All Things 2024-25 Minnesota Twins Off-Season Thread

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GophersInIowa said:
We did something

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might be nothing.....but.....

Gasper is no kid - 28 yrs old. 6 seasons in the minors; saw limited duty in MLB with the Red Sox last season.

here's what got me thinking. Gasper was a C in college. In the minors, he has C and also played 1B. decent hitter - in the minors, career stats of .275 Batting avg with .841 OPS. had a big year last year at AAA - hitting .367 with a 1.062 OPS.

So what if he is a possible replacement for Vazquez? If Vazquez can be dealt, Gasper can C but also has played 1B, 2B, and played OF in Winter leagues.
 



It won't let me post the graph for some reason to show where the revenue is coming from (national media, local TV, Ticket sales, etc.) but these Earning Reports show a very disturbing trend for MLB:

2013 League Revenues

NFL - $10.0B
MLB - $8.5B
NBA - $4.6B
NHL - $3.3B

2023 League Revenues

NFL - $20.7B
NBA - $10.9B
MLB - $10.9B
NHL - $6.8B

* Over the last 10 years, MLB had 20% growth in total revenue while the other Leagues more than doubled their total income.

* The NBA is about to surpass MLB despite having 50% less attendance capacity and total games played.

IMO, if MLB doesn't implement a hard salary cap and stop catering their rules towards the top 4-5 spending teams/ownerships, overall fan interest across the country will continue to nosedive dramatically.
 

Slim - this is what Manfred has been talking about in connection to the TV issue.

in essense, MLB has become a regional sport - like hockey - while the NFL and NBA are national sports. the NFL and NBA teams are less dependant on local revenue, while Hockey and MLB get less national revenue and more of their revenue is local - TV, ticket sales, advertising.

Manfred has said he wants to try and shift MLB to a national approach. but that will require the owners to change how revenue is shared. currently, 48% of all local revenue goes into the revenue-sharing pool, which is then distributed with lower-income teams receiving more revenue-sharing.

the idea is that MLB teams would agree to share more of their local TV revenue, and in return, teams could keep a larger portion of their 'game-day' revenue (ticket sales, etc.)

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worth noting - the current national TV deal with ESPN runs through 2028 (same as deals with Fox and Turner) - but ESPN has an opt-out clause after the 2025 season. virtually every sports media person believes that ESPN will exercise the opt-out and try to renegotiate the deal with MLB - likely for a smaller amount.

-------
oh - and the CBA agreement is up for renegotiation in 2026.

batten down the hatches. the next 4 years could be really messy.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
Slim - this is what Manfred has been talking about in connection to the TV issue.

in essense, MLB has become a regional sport - like hockey - while the NFL and NBA are national sports. the NFL and NBA teams are less dependant on local revenue, while Hockey and MLB get less national revenue and more of their revenue is local - TV, ticket sales, advertising.

Manfred has said he wants to try and shift MLB to a national approach. but that will require the owners to change how revenue is shared. currently, 48% of all local revenue goes into the revenue-sharing pool, which is then distributed with lower-income teams receiving more revenue-sharing.

the idea is that MLB teams would agree to share more of their local TV revenue, and in return, teams could keep a larger portion of their 'game-day' revenue (ticket sales, etc.)

-----
worth noting - the current national TV deal with ESPN runs through 2028 (same as deals with Fox and Turner) - but ESPN has an opt-out clause after the 2025 season. virtually every sports media person believes that ESPN will exercise the opt-out and try to renegotiate the deal with MLB - likely for a smaller amount.

-------
oh - and the CBA agreement is up for renegotiation in 2026.

batten down the hatches. the next 4 years could be really messy.
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Good stuff, SON. It also reinforces my belief that MLB is hemorrhaging their national AND local audiences at a rate they may never recover from.

Audience size draws ratings. Ratings draw national media deals. National media deals draw advertisers. Advertisers sponsor and promote the players in the league.

The NFL and NBA do a tremendous job promoting and marketing their league, teams and top players. This draws more fan interest and new audience/viewers to continue expanding their revenues. (Fantasy Sports would also like to tip their cap here, too.)

With MLB, their most marketed and recognizable entity right now is a chubby, retired White Sox player selling boner pills on late night cable TV.
 

Slim Tubby said:
Good stuff, SON. It also reinforces my belief that MLB is hemorrhaging their national AND local audiences at a rate they may never recover from.

Audience size draws ratings. Ratings draw national media deals. National media deals draw advertisers. Advertisers sponsor and promote the players in the league.

The NFL and NBA do a tremendous job promoting and marketing their league, teams and top players. This draws more fan interest and new audience/viewers to continue expanding their revenues. (Fantasy Sports would also like to tip their cap here, too.)

With MLB, their most marketed and recognizable entity right now is a chubby, retired White Sox player selling boner pills on late night cable TV.
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I'm not sure New Balance has gotten their money's worth for whatever they gave Ohtani, but it's gotta be difficult when your biggest star (and probably pretty easily baseball's biggest star of this century) barely speaks any English.
 

Slim Tubby said:
Good stuff, SON. It also reinforces my belief that MLB is hemorrhaging their national AND local audiences at a rate they may never recover from.

Audience size draws ratings. Ratings draw national media deals. National media deals draw advertisers. Advertisers sponsor and promote the players in the league.

The NFL and NBA do a tremendous job promoting and marketing their league, teams and top players. This draws more fan interest and new audience/viewers to continue expanding their revenues. (Fantasy Sports would also like to tip their cap here, too.)

With MLB, their most marketed and recognizable entity right now is a chubby, retired White Sox player selling boner pills on late night cable TV.
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but again, the NFL and NBA get most of their revenue from National TV deals - guaranteeing every team a strong base of revenue. the MLB has some national TV money, but most of the TV money is local money tied to RSN's - creating this wild imbalance between large-revenue and small-revenue teams.

Manfred is talking about a national TV model - like the NFL and NBA - but he will have to fight his own owners to make it happen - especially the biggest and most powerful teams including the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, etc.

at the risk of sounding pretentious, baseball is facing an existential crisis over the next 4 or 5 seasons. Can the owners and players agree to work together toward an NFL-type model? at this point, I don't see it. I hope I'm wrong. But if I had to bet today, I would bet on a nasty CBA negotiation leading to a lockout in 2026 that eats up a significant chunk of the season.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
but again, the NFL and NBA get most of their revenue from National TV deals - guaranteeing every team a strong base of revenue. the MLB has some national TV money, but most of the TV money is local money tied to RSN's - creating this wild imbalance between large-revenue and small-revenue teams.

Manfred is talking about a national TV model - like the NFL and NBA - but he will have to fight his own owners to make it happen - especially the biggest and most powerful teams including the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, etc.

at the risk of sounding pretentious, baseball is facing an existential crisis over the next 4 or 5 seasons. Can the owners and players agree to work together toward an NFL-type model? at this point, I don't see it. I hope I'm wrong. But if I had to bet today, I would bet on a nasty CBA negotiation leading to a lockout in 2026 that eats up a significant chunk of the season.
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MLB NEEDS a strike/lockout in 2026. If it comes out with a national TV distribution and a hard salary cap, it will be worth losing half a season.
 



Slim Tubby said:
Good stuff, SON. It also reinforces my belief that MLB is hemorrhaging their national AND local audiences at a rate they may never recover from.

Audience size draws ratings. Ratings draw national media deals. National media deals draw advertisers. Advertisers sponsor and promote the players in the league.

The NFL and NBA do a tremendous job promoting and marketing their league, teams and top players. This draws more fan interest and new audience/viewers to continue expanding their revenues. (Fantasy Sports would also like to tip their cap here, too.)

With MLB, their most marketed and recognizable entity right now is a chubby, retired White Sox player selling boner pills on late night cable TV.
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Do they work🤔
 






Caleb Thielbar signs a deal with the Cubs. 1 yr Major League contract. Haven't seen financial terms reported.
 

The Brewers said they were ditching Bally's/FanDuel for their own streaming via MLB. Now back to FanDuel with the add on of Amazon Prime. I won't be surprised if the Twins do the same thing. FanDuel/Bally's/Fox Sports North/MSC/WCCOII will never die.

 

howeda7 said:
The Brewers said they were ditching Bally's/FanDuel for their own streaming via MLB. Now back to FanDuel with the add on of Amazon Prime. I won't be surprised if the Twins do the same thing. FanDuel/Bally's/Fox Sports North/MSC/WCCOII will never die.

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so, after a little digging - found details on MLB.com -

Diamond Sports approached the Brewers about re-opening negotiations and improved their offer, leading to Tuesday’s deal.

(i.e. Diamond offered more money.)

and here's a quote from the Brewers' President of Business Operations:

“Long term, whether it's 2026 or thereafter, I do think MLB Media is the place where we're ultimately going to land, and I think that's going to be in the best interest of the fans and the teams and the league to get a model that provides for the widest possible distribution across the most number of platforms with the highest technology and the best economics for the league and the teams,” Schlesinger said.

Long term, I think we can achieve all the goals that our fans want in a completely new system that will include satellite, cable, streaming, potentially over the air — all the different platforms that fans want to see the game. So that's still very real. That's still part of the near future. But for 2025, we have pivoted to the FanDuel relationship.”

(i.e - this is a short-term deal - maybe only 1 year)
 

Slim Tubby said:
Good stuff, SON. It also reinforces my belief that MLB is hemorrhaging their national AND local audiences at a rate they may never recover from.

Audience size draws ratings. Ratings draw national media deals. National media deals draw advertisers. Advertisers sponsor and promote the players in the league.

The NFL and NBA do a tremendous job promoting and marketing their league, teams and top players. This draws more fan interest and new audience/viewers to continue expanding their revenues. (Fantasy Sports would also like to tip their cap here, too.)

With MLB, their most marketed and recognizable entity right now is a chubby, retired White Sox player selling boner pills on late night cable TV.
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Right. And without a salary cap, good luck. If you are a commissioner of a sport and not trying to emulate the NFL, you should be fired. Of course there are big differences. But parallels can drawn too. MLB is circling the drain and the latest $800MM contract with skyrocketing ticket prices, same teams every year in the playoffs and spotty TV access don’t help none. Game is slow, way too many strikeouts and basically, uninteresting. Baseball was easily my favorite sport when I was 10. No longer.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
so, after a little digging - found details on MLB.com -

Diamond Sports approached the Brewers about re-opening negotiations and improved their offer, leading to Tuesday’s deal.

(i.e. Diamond offered more money.)

and here's a quote from the Brewers' President of Business Operations:

“Long term, whether it's 2026 or thereafter, I do think MLB Media is the place where we're ultimately going to land, and I think that's going to be in the best interest of the fans and the teams and the league to get a model that provides for the widest possible distribution across the most number of platforms with the highest technology and the best economics for the league and the teams,” Schlesinger said.

Long term, I think we can achieve all the goals that our fans want in a completely new system that will include satellite, cable, streaming, potentially over the air — all the different platforms that fans want to see the game. So that's still very real. That's still part of the near future. But for 2025, we have pivoted to the FanDuel relationship.”

(i.e - this is a short-term deal - maybe only 1 year)
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I'm sure it's a one year deal. But what's true for Milwaukee is likely true for Minnesota. Plus the uncertainty of the ownership situation. And we've heard no further details since the original announcement and no talk of reaching distribution deals with Directv or Comcast etc. In all honesty it probably makes the most sense. At least a streaming option will exist.
 

howeda7 said:
I'm sure it's a one year deal. But what's true for Milwaukee is likely true for Minnesota. Plus the uncertainty of the ownership situation. And we've heard no further details since the original announcement and no talk of reaching distribution deals with Directv or Comcast etc. In all honesty it probably makes the most sense. At least a streaming option will exist.
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all comes down to $$. Diamond offered the Brewers more money to come back for another year.

are they willing to offer the Twins more money? remember, during the bankruptcy proceedings, the Twins had to petition the Judge to force Diamond to make the required payments to the team.

sure, if Diamond turned around and offered the Twins - let's say - $30 or $35-million for one year, they certainly might take it. I just think the odds of that are pretty low - and if you're thinking that going back to Diamond might mean a higher payroll, I wouldn't hold my breath on that, either.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
all comes down to $$. Diamond offered the Brewers more money to come back for another year.

are they willing to offer the Twins more money? remember, during the bankruptcy proceedings, the Twins had to petition the Judge to force Diamond to make the required payments to the team.

sure, if Diamond turned around and offered the Twins - let's say - $30 or $35-million for one year, they certainly might take it. I just think the odds of that are pretty low - and if you're thinking that going back to Diamond might mean a higher payroll, I wouldn't hold my breath on that, either.
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Diamond paid them approximately $42 million last year. I could easily see them offering $30 million this year. And since that's still likely much more than the Twins will make on their own, I can see the Twins taking it. Especially if there's an Amazon Prime option to get additional $$ from.

As for the payroll, last year they cut $25 million from payroll while only losing $12, million in TV revenue. That's why they can afford to hold it steady while tv revenue declines even more. Doesn't make their complete sitting out of the offseason any better for PR.
 

anything's possible.

I guess I would rather see the Twins 'cut the cord' and move into the new reality. going back to Diamond is just delaying the inevitable.

as far as the streaming on Amazon - that means signing up for Amazon Prime or Prime Video and then paying an additional fee for the baseball streaming - so as of now, no idea on how much that will cost. I think Prime Video is $9 a month as a stand-alone if you don't have Amazon Prime.

and I have no idea whether the teams would get additional revenue from Amazon.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
all comes down to $$. Diamond offered the Brewers more money to come back for another year.

are they willing to offer the Twins more money? remember, during the bankruptcy proceedings, the Twins had to petition the Judge to force Diamond to make the required payments to the team.

sure, if Diamond turned around and offered the Twins - let's say - $30 or $35-million for one year, they certainly might take it. I just think the odds of that are pretty low - and if you're thinking that going back to Diamond might mean a higher payroll, I wouldn't hold my breath on that, either.
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Better get payment up front and cash the check immediately if you're the Brewers. "Deadbeat Diamond" is not to be trusted.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
anything's possible.

I guess I would rather see the Twins 'cut the cord' and move into the new reality. going back to Diamond is just delaying the inevitable.

as far as the streaming on Amazon - that means signing up for Amazon Prime or Prime Video and then paying an additional fee for the baseball streaming - so as of now, no idea on how much that will cost. I think Prime Video is $9 a month as a stand-alone if you don't have Amazon Prime.

and I have no idea whether the teams would get additional revenue from Amazon.
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They have to keep distribution via Comcast /Directv for now. That's where 95% of their 2024 viewers watched the games. The Rockies and Diamondbacks did that presumably with MLBs help. If MLB isn't assisting now because there's too many teams and the Twins are unwilling or unable to do it themselves, they may not have much choice.

A lot more people have Prime than will ever sign up for the Twins stand alone streaming. Thursday night football #s show that. Whether they will pay extra to watch the Twins remains a question.
 

Hey - Twins news.......sort of. from the Strib:

The Twins agreed to a minor league deal with Mike Ford on Thursday and he will be invited to big-league camp. He’s played in 251 career games with six teams, and he finished last year in Japan after he was released by the Cincinnati Reds.

Ford, a 32-year-old lefty hitter, adds some depth to a camp competition that is led by Jose Miranda, who started 12 games at first base last year, and Edouard Julien, who made two career starts at the position. Ford batted .228 with 16 homers and 34 RBI in 83 games with the Seattle Mariners in 2023, but he hit .150 in 17 games with the Reds last year.

more Ford info-
*played college ball at Princeton - pitched and played 1B
*made MLB debut at age 26 with Yankees. has also been with Seattle, Angels, Reds, Braves and Giants. career OPS of .700 in MLB
*saw most MLB time with Seattle in 2023 - 83 games with 251 plate appearances.
*11 seasons in minors, including 7 at AAA. career OPS of .832 in minors.

in all honesty - looks like a "4A" player - puts up OK numbers in minors, but not in majors. so if Miranda &/or Julien bomb out at 1B, Ford is a warm body that can go out there. If I had to bet, he winds up at St. Paul or DFA.
 

Part of me feels sorry for Jeremy Zoll. Likely finally get the job you've coveted your entire life, and the only way you're allowed to put your stamp on the team is by subtracting salary.
But he's been working for these pukes for years, so he knew exactly what he was getting into.
 

Likely click bait, but could this be this Rain Man Redux? A fan can hope in early January; I could see Carlos waiving it, to be on a perennial playoff contender.

MLB Rumors: Yankees target three-time all-star in potential deal with Twins​


bolavip.com

MLB Rumors: Yankees target three-time all-star in potential deal with Twins

The New York Yankees are reportedly targeting a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Twins for a three-time All-Star this MLB offseason. Could this deal redefine their infield for 2025?
bolavip.com bolavip.com

The New York Yankees are reportedly targeting a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Twins for a three-time All-Star this MLB offseason. Could this deal redefine their infield for 2025?

The New York Yankees have made significant roster changes this MLBoffseason, adding seasoned veterans like Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt. However, the team’s efforts might not stop there, as they are reportedly interested in acquiring a talented infielder from the Minnesota Twins.

With Gleyber Torres departing andAnthony Rizzo entering free agency, the Yankees are actively reconfiguring their infield. While DJ LeMahieu remains an internal option, his recent injuries and declining performance raise doubts about his reliability. As a result, Yankees management is seriously exploring external solutions, with Carlos Correa emerging as a potential target.

NorthJersey.com analyst Pete Caldera, the Yankees might be willing to trade three of their top six prospects—George Lombard Jr., Chase Hampton, and Will Warren—to acquire Correa.

“Dealing with the disappointing Twins, the Yankees acquire Carlos Correa and install him at third base, in a trade that sends prospects George Lombard Jr., Chase Hampton and Will Warren to Minnesota,”Caldera suggested.

While acquiring Correa would come at a steep price, his potential impact could be transformative for the Yankees. With a .275 batting average and an impressive .310/.388/.517 offensive line in 2024, Correa’s performance highlights his ability to elevate any lineup in the MLB.
 

I see these "trade proposals" all the time. Some guy on a website or some blogger on "Twins Daily" or a similar site throws out some hypothetical trade and it gets reported as a legitimate proposal.

99% of the time it's just some guy throwing stuff at the wall.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I see these "trade proposals" all the time.
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Hence my first paragraph 😉

Likely click bait, but could this be this Rain Man Redux? A fan can hope in early January; I could see Carlos waiving it, to be on a perennial playoff contender.
short ornery norwegian said:
Some guy on a website or some blogger on "Twins Daily" or a similar site throws out some hypothetical trade and it gets reported as a legitimate proposal.
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Originated from a source in NJ FWIW, per my post -

NorthJersey.com analyst Pete Caldera, the Yankees might be willing to trade three of their top six prospects—George Lombard Jr., Chase Hampton, and Will Warren—to acquire Correa.
short ornery norwegian said:
99% of the time it's just some guy throwing stuff at the wall.
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👍
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I see these "trade proposals" all the time. Some guy on a website or some blogger on "Twins Daily" or a similar site throws out some hypothetical trade and it gets reported as a legitimate proposal.

99% of the time it's just some guy throwing stuff at the wall.
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And yet...I love to read them...ALL of them!!! 😉
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Hence my first paragraph 😉

Likely click bait, but could this be this Rain Man Redux? A fan can hope in early January; I could see Carlos waiving it, to be on a perennial playoff contender.

Originated from a source in NJ FWIW, per my post -

NorthJersey.com analyst Pete Caldera, the Yankees might be willing to trade three of their top six prospects—George Lombard Jr., Chase Hampton, and Will Warren—to acquire Correa.

👍
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Yankees prospects are usually the most overrated prospects in MiLB.

I wouldn't touch them with a 39 1/2 foot pole.
 

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