Twins

Minnesota's search for a new president of baseball operations might be getting closer to completion. Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports the Twins front-office interviews could stop at five candidates. The list includes one internal option and four options with various roles throughout baseball.

As recently as last week, there were reports that "multiple GM types have rebuffed" the Twins interest. There are plenty of issues within the offices of 1 Twins Way and it is going to take some time to rebuild the team's infrastructure.

With a young core that includes the likes of Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton, there are pieces to build around. Minnesota also looks to be headed toward the number one overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. This would be another cornerstone piece and an attractive incentive for a potential hire.

So who are the candidates and what should fans know about their credentials?

Perhaps the biggest area of uncertainty when it comes to a baseball team's future financial obligations is arbitration salaries.

In some cases, teams will "buy out" a player's arbitration years by signing him to an extension in order to ensure cost certainty. The Twins saved themselves a good chunk of change by doing exactly that with Brian Dozier prior to the 2015 season, signing him to a four-year, $20M extension. Sometimes this strategy doesn't work out so well (see Singleton, Jon).

The reason Jaime Garcia pitched a gem in an Atlanta Braves uniform last night -- adding a grand slam at the plate for good measure -- rather than making travel arrangements to Minnesota appears to be because the Braves had concerns regarding the prospect the Twins made available in the trade talks.

Jason Castro hit a go-ahead two-run single and his 10th home run of the season and Bartolo Colon held Detroit to one run over 6.1 innings to lead the Twins to victory in their final game of the regular season. This was the 85th victory of the year for the Twins. On to the Big Apple ...

Aaron and John review Super Bowl week in Minneapolis, debate the slow offseason's causes, recap the Minneanalytics Sportcon event, and reveal Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA predictions for Minnesota Twins players and the overall team. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. Sponsored by Harry's Razors.

If Joe Mauer retired today, there is a good chance he wouldn’t get the call from Cooperstown. He wasn’t able to play long enough at catcher and he doesn’t fit the profile of a first baseman. His Cooperstown Case has some merit but there are still things he has left to accomplish in his career. Here is a checklist for Mr. Mauer to follow if he wants to be remembered as one of the best players of all-time.

Shortly after they hired Paul Molitor as manager in November of 2014, the Twins invited me to Target Field for a one-on-one interview with him. They had asked if I'd write a feature on the newly minted skipper for their season preview publication, and I gladly accepted.

Upon meeting Molitor, I was impressed with the man. That continues to this day. But I've never really been able to figure out how impressed I am with the manager. Right now, it's difficult to assuage the nagging doubts.

Last year around this time, I took a shot at ranking the top 20 player assets in the Minnesota Twins organization. The idea was to think solely in terms of commodity valuation, factoring in things like age, cost, control, and risk management in answering the question: which players are most essential to this team's vision?

Given the tumult of the past 12 months, updating these rankings felt like a worthy exercise. So let's get to it.

Minnesota missed out on the Craig Kimbrel sweepstakes, but the Twins will certainly have opportunities to add other impact relievers before July’s trade deadline. The Twins have been able to do more than survive with their current bullpen situation. However, bullpen arms and bullpen usage are critical when it comes to winning games in October.

Here are 10 relievers who Minnesota could target before the trade deadline.

After fighting through the gauntlet, the past few weeks Rocco Baldelli’s Minnesota Twins finally have gotten a reprieve. The team took three of four from the Chicago White Sox over the weekend, and following an off day, a three-game set with the Miami Marlins lies ahead. Miami is one of baseball’s worst teams and the Twins get them in a good spot.

There's been plenty of drama since an agreement first came to light last week on a blockbuster trade that would send Brusdar Graterol to Boston (via Los Angeles) and bring right-hander Kenta Maeda to the Twins.

Once very much in doubt, a deal is now confirmed (pending medicals!), albeit with some alterations from its original form. Graterol, outfielder Luke Raley, and a 2020 Comp B draft pick (67th overall) are headed to the Dodgers in a deal fo Maeda, a low-level prospect, and cash.

The title of the article really says it all.

This was a question I began pondering after stumbling across a research article published in this month’s edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, in which it was determined that warming up with a heavy bat (57-oz.) actually decreased subsequent swing velocity.