Possumlad

I think Tom & Jeremy effectively threaded the needle here. Improve the team in obvious areas; spend some money; focus on players with control beyond this year; don't trade much (if any) current production; and don't sacrifice the future by trading a bunch of high-level prospects just for a chance to make the playoffs. Overall we gave ourselves a better chance to make the playoffs while keeping current & future fan interest high.

Lee looks like a league average starting third baseman both in the field and in the batter's box... That provides some straightforward value. Lewis, I believe could grow into a slightly above average first baseman both with the glove and bat. Keasch is tough, as his bat doesn't profile well enough to play regularly in the outfield. My hope is that he rounds into a very valuable utility guy. His infield glove plays well enough to at least spot start there. On controllable deals, they all provide some value to the twins.

They didn't trade a real prospect for Kremer to stick him in AAA. He's been in the bigs for 7 years now.

This is an absolutely awful move. Liked the Minter move, but this one blows. Reyes is a real deal massive upside prospect... Obviously he may not work out, but among the highest upside prospects in the entire system.

Love what I've seen from Shelty so far. Leaders can (and should) use spreadsheets, but spreadsheets can't lead. Being a leader requires a combination of intelligence, EQ, humility, judgement, passion, self-confidence, grit, and communication. Hard to get the balance right, but Shelty's done a nice job so far from what I can tell. He's the kind of guy I'd enjoy playing for or working with.

Also interesting that Jenkins got a huge bump in the Fangraphs rankings. He was 50 FV tier and & ranked in the 30s in the prior update. Huge jump to 60 FV & top 5 overall.

IF Kaelen Culpepper (Twins' No. 2 prospect) Injury: Left glute injury IL date: July 7 (7-day IL) Expected return: Late July Status: Expected to be in games by the end of the week. Unclear whether that will be in a rehab assignment or if he will go straight to Triple-A. (Last updated: July 20

Seems like Matthew misses the days of Rocco super-platoons and early inning pinch hitters! I'm with the majority of the other commenters - let the bats with upside (Royce), especially when they've been performing the way he has recently. The less jerking around the better.

Does this mean you think the Twins wanted Reddemann or Brunson but both were taken ahead of them?

To answer that question we'd know to know where the Twins payroll is going. If Tom's committed to winning, it's going to cost him more - he seems to know that, but we'll see. I'm fine paying 35-37 year old Ryan $30MM/per in in the 2031-2033 seasons if the payroll is $200-$225MM (which will be middle of the pack in the MLB by then - currently median payroll is $175MM). Who knows w/ this CBA though - maybe that changes everything.

I didn't suggest any fans won't attend games because Buxton doesn't have a contract for 2029. I suggested that signing both Joe & Buck to extensions would create enthusiasm & send a strong signal that many fans would appreciate - and I do think that signal would help with perception & attendance.

Yes I'm aware of that. Which is why I said "extension." Signing both Joe & Buck to extensions at the same time would send a nice signal.

From the Twins website: OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (Twins' No. 4 prospect) Injury: Left thumb injury IL date: May 6 (7-day IL) Expected return: August Status: Is throwing from 105 feet and has begun hitting off a tee and in soft toss. (Last updated: July 7)

Extending both Buck & Ryan would be a great way for Pohlad to get butts in the seats. If Tom wants to redefine his early tenure as managing owner, extending both gives him a lot of goodwill & flex in other areas.

Updated top 10 from Kiley McDaniel at ESPN this morning. Link: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47684227/2026-top-10-prospect-rankings-all-30-mlb-teams-kiley-mcdaniel#min Minnesota Twins Top 10 prospects Player Previous Trending 1. Walker Jenkins, CF 1 2. Vahn Lackey, C 2026 Draft 3. Kaelen Culpepper, SS 3 4. Emmanuel Rodriguez, CF 4 5. Marek Houston, SS 7 6. Riley Quick, RHP 8 7. Kendry Rojas, LHP NR 8. Eduardo Tait, C 5 9. Dasan Hill, LHP 6 10. Hendry Mendez, LF 9 One thing to know: Lots of near misses on this list, including RHP Charlee Soto, RF Gabriel Gonzalez, C Carson Tinney (2026 second-rounder), RHP Ethan Wachsmann (third round), RHP Brett Renfrow (second round), C Khadim Diaw, and RHP Ryan Gallagher.