John Bonnes

Aaron and John talk about the Twins looking like trade deadline sellers, why they'll be tempted to move core pieces like Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran along with impending free agents, reason to hope Royce Lewis is finally turning things around, and another injury hit to the starting rotation. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, GleemanAndTheGeek.com, click this link or you can listen to it or watch it below. View full article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' trade deadline scenarios, Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan at the All-Star Game, commissioner Rob Manfred's comments about the Pohlads' sale efforts, midseason prospect rankings, and a Patreon clip with Thad Levine. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, GleemanAndTheGeek.com, click this link or you can listen to it or watch it below. View full article

The Twins open the second half of their 2025 season with a road series against the Colorado Rockies, and judging from anecdotal evidence, it’ll essentially feel like a home game. Twins Territory has settled on this being THE road trip this year. Twins Territory is right. Whether you’re already booked, still thinking about it, or having regrets, read on for five quick tips based on my recent visit in May. 1. Keep The Logistics Simple One advantage Denver has over other cities is that the logistics for catching a game at Coors Field are very straightforward. Both Minneapolis and Denver are major hubs, making flights plentiful and affordable. There’s a train from the airport to downtown that’s just $10, or Ubers run about $40-50 but can be economical if you share with a group. Coors Field is located downtown, so hotel options are plentiful, and though they can be pricey, you won’t need to pay for a rental car. And tickets to the game are even more plentiful. Speaking of tickets… 2. Get Seats Along the Third Base Line (Especially for a Night Game) If attending a night game, seats along the first baseline (home side) can have direct sun exposure until late evening. Consider choosing the visitor’s side along the third baseline to avoid squinting. For day games, know that there isn’t a “shady” or “sunny” side. Virtually the whole stadium will be in the sun, unless you’re under cover. (Aim for the back of the lower seats.) If you’re price-sensitive when it comes to the tickets, see the next tip. 3. PREGAME AT THE STADIUM AT LEAST ONCE! (Caps are intended. I’m shouting at you.) Coors Field’s absolute best feature is its awesome two-level rooftop bar in right field, which offers $3 Coors and Coors Light drafts until first pitch. Gates open two hours early; arrive early to beat the crowds and enjoy stunning views of downtown and the mountains. (The picture above was taken from there.) This area also doubles as a great place to socialize while watching the game if you purchase cheap tickets. They have rails that overlook the game (albeit from the upper deck), a full bar, and a selection of beers beyond the macro brews. But if you’re really interested in trying beers.... 4. Explore Craft Beer Outside the Stadium Funny, when your stadium is named “Coors,” the options within tend to be dominated by Coors products. Within the stadium, you can find a few exceptions, and I’d suggest you check out "The Sandlot" brewery in center field, where the original Blue Moon was brewed before it was named that. But even better, visit nearby spots like Westbound and Down (in an alley near the stadium), Our Mutual Friend Brewery (Rhino district), or Tap 14 (Blake Street), which isn’t a brewery but boasts dozens of local taps and rooftop seating. 5. Postgame on Blake Street After the game, the action moves to Blake Street, directly adjacent to the ballpark on the downtown side. The most popular spots include Jackson’s and McGregor Square, but there is no shortage of other places, and many offer rooftop views. You may even see one flying a Twins flag—Swanky’s—but the truth is that they change their team flag depending on the visiting club. (It’s really a Wisconsin bar, so close enough?) Bonnes tip: Play Coors Field’s Split the Pot Hardly anyone participates in the "Split the Pot" at Coors Field. I’ve seen pots multiple times larger at spring training games. Therefore, your odds of winning there are comparatively fantastic. My wife won over $1,600 with her $20 entry in May, which covered our trip—plus more. Bottom line: you’re in for a memorable few days if you join the throng of Minnesotans this weekend. Enjoy your trip, cheer loud, and Win Twins! View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins have been embracing a new aggressive style, and it isn't by accident. Manager Rocco Baldelli insists he's simply playing to win, not seeking aggression for its own sake. But that hides a deeper truth: that this new style is an acknowledgment of who this team is, and how different that is from the team they expected. Consider examples from just the latest homestand: Simeon Woods Richardson (who had thrown just 61 pitches) getting pulled after five innings against the Cubs. Louis Varland and Jhoan Duran pitching multiple innings in relief. Pinch-hitting for a #3 hitter. Double steals, suicide squeezes, and stolen bases. Contrast this with the earlier homestand, where the Brewers dictated the pace and aggressiveness in three blowout losses. Baldelli, when asked directly about this shift, acknowledged the perception: "If you want to label it as aggressive, I wouldn't say that's wrong or unfair," Baldelli replied when asked about the Twins' recent play. "But we're not operating like that, and I'm not making decisions for the sake of being aggressive. We're trying to win a game." However, that aggressiveness is based on the team he has. “A lot of what you do is going to be dictated by the players you have, their skills, what they're capable of doing,” explained Baldelli. He’s right. Baldelli’s moves are deeply reflective of this roster's reality. With an offense that's struggled to produce consistently, limited speed options, and thin bench depth, the Twins have adapted strategically. On the pitching side, the rotation often navigates lineups only twice effectively, while the bullpen has reliably held late leads. This has resulted in tactical shifts. With the cornerstone bats of Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner struggling, Baldelli has juggled the batting order frequently. When rare pinch-hitting opportunities have arisen, status and ego have taken a back seat to a more fortunate matchup as we saw this week when Harrison Bader pinch-hit for #3 hitter Trevor Larnach – and delivered a game-tying home run. The Twins roster is mostly bereft of speed, but the four players who can be trusted stealing (Byron Buxton, Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, and Dashawn Keirsey Jr) have all stolen bases during this homestand. The rest of the lineup has been asked to sacrifice themselves on double steals or sacrifice bunts. Or to chance a play at home with creative slides. The same is happening on the pitching side. After a strong start, the rotation has been varying degrees of injured, inconsistent, and inexperienced. Baldelli has responded with a quick hook on starters after two turns through the order and relied on his luxury of high-leverage bullpen arms to close out games. The pitching staff’s reality has impacted the offense too; the lineup is more likely to play to push across single runs than swing away for a big inning, knowing the bullpen's firepower comes into play with an early lead. A typical Twins victory in 2025 now follows a clear script: get a decent, if short, start, scrape together just enough offense, and trust the bullpen to lock down the narrow lead. This 2025 Twins team doesn’t have the power bats they expected. They don’t have the veteran rotation. Their bullpen is the only area that has exceeded expectations. Ultimately, the Twins' recent play and the shift in Baldelli's management style are mirroring a team coming to terms with its true identity, rather than what fans and perhaps the front office initially imagined. Criticism inevitably follows when such aggressive decisions backfire. But I wonder to what extent the criticism of a manager’s decisions is really just frustration over the team's limitations or our own expectations? Perhaps Baldelli's moves are less about managing aggressively and more about managing realistically, given the players at his disposal. View full article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins showing some fight vs. the Cubs and Rays, Byron Buxton and (eventually) Joe Ryan being All-Stars, Rocco Baldelli getting aggressive, Luke Keaschall on the comeback trail, and the five trade deadline paths. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

Aaron and John talk about how the Twins should approach the trade deadline, why the ownership situation makes buying and selling trickier for the front office, finally shutting down Bailey Ober, and the most obvious players to shop before July 31. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

Image courtesy of courtesy of Ed Bailey TRANSACTIONS None Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Louisville 8 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Carson McCusker (16) Multi-hit games: Austin Martin (2-for-4, 1 R), Jeferson Morales (2-for-4, 2B) The St. Paul Saints dropped the series finale 8–3 to the Louisville Bats on Sunday afternoon at CHS Field. They fell behind early and were unable to recover, despite a late homer from Carson McCusker. Louisville struck quickly, scoring twice in the first on a two-run homer by Edwin Ríos and adding single runs in the second and third, including Ríos's second homer of the game. Starter Randy Dobnak allowed four runs over four innings. The Saints didn’t record a hit until the fourth, when Austin Martin singled and McCusker drew a walk. Both were stranded. St. Paul finally broke through in the eighth. After a hit-by-pitch and a Martin single, McCusker launched his 16th homer of the season to right-center, trimming the deficit to 8–3. Royce Lewis, on a rehab assignment and starting at third base, grounded out in the first, struck out in the fourth, and grounded into a forceout in the fifth. He was removed for Anthony Prato, who entered on defense in the eighth. The Saints put together a final rally in the ninth, with a walk by Aaron Sabato and a double from Jeferson Morales, but stranded both runners as the game ended on a lineout and back-to-back strikeouts. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 7, Springfield 4 Box Score Christian MacLeod: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Kyler Fedko (17) Multi-hit games: Gabriel Gonzalez (3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI), Ricardo Olivar (2-for-4), Ben Ross (2-for-4) The Wichita Wind Surge rallied late to beat the Springfield Cardinals 7–4 on Monday, scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth to erase a two-run deficit. Springfield opened the scoring with two runs in the first inning, helped by a throwing error by catcher Ricardo Olivar. Wichita responded in the bottom of the frame, though, when Gabriel Gonzalez doubled and scored on two wild pitches during Walker Jenkins’s at-bat. After the Cardinals added a run in the third inning, Wichita trimmed the deficit in the bottom of the third. Gonzalez singled to left, driving in Ben Ross and moving Kaelen Culpepper to second. Both teams then went scoreless until the eighth, when Jeremy Rivas hit a solo home run to left-center with two outs, extending Springfield’s lead to 4–2. But Wichita answered with a game-changing bottom of the eighth. Kyler Fedko hit a three-run home run to left-center, scoring Jenkins and Kala’i Rosario to take a 5–4 lead. Later that inning, Ben Ross singled home Ricardo Olivar, and Jose Salas doubled to score Nate Baez, pushing the final to 7–4. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, South Bend 1 Box Score Alejandro Hidalgo: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Danny De Andrade (2-for-3, 2B, 1R), Jaime Ferrer (2-for-4, 2B, 1 R, 3 RBI), Justin Connell (2-for-4, 2B, 1 RBI) The Cedar Rapids Kernels earned a 6–1 victory over the South Bend Cubs, fueled by a five-run bottom of the eighth inning. South Bend took an early lead, but Cedar Rapids tied it in the fourth when Danny De Andrade doubled and later scored on a two-out single by Jaime Ferrer. The Kernels took the lead for good in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Misael Urbina grounded to the shortstop, but the attempt at a double-play misfired in the worst possible way. The Kernels added some insurance runs In the eighth. Urbina led off with a double and scored on a single by Kyle DeBarge, who then stole second. Ferrer followed with a two-run double, and Justin Connell added an RBI double to cap the rally and make it 6–1. Brandon Winokur recorded a hit, an RBI groundout, and a strikeout. Cedar Rapids turned a double play in the eighth and held South Bend scoreless over the final six innings. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 1, Tampa 3 Box Score Christian Becerra: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: nope Multi-hit games: Dan Pena (2-for-4) The Tarpons scored once in the sixth and twice more in the seventh to beat the Mighty Mussels 3–1 on Sunday afternoon. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when Jakob Hall walked Engelth Urena, who moved to second on a passed ball and came around to score on a two-out single by Hans Montero against reliever Josh Bortka, giving Tampa a 1–0 lead. They extended the lead by two runs in the seventh off of Bortka and reliever Tyler Stasiowski. The Mussels got on the board in the ninth. Daniel Pena singled, advanced to second on a groundout, and scored on a single to left by Javier Roman. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ricky Castro, Wichita (3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day –Gabriel Gonzalez, Wichita (3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects. #1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - 1-4, 2B, 1R, 2 K #4 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 0-4, BB #9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 1R, 2 K #10 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 1-1 1R #12 – Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2 K #13 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita) - 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI #18 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - 2-4 #19 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) - 2-3, 2B, 1R MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Tigers 2 (10:00 AM) - TBD TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St Paul @ Gwinnett (6:05 PM) - TBD Wichita @ Tulsa (8:05 PM) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM) - TBD Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM) - TBD FCL Braves @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Cardinals @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Aaron and John talk about the difficulty of making sense of the Twins' season at the halfway point, the front office picking up their 2026 contract option on manager Rocco Baldelli, Royce Lewis getting closer to coming back from his latest hamstring injury, and one possible factor behind the pitching staff's struggles. 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 Bailey Ober's struggles adding the Twins rotation's mounting problems, Byron Buxton doing it all, trading Jorge Alcala to the Red Sox, and claiming Joey Wentz off waivers. 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 losing Pablo López for 8-12 weeks and how they'll replace him in the rotation, the increasingly difficult situation surrounding Royce Lewis' prolonged struggles, Travis Adams joining the bullpen to soak up innings, and Justin Ishbia (finally) agreeing to buy the White Sox. 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 impending returns of Byron Buxton and Matt Wallner for a Twins lineup that needs plenty of help, why Carson McCusker didn't get much of a chance to do anything, the MVPs of the first third of the season, and introducing a new furry co-host. 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 Carlos Correa rejoining the Twins' lineup, the possibility of Byron Buxton and Matt Wallner also returning soon, how Kody Clemens has hit his way into a bigger role, and the pitching staff's ability to carry the team no matter what the bats are doing. 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