William Malone

What is your basis for saying they play in a "tough" division? Maybe it was tough in 2023. It was a bad division last year. Worse than the AL Central.

Having a rebuild doesn’t mean they rebuilt correctly. What if they’re just like the White Sox? Everybody got all excited for their future. They made the playoffs and 2020 and 2021. That was as good as it got. What has their front office ever shown your to make you confident they rebuilt correctly?

But if we start making it about the front office and not ownership, you can’t just cherry pick “last three years.” I don’t think the division matters. The AL central was better than the AL East last year. It’s also better this year. you can’t just sit back on the Yankees. They are just 1/5th of their division. just like how the White Sox are only 1/5th of their division. The twins right now are in a tougher division if you look at the entire divisions.

So if it's not the owners then they're just stupid? Is it a bad front office? That's an argument I'm open to. Because they don't seem to be spending money well, and a lot of their "top prospects" were top 50 draft picks. Anyone can draft in the top 50. Can you find a Bailey Ober in round 12 or a Griffin Jax in round five? Even Joe Ryan was a lower draft pick who wasn't even that highly touted when the Cruz trade happened. Never really rose to being a top five prospect in Rays system or a top 100 guy league wide. Twins just saw something and got the most out of it.

Salvatore Philip Butera was born on September 25, 1952 in New York City, New York. The Chicago White Sox signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1972. He spent 1973 in the New York Yankees farm system, and joined the Minnesota Twins organization in 1974. Butera made his long awaited Major League debut in 1980 at the age of 27. He spent three seasons with the Twins as a backup catcher, batting .251 with 28 RBI over 150 games between 1980 and 1982. Minnesota traded Butera to the Detroit Tigers during spring training in 1983. He also spent time with the Montreal Expos and Cincinnati Reds, before finally making his way back to Minnesota in 1987. The Twins were crowded World Series champions that fall. Butera was 2-for-3 in the playoffs, backing up starting catcher Tim Laudner. He had hit just .171 during the regular season. The Toronto Blue Jays signed Butera the following season. He played just 23 games, and retired after spending the 1989 campaign in Triple-A. Butera has had several coaching, scouting and front office roles for the Blue Jays since retiring. He is the father of former Major League catcher Drew Butera, who also played for the Twins. View full player

James Michael Eisenreich was born on April 18, 1959 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 16 of the 1980 MLB Draft. He made their Opening Day roster in 1982, and got off to a fast start. Eisenreich was hitting .302 with two home runs and nine RBI through 34 games, but he began suffering from frequent panic attacks. During a road trip in Boston, local papers wrote a story about some of his episodes. This caused fans at Fenway Park to frequently taunt Eisenreich throughout the game. He was removed after he began hyperventilating during the third inning. Things only got worse from there. He was eventually hospitalized in mid-May, ending a rookie campaign that had started with so much promise. Twins manager Billy Gardner penciled in Eisenreich as his starting center fielder on Opening Day in 1983. He went 2-for-7 with a walk and a double through the team's first two games, but then chose to retire. Eisenreich went home to St. Cloud, and spent the summer playing men's league softball. The Twins convinced him to report to spring training in 1984, with Gardner claiming Eisenreich would be worth "ten additional victories" if he was a regular in their lineup. But Eisenreich retired again after appearing in just 34 games. He worked as a painter in St. Cloud for the next two years. During that time, he was formally diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. Having a better grasp on his condition, Eisenreich launched a comeback attempt with the Kansas City Royals in 1987. This reunited him with Gardner, who had since been fired by the Twins and subsequently landed on his feet in Kansas City. Eisenreich had a successful six year tenure with the Royals, slashing .277/.320/.390 over 650 games with them. The Philadelphia Phillies signed him as a free agent in 1993. Eisenreich slashed .324/.381/.453 in four seasons with the Phillies, reaching the World Series in 1993. He won a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 1997, batting .280 during the regular season and .364 during the playoffs. His final big league season was in 1998, splitting it with the Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers. Eisenreich currently lives in Kansas City with his wife and four kids. He runs a foundation to support children with Tourette syndrome, and travels the country as a motivational speaker. View full player

Robert Ernie Castillo Jr. was born on April 18, 1955 in Los Angeles, California. The Kansas City Royals took him in round six of the 1974 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash in 1977, and made his Major League debut later that year as a September call-up. Castillo spent five seasons in the Dodgers bullpen, going 13-14 with 18 saves and a 3.42 ERA. He made two relief appearances during the 1981 postseason, helping Los Angeles win the World Series. Castillo was traded to the Minnesota Twins shortly after the World Series. His time in Minnesota didn't start off well, allowing five runs in an Opening Day relief appearance. He also allowed four runs in another outing just six days later. Things settled down after that, and the Twins moved him to the rotation in late May with several starters either struggling or injured. Castillo finished the year with a 13-11 record and a 3.66 ERA, pitching 218.2 innings across 25 starts and 15 relief appearances. He hurled six complete games, including a four hit shutout against the Kansas City Royals on September 10th. This success made him a rare bright spot for the 102 loss Twins. He went 8-12 with a 4.77 ERA in 1983, making 25 starts and two relief appearances. Various injuries limited him to 25.1 innings over ten appearances in 1984, but he was 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA when on the mound. Castillo went back to the Dodgers as a free agent that winter, but was very ineffective out of their bullpen in 1985. This was his final season in the Majors, but he continued to pitch professionally through 1987. Castillo passed away from cancer in 2014. View full player

Jesús Anthony Vega Morales was born on October 14, 1955 in Puerto Rico. The Milwaukee Brewers signed him as an amateur free agent in 1975. He was acquired by the Minnesota Twins during the 1977 minor league draft, reaching the Majors as a September call-up in 1979. Vega played sparingly at the big league level of the next few seasons, appearing in just 16 games for the Twins between 1979 and 1981. He became more of a regular in 1981, platooning at designated hitter with Randy Johnson. Vega slashed .266/.289/.372 with five home runs and 29 RBI across 71 games that season. It was his final year in the big leagues. He continued to play professionally through 1985. View full player

Randy Stuart Johnson was born on August 15, 1958 in Miami, Florida. The Chicago White Sox selected him in round three of the 1979 MLB Draft. He played 12 games for them in 1980, going 4-for-20 (.200) with three RBI and two walks. Johnson spent all of 1981 in the minor leagues. He was part of a three player package sent to the Minnesota Twins at the deadline that year for veteran starting pitcher Jerry Koosman. Minnesota gave Johnson regular playing time in 1982, platooning him at designated hitter with Jesús Vega. Johnson got off to a fast start, batting .393 with six doubles and five home runs in April. He cooled off after that first month, batting .197 with four doubles and five home runs in 72 games of action after May 1st. Johnson finished the season with a .248 average over 89 games, driving in 33 runs. He spent the entire 1983 campaign in Triple-A, and was released by the Twins early in 1984. Johnson returned to the White Sox organization on a minor league deal, but never reached the Majors again. His last professional season was in 1985. View full player

Corbin Burned also signed in December. where did the money they offered him go? Twins have on occasion been accused of making fake offers for PR. What if they knew after having Burnes for a year that his heart was out west, so they made a big offer to look cool. But never planned on actually spending that cash

That’s cool that they offered more. But why was the pivot Kyle Gibson? A dude who isn’t even on same level of Chris Paddack. I’m not saying they needed to go get another proven stud. Look at how the big money Mets filled out rotation with Griffin Canning and career reliever Clay Holmes. Both incredibly better options than Kyle Gibson and neither costs that much

But the Orioles replaced Burnes with Kyle Gibson. Love the guy, but at this point of his career he’s not even close to Chris Paddack. Even if you lose Burnes, there are dozens of better guys out there. And their brand new owners set the budget to replace Burnes at 38 year old Gibby

Jason Orville Pridie was born on October 9, 1983 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him in round two of the 2002 MLB Draft. He was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 2005 Rule 5 Draft, but was returned to Tampa Bay after failing to make the Opening Day roster. Pridie was eventually traded to the Twins two years later, coming over with Delmon Young and Brendan Harris for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza. His big league debut came as a September call-up in 2008. Pridie entered as a pinch runner for Delmon Young in the seventh inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, scoring the go-ahead run on a Joe Mauer double. However, he later committed a crucial defensive error in the ninth inning that forced the game into extra innings. Minnesota lost in 11 innings. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was primarily used Pridie as a pinch runner down the stretch. He appeared in ten games with no starts, going hitless in four at-bats. Pridie hit .265 with 53 RBI and 25 stolen bases for the Rochester Red Wings (AAA) in 2009. His only Major League action came as a pinch runner on June 20th against the Houston Astros. Minnesota waived him after the season, and he was claimed by the New York Mets. The rest of his big league career was 122 games over five seasons with five different clubs. 101 of those games came with the Mets in 2011, where he hit .231 with 20 RBI and seven stolen bases. View full player

Joseph Taylor Crede was born on April 26, 1978 in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Chicago White Sox selected him in round five of the 1996 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut for them in 2000, and spent nine years with the White Sox. Crede won a Silver Slugger in 2006, and was named an All-Star in 2008. His .949 OPS during the 2005 postseason led the White Sox, who wound up winning the World Series that fall. Several back injuries limited Crede during his tenure in Chicago. He had a second career back surgery following the 2008 season, and signed an incentive heavy one year deal with the Minnesota Twins. It came with a base salary of $2.5 million, but was worth up to $9 million. Crede started off strong, hitting nine home runs with a .797 OPS through the end of May. Four of those home runs came against his old White Sox club. He also hit a walk-off grand slam against the Detroit Tigers on May 13th. However, his back problems began to resurface and Crede cooled off, and wound up slashing .225/.289/.414 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI over just 90 games. He played only 22 games after the All-Star break, hitting .198 and finishing things out on the disabled list. Crede had his third back surgery in three years that off-season, and sat out the entire 2010 season while recovering. He signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies in 2011, but decided to retire on the day players were expected to report to camp. View full player

Mauro Paul Gozzo was born on March 7, 1966 in New Britain, Connecticut. The New York Mets selected him in round 13 of the 1984 MLB Draft. He was traded twice while still a prospect, and made his Major League debut for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989, Gozzo had a 4.83 ERA over 31.2 innings for the Blue Jays as a rookie, making three starts and six relief appearances. They traded him to the Cleveland Indians in 1990, where he pitched 7.2 innings over parts of two seasons. Gozzo signed a minor league with the Minnesota Twins in 1992. He played out the entire Triple-A schedule, going 10-9 with a 3.53 ERA in 19 starts and 16 relief outings. Gozzo then joined the Twins as a September call-up, allowing five runs over 1.2 innings out of their bullpen. He became a free agent after the season, and signed a minor league deal with the Mets. Gozzo was 3-6 with one save in 83.0 innings for New York over parts of two seasons. He spent 1995 in the Cubs minor league system, and then went into coaching. After years of coaching AAU baseball, he took to the professional ranks. The New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League named Gozzo as their pitching coach in 2018, and promoted him to manager the following year. Gozzo was hired to manage the Gastoina Honey Hunters, also of the Atlantic League, in 2021. They folded after the 2023 season, but were replaced in the Atlantic League by a brand new team called the Gastonia Ghost Peppers. Gozzo stayed in the city to manage the new club. As of 2025, he is still their manager. View full player

Hello, fellow humans! My name is William Malone IV. Son of William Malone III. And I come with great news! The Minnesota Twins just swept the Baltimore Orioles in a three game series. This is good news because it's never a bad thing to sweep an opponent. It doesn't matter what their record is. Sweeps are good! Even though all sweeps are good, the Baltimore Orioles have been struggling a bit. Granted, they've been better in recent seasons. Baltimore won 83 games in 2022, 101 games in 2023, and 91 games in 2024. Three straight winning seasons with a young core has made their 2025 struggles a shock to some. This run of success was built through outstanding development. Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson are young stars who already have Silver Sluggers and top ten MVP finishes on their resume. They're supplemented by several other highly touted prospects, including Jackson Holiday and Heston Kjerstad. But it's not working! The Orioles are 13-23. So what went wrong? People can't blame Peter Angelos anymore. If you're not familiar with him, he was the Orioles owner from 1993 until his death in 2024. Fans here in Minnesota love crying about their current owners. A lot of that criticism is deserved too. But everything you have ever said about a Pohlad was said by an Orioles fan about Peter Angelos. Word for word. Bar for bar. Line for line. The Orioles have been even cheaper than the Twins over the years. Baltimore has only outspent the Twins four times (2015-18) since Target Field opened in 2010. With the health of Peter Angelos beginning to fail, the family decided to sell the team to David Rubenstein on January 20, 2024. Peter Angelos passed away on March 23, 2024. This was just three days before the sale became official. Nobody was really celebrating a man's death. That's not cool. But fans were celebrating a change in ownership. David Rubenstein is Baltimore born and raised. A lifelong Orioles fan who is also worth $3.7 billion. Surely, the days of being cheap are about to end! Well, that's not how it all worked out. Baltimore had traded for the expiring contract of Corbin Burnes ahead of the 2024 season, and he was brilliant for them! Burnes had a 2.92 ERA and finished fifth in the AL Cy Young voting. But the big bank account of Rubenstein wasn't able to re-sign the ace. He went out west to the Arizona Diamondbacks. There were several great free agents on the market who could replace Burnes, including Blake Snell and Max Fried. But the Orioles came away with...Charlie Morton and Kyle Gibson. Let's go over to the offensive side of things, because the Orioles also lost a key bat in free agency. Switch hitting outfielder Anthony Santander hit 44 home runs for the Orioles in 2024, winning a Silver Slugger and finishing 14th in the AL MVP voting. The Toronto Blue Jays signed Santander to a five year, $93 million contract. Baltimore went out and replaced him with Tyler O'Neill. That's probably a little better than replacing Corbin Burnes with Kyle Gibson, but it's still not great. Especially in the first off-season after your "cheap owner who doesn't care about winning" sold the team to someone new. The moral of the story is to be careful what you wish for with new ownership. The Orioles have been cheaper than the Twins in recent memory, and selling the team doesn't seem to be fixing the problem. Steve Cohen-types don't grow on trees. Most owners don't dip into their own pockets to fund payroll. Most teams just spent somewhere between 45% and 55% of their club revenue on payroll, and call it a day. Even the mighty Yankees fall into that wheelhouse, allocating 49.7% of their revenue towards payroll. This is against 47.4% for the Twins. The gap in actual payroll is created by the Yankees simply having a much larger revenue stream. I'm not making excuses for these billionaires. I believe they should be able to spend more. But I also understand reality. Trade the Pohald's for the Steinbrenner's and nothing probably changes. Same for any potential buyer of the Twins. This franchise will probably get sold at some point in the next year. Just don't set you expectations too high. Things might get better. But odds are, they stay the same.

José Illich Rodríguez was born on December 18, 1974 in Puerto Rico. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in round 24 of the 1997 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut for them in 2000, tossing 4.0 shutout innings out of their bullpen. Rodríguez spent all of 2001 in Triple-A. He reached the big leagues again in 2002, but it was a short stay. St. Louis released him in June. The Minnesota Twins signed Rodríguez to a minor league deal. Minnesota activated Rodríguez on July 1st, and he tossed two shutout innings against the Oakland Athletics that night. Rodríguez allowed runs in each of his next three appearances, and was sent back down to Triple-A. He finished out the season there, and was released after the season. Rodríguez never pitched in the Majors again. He last played professionally for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League in 2007. View full player