Twins

I wish I had written this story earlier, when public opinion towards Joe Mauer was more favorable than it is presently. Some of the hot takes regarding Mauer’s (perceived) lack of toughness have been poorly reasoned and while Mauer has not provided good value relative to his salary in recent seasons, given the way the collective bargaining agreement shapes Major League Baseball’s labor market, few veterans talented and skilled enough to command long-term deals upon reaching free agency in the modern game do.

Right before midnight last night, the news came that the Blue Jays had acquired shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Jose Reyes and three good prospects. The expected response from many Twins fans came. We are now four days from the trade deadline, plenty of time to bolster the ball club. But what if the Twins decide not to make a deal by the deadline?

There’s certainly been more than a handful of promising Twins players that just haven’t worked out for one reason or another. Maybe the prospect status wasn’t there, or perhaps the realization of talent never happened. No matter the situation, there’s more than a handful of guys that we had always wished would pan out.

At the end of the 2018 Major League Baseball season the Minnesota Twins had a trio of main narratives. First and foremost, this was a team that took steps backwards after a Wild Card appearance the season before. Secondly and thirdly were the double-headed monster representing lost seasons for cornerstones Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Lost in all of this though, was the year another member of the current core endured. Max Kepler played 156 games and there remain plenty more questions than answers.

Time has passed for Twins fans to mourn the team’s early exit from the postseason that capped off their share of the league’s most unique season in the history of baseball. Speculation doesn’t change anything but maybe, just maybe, would the Twins have had better success if 2020 consisted of a traditional 162 game season? Let’s look into the crystal ball.

Here we are in the final week of the 2015 MLB season and the Twins are still in contention for a playoff spot. All things considered, that’s pretty incredible. Virtually none of us expected this when the season began.

For weeks we’ve heard doomsday talk of how baseball may never rebound from the loss of interest currently created by this lockout. As owners seem intent on shelving the game, I wondered whether missed baseball actually has the impact we’re being fed?

The metaphorical ball of “starting the season” has been in motion for quite some time now. From literally Trevor Plouffe breaking rumors to the newest war between the players and the owners, the gears of North American baseball are slowly turning. There are numerous implications and details that will need to be ironed out before the season can officially begin. One of those questions; how will the trade deadline work in a short season?

Now that the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man rosters in order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft has passed, the next significant date on the MLB offseason calendar is Dec. 2’s non-tender deadline. Are we sure it’s a slam dunk that Eddie Rosario won’t be on the 2021 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.