Woof Bronzer

100%. I wish I wasn't so cynical!

I think it's almost a certainty that the uncles are still pulling the strings. Pretty sure Tom is their rep, but as you referenced, the fact that Jim stepped in and got the Correa trade done tells you all you need to know. I think Jim just got sick of being the face of ownership and bearing the brunt of fan criticism, and he never really seemed to enjoy baseball very much anyway. But he definitely cares about the money though. Think about it this way, if Tom goes out and says "we shouldn't have cut payroll in 2023, that was a mistake"....well, great, bump it right back up! The Pohlads are some of the richest people on the planet, they could add $50m to the payroll and not even notice it. If the Pohlads truly believe that cutting payroll was a mistake, why haven't they corrected it?

Makes a lot of sense. Yes 1 year extensions are a different story, I was assuming both Ryan and Lopez would command longer terms but given Lopez's history maybe you are right, a prove-it deal could be in the cards.

I don't agree with a 5 year commitment to Jeffers when catcher is probably our deepest prospect pool. And long term extensions for pitchers with injury history on the wrong side of 30 is an extremely bad idea. However....signing a couple of Keaschall, Jenkins, Bradley, Culpepper to long term deals...the Twins have almost never done that. That would send a message that something is changing.

Fan policing is the absolute worst part about sports. Quit telling people what kind of fan to be. If fans who have different views than you upset you so much, why are you here? Come back when your brain will allow others to have different opinions than you. Your fan whining is tired.

I envy your optimism. I do think it's important to note that Tom was involved the entire offseason. Here's an article from October 5, 2025 that quotes Tom. There's no need to give him an excuse for last offseason. Last offseason showed us who Tom is: a guy who talks tough, but whose actions don't back them up. He said he doesn't do half measures, and then executed only half measures, neither rebuilding nor competing, and investing a pittance at the deadline, which actually decreased their playoff odds while ensuring they will lose several assets for nothing. This year it became clear that there is no long term baseball plan in place, that Tommy is very hands on, and that Tommy seems to have no idea or interest in actually doing the work to build a sustainable winner, but rather prefers to just try to will it into reality by billionaire magic or something, and focus on just telling fans they're going to build a sustainable winner. Wanna spend money, make a statement, and actually help the baseball operations? Go overpay for the best front office in baseball. It'll cost less than the big ticket FA they'd be dumb to sign. The fact that his GM is a yes man with zero experience running a baseball team (who rostered a player they had zero intention of playing for several months) speaks volumes. He's almost certainly the cheapest GM in baseball, and that's not an accident. Tom hired him; it was intentional; this was the guy Tom wanted to execute his vision, whatever it is. Zoll didn't deliver on Tom's stated expectation of playing meaningful games in September, but Tom didn't hold Zoll accountable. I can't think of a single thing Tom has done to actually demonstrate there's a new commitment to winning. He has said a lot. But at the end of the day it's a mediocre team running a $110m payroll on a poorly constructed roster with a Temu GM and 3 straight years nowhere near the playoffs. but he was about as direct as a Twins owner has ever been about the organization's willingness to spend. Or, as direct as the last one. Joe Pohlad said the exact same crap about "if the move makes sense we'll do it" and "we aren't about a specific number, we're about meeting opportunities." Jim Pohlad said the exact same crap too. I cannot believe how short the memories of some fans are. Fans were SO excited about Joe. "He actually likes baseball! He wants to win!" This was like 4 years ago! I cannot believe we are doing this again. Evergreen reminder: the Pohlad family tried to contract this franchise out of existence in 2001 for a $150m profit. If not for a single Hennepin County judge, they would have succeeded.

He first appeared in a Twins press conference in September. The below article quotes Tom and was published on Oct 5. I really wish fans would stop giving Tommy this excuse. They reason they didn't do anything last offseason was because they actively decided not to, not because of the timing of the change in figurehead. Tom was involved the entire offseason, and likely longer.

That can't be right. Everyone knows the best way to improve quickly is to "raise the floor" by signing old, washed vets.

We'd get a dozen articles praising Tommy for "putting his money where his mouth is."

You have no idea if this is true. You are simply stating your opinion as fact.

You didn't answer: Do you think he Pohlad had anything to do with Falvey leaving? If so, would you consider that a personnel decision? The conversation this year would be more like, "Well Mr. Zoll, we didn't meet expectations this year. I expect accountability and changes." And Zoll isn't going to throw himself under the bus, so he goes ahead with some mid level firings. This kind of thing happens every day in large organizations. Blaming lower lever employees for a failed project or a sloppy report or a bad sales year is a time honored tradition for upper management when they are feeling pressure from the big boss.

Yep. Falvey may have also seen the writing on the wall, that Tommy's "we're going to compete" pronouncement was going to lead to heads rolling when they didn't actually compete, and got out while he could. But yeah, billionaires don't take kindly to being told they are wrong.

Tom Pohlad is the CEO. He has described himself as "very hands on". I truly don't understand why people think the CEO plays no role in this organization. Do you think he had anything to do with Falvey leaving last year?

Seems like you are living in the past. Who cares what articles were posted the last couple seasons. Just move on!

"Whinny" seems to refer to horses, while "bitches" refer to dogs. Are people who disagree with you horses or dogs? Or are they dogs that make horse-like sounds? Also, what does "MAN the F up" mean in the context of being a Twins fan on a blog? How exactly does one do this? I'd really like to try it. Can one "WOMAN the F up" too? I have so much to learn!

Is it Zoll/Shelton doing the firing? Or Tommy Pohlad? I am intrigued.

I mean yeah they backed themselves into a corner for sure, and their margin for error is always going to be thin. My "plan" would have been more realistic if 2026 was a full on development/bottom out year...and if they'd traded Ryan for Tolle and Arias...and if they'd traded Jeffers and others at the deadline... I just don't know what else they do. More 1 year plans to "compete"? Just be honest about 27 which might be a weird/abbreviated season anyway. And have a plan! Look to the future. Have a baseball strategy, not just a financial one. They're going to need to get starting pitching, not for 27 but for 28 and 29. I'd target younger starters with Ryan and Lopez and see what you can get. (I'd also put a stop the minor league strategy of training all pitchers to pitch 3 innings, if they're still doing that.) I'd also give Morris run as a starter and I absolutely would not give up on Mathews, Preillip, even Festa yet. They could definitely be part of the future, if probably not aces. It's not impossible. Do I think the current owner and FO have the competence and willingness and foresight to execute it? Lol. But it's not impossible. Two years ago if you would have said the 2026 White Sox would be a playoff team you'd have been laughed off this site.

Hey, be fair, 6 more years of recovery this remarkable and we'll reach .500!

The Twins like him, but not enough to play him. He passed through waivers in August. The Twins knew nobody else wanted him, and then immediately forgot this and re-rostered him, to protect their ability to not play him again. There are 13 roster spots for position players. The Twins only rostered 12 players they were willing to play. I really want to know the story. From a distance it's a fireable offense. The Twins are already battling revenue disparities, a self-inflicted resource disparity is the last thing they need.

If Zoll is indeed "firmly in charge of baseball operations," heaven help us.

I for one believe it!

With all the labor uncertainty it's probably fine for 27 to be a development year. (26 should have been as well, but that ship has sailed.) Then it's playoffs or bust in 28, and we're winning the dang Series in 29.

The Twins were worse this year after the deadline than last year, and will end up with something like 4-5 more wins than last year. Only 3 more years of "remarkable recovery" like this and they'll get to .500! And then someday, the playoffs.... The organization's stated goal this year was not "figuring it out" but competing, and playing meaningful games in September. Tom Pohlad specifically said the year should be judged on wins and losses.

For sure. I'm just saying the Twins rotated 3 guys around 2-3 roster spots to fill 1 position...and all it got them was 1/4 of the production that the younger Culpepper gave them in his first 6 weeks in MLB.

Culpepper: 0.8 WAR in 120 PA Gray, Arcia, Kreidler combined: 0.2 WAR in 500 PA We really, really need to stop being afraid to play the kids.