-best in baseball, to be exact. His slider and curveball were his two swing-and-miss offerings (both solidly in the 22-24% range for whiffs per swing), and when things were going right, he was able to get his opponents to chase them low and out of the zone. Look for that strategy to be his calling card going forward, hopefully with a deeper gas tank in 2025. Most Improved - Cole Sands “Cole Sands allowed just a .429 OPS when behind in the count in the 2024 season.” One of the biggest surprises of the 2024 season is one of the least surprising winners of their Diamond Award. Sands was viewed as one of the last calls coming out of spring training, but he truly excelled for the majority of the year, often finding himself to be one of the premier set-up options for manager Rocco Baldelli. He finished the season with a fantastic 3.28 ERA across 71 ⅓ innings pitched, with a 29% strikeout ratee, which was up nearly eight points from the year prior. The nerdy stat shows that part of Sands’s success came from the fact that he was able to remain composed, even in instances where the hitter usually has had the edge. League-average OPS when the opponent is ahead in the count is a whopping 1.032. Sands’s figure in those circumstances was less than half that, and it led all of baseball by a fairly wide margin. (The closest was Daniel Lynch of the Kansas City Royals, at .598.) Defensive Player of the Year “Carlos Santana made 16 non-routine plays out of 24 chances (67%) in the 2024 season.” Even at 38 years old, Santana was still able to bring it on the field, playing dazzling defense in 150 of the club’s games. While he was seen as somewhat of a “scratch-and-dent aisle” signing last offseason, the first baseman was an integral part of the team’s offense and one of the centerpieces of their defense. His ability to make all the easy plays--mixed with his ever-present propensity for making the standout, highlight-reel ones--left many in Twins Territory with the notion that he is the best-fielding first baseman in the game. The fact that Santana was able to succeed in nearly two-thirds of his opportunities to make plays that weren’t deemed “certain” or “likely” to be made shows just how much of the team’s water he carried. Not only did he have the most made plays under that umbrella, but those plays saved some of his teammates from errors, and eliminated potential scoring chances for the opposition. Not only is this award deserved for the veteran, but Santana should be seen as the frontrunner for the Gold Glove award. What do you think? Do you agree with the BBWAA writers who selected these winners? What changes would you make? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and as always, keep it sweet. View full article

After it was announced that the Pohlad family would explore a trade of the Minnesota Twins, many wasted time by naming the first (only?) three real billionaires that they knew off the top of their head as potential buyers. Sweet Lou wasted his time coming up with five fake ones. Come waste your time reading what he came up with. Image courtesy of Kaboompics.com on Flickr Look, this isn't a list of perfect candidates to be new owners for our beloved ball club, but the Twins aren't a perfect franchise. Instead, I came up with my ideal fictional billionaires that could benefit Twins Territory should they decide to pursue an acquisition, or, you know, become real. And yes, I did grow up in the '90s. Can you tell? C. Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons) Okay, I know Mr. Burns is almost always seen as purely evil, completely narcissistic and cold-blooded, but that is pretty par for the course in this line of work. I think that he would be a great team owner because of his ability to be frugal when it counts (“Does anybody have change for a button?”) while having the liquidity and availability to shell out when the time is right. Plus, he’s already shown a willingness to go out and acquire the cream of the crop when it comes to on-field talent. When he was the owner/manager of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Softball Team, he went out and got the likes of Ken Griffey Jr. (and his grotesquely swollen jaw), Steve Sax (and his run-in with the law), Ozzie and the Straw (Ozzie Smith and Darryl Strawberry). Fans have been craving that sort of investment in the on-field product for decades, and they can finally get it with Burnsy on board (just make sure Mattingly gets rid of those sideburns). As an added bonus, Mr. Burns has shown with his "sun blocker" project that he can answer the calls from a certain contingent to "put a roof on" Target Field. Want an end to rainouts? Burns can do you one better: no clouds, no sun, no weather at all. Bruce Wayne (Batman) Young. Mysterious. Good-looking. Billionaire genius. No, I’m not talking about John Bonnes, I’m talking about Bruce Wayne, the CEO and owner of Wayne Enterprises. Would an MLB franchise in Minnesota interest a titan of industry from the massive metropolis (not the Metropolis) known as Gotham City? Sure, Wayne has plenty on his plate already, but this would be a major get from the Twins’ end. You have to think he’d supply the club with state-of-the-art, cutting-edge technology, while mostly staying out of the way thanks to his mysterious nightlife that nobody seems to know anything about. Scrooge McDuck (DuckTales) This bird is absolutely loaded. How loaded you say? Well in 1956, it was estimated that McDuck had a net worth of “one multiplujillion, nine obsquatumatillion, six hundred and twenty-three dollars and sixty two cents.” and that was almost 70 years ago! He must be worth at least thirty multiplujillion in today’s valuation when taking inflation into account. Another interesting twist on his fit as the Twins’ owner is the fact that his nephew, Donald, is a well-known Disney star. It could be interesting to go from a billionaire nephew in Joe Pohlad, to a billionaire uncle in Scrooge McDuck. Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) Right off the bat – I’m talking about the OG version of Wonka, Gene Wilder. Not that creep Johnny Depp. You think I’m trying to get canceled for this? Anyway, sugar is king in this country, and the Twins could use a sugar daddy. We know Wonka is great with promotions and marketing. He had eyes on his company from all over the world when he went through with his brilliant Golden Ticket giveaway. Maybe he can incorporate that type of creativity into the Twins’ ticket sales department. Actually this one is turning into my favorite on the list. Give me a chocolate river running through the Gate 34 plaza all day. Dr. John Hammond (Jurassic Park) What could go wrong? The tycoon behind the brilliant Jurassic Park experiment might just be the outside-the-box candidate this franchise needs as an owner. And yes, the execution behind a theme park centered around giant cloned dinosaurs was certainly flawed. But the idea was brilliant, otherwise they wouldn’t have tried to do it like five more times. The promotions would be astounding, to say the least. Instead of the mascot race, they could do a live feeding of TC Rex (who replaced that godless heathen, TC Bear, on day one). In lieu of a bullpen cart, they could have one of the triceratops carry in… I don't know. Scott Blewett or something. Not to mention the new concession items for the carnivores among us. Hope you like goat. Move over, Target Field. Welcome… to Targrassic Park (cue the music). What do you think? Which of these fictional billionaires would you like to see buy the Twins? Do any others come to mind? Let us know in the comments, and as always, keep it sweet. View full article

I hope you and Joe will forgive me.

The Hall of Fame catcher does not want to share the spotlight with his longtime positional rival, Buster Posey, who was just named the President of Baseball Operations with the San Francisco Giants Image courtesy of Purple Wolf Graphics After being inducted into the Hall of Fame in July, Joe Mauer thought he had it all. He’s an icon in his home state, he made hundreds of millions of dollars, and he has etched his name in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown thanks to an incredible career. But it’s not enough to satisfy his ultimate desire – to be better than Buster Posey. In a stunning move on Monday, the San Francisco Giants announced the dismissal of their President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi, and that he’d be replaced by their longtime catcher. It left many baseball fans scratching their heads, but it left Mauer seething with anger. After all, the two catchers were compared to each other year after year for what felt like an eternity, with Posey usually edging Mauer when it came to career longevity, championships won, and the fact that he had a more-quintessential baseball name. “First of all, I’m not doing this just because of Buster – if that is his real name,” said Mauer as he reached between the cushions of his living room couch while seeking loose change. “I’m doing this because I care about this team and I want to see them succeed. And yes, I would also love to see the look on Posey’s smug face when I once again take the top headline from him.” Now, it takes more than desire to facilitate an ownership change. Mauer is going to need to find significant capital if he wants to entice the Pohlad family into selling their favorite cash cow. Estimates on the valuation of the MInnesota Twins is somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.8 billion, and that’s a lot of milk money. With that in mind, sources say that Mauer has enlisted his three children to help him raise money through a milk stand at the corner of their block. “I know they should probably be in school, but if we can scrounge up a few hundred million it will all be worth it,” said Mauer as he hung a ‘MAUERADE’ sign from a nearby light post. “Buster might have the bigger office for now, but I know the power of good ol’ 2% will get me on top eventually.” The rivalry between Mauer and Posey may not have gotten a ton of notoriety in their playing days, but sources say that tensions have been rising for the last couple of years. In fact, some claim that the speech that Mauer gave at his Hall of Fame inauguration was actually a backup that he had prepared, and his original plan was to roast the former Giants’ backstop for 20 minutes. But an old friend, Justin Morneau, was able to walk him back. “People don’t know this, but Joe is a very spiteful person behind closed doors,” Morneau said. “The only reason he moved to first base midway through his career was because I took his parking spot one time, so he decided he would take my job.” Many fans are warm to the idea of the club finding a new ownership group, and having it be the native son of Twins Territory likely appeals to multiple generations. Not only is Mauer a standout community member in the Twin Cities that garners respect from baby boomers and into Gen X, but he is the first Twins’ Hall of Famer that many Mauerllenials can remember watching in-person. “At the end of the day, I want to do it for the fans,” said Mauer as he dragged a cartful of his trophies into Pawn America. One of his Silver Slugger awards drops to the ground, leaving a small dent at the base. “And if the fans really care about me and this team, they’ll help me get the higher ground on that snake down by the bay.” View full article

Though he's merely days old, the Twins are hoping to maximize little Diland’s defensive versatility as the club tries to get back on track before the postseason. Image courtesy of Purple Wolf Graphics It’s well-known that the Twins aren’t afraid to rely on young talent, even when in the thick of a playoff hunt. But this newest development takes that notion to another level. Veteran catcher Christian Vázquez and his wife Gaby welcomed their third child on Monday, and reports have already come out saying the Twins are hoping to start teaching him to play second base as soon as they leave the hospital. “First of all, congratulations to the Vázquez family. We’re so happy for them during this special time,” said Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey. “With that said, I just have one message for sweet little Diland. Buckle up, kid. Time to grow up and contribute to what we’re trying to accomplish over these next few weeks.” Until now, the youngest player on the current Twins club was infielder Brooks Lee, who is 23.6 years old. But with the young Vázquez in the fold, the new leader in the young clubhouse is roughly 23.6 years younger. That inexperience, both on the field and on planet Earth, can make it difficult for most evaluators to get a firm grasp of an infant player’s potential tools going forward. But Twins Daily’s Jamie Cameron isn’t like most evaluators. “I see this kid having plus raw power if he can find his footing, but we’ll most likely have to wait for him to take his first steps before that happens. Right now, his carrying tool is yet to be determined,” Cameron said as he put the finishing touches on his first mock draft for the 2037 draft class. “As far as finding a defensive home, second base might be a stretch, but now is the time to figure these things out.” This is just the latest turn in a saga that has seen multiple young Twins stars move around the diamond in the name of defensive versatility. Just last week, star third baseman Royce Lewis was tasked with getting acquainted with second base, in an effort to give manager Rocco Baldelli as many in-game options as possible. Twins Daily sends our heartfelt congratulations to the Vázquez family, and we look forward to covering Diland’s on-field development as he navigates his professional career. He is expected to be the youngest Twin until Bailey Ober and his wife inevitably welcome their ninth child shortly. View full article

The top prospect just made his debut at Triple-A St. Paul, but he’s knocking on the door to the big leagues. How realistic would a September promotion be for the team's latest phenom? Image courtesy of Rob Thompson / St. Paul Saints While the Twins will surely be cautious with Emmanuel Rodriguez (ranked No. 3 in the latest Twins Daily Prospect Ranking), teams are often forced to get creative if they want to catch lightning in a bottle before the postseason. So is it realistic for fans across Twins Territory to dream of a scenario where the slugging outfielder makes his MLB debut with the club this month? It will probably depend on two major factors - Rodriguez’s performance on the field and the availability of a spot on the now-28-man roster. While there isn’t much time remaining for him to to turn heads in St. Paul (16 games, to be exact), it only takes one big push to prove you’re the top dog in the upper level of the minor leagues. If he can showcase his fantastic eye at the plate (25.1% walk rate in 37 games at Double-A this season) while boasting his patented plus power (.621 slugging percentage) and speed (nine stolen bases), he’ll be awfully enticing for a Twins lineup that is seemingly running on fumes. For what it’s worth, the team isn’t in urgent need of a left-handed outfielder--at least, not exactly, and not yet. Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner are both swinging strong bats at the moment, and are middle-of-the-order hitters against opposing righties. Max Kepler is still seeing regular playing time, but he’s been dealing with a sore knee for a few weeks now, and his performance hasn’t been particularly impressive (.246/.287/.352 clip in the second half, 81 wRC+). And after being a late-scratch to Tuesday night’s starting lineup in Tampa Bay, questions continue to swirl regarding the right fielder’s health and effectiveness down the stretch. Should the Twins decide to put Kepler on the shelf, the easy answer would be to activate center fielder Byron Buxton, who will likely return for the Kansas City series, either way. But beyond that, you could make the case that Rodriguez presents the best opportunity for an upgrade in the outfield. Not only has he had a fantastic season when healthy, but he plays a competent center field (which could be huge, given the murky nature of Buxton’s health status) and he is already on the 40-man roster, meaning the Twins wouldn’t have to risk losing a player who would need to come off the roster in his place. So what could Rodriguez provide for this year’s Twins team? Why would they even consider promoting a 21-year-old who only has 38 games above High-A? If Kepler were to go on the injured list, and the Twins wanted to increase their thump from the left side of the plate, Rodriguez would slide in rather perfectly to an outfield that had Larnach in left, Wallner in right, with Brooks Lee and Willi Castro playing up the middle on the dirt. Buxton will likely need days off, or at least days as the designated hitter. Just imagine this batting order against a right-handed opponent, and how well each of these players has done in those scenarios so far in 2024: Castro - SS (117 wRC+) Larnach - LF (127) Wallner - RF (170) Lewis - 3B (142) Buxton - CF/DH (142) Carlos Santana - 1B (94) Ryan Jeffers - C (110) Lee - 2B (80) Rodriguez - CF/DH That’s a pretty fearsome lineup, and one that still provides a ton of positional versatility and impactful pinch-hit opportunities. And for a team that had an inconsistent stream of run support in August, and continues to lack clarity regarding the return of their star shortstop, Rodriguez could provide a jolt that other players on the fringe of the roster simply can’t at this time. A Rodriguez promotion would likely mean one of Austin Martin or Michael Helman gets optioned--which wouldn’t be the end of the world, as neither are providing a ton of value at the moment, nor are they at risk of being claimed by another team. Each has options remaining, so they could be shuttled back to St. Paul without being exposed to waivers. Is it likely that Rodriguez plays his way into an opportunity with the big league club in September and hopefully into the playoffs? Probably not. It's more probable that both he and the team want to avail themselves of this chance to get regular playing time at Triple-A, after an injury-disrupted season. However, there is a version of reality where it could make the most sense to challenge him and roll the dice for the huge potential return of a late-season MLB debut. For now, the outfield prodigy can continue to acclimate himself to Triple-A, and wait for an opportunity to be their lightning in a bottle. What do you think? Would you like to see Rodriguez get a chance with the big league club before the end of the season? Or should the Twins let him simmer in Triple-A for the remainder of the year? Let us know what you think in the comment section, and as always stay sweet. View full article

After visiting the Minnesota State Fair last week, the Twins’ relief ace is feeling anything but sweet. Image courtesy of © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports For a team riddled with injuries and ailments to multiple star players, the last thing the Twins needed was a tummy ache. But Griffin Jax finds himself dragging due to what he is describing as “severe cookie gut” after ingesting far too many treats from Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar at the Minnesota State Fair. “I’m ready to admit I have a problem,” said an ashamed and visibly uncomfortable Jax. “I thought I could stop, but the bucket keeps calling to me--like the Green Goblin mask in Spider-Man.” The good news is that Jax’s diagnosis does not appear to be terminal. However, the team is concerned with the sheer mass of cookies that Jax went through in the days following his visit. Members of the media witnessed at least a dozen cookie buckets pouring out of his locker in the Twins’ clubhouse after the club’s 2-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. “It’s a good thing Griff only needed three pitches to get out of the inning, because I think he would’ve hurled if he had to stay out there,” said Twins’ manager Rocco Baldelli. “And I think I would’ve had to roll him out there like post-gum Violet Beauregarde if we needed him in the ninth.” The remedy for cookie gut can be complicated. Many claim that a glass of ice-cold milk can help break down some of the bloating, but others have experienced the exact opposite. For Jax, he’s expecting things to get worse before they get better. “I think the only way out is through, unfortunately,” said Jax, as he packed another stack of chocolatey goodness into his yap. “Am I supposed to just throw these away? I can’t do that to Martha, after all she’s done for me.” Baldelli and the coaching staff are hoping that Jax can return to form after he digests the last batch, as he has proven to be one of the premier relief arms in the game with a sterling 1.96 ERA across 59 ⅔ innings pitched. “We need him to stop eating so that he can get back to being the big dog in that bullpen,” said the mystified manager, as he checked the cookie buckets for scraps. “Or, the least he could do is share with the rest of us.” Jax was seen stretching his abdominal area, as well as both sides of his jaw before their game on Saturday night. It remains unclear if he’ll need a stint on the injured list to help him get over his backup. To be sure, that ERA is a touch more bloated, after he walked two and plunked one in a messy inning Sunday. Reportedly, team personnel had to talk him out of a change from his customary "X Gon' Give It to Ya" entrance to a rousing rendition of "C is for Cookie". Jax might still have had a (chocolate) chip on his shoulder. It would be a tough break for the young righty and the team if Jax has to miss any stretch of time. For a bullpen that has been leaking oil over the last few months, having to be without their best option might be too big of a bite for the Twins to swallow. But sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles. View full article

At least you haven't lost hope!

The Twins may need to get creative as they try to find suitable options in the middle of their relief corps. That may force them to look to the starting rotation for answers, as they trudge toward the postseason. Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports Is it possible that we've been looking in the wrong place for a solution to the team’s bullpen woes? The general expectation is that Louie Varland will be the knight in shining armor that emerges over the hillside to provide necessary reinforcement as the club pushes toward the postseason. If last season is any indication of what to expect, that could very well be the case. But the Twins have another arm that could provide a similar boost--only, he’s a little busy at the moment. Rookie David Festa is currently holding down a spot in the starting rotation, and he’s mostly held his own since his debut in late June. Many are counting on him, along with fellow rookies Zebby Matthews and Simeon Woods Richardson, to continue finding success in a starting role through the end of the year. But each of those three young arms is quickly approaching (or has already surpassed) reasonable expectations for increases to their respective workloads. And while they certainly appear to be the team’s best options to continue starting games in the near term, should they look into transitioning Festa to a relief role as the postseason approaches? It’s easy to shoot down the idea based on the rotation’s needs, and realistically, the Twins could very well feel the same way. However, Festa’s offerings are the building blocks that make a strong reliever, and after a few more starts in the coming weeks, it could behoove the Twins to seek a way to scale his workload back, while keeping him as a key contributor. Festa's three-pitch repertoire features a fastball that can touch upper-90s velocity, and two rock-solid secondary offerings that have underperformed at the MLB level thus far. Perhaps giving him shorter outings will allow for further success with his slider and changeup, since his opponents wouldn’t see them in multiple at-bats in a given game. That leads to the biggest talking point when discussing the effectiveness of a transition to the bullpen – his numbers the first time through the order. When getting their first taste of Festa in a game, opponents have been held to an anemic .342 OPS, while striking out 30.2% of the time. Somehow, those numbers appear to be improving as he gets more exposure to the league. They're testaments to his sheer nastiness. Just this month, Festa has struck out 39% of batters faced when going through the order the first time, which is tied for fifth-highest among all starters, according to Inside Edge. He has also allowed a paltry .147 slugging percentage in those instances this month, which is third-best in baseball. He’s racking up plenty of punchouts, and limiting damage when opponents do make contact. That’s an excellent starting point for this type of transition if the Twins decide to explore this route, even before getting any theoretical boost from being able to empty the tank in a shorter outing. Festa has also started to show increased effectiveness against left-handed hitters, which is a soft spot with the current crop of Twins’ relievers--given the fact that Caleb Thielbar is suddenly their lone lefty. Festa has struck out 37% (16/43) of lefties he’s faced this month, and they’ve only mustered a .621 OPS against him in that time frame. That’s more than passable as a medium-leverage arm, and it could be just what the bullpen needs as they head down the home stretch of the season. Of course, the question then becomes who will take Festa’s place in the starting rotation, and why wouldn’t they just keep him as a starter and move one of these other options to a relief role? Beyond Varland, the options that are sitting in the Triple-A rotation include Randy Dobnak and Andrew Morris. The team also added Caleb Boushley to the big-league roster Tuesday, giving them a stretched-out arm with plenty of starting experience. Dobnak has a career 6.82 ERA in 33 innings pitched as a reliever, and his stuff has been absolutely hammered to the tune of a .331/.364/.538 clip when opponents see him out of the pen. Boushley hasn’t inspired much hope since joining the organization, and he has a 4.97 ERA for the season with the Saints. Morris is an intriguing piece going forward, and he is yet another archetype in the Twins’ strategy of drafting starting pitchers in the middle and late rounds of the draft, then tweaking their mechanics to amplify their development. But it’s hard to imagine them pumping Morris through that development, then throwing him into a playoff bullpen when he started the season in High-A ball. Each of those three options might make more sense as spot starters at the big-league level, should Festa move to relief. At the end of the day, the Twins may decide that moving Festa (or any of the three rookie starters) to the bullpen would be more trouble than it’s worth. But there are a couple of glaring question marks in the relief corps, and the club should do whatever they can to address them before it’s too late. That may include looking to their encouraging rotation pieces for answers. View full article