Twins

The Twins gave up the lead five times throughout this game and ended up being walked off in the 10th inning. They fail to complete the sweep and lose their first game against the White Sox of the year.

Going into this offseason, the Minnesota Twins are going to face a serious decision at the shortstop position. Carlos Correa can, and will, opt out of his contract following the World Series. It is then on the organization to decide their next move, and they’ve provided some context as to what we should expect from there.

The 12th road trip of the 2023 Twins season takes a mammoth triangular trek through the middle of the county via Texas and Cleveland. Because, why not try to finish the season covering almost 3000 miles in 6 days. It’s time to start the playoff push against the Rangers and Guardians!  Globe Life Field.  Progressive Field.  Let’s begin…

Richard Nixon had a problem. No, it wasn’t Vietnam, or the Russians, or the press finding out about a secret slush fund; those would be issues for the ghosts of Nixon past and future. Rather, this was a dilemma for a mid-1960s Nixon, one that the people barely rejected in 1960 in favor of some young, handsome guy and who then badly lost a California governor race that should have ended his career. But the times were changing. The Democrats, crushed under the sins of Lyndon Johnson, were in disarray and out of favor with the general populous. The Republicans were comparatively healthy, but they lacked a true conservative superstar to carry them to success; significant players like George Romney and Nelson Rockefeller belonged to the liberal Republican camp. Perhaps, and this was a longshot, Nixon could re-brand himself and prove that a changed man was deserving of the White House. 

Minnesota’s front office has focused on payroll flexibility, which means the team’s books are relatively clear for years into the future. Even with this flexibility, the 2023 season is shaping to be a make-it-or-break-it for the Twins. 

The draft will take place just over 50 days from now. Unlike most other drafts, seven-plus weeks is just too far away to forecast with any certainty how the draft is going to go. 

But that doesn’t mean we can’t try!

The Atlanta Braves won the 2021 World Series and have a chance to be baseball's first back-to-back champion in over 20 years. Atlanta's front office has been aggressive with signing their young core. Is that an approach for Minnesota to consider?

There was a time this winter when the Minnesota Twins had to seriously ask themselves whether a rebuild made sense. They missed on some key free-agent targets, and the market was relatively bare. As the front office was again rewarded for their patience, a consistent winner has been built. We hope. 

Minnesota got a solid start from Dylan Bundy, who pitched into the sixth. But lack of productivity from the offense and a shaky display by the bullpen cost the Twins the game and ended their winning streak.

In a season of slow unraveling, one moment that stuck out as a sign that things were likely not going to work out as Twins fans might hope was the (almost inevitable) call-up of Jake Cave. DFA’d by the Twins after his particularly rough 2021, Cave accepted his assignment with the St. Paul Saints where he could remain mostly in minor-league news tidbits. It was probably not the best hope for a player whose gray beard has always made him look double his age, but at least a home for less ire by a frustrated fan base looking to lay blame.

Continuing in this prospect lookback series are the 2019 Top 30 Twins prospects from MLB.com. Where did current Twins rank on this list and how many of them still played professional baseball in 2022? 

This season Joe Mauer will enter the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. Following his retirement, his number “7” was immediately retired and hung alongside the greats at Target Field. When it comes to year one of Cooperstown though, perception isn’t something that seems to benefit Mauer. Why that is remains a mystery.