John Bonnes

Here in the Twin Cities, another couple of inches fell last night, and we’re about to head into the coldest weeks of the winter. But a week from Saturday, we’re all gonna Meltdown. The last available tickets to the Winter Meltdown will be released this Friday morning at 8 AM. From today until the event, we’ll be releasing snippets of what we have in store, including today’s reveal of our Winter Meltdown pint glass, courtesy of 612 Brew.If you’re new to Twins Daily’s Winter Meltdown, we hold is just three blocks from Twins Fest on January 25th at the Lumber Exchange Event Center from 4:30 to 7:30. We’re joined by a Twins player (who we’re not announcing just yet) and 400+ Twins fans, media members, Twins execs and many more to celebrate the upcoming season. Not only will you get to gather with Twins Daily writers and members and talk Hot Stove, but it includes: A Twins Daily Winter Meltdown pint glass (picture above).Two complimentary local craft pints from 612 BrewRaffle prizes,Drink specials,Food stations,Interviews with special Twins guests andIt’s only $40 (if you can get tickets).We’ll announce details about all of the above as we count down the days to the event. You’ll be treated to some fantastic locally brewed beer from 612 Brew in Northeast Minneapolis. This is 612 Brew’s seventh year sponsoring our Meltdown and has supported various Twins Daily and Gleeman and the Geek events for several years. You can see some of the previous year's designs below. Download attachment: Pint Glasses 2015-18.jpg The tough part could be getting tickets. We’ve sold this out every year. Tickets will go on sale Friday morning on Twins Daily at 8:00 AM. A special pre-Christmas sale took care of most of our inventory, so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you find a way to stop by TwinsDaily.com this Friday morning (1/17) and get your tickets while you still can. Please join us for our biggest event of the year. It’s easy, it’s affordable, it’s crazy fun and you’re going to be kicking yourself that weekend if you can’t be there. Stop by the rest of this weekend and next for more news on our prizes and guests or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins signing Miguel Sano to a long-term extension, arbitration settlements with everyone except Jose Berrios, the latest on Josh Donaldson, the basics of the arbitration process, and a special clip from the Patreon podcast interview with Glen Perkins. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article

Yep. So it's essentially something like 6/9/12/3+11M option. I wouldn't be shocked if the negotiations came down to how much of that 4th year was guaranteed. 3M feels a little high; Sano won on that one. But, I believe in him, so it's worth it to keep him around for two extra years.

Guess we don't have to worry about him being traded. I'll be very interested to see the details of this deal. I'll guess... 6/9/12 and option for 14. So a $27M over 3 years with a $14M option.

Holy Geezus but a Gardy reality show is exactly what I need. I'm not even talking about a baseball-ish Hard Knocks. I mean just following him around in regular life. I imagine it like "Dog The Bounty Hunter" only it's Gardy going around and tying up milb prospects to drag back to the Tigers training facility.

Twins Daily experienced explosive growth in 2019, so on an irregular basis, we’ve tried to provide updates on its health and plans. We do this for a couple of reason. First and foremost, Twins Daily is a community in which a lot of people have invested time, passion and energy, and it’s important that we communicate the state of that community, and the direction it is heading. The second is that as a new media model, it’s important to be transparent so people can see that there is a market for in-depth, independent, community-driven coverage.Stories and Authors Our front page is filled with names you would not have recognized a year ago. The number of writers, and the quantity, diversity, and quality of stories increased dramatically in 2019. The passion and skill of editor Tom Froemming and two dozen active authors has been remarkable - even during the offseason. This site has published 300 stories since the Twins were eliminated from the ALDS. That’s 100 stories per month in an offseason that has largely been devoid of good news. Perhaps the breadth and depth of that content is the good news. Revenues Those writers have also been paid better. Programmatic ad revenue rates increased considerably, and since those are passed directly to the writers, writers saw a threefold increase in pay. This also gives us hope that we can fund a redesign of our site because… Traffic Traffic went nuts. Yes, there is a market for in-depth, independent, community-driven coverage: Unique Readers – 1,141,165 (up 94% from 2018)Sessions – 4,493,194 (up 57% from 2018)Page Views – 11,605,698 (up 34% from 2018)The craziest fact about those numbers? On June 1st, those numbers were actually down compared to 2018. So take all those percentages and double them, and that’s what we saw over the second half of 2019. Plus, they’re increasing even more during the offseason. We have an incredibly welcoming community and an ever-increasing reach. Twins Daily is not your dirty little secret any more. (So it’s OK to share it.) Forums As a result of that welcoming community, we continue to see strong interaction in our forums, and this year we welcomed several new moderators to our ranks. A successful team brought a new set of challenges to the moderation team, as did all the increased traffic. They handled an incredible amount of discussion from the 12,179 registered members of Twins Daily. Registrations – +1026 (up 35% from 2018)Topics –2619 (up 19% from 2018)Posts – 132,373 (up 24% from 2018)Who comes up with over 2600 baseball topics for a team in a year? (A: You do. Thanks!) Blogs Over on our blog page, you’ll find some of our next wave of writers, or just excited fans finding their voice. Beyond the stories on our front page, you found 408 additional blog entries in 2019, along with comments that both challenged, encouraged and congratulated. If you are interested in writing about baseball for a built-in audience, it remains a great place to start. If you’re interested in reading and helping along those people, stop by every day. I’ll add one other point: if you think your point of view is downplayed or doesn’t receive the recognition it might deserve, show us how it’s done. Start a blog. Write a story. React to the comments. Go first-hand through the process, and take the risk, that writers do every day. With our traffic, you’re going to find an audience – for good or bad. 2020 Our focuses in 2020 are to accommodate, and enable the community growth we’re seeing. Web Site Redesign – Our increased traffic means increased stresses on our software architecture. We will invest in a rebuild of the site, and we’ll be reaching out for suggestions to make the site better as part of that effort. Stay tuned. Social Media- More and more Twins fans are finding Twins Daily from social media posts. We have always been a little haphazard on staying on top of that. That’s going to change. (We would love to have you follow us on Facebook, Twitter and email.) Events – Beyond the Winter Meltdown, this October we hosted 300+ people at the ALDS Game 1 Watch Party at Brothers Bar & Grill. We want to expand to have even more watch parties, growing the “in real life” community as much as the virtual one has. Partnership with Zone Coverage – Last, but not least, I'm finalizing a partnership with Zone Coverage, another local sports-based web site, to work together on business-side efforts, like local ad sales, systems development, social media and more. Doing so allows me to work half time on both sites instead of trying to find time to squeeze in work on Twins Daily outside my full time job; Twins Daily and Zone Coverage will be my new full time job. This past year was a breakthrough year for Twins Daily in a number of ways, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. We are really looking forward to seeing if the site (and the team) can keep the momentum going in 2020. You’re a big part of that, so we would love your feedback, questions and comments in the comment section. Thank you all so much from all of us at Twins Daily. Click here to view the article

Tickets for the Minnesota Twins’ Diamond Awards are SOLD OUT, but you can still get their brand new stadium seating option. If you do, Twins Daily will throw in a Winter Meltdown ticket ($40 value) free! Twins Daily is proud again to be an official sponsor of the Diamond Awards, a banquet to raise money for life saving research and enhanced patient care focused on ALS, ataxia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease from the Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center (BAARC).It’s the night before Twins Fest, Thursday January 23rd, at The Depot. It’s an awesome event. The local BBWAA chapter gives their awards for Most Valuable Twin, Most Outstanding Rookie, and many more. Receiving awards this year will be Nelson Cruz, Taylor Rogers, Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton, Mitch Garver, Justin Morneau among others. It’ll be a star-studded event. You can get all the information, here. Tickets are usually $150 and include a meal, but those are sold out. Fortunately, this year there is a $75 ticket that doesn’t include a sit-down dinner, but does include lots of other activities in the stadium seating section. Snag a selfie with the official Target Field Bomba home run counter, showcasing the record-setting 307 home runs hit in the 2019 season.Enter the WCCO Radio 830 raffle for a chance to live it up with an exclusive patio party at Target Field for a Twins home game.Give Maestro Dobel tequila from Proximo Spirits a try.On your way to your seats, swing through the stadium reception to grab complimentary stadium fare from Old Dutch, Cub, Pan O Gold and Coca Cola.Get your photo taken in the interactive photo booth and share it on social media to show your friends they are missing out! #MNDiamondAwardsGrab a drink at one of the Depot bars throughout the auction and program.Witness something special while remarkable individuals are presented honors from the Baseball Writers Association of America Minnesota Chapter and the Minnesota Twins. The awards will be hosted by the renowned and Dick Bremer.You can get your tickets now and when you do, just type “Twins Daily” in the comments section. The week of the event, we’ll reach out to you with your free Winter Meltdown tickets for January 25th event at the Lumber Exchange Event Center. The Winter Meltdown is legendary, and will include a pint glass, two free beers, an appearance from a special Minnesota Twin and lots of Hot Stove talk with 400+ other Twins fans. But you have to get your tickets before these sell out, too. Grab them at: https://umf.formstac...ond_awards_2020 We’ll see you at the Diamond Awards! Click here to view the article

Star-Tribune Twins beat writer Phil Miller is reporting that the Minnesota Twins are “pessimistic” about their chances of signing free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson. It was reported Friday night that Donaldson, a former American League MVP, had given his price to the remaining suitors, believed to be around $110M over four years. The Twins are either unwilling to take that shot, or believe that even if they did, he would end up with another team. So what now?The cost of the Twins current roster is approximately $117-120M, with a projected payroll ceiling of $135M or so. (It’s worth noting that had they been able to sign Donaldson to an estimated $25M/year contract, they would have had a payroll level of $142-145M, above that projection.) So they still have plenty of money to spend. What they’re short of are options. The Twins say their focus is on adding an infielder, but Donaldson represents the last impact infielder available on the free agent market. Rena looked at some less impactful free agent infield options a couple of weeks ago, and Cooper detailed four names the Twins could now consider and a couple of other wild card options. The team could also explore trading for an infielder, such as Pirates first baseman Josh Bell. Or they could pivot back to looking for impact pitching. There are several starting pitchers that could make an impact, provided the Twins are willing to pay the price. There are also some salary dump pitchers available, like David Price. And the Twins have plenty of pieces they can trade, even without dipping into their farm system. The question is whether they will be more willing to spend prospects than they have been to spend money. They weren’t at last year's trade deadline. So the most likely scenario is that they essentially keep their powder dry; sign a mid-level infielder and enter spring training with a payroll of $120-$125M, which would be a lower payroll than they carried into the season two years ago. If so, that is a failed offseason. Given an unprecedented opportunity to make a division contender a world championship contender - an opportunity so ripe they themselves proclaimed their intentions to add impact players - they will end the offseason with exactly zero new impact players. Proponents might suggest that at least they didn’t make any mistakes, and that seems true. But that is also the problem. This management team was unable to chance the big signing, the big trade, the potential mistake. The most likely path forward is that same one. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Josh Donaldson end game, what the rotation plan looks like after signing Rich Hill and Homer Bailey, year-end podcast numbers, the Twins' newest outside-the-box hire, going out for a birthday meal. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article

I guess something had to be done to fill these spots, and it's nice they left themselves some room for another big signing or a couple of spring-training-value buys, but unless we see the big signing, the is a failed offseason. It certainly doesn't help them significantly in postseason matchups. For like the third offseason in a row, I like almost all their moves, yet find myself frustrated by them not addressing their biggest needs.

According to Dan Hayes, the Minnesota Twins are signing two starting pitchers, Rich Hill and Homer Bailey. (UPDATE: The Twins have confirmed the signings.) Bailey is a 33-year-old right-hander who posted a 4.57 ERA last year and finished his year with the Oakland A’s. Rich Hill is a 39-year-old left-hander who posted a 2.45 ERA last year, but will not be able to pitch until June or July due to elbow surgery he underwent in October. Neither represents the Twins' stated offseason goal of adding an “impact” pitcher, and might represent an acknowledgement it’s possible no such move is coming, or at least an insurance policy if it does not.The Twins missed out on the starting pitchers at the top of this year’s free agent market, though they retained veterans Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda. Bailey is a pitcher Twins Daily’s Tom Froemming has brought up frequently this offseason. Earlier this month, Tom pointed out some ways in which Bailey compares favorably to Madison Bumgarner. Bailey gave up a lower OPS to non-pitchers (.719 vs. .764), had a higher K% vs. non-pitchers (21.4 vs. 21.3), surrendered a lower hard hit % (38.7 vs. 41.5) and a lower barrels/plate appearance % (4.0 vs. 6.3). The moves will likely disappointTwins fans, who have been waiting for the team to achieve its offseason goal of adding “impact” pitching, as neither pitcher represents impact pitching, or even an upgrade to last year’s starting rotation. They do, however, establish a “floor” for the starting rotation, which still had two vacant spots, not to mention Pineda missing the first 39 games of the season due to a PED suspension going back to September. Instead of filling those 2+ spots with internal candidates like Randy Dobnak, Devin Smeltzer and Lewis Thorpe, they now, in theory, have all five spots covered by Jose Berrios, Odorizzi, Pineda, Bailey & Hill - though they will still need coverage at the beginning of the season for Pineda and Hill. Bailey's $7M one-year deal and Hill's $3+M guaranteed also leave payroll room for a more significant move this offseason. Twins Daily projects the Twins to have about a $116M payroll after the signing, below last year's level, and about $20 million below our projection of the Twins team's payroll budget. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about forming very strong opinions on a Twins offseason that isn't actually finished, the latest on Hyun-Jin Ryu and Josh Donaldson, which free agent contracts the Twins should have happily handed out, quotes people wish they could take back, and mailbag questions from listeners. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article

Sorry I'm so late in replying. Yes, there will be food available to purchase. Sounds like it's going to be pretty good, too, though I don't have a final list.

We have become a Twins media site that writes stories about other teams and other players. We have had to, because opportunities missed are news too. So much so, it’s almost a cliché: a person on his death bed, remembering the girl he never asked for a date, the chances he didn’t take. Losing Hyun-Jin Ryu is not so dramatic as that. But it’s Twins news, so we'll cover it, and what it means.Last night it was reported that Ryu will sign with the Blue Jays. He is the last of five “impact” pitchers on the free agent market, none of whom signed with the Twins. Those stories were also Twins news. That’s because the Twins had a clear objective this offseason, and they had set themselves up well to do it. They needed starting pitching that could hold up in the postseason. The free agent class for that particular skill was as strong as it had been in a decade. Plus, the Twins had managed their payroll so that they had lots of money to spend, even without asking for a serious increase in budget. All the pieces were there. Those pieces ended up completing other teams' puzzles. Turns out, a whole lot of other teams had the same idea, and between some aggressive crazy bidding and individual player preferences, the Twins were unable to sign any of the impact pitchers on the free agent market. What’s worse, while they were waiting for decisions from Ryu and Madison Bumgarner, the second and third tier of free agent pitchers have also been mostly snapped up. It’s not a complete disaster. Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda will rejoin Jose Berrios in the rotation, which brings back the top three starters of a rotation that finished fifth in the AL in ERA and third in innings pitched. But unless there is a trade, they are unlikely to start the season with a better rotation this year than they started last year. It’s arguable if any of the remaining available free agents are better than the departed Kyle Gibson, which shows just how shallow the remaining market is. Plus, of course, getting nominally better was never really the goal. So now what? At a high level, there are three options: Trade. For the most part, the trade market for starting pitching has been waiting for the free agent market to settle. There is a reason for that: the teams that lost out on free agents now need to get serious about trades. Reportedly, as many as five other teams missed out on Ryu, so the Twins now get to compete with them to try to pry away David Price or put together a mega-deal for Noah Syndergaard. There are also a number of other options that are a step below that, but could still make the rotation better. You’ll be seeing a lot of coverage of those options on Twins Daily. Pivot. Instead of trying to solve the pitching problem, they could sign an impact player on offense to make up the runs they’ll give up. This weekend’s rumors that the Twins are willing to give former-MVP third baseman Josh Donaldson a four-year deal suggest that they’re at least willing to explore in that direction. Signing Donaldson would improve the team considerably, even if he can’t take the mound in Game 2 of the ALDS. Keep the Powder Dry. This is another way of saying “do nothing.” It sounds better because it implies that they will do something later, perhaps by the trade deadline, when the time is right. Logically, conserving resources until a better opportunity comes along makes sense, but after failing to acquire any impact pitching both last offseason and the last trade deadline, and having a payroll about $15 million lower than they did last year, it’s hard to give them the benefit of the doubt. So the news is that there is no news, and that might not seem like a dramatic error. But then again, not saying “hi” to that girl at the party isn’t such a dramatic moment either. That’s the trap. There's no drama, because it’s not a risky path. Just the opposite. It keeps you on a familiar and comfortable path. A familiar comfortable path you have been down several time before, and now are assured to travel again: going home alone. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins shooting their final shots for Hyun-Jin Ryu and Josh Donaldson, beefing up the bullpen with fan favorite Sergio Romo and BABIP god Tyler Clippard, losing out on Madison Bumgarner, whether the Indians or the White Sox are scarier, and a bonus clip of our patreon-only interview with Dustin Morse. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article