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Even though there is snow in the forecast, Twins fans can start planning their afternoons and evenings in the sun at Target Field this week. On Tuesday, the Twins announced their promotional schedule for the 2023 season, and single-game tickets go on sale on Thursday at noon. Image courtesy of Melissa Berman The Twins are also running what might be their best Target Field-era ticket deal yet: fans can purchase $4 no fees Ballpark Access tickets (standing room) for all regular season home games (excluding the Home Opener) between noon on January 19 and 11:59 PM on January 22. There are no fees on any other tickets bought during these four days either. The Twins looked to capitalize on what I have been calling “Correamania” by announcing these deals shortly after the Twins signed Carlos Correa to a 6-year deal. Last year the Twins ran a similar deal in April called the “Superstars Superdeal” which allowed fans to buy $4 upper-level tickets and $25 lower-level tickets to any Monday-Thursday game in 2022. However, with that sale, there were fees on the tickets bought online; I remember being at a Twins vs. Dodgers game while my friends bought tickets for 20 games at the in-stadium box office down the first baseline to avoid the fees. This year's deal is even better. While this week's sale is for a standing-room ticket and not an actual seat, just being able to get in the door for $4 for weekend games is unbeatable and well worth taking advantage of, especially if you are planning on getting to a large number of games. Though the Twins will probably run some other deals throughout the season, no deals could be any cheaper than this- a MLB game for $4 with no fees? You simply can't beat that, I would recommend looking ahead on the schedule, picking out some games you know you for sure want to get to, and buy some tickets in this window. This year, Target Field will be hosting high-demand teams like the Cubs, Giants, and Padres, all of whom the Twins would have been less likely to host before the 2023's new balanced schedule format. The Twins are also bringing back several other perennial ticket specials: Dollar hotdog day is back once again on Tuesdays, $5 student discount day is available every Monday through Thursday, Seniors “55-and-better” can get $5 tickets to every Monday-Thursday day game, and Fireworks Friday will light up the Minneapolis skyline after every Friday night game from June through August. Back again are the team's special "Theme Nights" such as Prince Night and Star Wars Night, where fans can purchase a special ticket package to receive a promotional item. According to the Twins, the Theme Night schedule will be available at a later date. Last year, it was unveiled in March. Running these bargain ticket deals to get as many fans in the doors as possible is the wise thing for the Twins to do. Last year, the Twins finished 20th in MLB attendance with an average of 22,514 fans per game. This season, the Twins play 16 home games in April, the most of any month, so with the often-cold-and-wet temperatures, the Twins will likely already be playing from behind attendance-wise. Giveaways From hats to bobbleheads to the return of bat day, the Twins are handing out a host of unique collector’s items this year. Here are a few of the best ones I will be targeting; complete list here: Opening weekend hat day- No apparel with the new TC logo yet? No problem- the Twins are handing out hats with the new “TC” logo to the first 20,000 fans at the Home Opener on April 6 and at the Saturday, April 8 game. “Kids Opening Day” is on April 9, and the first 5,000 fans 12-and-under will receive the Twins’ new “M and North Star” hat. Magnet schedule days are April 10 and 11 vs. the White Sox. Bat day is back! The first 5,000 fans in attendance on April 23 vs. Washington will receive a 28-inch wood bat commemorating 2022 American League batting champion Luis Arraez, You’ll need to get there extra early for this one. Two bobblehead days: Joe Ryan bobblehead day is June 3 vs. Cleveland (first 10,000 fans), and July 7 is Carlos Correa (first 10,000 fans) Byron Buxton replica jersey (April 22 vs. Washington; first 10,000 fans) and a “Los Twins” jersey (September 9 vs. the Mets; first 10,000 fans). The baby blue replica jersey the Twins handed out in 2021 is the favorite giveaway item I've ever gotten, so these two jerseys are on the very top of my "must-snag" list. More hats! Twins Bomber Cap day is April 30 vs. Kansas City (first 5,000 fans), the Twins will be handing out a Twins Trucker Hat on May 27 vs. Toronto (first 10,000 fans), and June 17 is Twins Bucket Hay day vs. Detroit (first 5,000 fans). These days, it doesn’t seem like the demand for collector's items is quite as intense as in the past: I remember being in line for Torii Hunter bobblehead day when I was a kid, and there were almost fights breaking out between fans. On giveaway days we would get down to the Metrodome hours beforehand, and the lines would snake around the whole stadium and onto the surrounding sidewalks. Nowadays, getting promotional items is not as difficult, though you will still have to plan ahead and arrive early, especially if they only hand out 5,000 of the coveted item. For 20,000 fan giveaways, my general rule of thumb is to arrive about an hour before the game to receive a promotional item comfortably. I usually put a reminder on my phone calendar for the days that have an item I definitely want to get. I have found the giveaway items, especially clothing items, to be of impressive quality and worth arriving early for. Are you going to Target any of these giveaways or take advantage of the $4 ticket sale? What's the coolest thing you've got at a Twins game? Let us know in a COMMENT below. View full article

As we have all heard, the Carlos Correa era in Minnesota came to an end late Wednesday night. What started as an early morning shockwave one Saturday in March culminated in feelings of disappointment and missed opportunity for many. Image courtesy of Melissa Berman Fans will debate whether the Twins made Correa a quality offer and if a 13-year contract is viable and MLB's new direction or ridiculous. We do know that Correa was a significant draw to Target Field in 2022 and a lightning rod of excitement. He represented hope for a Twins fanbase reeling from a 2021 last-place division finish and signified a potential new direction for the Front Office and the franchise. Never before had the Twins gone out and gotten the top free agent in baseball. Plus, Correa chose the Twins. Now, he’s gone. And so are the majority of other impact free agents on the market. Twins fans reacted accordingly late Tuesday night with feelings ranging from frustration to disgust to profound disappointment. The Twins might still make a big move this offseason, like signing free-agent pitcher Carlos Rodón. Otherwise, the Twins have only signed free-agent catcher Christian Vazquez this offseason. It is looking increasingly likely the Twins will have to go back to the well and sign free-agent pitchers of the Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer caliber (the “bargain bin,” as some would pejoratively say). Would these moves be enough to “save” the offseason and spark excitement for 2023? Even with the Correa hype and strong on-field play for much of the season, in 2022, the Twins finished 20th in MLB attendance, averaging 22,514 fans per game. We know team performance significantly impacts crowd attendance. In 2019, the Bomba Squad season, the Twins brought in about 28,000 fans per game. Would a 2023 team lineup that is essentially unchanged but sans fan favorites Correa and Gio Urshela substantially outperform its 2022 lineup? With a healthy Buxton and the continued development of its young stars, maybe, but I have my concerns, especially pitching-wise. Twins fans have a right to expect more out of their team. I don’t blame them if they are feeling disappointed, angry, or even a bit apathetic right now, whether it be because the Twins did not make a Correa contract happen, a feeling that they will never be able to compete with the big market teams, or because they think the Twins put all their eggs in the Correa basket and let the other free agents pass them by. Next season, the Twins play 16 home games in April, the most of any month, so with the cold temperatures, the Twins will already be playing from behind attendance-wise. I doubt the new Twins uniforms and the giant new scoreboard will cause much of an attendance bump. Fans may pack the ballpark to see teams like the Padres, Giants, and Cubs, who the Twins would have been less likely to host before the 2023's new balanced schedule format. Perhaps the Twins will implement more bargain ticket deals or schedule more postgame concerts; regardless, the Twins will have to come up with something to draw fans back to the ballpark because the offseason moves alone have not done much to energize the fanbase in the wake of a disappointing 2022 season. View full article

The last time I check Baseball is still a business. We can be sure the owners believe that, and in most cases it seems the players think so too. But what about the fans? If fans do consider baseball to be a business, they would show it via the money and time they spend watching games. When the Twins promised to put a strong team on the field in exchange for a new stadium, they delivered with 94 wins and a playoff appearance in 2010. The payroll increased by 44%, to a then record level of $97.6M. And as promised, the fans showed up to the tune of all time record attendance of 3.22M. The honeymoon would not last. Since that time the payroll has increased by an average of 0.9% per year, while attendance decreased each of the last six years prior to 2017. On field performance has been the primary driver of this attendance decrease, but with the Twins outlook beginning to look more positive, what type of impact will that have on the attendance level for 2018? The number is likely less than you think. Since 1990, overall attendance per game has increase by 10% or more just five times, including the first year of Target field when attendance increased by 33% per game from the prior year. Of course that 33% increase is nothing compared to the 78% increase in the “get to know ‘em” year of 2001. That said, the 78% increase brought total attendance to a measly 1.78M, 180,000 less than the lowest year at Target field in 2016. History tells us a more reasonable expectation would be more around 6.6% increase, which is the average increase for the second consecutive winning season for the Twins dating back to 1990 (1992, 2002 & 2009). With a schedule of 82 home games this would translate to total attendance 2.213M for the Twins in 2018. However, considering the fact that there will be two home games in Puerto Rico this year, total attendance would come in closer to 2.159M, an increase of just 5.2% in total. And what about those two games in Puerto Rico? According to the collective bargaining agreement, “Clubs that have one or more home games replaced by an International Play Event shall be compensated for lost revenue”. A discussion of this seems like a project for another day.