Twins

The Minnesota Twins signed Byron Buxton to a seven-year contract extension worth $100 million earlier this week. I wanted to know what his production might look like, so obviously, I consulted the best source... MLB The Show.

There is no question that Joe Mauer is one of the greatest Minnesota Twins to ever put on the uniform, and that he will one day see his number retired along with former Twins greats like Kirby Puckett and Rod Carew. Despite this, Mauer’s future as a player with the Twins after 2018 seems to be in question.

Last week, Minnesota Twins General Manager Terry Ryan went back-to-back-to-back, making three deals in three days in an effort to improve his club, winning the bidding for the right to negotiate with Korean slugging first baseman/DH Byung-ho Park, trading backup catcher Chris Herrmann for a prospect, which cleared the way for catcher John Ryan Murphy to be added via trade.

The Twins lost out on Carlos Correa, so the club needs a backup plan to complete the 2023 roster. Here are four pivots the team can make following Correa's departure.

Spring training is a time for players to get back into the swing of things before the games that actually mean something begin. We’re a little over the halfway point and most of the regulars have gotten at least some work in. If you’re looking at the performance of a particular player or the team as a whole and thinking “this whole thing is coming crashing down”, you’re doing it wrong. Here are a few things beyond performance that are actually meaningful in spring training.

In recent years, Luis Arraez has become a fan favorite, but injuries have kept him from reaching his full potential. What can his role be in 2022 and beyond?

The Twins made their first splash of the trade deadline Saturday night when they acquired veteran reliever Sergio Romo from the Miami Marlins. Romo is probably most well know for his time with the San Francisco Giants during their three World Series runs from 2010 through 2014. The Twins will be hoping their young bullpen can draw on Romo’s postseason experience to guide them through what hopefully is a World Series run of their own.

Minnesota’s starting rotation has dealt with a variety of injuries and poor play throughout the 2020 season. Jake Odorizzi, Rich Hill and Homer Bailey were all expected to make contributions to the rotation and all three have spent time on the injured list. Pineda is set to make his 2020 debut on Tuesday against the White Sox, so what can fans expect from him?

When the Minnesota Twins signed veteran shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a one-year, $10.5 million contract this past January they did so with the intention of him not only serving as a stopgap before top prospect Royce Lewis made his much anticipated jump to the Majors but also to shore up a Twins’ defense that desperately needed an upgrade over what Jorge Polanco was providing.

On Monday, the world learned that the Minnesota Twins had outbid all of the 29 other clubs and secured the rights to negotiate with 29-year-old Byung-ho Park, a KBO superstar who has put up video game numbers over his career.

For most, Park is a complete mystery. For the Twins, they have scouted Park endlessly in order to feel confident in spending at least $12.85 million. More likely than not, they have done exhaustive due diligence on him. The Twins are plopping down more upfront than they will pay any of their current players next year outside of Ervin Santana and Joe Mauer. And, if Park and the Twins do come to terms on a contract, they will pay him even more (which will be the true test in the organization’s confidence in their evaluators).

Park’s home run totals have caught the attention of Major League Baseball but the question is, will his power play at the game’s highest level and will Target Field be a suitable venue for his swing?

The Twins lineup for Monday’s 5-3 win over the White Sox looked like a potential starting nine for the postseason, with the exception of Lamonte Wade Jr playing center field for a recuperating Max Kepler. But that substitution changes everything as far as batting order. Here was the lineup:

Despite rumors linking Johnny Cueto to the Twins last week, Minnesota pivoted to former Tampa Bay Rays starter Chris Archer. Inking him to a one-year pact, the Twins now have numerically rounded out their rotation... at least for now.