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Amid the rollercoaster of developments those who follow the Minnesota Twins have been forced to endure since the 2023 ALDS Game 4 loss to the Houston Astros, one narrative has remained constant: Minnesota has too many left-handed-hitting corner outfielders. From former president of baseball operations Derek Falvey refusing to part ways with Max Kepler when Matt Wallner, Alex Kirilloff, and Trevor Larnach were perceived to be on the cusp of becoming full-time major-league contributors to new top executive Jeremy Zoll opting to roster Larnach (whom many view the same way they saw Kepler years ago) and James Outman over an inexperienced, higher-upside bat in Alan Roden or top prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins, navigating a conversation about the team feels like wading hip-deep through a bog full of lefty outfielders. Frustration continues to mount around the organization’s positional redundancy, with Twins decision-makers opting to roster Outman over Roden, despite the 28-year-old possessing the third-lowest wRC+ (384 of 386) among hitters with at least 10 plate appearances in baseball this season. Much of that angst is overblown: Outman is occupying the same role DaShawn Keirsey Jr. did early last season, in that he is with the club to enter as a late-game defensive substitution, pinch-run, and give Byron Buxton a break from center field once a week. Still, disdain remains. Does Minnesota roster too many left-handed hitting corner outfielders in the majors and Triple-A, or has that narrative become overstated? Is keeping Outman just to keep him a needless case of stockpiling? Let’s take a look. To preface, I want to provide context for the numbers below. Using FanGraphs’s RosterResource, I sifted through all 30 organizations’ MLB and Triple-A depth charts, tallying left-handed hitting position players who have played left and/or right field in the majors and Triple-A this season. That player had to have made at least one appearance at either corner outfield spot (for example, Kody Clemens counts as one of the Twins' left-handed hitting corner outfielders, despite accumulating only three innings played in left field this season). Players who exclusively play center field don’t count (for example, Justin Crawford hits left-handed; however, he has only played center field for the Philadelphia Phillies this season, making him ineligible). That being understood, let’s actually take a look: Rank Team LHH cOFs 1 New York Mets 9 2 Chicago White Sox 8 2 Cleveland Guardians 8 2 Tampa Bay Rays 8 5 Baltimore Orioles 7 5 Boston Red Sox 7 5 Houston Astros 7 5 Kansas City Royals 7 5 Minnesota Twins 7 5 Texas Rangers 7 5 Toronto Blue Jays 7 5 St. Louis Cardinals 7 13 Detroit Tigers 6 13 New York Yankees 6 13 Seattle Mariners 6 13 Colorado Rockies 6 13 Milwaukee Brewers 6 18 West Sacramento Athletics 5 18 Los Angeles Angels 5 18 Los Angeles Dodgers 5 18 Miami Marlins 5 18 San Diego Padres 5 18 San Francisco Giants 5 18 Washington Nationals 5 25 Arizona Diamondbacks 4 25 Atlanta Braves 4 27 Chicago Cubs 3 27 Cincinnati Reds 3 27 Pittsburgh Pirates 3 30 Philadelphia Phillies 2 Immediately, one will notice that the Twins are tied for fifth place with the Orioles, Red Sox, Astros, Royals, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Cardinals, rostering seven left-handed hitting corner outfielders between the parent club and Triple-A. The Rays, Guardians, and White Sox rank immediately above them, tying for second place with eight apiece. The Mets take the top spot, leading the league with nine rostered lefty corner bats between the majors and Triple-A. On the flip side, the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates tied for second-fewest in the majors and Triple-A, with three. The Phillies have the fewest, with Brandon Marsh and Gabriel Rincones Jr. being the only two left-handed-hitting corner outfielders across the two levels; this is what happens when Max Kepler takes too much epitrenbolene. Given how much attention this narrative has received within Twins Territory, it's unsurprising to see that the Twins are toward the top of the league. As mentioned earlier, though, they keep good company, tied with seven other organizations for fifth place and one left-handed-hitting corner outfield subtraction away from tying for 13th with the Tigers, Yankees, Mariners, Rockies, and Brewers. With some of the best and worst organizations residing at both ends of the spectrum, it becomes clear there is no simple correlation between the number of left-handed hitting corner outfielders an organization rosters in the majors and Triple A and success on the field. Instead—and this will shock you, dear reader—it’s the quality of left-handed-hitting corner outfielders an organization has and how they deploy them that matters most. You could do this math differently by counting (or not) switch-hitters, first basemen and designated hitters, and those are part of the narrative where the Twins are concerned, to be sure. Still, this implies some fans have made too much of the perceived roster imbalance over the last year or three. No Mets fans are upset with Brett Baty and Carson Benge receiving the majority of opportunities in both corner outfield positions with Juan Soto injured. Yet, they would be if president of baseball operations David Stearns had prioritized handing MJ Melendez, Mike Tauchman, or Ji Hwan Bae opportunities over them. Falvey prioritizing Kepler over Wallner, Larnach, and Kirilloff seasons ago, and now Zoll handing Outman a corner outfield spot over Roden because the former no longer has minor-league options, is why such disdain has grown around the club’s handling of that position-player archetype. And while that angst is justified, one thing needs to be understood: The Twins' decision-making process regarding left-handed-hitting corner outfielders has been sound. Outman has been utilized so sparingly that his not yet generating a hit over 15 plate appearances while striking out at a 53.3% rate has been inconsequential. Roden is more deserving of a 26-man roster spot than Outman. Given the minimized role he would have with the major-league club, however, it makes more sense for the optionless Outman to occupy this very minimal role than Roden, particularly this early in the season. Again, Minnesota has a high number of left-handed hitting corner outfielders between the majors and Triple-A, in relation to the rest of the league. Still, it's not an excessive amount whatsoever, with the club’s current corner outfield tandem (Wallner and Larnach) being primary contributors to the lineup’s early-season success at the plate.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins announced that they claimed utilityman Vidal Brujan from the Braves organization. To make room on their 40-man roster, the Twins Designated Mickey Gasper for assignment. In 2025, Vidal Brujan played 61 games in the big leagues. He got time with the Cubs, the Orioles, and then the Atlanta Braves. Prior to 2025, he spent three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, and he played in 102 games for the Miami Marlins in 2024. In his big-league career, he has hit .199/.267/.276 (.543) with 26 doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He has some speed. He's stolen 16 bases, but he's been caught 15 times. His "value" comes from his ability to play all over the diamond. In the big leagues, he has played 84 games at second base, 41 games in right field, 56 games at shortstop, 36 games at third base, 17 games in center field, and 10 games in left field. He's played one game at first base (1/3 of an inning). He's also pitched 3 2/3 innings over four appearances. Brujan will turn 28 next month. The Twins acquired utilityman/catcher Mickey Gasper last offseason in a Christmas Eve trade from the Red Sox (for Jovani Moran). He went 0-for-18 with the Red Sox over 13 games late in the 2024 season. He spent the majority of the 2025 season with the Twins, though he played in just 45 games. He hit .158/.257/.232 (.488) with a double and two home runs. In 47 games with the Saints, he hit .285/.385/.531 (.915) with 14 doubles and 10 home runs.

On Tuesday morning, Jeff Passan of ESPN announced that Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug (PEDs) for the second time in two seasons. After serving an 80-game suspension in 2025 for failing a PED test, Profar’s second suspension would keep him out for the entirety of the 2026 season, including the playoffs. The suspension is not yet official; the players' union intends to file a grievance on the veteran's behalf. In all likelihood, though, the Braves need to find a replacement for Profar, who was in line to take the bulk of the team’s DH opportunities in 2026 after the offseason acquisition of left fielder Mike Yastrzemski. Unfortunately for the Braves, options are limited at this point in the offseason. The free agent pool is nearly depleted: Max Kepler will be serving an 80-game suspension for a failed PED test of his own. Tommy Pham and Andrew McCutchen are in their late 30s and best-suited for the short side of a platoon. Other options include Jesse Winker or (if the team is open to a DH-only veteran of lesser note) Donovan Solano and Rowdy Tellez. The Braves have Dominic Smith in camp already, a lefty first baseman and non-roster invitee with nearly seven years of MLB service time. If the season started today, Smith—who had a 114 OPS+ across 225 plate appearances in 2025—would likely be the club’s Opening Day designated hitter. However, 2025 was the first season since 2020 in which Smith had an OPS+ over 100. Beyond that, he has some experience in the outfield, but he should not be played there except in emergencies. Atlanta could be interested in bringing in another outfielder, which is where Minnesota comes into the discussion. The Twins have a bit of a logjam in their corner outfield spots, with Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, James Outman, Alan Roden, Austin Martin, and Emmanuel Rodriguez. Except for Wallner, none of the names listed have shown themselves as a clear choice for one of the spots. At present, Larnach and Outman seem penciled into Opening Day jobs, much to the consternation of Twins fans who would prefer seeing Roden patrolling left field. Roden, acquired as the second piece in the trade that sent Louis Varland to Toronto at the 2025 trade deadline, is a superior defender to Larnach and is not a young prospect. Rodriguez is having a good camp, and his time in the major leagues may be coming soon as well, which raises questions about Larnach’s future. Many have questioned the decision to both tender Larnach a contract this winter and open the season with him on the roster. The team has a surplus of corner outfield options and is running a lower payroll than they have in a decade. Larnach’s modest $4.475-million contract takes up a notable portion of the team’s current payroll; that money could have been better spent elsewhere. The Braves losing a left fielder/DH presents an opportunity for the Twins to offload Larnach and create playing time for younger outfielders. It would also free up time at DH for first baseman Josh Bell, who has a poor reputation as a defender. But would the Braves be interested? Again, Smith is already in camp, and he had a better slash line than Larnach, albeit in less than half of the plate appearances. Larnach was right around average overall, as opposed to Smith, who was 14% better than an average hitter in his limited opportunities. The two hitters had roughly similar splits against right-handed pitchers, though, with Smith being 15% better than an average hitter, as compared to Larnach’s 9% better. In Profar, Atlanta is staring down the possibility of replacing a guy who hits well against both lefties and righties. The Braves hadn't planned to platoon Profar, and it’s unclear who on the roster would face lefties if the club elected to bring in a player who needs to be platooned, as both Larnach and Smith do. This is especially noteworthy, because Atlanta will also (probably) platoon the lefty-batting Yastrzemski. However, the club’s options are limited, and Atlanta’s head of baseball operations, Alex Anthopoulos, has been known to jump on opportunities to maintain competitiveness. In 2021, he made moves to pick up four outfielders in the 20 days after losing Ronald Acuña Jr. for the season—Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, and Adam Duvall. That team would go on to win the World Series a few months later, in large part because of that quartet of outfielders. Even if there's a trade for Larnach on the horizon, it’s unlikely that the Twins will net much in return—perhaps a middle reliever like Joel Payamps (who is making about half of what Larnach is this season), or a low-level prospect. At this point in the offseason, the savings on offloading Larnach don’t have much effect; the options for reallocating the salary are limited. The objective would probably be to free up space for the other lefty corner outfielders behind him while getting a little—likely negligible—player value in return. But, I ask you anyway, because that's what we do here: What does this mean for Trevor Larnach?

As spring training winds down, the competition for Minnesota’s final bench spot is one of the most intriguing roster questions. The Twins appear to have most of their position player group set, but the backup shortstop job is still unsettled. With Brooks Lee expected to be the team’s primary shortstop, Minnesota needs a reliable defensive option behind him. That competition currently centers on two players with very different profiles. Ryan Kreidler is already on the 40-man roster and offers defensive versatility, while Orlando Arcia brings a decade of big league experience and a past All-Star selection. Neither player is expected to contribute much with the bat, which places even greater pressure on Lee to produce at shortstop in his age-25 season. Why Kreidler Should Make the Roster Kreidler appears to have the inside track entering the final week of spring training. The biggest reason may have nothing to do with his on-field performance. He is already on the Twins’ 40- man roster, making the decision much simpler from a roster management perspective. Teams often prefer to keep depth options they already control, especially when the alternative requires adding a non-roster player. That factor alone could give Kreidler the edge. Defensively, Kreidler offers the type of versatility that managers value on the bench. He has experience at all three infield spots to the left of first base and has also logged time in both center field and left field. That ability to move around the diamond could make him a valuable late-inning defensive replacement. Kreidler has also flashed some offensive potential in the minor leagues. Across 1,963 career minor league plate appearances, he has posted a .236/.342/.401 slash line with a 106 wRC+. His most recent season produced a .238/.363/.389 line and a 109 wRC+ in 401 plate appearances. Those numbers suggest that if even a portion of his minor-league production translates to the majors, Kreidler could develop into a useful utility player. Why Kreidler Could Be Left Off the Roster While Kreidler’s minor league numbers offer some optimism, his major league track record has been extremely limited and largely unproductive. He has appeared in parts of four big league seasons but has accumulated just 211 plate appearances during that span. In those opportunities, Kreidler has struggled to make consistent contact, owning a slashline of .138/.208/.176. The strikeouts have been particularly concerning. Kreidler has struck out in 31.8 percent of his major league plate appearances, contributing to an overall .383 OPS. Even if the Twins primarily value his defense, it becomes difficult to justify a roster spot when the offensive production has been so minimal. If Minnesota decides they need even marginally better offense from the final bench spot, Kreidler could lose ground in the competition. Why Arcia Should Make the Roster Arcia represents the veteran alternative in this battle. The 31-year-old is entering his 10th major league season and brings a wealth of experience compared to Kreidler. At one point in his career, Arcia was a reliable everyday shortstop and even earned an All-Star selection with the Atlanta Braves. While that version of Arcia may be in the past, the Twins could value the presence of a seasoned player on their bench. He appeared in 76 games during the 2025 season, splitting time between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies. After Atlanta released him in May, Colorado quickly signed him to a major league deal and used him in a variety of roles. Arcia’s versatility has grown in recent years. Once known strictly as a shortstop, he played all four infield positions in Colorado, including the first appearance of his career at first base. That expanded defensive role could make him an appealing utility option. If Arcia proves capable of handling multiple infield spots, he might provide more flexibility for manager Derek Shelton when constructing the bench. Why Arcia Could Be Left Off the Roster Despite his experience, Arcia faces significant challenges in earning the final roster spot. His offensive production has declined sharply over the past two seasons. In 214 plate appearances during the 2025 season, Arcia hit just .202/.238/.291. His 33 wRC+ ranked as the lowest mark of his career and the second-worst among players with at least 200 plate appearances last year. The decline has also extended to his defense. During his early years with the Milwaukee Brewers, Arcia was considered an excellent defensive shortstop. In recent seasons, however, his glovework has graded closer to average. Age and roster logistics could also work against him. As a non-roster invitee, Arcia would require the Twins to make a corresponding move to add him to the 40-man roster. In contrast, Kreidler already occupies a spot and can be added to the Opening Day roster without additional maneuvering. If the Twins prioritize roster flexibility and long-term depth, Arcia may ultimately fall short in this competition. The battle for the final bench spot reflects two different approaches to roster construction. On one side, Kreidler offers youth, defensive versatility, and the convenience of already being on the 40-man roster. Additionally, his glove could make him a useful late-inning option even if the bat never fully develops. Arcia brings experience and a track record, including years as a starting shortstop in the majors. Even if his best seasons are behind him, the Twins may believe the veteran still has something left in the tank. Regardless of who ultimately earns the job, the situation underscores the importance of Lee’s development. With limited offensive expectations from either backup, the Twins need their young shortstop to anchor the position throughout the 2026 season. Who will win the backup shortstop role for Opening Day? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

TRANSACTIONS After the Los Angeles Dodgers designated RHP Noah Davis for assignment, the Minnesota Twins came calling and a trade was completed to bring the 28-year-old to the organization. The Twins then assigned him to the St. Paul Saints. Davis made his MLB debut during the 2022 season with the Colorado Rockies, and has pitched 57 1/3 major league innings over the past four seasons. With the Dodgers this year he had made five appearances, allowing 13 earned runs and 14 hits in six total innings, while striking out eight and walking five. He primarily deploys a slider and sinker combination that the Twins appear to like, but will need to harness to unlock any potential they see. In the Midwest League on Monday the Cedar Rapids Kernels sent IF Rayne Doncon on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins and he played in one game of their doubleheader on Tuesday. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday: FCL Braves @ FCL Twins (postponed, rain) The Twins weren’t able to avoid the wet weather on the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida on Monday, and instead played a doubleheader on Tuesday. Tuesday: Game 1: FCL Twins 2, FCL Braves 0 (7 innings) Box Score Twins pitching shut out the Braves in the regularly scheduled contest, with Joel Garcia dominating for the first 5 2/3 innings, and Xander Hamilton cleaning up the sixth and holding it down in the seventh to record the save. The Braves did have plenty of baserunners, leaving eight of them on base in the game, but each time Garcia was able to work around it, including by inducing two inning-ending double plays. He allowed five hits and two walks, while striking out five and left the game with runners on first and third in the sixth. Hamilton struck out the next hitter to keep the shutout intact, and added a scoreless seventh to close it out. He struck out one. The Twins scored both of their runs in the top of the third, with Ricardo Paez getting it started with a leadoff single. Yilber Herrera drew a walk one-out later, and Eduardo Beltre followed with an RBI single for the game's first run. Herrera proceeded to steal third base, and then scored the second on a passed ball. Both teams collected only five hits on the game, and they were all singles. The rehabbing Rayne Doncon went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts, playing first base and batting second in the lineup. Game 2: FCL Braves 0, FCL Twins 1 (7 innings) Box Score Twins pitching kept up the theme of the day in the makeup game, holding the Braves to just two hits, and no runs, for a scoreless twin bill. Right-hander Yoel Roque got the nod in this one and went the first three innings, allowing just one hit and walking one, along with picking up two strikeouts. Teague Conrad came on in the fourth and retired nine of the ten hitters he faced, including four on strikeouts. He allowed one hit and walked one to pick up his second win of the season. The game remained tied at zero until the bottom of the sixth inning, as the Twins got some help from the Braves. Ramiro Dominguez led off with a single, and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt allowed him to move to third base. Jayson Bass then brought him in with a sac fly to account for all the scoring action of the game. Dominguez led the way with two hits in three at-bats. Yandro Hernandez chipped in a double, while Luis Fragoza went 1-for-3 and stole his 13th base. The Twins went 2-for-15 on the day with runners in scoring position, while the Braves finished a paltry 0-for-8. DOMINICAN DAILIES If you are at all interested in going this deep down in the rabbit hole of the Minnesota Twins farm system, their Dominican Republic Academy is now streaming their games over on their new Youtube channel. Monday: DSL Twins 3, DSL Tigers 5 (5 innings) Box Score The Twins got the scoring started in this one, when Santiago Leon clubbed his third double of the season in the top of the first. Haritzon Castillo traded places with him for his fifth double, and it was 1-0. That didn’t last long, as Twins starting pitcher Omar Montano gave that back and more in the bottom half. Five consecutive singles started his outing, then a one-out double broke it open for the Tigers to make it 4-1. Montano recovered to finish three innings, including a one-two-three third with a pair of strikeouts, but the damage had already been done. Montano was charged with all five Tigers runs (four earned) on seven hits, but did strike out five. Agustin Campusano pitched the final one-plus innings of this one for the Twins, allowing two hits before weather moved in during the bottom of the fifth, and resulted in it being called a final. The Twins offense scored single runs in the third and fourth innings to close within two, but weren’t afforded the opportunity to complete the comeback. Aaron Salazar led off the third with a walk, and later scored on a sac fly from Castillo. In the fourth Jamesson Val launched his first professional home run to make the final of 5-3. Leon led the way with two hits, including the double, in three at-bats. Tuesday: DSL Twins 12, DSL Phillies White 1 Box Score This game was a tale of one inning, as the Twins scored all twelve of their runs in the seventh, after being behind all game to that point 1-0. Twins starter Jeicol Surumay went the first five innings, allowing a lone run in the first, but only four hits and a walk in total. He struck out five. Rey Pacheco came on for the sixth inning and got credited for the win with a scoreless frame, allowing one hit and striking out one. That win came because the Twins demolished Phillies pitching in the seventh, sending 17 hitters to the plate before it was over. The first 15 of those hitters all reached base, with the lone Phillies out coming due to a relay throw that caught a runner rounding third base too far. There were four singles, two doubles, three walks, four hit batters, and three errors on the Phillies to turn an otherwise solid game to that point, into a laugher. Twins relievers Marlon Mirabal (2 IP, 2 BB, 3 K) and Brandy Ceballos (IP, K) finished off the game against a defeated Phillies lineup. Despite the huge run total, only Jose Barrios (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 2 K) and Aaron Salazar (3-for-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K) had multiple hits. Yovanny Duran was 1-for-2 with a run scored, drew four walks, and stole three bases. Dencer Diaz finished 1-for-2 with a pair of runs scored and three walks. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Teague Conrad, FCL Twins (W, 4 IP, H, BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day – Aaron Salazar, DSL Twins (2 games: 3-for-6, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #15 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 1-for-6, RBI, 4 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! The full-season affiliates resume play on Friday, July 18th.

In Part 1 of this mini-series on the finances of the Twins and their small shift in ownership, we studied the two new investment groups heavily betting on the team. The other question worthy of our attention is how much of the Pohlads' debt is truly gone, thanks to this deal. It is certainly true that the debt for the team got out of hand at $500 million, though even that was not the highest in baseball. There are plenty of reasons for teams to hold debt. If you look at the Atlanta Braves—the only team traded on a public market, which requires financial disclosures and quarterly earnings—you can see that they have $759 million in debt spread across its investments, though $483 million of that is related to the development of The Battery, their ballpark-adjacent real estate boondoggle. The reason many teams like to hold debt is that MLB-backed debt is unique. While sports owners can often get lucrative deals on debt from banks, the leagues as a whole can secure even bigger ones. Currently, the Braves have $67.5 million in debt with the league at competitive rates: $30 million at a 3.65% interest rate and another $37.4 million at 5.4% and 5.71%. These payments to the league are at much better rates than the rest of their debt. Fitch Ratings assigned the debt an “A” rating, saying the Braves have a “stable revenue profile due to national media and shared league-level revenue streams, and they are insulated from the local media market.” The problem, for the Twins, was that the amount of debt—even with a mix of debt at favorable interest rates—likely meant one of two things. First, that meant almost certainly eating profits. If the Braves earned $66 million in their baseball team over the last year (with a notably good TV deal from Diamond Sports Holdings, as well as the All-Star Game), the Twins almost certainly earned less. And if $27.5 million is going just to cover interest, that makes things complicated. Besides, the Internal Revenue Service has noted that it will do more investigations of teams with “significant tax losses, and review whether the income and deductions causing the losses are reported in accordance with the tax rules.” Given the administration's penchant for investigating personal enemies and the Pohlads’ political donation history, giving the administration an excuse could be a bad idea. Secondly, MLB does have rules about debt. Under the CBA with the MLBPA, “Teams are not allowed to hold debt more than eight times operating income, or twelve times for teams with new stadiums.” However, the league has always had a number of teams in violation of this term, and the Players Association has done little to combat it. The only time the league has used the rule was to force Frank McCourt to sell the Dodgers, which had more to do with their dislike of McCourt. This was a less vital and urgent consideration, then, but it did demand the team's attention. Did the Twins get rid of all their debt? Probably not, but that's fine. Debt at low interest rates is good, when you can make money elsewhere by spending what you've borrowed. When the Pohlads imagined their future in 2019, it was likely using profits from real estate to cover any extra debt from the team. That just never materialized. But as long as the team can cover its interest payments and give itself some wiggle room to head toward profit, there is no reason to eliminate all the debt at once. That might mean that part of the investment is the reason why the Twins have spent more on payroll this winter than many predicted. The question is: what does the team making a profit really mean, short-term and long-term? The Dodgers make a profit, and so do the Pirates. Only one of those teams relies on winning. As long as revenue-sharing agreements benefit teams that spend very little, the Twins may find themselves in the black by remaining in the $110 million range, rather than the $130 million or $160 million range. Fans would find that unhelpful, and distasteful—and rightfully so. All of this leads me toward two speculative predictions: The various partners think there are benefits to getting the Twins back in shape, both financially and (to an extent) on the standings page. That might not be done by immediate spending on payroll at levels commensurate with the media market, but by the same kind of moderate spending that produced winning teams in 2019 and 2020, rather than 2023. The Victor Caratini deal is a good example. If Ryan Jeffers posts around the same WAR as last year, he will certainly be making anywhere from $10 million to $20 million a year when he hits free agency. The Twins already know what they owe for their primary catcher in 2027: $7 million. More importantly, I do not think these minority owners expect to be in it for the long term. The Pohlads will almost certainly jump back into the market following the new collective bargaining agreement—whether or not there is a salary cap—and the signing of new media rights deals after 2028. With the collapse of Bally Sports Networks FanDuel Networks Diamond Sports Holdings Main Street Sports, the league is almost guaranteed to have a majority of team rights by that time; Manfred believes he can gain all of them. That will likely mean the league can sign a long-term agreement, cementing profits that are well-distributed throughout the league. If the team valuation inflates even further, the Pohlads will have a chance to get the truly bonkers number they sought but couldn't find this time. If anything, Tom Pohlad's goodwill tour is about raising the profile of the team, so as not to leave a cultural hole in the ground for the next set of owners, because people pay more for teams whose fans like them. Like many, I found the announcement of the Pohlads ending their potential sale to be more dismaying than the fire sale of the trade deadline. Yet, I think there is perhaps a rainbow at the end of this dark tunnel. Sports fandom is built on pain. What's a few more years of it?