Twins

For most of 2014 it was business as usual for Minnesota Twins closer Glen Perkins.

His numbers have been very similar to his previous two seasons. Yes, there were subtle changes -- like he has struck out batters at a slightly lower rate (declined from 32% to 26%) and he also shaved off free passes (reducing his walk rate from 6.3% to 4.3%) but you would have to squint to pick up the differences.

Brian Dozier isn't arbitration eligible until next offseason but rumors are already starting to build about a possible extension between the second baseman and the Twins. He is under team control until 2019 when he will be coming off his age-29 season. There isn't necessarily a rush to get a deal done but a source close to the Twins said to expect an extension in place before the season's start.

It's a late one tonight as we open up a series with the Seattle Mariners. My Kuerig will be fully filled with water. I'm thinking it'll be a night to try many different flavors back to back to back to back to back to back.

After drinking all that coffee... I'll probably go to the bathroom obviously and then break out the LSD I've been saving since 1967. It's Ok... It came with the Jimi Hendrix "Are you Experienced" Album that I bought.

It's going to be Phil Hughes vs King Felix. Get ready for it... I know I will be.

Here are some things to think about:

With the calendar flipping to a new year, we're suddenly less than two months away from the Minnesota Twins' first spring training game.

It's been a mostly quiet offseason for the front office, but their one big splash is among five reasons that fans should be downright giddy for this 2016 season to get started.

It's going to be a fun one.

Sure... monkeys look all cute and cuddly, especially when they shake their head no after being asked directions to the waterfall.

But the truth of the matter is this:

Monkeys can throw Grandma across the room. Monkeys are also fast and can easily outrun Grandma so she can't get away.

There is no such thing as a Rally Monkey. Monkeys in reality... they will hunt you down and get on your back and make that awful screeching sound while they do it.

We got Monkeys on the back of our youth. Does our youth know how to handle a monkey?

Here are some things to think about:

The Twins once pulled a haul of Miguel Sano (pictured), Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco in a single International Free Agency period. Last year, they committed $4.0 million dollars to shortstop Wander Javier. This year, they are armed with $4.2 million to spend.

For the first time since late April, the Minnesota Twins are a game below .500 (49-50).

In one of the longest games in major league history (OK, not really, it just seemed like it), the Dodgers post a second win against the Twins. Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda took about a month-and-a-half between pitches. Then in the sixth inning, one of the strangest 20+ minute delays in my lifetime kept the game going even longer. On Wednesday, the Twins will attempt to avoid being swept by putting Ervin Santana on the mound.

Twins fans know where Byron Buxton’s season started. Even with a tremendous diving catch on Opening Day, Buxton quickly found himself mired in a terrible offensive slump to start the year. He eventually found himself at the plate and went on to be named Twins Daily's Most Improved Player. Fans have seen him play the game with reckless abandon.

Should Twins fans be worried about the long-term effects of Buxton’s lengthening list of injuries?

Aaron and guest co-host Parker Hageman talk about the Twins' ugly series against the Rays, Jose Berrios' dominance, Phil Hughes' debut, Byron Buxton's migraines, bullpen issues, Logan Morrison and Robbie Grossman struggling, silly unwritten rules, and amateur baseball in the upper Midwest. Sponsored by Mack Weldon, Seatgeek, and Bye, Goff, and Rohde. Listen HERE.

Twins Daily Roundtable is a weekly series. As part of this series, a question will be posed to the site’s writers and they will respond in 200 words or less (Some writers don’t like to stick to this limit). This will give readers an opportunity to see multiple points of view and then add their own point of view in the comments section.

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are two years into their tenure running the Minnesota Twins. In their first season, the club made a surprise run to the postseason and the team managed to have a solid off-season in 2018. With two drafts and trade deadlines under their belt, the farm system has been rebuilt into one of the best in baseball.

This week’s roundtable discussion question is: “How would you grade the front office’s performance? Why?”