Twins

Yu Darvish is still out there, and the Twins are still (theoretically) in pursuit. But Jon Heyman reported on Thursday that the right-hander is seeking a deal in the area of seven years and $175 million. Anything approaching those figures would be unrealistic, not to mention irresponsible, for Minnesota to offer.

Conventional wisdom says that if they miss out on Darvish, the Twins will turn to one of the market's other top starters such as Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb or Lance Lynn. But I actually think they might lower their gaze significantly and aim for a starter on a one-year deal. Here's why.

Down in Dallas, Texas, the Rangers have quietly put together a much better season than many might have expected. According to Oddsshark, the Rangers preseason over/under win total sat at just 71 wins. However, we are nearly 100 games into the season and the Rangers are holding water, slightly above .500. While their offense, which ranks seventh in runs scored, has played a big part in that, they have also received contributions from their starting rotation. Former Minnesota Twin Lance Lynn has gotten some press lately for his success so far this year, but one guy who hasn’t been getting much attention is lefty Mike Minor. Despite their success, their GM, Jon Daniels, recently came out and said their approach won’t be swayed much by the standings, which would suggest that Minor should be available on the trade market before the July 31st trade deadline.

After the last two seasons, it’s fair to want Nelson Cruz back in a Twins uniform. There’s surely a price that the two parties can agree upon. As reasonable as that price may come to be, what if this still isn’t the best route for the 2021 Minnesota Twins to take?

Emilio Pagán was brought back as part of the Taylor Rogers trade to give the Twins a late-inning bullpen option. Unfortunately, some signs and projection systems point to him being a potential bullpen bust. Are they right?

Randy Dobnak may only have a 4.99 Uber rating but there's no doubt that the state of Minnesota has given the Twins Pitcher a five star seal of approval. For a franchise that's legacy hasn't necessarily been cut out by big names and big dollars, Dobnak's unique journey to Major League Baseball is a perfect match for the Twins. Read why Twins Territory loves the legend of Dobnak and take a look at five of the most 'Lovable Underdogs" in franchise history.

The esteemed Matthew brother, the one with the surname “Taylor,” decided to write about why people should not be worried about the Twins. In Fairness (™), we at Twinsdaily thought it would be fun to pull a Richard Nixon; reaping the benefits of reactionary negativity by presenting a counter-article proclaiming that we should, indeed, be worried about these Twins. 

The Minnesota Twins retreated from Canada on Thursday night, soundly defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays over four games. In the process they lost their postseason position and winning record.

Reflecting back on what they could have done better to quiet the Blue Jays’ mighty lumber, the Twins admitted they failed to dominate the space between the batter and the plate effectively. Thursday night’s starter Kyle Gibson, who was shelled for eight runs over four and two-thirds innings, told reporters after the game that he failed in his attempts to establish his fastball inside.

“I didn’t establish an inside fastball at all. That’s something I wanted to do and needed to do,” Gibson said after the game. “You have to do it against those guys. You can’t put yourself in situations where you have to throw pitches out over the plate, that’s where you get in trouble.”

For whatever reason, it continues to get thrown out there that the Twins should explore trading Carlos Correa. While he is signed to a three-year contract, his opt-outs have always effectively made the deal a one-year pact. If they do want to move him at the deadline, what type of value are we actually talking about?

The Minnesota Twins enter the offseason prior to 2023 with a massive question mark at shortstop. Carlos Correa is going to opt out of his three-year deal, as was the expectation from the moment he signed it. Why would the club pay big for anyone but him?