Twins

Dear journal,

It's been 84 days since darkness fell upon the world of baseball. We're days away from the deadline for a deal to get done before an on-time start to the regular season becomes untenable.

An agreement feels nowhere close, and so the same goes for baseball, at a time where excitement and anticipation are usually skyrocketing.

Few players possess the raw talent of Twins prospect Royce Lewis. There are question marks after a long layoff, but there's no player in the system with a higher ceiling. Ready to announce his return in a big way, 2022 could be the best year yet for the former first overall pick.

When Derek Falvey was brought into the Twins organization, it was with a belief he would develop a pitching pipeline similar to what he did in Cleveland. While we haven’t yet seen that bear fruit, this front office has seen success on the trade market. A perfect storm post-lockout could be brewing, knowing what the organization needs, and seeing where we’re at this offseason.

Somewhere along the line the outfield of Jones-Hunter-Lawton became known as the Soul Patrol.  How did they get that nickname? (Pitchman voice) The answer... may surprise you.  

College baseball started nationwide over the weekend and one name notably absent during the showdown in Nashville between Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State was former Commodore pitcher Kumar Rocker. Rocker, as you may recall, was drafted by the Mets last year but did not sign before the signing deadline. 

During the 2003 season, the Twins were coming off an ALCS appearance and trying to find a way to get back into the division race. Trading for one outfielder made the difference and pushed Minnesota over the top.

Since they developed Jose Berrios, the Minnesota Twins have been looking for their next starting pitching talent. This time around, it may come from an arm that hails from north of the border.

Aaron and John talk about a critical week for CBA negotiations, the 10th anniversary and initial reaction to Twins Daily, how underdogs win championships too, and variations in Twins' prospect rankings. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. 

Nelson Cruz had been the heart and soul of the Twins line-up over the last three years. However, acquiring Joe Ryan for Cruz's expiring contract may go down as one of the best trades in team history. 

As each day passes and the likelihood of a shortened season grows stronger, it's time to start considering some broader implications of what this would mean.

One under-discussed dynamic: the uneven playing field for prospect development, all based on who's been added to 40-man rosters. 

Royce Lewis will feel the sting of this more than almost anyone. As if he needed another bad break.

Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler's extensions look like they have worked out well for the team. However, the team's other extension to a player from that international signing class might have been a mistake.

The Twins have a lot to sort out when free agency reopens, but they need to establish a base to their offseason after failing to do so before the lockout. Three moves in particular would go a long way in improving the roster across the board and could be the beginning of a return to contention.