IndianaTwin

Yes, let's combine this with the mathematical concepts outlined by @Riverbrian above. Correa: $10M Lopez and Buxton: $36.9M Higher-dollar arb guys (Ober, Jeffers, Ryan): $17M per MLBTR Pre-arb guys* -- 13 guys at $820k: $10.6M (Note: This is below RBs suggested 18, but see next line). Low-dollar arb guys (Lewis, Sands, Topa): $6M per MLBTR That's $80.7M among 20 roster spots, leaving a C2, 1B, RP, RP, RP and another hitter. Start with $5M for the 2nd catcher (Caratini?) and $15M for the three relievers (Coulombe, Pressly, Thielbar, Sewald and some of the others that have been mentioned; I'd also be glad to claim Alex Lange off waivers) and you're at $100M. RB mentions Naylor, but jeepers, if they went to $140M they could fish in the Alonso pond for the 1B if they wanted to. Or use some of it to splurge on Luke Weaver/Ryan Helsley/Kyle Finnegan or even Raisel Iglesias, all of whom MLBTR projects at $26M or less over two years and all of whom have closed, People routinely say you can't build a team on hope, but I can't recall an overall collection of pre-arb guys that provide as much hope and opportunity as the current collection. I think there's even enough in that pool to (judiciously) trade perhaps one of the SP extras and one of the OF prospects for a cost-controlled need. Also, Wallner only OPSed .771 against RHPs, which brought his career OPS down to .881 against RHP. Last year he also improved his OPS against LHPs to .790. He turns 28 next month. That screams bounce-back candidate to me. Lewis had 11 HRs and 12 SBs after the All-Star break, which was only 66 team games (and he was healthy enough to play in 62 of them). That's 27/29 pace over 162 team games. From what I gathered, his 3B defense was improved as well. He's still just 26. I'm willing to see hope in both of those guys as well. I think there's a path forward that doesn't require waiting until 2027. *3 SPs from among SWR, Bradley, Abel, Festa, Matthews, et. al; 4 RPs from the converted starters and others; 3 OFs from among Outman, Wallner, ERod, Jenkins, Martin; 3 INF in Lee, Keaschal. -------------------------------------------------- EDIT to add: See https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6806576/2025/11/14/twins-derek-shelton-managing-approach-royce-lewis/. Summary: Title is "Twins' Royce Lewis notices 'something new about the culture' manager Derek Shelton is bringing." Shelton visited Lewis in person, plans to visit Jeffers over Thanksgiving. Key quotes from Lewis: “We started off building a really good relationship. He told me I was important to him and our organization. I told him at points last year I didn’t feel like that. It was really important to me to feel that kind of confidence. “It just feels like there’s something new about the culture he’s trying to build,” Lewis said. “I just look forward to some of his ideas he had for us. Whether it’s implementing them in spring or in season, I loved the mentality he had — the ‘It’s going to take every man’ approach. It was unbelievable.” I'm willing to read hope here.

Legit.

To wit, on your "potentially solid rotation," I actually wonder if you are underselling it. How many teams have two All-Stars (Ryan and Lopez), a strong bounce-back candidate (Ober), four guys who have spent time on top 100 lists (Abel, Matthews, Bradley and SWR), another who has already made the majors (Festa) AND a couple of other guys (Morris, Rojas and probably someone I'm missing)? That has potential to move beyond "solid" to "top notch." I'm also not naive, but I'm with you in seeing a path forward. In addition to the guys you name, they also have a pretty good CF to build around.

At the level they have signed free agents recently, you don't know for sure whether you are getting Michael A. Taylor or Carlos Santana vs. Joey Gallo, but they have had some definite hits in the mid-market range. I like the thought of Victor Caratini to address the catcher issu. My hope is that the subtractions are prospects (likely OFs without the initials WJ), some of whom could certainly bring additions to the bullpen.

How about this, from the same Dan Hayes article... Even though the team’s payroll and general direction remain unclear as Twins are set to add two limited partnerships to their ownership group, Falvey said Tuesday he doesn’t want to further tear apart the club’s roster. While acknowledging he’s actively listening to all teams’ trade concepts to determine the best direction for his club, the Twins president wants to build around a roster featuring Buxton and fellow All-Stars Ryan and López if he can. “I remain personally committed to figuring out what are the ways we can add to this group to make it better,” Falvey said from the general managers meetings. “That is my goal. It was my stated goal before and remains my stated goal until I’m told otherwise. … My focus for now is figuring out ways we can add to the group.”

With only 13 position players on the 26-man and two of them being catchers, it's really hard for a team to roster a Rule 5 position player for the whole year. The decision on a guy like Rosario is essentially choosing between a 100 percent chance of keeping Rosario and a 50 percent chance of losing (someone like) McCusker when he's dropped vs. a 100 percent chance of keeping McCusker and a 10 percent chance of losing Rosario in the Rule 5. (Percentages made up to illustrate the point.)

But let’s call him “LaTroy’” rather than “Hawk.” I still have PTSD from watching White Sox games with Ken Harrelson.

I had a boss like this once.

Whatever one thinks about Falvey's decisions, I've always gotten the sense that one of his strengths is communication with players (which is completely different than communication with the public). I'm guessing Falvey found ways to at least hear from Buxton (and perhaps Lopez or other key players as well) along the way. Players talk -- I wouldn't be at all surprised if as part of the process, Falvey had a conversation with Buxton along the way that said, "Hey Byron, here's some guys we've talked to. Any vibes you've picked up from other players that we should be aware of?" It's not veto power by any stretch, but it's part of not setting a manager up for failure by not getting buy-in from key team leaders.

I’d encourage listening to the press conference. I don’t know if @Sherry Cerny was there, but this captures some of the things I heard in the recording. The quote about conversations and follow-up conversations was a comment that stood out to me as well.

I think you’re on target in naming the contextual difference of 2026 Twins and 2004 Red Sox. I don’t have a sense on how Shelton compares to the other candidates, so I don’t have an opinion on whether he was a good hire. Given the amount of distaste for ownership and the front office that you name, however, my wondering is whether Shelton is even going to be given a chance. It seems to me that a large percentage of TD readers have already declared him a failure.

Yes, thanks for embedding the video, which made it easier to find. And I acknowledge that you have an advantage I don't, for better or worse, in having history with the people you are covering. I'll also say that I got a different vibe in reading a couple other coverages of the article, which is fine in that you're three different people.

Which did speak to his comments about appreciation for the past players, though Seven would have been on the roster for one of his prior years with the Twins.

Yeah, I did. I would have picked a pretty different set of five quotes. And I'd give a different interpretation on some of the quotes that were used here. As an example, here's how another reporter covered the payroll question. While neither Falvey nor Shelton would reveal a specific payroll target for 2026, in part because of the fluidity of the offseason transaction period that is just starting, both of them gave strong hints that they won’t be asked to further pare down the roster and be forced to trade, say, one or both of their All-Star starting pitchers, Pablo López and Joe Ryan. “When I sat down with Joe Pohlad, and I asked him the question, I said, ‘What’s on the table? What’s off the table?’ And his response to me was, ‘Ask me anything you want,’” Shelton said. “I got the answers that made me really want this job.” I think this and other quotes capture the interaction better than what's in the OP. I'll echo the encouragement for folks to actually listen to the press conference.

And it seems like the perception on Gray, by all accounts a competitive dude, was based on a couple of outings where he was frustrated because he wanted to stay in the game. I WANT a player who is confident enough in his abilities to think he can get the next batter out. Let’s indeed get rid of this perception that he wanted out.

Wow. The 1977 season may be the high point of my childhood, devouring every issue of Baseball Digest and constantly pouring through the Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, the single best Christmas gift I ever received. With a little time, I could have come up with nearly every name on the roster. Gorinksi would have been one of the last names I recalled. Thanks for jogging my memory.

It was also a risk on the part of Dean to throw his hands up. By doing so, he turned it into a sure triple and potential homer if the umps don't give him the call.

Apparently Byron Buxton didn't get this memo when saying he's a Twin for life.

Just for kicks, let's assume that MLBTradeRumors.com is right on projected arbitration contracts for Duran ($7.6M), Jax ($3.6M) and Stewart ($1.4). Add in $0.8M for Varland's control and we're at $13.4M that could have been on the 2026 roster. Sign three of these four (including Hentges among the four choices) for a combined $12M and take a $1.4M flyer on another possibility to match the same price. Now add Topa, Sands and Funderburk and convert a starter or two and that's a pretty good bullpen to back up Lopez-Ryan-Ober-SWR-et. al. (And by the way, that redeployment of $13.4M doesn't count that we picked Abel, Bradley, Tait and others along the way. I also didn't count the $2.1M projected for Alcala.)

For the opportunity to be a closer, or at least near the top of the leverage chart, and set themselves up for a 2027 contract?

For example, with how they dumpster-dived to get Coulombe this year. I don't remember his being a prominent name in last year's TD discussions. If anything, there was skepticism at the signing. I'll join others in saying I'd take any of them. In fact, I'd take two. And yes to Hentges, especially on a 1+Option Year contract.

You must work in HR!

I don't bet, but for the record, I did change my answering machine during Spring Training 1991 to be telling people the Twins were going to be very good and going to the WS because of the additions of Pags, Chili Davis, Jack Morris and others. I should have saved the recording. And I should have bet.

I'm sure there's a better way to do this than what I'm suggesting, but I think the team needs to also be testing players in spring training (or even beyond) to see which players can be trusted to make challenges as hitters. For example, when a hitter is at the plate, have them tap their waist after a pitch if it it was a pitch they would have liked to challenge. Then evaluate which players would have been right or wrong.

I'm on the @Riverbrian bandwagon. The platoon advantage is why I've not been worried about the supposed overabundance of LH corner outfielders. If Buxton is playing every day, give me two LH outfielders if possible.