John Bonnes

You waited almost 20 years for the Twins to win a postseason game. Time to raise a glass to the end of the losing streak at Twins Daily’s Winter Meltdown. Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp Every year since we first threw the Winter Meltdown back in 2014, we give away a pint glass with a unique design. (Including the year we all sat on our couch.) Last year’s pint glass, “celebrating” the injury-plagued 2022 season, was inspired, but Brock Beauchamp’s design this year might be our favorite yet. But you can ONLY get it if you’re lucky enough to attend Twins Daily’s Winter Meltdown, so here’s the important information: It will be an energy-filled night filled with Hot Stove camaraderie and anticipation for the 2024 season. Every guest will receive two complimentary craft beers and... the brilliant 2024 Winter Meltdown pint glass designed by Brock Beauchamp. Get ready for special appearances by Twins alumni (like Glen Perkins, Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer) and other notable guests for Q&A sessions and handshakes. This year, we have limited tickets available, only 200 in total, and they are exclusively for Twins Daily Caretakers, for now. Caretakers can also purchase up to three extra tickets for just $20 each, which is 1/3 the general admission cost. Become a Twins Daily Caretaker for as low as $4 per month and enjoy exclusive content, benefits, and support our team. If you're already a Caretaker, look for your link and promo code at the end of this message. But don’t delay in grabbing your tickets as we may still run out! And what might you be putting in that glass, you wonder? I’m glad you asked, because we have a new local craft beer sponsor, and they’ve brewed a beer just for Twins Daily! So stay updated by following us on Twitter and Facebook for more announcements. More Details: Tickets Now On Sale for the 2024 Winter Meltdown! View full article

The postseason losing streak is over, so let’s party! Twins Daily's Winter Meltdown is back, complete with special guests, a glorious pint glass design, and a lot of other special surprises. But tickets are again limited, so read to the end to find out the best way to get them. Here’s what you need to know. Image courtesy of 2023 Winter Meltdown When and Where The event will be Saturday, January 27th from 5-9 PM at The Pourhouse (10 S 5th St) in downtown Minnneapolis. That is the weekend of Twins Fest, and it's just three blocks from Target Field, so you can attend Twins Fest and walk over for the icing on the cake. What Each guest gets: Loads of Hot Stove camaraderie (or Cold Stove commiseration) as we get geeked up for the start of the 2024 season. Two free craft beers. A free Winter Meltdown pint glass with Brock Beauchamp’s brilliant 2024 design. We’ll have a Twins alum or and other special guests stop by for Q&A and to shake hands. The most recent previous guests included Glen Perkins, Kent Hrbek, Trevor Plouffe, Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer, and Latroy Hawkins. Giveaways, activities, and a lot more that we’ll reveal soon. We’ve been throwing this event since 2013. It started in a nearby bar, but it’s grown so much that we’re actually having trouble finding spaces big enough to accommodate us, so let’s get to the ticket conversation. How/Tickets We’ve had hundreds of people want to get it on this exclusive event in the past, but this year we only have 200 tickets available, and you likely will need to become (or know) a Twins Daily Caretaker to get a ticket. 1. Each caretaker gets a free ticket to the Meltdown. 2. Caretakers can buy up to three additional tickets for just $20 The Caretakers take care of Twins Daily, and we want to take care of them, so to give them the best chance, we’re limiting the tickets to them, at least for now. If you would like to join Twins Daily’s Caretakers, you can do so for as low as $4/month. You get exclusive content and other benefits too, as well as support our hard-working writers, moderators, and tech guys. We would LOVE to have you join us. Can I Just Buy A Ticket? Maybe? If, somehow, our Caretakers don’t sell this thing out, we’ll offer general admission tickets the week of the event. They’ll be $60 apiece. Become a Caretaker here! If you’re already a Caretaker, THANK YOU. Just scroll down to the end of the story for your link and promocode. But please don’t delay in buying your ticket. Even limiting them to Caretakers and their friends, we’re fairly sure we’ll sell out. So grab them now. Looking for more details? Great! We’ll be revealing more and more about the Meltdown as it approaches, including our guests, our special brewery, a surprise beer, giveways, and other sponsors. We’ll start tomorrow, when we reveal our Twins Daily 2024 Pint Glass design. Brock Beauchamp really outdid himself this year. You won’t want to miss it! So follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more news as it’s released. Plus, stop by tomorrow for our pint glass reveal! View full article

This one hits a little close to home. 😆😁

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' continued slow offseason that now at least includes Josh Staumont and (maybe) Ryan Jensen, why Joe Mauer's Hall of Fame chances are looking better and better, some clarity on the center field market, and our year-end podcast numbers. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

Aaron and John say thank you for a fun year of Twins podcasts and talk about how Byron Buxton impacts the center field picture, which Twins players and prospects have the most trade value, Yoshinobu Yamamoto joining Shohei Ohtani in LA, and a clip of Cory Provus on the 2024 television situation, You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' lack of offseason action, Shohei Ohtani's record-setting $700 million deal with the Dodgers, Joe Mauer's path to the Hall of Fame, and our predictions for the next three months. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

Aaron and John talk about Cory Provus replacing Dick Bremer as the Twins' television voice, the free-agent departures of Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda, and Emilio Pagán, how the Twins will look to fill the sizable holes in the pitching staff, and what exactly goes on at the Winter Meetings. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

I need your input and (maybe) help. One pie-in-the-sky thing I've been thinking about for years is creating a photo archive for Twins Daily. We have a ton of photographers in our community who take pictures of players, especially minor leaguers. I'd love to create a searchable archive to use both internally and maybe even externally if I can get a team of people willing to contribute and catalog them. Ideally, we might be able to do something like add a nominal licensing fee, so it might even pay for itself, or compensate the photographers. Or maybe we provide it for Caretakers and use some of the funds we get from them? Primarily, I just want to create something where it is easy to add and catalogue photos and easy to search and find photos. Here's one thing I do know: this is going to take a team of people and some management. So I need your help and input. 1) I'd love any brainstorming or ideas you have around this project that we can kick around below. 2) Also, if you would like to be involved, either as a photographer or as someone who helps catalog photos, can you you reply below? Thank you for your interest, and for making Twins Daily a community and resource that is unique among baseball fan-bases. Thanks, John

After four years with the Twins, the right-hander will pitch the next two years for a division rival. Image courtesy of © Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports The Twins must say goodbye to Kenta Maeda, as the veteran right-hander inked a two-year, $24-million deal with the Detroit Tigers. Maeda, a familiar face from his time in Minnesota, will now don the uniform of a division rival, forcing the Twins to grapple with his presence on the mound as an opponent. Earlier reports had linked Maeda to the Tigers, but the Twins were still in the mix, albeit with a preference for a shorter-term commitment. Unfortunately for Minnesota, the Tigers secured Maeda with a multi-year deal, closing the door on any potential reunion. With Maeda's arrival in Detroit, the Tigers gain an experienced arm for their young rotation, helping to replace Eduardo Rodriguez, who became a free agent after opting out of his deal earlier this month. Maeda, entering his age-36 season, is expected to stabilize Detroit's starting staff. Meanwhile, losing Maeda means the Twins must replace a pitcher who provided stability, interspersed with bursts of excellence when healthy. Maeda became a full-time starter after being acquired by the Twins from the Dodgers for Brusdar Graterol before the 2020 season, and he shined. He finished second in the AL Cy Young voting after that 2020 COVID-shortened season, throwing 66 2/3 innings of 2.70-ERA ball. His 2021 season was much more of a struggle, ending with Tommy John surgery, which also cost him the entirety of the 2022 season. He returned in 2023, but battled a triceps injury that cost him most of the first half of the season. He then reverted to his old form, throwing 88 1/3 innings with a 3.36 ERA from June 23 on. Last season was the last year of the eight-year contract with the Dodgers he signed when he came over from Japan. The deal gave only $3 million annually in guaranteed money, with incentives for starting that could raise his salary to $10 million or more each year. That team-friendly contract was an appealing aspect of acquiring Maeda. His new deal is much more standard for pitchers, guaranteeing an eight-figure salary regardless of his health or role. In Twins Daily's Offseason Handbook, we estimated he would receive a 1-year, $12-million contract, but we debated internally if he would end up with a multi-year deal. The Tigers reportedly landed him, despite interest by the Twins in re-signing him, by agreeing to the extra year. The Twins are also in the market for a veteran free-agent starting pitcher to replace Kenta Maeda and Sonny Gray. Maeda is the fourth veteran starting pitcher to sign, joining Aaron Nola (7 years, $172M) and other ex-Twins Kyle Gibson (1-year/$12M) and Lance Lynn(1-year/$11M). Twins Daily's Offseason Handbook profiled an additional 18 available starters that will likely be on the Twins' wish list. Other available pitchers at Maeda's level included Jack Flaherty, Luis Severino, and Frankie Montas. The Twins must now consider these other, less familiar, names. View full article

Aaron and John talk about Kyle Farmer, Jorge Polanco, and the Twins' most likely trade bait, tendering contracts to all seven arbitration-eligible players, Aaron Nola and the early free-agent pitching market, and why the Twins are far from the only team with a bursting TV bubble. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

Aaron and John talk about the fears of the Twins' payroll declining coming true, what that means for their free agent and trade options this offseason, why going young and cheap doesn't have to be a bad thing, and Dick Bremer's exit from the TV booth after 40 years. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

The Twins are cutting payroll. Here are six bad impacts - and one good one. Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports Two days ago, we framed the Twins payroll situation, emphasizing that before the individual roster decisions needed to be made, some more significant decisions needed to be made. The top one was what the Twins would do about their expiring $54M TV deal. What is clear is that $55M in gross revenue is at stake. The Twins (and most MLB clubs) claim they spend slightly over 50% of their gross revenue on players' salaries. That could mean an estimated $30M drop in payroll. That's the bad news. The really bad news came yesterday: that is the plan. Dan Hayes reported that the Twins Opening Day payroll is likely in the $125-$140M range, down roughly $15-30M from last year's ~$155M Opening Day Payroll. If you play with Twins Daily's Payroll Blueprint for even five minutes, you'll see just how limiting that is because their default payroll is already $115-$125M. Here are the six crummiest results you'll find. 1. See Ya, Sonny The Twins were likely to be measured chasing free-agent starting pitching; they have been ever since Falvey took charge of the Twins in 2017. To return to last year's (admittedly) excellent standard, they must sign at least one pitcher that can replace the American League ERA leader, Sonny Gray. That's not going to happen now. Today's Offseason Handbook story details the starting pitching market and categorizes players as "too hot" (the Twins won't pay that much), "too cold" (the Twins can afford them, but they don't replace Gray), or "just right" (they can replace Gray but could be expensive). Today's news means they're targeting pitchers that only need a one-year contract, all of whom will fall in the "too cold" or below category. They could sign a pitcher at the level of Kenta Maeda, or a riskier pitcher with higher upside on a make-good contract, or a veteran #4 or #5 pitcher who can eat some innings. But whomever they choose, they aren't replacing Gray - or anyone even near his level - via free agency. 2. So-so Center Fielder and Blowing Off Batters Dreaming of adding that big, right-handed bat this winter? Keep dreaming. Unless payroll is subtracted in some other way (which we'll get to), this cut only leaves money for one mediocre bat to be added. That one is likely spoken for: the Twins need a center fielder. With Michael A. Taylor becoming a free agent and Byron Buxton's health in question, center field is the one "to do" that must get done. This payroll cut means it won't be a high-end option like Cody Bellinger or Japan's Jung Hoo Lee. The Twins are likely limited to precisely the level of Taylor or below while hoping that some of their prospects, like Austin Martin, challenge for the role by midyear. 3. Desirable Duo The Twins want Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco on the roster next year. The veteran duo will not need to be moved to hit the new payroll level. But trading either would give the team an additional $10M for other needs. So, while the Twins won't actively shop Polanco and Kepler, they won't need to. Polanco is more valuable than any other second baseman (indeed, middle infielder) free agent. Max Kepler would be a top-10 hitter in this thin free-agent market. Teams looking to get better are already asking about them. In addition, any team the Twins approach about a trade (for, perhaps, a starting pitcher) will ask for Polanco or Kepler as a possible return. So, this cut doesn't mean they'll be moved; I'd still put the chances as less than 50% that either will be traded. But it does mean the Twins front office will have a better reason to listen. 4. Farewell Farmer The Twins have one borderline case for arbitration, and payroll cuts are not good news for borderline arbitration cases. Offering Kyle Farmer arbitration guarantees him approximately $6-7M to be a utility player. The Twins now need that money for a less luxurious role, like a center fielder. Farmer will either be non-tendered by the Twins next week before the non-tender deadline (11/18) or traded to a team that needs a shortstop, the same way the Twins did when they acquired Farmer last year. Either way, he won't be on next year's roster. 5. Harvesting the Farm Don't get too attached to your favorite Twins' prospect because this cut means it's much more likely they'll get traded away this year. If the Twins can't replace their pitching or center fielder with money, they'll resort to trading prospects. The good news is that this has often worked well for the Twins. Jake Odorizzi, Gray, Maeda, and Taylor came from trading away prospects. 6. Foul Up Fan Support After waiting almost 20 years for a postseason win, Twins fans finally experienced a postseason run. When the Twins won that first game of the Wild Card Round and then advanced, tickets that cost $4 for Game 1 of the Wild Card were selling for $100 for Game 3 of the ALDS. That support, I'm sure the Twins hoped, would transform into season ticket holders. But the easiest way to squash any support from the Twins fan base is to threaten their team by withholding resources. Minnesotans are too familiar with that song after hearing it for 60+ years and multiple ownership groups. This storyline has plagued the Twins throughout their career and is the single most damaging narrative to marketing the team. And now the team is reinforcing it. 7. The Silver Lining is Streaming One piece of good news: the Twins clearly understand the value of streaming their games on the internet. Streaming rights have been the source of this conflict, ending their TV deal. If they're sacrificing tens of millions of revenue, they think they have identified avenues for fans to stream content in 2024 that have not existed for years. Whatever the new TV solution is, those fans who have cut the cord will get to watch their Twins in 2024 and beyond. It'll just be a more financially slimmed-down version of the team. View full article

The Twins suffer from Goldilocks syndrome: they won't pay for "too good" but try to stay away from "too bad." Let's see which of MLB's top 20 free agent pitchers would be "just right?" Image courtesy of Twins Daily The Twins' pursuit of free agent pitchers under Derek Falvey has yet to be particularly fruitful in any sense of the word. On the one hand, they have yet to sign any high-end names, even when they've tried to be aggressive. Second (and probably related), those cheaper free agents they've signed haven't been good. (It's worth calling out the exceptions: Michael Pineda. That's it. That's the list.) The thin line they have walked is thinner this year because they already have a rotation in-house that qualifies as decent with Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack , and Louie Varland. The Twins don't need to sign a lower-end-of-rotation starter like J.A. Happ or Dylan Bundy or Homer Bailey or Chris Archer or Matt Shoemaker or oh my gawd make it stop..... But they do have to sign someone if they want their rotation to be a strength again because they're losing both Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda to free agency. The current rotation looks good enough to compete in the AL Central, but if the Twins want to make noise in the postseason again, having another playoff-caliber starter is a requirement. So let's divide the acceptable free agent pitchers into the three groups Goldilocks did: too hot, too cold, and just right. View full article

In a couple of weeks, we're going to try to do a series of stories on trade targets or trade ideas for the Twins. I'd love to hear the communities ideas, so we compile them, and then work with some of the best in a couple of weeks. So if you have something you're thinking about, PLEASE spend 5-10 minutes and submit it using this form below by Wednesday morning? You may find your idea the source of a story in the upcoming weeks. (You can also share them below, but please use the form, first.) Thanks! John