All Things 2024 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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take this for what it's worth - but I was listening to a podcast with Pat Reusse, and he said that "allegedly," the Twins have lost money for the last three seasons.

if that is accurate, it puts some of the payroll decisions in a different perspective.
 



Happy SIXTIETH birthday to Kevin Tapani.

Fun Fact: His high school didn't have a baseball team.

Funner Fact: He led the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins with a 6.8 WAR (as retroactively calculated by Baseball Reference).

twinsalmanac.com

Kevin Tapani – The Twins Almanac

Kevin Tapani won 75 games for the Twins between 1989 and 1995. He had double digit wins each of his five full seasons in Minnesota. Tapani had his best season as a Twin in 1991, going 16-9 with a 2.99 ERA.
twinsalmanac.com twinsalmanac.com
 


TRF Guy said:

twinsdaily.com

The Twins' Next Star Shortstop Could Be in Cedar Rapids This Summer

Many fans know the names of the top prospects in any organization. However, a team must develop lesser-known prospects into regulars at the big-league level. Here’s one Twins prospect who might have some surprising long-term value.
twinsdaily.com twinsdaily.com
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Thanks for posting, it was interesting to see how they handle the process with an under 18 year old who signs.

Also, odd to me that Jenkins wasn’t in his 100 Top Prospects
 

TRF Guy said:
Happy SIXTIETH birthday to Kevin Tapani.

Fun Fact: His high school didn't have a baseball team.

Funner Fact: He led the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins with a 6.8 WAR (as retroactively calculated by Baseball Reference).

twinsalmanac.com

Kevin Tapani – The Twins Almanac

Kevin Tapani won 75 games for the Twins between 1989 and 1995. He had double digit wins each of his five full seasons in Minnesota. Tapani had his best season as a Twin in 1991, going 16-9 with a 2.99 ERA.
twinsalmanac.com twinsalmanac.com
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Tapani was great, but that makes me question WAR.
 

howeda7 said:
Tapani was great, but that makes me question WAR.
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It makes sense if you look at the numbers. Tapani had a lower ERA and WHIP than any other starter on the team. Erickson gets remembered because he won 20 games. Morris gets remembered because of Game 7. But Tapani was the best pitcher during the regular season. He even pitched more innings per start than the other two.

www.baseball-reference.com

1991 Minnesota Twins Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com

Minnesota Twins latest stats and more including batting stats, pitching stats, team fielding totals and more on Baseball-Reference.com
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com
 




GophersInIowa said:
It makes sense if you look at the numbers. Tapani had a lower ERA and WHIP than any other starter on the team. Erickson gets remembered because he won 20 games. Morris gets remembered because of Game 7. But Tapani was the best pitcher during the regular season. He even pitched more innings per start than the other two.

www.baseball-reference.com

1991 Minnesota Twins Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com

Minnesota Twins latest stats and more including batting stats, pitching stats, team fielding totals and more on Baseball-Reference.com
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com
Click to expand...
I meant more in reference to it being higher than Puckett and Knoblach.
 

www.mlb.com

Twins Announce 2024 Spring Training Invites

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that 19 players on minor league contracts have been invited to major league spring training in 2024. Joining the Twins in Fort Myers, Florida will be nine pitchers: left-hander Jovani Moran; right-handers Jordan Balazovic, Matt...
www.mlb.com www.mlb.com

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that 19 players on minor league contracts have been invited to major league spring training in 2024.

Joining the Twins in Fort Myers, Florida will be nine pitchers: left-hander Jovani Moran; right-handers Jordan Balazovic, Matt Bowman, Jeff Brigham, Randy Dobnak, Daniel Duarte, David Festa, Ronny Henriquez and Ryan Jensen; four catchers: Alex Isola, Brian O’Keefe, Chris Williams and Pat Winkel; four infielders: Michael Helman, Brooks Lee, Anthony Prato and Aaron Sabato; one outfielder: DaShawn Keirsey Jr.; and one utility player: Niko Goodrum.

Of the 19 players invited to camp, nine have major league service time: Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota), Matt Bowman (Cincinnati, New York-AL and St. Louis), Jeff Brigham (Miami and New York-NL), Randy Dobnak(Minnesota), Daniel Duarte(Cincinnati), Niko Goodrum (Detroit, Houston and Minnesota), Ronny Henriquez (Minnesota), BrianO’Keefe (Seattle) and Jovani Moran(Minnesota).

--Twins Spring Training reporting and workout dates below--

Pitchers and catchers report:Tuesday, February 13

Pitchers and catchers first workout: Wednesday, February 14

Position players report: Saturday, February 17

Position players first workout: Sunday, February 18
 


Maybe a little off-track, but I read an interesting article on ESPN+ about potential MLB expansion.

It's a long article, but the gist of it comes down to this:

MLB was at 16 teams from 1901 to 1961. Expansion era began in '61. MLB went to 24 teams by 1969. added 2 more teams in '77, '93 and '98 to get to current total of 30.

MLB owners interviewed for article said (anonymously) that expansion to 32 teams in inevitable - the only question is when. Commissioner Manfred has said he will retire in 2029, and hopes to have two new cities chosen for expansion before he leaves office.

Most believe there will be one city in the East and one in the West. current perceived front-runners are Nashville and Salt Lake City.

and then the real question is realignment. MLB could add one team to each existing league, or go for more radical realignment based on geography. another question - two 8-team divisions in each league or four 4-team divisions.

lot of hurdles to clear before expansion, including a new CBA up for negotiation in 2026 - but the feeling is that MLB will go to 32 teams within the next decade.
 



short ornery norwegian said:
Maybe a little off-track, but I read an interesting article on ESPN+ about potential MLB expansion.

It's a long article, but the gist of it comes down to this:

MLB was at 16 teams from 1901 to 1961. Expansion era began in '61. MLB went to 24 teams by 1969. added 2 more teams in '77, '93 and '98 to get to current total of 30.

MLB owners interviewed for article said (anonymously) that expansion to 32 teams in inevitable - the only question is when. Commissioner Manfred has said he will retire in 2029, and hopes to have two new cities chosen for expansion before he leaves office.

Most believe there will be one city in the East and one in the West. current perceived front-runners are Nashville and Salt Lake City.

and then the real question is realignment. MLB could add one team to each existing league, or go for more radical realignment based on geography. another question - two 8-team divisions in each league or four 4-team divisions.

lot of hurdles to clear before expansion, including a new CBA up for negotiation in 2026 - but the feeling is that MLB will go to 32 teams within the next decade.
Click to expand...

My hunch is they go with 4 Divisions, 8 teams each. I also don't think they will necessarily stick with American & National League.

West Division - SD, LAD, Ana, Sea, Ariz, Col, LV & SLC
South Division - Tex, Hou, Nash, Atl, Cin, Atl, TB & Mia
North Division - KC, StL, Min, Mil, ChiC, ChiWS, Det & Cle
East Division - Tor, NYM, NYY, Bos, Pit, Phil, Balt & Wash
 

The Twins do not need to be the Ray's. God the Pohlad's are so tone deaf sometimes. Just cash in and sell the team then.

 

howeda7 said:
The Twins do not need to be the Ray's. God the Pohlad's are so tone deaf sometimes. Just cash in and sell the team then.

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I don't take any issue at all with the comments. It's not like they gutted the payroll. Allocating their resources wiser seems like a solid plan.

It's a business. They have been running a deficit for 3-4 years and had cost uncertainty with the Bally hubbub.

They can win with the in house talent with a good portion of it still not FA eligible.
 

Ope3 said:
I don't take any issue at all with the comments. It's not like they gutted the payroll. Allocating their resources wiser seems like a solid plan.

It's a business. They have been running a deficit for 3-4 years and had cost uncertainty with the Bally hubbub.

They can win with the in house talent with a good portion of it still not FA eligible.
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If it was just this year, maybe. The TV might go down further next year and this makes me think they see themselves on the Rays level, when they shouldn't be. This would be a lot less of a talking point if they just said nothing.
 

howeda7 said:
If it was just this year, maybe. The TV might go down further next year and this makes me think they see themselves on the Rays level, when they shouldn't be. This would be a lot less of a talking point if they just said nothing.
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I agree, probably fits the "better left unsaid" category.

Regardless, I will let their actions speak louder than Joe"s words with regards to their payroll. If they approach the Rays on that level (without their on field success), then I will complain.
 



It's not like the Pohlads have some huge room full of cash, like Scrooge McDuck.

according to various financial publications, the Pohlad family companies collectively own over 20 businesses including car dealerships, financial services firms, commercial real estate development, and a company that manufactures advanced engineering systems. Of course, they also own the Twins and Bill Pohlad's movie production company.

the point is - each business has its own budget, revenue and expenses. so if one business, like the Twins, runs a deficit, they can't just grab money from another business to cover the loss. Well, I suppose they could, but that would be very poor business practice.

Would a different owner be willing to lose money? Maybe - Forbes magazine estimates that the Mets lost $138-million in 2022.

but if anyone is thinking that some wacky rich person is going to swoop in, buy the Twins and be happy while losing money, well, don't hold your breath.
 

Ope3 said:
I don't take any issue at all with the comments. It's not like they gutted the payroll. Allocating their resources wiser seems like a solid plan.

It's a business. They have been running a deficit for 3-4 years and had cost uncertainty with the Bally hubbub.

They can win with the in house talent with a good portion of it still not FA eligible.
Click to expand...

Of course it's a business. They own the team.

However, to my knowledge none of their other businesses are conducted in a stadium that was partially funded by the public. And we, the public, do not buy tickets or pay for subscriptions to watch and cheer for their other businesses. We don't wear jerseys or caps to show our loyalty to and our affection for their other businesses.

The owners of major league sports teams love to have it both ways: they own the team, but they know that it is crucial to maintain the illusion that their team is our team as well.
 



RememberMurray said:
Of course it's a business. They own the team.

However, to my knowledge none of their other businesses are conducted in a stadium that was partially funded by the public. And we, the public, do not buy tickets or pay for subscriptions to watch and cheer for their other businesses. We don't wear jerseys or caps to show our loyalty to and our affection for their other businesses.

The owners of major league sports teams love to have it both ways: they own the team, but they know that it is crucial to maintain the illusion that their team is our team as well.
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This is a family that seriously considered contracting the team. There is no doubt, IMO, that they value the almighty dollar far more than the loyal fans who line their pockets.
 

Slim Tubby said:
This is a family that seriously considered contracting the team. There is no doubt, IMO, that they value the almighty dollar far more than the loyal fans who line their pockets.
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I mean, lets be honest, that's almost all owners of major pro sports.
 




Slim Tubby said:
True...but how many owners offer up their fans' franchise in exchange for a check? That's very hard to forget. I haven't forgotten.
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I think it was a bluff and just as much Bud Selig's conniving.

By 2001 when they broke out of the doldrums (stayed in the race for most of the season) I had largely forgotten it. By 2002 after they beat the A's, all was forgiven (in my book).
 

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