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Pretty big news out of The Athletic yesterday.  Quoting inside sources, Rosenthal(with Dan Hayes contributing) reported that the Twins do not plan to trade any of the big 3; instead, they plan on contending in 2026 by relying on the core and adding some pieces.   Naturally, this brought an out pouring of vitriol from Twin fans who have, rightly so, long dismissed anything positive coming from the FO/Pohlads.  And while nothing is cast in concrete, Rosenthal and Hayes are well-respected reporters who are not noted for smoke and mirror reports, so this news might be the most credible report to date on the Twins' plans for the offseason, as we head into the December meetings next week.
While scepticism of ownership is well merited, this pronouncement could be good news for Twins fans hoping for a competitive team next year.  In addition to retaining these 3 players, there are other assets on this team: the rotation;  a chance of one or two regulars rebounding,e.g., Lewis, Lee, Wallner and some promising newbies like Keaschall, ER, and Jenkins who could strengthen the offense at some point during the season.  Yes, it's still a long shot currently, but if ownership really intends to contend in 2026,  they must add to the current $95MM roster at present.
Of course, this willingness to invest in the team is the big, yet still unanswered question.   Our erstwhile reporters did not comment on budget caps, probably for the simple reason that this figure is still under wraps or discussion.  Not that we fans should expect to hear such a figure from this secretive clan known for their banker's mentality of looking only at the short term bottom line rather than planning for the future, but it is not unreasonable to expect the final payroll to at least approach a $120-125MM range.  I say that only because contending in 2026, as the authors state, is an impossibility at current payroll.  While we might not see $145MM budget again, at least under the Pohlad banner, their failure to add some major league talent to a depleted bullpen, 1B/DH, and to a lesser extent, the OF, would be a total betrayal to their fans, the FO and the players.  Are they capable of such deception?  Yes, but by so doing, would greatly reduce the value of the franchise - an action that seems inconsistent with their desire to cash in on their investment.
Maybe all this is a false hope, but I, for one, remain hopeful based on this latest news from The Athletic.

Yesterday was a rough day for me. I have been fighting cancer for 5 years and this spring it had metastasized. I continue to fight every day. Up at 4:30 to do my stretch, strength and balance work followed by a 5 mile run. With that fight I feel pretty good and have a high energy level in spite of all the meds. Baseball helps keep me going. There are still many more games ahead of me and they matter so much more than a championship. That final Twins trade of Varland set off a trigger in me. We had Varland through 2030. While at a large family gathering as the news kept rolling that 2030 hit hard. The odds are against me that I will be around in 2030. Thinking of the Twins led me to thinking of my first grandchild due in January. I can handle missing the next championship but I got pretty choked at the thought of what I will miss with my granddaughter.
Byron, Ryan, Kody, Royce, Matt, Trevor, Brooks, Christian, DeShawn, Joe, Pablo, Bailey, Simeon, David, Zebby, Cole and Justin I appreciate your fight. No one can make it to the major leagues without fighting everyday. You have fought through slumps. You have fought through injury. We will need your fight more than ever now. To the rest putting on that Twins uniform. I appreciate you. You have fought hard for this opportunity. Use this opportunity to make your mark in the major leagues. Fight to get better every day.
Mr. Falvey and Mr. Baldelli I need you to put up a fight. Make every day matter. Make every game matter. I am counting on you. To the Pohlad’s, you have stopped fighting. This is a concept that I can’t grasp. Every day I wake up excited to take on the day and fight for the next. You wake up every day as owners of a Major League Baseball team. How can you not be driven to fight for their success? I don’t get it. I do appreciate what Carl did for this franchise and what your family did for the community but you have stopped fighting. Please step aside and let someone else lead this franchise.
We need a fighter because every day and every game matters. I will be watching.

Regular readers here will recall that I enjoy the computer game Out Of The Park.  Since it's a game and I'm not hurting anyone, I abuse some of its features terribly.  In particular, there is often no sense of there being 24 hours in a day.  So, as GM in the game, my typical style is to do a top-to-bottom assessment of every level of my franchise's farm system and 40-man on the first day of the off-season, then I use the trading interface to sell off every questionable asset that has trade value, in exchange for players who fit my preferences better.  All this in one day of game-time.
Normally I feel as though a dozen trades in one day is a serious betrayal of reality.
Now I feel fine.  Even if yesterday was the trade deadline, not the first day after the World Series, I have confirmation that it can be done. 
I can't help chuckling.  Sometimes we say a player is putting up video-game numbers.  Yesterday was a video-game day for our GM.

I would sell off the expiring contracts this July but it isn’t a rebuild. I am going the 2024 Tigers route. They traded off four expiring contracts and let the players in their system have a chance to play. All four played significantly in their first half in #2 starter Jack Flaherty, lefty reliever Andrew Chafin, catcher Carson Kelly and Mark Canha. They replaced Flaherty with an opener and Tyler Hilton and Beau Brieske emerged. Brant Hurter was the lefty reliever. Spencer Torkelson returned from his exile to the minors and had a .945 OPS in August. Dillon Dingler got his feet wet at catcher. I am guessing the plan was to see what they needed for 2025 but it resulted in a couple rounds of playoff baseball.
That means we trade Willi Castro. That will hurt. Not Jack Flaherty hurt but it will hurt. Keaschall will be returning and let’s look at Austin Martin.
We trade lefty specialist Danny Coulombe. That will hurt. The bullpen is very thin. Everyone is healthy and two on the current roster don’t look to be major league ready. Is it time to see Connor Prielipp in a relief role? Maybe not. The plan for a full healthy season is a priority. If not then Funderburk gets off the shuttle and gets a two month consistent shot.
Can they get anything for Paddack? Take what they can get and make sure Festa, Matthews and Woods Richardson have a spot in the rotation the rest of the year.
Can they get anything for France? The return for Canha was little but the open spot gave a chance for Torkelson to earn back some trust. Maybe Clemens gets a good share of 1B. Maybe Julien returns here. What does Keaschall look like at 1B? Miranda’s last stand?
It might mean paying some of the contract for Vazquez but let’s do it. Let’s see Mickey Gasper at  catcher for two months. Teams will run against him. In AAA he gives up a stolen base every 6.5 innings while Camargo is one of the best and gives up a stolen base every 9 innings. It amounts to an extra stolen base every three games. Can his bat make up the difference even if it a stolen base per game at this level? Let’s see about the rest of his game at catcher. Marco Raya had some very positive things to say about Gasper behind the plate.
Bader will hurt too. Will Rodriguez be healthy? Probably not. That leaves an opening for Carson McCusker or Walker Jenkins. They might also send out Keirsey now and bring up Martin. Get Keirsey some at bats for a few weeks and maybe he gets a real shot with the bat when he returns.
Anyone else? Justin Topa is not matching his 2023 season. I would trade him. The bullpen already has holes to fill today. Maybe the return for some of the other players is a failed starter or a blocked minor league reliever they give a chance in the pen for the final two months.
Why not rebuild? There are a few reasons.
The largest is I want the new owners to be able to shape this club. If they want to go for it in the next few years they need Joe Ryan, Jhoan Duran and to a lesser extent Griffin Jax. Selling this players is easy. New owners wanting to replace them will be hard. The new owners need to be able to set the direction.  The sweet spot for selling is the deadline with 1 season remaining. They have two. The return for them will not be that much less next summer and it gives the Twins a better chance to compete next year. I suppose someone could argue that they may get injured. It is also true that the key prospect we get in return for them this year could get injured. There are some players they need to make decisions on to help build next year’s roster. Many have shown flashes in the majors and shown success in the minors. This winter’s decisions will be more informed if they open these 7 spots. I endorse the Tiger Plan

The Twins traded a year of control in the Berrios deal. Some are speculating his trading Ryan and his two additional years of control. What would it take for that deal to work out?
The Twins traded Berrios with the current and next season of control. In those two seasons he gave the Blue Jays 1.5 WAR and -0.6 WAR.
Key elements to the deal
the Twins were clearly out of the playoffs and gave up the one extra year of control with a shot at the playoffs. they acquired two well regarded prospects. Martin had a future value of 50 and Woods Richardson a future value of 45. they replaced Berrios’ salary with Sonny Gray. Their 2022 salary was virtually the same but the Twins also had an additional season of control in 2023. Lopez salary slotted in to that top spot in 2024. The Twins received a comp pick for Gray and used it for Kyle DeBarge. Woods Richardson projected as a back end starter at an FV of 45 has fulfilled that projection thus far. He may outperform that projection if he approaches an average starter. Martin has not yet fulfilled his projection of an average regular.
Overall the Twins maintained that salary slot from Berrios to Gray to an extended Lopez. Had they extended Berrios they probably would not trade for Gray or choose to extend Lopez. The cost for that slot that Lopez now fills was a season of Berrios (replaced by Gray) and Chase Petty a 50 FV prospect. Would they be better off today with an extended Berrios and Chase Petty or an extended Lopez, Woods Richardson, Martin and DeBarge? I think they are better off with that trade.
Matching up the key elements
the Twins would be trading 3 possible playoff seasons of Ryan as opposed to 1. If they play themselves out by the deadline it would be 2. to give up that extra season of control and possibly 3 seasons of playoffs I would hope they would get significantly more than players with an FV of 50 and 45. Ownership needs to be committed to replacing Ryan as they were with Berrios The elements don’t match up yet. They should wait a year and consider dealing Ryan if they are out of contention next year. At that time hopefully the uncertainty of ownership will be cleared up and there will be commitment to replacing Ryan prior to the 2027 season. Better yet let’s hope Ryan is leading them to the playoffs in 2027.

As we all know the twins are all prone to injuries we can all agree on that but Walker Jenkins and the saints are just as prone to injury as the Minnesota Twins but the main person I want to focus on is Walker Jenkins. Who missed both spring breakouts because of injury. Both were Left ankle sprains and they were both around the time of the spring breakout both years and right in the middle of spring training. Jenkins a 30 year old 1st round pick top prospect  out of South Brunswick HS. Has a good potential but very much injury prone just like some other players we know (Buxton,Correa,Lewis ETC...). He is a righty with a batting average near late 2.00 and early 3.00. Only having a couple stretches of slumping and 2 injuries. But lets take a look into his future and if he will be good and potentially injured prone in the future. According to sports illustrated he is expected to make his debut in early or middle 2026. if he can finish out this year strong and have a good spring training with out injury and if he can prove himself he is most likely on track for a early debut in 2026. He has around a 48% Chance of getting injured early in the year during the rest of the career. Also i forgot to mention he is injured now. 

Source/Credit: Fan Graphs
 
Walker Jenkins is also very young so if he can not be injured and have good consistent at bats he can be very good and promising in the majors and for the twins. In my opinion he will be very good and I see him playing left field in the future and he can be very good on defense With hopefully Buxton in center throughout his early career and Wallner and Larnach in right field throughout his middle and late career.
He was also pretty injury prone throughout his high school career as well The South Brunswick Cougars missed had a lousy end to the season because of his injuries meaning he inst new to injures and he may potentially in the future. But twins Fans like me are praying that this does not happen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Such a weird position,  Having a record better than only 3 teams in the AL screams SEL SELL SELL!!!  At the same time a team being only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot screams BUY BUY BUY!!!  Especially for a cheap... I mean financially challenged team like the Twins.  That Playoff revenue would be such a welcome bonus.
The Twins have a good number of peices that wont, or shouldn't be back next year so should we move them now if there is any value? Twins also have some decent prospects that may "rot on the vine" or otherwise never fully materialize that currently may have decent value for some win now upgrades.
 
All of that being said there is ONE move I would love to see us make that could be both a BUY and s SELL.
Trade for Ke'Bryan Hayes from Pittsburgh.  Pittsburgh may not want to move him, while he is a great defender, maybe they are growing frustrted with his lack of offense and woudl consider moving him. They are also a small market team who would like his salary, butif they had a young replacement maybe they would move on.
 
PROs:
1) Hayes is affordable!!!  He is under team control for another 4 years with a team option for the 5tth. at $7M, $7M, $8m, $8m with teh team option of $12M when he will still only be 30!!
2) he is a Gold Glove 3B!!  He won GG at 3b in 2023 and is the clear front runner this year as well.
3) He is young
4) a great teammate
5) decent to good speed
CONs:
1) and really only 1, but is it too big of one? or can it eventually change?  and that is his bat.
Can we afford to take on a bat like his at a "power position" ? not optimal, but with the defense that comes with it I will take it. especially at that salary!!
This move could also allow us to move Lewis to... FIRST??? Lewis's injuries have not been from fielding, they have been from running, so this wouldnt completely prevent recurring injuries, but it could help take SOME wear and tear off of him.
With Hayes and Correa  at 3B & SS that is as good a left side of infield as you will get. Even if Correa is aging.
Moving Brooks Lee over to 2B (or Keaschall when he returns) and an IF of Lewis, Brooks/Keaschall/Correa/Hayes would be a nice core.
Would we need to give up a Lee or a Keaschall to get him? maybe but I think that would still be worth it. A proven commodity vs unproven talent.
 
 
 

MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that the Twins traded Michael Helman to St. Louis for cash. It does not say how much cash. Well, I guess we now know how the team is paying ofr Bader and one of the players going to create a 40 man vacancy. Not very exciting.  

We worked our way through bright orange road construction to park our luggage at the hotel on Friday, August 2nd. No time to dawdle. Back into the car and northbound to Target Field. I wore my lucky hat and my Eddie Rosario shirsey. We parked and made our way into the stadium. This represented the first of four baseball games we were taking our daughter Evelyn to over the course of six days. She's almost eight. We wished for patience.
Target Field continues to amaze me. I feel as comfortable in it as I do my own living room. Until, that is, I start hunting for more shirseys (T-shirt jerseys - are people still into the shirseys anymore?) None of the shops had much in my size, but they all say the other shop just a little further down the line probably has the shirts I'm looking for. It's the kind of repetitive connect-the-dots task that makes people get sick of playing video games, but I kept looking nonetheless. We did find one t-shirt in the main shop, thanks to the dogged devotion of an employee who did anything and everything to help me out. I wish I knew her name; she worked hard at her job.
I picked up a scorecard at the store and told my daughter Evelyn we were going to be keeping score that night. She acknowledged that yes, this was factual information, and then went back to squirming and snacking. The kid must be in a growth spurt. At regular intervals, my wife took her up from our seats to buy more food. If she started singing "Feed Me, Seymour," I would not have been surprised. I myself had most of an okay hamburger and then busied myself with keeping score. It took a bit to remember exactly how everything got noted, but I kept at it. I showed Evie about fly outs and line outs and backwards Ks and filling in the diamond when someone hits a dinger. She listened to me, and I silently wished to be filling out scorecards with her throughout the rest of my years on Earth.
The lucky hat did its job. The Twins knocked in a bunch of runs at the end of the game and the much-reviled White Sox lost. They've been awfully good at losing this year, haven't they? We made our way back to the hotel and it was a race between my daughter and I to see who could be asleep first. She won, but not by a lot. My wife stayed up a little longer than that. She likes her quiet time, after her two goofy gremlins have finally worn themselves out.
The next day we met up with old friends and then took a trip around the sculpture garden. Then it was ice cream at Bebe Zito (the best) and back to Target Field for another game. Despite the massive crowds, we managed to snag our Joe Mauer replica plaques before Michelle ordered a Bomba Juice and we made our way to our seats. My lucky hat was ready to go,
Seeing the Mauer ceremony was special, even though I didn't tear up quite like I did when they inducted him into the Twins Hall of Fame. I think the actual moment they announced he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer wrung all of the emotions out of me instantly. Irreplicable. Still, seeing him calmly thanking thousands of fans for the honor and then, later, seeing him lead a group of gleeful kids in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" will go in my Mauer memories. The kid (he still feels like a kid, doesn't he? Grey hair and all?) is officially a part of our family. From the early days, where I was overly critical of him because a certain crabby sports show host liked to feel edgy by picking on number seven. After that, I came around. The more I learned about baseball, the more I appreciated how special Joe Mauer really is. I can remember waving to him at TwinsFest, getting my picture taken with him at TwinsFest, getting a poster signed by him at TwinsFest . . . He never felt like he was up on a pedestal. My wife took Evie to see the Twins retire Joe's number. We all came up from Iowa to see his induction into the Twins' hall of fame, and we were there when he made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. This time, I got my picture taken with the actual plaque that will hang forever in Cooperstown. Unforgettable. When they unveil Joe's statue, we're going to try to be there, too. 
On our way out, my eyes spotted a splash of baseball cards splayed across part of the stadium. I stopped and scooped them up, stacked them neatly, and handed them to Evelyn. She looked through them and spotted a Joe Mauer card in the bunch. Her excitement could not be contained. Of all the baseball cards in all the world, she had one from the hero of the day. Someday, she'll realize there are a lot of baseball cards of popular players. Someday, she'll realize this card will never make her wealthy or impress a collector. But that night, she won the lottery. Her eyes gleamed with the pure joy every child who finds the right baseball card at exactly the right moment feels. 
We drove south to Iowa that Sunday, with enough time to repack and recharge. We slept in our own beds. We cuddled with our own pets. Then, we were ready to travel again.
My mother-in-law came with us. She's been a Cubs fan for years but she had never seen them play at Wrigley Field, so we decided to take her to a couple of games as a Christmas present. Our trio turned into a quartet and we were back on the road again. We took 20 most of the way and found our AirBnB without too much difficulty. After that, the only thing we had to accomplish was devouring some Chicago-style pizza. Pequod's lived up to its reputation.
When we met up at Wrigley the next night, on a Tuesday, the whole experience had changed. I struggle to put it into words, but the vibe of a group of Cubs fans is fundamentally different than the vibe emanating from Twins fans. No disrespect to Target Field, my beloved home away from home, but the Cubs fans outside of Wrigley seemed like monks about to enter the church for services. The long history of the place hangs over the fans like a mantle they gladly accept. I don't believe in ghosts but man, they're out there at Wrigley. How many Cubs fans would gladly fall out of their lives into an eternity at the ball park? 
I wore my lucky cap. My mother-in-law has never seen the Cubs lose in person. Something had to give. Evelyn tried to cheat the situation that morning by threatening to hide my lucky cap in our AirBnB, but she's a very kind soul and didn't really do it. I must be honest with you now and say that yes, I really did believe in the power of my lucky cap. Ridiculous. I mean, I definitely don't believe in lucky objects. I just act like I do. Or, more accurately, I do believe in lucky objects but I won't admit to myself that I believe in lucky objects.
Regardless of my beliefs, the lucky North star on my hat crashed down to Earth that Tuesday night as the Cubbies beat the Twins. A game the Cubs won fair and square, even though I think the very existence of a pitcher as good as Shota Imanaga feels like it goes against the laws of nature. He made the Twins look foolish at the plate. Part of my gut worried, in the first few innings, that he might just pitch a no-hitter. The guy is good. Evie and my mother-in-law waved their "W" flag and sang that song. That "Go Cubs Go" song that I'm not terribly fond of but, regardless of how I feel, it gets stuck in my head for a week anyway.
We went home and came right back for an afternoon game. I kept the lucky baseball cap on, even though now it had lost all of its magic. The Twins seemed eager to prove the magic was gone when Joe Ryan went out on an injury and the reliever got two outs and gave up five walks. My enthusiasm for my dear Twins deflated like a puffed up bird who just lost a mating dance. The stink of failure was upon them. 
At least the game had three things going for it. First of all, it was outdoors baseball. I went to the Medieval Torture Museum in Chicago during my trip, and I saw a multitude of methods for mangling the human body. People do this. People invent ways to be awful. But, and this can bring light into the darkness, people also created baseball. We're still enjoying this invention, still getting closer together to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (sung by Ted Lasso's Coach Beard - the second thing that Wednesday game had going for it), we still have hot dogs and beer. When they list up all the things we got wrong in Column B, never forget that we get to put "baseball" in Column A.
The other great occurrence in the Wednesday afternoon game was a visit from Twins Geek and The Voice of Reason. They were at the game and stopped by our seats. I introduced them to the family and we chatted a bit about life. It made me miss the good ole days of being a Twins fan. When I hopped aboard the bandwagon in 2006, the world was full of Twins activities. There were three days of TwinsFest and also an autograph party. There was an event where Twins players tended bar for charity. There were regular signings at pro shops, grocery stores, and pizza places. There were meetups at bars and restaurants where fans would get together. I made many friends this way. I never felt like a Twins player was removed from me. The whole team felt like part of the community. We belonged. So many of those experiences are gone now, trickling down to drips before Covid shut the whole thing down. I believe Twins Daily still does their winter meltdown, but what about all of the rest? In an time where fans are cross with the front office about spending and finding the game on TV is challenging, it's even more sad we've lost these things (even though, as a current Iowan, I would still be missing out on these things). I used to feel like I was one step away from the dugout, and now I feel like a guy in a long line, preparing to hand over some money to a kid checking TikTok on his phone. 
We saw the Twins win two at home and lose two on the road. My mother-in-law has never seen the Cubs lose in person. Her and my daughter posed for a picture after the Wednesday win, still smiling from singing that "Go Cubs Go" song. This is an area the Twins definitely need to improve on. When the last out is recorded after a victory and the music starts to swell, Twins fans are already on their way out of the ballpark. Cubs fans truly celebrate each victory like a war just ended and everyone feels the joy of freedom and survival. Victory, for the Cubs, means life. Now, let's be honest. The Twins play in Minnesota, and Minnesotans are likely too reserved and Minnesota-nice to sway together and wave flags for a home victory. There has to be some way we can show our devotion. Maybe fans bring purple pom-poms and the game ends with "Purple Rain" and fans creating said rain with flashy pom-poms. We could do better is all I'm saying.
Four games. Six days. One lucky cap ruined. One happy mother-in-law, one happy kid. One happy Dad because said kid agreed she would cheer for the Twins - as long as they weren't playing the Cubs. Home runs. Stolen bases. Strikeouts. Three generations (grandmother, mother, daughter) making memories over a charming old game. Baseball is best when it's a public space where we can all come together. I'll meet you out there the next time we make it to a game.
 
- Axel
If you're curious what else I've been up to lately, check up on my 20 horror movie marathon from September 13th-15th. I'm doing it to support The Trevor Project, a suicide hotline and more for LGTBQIA+ youth. Follow AxelScares on Instagram for updates. 

Nick Gordon sighting tonight in Jacksonville. Played 2b. 
Niko Goodrum was playing ss for Norfolk 

Is it that the Twins' players are psyched out? At least not in the beginning. This has been going on for decades w/o the players being aware of. So what is it? IMO NYY organization is ruthless. They know the advantage of owning a team especially one who they'll probably face in the post season. I imagine that they really psych up their players & fanbase before they face the Twins, to go all out to hold advantage over us. After that it affects Twins fans & then the players. Last season we took the season confrontation at NYY stadium even. So they were desperate & had to totally annilate the Twins with Soto this season to claim dominance. Soto has had a sore shoulder for some time now, NYY could have given Soto a rest after at least having advantage over the lowly Twins but no they show their priority of keeping dominance over the Twins over having Soto in the LAD series. But no they chose to hold over Soto & rest him for the LAD series. This shows how ruthless they are.
What can we do about it? IMO it's a very difficult question. I have no direct solution except going all out to beat the NYY in every game & hold it as a proirity. At least not waving a white flag on our get away game. NYY never rested Soto, or Judge but the Twins rested both Buxton & Lewis, forcing Farmer to play 2B against a RHP. If the Twins tried to win our get away game with NYY, By winning NYY on our get away game we would have left NY, resuming our season & facing them again on a positive note.
Like I said it's a difficult question, so I'd appreciate any feed back on what your opinion & solution could be.

With the recent good news that Royce Lewis it's just about ready to start an assumedly short rehab assignment, one's mind turns to what happens when he's ready to rejoin the Twins. You have to think that he'll be playing 3B at least three or four times a week and probably more, and we have Castro as a potential 3B backup. What happens to José Miranda in that scenario?
First, the facts. Miranda is hitting .276/.315/.457 (.772) with 4 HRs, 7 Doubles, and 12 RBIs in 105 ABs. He has 16 SOs and 4 walks, (14.5% SO rate, 3.7% walk rate). He's better against LH pitching – .807 OPS – but still respectable against RH pitching with a .722 OPS. His defense at 3B, once a weakness, has improved to a little below average average, with a -2 OAA at 3B and a 0 OAA at 1B. His Statcast chart is not particularly impressive, above average in some things but very little red other than being on the 74th percentile in whiff rate in the 89th percentile in strikeout rate. In other words, the stats so far indicate a little better-than-average player at age 25 with about 750 at bats in MLB so far. Those latter two facts suggest that there is room for improvement to a solidly above average hitter who is an average or slightly above fielder, but those results are far from assured.
I think the Twins have to keep Miranda on the roster and I think he needs to play. His team needs quality RH hitters in the worst way, and Miranda is really the only reinforcement option. Lewis can obviously hit, Correa is a quality hitter, and both Buxton and Jeffers are streaky. The rest of them? Not much there. Margot and Vasquez are well below average hitters even if you only count Margot hitting from the right side. Santana can hit right-handed but is a black hole left-handed, and from a hitting standpoint should only start against left-handed pitching. Farmer can hit left-handed pitching or at least could in the past but he's nearing the end of his career and it's unlikely he's going to have a big pop during this season. he's also somewhere else next year. I think you have to keep Miranda around for his bat and hope his defense improves.
So where do you play him once Lewis is back to play 3B? I think the answer is pretty simple. Miranda plays 4 to 5 days a week, 3 to 4 of them as the 1B against right-handed pitching, a day or two at 3B for Lewis when he is the DH, and he can be the DH once a week, maybe twice. I would also look at him at 2B as the RH alternative to Edward Julien unless Rocco comes to his senses and starts playing Julien every day. Miranda was a 2B in the minors, he's here for the long term, and he's a better hitter than Farmer. I would suggest trying him in LF, but I know they did that in the minors and I hear it was an unmitigated disaster. So my view is Miranda needs to stay, play regularly, and do it in a combination of 1B and 3B. 
This decision is coming in is coming within the next couple weeks hopefully. What he is everybody think?

Joe Pohald recently stated that he and his family are “just trying to right-size our business.” when he was asked about the $120M payroll for 2024, which is ranked 20 out of the 30 teams.  When I think of the term “right-sizing”, I think of the promise that was made when we approved and funded the stadium for the Twins.  The promise that the Pohlad family made in an 08/13/2008 Star Tribune article called “TWIN CITIES SPORTS OWNERS: the pohlads, minnesota twins BAND OF BROTHERS EXTENDS A LEGACY”

In another 2008 article Dave St. Peter stated:

Are the Twins in the process of “right-sizing” their payroll of $120M to match revenue of $240M?  That is a laughable suggestion but let’s back that up with facts.  We know as a fact from the last collective bargaining agreement that all teams get $200 million in revenue sharing.  In addition, it is widely believed that the Twins are getting $40 million+ this year from BSN.  So, without lifting a finger, playing a game, or even having a second to lie to its fans the Twins are making enough revenue to make the 50% rule work for the current payroll.
What might a team make beyond the revenue sharing and TV deal?  We can estimate that by looking at the Braves and see they made $528 million in 2023 due to their public disclosures as part of Liberty Media.  We also know that the Braves TV Deal is for $68 million a year so if you subtract that and the $200 million in revenue sharing you get $260 million in stadium, licensing, merchandise, etc… revenue.  With the Twin Cities metro area roughly being 60% the size of the Braves let’s assume that the Twins can only generate 60% of the same baseball revenue ($260*60%=$156 million).  The Twins are looking at $396 million in revenue based on this model and are spending only 30% on payroll.  

There is no other way to look at this other than a broken promise made to taxpayers and a money grab by some Nepo-babies.
 

Was Zoilo Versalles a One-Hit Wonder?
When the Washington Senators relocated to Minneapolis/St. Paul for the 1961 season they brought a team that had finished 7th, 8th, 8th, 8th, and 5th the previous 5 years. After the move the team finished 7th in 1961, then 2nd, 3rd and 6th in the 10 team American League.
The 6th place 1964 team had a starting lineup of Earl Battey-catching, Bob Allison, Bernie Allen, Zoilo Versalles, and Rich Rollins in the infield, and had an outfield of Harmon Killebrew, Jimmy Hall and Tony Oliva. Their most used subs were Don Mincher, Jerry Kindall and Jerry Zimmerman. The starting rotation was Camilo Pascual, Jim Kaat, Dick Stigman, Mudcat Grant and Lee Stange. Coming out of the bullpen was closer Al Worthington, along with Gerry Arrigo, Jim Perry, Bill Pleis and Johnny Klippstein.
The 1965 team didn’t have a lot of turnover from the 1964 team. Don Mincher took over at first base and Jerry Kindall at second, Bob Allison played left field instead of 1st base and the rest of the lineup was the same as 1964. Because of injuries Harmon Killebrew only played in 113 games. 1964 starter, Lee Stange, was traded to the Cleveland Guardians along with George Banks for Mudcat Grant. Besides Grant, the other starters were Jim Perry, who went from a reliever to a starter, Jim Kaat and Camilo Pascual. Dave Boswell, got an occasional start. The bullpen still had Worthington, Klippstein, Pleis, and added Stigman (a converted starter) and Jerry Fosnow, who came to the Twins in an offseason trade with the Cincinnati Reds for Gerry Arrigo. Cesar Tovar would also come over in the trade, but he would spend most of 1965 with the Denver Bears.
While there were not a lot of personnel changes from 1964 to 1965 the team would go from a 79-83-1 record good for 6th place to a 102-60 record that would win the AL pennant.
WAR leaders in 1964 (batters only) according to Baseball Reference were: Oliva 6.8, Allison 6.4, Killebrew 4.7, Hall 4.0 and Rollins 3.0. For the 1965 season the WAR leaders were: Versalles 7.2, Oliva 5.4, Killebrew 4.4, Hall 4.3 and Allison 4.2.
Jimmy Hall would show an increased WAR from 1964 of 0.3, but the major increase would come from Zoilo Versalles, who went from 2.5 in ‘64 to 7.2 in ‘65.
Versalles would go on to win the American League Most Valuable Player award with 19 of the 20 votes. Tony Oliva would receive the other vote.
While Versalles would have a solid baseball career, he never had another year that came close to approaching 1965.
In 1965 he had career highs in plate appearances in (728), runs scored (126), hits (182), doubles (45), 2nd most triples (12), 2nd most home runs (19), most RBI’s (77) and stolen bases (27), 2nd highest Batting Average (.273), best OBP (.319), Slugging Pct. (.462), OPS (.781), OPS+ (115), and Total Bases (308). He led the American League in plate appearances, runs scored, doubles, triples, and total bases. He did make the All-Star team and won a gold glove that year.
Versalles would never come close to repeating his accomplishments of 1965. The Twins would have some success by finishing 2nd in 1966 and 1967 and would again with the pennant in 1969, but Versalles would only have a WAR of 1.6 in 1966, -1.6 in 1967 and would be traded prior to the 1968 season to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Mudcat Grant, for Bob Miller, Ron Peranoski and John Roseboro.
In Zoilo’s entire 12 seasons in MLB he had a total WAR of 12.6 with only 5.4 of his total over his other 11 seasons.
Sadly, he passed away at age 55 in 1995 while living in Bloomington, MN.
Zoilo would be the 1st of only 2 players in MLB history with the name Zoilo, the other would be Zoilo Almonte who played a total of 47 games (as an outfielder/DH) for the New York Yankees in 2013 and 2014.
While Zoilo had 7 seasons as the Twins primary shortstop, would you consider him a “One Hit Wonder”?

Introduction of the series here
Part 2: 1961-1962 Offseason MLB expansion here
In the 1962 regular season, the Minnesota Twins showcased their talent with players like Harmon Killebrew, Jack Kralick, and Don Lee earning All-Star nods. With a 45-40 record, they stood in 4th place at the All-Star break. A notable trade saw Lenny Green moved to the St. Louis Cardinals, paving the way for the rising star Tony Oliva. However, their playoff hopes dimmed by September 20, finishing tied for 3rd with the New York Yankees at 90 wins. The Red Sox represented the AL, while the San Francisco Giants emerged as NL champions.
During the offseason, Pedro Ramos and Harmon Killebrew originated the "Get to Know 'Em" campaign because Metropolitan Stadium is hovering around 55% of its capacity...

The Houston Colt .45s, led by @USAFChiefin his first season of ownership, struggled as expected for an expansion team, losing 113 games. Despite the challenges, they had the promising 18-year-old outfielder Rusty Staub as a building block for the future. The Chicago White Sox experienced a significant downturn, going from 102 wins in 1961 to 65 wins in 1962.
The San Francisco Giants, boasting players like Willie McCovey and Willie Mays, dominated the 1962 season, earning the World Series title by defeating the New York Yankees in a 4-1 series. Willie McCovey is also this series' 1st Triple Crown winner for batting! 

In the 1962-63 offseason, individual accolades came as Zoilo Versalles won a gold glove at shortstop, and Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison secured silver slugger awards. A major trade involved sending Bernie Allen to the Milwaukee Braves for Frank Bolling and Sandy Alomar. The Twins made no notable free agent signings. Even with the lack of activity, the team was predicted to perform very well in the upcoming season.

The 1963 season was marked by a close pennant race with the Twins, Yankees, and White Sox.

Despite a strong showing, the Twins were eliminated on the 161st game of the regular season. Pascual led MLB in pitching wins with 20, and Killebrew topped the charts in home runs with 42. The Los Angeles Dodgers, led by Sandy Koufax, won the World Series against the New York Yankees.

In the 1963-64 offseason, Gold Gloves were awarded to Earl Battey and Zoilo Versalles, while Battey, Rich Rollins, and Bob Allison earned Silver Slugger Awards. The Twins signed 18-year-olds Dave Boswell and Reggie Smith. A major trade with the Baltimore Orioles brought Jackie Brandt to the Twins.

The 1964 season was a year made for the cinema theatres! 
The Twins are 52-29 and in 2nd place in the AL at the All-Star break. 1.5 games back from the New York Yankees, It was another star studded affair for the Twins, with 7 All-Stars named.  21 year old RP Pete Magrini, C Earl Battey, 1B Don Mincher, 2B Rich Rollins, 3B Harmon Killebrew, LF Bob Allison, and RF Tony Oliva were named to the All Star team.    The Twins are in a 3 way tie with the Yankees and Tigers at the trade deadline with a 64-39 record. At the deadline, the Twins traded SP Pedro Ramos to the Los Angeles Dodgers for RP Ron Perranoski. While Ramos had a 2.81 ERA in 94 innings prior to the deadline, the underlying numbers were not promising, and 25 year old Phil Niekro was ready to make the transition from reliever to the starting rotation.    It was a 3 team race starting in September between the Twins, Yankees, and Tigers.     With 2 games left in the season, it was still anyone's chance to win the division. The Twins and Yankees played in a 1 game take all series to represent the AL in the World Series. Game 163 was dictated by both catchers throughout the game. Earl Battey came through with the walk off hit in the 12th inning. 
 
The Twins faced a powerhouse 107 win LA Dodgers team led by Triple Crown winning SP Sandy Koufax. The Twins won the series 4-2 for their first title since relocating to Bloomington, MN! 

So much was packed into two games!  A day later, I've put together a Top Ten list of moments, with no particular metric except my own sense of drama in the moment.  Ranking is influenced by impact on the game's outcome, but there is an "Oh No He Didn't!" factor that counts for a lot.  You will argue with some choices I am sure - I would probably have ranked them slightly differently yesterday and might change my mind tomorrow.
 
 
 
 
 
Game 1 Inning 4: Carlos Correa bails out Polanco, throws out Bichette at home Game 2 Inning 5: Carlos Correa pickoff of Guerrero at second Game 1 Inning 1: Royce Lewis HR #1 Game 1 Inning 3: Royce Lewis HR #2 Game 1 Inning 6: Michael A Taylor at wall for catch of flyball by Chapman Game 2 Inning 8: Griffin Jax unassisted putout like a blocking fullback on Biggio Game 1 Inning 9: Jhoan Duran taking throw to put out Springer and end 18 game losing streak Game 2 Inning 6: Caleb Theilbar 643 DP on Chapman after close foul ball Game 2 Inning 4: Carlos Correa RBI single for first run against Kikuchi Game 2 Inning 9: Jhoan Duran third out swinging strikeout of Varsho for the sweep Here also are my ten honorable mentions, ranked merely in sequential order of when they happened.
Game 1 Inning 2 Michael A Taylor coming in hard for the catch against Chapman
Game 1 Inning 4 Max Kepler with difficult grab of Guerrero smash
Game 1 Inning 5 Pablo Lopez strikes out Belt swinging with Chapman on third
Game 1 Inning 8 Griffin Jax two big strikeouts after Guerrero leadoff double
Game 1 Inning 8 Donovan Solano with unassisted putout of Kirk to end inning
Game 2 Inning 1 Sonny Gray strikes out Biggio to strand two baserunners
Game 2 Inning 4 Max Kepler single against Kikuchi in relief of Berrios
Game 2 Inning 8 Michael A Taylor with grab on tricky fly by Guerrero
Game 2 Inning 8 Carlos Correa hit on hand by pitch but stays in game
Game 2 Inning 9 Jhoan Duran finger cut, 2 bad pitches, then he locks in
Some may say this was the Royce Lewis Series, and obviously Game 1 is his to own forever, but Carlos Correa gets my series MVP vote, with that key RBI in Game 2 tipping the scales.
Notice how frequently Guerrero figured into the proceedings.  Chapman too.  We dodged some bullets, didn't we.
I also can't emphasize enough just how big the moment was when Kepler singled against Kikuchi.  They bring in the lefty, Kepler had his work cut out for him, and he finds a way.  None of the balls put in play that inning were things of beauty really, but conversely the moment was not too big for our hitters.  No moment was more key than Max's, and yet he can't even crack the Top Ten for me.  Wow, what a series!
 

Last night I was at the game and, of course, had to take my five-year-old souvenir shopping. We were checking out the game-used booth when this caught my eye. 

That's right my friends, an empty, unsigned, completely unremarkable EMPTY bucket of gum for the low, low price of $300. How do they sell this with a straight face?!
We got him a Duran jersey instead! 
 

The snapshot has gained a smidge more focus from Wednesday morning, but not much. Here’s an updated look at things heading into Thursday’s action. 
Current standings: Baltimore (99-59), Tampa Bay (97-62), Texas (89-69), Toronto (87-71), Houston (87-72), Seattle (85-73), Minnesota (85-73).
Tiebreaker procedure: If there is a three (or more)-way tie that involves the division leader and wild card position(s), the division leader tiebreaker will be resolved first. Then, remaining ties will be broken as needed to determine wild card berths and seeds. 
Magic numbers/seed scenarios:
Baltimore and Tampa Bay will be the 1 and 4 seeds. Baltimore's magic number to win the division and be the 1 seed has dropped to two. The best the Twins can do is get to 89 wins. If they do not win out, they will be the 3 seed. If Texas wins at least one against Seattle, they will have at least 90 wins and make the Twins the 3 seed. If Seattle sweeps Texas and the Twins win out, all three teams will have 89 wins. In that scenario… If Houston wins all three against Arizona, they will have 90 wins, win the division and make the Twins the 3 seed. If Houston wins two of three, the West becomes a three-way tie. In that scenario, Seattle wins the tiebreaker in those three teams. They have the tiebreaker over the Twins, so they would be the 2 seed and the Twins the 3.  If Houston wins 0 or 1 against Arizona, the West is a two-way tie between Seattle and Texas. Texas wins the tiebreaker for the division, but the Twins have the tiebreaker over Texas, so Minnesota would be the 2 seed and Texas the 3. This is the only remaining scenario where the Twins earn the 2 seed.  For the previous sub-bullet, if games were coin flips, there’s a 1 in 256 chance of the Twins and Seattle winning out. There is a 4 in 8 (1 in 2) chance of Houston winning 0 or 1. Combine those, and there’s a 1 in 512 chance of the Twins being the 2 seed. That’s 0.195 percent. I’d encourage having snacks on hand for Tuesday.  Toronto lost Wednesday, but Seattle lost, so Toronto’s magic number to make the playoffs is now three. Their magic number to be the 5 seed is also three. These do not take tiebreakers into account.  Texas's magic number to win the West is two. Remaining schedule: Here's the remaining schedule of games involving Toronto and the three West division teams. Teams have only announced their starters through the current series, but I've added the person who would be starting if they continue in the same pattern they've been in.
Thursday: NYY @ Toronto (Bassitt). Texas (Montgomery) @ Seattle (Gilbert). Friday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Ryu). Houston (France) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Eovaldi) @ Seattle (TBA-Woo). Saturday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Kikuchi). Houston (Verlander) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Gray) @ Seattle (TBA-Castillo). Sunday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Gausman). Houston (TBA-Javier/Brown) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Bradford) @ Seattle (TBA-Kirby). Other notes:
Gray left Monday's start early for Texas. Without an off day, he would be scheduled to start him Saturday. if Texas skips him, they would either need to use Bradford on short rest or slot someone else in his spot (including the Opener option). Bradford went only 73 pitches Tuesday night, so it's conceivable. Then on Sunday, they would either need to use Gray with an extra day, Dunning on short rest or someone else. Houston has named Verlander as their starter for Saturday, keeping him on four days rest, skipping Brown’s spot in the rotation. Sunday’s starter could either be Javier on four days rest or Brown on six. The significance of Verlander moving to Saturday is that increases his availability for the wild card round. See the next item,  Any team which clinches would likely revise their rotation the remainder of the way. Wednesday starters could pitch next Game 1 on an extra day's rest. Thursday starters could pitch Game 1 on their regular schedule. Friday's starters could start Game 1 on short rest or Game 2 on normal rest. Saturday's starters could start Game 2 on short rest or Game 3 on normal. Sunday's starters could pitch Game 3 on short rest. Also of importance:
The White Sox lost Wednesday night, so they have to win three of their remaining four to avoid 100 losses. They have one with Arizona and three with San Diego. The last time they’ve won three of four was part of a four of five streak that ended August 9. Their previous time of winning three was four was part of a six of seven and seven of nine streak that ended June 9. At that point, they were 29-36, so they’ve gone 31-62 since that point. That’s actually 108-loss pace. Let's go, D’Backs and Padres!

The current lineup isn't working and hasn't worked for awhile. It's great that Farmer is back but Farmer isn't likely to provide the lineup spark we need. He was 0 for his last 11 with 8 strikeouts before he got hurt. If you look at the lineup/26 man roster realistically, who can be that spark? The only possible answer I see is Gordon - 6 for his last 20 with 2 HRs. Solano can't play defense anywhere on the field so he doesn't have much value if Buxton is the DH. I guess we now know why Solano was available. I would actually consider DFAing him for Julien or Hellman. 
We need to shake up the lineup - Correa can't hit #2 and we need a better leadoff hitter. Kepler has actually performed . . . well, like Kepler usually performs  - a streaky .213/.308.427 (.735). We can argue if he should play regularly, but it's hard to argue he should lead off.  How about this for a lineup shakeup?
Gordon LF
Buxton DH
Kirilloff 1B
Polanco 2B
Correa SS
Kepler/Gallo  RF
Jeffers/Vasquez  C
Gallo/Farmer  3B
Taylor CF
The other thought I have is to DFA Solano or demote Castro and force feed Julien or Hellman up here. If it's Julien, lead him off at 3B, move Gordon to the 6 hole, bench Gallo and move Kepler to #8. I don't like that as much as I like the lineup above. To be honest, I don't really like either but I think they are the best we can do and I think both lineups are better than what we are trotting out every day.  A shakeup also tells guys like Correa and Gallo that they have to earn their lineup spots; nothing is just handed to you. 
Thoughts? I can't come up with anything better. . .

Kyle Farmer is a starting quality MLB SS will fill a bench role for the Twins this year. While he is valuable in that role, his biggest value might have just come in - as a trade chip to the Dodgers to replace Gavin Lux at SS after Lux tore his ACL yesterday.  The Dodgers other option is 34-year-old Miguel Rojas who they acquired from the Marlins before spring training. You have to think the Dodgers are looking for a starting caliber SS that's locked into a reserve role on another team, particularly one who can be a 1 or 2 year option while Lux recovers or they get a free agent next winter. Voilà! 32-year-old longtime starting SS Kyle Farmer seems to meet all of those criteria.
Interestingly enough, the Dodgers could also use a proven outfielder. They do have Mookie Betts in right, but are looking at an aging Chris Taylor and an unproven  Trayce Thompson to play center with a very unproven James Outman in left. It seems like a respected veteran like Max Kepler might be a good fit.

I think there's a real possibility that Kyle Farmer becomes a trade talking point between the Twins and the Dodgers. It would not surprise me if Kepler is also in the discussion. The Dodgers have a deep farm system particularly in pitching and catching. I do think there's a match. May be a Caleb Ferguson or Andre Jackson might be a good piece for Farmer. Add Kepler and maybe you can get Outman, Landon Knack, or Nick Mastrini or 1 of them plus someone a little farther down the list? Who knows, maybe there's a way to pry Ryan Pepiot away if you offer, Farmer, Kepler and maybe a solid AA guy.
I think there's a real opportunity here for the Twins to trade what are now somewhat redundant pieces - a 32-year-old starting caliber Shortstop who will be relegated to a reserve role for the one year he is with the team and a 30-year-old good fielding, roughly average hitting outfielder for whom there seemed to be adequate replacements. The Dodgers are a win now team that needs both those kinds of players. What you guys think?

As you have likely seen at this point, the Twins signed Infielder Donovan Solano to a 1 year, $2 million dollar deal. When you first look at this deal, you may have thought that Solano is a similar role to Kyle Farmer and seems to be redundant. While there may be some overlap, I think there are a few reasons where both guys still get a good amount of at bats this year, especially against lefties. 
So let's compare Solano to a few other guys that I saw many people mention as targets for the Twins, Luke Voit and Yuli Gurriel. One reason the ladder two guys were brought up was their ability to hit lefties, so let's look at that first. 
Luke Voit versus lefties in 2022 had the following line: .174/.298/.271. I will concede that these stats are lower than his career .236/.329/.439 line against lefties. 
Yuli Gurriel versus lefties in 2022 had the following line: .265/.298/.441. These are slightly lower than his career .282/.333/.474 line against lefties as well. 
As for the Twins most recent acquisition, here are his stats versus lefties: 
Donovan Solano had a slash line of .301/.348/.422 line versus lefties in 2022. His career line is .282/.322/.389. 
The next thing I wanted to compare these players on was their Walk%, K% and their projected WAR going forward. 
Walk %: 
Voit: 10.2%
Gurriel: 5.7%
Solano: 5.7%
K %: 
Voit: 28.5%
Gurriel: 11.2%
Solano: 18.0%
Projected WAR (using ZiPS): 
Voit: 0.8 WAR
Gurriel: 1.5 WAR
Solano: 1.2 WAR
Seeing these stats, you might try to say that Gurriel would be the best choice of the three for a fit. The reason I think this is not the case can be summed up in one word: versatility. 
Donovan Solano can not only play 1B, but can also play 2B, 3B, and will likely get some ABs as a DH as well, against lefties specifically. Gurriel at this point in his career is a 1B with the ability to DH of course as well. Voit is a 1B/DH as well. 
Not to overlook Solano's ability to hit against righties as well. He doesn't hit righties super well, but can at least give you a good AB if needed. He has a career slash line of .276/.329/.367 against RHP.
One thing to remember is Solano is a depth piece who, similar to Kyle Farmer, will play mostly against LHP with occasional starts coming against RHP. Solano's versatility will also be helpful in case someone gets dinged up (which will happen at some point) and as a potential defensive replacement depending on who is in the game as well. Solano hits a lot of line drives, as evidence by his career .332 BABIP. 
I'd like to make this clear, I don't think Donovan Solano is an all star level player, but I think he's a solid depth piece that gives manager Rocco Baldelli another option this coming year. The Twins depth is much different than the past years, and hopefully this means they learned their lesson regarding not being too top heavy on the roster and not having as much depth. 
Let me know what you all think of the Solano signing. Who do you think this bumps off the roster? My gut reaction says Larnach, but maybe things change before opening day (perhaps a trade?). 

I believe that injuries to outfielders could be greatly reduced if the outfield padding at Target Field were replaced with high tech padding.  
One option would be to replace the existing padding with much thicker padding that has a layer of low density foam on the outside (facing the players) and thicker densities closer to the concrete wall. I have a mattress that came in a box that has this arrangement and believe that this approach could be adapted to baseball to cut the trauma from hitting the wall by 80% or more.
Or the Twins could borrow from Hollywood stunt people and use technology based on the air bags and crash mats that lets stunt people fall from high places without injury.  https://fall-pac.com/news/fall-protection-for-stunt-men/
Based on some rough math, I believe that for $500,000 of R&D, $1 million of manufacturing cost and $500,000 of installation costs, the Twins could have an outfield wall that could cut the injury rate by more than 50%, perhaps more than 90%.  This would be peanuts compared with the loss of value if Buxton gets injured on the current wall.  To me this is a lot like adding roll cages to race cars -- a small cost for a lot of safety.  
What value of WAR will be lost if Buxton gets injured by the wall?  And I firmly believe that Royce Lewis would not have been hurt at all last year by his wall collision if the high tech wall had been in place.  
One small side benefit would be a slight home field advantage -- balls that hit the padding would tend to stick and die there, not bounce back into the field of play.  The Twins players would develop expertise in dealing with that.  Players from other teams would have to learn how to adapt, like with the ivy at Wrigley.  Another side benefit would be that players could be more aggressive when they are near the wall, knowing that it is by far the safest wall on the planet.
I believe that eventually all teams will have this.  Why not get out in front of it and maybe even develop some patents to make other teams pay to get it?
 
 
 

MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that Blayne Enlow passed through waivers and has been outrighted to AA. I thought he might be part of a trade package or get picked up by a lesser team. Guess the FO knew better than I or many of us here did. I don't like everything they do but you have to give them props when they take a calculated risk and it works out. 

I believe that injuries to outfielders could be greatly reduced if the outfield padding at Target Field were replaced with high tech padding.  
One option would be to replace the existing padding with much thicker padding that has a layer of low density foam on the outside (facing the players) and thicker densities closer to the concrete wall. I have a mattress that came in a box that has this arrangement and believe that this approach could be adapted to baseball to cut the trauma from hitting the wall by 80% or more.
Or the Twins could borrow from Hollywood stunt people and use technology based on the air bags and crash mats that lets stunt people fall from high places without injury.  https://fall-pac.com/news/fall-protection-for-stunt-men/
Based on some rough math, I believe that for $500,000 of R&D, $1 million of manufacturing cost and $500,000 of installation costs, the Twins could have an outfield wall that could cut the injury rate by more than 50%, perhaps more than 90%.  This would be peanuts compared with the loss of value if Buxton gets injured on the current wall.  To me this is a lot like adding roll cages to race cars -- a small cost for a lot of safety.  
What value of WAR will be lost if Buxton gets injured by the wall?  And I firmly believe that Royce Lewis would not have been hurt at all last year by his wall collision if the high tech wall had been in place.  
One small side benefit would be a slight home field advantage -- balls that hit the padding would tend to stick and die there, not bounce back into the field of play.  The Twins players would develop expertise in dealing with that.  Players from other teams would have to learn how to adapt, like with the ivy at Wrigley.  Another side benefit would be that players could be more aggressive when they are near the wall, knowing that it is by far the safest wall on the planet.
I believe that eventually all teams will have this.  Why not get out in front of it and maybe even develop some patents to make other teams pay to get it?
 
 
 

I believe that injuries to outfielders could be greatly reduced if the outfield padding at Target Field were replaced with high tech padding.  
One option would be to replace the existing padding with much thicker padding that has a layer of low density foam on the outside (facing the players) and thicker densities closer to the concrete wall. I have a mattress that came in a box that has this arrangement and believe that this approach could be adapted to baseball to cut the trauma from hitting the wall by 80% or more.
Or the Twins could borrow from Hollywood stunt people and use technology based on the air bags and crash mats that lets stunt people fall from high places without injury.  https://fall-pac.com/news/fall-protection-for-stunt-men/
Based on some rough math, I believe that for $500,000 of R&D, $1 million of manufacturing cost and $500,000 of installation costs, the Twins could have an outfield wall that could cut the injury rate by more than 50%, perhaps more than 90%.  This would be peanuts compared with the loss of value if Buxton gets injured on the current wall.  To me this is a lot like adding roll cages to race cars -- a small cost for a lot of safety.  
What value of WAR will be lost if Buxton gets injured by the wall?  And I firmly believe that Royce Lewis would not have been hurt at all last year by his wall collision if the high tech wall had been in place.  
One small side benefit would be a slight home field advantage -- balls that hit the padding would tend to stick and die there, not bounce back into the field of play.  The Twins players would develop expertise in dealing with that.  Players from other teams would have to learn how to adapt, like with the ivy at Wrigley.  Another side benefit would be that players could be more aggressive when they are near the wall, knowing that it is by far the safest wall on the planet.
I believe that eventually all teams will have this.  Why not get out in front of it and maybe even develop some patents to make other teams pay to get it?