Major league sports are inherently cyclical. The inverse order of the draft allows poor teams to replenish the rosters. See, Twins, Cubs, Astros for examples. By most accounts these three teams had top tier MiLB systems. The question is what will each do with their bonanza? Is the Twins Way broken? There are a lot of mitigating factors involved. Market size, fan patience, structure and mindset of the parental corporation, the owners personality, the GM competence, and the GM personality. I have been, and still am a frequent critic of Ryans passitivity and aversion to risk. But he does not operate in a vacuum. He has corporate masters to please, and these are the discussions that truly do occur out of the public eye, far above the decision of who's on third! While the Twins are a more public face of the Pohlads than many of their other entities, it's inconceivable they have separate business models just for the Twins. Low risk, solid reward, day after day! It's another line item on the financial report. I think Bill Smith found this out quite quickly. If bad trades were the only criteria for his demotion, Ryan could also be gone. Ownership personalities and goals have an enormous impact. Ask the Cubs, and the Tigers. Successful? Not always. But it's always there!