Twins 2024 Thread

mahtofire14 wrote:

the current Pohlad cheapskate scandal, is that now the media is finally torching them.

What scandal? And what media? Gleeman didn’t write about it that I could find.

There’s rumors the Twins might get penalized because of Joe Pohlad saying to much about our “cheap-gate” plans.

BigWerm wrote:

What scandal? And what media? Gleeman didn’t write about it that I could find.

I don’t want to speak for Mahto but I’m guessing he’s referring to the sequence of events where last fall the Twins said to not expect an increase in payroll spending, especially since they would not be receiving the revenue from a TV contract. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and Bally’s and the Twins agreed to a one-year deal, meaning the Twins will be receiving that revenue again. They were quick to say they wouldn’t be spenders because of the lack of TV revenue, but now that they’ve got it they haven’t said a word about using it.

Also, they were pretty specific last fall in feeling sorry for themselves and threw out the number of millions they’d (the Twins) be missing out on because of the lack of a TV deal. Now that one is in place, they refuse to say what the number is they’ll be getting.

And Mahto is correct, Gleeman has been absolutely ripping the Twins on their podcast.

Just google joe pohlad and there are tons of articles about what he said on WCCO.

He also mentioed no players are worth $30 million. Thats what the dustup is about.

That I didn’t see. Wow. Worst ownership group in all of pro sports.

Apparently its against the CBA to talk about other players yada yada yada.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Just google joe pohlad and there are tons of articles about what he said on WCCO.

Thanks! Joe is off to a great start, first the terrible uni’s last year, decreasing payroll after a playoff run, and now this. Maybe silver spooning billion dollar franchises from one generation to the next, isn’t the best idea…

Dan wrote:

That I didn’t see. Wow. Worst ownership group in all of pro sports.

Not even close.

Yeah, Joe isn’t off to a great start this year.

The Twins and Bally Sports North announced their broadcast team Wednesday, including the addition of former outfielder Denard Span as a game analyst. Span, who previously worked as an analyst with the Tampa Bay Rays, joins Justin Morneau, Roy Smalley, LaTroy Hawkins, Trevor Plouffe and Glen Perkins in the role working alongside lead play-by-play man Cory Provus. Morneau will continue to do the bulk of the team’s games with an increased role for Plouffe.

I must be getting old now that, with the exception of Smalley, I can remember all of those now-TV personalities in the lineup for the Twins. And it really doesn’t seem that long ago.

Glad Provus is still around, he’s a Uecker protege and does a good job. The rest are fine, not great.

Dan wrote:

I must be getting old now that, with the exception of Smalley, I can remember all of those now-TV personalities in the lineup for the Twins. And it really doesn’t seem that long ago.

Kind of like that they are switching it up throughout the season. Gets kind of stale with the same color guy day after day (a’la Bert 10 years ago) because let’s be honest, they only have so much insight to give.

I can’t stand Smalley and Perkins but the rest of them are good and Span will be really good. He is really well spoken and knows the game in and out. Hope he gets a good run with the team.

Side note, Chris Paddack threw two scoreless today starting the game against the Braves. Would be huge if he can put together a good year.

Anybody going to see Ohtani & the Dodgers when they come to town?

mahtofire14 wrote:

Side note, Chris Paddack threw two scoreless today starting the game against the Braves. Would be huge if he can put together a good year.

Still holding onto hope after that terrible trade eh?

You should be too. He’s looked like one of their best pitchers since he came back late last year. If he is healthy he is a very good pitcher.

Not to mention we really didn’t lose much in the trade. Rooker has been what everyone thought he’d be. 20 HR and 150 k’s a year. And Rogers was terrible his first year after us and has been a good reliever last year. Even if he was still pitching at a high level, it wouldn’t have helped the Twins as much as a good starting pitcher. Especially this season when on paper we have a top 3 bullpen in the entire MLB. I’d take a good starting pitcher for those two every day of the week. I think Paddack is going to be good this season.

Oh and DeSclafino is already having elbow pain…….

Dutchboy wrote:

Anybody going to see Ohtani & the Dodgers when they come to town?

I was asked to go but will be out of town Three rows up first base line, $35 tickets.

Buxton with a HR and a triple today! I’m not even going to say it…..

mahtofire14 wrote:

Buxton with a HR and a triple today! I’m not even going to say it…..

has he been playing center this spring like they were promising?

He has.

Story in the Athletic this morning about Chris Paddack.

The Division Series was over. The Houston Astros had defeated the Minnesota Twins, three games to one. And as the Astros packed up, preparing to leave Target Field, manager Dusty Baker approached his Twins counterpart, Rocco Baldelli, and said something to the effect of, “Man, Paddack.”

Baker wasn’t the only Astros person impressed by Twins right-hander Chris Paddack, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings in the series, including 2 1/3 in the finale. Paddack, after entering in the fourth inning of a game the Twins lost, 3-2, ended his outing in breathtaking fashion, striking out Yordan Alvarez swinging and Kyle Tucker looking, then retiring José Abreu on a foul pop.

“Everything was exploding out of his hand,” said Alex Bregman, who struck out twice against Paddack in the series.

“He was filthy. He was legit,” said Alex Cintrón, one of the Astros’ hitting coaches. “It was surprising, shocking how good he was, coming back from the surgery, coming out of the pen.”

Paddack, 28, was a starter in 65 of his 66 career appearances before undergoing his second major elbow reconstruction in May 2022. He returned for two relief outings at the end of last season before excelling in the playoffs. This season, he again will be a starter, helping fill a void created by the free-agent departures of Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda.

His comeback last season, topped off by pitching in his home state of Texas before 45 friends and family members in Game 1 of the DS, “That’s just stuff you can’t write up,” Paddack said. He did not pitch in the Twins’ wild-card series triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays. Against the Astros, he gained not only confidence, but also a fresh outlook.

“I never thought in a million years I’d be comfortable out there,” Paddack said. “Being a starter, we have our special routines, superstitions, brushing our teeth this way, doing bands that way. But coming out of the bullpen changed my career.”

Paddack was a revelation when he produced a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts as a rookie for the San Diego Padres in 2019. But he struggled to a combined 4.95 ERA in 2020 and ‘21, then was traded to the Twins with reliever Emilio Pagán as part of a five-player deal in which the Padres acquired reliever Taylor Rogers and outfielder Brent Rooker on the eve of Opening Day 2022.

“I fell in a hole, was searching a little bit the past couple of seasons,” Paddack said. “There was a lot going through my head. There was doubt in some games more than others. I started overanalyzing, started giving too much credit to hitters, forgetting what Chris Paddack does best.”

And in the bullpen?

“You have seven minutes to get ready. And you’re thrown to the wolves: ‘I want you to go get Alvarez out,’” Paddack said. “There’s no searching or saving pitches. You’ve got to throw your best stuff.”

The second time, Paddack was ready. Or at least as ready a pitcher rehabilitating from a major elbow reconstruction can be.

After making only five starts for the Twins in 2022, Paddack returned to Dr. Keith Meister, one of the sport’s leading orthopedic surgeons. Meister performed Tommy John surgery on Paddack in 2016. For the second repair, Meister used the hybrid procedure he pioneered, a Tommy John with an internal brace.

“I knew what to expect going into it,” Paddack said. “I wasn’t searching for answers. I didn’t let that doubt creep in.”

Paddack followed the same plan he did after his first surgery, spending the first five months of his rehabilitation near Arlington, Tex., Meister’s home base. He rented an Airbnb in Grapevine, where he stayed with his three hunting dogs (Paddack enjoys waterfowl hunting) and fourth “bro” dog. Every Friday, he met with Meister. The personal interaction, he said, reassured him.

Meister prefers when players choose to rehabilitate at his facility, saying it gives his team greater ability to govern their recoveries. Paddack, though, said he also needed to find a “happy place” outside the game. With weekends off, he resorted to two outlets — fishing and spending time with his family in Burnet, Tex., about a 3 1/2-hour drive away.

In January 2023, the Twins signed Paddack to a three-year, $12.5 million contract, knowing he would miss most of the season but gaining an extra year of club control in the process. That same month, Paddack shifted his rehabilitation to the team’s spring training complex in Fort Myers, where he remained until September. On Sundays, his day off, he would fish at Lake Okeechobee and other nearby lakes while watching the Twins play on his iPad.

“I started getting the itch,” Paddack said. “When September rolled around, I was like, ‘Man, it’s timing up.’ I was starting to count the days, texting some of my teammates saying, ‘Y’all keep doing your thing. My season is dependent on you guys.’”

Paddack’s goal was to return for September and possibly the playoffs. Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations, said the pitcher was on track to further accelerate his timetable. The team, thinking long-term with Paddack signed for two additional seasons, resisted that path. But Paddack kept pushing, “checking every box,” Falvey said, “and then some.”

Falvey kept asking the doctors, “Are we sure? Are we sure?” And the doctors kept telling him, “Everything’s in a great spot.” Paddack made three appearances on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the majors. In the Division Series, he so impressed Baker with his stuff and command, the now-retired manager wondered, “How did the Twins get him?”

Paddack’s initial goal accomplished, it was time for the next step.

“People forgot about me,” he recalled thinking, “I’m about to show them who I am again.”

Now for the cautionary part of the tale: As inspiring as Paddack’s recovery might prove, there’s no getting around it — his workload could become an issue.

Paddack threw only 22 1/3 innings before undergoing his second surgery in 2022 and only 18 1/3 last season, including his minor-league stint. The notion of him surpassing even his career-high of 140 2/3 innings in his first season back as a starter seems far-fetched. But the Twins do not seem inclined to impose limits.

“We’re not going to go out of our way to cut him short in any way,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He has a little bit of buildup — he’s been coming back a long time. Even though he didn’t throw that many major-league innings last year, I think he’s in a really good place to pitch close to a whole season.”

Falvey said the Twins will take a thoughtful approach with Paddack, steal an extra day of rest for him when possible, assess him month to month. The problem is, Paddack’s intense competitive streak is one of his trademarks. Even his surgeon, Meister, talks about the pitcher’s “fire in the belly.”

Paddack, though, knows restraint is in order.

“I know there are going to be times when I want the ball. ‘Gimme three more outs. Gimme 20 more pitches,’” Paddack said. “Rocco is not going to let that happen. He wants me to be ready to go in October. And I’ve accepted that.

“Being present in the moment is a goal of mine this year. Not jumping ahead. Not having an end goal of 160 innings. Realistically, there’s no way of getting there. I have to start at zero. Let’s get to that first start. Control what I can, the pitch at hand, being a good teammate. Then let’s see where we’re at in September.”

He made his second start of the spring Monday, allowing one run in four innings against an Atlanta Braves lineup that included a number of regulars, but not Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley. Still, Paddack hardly is a finished product. Besides adding a fourth pitch, a slider, to his fastball-changeup-curve arsenal, he is focused on what pitching coach Pete Maki calls “count awareness.”

The way the Twins see it, Paddack throws almost too many strikes. If he learns to selectively go out of the zone, particularly with two strikes, he could ascend to another level, Baldelli said.

Paddack, too, believes he is in position to take a step forward.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t put up that an ERA like I did in 2019. But I’m a better pitcher. I really do believe that,” he said. “I haven’t been more prepared or more excited about a major-league season.”

The Astros caught a glimpse of the new Paddack last October. If he turns his preparation into production, the rest of the league will get an eyeful.

I’m excited for Paddock and think he’s going to be good. But it might take a handful of starts for him to get back into a groove. We’ll see. They are going to need a couple starters to take big steps forward. Louie Varland might force their hand to put him into the rotation. He hasn’t given up a run in about 10 innings this spring.

In other news, Buxton made a nice diving catch in CF yesterday AND STAYED IN THE GAME! Brooks Lee is hitting .455 this spring, and just went deep for the first time a few minutes ago!

Duran & Thielbar on the IL to begin the season, sounds like Duran will likely miss all of April so that ain’t good. Sounds like Tommy John for Desclafani but probably not a big loss there. The lineup is definitely going to need to score runs this year!

slough wrote:

Duran & Thielbar on the IL to begin the season, sounds like Duran will likely miss all of April so that ain’t good. Sounds like Tommy John for Desclafani but probably not a big loss there. The lineup is definitely going to need to score runs this year!

Duran will be fine it’s not his arm or shoulder, same with Theilbar and DeSclafani having Tommy John would be a good thing because Varland has earned the 5th spot in the rotation anyway. And we barely paid anything for him. They have one of the best bullpens on paper as well. Much better than last years. They will be fine.

Yeah I dont like these early injuries either, but its hopefully something they can get past and those guys will be healthy the rest of the year.

Stewart and Jax should be able to fill in for Duran early on. Stewart was basically unhittable last season so it would be awesome to see that continue.

Thought this was some interesting info. I took my oldest and sat lower level left field line in the playoffs with snacks for under $100 last year. Doesn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for Twins season this year, which might be offseason/free agent or just snow related

https://athlonsports.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/inside-twins/news/report-twins-games-no-longer-among-the-cheapest-in-majors-to-attend

We have all the Central Division teams on the schedule early interspersed with the Brewers, Dodgers, and Orioles.

Be great to start strong … one can hope, right ??