Learn All About the Twins Offseason with These Videos

[Nick Nelson]

We've spent the past several weeks previewing the Twins offseason, and breaking down different decisions that lie ahead in a series of live-streamed videos.

 

Below, you can find them all in one place.Many are anticipating a slow-moving offseason for baseball, mired in uncertainty, but there has been some early action, and we may see more dominoes start to fall in the coming weeks as key milestones approach.

 

The non-tender deadline falls a week from Wednesday, on December 2nd, at which point the pivotal Eddie Rosario decision will need to be made. The following week brings the Winter Meetings, which will be held virtually this year but should nonetheless create the means for deals to be advanced and completed. That Thursday, MLB will hold its Rule 5 draft, providing teams with an opportunity to pluck hidden talents out of rival organizations.

 

Ready or not, Hot Stove season is almost upon us. While it might be a cooler version than normal, aggressive teams will have the chance to strike and make some early noise. The Twins should definitely be in that category.

 

To gain a full grasp of the landscape, I recommend catching up on our Offseason Live series. We've gone through 10 episodes covering a variety of important angles and aspects of the offseason from Minnesota's point of view. If you've got some downtime ahead of you during the holiday week ahead, consider catching up on any episodes you might've missed.

 

PREVIEWING HOT STOVE SZN WITH OFFSEASON LIVE

• Episode 1:

We kicked things off with a gamified overview of the offseason. Nash, Matthew and Andrew competed to answer questions from our Jeopardy board as I did my best to channel the late, great Alex Trebek (R.I.P.).

• Episode 2:

Baseball has no payroll, but we always try to set a realistic benchmark for where the Twins might set a self-imposed cap, so as to understand the constraints in place as the front office seeks to supplement and solidify the roster.

• Episode 3:

Nine members of the 2020 Twins team became free agents when the postseason concluded, and nearly all of them were significant contributors. Currently, all nine of them remain unsigned. In this episode we debated the relative merits of attempting to bring back each.

• Episode 4:

With the non-tender deadline fast approaching, this is an especially pertinent episode to watch. The Eddie decision looms largest, and we spent a fair amount of time talking about it, but that's not the only point of uncertainty among Minnesota's eight arbitration-eligible players.

• Episode 5:

The Twins might seek a third catcher to fill the role of departing free agent Alex Avila. They will definitely seek at least one versatile infielder to fill the roles of departing free agents Marwin Gonzalez and Ehire Adrianza. In this episode, we went through a bunch of options we like for each of those vacancies.

• Episode 6:

Rosario and Nelson Cruz have been the top run producers on back-to-back division champions. If both of them move on this winter (very possible) the Twins may want to procure some established veteran production to replace their contributions. You'll find nine options submitted and vetted here.

• Episode 7:

Jake Odorizzi and Rich Hill are also among the crop of outgoing free agents, leaving a noticeable void in the rotation. Several options from the external free agency pool are discussed here, although a few of them have already signed contracts elsewhere – a sign that the starting pitching market could be in higher demand than any other.

• Episode 8:

Bullpen was a decisive strength for the Twins in 2020. Can they keep it that way? It might take a bit of work with several key contributors – Trevor May, Tyler Clippard, Sergio Romo – now in free agency. The good news is that there's a deep collection of options available on the open market, and we discussed nine of them spread across three different pricing tiers here.

• Episode 9:

Of course, free agency isn't the only avenue for improving your team. Last offseason, the Twins' most impactful addition came via trade, when they acquired Cy Young runner-up Kenta Maeda from Los Angeles for Brusdar Graterol. How might a similar blockbuster take shape this time around? We laid out six specific ideas in this episode.

• Episode 10:

Finally, a look at how it all comes together. John, Seth and I drawing from all we learned in the payroll, arbitration, free agency, and trade targets episodes to craft our own visions of what a successful Minnesota Twins offseason (within set spending constraints) could look like. We invite you to draw up your own blueprint using the Twins Payroll Spender tool.

 

While our pre-set schedule for Offseason Live is completed, we definitely plan to create more of these episodes, situated around key offseason milestones to come. And there's plenty more video/audio content to be found on our YouTube and podcast channels.

 

For example, Seth has been conducting interviews with Twins players and prospects for the Twins Spotlight series. He recently chatted with

and new 40-man addition

... and I hear he's got a fun show lined up on Monday.

 

This offseason has a different vibe, and it might be a bit of a grind, so we're taking the opportunity to experiment with new content formats and approaches. We really appreciate everyone who's tuned in, interacted, and helped spread the word. Definitely let us know what you like and what you'd like to see more of, either by commenting or reaching out directly.

 

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