shimrod

And if those three have the opportunity to choose between the Twins and anyone else do you think we sign them? The QO offer may be an overpay but the Twins have put themselves in a position where they will have to overpay to get any desirable free agent.

Talks...ok, I might buy that. Acts? What have the Twins done since Falvey left that would be considered aggressive?

Bingo. The only times the Twins have looked to add above average talent in FA have been damaged goods. The toxic Donaldson and brittle Correia. Perceived bargains. The Twins have on several occasions paid market price for their own high end talent. Puckett and Mauer are examples. Spending to maintain talent is better than letting it walk but it doesn't make the team better, just keeps it from getting worse.

The Twins have never needed an excuse to not spend.

This will be the death of the internet and thus AI. Brilliant! He could be 100% correct (probably is) and it wouldn't impact internet commentary one whit.

That requires cash. The only pitchers that fit the Twins budget are bad ones. Draft and trade are the two feasible routes to good pitchers. Ideally the Twins get better at developing their draftees.

I'll answer this one. No accomplished FA will choose the Twins absent a massive overpay. The players the Twins need to upgrade the roster will be attractive to better teams as well. If the Twins are actually increasing payroll almost 50% (which I doubt happens) they should target trades for established players teams may be willing to move, either because they're getting expensive (for small market teams) or there's a high profile youngster inhouse and ready to fill that position. I don't pay enough attention to the league to know which players make sense. I do know another off-season of paying for Caratinis, Bells, and Frances will not move the needle. Players a tier above that bunch are not coming to Minnesota by choice.

I completely agree with this. The Twins have established themselves as the destination of last resort for free agents. It will take a pretty large overpay to entice a mid-career, multi-tool player to pick MN over anyone else. The reclamation projects and one-dimensional guys are all we'll get. The players the Twins need to enhance this roster will have to be acquired by trade. And they will not be cheap in prospect terms. But at least in a trade you pay the going rate, not a "bad team" premium.

And keep in mind that judge didn't deny the deal. He simply said the owners need to open the books and prove they were losing money before they could break their lease.

I expected a hundred losses so I was pleased to enjoy more wins than anticipated. I also expected the Twins to leverage the trade deadline to add prospects and clear the decks for a youth movement; here I was bitterly disappointed. I knew we weren't getting any stars in return for our veterans but addition by subtraction would have been the right move. The Twins need an influx of athleticism, defense, and enthusiasm. We saw hints the last couple weeks but in too small a sample size to know who's actually ready and who still warrants a placeholder. Our missed opportunity was in team development, not won-loss record.

I'm willing to go with the concept that "meaningful" applies to evaluating prospects and setting the stage for a winning 2027. Unfortunately the team failed by that measure as well.

Depends on whose expectations. They need to sweep the Rangers to even meet their preseason expectations from Fangraphs. But they did nail the over on the Vegas odds, so I guess they can stick that little feather in their caps. My expectations. I thought they would lose 100. I'm very happy to have been proven wrong. It's more fun to watch when they win.

I totally see your point. But strictly by the standings math, they’ll probably end up one hot week away in the course of a 6 month season from being in the playoffs or at least still in the hunt in this final week. Even just an extra win a month…that’s not far off imo. They had their hot week(s), that's why they didn't look that far off at the end. The Twins are going to finish with a better record than expected considering their talent level most of the year.

Not a direct analogy, but suppose you operate a restaurant. Expenses tick up and you decide to maintain your profits by using lower quality ingredients and serving smaller portions. Then you're surprised when fewer customers show up. Ownership needs to invest. I'm dubious the same people who created this situation are willing to spend enough to resolve it. Even though, with promising youngsters at multiple positions, just getting to league average payroll would be more than enough to right the ship.

So Pohlad says "increase" and TD discusses $30, $60, and $80 million dollar increments. I expect you could write a much more accurate article if you examine the $5, $10, and $12.5 million dollar options.