All Things 2024-25 Minnesota Twins Off-Season Thread

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more info from the Strib:

Phoenix Suns part owner Justin Ishbia is considering buying the Twins from the Pohlad family, according to a Friday report from Bloomberg News.

Ishbia, a private equity billionaire, is the founder of the Chicago-based Shore Capital. In 2023, Ishbia’s brother, Mat, purchased the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for a record $4 billion. Ishbia is a minority owner in MLS’ Nashville Soccer Club, too.

Bloomberg reported Ishbia, 47, has met with people in Minnesota to learn more about the opportunity. Forbes estimated his net worth at $4.9 billion.

Ishbia grew up in Michigan before attending Michigan State, and he gifted the university $10 million in September for upgrades to the Spartans baseball facility and men’s basketball program. Michigan State’s baseball field will be renamed Jeff Ishbia Field in honor of his dad.
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on this topic: listed to a podcast with LaVelle E. Neal III - former Twins beat writer. He said he has been told that "a good deal of interest" has been expressed in the sale of the Twins, with multiple groups or individuals expressing interest, and people connected to the team are very positive about how the process is going. But, Neal added that the sale process will likely not be concluded until mid-2025 at the earliest and could run through the entire 2025 season.
 

howeda7 said:
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Tremendously exciting possibilities if it pans out. Limited by severe Apron restrictions it created for the Suns, the Beal trade was a unmitigated disaster, but the dude spends a ton of money on his investments.

It's time to trade for Vlad Guerrero!!! 😉
 

Slim Tubby said:
Tremendously exciting possibilities if it pans out. Limited by severe Apron restrictions it created for the Suns, the Beal trade was a unmitigated disaster, but the dude spends a ton of money on his investments.

It's time to trade for Vlad Guerrero!!! 😉
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We need to demand he switch NIL $$ from Michigan State to the U. Izzo doesn't need your $$ and loves Ben Johnson so it's OK....
 




Slim Tubby said:
Tremendously exciting possibilities if it pans out. Limited by severe Apron restrictions it created for the Suns, the Beal trade was a unmitigated disaster, but the dude spends a ton of money on his investments.

It's time to trade for Vlad Guerrero!!! 😉
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He’s retired 🥳
 



GophersInIowa said:
The Astros are one of the few larger market teams that has allowed guys to walk yet still remain successful. Correa, Cole, etc.
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Great farm system and know when to pull the trigger; maybe his replacement is ready, ala Jeremy Peña?
 




GophersInIowa said:
I didn't think they got a lot in return.
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that got me curious - so I found this write-up about the players going to Houston. Paredes is a infielder with some pop. and Smith looks like a solid prospect. the pitcher has been just so-so, but he's only 26 with just two full MLB season.

Paredes was acquired by the Cubs at the Trade Deadline last season, and he should be a good fit in Houston as an extreme pull hitter. In his brief stay in Chicago, he hit just .105 with a .317 OPS at Wrigley Field, while batting .333 (.911 OPS) on the road while in a Cubs uniform. (in '23 had 31HR & 98 RBI for Tampa Bay).

Wesneski was a Trade Deadline pickup for the Cubs in ‘22; he posted a 3.93 ERA in 68 appearances (22 starts) over the last three seasons. The Houston native dealt with a variety of injury setbacks in ‘24 while bouncing between the rotation and bullpen.

The Cubs selected the 21-year-old Smith with the 14th overall pick in the first round of last summer’s MLB Draft and he currently ranks No. 73 on Pipeline’s Top 100 list. In his first pro season, the third baseman hit .313 with seven homers, 24 RBIs and a 1.004 OPS in 32 games as he climbed from Single-A to Double-A in Chicago’s system.
 


After seven seasons with the Twins, Manitoba native Corey Koskie signed with the Blue Jays on this date in 2004.

He was one of the top-10 players in the American League in 2001.

Of course these days, the 51-year-old is back playing in Minnesota, delivering clutch home runs.
 



TRF Guy said:
After seven seasons with the Twins, Manitoba native Corey Koskie signed with the Blue Jays on this date in 2004.

He was one of the top-10 players in the American League in 2001.

Of course these days, the 51-year-old is back playing in Minnesota, delivering clutch home runs.
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For those that don't know...

 


short ornery norwegian said:
more info from the Strib:

Phoenix Suns part owner Justin Ishbia is considering buying the Twins from the Pohlad family, according to a Friday report from Bloomberg News.

Ishbia, a private equity billionaire, is the founder of the Chicago-based Shore Capital. In 2023, Ishbia’s brother, Mat, purchased the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for a record $4 billion. Ishbia is a minority owner in MLS’ Nashville Soccer Club, too.

Bloomberg reported Ishbia, 47, has met with people in Minnesota to learn more about the opportunity. Forbes estimated his net worth at $4.9 billion.

Ishbia grew up in Michigan before attending Michigan State, and he gifted the university $10 million in September for upgrades to the Spartans baseball facility and men’s basketball program. Michigan State’s baseball field will be renamed Jeff Ishbia Field in honor of his dad.
----------------------
on this topic: listed to a podcast with LaVelle E. Neal III - former Twins beat writer. He said he has been told that "a good deal of interest" has been expressed in the sale of the Twins, with multiple groups or individuals expressing interest, and people connected to the team are very positive about how the process is going. But, Neal added that the sale process will likely not be concluded until mid-2025 at the earliest and could run through the entire 2025 season.
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Found these snippets about the upcoming sale interesting -

Earlier this year, Forbes and Sportico estimated the Twins to be worth $1.46 billion and $1.7 billion, respectively. The most recent Major League Baseball team to sell is the Baltimore Orioles, who fetched $1.725 billion in March.


One online comment stated the following -

Suns literally pay more in luxury tax than the current entire Twins payroll.
 


The Twins released David Ortiz on this date in 2002. Oopsy daisy!

He would finish top-5 in MVP balloting each of the next five seasons, averaging .302 with 42 home runs, 41 doubles, and 128 RBI per year over that stretch.

He retired with 541 home runs.
 

TRF Guy said:
The Twins released David Ortiz on this date in 2002. Oopsy daisy!

He would finish top-5 in MVP balloting each of the next five seasons, averaging .302 with 42 home runs, 41 doubles, and 128 RBI per year over that stretch.

He retired with 541 home runs.
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let's tell the whole story.

during his time with the Twins, Ortiz missed a lot of time with injuries - broken wrist in 1998; broken wrist in 2001; knee issues in 2002. He was not a good defensive player at 1st base; and there were concerns that he was not always in the best shape.

in parts of 6 seasons with the Twins, his total combined WAR was 2.6. His best season with the Twins was 2002. in 125 gms, hit 20 HR with 75 RBI, and an OPS of .839.

before they released Ortiz, the Twins tried to trade him. No takers. None. He was released on Dec. 16. any team in baseball could have picked him up and he sat there for a month with no interest. On January 22, the Red Sox signed him to a non-guaranteed free-agent contract worth $1.25-million if he made the team. and Ortiz was not an immediate star with the Sox - did not move into the regular lineup until June.

the Twins did not release an MVP-level player. to his credit, at Boston Ortiz was able to stay healthy and became very productive. but again, any team in baseball could have picked him up, and he wound up in Boston mainly because his buddy Pedro Martinez went to the Sox and lobbied for Ortiz.

as to what changed - well, I leave that to your imagination. but it was reported that Ortiz tested postive for PED's in 2003. the results of the test were supposed to be secret but it was leaked to the media.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
let's tell the whole story.

during his time with the Twins, Ortiz missed a lot of time with injuries - broken wrist in 1998; broken wrist in 2001; knee issues in 2002. He was not a good defensive player at 1st base; and there were concerns that he was not always in the best shape.

in parts of 6 seasons with the Twins, his total combined WAR was 2.6. His best season with the Twins was 2002. in 125 gms, hit 20 HR with 75 RBI, and an OPS of .839.

before they released Ortiz, the Twins tried to trade him. No takers. None. He was released on Dec. 16. any team in baseball could have picked him up and he sat there for a month with no interest. On January 22, the Red Sox signed him to a non-guaranteed free-agent contract worth $1.25-million if he made the team. and Ortiz was not an immediate star with the Sox - did not move into the regular lineup until June.

the Twins did not release an MVP-level player. to his credit, at Boston Ortiz was able to stay healthy and became very productive. but again, any team in baseball could have picked him up, and he wound up in Boston mainly because his buddy Pedro Martinez went to the Sox and lobbied for Ortiz.

as to what changed - well, I leave that to your imagination. but it was reported that Ortiz tested postive for PED's in 2003. the results of the test were supposed to be secret but it was leaked to the media.
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In addition, the Twins traded Dave Hollins to Seattle in 1996 for a player to be named later. That player ended up being David Ortiz.
 


BetMGM released early AL Central betting lines.

Division title odds:
+210 — Guardians
+240 — Twins
+290 — Tigers
+325 — Royals
+25000 — White Sox

Over/under wins:
83.5 — Guardians
83.5 — Twins
83.5 — Tigers
82.5 — Royals
49.5 — White Sox

Never seen an over/under below 50 wins.

Aaron Gleeman (@aarongleeman.bsky.social)

BetMGM released early AL Central betting lines. Division title odds: +210 — Guardians +240 — Twins +290 — Tigers +325 — Royals +25000 — White Sox Over/under wins: 83.5 — Guardians 83.5 — Twins 83.5 — Tigers 82.5 — Royals 49.5 — White Sox Never seen an over/under below 50 wins.
bsky.app bsky.app
 

gophersfan said:
Minnesota Vikings/Philadelphia Eagles SOV. Minnesota better hope the Eagles lose one of last 3 games. becuase i have done a lot of stuffs on ESPN NFL playoffs machine and most get the Eagles the 1 seed.
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Wrong thread bro

Also ESPN gave us a 98% chance of winning the #1 seed if we win out, regardless of whether results of any other team. This was repeated multiple times on different programs on thst network as well.

Maybe this is an operator error situation 🤷‍♂️
 



you look at Max and you see the talent. but for whatever reason, he just has not been able to produce consistent results. 2019 with the juiced-up baseball seems more like an outlier. only 2 seasons out of 10 with an OPS above .800.

when I saw him come up from the minors, I looked at that swing and though he was going to be the type of guy who would hit .275 with 20+ HR and 80+ RBI every season. but it just hasn't happened. still a really good fielder.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
you look at Max and you see the talent. but for whatever reason, he just has not been able to produce consistent results. 2019 with the juiced-up baseball seems more like an outlier. only 2 seasons out of 10 with an OPS above .800.

when I saw him come up from the minors, I looked at that swing and though he was going to be the type of guy who would hit .275 with 20+ HR and 80+ RBI every season.
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Me 2.
short ornery norwegian said:
but it just hasn't happened. still a really good fielder.
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Reusse, FWIW, said that Max likes to spend his off-seasons in Malibu dating models and isn’t dedicated to his craft. He said most baseball players who are good/great the love the game and Max wasn’t one of those.

A remarkable athlete, who was able to get by on those natural gifts and not continually working in the off-seasons?
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Me 2.

Reusse, FWIW, said that Max likes to spend his off-seasons in Malibu dating models and isn’t dedicated to his craft. He said most baseball players who are good/great the love the game and Max wasn’t one of those.

A remarkable athlete, who was able to get by on those natural gifts and not continually working in the off-seasons?
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You can see it. He doesn't really like baseball, he just happens to be good at it. Ralph Sampson III was the most stark local example of this I can recall.
 
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Gopher_In_NYC said:
Me 2.

Reusse, FWIW, said that Max likes to spend his off-seasons in Malibu dating models and isn’t dedicated to his craft. He said most baseball players who are good/great the love the game and Max wasn’t one of those.

A remarkable athlete, who was able to get by on those natural gifts and not continually working in the off-seasons?
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I too know what it's like to be really good at something I don't love. My wife tells me all the time how good I am at washing the dishes so guess who does them all the time.
 

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