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If you have watched a Twins home game television broadcast over the last 18 years, an audio engineer from Thief River Falls, Minnesota, almost assuredly brought you the sounds of that game. Tveitbakk, known to his coworkers as “Tweeter” is a freelance audio engineer whose main gig today is for Bally Sports North. His job is to bring the sounds of Target Field (or the Xcel Energy Center, Target Center, or Mariucci Arena, to name a few) into your living room. 
Beginnings
After moving to Minneapolis in 1994, Tveitbakk attended a technical school called Music Tech, where he learned about recording engineering and the ins and outs of being a live sound engineer that records bands. 
“And then I found out quickly that a lot of bands don't make any money,” Tveitbakk said with a laugh.
 So, he got into the production side of things instead. At the time, a company he was working for was building TV trucks for sporting events (like the one he works in today). Even though he had no previous experience with sports television, he made the switch and started as a broadcast “utility,” an entry-level jack of all trades on a production set. His first utility job was for a Monday Night Football broadcast. Because he had an audio background, he then learned to be an audio assistant or an “A2" (A2s assist the A1 audio engineer, Tveitbakk, in his current role). Then he learned how to mix sound for sports broadcasts, and he has been an A1 ever since. The first sporting event he mixed was a Gopher women’s basketball game in 2002. He mixed his first Twins game on May 8, 2003, at the Metrodome for the visiting Tampa Bay Devil Rays broadcast. He mixed his first Twins home broadcast in 2004.
Tveitbakk did not know about the world of sound mixing and sports broadcasting before he started. 
"Just like a lot of people, you turn on your TV, and it magically appears on the screen, and you don't think about how it gets there," he said. 
A day in the life
Tveitbakk and the other broadcast staff arrive at the stadium well in advance of first pitch- about six hours before the game- to start preparing for the day’s broadcast, and if they have to set up the truck and equipment, they arrive even earlier. Whether or not they have to set up depends on what happened the night before and the time of year.
The Bally Sports production truck, a 53” standard semi-trailer, is a “mobile production studio” that moves around to different sporting events. TV networks found out it is much more cost-efficient to roll the production studio to different arenas rather than install a permanent one in every stadium. This particular truck, which Bally Sports subcontracts from a company called Mobile Television Group, typically stays in the Twin Cities. April is both the truck and Tveitbakk’s busiest month because the NHL, NBA, and MLB are all happening concurrently. The truck might be at Target Field for a Twins day game, then pack up and move over to St. Paul for a Wild game the next day. But once the Wild and Timberwolves seasons end, the truck tends to sit at Target Field, which means there is less setup involved.
But even if the Twins play the next day, if there is rain in the overnight forecast, they will place tarps over the cameras and load the audio equipment into tubs and put it away overnight. At the end of a homestand, the crew will also put all the equipment away.
Once at the stadium, Tveitbakk’s first order of business is to test all the Target Field microphones with the assistance of his A2s. Tveitbakk has two A2s who assist him at Twins games, and they are the ones running all over the stadium helping set up and test the microphones while he stays in his audio room onboard the truck.
“We run through every single mic to make sure no squirrels ate the wires overnight and that nothing got unplugged,” he said.
While this testing does not often uncover a significant issue like a wire-hungry squirrel who struck overnight, things get unplugged or break occasionally. It is essential to catch them well before the live broadcast. 
Tveitbakk and his team will run through the microphones in the announcer booth and the pregame/postgame set, check the wireless sideline reporter microphone (today Audra Martin) and check other headsets, like the one located inside the Twins dugout that players sometimes use for an in-game interview. 

He will also assist the rest of the Bally Sports production staff with pre-producing elements for the broadcast. Pre-producing includes adding music to video montages, placing graphics onto video clips, and sometimes pre-recording segments to play back later during the broadcast. During the game, he is also responsible for the music that plays before the game cuts to a commercial.
Tveitbakk works every Twins home game broadcast. During the rest of the year, he works Wild visitor feeds, home Timberwolves feeds, Gopher hockey broadcasts, and other non-Bally events like a recent skateboard competition in Iowa. Generally, Bally Sports uses freelance audio technicians based in other cities when the Twins are on the road (so if the Twins are traveling to Chicago this weekend, Bally Sports will typically use a Chicago-based audio engineer). However, Tveitbakk is traveling with the team to Houston for the Astros-Twins series on August 23-25 to mix those games.
Microphone magic
During Twins games, Tveitbakk watches the game broadcast and opens up a series of effects microphones all over Target Field to bring the sounds of the stadium into fans’ homes. 
“If you just had the announcer mics by themselves, it would be a very boring broadcast. That's why you bring in the ambiance, the crowd, and the crack out of the bat,” Tveitbakk said.
There are a number effects microphones all over Target Field:
Five in the outfield wall (left field, left center, center, right center, and right field) Two in the bullpen. These microphones are on the dividing wall that separates the two teams' bullpens so that Tveitbakk can pick up both teams. One mic is located near the bullpen catcher, and the other is near the bullpen pitcher). A microphone pointed towards third base. A microphone pointed towards first base. A mic in the entrance of the Twins and visitor dugouts. This dugout entrance area is action-packed, according to Tvietbakk, and he tries to pick up sounds such as players celebrating or a player slamming his helmet or bat after a frustrating at-bat using these microphones.  New this year, the head umpire wears a wireless microphone which the umpire can turn on with a switch when he announces a replay review.
During the game, these effects microphones all remain off by default until a play happens near one of them. For example, if a fly ball is hit to Max Kepler in right field, Tveitbakk will open up the “RGT FLD” microphone on his Calrec Artemis audio board just as Kepler is going to catch the ball. If Kepler is close enough to the mic, fans watching the TV broadcast will hear the pop of his mitt. Then Tveitbakk will turn that microphone off again. 
When he opens up the on-field effects microphones, Tveitbakk does not want to boost the sound so much that it sounds unnatural. 
“You want people to feel like they’re at the ballpark. That’s our goal with the broadcast,” he said.
 

Not every play happens within earshot of a microphone: there is a “dead zone” of sound in the shallow outfield where it is difficult to pick up sound. According to Tveitbakk, networks put wireless microphones in the ground during the World Series to pick up more game sounds.
Whereas these effects microphones stay off until Tvietbakk uses them, four microphones remain on most of the time during the broadcast: the two (or sometimes more if there is a guest) in-booth announcer microphones, the crowd ambiance mics, and the bat crack mics. 
Dick Bremer and his co-commentator have a couple of ways of muting their microphones during a broadcast by using a talkback box sitting on the desk in front of them: if they have to cough, they can push an aptly titled “cough” button on the box, which will mute their microphone. Suppose Bremer or Morneau (or Roy Smalley or LaTroy Hawkins) wishes to speak with his on-air producer or director. In that case, he can push the “talkback” button, which will mute his mic, and then the commentator can speak directly with production while still live on air.
Each commentator wears an earpiece so that he can hear the producer, director, or Tveitbakk talk to them as well. Tvietbakk watches the commentators, and if one of them gets up to leave the booth, he will mute their microphones so fans do not hear the rustling of his departure.
Knowing when to talk and when to let a play “breathe” so that the TV audience can hear the game sounds are a couple of the skills a commentator develops. Commentators often stop talking right as a pitcher is about to deliver the pitch so that the TV audience can hear the pop of the catcher’s mitt, the crack of the bat, or the strike or ball call from the umpire, courtesy of the bat crack mic.

Another microphone that is almost always on is the crowd ambiance mic. The crowd mic is located on the first base line and is pointed towards the first base crowd. It picks up on the general chatter and murmur of the crowd. Some bigger productions like the World Series set up multiple crowd mics all over the stadium. 
According to Tveitbakk, the most important microphones he works with are the bat crack mics: the fader is front and center on his audio board. There are two bat crack microphones in the form of two parabolic dishes pointed towards home plate (hidden inside the “TC” logo boxes against the backstop). With these microphones, the TV audience can hear not only the crack of the bat but whatever else happens at home plate: a slide into home plate, the catcher, the umpire yelling “strike!” or a batter slamming his bat in the dirt. Sometimes a batter uses colorful language, which gets picked up by the bat crack mic. The broadcast is not on any tape delay, so if the mic picks it up before it is muted, it goes onto the broadcast.
When mixing sound for Twins games, Tveitbakk listens to the broadcast's overall sound and makes adjustments to what his ears hear, and he uses technology to aid him as well. An example of an on-the-fly adjustment he might make occurs if there is a big play and an announcer gets particularly excited and raises his voice. Tviietbakk might have to temporarily decrease the sound output of that announcer’s mic. He has two meters to aid him with this: a stereo program meter and a loudness meter. These meters ensure the broadcast remains compliant with FCC regulations about where the sound of programs should be.
Because he is so focused on the overall sound quality of the broadcast, and he is busy communicating with his producer and director, Tveitbakk is not always able to listen to the content of the broadcast.

“Sometimes I'll have a friend text me, ‘What did Justin [Morneau] just say?’ and I’ll be like, ‘I don’t even know what he said, what happened?’” Tveitbakk said with a laugh.
The fanless, Covid-19 shortened season in 2020 presented unique challenges for Tveitbakk.  
“It was different. You know, there's this artificial crowd noise that was pumped into the stadium, but also, you get really good sounds because there weren’t fans. So that was interesting. But you're still kind of fighting the artificial sounds, so it really wasn’t ideal.” he said.
Tveitbakk says there is a difference between doing sound in front of a small crowd and a sold-out house. But even when it is a little more challenging to pick up the game sounds like the pop of a glove, the exciting, raucous atmosphere makes up for it.
“When the stadium is full, it's definitely more challenging to get more sounds out of the game. But also just the atmosphere itself is kind of fun. You know, having that extra loudness.”
According to Tveitbakk, the most challenging part of his job is the live aspect of the game.
“You're always on, and every move you have to make sure of before you do it because you could make a mistake, and it goes on the air,” Tveitbakk said. 
The Elements
Just like weather can sometimes throw a wrench into a baseball game, it can affect the broadcast too. Microphones do not work when they are wet, so if there is going to be a rainy broadcast, Tveitbakk's A2s wrap the mics with plastic to try to keep the mics dry and pull them off if it is raining too much. 
Sometimes it is the players who humorously cause the elements. During an Apple TV broadcast of a game on July 13, Jose Miranda hit a walk-off home run vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. The crew put a headset on Miranda for a postgame interview, and then he was doused with water. Boom- the headset did not work anymore. The crew had to scrabble and get a different one for him, which took three or four minutes, “an eternity in live television.” Miranda graciously waited for the crew to bring him another headset, and then the crew could carry on with the interview. 
"Something that people at home enjoy"
Even after all these years, Tvetibakk loves mixing sound, especially for baseball broadcasts, which he finds are different from any other sport.
“Baseball is the most fun to mix because it's not a linear sport. It's not back and forth, you know, like basketball, hockey, soccer. Baseball is here and there and here, and now we’ll go down to the dugout, then we'll go to the bullpen- so it's more fun,” Tveitbakk said.
Mixing Twins games has brought him some fond memories during his career. He has mixed a triple play and some of the longest games at Target Field. At the Metrodome, he remembers mixing some Twins playoff runs and working during game 163 in 2009. He has even won two team Emmys for his sound work. For fans who grew up watching games during the 2000s, his mixing brought the sweet sounds of Johan Santana’s pitches and Joe Mauer’s hits to your living room. He says his favorite part of his job is being at the stadium and helping bring something fans enjoy into their homes. Baseball brings people joy. 
“Sometimes when I meet a teacher or a nurse, I'll be like, ‘well, your job is significant because you're helping people,’ and then they'll correct me and say, ‘well, you're providing entertainment. That's important, too,’” Tveitbakk said.
 

On Sunday, in a series against a red hot playoff contender, Tyler Duffey entered the game with a 8-3 lead, courtesy of solid pitching, some good luck, and a remarkable offensive performance by the Twins against Kevin Gausman. He left it having given up a walk, three hits, a three-run home run, and recording just two outs. Jovani Moran replaced Duffey to get the final out for the Twins and secure an unlikely series win in Toronto.
I’m not usually one to advocate for reactionary moves or cut bait on long-time contributors to the team, but it’s time to move on from Tyler Duffey.
Duffey By the Numbers
Let’s start by putting some of Duffey’s 2022 numbers in perspective. Out of 193 qualified relievers, he ranks 172nd in ERA, 187th in xERA, and 170th in HR/9. I could go on, but I won’t. Suffice to say, there are a lot of categories in which Duffey ranks in the bottom handful of relievers in the league.
If we look into more advanced numbers, we see a similar story. Looking at his Statcast profile percentiles, Duffey is 6th percentile in average exit velocity, first percentile in HardHit%, first percentile is xBA. The list goes on, and it does not make for encouraging reading.
Results and Process
Duffey’s numbers may be poor, but perhaps a peek under the hood tells a story his numbers do not? After all, we’re talking about the same reliever who managed a 33.6 K% and 2.79 xERA in 2020, and was even better in 2019. 

Duffey’s command tells the story of his 2022. Here’s the location of his four seam fastball in 2022.

Here’s the location of his curveball in 2022.

Let’s compare the curveball to that of Jhoan Duran in 2022.

There are two major takeaways here. Duffey is leaving his fastball out over the heart of the plate far too often. He has some of the poorest velocity and stuff in the Twins bullpen. Duffey’s fastball location is a non-starter. Simply put, it is not a good enough pitch to have location this poor. Opposing hitters are teeing off on it, to the tune of a .649 SLG and 64% hard hit %.
Additionally, he’s throwing too many uncompetitive curveballs. There are too many breaking pitches starting off the plate and finishing way off the plate. Hitters are picking up on this and sitting on his fastball because his curveball often starts slightly too low or too far outside.
Roster Crunch
Duffey earns $3.2 million in 2022, hardly expensive for a reliever. Even though from a performance perspective I think he should be DFA'd, I think it’s unlikely the Twins will. He has a lengthy tenure with the team and is a strong presence in the clubhouse. The challenge becomes, who do you send down to the minors to keep Duffey on the roster? Every option I can think of has an advantage in velocity or stuff that I wouldn’t sacrifice to keep Duffey on the team. Trevor Megill? Throws 98 mph and has a 36% K% in his first 8 innings. Jharel Cotton? 3.22 xERA so far in 2022. Jovani Moran? 46% K% and a legitimately dominant left-handed changeup. Throw into the mix that Jorge Alcala will return to the team in the next week and give the bullpen a much needed boost and the Twins could have a bullpen crunch in the near future.
Duffey has been an incredible servant to the Twins and burned brightly in 2019 and 2020 as a legitimately dominant reliever. But now is not a time for sentimentality. The AL Central is there for the taking. Which inning of a close game do you want Tyler Duffey pitching in September against the White Sox?
 

Dick Bremer was born and raised in Minnesota and has been a Twins fan all of his life. There really aren't too many instances where a hometown kid becomes the announcer of his favorite team. 
Born in St. Paul and raised in Dumont, Minnesota, Bremer is the fourth-longest tenured radio or television broadcaster in Major League Baseball. He trails only the Royals' Denny Matthews (1969), the Brewers' Bob Uecker (1971), and Texas' Eric Nadel (1979) and is tied with Seattle's Rick Rizzs (1983) and Boston's Joe Castiglione (1983). 
On that list, only Bremer and Uecker are currently broadcasting games for their hometown teams. 
With such a long tenure comes an intimate knowledge of the team's history. Cory Provus, who I really enjoy quite a bit on the radio broadcasts, can look up stats and stories from the 1984 season when Kirby Puckett made his debut or watch videos of the 1991 parade, but he wasn't there and didn't live it the same way Bremer did. 
Not only does Bremer possess a nearly unprecedented wealth of Twins knowledge, but his personality is also a great fit for baseball fans in the Upper Midwest with a dry sense of humor and a large dose of humility. He seems to understand that viewers tune in to watch the games, not for him. That can be rare in today's world. 
When I was a kid I had two memorable interactions with Bremer. One at Spring Training where I was basically starstruck passing him in the concourse in Ft. Myers.  I managed to sputter out "How will the Twins do this year?" and he gave me a thoughtful, long answer and asked me what I thought. As a kid, I felt so cool having a real conversation with a famous adult. 
Years later in the 2000's, I was settling into my customary Upper General Admission seat in Section 212 for an afternoon game. I looked down the row a bit, and there was Dick Bremer reading a newspaper in the nosebleeds waiting for the game to start. I remember thinking that it was really neat that he would watch a game from up there on a day the game wasn't televised. 
In fact, I was in that very seat for one of my favorite Bremer calls: 
In other words, he strikes me as a real fan of the team. This can be bad (In my opinion Paul Allen takes this a bit too far, nothing against him he's great at what he does) but Bremer seems to know how to toe that line perfectly. 
I still get goosebumps when I watch this highlight from 2009, coincidentally featuring Kubel as well: 
That is not a forced home run call. That's not a planned out, "A-Bomb From A-Rod" corny home run call. That is a man who is genuinely excited about what he just saw. 
I think it is natural to get 'sick of' a broadcaster after this long of a time. If you hear anyone every day for over 30 years, they are probably going to wear on you a bit whether it is a spouse, boss, or sports broadcaster. 
For the folks who wish for a change in the broadcast booth, be careful what you wish for. There can never be another Dick Bremer. The man has seen it all. 

Let's begin with a brief anatomy and biomechanics lesson. 
The ulnar collateral ligament — more frequently referred to as the UCL — is a robust and triangular sheet of tissue that helps support the inner elbow against valgus stress. The elbow experiences the most valgus stress during a baseball game when the arm is driven forward at high rates of speed while throwing a ball.

Damage to the UCL occurs when the torque produced as the arm is thrust forward — the technical term is internal rotation — is more significant than what the structure can compensate. Injury can occur chronically as well as acutely and is generally described as a sprain. The degree of damage is graded on a scale of 1-3. Grade 1 sprains are usually minor injuries that heal within a week or two. Grade 2 sprains — also referred to as partial tears — cause instability in the joint as some 50% of the ligament fibers have been damaged; the most frequently reported symptoms are pain and swelling. The recovery timeline for grade 2 sprains generally extends into months. Grade 3 sprains — or ruptures — result in significant instability and require Tommy John surgery to address. 
Grade 2 sprains are where the best route of treatment is murkiest. As the UCL is technically an extension of the joint capsule — a larger sheet of tissue that envelops a joint and provides stability and nourishment — it has a relatively good blood supply, meaning it is technically capable of healing on its own without surgery. (Side note: This is why ACL injuries require surgery in most instances. Although the ACL is inside the knee, it is technically separate from the joint capsule, and, thus, has almost no blood supply.)
However, the UCL does not have the same blood supply throughout its structure. A recent study found evidence to suggest that the blood supply is best nearer where it connects to the upper arm bone — proximal — and decreases as the ligament extends to the forearm — distal. This finding may suggest that grade 2 sprains of the UCL that occur proximally are more likely to heal without surgery than those that are distal (or, read another way, Tommy John surgeries that treat proximal tears are more likely to be "successful" than their distal counterparts.) (Another side note: Interestingly, a study conducted in 2020 found data to suggest the opposite, though it should be noted that the study had a small sample size and was retrospective; both factors limit the findings' strength.)
Rest and anti-inflammatory medication are most often the first two steps in treating a grade 2 UCL sprains followed by physical therapy to improve range of motion and increase the strength of the surrounding muscles. While the UCL provides static stability for the inner elbow (i.e., its fibers don't contract and act as a brace), the forearm musculature provides dynamic stability (i.e., its fibers do contract and pull the inner elbow together). Having strong forearm muscles is vital for protecting the healing UCL.
Another treatment often reported after an athlete is diagnosed with a UCL sprain is platelet-rich plasma (PRP). 
The theory behind PRP is sound. The process involves drawing blood into a test tube, spinning it around rapidly in a centrifuge to separate the blood into plasma and red blood cells, sucking the plasma into a syringe, and injecting the plasma into the injured tissue. Plasma contains a variety of cells and other substances, one of which are platelets. Platelets help form the foundation on which new tissue grows and secret substances that help aid the healing process.
Again, theoretically.
The results surrounding PRP injections and return to play in baseball are … inconclusive, at best. Read one study, and you may come away believing that they work exceptionally well. Read another, and you may think they're just a bunch of hocus pocus. The fact of the matter is this: Despite being relatively well studied, there is little evidence, at this point, to suggest that PRP injections are the medical savior they were once considered to be.
So, back to the original question. Why should Maeda and the Twins even pursue a second opinion?
Well, the short answer is "Why not?" If the injury Maeda suffered is a UCL sprain, and if he ultimately undergoes surgery, he'll miss the entirety of the 2022 season anyway. Waiting another week or two to gather more information won't prevent him from playing next year.
The longer answer is that the most appropriate course of treatment may or may not be surgery, depending on various factors, including grade, location, and, frankly, a specific doctor's training and treatment philosophy. Again, if Maeda is dealing with UCL damage and if it is partial and proximal, it may have a chance to heal on its own. 
Also, and this bears repeating, what's the harm in trying conservative rehabilitation and waiting on surgery? Best case scenario: Maeda can pitch again in relatively short order and definitely be next season. Worst case scenario: Maeda has to undergo surgery, which, again, would keep him out of 2022 anyway. 
At this stage, there is minimal downside for the Twins and Maeda in gathering as much information as possible. The team isn't going to the playoffs, he's under contract next year, and he's one of the more critical pitching pieces in the Twins' system.
I'll pose the question again. Why should Maeda and the Twins seek a second opinion? Because it's the right thing to do.

The Twins hired Derek Falvey (who hired Thad Levine) in the wake of a disastrous 103-loss season in 2016. By that point, the Twins had gone six straight years without making the playoffs, and during that span they lost more games than any team in baseball. 
The following year, Minnesota stunningly reached the postseason as a wild-card team. Then they missed out in 2018, still finishing second, before rebounding in 2019 with one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. The Twins followed in 2020 with another division title. 
To run all that back: this front office took over a team that had gone 407-565 (.419) with zero playoff appearances in its previous six years, and went 300-246 (.549) with three playoff appearances in the next four. 
Does their success owe somewhat to the foundation built before they arrived? Of course. No one would deny that Terry Ryan and Co. had cultivated an impressive nucleus before being ousted. But during those years, the Twins repeatedly failed in the draft, failed in acquisitions, and failed in player development. The results bore that out.
Let's be clear about something here: This current regime was so successful and so impressive through four years that they were repeatedly poached of talent, both in the front office and the coaching staffs they assembled. Not only that, but Falvey and Levine themselves have been courted by big-name franchises like the Red Sox and Phillies. 
What did they say, according to publicized reports on the matter? 
"No thanks, we're going to see through what we're building here."
And so, to see flocks of fans calling for their heads because of one bad season, which is no worse than the ones we saw repeatedly before they arrived ... it's a little hard to take. 
Falvey became the youngest head exec in the league when he took Minnesota's top job. Currently he is 38 years old, which is three years younger than the DH he traded to Tampa Bay last month. Up until now he never experienced serious adversity during his tenure, which speaks to how smoothly things have gone in the first four years. 
The same could be said, by the way, for his managerial choice Rocco Baldelli, who was named Manager of the Year in 2019 (as the youngest skipper in baseball, with no experience in the role) and then won a second straight division title in his second season.
These people have shown their mettle. They've won. A lot. I realize they haven't won in the playoffs, and that sucks, but they haven't had nearly the opportunity of their predecessors. 
Are we not going to give them a chance to learn from failure?
Obviously the free agent pitching additions from the past winter have failed at every level. But this front office has made plenty of good and savvy pickups in the past, which helped fuel the success of high-quality staffs the last two years. And in any case, Falvey wasn't really hired to sign pitchers. He was hired to develop them.
On that front, the jury is still out. This operation was four years in when a pandemic came along and wiped out an entire minor-league season. The fact that Minnesota's upper minors are currently loaded with intriguing high-upside arms would suggest the mission was on track, and is just now getting back on the rails. 
Soon we'll start seeing those arms (along with the ones acquired at the deadline this year) ushered into majors, and at that point we'll be able to make real assessments. But until then, you're judging an incomplete project. 
This reassembled baseball ops department has been working ahead of schedule basically since they took over a moribund franchise in despair. They hit a setback this year, and it's been painful. Let's give them a chance to get back on track in the wake of a major disruptive event and humbling follow-up season.
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In Minnesota baseball lore, David Ortiz is the equivalent of Boston's Bambino, or Wrigleyville's billy goat. The very mention of Big Papi causes a visceral shudder for any Twins fan within earshot, surfacing deep feelings of regret and lament. How differently things might have gone for the Twins had Ortiz stayed in Minnesota. (Aaron Gleeman wrote a fun "what if" article about this last year.)
Naturally, the Ortiz example is invoked any time a promising Twins player departs unduly – the sports fan's equivalent of a PTSD reaction. Lingering fear of a recurrence envelopes us, clouding our judgment. In most cases, this apprehension proves unwarranted. Nonetheless, the Curse of Papi persists.
You all know where I'm going with this: Is Byron Buxton the next David Ortiz??
In some ways, it's a fitting parallel. Ortiz left Minnesota in his late 20s, having shown flashes of standout ability, before immediately blossoming elsewhere. In Boston, he emerged as a perennial MVP contender, postseason legend, and franchise icon. It's all too easy to envision the same path for Buxton, except therein lies the difference: you don't need to imagine it. Buxton already IS that guy. He was the AL Player of the Month in April and has been one of the game's best players on a per-game basis for the last three years. After a long and meandering path, he has finally reached his true potential as a top-shelf elite MLB player. 
Yes, the injuries have remained a constant. But that's exactly why a long-term extension with Buxton would even be attainable right now for a team like the Twins. If not for the implications and associated risk of his health history, he'd likely be eyeing a deal outside of Minnesota's realistic scope. 
It might seem odd when you're talking about offering more than $100 million to a player whose track record is as sparse as Buxton's, but the Twins should theoretically be able to secure a relative bargain here due to the circumstances. 
Alas, the front office seems a tad too ambitious in its hunt for a bargain. The allure of signing Buxton long-term is that he can offer a potential impact on the level of a Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, or Fernando Tatis Jr., but at a fraction of the guaranteed commitment.
That said, the clear value needs to be there for Buxton, who knows his level of ability, and it is evidently not. His camp rejected Minnesota's offer, which reportedly elevated from $73 million to $80 million in guaranteed money with a "unique incentive package." Sounds like those incentives were the sticking point. At this juncture we don't what was proposed or countered, so analyzing the negotiation is murky.
Then again, it's also difficult to fathom what kind of request or suggested terms from Buxton's agent would make the Twins balk to the point they're giving up on an opportunity to secure this generational talent, at the precipice of true superstardom.
A somewhat similar dynamic is at play with José Berríos, who was drafted the same year as Buxton and is also looking ahead to free agency at the end of 2022. One can certainly argue that Berríos is more critical to the Twins' future, given their scarcity of high-quality arms. 
But in a way, he is the antithesis of Buxton: ultra-reliable with a capped ceiling. Berríos has been one of the most durable and consistent pitchers in the game – steadily very good, just short of great, always available. Meanwhile, Buxton has improved every season in a setback-riddled career that's been full of ups and downs. He's just now reaching his full form, displaying game-changing greatness that is almost unparalleled.
Yes, Berríos will be difficult to replace, in that arms like his don't come along often. The Twins certainly haven't proven adept at finding or developing them. But Buxton is irreplaceable in a more absolute sense. Athletes and human beings like him almost NEVER come along. His speed, power, and defense are off-the-charts good. He's one of the most entertaining players I've ever seen. And he's still getting better.
I can see the rationale in moving on from Berríos. He's clearly intent on testing free agency and maximizing his earnings. There will be no discount or bonus-contingent contract in play there. And it's awfully hard for a mid-market team to build balanced contending rosters when paying one of their five starting pitchers $25+ million annually.
Their everyday center fielder, though? One who's proven to be an MVP-caliber talent while on the field? And who won't even be reaching that salary range unless he's staying on the field enough to trigger incentives? 
I'm struggling to understand why the Twins aren't stepping up here. Target Field was ostensibly built for the exact purpose of keeping a player like this. From available evidence, it doesn't seem like the team is making a particularly hearty effort to do what it takes to retain him. Whatever Buxton's side is asking for – $30-plus million in annual achievable salary, an early opt-out clause, lower-than-desired bonus thresholds – none of those should be deal-breakers.  
Maybe there's still a way. Buxton said on Monday "it's not the end," leaving some faint cause for hope. But at this point, the outlook is grim. 
It's true that signing Buxton long-term would entail some risk. But it pales in comparison to the risk of watching him go elsewhere, shake off the snakebitten injury luck, and emerge as a late-blooming legend while Twins fans spend another decade lamenting the one that got away. In this case, it'd be a much less excusable gaffe than releasing David Ortiz. 
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