Minnesota Twins Talk

Admittedly, I think there will be a lot of negative views towards this type of plan, but I've decided to work with a couple of beliefs and assumptions. 1. I think "competetive" in 2022 means a team that can reasonably hover around .500 with a chance for more if things break right. 2. I think the Twins lineup lacks consistency and has too many all or nothing hitters. Some of those (ie. Rosario) are good but too many and your lineup can tank quickly. 3. If you want good things you have to pay for them, or trade good things for them. Sano, Donaldson, or Kepler trades won't bring back those pieces. 4. Not getting Zach Wheeler or Madison Bumgartner hurt and I personally d…

This is my blueprint as to what a very successful off-season would consist of. It would add several strong players but not trade away any of the core. 40 man moves Free Agents following WS Simmons Pineda Colome Remove Kyle Garlick Lewis Thorpe Devin Smeltzer Juan Minaya Ralph Garza Non tender Jake Cave John Gant Willians Austudillo Danny Columbe Thorpe, Smeltzer, cave, Austudillo have all had several chances and it’s time for the Twins to move on. Coulumbe Gant Garza Minaya and Garlick are all replaced by superior options 40 man at 2…

Fresh off his infamous 10 inning shutout performance in game seven, 1991 World Series MVP Jack Morris appears on Late Night with David Letterman. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now. View full video

October 30 - Jim Perry turned 86. He was a Twin for 10 years with a 128 - 90 record and a 3:15 era. In his career he had 41 WAR and won 215 games. He was in three post season series including the World Series. He won the Cy Young in 1970 when he won 24 games. He also made 3 all star teams. Among similarity pitchers on BR is Catfish Hunter. Jim was not HOF, but he was really good and came through for the Twins in whatever role that they requested. In Bleacher Report they rank him the Twins third best pitcher in history with the following description: "Jim Perry spent 10 of his 17 seasons pitching for the Minnesota Twins. He would appear in 3…

Rawlings is now announcing the three finalists at each position for the Gold Glove award. The first announced was AL Starting Pitcher, and a former Twins pitching is on the list. Congrats, La Makina!

NELSON CRUZ NAMED WINNER OF 2021 ROBERTO CLEMENTE AWARD MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – Major League Baseball today announced that former Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz is the winner of the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for Major Leaguers. Cruz was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 22, but remained the Twins’ nominee in recognition of his tremendous impact on the organization and Upper Midwest region in 2021 and throughout his two-and-a-half seasons in Minnesota. He will be recognized by Major League Baseball on the field tonight prior to Game 2 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park. The Roberto Cl…

...it was, "We'll see you tomorrow night!" Which led to tomorrow night and "Out there, out there" on the 3-2-3 to end of the top of the eighth. And "The Twins are going to win the World Series. The Twins have won it!" I've still got goose bumps from those two nights. Even my brother, who can't stand baseball, got sucked into watching it.

Last night (Wednesday) Framber Valdez went 8 innings in a playoff game. 8!!!! Why? Ask Dusty Baker, "If a guys dealing you let him keep dealing. Today it was in the hands of Framber Valdez." We have seen that Dusty can win and use bullpen games and pitchers, but he also knows the value of letting a pitcher pitch. Please put this statement on you office wall - starters are supposed to go more than 4 innings.

I've updated the top 300 Twins of all time to now include 2021 results. Who do you think I'm the most off base on? Who's underrated/overrated? https://wgom.org/2021/10/25/top-300-minnesota-twins-of-all-time-updated-through-2021/

Major League Baseball Transactions | MLB.com There goes the front end of the bull pen. There goes the disaster plan starter. There goes the guy who should have at least be put into a game. Farrell, Gibaut, Barraclaugh Vincent, Albers and Maggi. Who is next to get the Twins down to 40 when the roster has to include those that were on the 60 day DL?

Obviously the top discussion on this website will be extending Buxton. The Twins are once again in a position where they can’t lose the most popular and notable player on the team before he hits free agency in a year. Sound familiar? I’m feeling deja vu from 11 years ago when Joe Mauer was 1 year from free agency. He broke out in a way we’ve never seen before, hitting for power and winning an MVP. Buxton this year broke out in a way we’ve never seen before, hitting for power and would have been in the MVP race had he remained healthy. Before the halfway point in Mauer’s 8 year contract, he became a polarizing player for fans. Overpaid, health concerns, reverted back…

Just stayed with options listed and went a little over the even budget. Basically it came down to filling needs. Taylor for SS although I think he'll get more than $12M. Melancon for the bullpen is that difference when I went over. Need a vet arm who can close if needed. I really don't care for most of the options listed, and I think Jansen gets more than $12M. Also considered Iglesias but he can be very bad for long stretches. Needed 2 SP and I didn't like anyone below Rodon when trying to save money, and Stroman kept me from adding Ray. Moved Dobnak to SP because he's not good when he's used as a RP. Put Arraez at DH only because he should play …

So I went into this and figured there are several key factors that need to happen. 1. the Twins sign Buxton to an extension. I don't have the specifics for how the incentives will play out but apparently the base pay of around 10 million is agreed to as a good start. So lets get the incentives together and finish this deal. 2. From rotations of Twins past, the Twins have always found value on the Free Agent market. And they go for an average rotation. That is just reality. Since it seems there is a good chance the Twins will resign Pineda if for nothing else to give the rotation 3 starters and allow the team to work from the position of only needing 1 mo…

I created a new version meant to be shared on the Twins Daily forums. If you're interested in drafting your own 2022 Twins roster, click the link, follow the instructions, and then share with other TD users! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nGl43AI-uCoLwNJd89vhYi6l3CBD42yBF7tfY2o3A40/copy?usp=sharing

My idea for the Twins offseason is... SP: I would have to Twins signing two solid veteran pitchers, one a little more well known and respected could return to previous form and be an ace in Kershaw, as well as a solid veteran lefty in Kikuchi. I also though Dobank could start the year in the rotation, where he isn't amazing but he will give time for some potential BP/AAA guys such as Doran, Thorpe, etc to develop and take his spot later in the season. 1. Clayton Kershaw (RHP) ~$18M 2. Yusei Kikuchi (LHP) ~$15M 3. Randy Dobnak (RHP) ~$0.8M 4. Bailey Ober (RHP) ~$0.6M 5. Joe Ryan (RHP) ~$0.6M RP: Our bullpen would include 3 leftie…

Since our season ended, I've been creating different offseason plans for the Twins. I've created win-now plans. I've created tank plans. I've created offensive-heavy plans. I've created pitching-heavy plans. This is my favorite one that I believe gives the Twins the best chance for being competitive next year and for years to come Free Agent Addition(s) (with my projected salary, could be way off don't bully me): Eduardo Rodriguez, SP ($12M) Jon Gray, SP ($10M) Raisel Iglesias, RP ($10M) James Paxton, SP ($6M) Dylan Bundy, SP/RP ($4M) A.J. Cole, RP ($2M) Trade Acquisition(s): …

It is no secret that the Twins had a disappointing 2021 season. We had our positives, like a great season from Jorge Polanco and we continued to see that when Byron Buxton is on the field he has the potential to be the best player in baseball. One place we really faltered last year was our free agent signings did not live up to expectations. From Matt Shoemaker and his -0.7 fWAR, an ERA over 8, and FIP over 6, to Andrelton Simmons and his -0.5 fWAR, 56 wRC+, and .558 OPS, and many in between, one place the Twins could really improve this year is in their free agent acquisitions. With between 45-60 million dollars in projected spending, the Twins could really get creative …

From mlbtraderumors.com - https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/10/mlb-free-agent-preview-starting-pitchers.html To compete for next year, the Twins should sign three guys in those first four tiers. They won't, of course, but that's pretty much the only way they'll get a usable pitching staff. If they don't do that they should just go ahead and go full rebuild. Trade Buxton, Polanco, Arreaz, Rogers, Kepler, anything with a pulse, and be ready for 2024/2025. Of course, they won't do that either. They'll end up signing Pineda and maybe another Happ type and end up with another 70-75 or so wins season.

Minnesota Twins Top 20 Players 2021 As we all know, that was one of the most disappointing Twins seasons in a while. Sure, it wasn’t one of our worst seasons record wise, but there were some high hopes for this squad after winning back-to-back AL Central titles. And hey, maybe we could’ve even won a playoff game. Nonetheless, there were some bright spots on this team that went 73-89 and finished last in the division. There were also some on the opposite end of the spectrum. I’m here to rank the top 20 Twins performers, and I’m ranking the worst 5 performers as well to get some things off of my chest. 1. Jorge Polanco (Twins MVP) This is obviously a …

What do you think of the Twins kicking the tires on The royals Mondesi? He had ranked as a solid fielder at SS with really good speed and developing power. The Royals move Nicky Lopez who played very well at SS and have Witt jr at AAA ready to take over. Could the Twins buy low on Mondesi a once top SS prospect and get some consistency out of him at SS? He has years of team control left would the Royals send him to a division rival?

Here is my 7 step plan for Twins this offseason. 1) Extend Buxton. 2)Acquire top of rotation starting pitcher. 3) Acquire closer. 4)Acquire shortstop. 5) Acquire mid-rotation starting pitcher. 6) Acquire second bullpen arm. 7) Trade Donaldson. These 7 steps would be fill the biggest needs for Twins, some of these steps may need to be done by trade. Intentionally short on specifics, I feel these are the priorities for the Twins in offseason.

For recent episodes of the Locked On Twins podcast, click here. Can also be found wherever you get your podcasts. Friday Oct. 15th (Crossover w/ Locked On Wild): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crossover-what-can-be-learned-from-the-2021-twins/id1349600088?i=1000538735053 Thursday Oct. 14th (2021 Report Card: Kenta Maeda): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2021-report-card-kenta-maeda/id1349600088?i=1000538641345 Wednesday Oct. 13th (Trade Deadline retrospect): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-in-review-trade-season-vibes/id1349600088?i=1000538514304 Tuesday, Oct. 12th (on an aggressive offseason): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wh…

For recent episodes of the Locked On Twins podcast from Nash Walker, click here: Tuesday, October 12th (on an aggressive offseason): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-could-the-twins-do-with-a-%24145m-payroll/id1349600088?i=1000538408538 Monday, October 11th (first look at the FA market): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-first-look-at-the-2021-free-agent-market/id1349600088?i=1000538264244

Baseball has arrived at the LCS for both leagues and the Twins are watching from home again. Twins fans can either wait until 2022, pick a playoff team or try Twins fantasy playoff baseball by connecting the dots of former Twins players listed on the 40 man roster for each of the playoff teams. Don’t forget that the 40 man roster includes injured players and players in the minor leagues. There are 19 former Twins players spread between the 10 teams participating in the 2021 playoffs. Please add to the roster if a former Twin is missing from the list. 9 batters, 3 starting pitchers, 6 middle relievers and 1 closer are on this Twins fantasy baseball playoff ros…

The Twins have several openings including head of research team. Help make your team awesomerr. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/10/minnesota-twins-job-openings.html

Recently, I was doing some really boring work in the yard, mulling over how we may have watched the final game of Byron Buxton in a Twins uniform. I certainly hope that's not the case and will likely write a lengthy post about it another time but I'd put the odds of him being traded this offseason at no lower than 40%. As I kinda seethed over the idea of Buxton being traded, it led to me to start thinking of how many years were wasted before he turned into the beastly hitter he is today. That led me to start thinking about his predecessor, Aaron Hicks... and holy ****, the same thing happened to him, too! So then I started thinking about Carlos Gomez …

MLBTradeRumors link Buxton $7.3M Rogers $6.7M Duffey $3.7M Gant $3.7M Garver $3.1M Arraez $2.0M Thielbar $1.2M Astudillo $1.2M Cave $1.1M Minaya $1.1M Coulombe $800k Refsnyder $800k

Interesting list of recipients this year 2021 Minnesota Twins Diamond Awards

Defining an ace is more difficult than ever these days ago now that bullpens are soaking up more innings. Berrios is exactly the type of guy we would want to target in free agency. A bulldog who gives his team a chance to win almost every time he pitches. Never gets injured, and pitches 6-7 innings each outing. He’s done very well in Toronto. I expected him to keep up his production after he left us. And he’s done better. I am still not thrilled with the trade.

Twins assistant GM Jeremy Zoll is a finalist for the Cubs' GM job. He came to the Twins as the minor league director just a few years ago, and was promoted before the 2020 season to assistant GM with most of his focus remaining on the minor leagues. That leadership of the Twins approach to team-building and better player development may be exactly what the Cubs are looking for. Other finalists include Carlos Rodriguez (Rays), Carter Hawkins and James Harris (Cleveland). Cubs president Jed Hoyer narrows search for next GM as finalists emerge – The Athletic