All Things 2025 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

Alright, call me a cock-eyed optimist (or Billy Mumphrey, for Seinfeld fans), but maybe the near future won't be awful?

-new owners (who won't be skinflints)
-a lineup built around Buxton, Keaschall, Lewis, Lee, Jeffers, Larnach/Wallner (perhaps)
-the emergence of homegrown prospects Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper
-a rotation that doesn't get traded off, led by Lopez and Ryan, with Ober, Matthews, Festa in the mix
-the emergence of Mick Abel, Taj Bradley, and Kendry Rojas either into the rotation or as bullpen pieces (and if they displace one of the aforementioned borderline starters, they get shifted to the bullpen)
-emergence of others such as Emmanuel Rodriguez, Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya, CJ Culpepper, Gabriel Gonzalez into capable MLB's sooner rather than later
-good health
-money put into the bullpen and a catcher (not resigning Vazquez) and a veteran bat or two

Damn, so much rests on those new owners. . .tempering hopes until the sale happens; again, hopefully sooner rather than later

Btw, I'm not anticipating contender status for '26, even in the best case scenario of all the young talent emerging and the roster staying relatively healthy, I'm thinking more '27. . .but if I recall, Ope's saying we could be looking at a lock-out that year. It wouldn't get more MN sports than that, would it? A young nucleus emerging, new owners ready to spend the money to push them in that direction, and. . .the season's truncated while Buxton, Lopez, and Ryan age deeper into their 30's.

Looking at the bullet points and the volatility of the AL Central, contending can come sooner, rather than later

 

[Ope3]

Looking at the bullet points and the volatility of the AL Central, contending can come sooner, rather than later

A huge domino in that aspect is Skubal with the Tigers and 1 year remaining before FA.

If Detroit owners pony up the dough AND Skubal accepts, they should be formidable with the pieces they have as well as can add.

Skubal is a Boras client though, so there's also a solid chance he's elsewhere.

 

[howeda7]

The key above all else is keeping Lopez and Ryan. If a new owner comes in and extends Ryan, then there's hope.

Trade off either/both of those pieces, key up Free Fallin'.

Ryan is a Boras client too so I don't like the odds of him signing an extension. They can certainly compete next year if the new owner is willing to spend $150 million or so. They need about $20 million to rebuild the bullpen and to get a middle of the order 1B.

 

[Ope3]

Ryan is a Boras client too so I don't like the odds of him signing an extension. They can certainly compete next year if the new owner is willing to spend $150 million or so. They need about $20 million to rebuild the bullpen and to get a middle of the order 1B.

Yeah, odds are Ryan is going to hit Free Agency, regardless of which franchise employs him when the time comes.