Minnesota Twins Talk

Just to keep fueling the fire a bit...... ? https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/reports-mets-frustrated-by-correa-negotiations-twins-have-rejoined-bidding.html View full rumor

Jon Heyman came out last night and said Correa wasn't interested in restructuring the contract with the Mets. Someone close to the situation said a 55% chance the Mets get something worked out. So the question becomes are the Twins willing to offer him a contract again, and at what money and how many years. Do they try to create a contract similar to Buxton's? I don't think Correa would be interested in that. On its face getting Correa for $285 seems like a deal in this market, but when 2 teams pass on him potentially, that doesn't seem like quite the deal. I still think He would give you the value of that contract in the next 6-7 years. The Twins still ha…

Yeah yeah - so we signed a pretty good shortstop. But wait.... There's more!!! Guess the F.O. was just waiting for today to do anything? Another unknown option for the rotation? Can we please move on from Pagan now? https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/twins-acquire-a-j-alexy-from-nationals.html

Full article here. Discuss.

The real big news of the day is...we just got AJ Alexy from the Nats! We're set now!

Many proclamations of doom have been made over the last few weeks regarding the moves the Twins have made (or lack thereof). What to expect out of players or teams. Personally, hearing the same drum beat over and over is getting a little tiresome. Let's change things up a bit. I am calling out all prognosticators: what have you been wrong about? What move did you rail and rail on that ended up going the other way? Did somebody you wholeheartedly praise totally fall apart? Everybody here is willing to shout their opinions from the mountaintop. Are you just as willing to admit you were wrong? Here is your chance to confess your sins and fess up... Me: I …

Could the Minnesota Twins wind up with Correa after all? The Giants deal fell through, then the Mets deal was agreed to weeks ago, but hasn’t been finalized due to medical concerns. And now today is a Jon Heyman report that “Boras engaged at least one other team regarding Correa this afternoon.” The Twins are mentioned in the report as having tried to reengage, and as an obvious landing spot, having employed Correa (healthy) last year, and having a vacancy and payroll space to accommodate him. The likelihood of Correa coming back to the Twins has to have crept up. Maybe 25%? View full rumor

View full rumor

I suppose I could have put this in the "Other Baseball" forum, but Liam Hendriks originally signed with the Twins out of Australia worked his way up the system, and debuted with the team in September of 2011. He didn't get much opportunity, but the 33-year-old moved to the bullpen, started throwing really hard, and has become a great closer. He's played in the past three All Star games. And all that doesn't seem terribly important with his announcement tonight. On a personal level, I've always been a big fan of Liam's. He was a multi-time guest on some of my old podcasts from the late '00s. Always great to talk to. Very down to earth. Kind of the opposit…

Not that anyone asked, but I've posted this elsewhere, figured I may as well post it here as well: What I'm most interested in is whether or not this Correa fiasco impacts the next round of labor negotiations. How all of this was handled doesn't set a great precedent moving forward. Correa had "positive" findings on MRI but has never had an issue with the ankle. The implication of these prolonged negotiations is that the Mets/Giants "want to protect themselves." I.e. they want to spend less money than they originally promised because of "positive findings" that have never (and may never!) impact the athlete. You can't prove a negative. "But if I were paying…

Couple of questions here please for anybody who has been to spring training- Went for the first time a couple of years ago, and think I may have missed out on a couple of things. Thinking of going back this year if we can find a place to stay after the hurricane took out some options. 1 - I spent all of my time on the back 4 fields in the 'diamond' area where all the young guys were practicing - no major league players were even around. But I never went into Hammond other than for a game. Were the major league guys perhaps practicing around there and I should have made my way up to the big stadium? 2 - I went pretty early in the season - I was there for …

UTIL Jermaine Palacios, Detroit Tigers Cardenales de Lara, Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The 26-year-old utilityman returned to his native Venezuela to play for Cardenales de Lara this winter and seems back on track, with a 1.104 OPS that trails only Oswaldo Arcia in the LVBP. In November, the Tigers claimed Palacios off waivers from the Twins. As a multi-positional defender, he is the kind of depth piece that teams rely on throughout a season. They just need to know those players can handle an at-bat, even when coming in cold off the bench, and remain competitive in difficult situations. And while the Tigers outrighted Palacios off their roster, they…

A fine relief pitcher for the Twins in the 70s. He passed away today. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/bill-campbell-passes-away.html

The dark blue really pops with the creme coloring and the flags are pretty killer. Had to get Buxton, natch, and am stoked to rock it this season. Is anyone else pulling the trigger on the '23 jerseys?

With snow falling precipitously, and the hangover of the holiday season settling in, it’s impossible not to wishfully envision the return of Major League Baseball this spring. But it will be 52 days until the Minnesota Twins take the field against the Tampa Bay Rays for their first spring training match-up of the year. In the meantime, I’m left to reflect on a disappointing season for our ball club and pose to myself the annual question: “why can’t I quit the Minnesota Twins?” Typically, this question is rhetorical. Yet, with the few offseason moves having already either been celebrated or panned, I thought I’d spend time in the doldrums of winter answering this question.…

Looking at free agencies still available and see Alex Reyes was non tendered by the Redbirds and still a free agent. He has been riddled with injuries but when he is healthy he was a dominate reliever and that 100+ mph fastball the moved all over is crazy! Not sure what his health status is but could be a decent bullpen add with very high upside. At this point in the market there is a lot of risk for all the guys left on the market. He seems to be one with game changing upside

The Padres have a glut of talented infielders and their situation only grew more complicated with the signing of Xander Boegarts earlier in the offseason. Unsurprisingly, reports are now emerging that they're taking calls on young shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. The return on Kim would likely be significant. He's 27 years old and under team control through the 2026 season. In only 267 games played, Kim has accumulated 7.1 bWAR, including 5.1 in 2022 alone. Kim was a standout player in the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization), where he played nearly 900 games while posting an .866 OPS. The Padres signed him out of the KBO only two years ago and it's not a stretch to suggest he …

I wrote this up for Reddit and thought I would share it here as well: The Intro Yeah, I get it. He's not exactly a fan favorite right now with the subpar performance at the plate and the Toronto vaccination situation. There's been a lot of steam about a Max Kepler trade, and I've seen a lot of people express surprise that teams would even be interested in Kepler. But underneath the hood, there is reason to be optimistic if the Twins retain him for 2023. At the very least, this might give you some idea why Max Kepler still has good value on the trade market. …

The Twins in FA have done...well....really bad. So now we need to pivot. We need creative trades, and this ownership has said they will get creative. Competitive Trades Trade #1: Twins receive: Pablo Lopez Marlins receive: Louie Varland, Misael Urbina Sure, lots of future talent, but good short term value for the Twins. Lopez has 2 years of control left and could be re-signed. Trade #2: Twins receive: Carlos Carrasco Mets receive: Ronny Henriquez Carrasco has 1 year left on his contract and is due 12MM Trade #3: Twins receive: Logan Gilbert Mariners receive: Luis Arrez Fair trade for bo…

While reading “3 Third Baseman Trades that Could Provide the Twins a Productive Bat” posted by Nate Palmer, I got a very interesting idea. The first trade he proposed is one for Rafael Devers, which got me thinking… The Minnesota Twins are in a unique place where depth isn’t quite a concern anymore. If healthy, the Twins have six or so guys on the 40 man roster that could compete for the fifth spot in the rotation, and a crowded outfield littered with guys vying for the corner outfield and bench spots. The looming issue now is trying to wade through the marshes and finding the guys that can be impactful. It is make or break years for guys like Alex Kirloff,…

The core of the Twin’s strategy in ‘23 certainly includes fewer injuries, rebound campaigns and/or ongoing improvement throughout most of the roster. However, it appears that for this FO and many Twins fans much of their hopes rest on three key planks: namely, Buxton’s health (how many games he plays), the pitching triumvirate of Gray, Mahle, and Maeda (how many innings they pitch), and the renaissance of Gallo (how he slashes). It’s a fair supposition given that without more than a modicum of success from at least two, if not all, of those three, this Twins team will likely struggle to compete for a pennant, let alone a Central Division title. Although fair, is the…

If only the Twins could find a right handed bat who averages 38 home runs, 98 RBI, 90 runs scored per 162 games with a career OPS over .800

We did it! A person on Reddit created a fun thread on the r/baseball community and concluded that the September 29th game vs. Chicago White Sox was indeed the most meaningless game of the season.

OK, just saw this on Twitter and thought it was a fun question. Twins fans haven't been able to enjoy a World Series championship in over 30 years. The Vikings have been to four Super Bowls without winning on, and they haven't played in a Super Bowl for more than 40 years. The Wild haven't been to a Finals. The Wolves haven't had a great team in almost 20 years and really never made a run toward a championship. Fortunately in Minnesota, we have the Lynx who were a force in the WNBA for several years. So, Minnesota sports fans really just don't have a lot of experience with championships. But, I still thought it would be kind of fun to consider this question: …

Throughout the span of four years, the Twins won 300 of their 546 games. Over the course of 162 games, the Twins would win ~89 games at that pace. If you were to ask a Twins fan the following question: "Do you think your team should consider cleaning house?" on the date September 28th, 2020, they would likely chuckle and deny such a thought. But then fast forward to December 30th, 2022, and the answer would likely be different. Over the past two calendar years the Twins have lost 174 of their 324 games, while failing to qualify for the postseason during that stretch. As a result, many in the North Star state have clamored for the dynamic duo to be axed from their throne. …

Minors: Twins option Gilberto Celestino and Trevor Megill to AAA to start the year Trades: 3 team trade between Twins, Phillies & Rays. Twins get SP Tyler Glasnow and OF Manuel Margot from Rays, RP Jose Alvarado from Phillies; Rays get SP Bailey Ober, RP Jovani Moran and RHP David Festa #11p from Twins, OF Johan Rojas #5p from the Phillies; Phillies get SP Sonny Gray and RP Emilio Pagan from Twins, PTBNL from Rays. Twins/Padres: Twins Acquire IF Ha-Seong Kim, SP Blake Snell and LHP Adrian Morejon from Padres in Exchange for IF Luis Arraez, OF Max Kepler and OF Kyle Garlick. Twins sign Trey Mancini to a 1yr/$10.5m deal, as well as C Zack Co…

As a 20-year fan of the Minnesota Twins, I am hoping to connect with other longtime fans who are disgusted and fed up with the direction of the franchise under the Pohlads. This family has done nothing but take our money and give us dog**** baseball for most of our lives. It's time for the team to be sold. Steve Cohen overnight turned the Mets into contenders by spending legitimate amounts of money geared towards on-field success, something the Pohlads have never done, even when they were gifted a brand-new ballpark paid for by us, the Minnesota taxpayer. To think of the Twins as "small market" is close-minded at best. The Twins make a ton of money every year. The P…

https://www.twinkietown.com/2022/12/22/23503687/mlb-minnesota-twins-david-ortiz-christmas-ghost-papi-mientkiewicz-boston-red-sox-scrooge-thome-cruz I read this article yesterday and wanted to touch on it a little. Are we still haunted by the ghost of David Ortiz? Yes that was a big mistake that happened a long time ago, but how does it effect us now? One thing that stood out was the past administration mistake of not allowing Ortiz to be Ortiz and not valuing what he brought to the table. I couldn't believe it back then when he was released. His untapped potential was greater than I'd imagined. Ok how does that effect us today? That past administration that rel…

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/mets-have-raised-concerns-over-carlos-correas-physical.html That's a shame..... View full rumor

At this point the FA pitching market has shrunk to Michael Wacha and a bunch of former Twins so barring a trade I want to stick with our current rotation; Here are their peak years: Sonny Grey - 2015 (yes, that is 8 years ago) 14 - 7, 2.73 era, 1.082whip 3.5 WAR Joe Ryan - 2022 13 - 8, 3.55, 1.102, 2.2 WAR Kenta Maeda - 2016 16 - 11, 3.58 1.139, 2.8WAR (his whip was amazing in 2020 but that was a short year and things can change fast) Tyler Mahle - 2021 13 - 6, 3.75 1.233 5.1 WAR Bailey Ober - 2022 2 - 3, 3.21 1.054, 0.9 WAR Chris Paddock 2019 9 - 7, 3.33, 0.981 2.9 WAR Here are their worst years: Sonny Grey - …