News Twins Team Notes

[Minnesota Twins]

Rival Roundup, Vol. 71: The Ball is Literally in Court

As we sit in that fun little zone between Halloween and the rest of the holiday season, so too does the Major League Baseball offseason schedule sit between the fervor of Game 7, and the gate-opening pandemonium of Genuine Transactions. We’re almost there, and with the GM Meetings this week and the more-famous Winter Meetings not too far behind, it shouldn’t be long before we learn a detail or two about what the division will look like in 2026.

Until then, we have a little more housekeeping to detail with — this year, that’s a nice mix between the usual BBWAA announcements, and the slightly-more-unusual federal arraignments.

Enjoy!

• One of the biggest and wildest stories of the offseason has already come crashing into view, with the arraignment and subsequent arrest of Emmanuel Clase and his teammate Luis Ortiz on pitch-fixing gambling charges for which they have been federally indicted. Clase has pleaded not guilty and was released on $600,000 bail, but it’s only the beginning.
• The major awards are in full swing, and for the second consecutive year, Tarik Skubal is the class of the pitching crop in the American League. It’s a golden era for repeat winners of major awards, apparently; as the MVPs in both leagues locked themselves in for another round, so too does Skubal take home the first set of consecutive Cy Youngs since Jacob DeGrom won in the 2018/2019 seasons. To find the last American League pitcher to match Skubal’s accomplishment, you have to go all the way back to Pedro Martinez at the turn of the century.
• Skubal also joins Denny McLain as the only Tiger to win more than one Cy.
• All this, of course, comes as the trade vultures have been swirling around Skubal ever since his team was bumped from the 2025 postseason. The current understanding is that Skubal won’t be dealt this winter, but with his free agency looming large next offseason, whether he’s on the Tigers for the entirety of 2026 will depend upon just how deeply Detroit is in the mix.
• Also on the repeat train is Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt, who wins Manager of the Year for a second straight campaign, becoming just the second AL manager to do so (Kevin Cash, 2020/2021.) His NL counterpart, Pat Murphy, also took home his second such award in as many years, prompting one to wonder whether the entire BBWAA just said, “double it and give it to the next guy,” and then didn’t realize it was actually the same guy.
• The Royals are bringing on a familiar mid-2000s name as a hitting coach.

News: The #Royals are hiring Marcus Thames as a hitting coach, according to sources. Thames is a former big leaguer who has also coached for several organizations, including NYY, MIA, LAA, and most recently, CWS. He joins the KC staff alongside Connor Dawson.

— Anne Rogers (@annerogers.bsky.social) 2025-11-10T19:51:33.323Z

• Thames has now coached for the Royals and White Sox, while also having played for the Tigers for the majority of his career. He just can’t quit the Midwest, and you know what? I don’t blame him.
• In a somewhat more reasonable “will he be traded” scenario, Athletic writer Will Sammon breaks down whether KC starter Kris Bubic will be snatched up over the winter.
• Finally, Royals Review breaks down the availability of trade target Brendan Donovan.

Next week, assuming the Gregorian calendar doesn’t change too drastically, we’ll have tidbits on 40-man roster protections and notable non-tenders. If that’s the kind of thing that keeps your vessel buoyant, then don’t touch that dial. Leave this tab open for one week. Don’t go to any other websites.

See you then!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50058/rival-roundup-vol-71-the-ball-is-literally-in-court

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 4)

Results​

• R1: Jack Morris 1991 Game 7 Shutout
• R2: Kirby Puckett 1991 Game 6 Dominance
• R3: First World Series championship in 1987

Unless one counts the Minneapolis Lakers of 1940s/50s NBA, no professional sporting unit had won a championship until Gary Gaetti tossed the horsehide to Kent Hrbek and put the 1987 World Series on ice.

As we’ve already seen, the ‘91 Fall Classic may have had more drama. But the ‘87 squad will forever live in the hearts of those who were along for the ride.

The newbie: Mudcat stars on the biggest stage.

Welcome home AL champs (1987)​

• After defeating the Detroit Tigers to claim American League superiority in ‘87, MN returned to the Twin Cities to a full Metrodome crowd. Not for Game 1 of the subsequent World Series—but for a “welcome home” rally. Yes, that’s right—Twins fans turned out in force simply to show (and vocalize) their appreciation for the first AL champion Twins squad since 1965.

Game 163 (2009)​

• For a certain cohort of Twins fans, this is the single greatest game in franchise history. Orlando Cabrera’s HR—Joe Nathan’s double play—Metrodome magic—clutch Casilla. This bonus baseball contest to clinch the AL Central had it all.

Last Day Division Title (2006)​

• On 8/6/06, the Twins were 10.5 GB the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central top spot. Going into Game 162? Tied with the striped cats. After the Twins polished off the Chicago White Sox on the season’s final day, the entire Metrodome crowd stuck around to watch the Tigers lose to the Kansas City Royals on the Jumbotron scoreboard—triggering a celebration as massive as it was unlikely for the Smell ‘Em & Piranha Crew.

Killer Crushes #500 (1971)​

• On August 10, 1971, Minnesota masher Harmon Killebrew took Mike Cuellar deep in the 1st inning at Metropolitan Stadium. That home run gained Harm admittance into the 500 Home Run Club—only the 10th occupant of that roundtable at the time. The clout cemented The Killer as an all-time slugger.

Mudcat’s World Series Must-Win (1965)​

• In 1965, the Twins appeared in their first World Series. Things were looking great—two wins at Metropolitan Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers—until the series shifted to Chavez Ravine where the Twins could not record a victory. So, Game 6 was a must-win back at The Met and The Mudcat (Jim Grant) was more than up to the task. Not only did he pitch a full 9 innings of one-run ball, but he pulled a Shohei Ohtani and homered in the 6th to put the game on ice and ensure another day of baseball in ‘65.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...w-500-home-run-1965-world-series-mudcat-grant

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins Acquire Eric Orze from Rays; Add Connor Prielipp, 5 Other Prospects to 40-Man Roster

With it being Rule 5 protection day, there was a flurry of minor moves around MLB and the Twins got involved as well. Reliever Eric Orze, a casualty of the Tampa Bay Rays’ roster crunch, was acquired for minor league pitcher Jacob Kisting. Addtionally, the Twins protected a slew of their own prospects from the Rule 5 draft, adding LHP Connor Prielipp, OF Gabriel Gonzalez, LHP Kendry Rojas, RHP Andrew Morris, OF/1B Hendry Mendez, and RHP John Klein to the 40-man roster. The roster is now full at 40 players, though their will be plenty of moves to come as we get into the offseason.

Orze, 28, was solid for Tampa Bay last season, throwing 41.2 innings with a 3.02 ERA/3.46 FIP and a decent 22.5% strikeout rate and a bad 10.7% walk rate. For Orze to be an effective big leaguer, he’ll need to reign in his walks even more, but he also has a splitter that ranks among the league’s best. There’s plenty to like here if Pete Maki and the Twins’ staff can keep him in the zone more often. The Twins sent 22-year-old Jacob Kisting to the Rays, who threw 72 innings between Low and High A since being drafted in the 14th round in 2024.

Now the prospects. First up is Prielipp, either the top or second-best pitcher in the Twins’ system depending on which outlet you refer to. The former second-round pick has all the tools to be a dominant MLB pitcher for years; the only thing holding him back is his health. Two elbow surgeries have limited him to just 112 total innings since being drafted in 2022, but has arguably the best slider in the minors while after holding a mid-90s fastball. Prielipp’s immediate path to success might be in the bullpen where his inning totals can be more easily managed, which Derek Falvey has already insinuated could happen as soon as next year, but should get a chance to move back to the rotation after he builds up his workload.

Rojas, 22, was acquired from the Blue Jays along with Alan Roden in the much-maligned Louie Varland trade. Rojas has a similar profile to Prielipp, but was largely ineffective after reaching AAA for the first time last season. In 32.1 AAA innings, Rojas had an unsightly 7.24 ERA and walked 7 batters per 9 innings, but also mixed in a good amount of strikeouts. Walks haven’t been a major issue for Rojas in the past, so the Twins are betting on the talent to win out. Either way, they couldn’t risk losing him mere months after acquiring him in the first place, so he gets his 40-man spot with a chance to contribute as soon as next year if he temporarily moves to the bullpen. Rojas is the Twins #5 prospect via MLB Pipeline.

Andrew Morris (#19 prospect) is the latest Derek Falvey special: a mid-round college arm who the Twins help add velocity and become a decent prospect. Morris had his first full season at AAA in 2025 and was fairly effective with a 4.09 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 93 innings for St. Paul. Morris likely would have been called upon for a few starts after the trade deadline, but he missed a good chunk in the middle of the season due to arm issues. He returned to make 8 effective starts over the final two months of the season and should make his Twins debut at some point in 2026.

We’ll wrap up the pitching prospects with John Klein, the wild card of the group. Klein is a local kid from Brooklyn Park who signed with the Twins as a UDFA in 2022 out of Iowa Central Community College and is not ranked at any major prospect outlet. However, Klein had a breakout 2025, throwing 103 innings between AA and AAA with a 3.98 ERA/3.25 FIP with a 27.6% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate. His relative anonymity meant there was a chance he could sneak through the Rule 5 process, but the flashy strikeout numbers and proven ability to pitch out of the ‘pen would have made him an easy draft-and-stash target for non-contending teams.

On the offensive side, the Twins added a few notable bats, starting with outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez (#9 prospect). Gonzalez was a Top 100 prospect when he landed in Minnesota via the Jorge Polanco trade, but struggled with a back injury throughout 2024 and deservedly fell out of favor after a lost season with a .707 OPS at High A. He majorly bounced back in 2025, forcing himself up three minor league levels in a single season and combining to put up a .329/.395/.513 (.908 OPS) batting line between High A, AA, and AAA. Gonzalez has a similar long-term profile to recent Twins prospect Luke Keaschall. He makes a ton of contact and is very disciplined at the plate, but has a limited ceiling due to questions about his power and defense. However, as a right-handed bat who had a 1.022 OPS against lefties in 2025, he should get plenty of opportunities on a Twins team full of left-handed corner outfielders in need of platoon partners.

Finally, we have Hendry Mendez (#25 prospect), the big-bodied outfielder who the Twins acquired for Harrison Bader at the trade deadline. Mendez is a bat-first (potentially bat-only) prospect who currently is a corner outfielder, but will likely move to first base in the near future as the Twins started having him do work there after picking him up. Mendez also takes a contact-oriented, disciplined approach at the plate. However, unlike Keaschall or Gonzalez, Mendez has the body to tap into plenty of raw power if the Twins can help him get to it. He put up an incredible .324/.461/.450 batting line for AA Wichita, with more walks on the season than strikeouts (65/67 K/BB in 118 games). The hope for the Twins is they can get him to let loose a little more often with his swing. In a rare case for a prospect, more strikeouts might actually be a good thing for Mendez’s long-term development given his lack of ability in other areas of the game. Most importantly, this means the Twins have both a Hendry and a Kendry now on the roster.

Notable prospects left exposed to the Rule 5 Draft include RHP CJ Culpepper (#17 prospect), RHP Jose Olivares (#24 prospect), C/OF Ricardo Olivar (#26 prospect), OF Kala’i Rosario (#29 prospect), IF Danny De Andrade (#30 prospect), RHP Cory Lewis, and 2025 minor league breakout star Kyle Fedko. Of that group, Olivares probably has the highest ceiling and could be stashed at the end of a bullpen, but he also has never pitched above High A. The Rule 5 Draft will take place on December 10 in Orlando as part of the Winter Meetings.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...r-prielipp-5-other-prospects-to-40-man-roster

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Starting today, comments and Feed posts on Twinkie Town will have activity notifications

When you post on SB Nation, we don’t want you to miss all the conversations and responses that follow.

So starting today, whenever a user replies to your comment or to your post on the Feed, you’ll see a notification at the top right corner of the page.

And of course, this means that when you engage with other community members, they’ll get an alert too.

Our goal is to create more and better conversations on Twinkie Town and elsewhere across the SB Nation network. Anytime someone engages with your comments or Feed posts on another SB Nation community, you’ll see it in your notifications.

For instance, here’s what your notifications might look like on sbnation.com if you were getting replies across Arrowhead Pride, MMA Fighting, and sbnation.com. You will see the same expandable stack of notifications on any site in the network where you were logged in.

If you want to dig into more of how this will work across the network and what’s next, head over to this post on sbnation.com from SB Nation’s Head of Product Ed Clinton.

You can log in or sign up here. Logged in users get fewer ads along with the ability to join the conversation.Jump into the comment section below or post on The Feed to see notifications in action.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...twinkie-town-will-have-activity-notifications

 

[Minnesota Twins]

North Star Stature Showdown, Game 5: Knoblauch party

Before the Yankees and Dome Dog Night, there was a scrappy Rookie of the Year second baseman. | RVR Photos / Imagn Images

Neither Chuck Knoblauch nor Jackie Collum had any intent of letting the North Star Stature Showdown end at five games.

Knoblauch’s five hits matched the number Collum allowed to the Tales, and the Stories walloped their higher-headed counterparts 9-1 to keep the Showdown going.

While Collum burned through the Tales, the Stories opened the gates against Michael Pineda for five in the third, sending nine men to the plate and hammering five doubles (four consecutive). They added a pair in the second, the key hit Cesar Tovar’s triple, and finally knocked out Pineda with a single run in the fifth.

The Tales got their only run in the bottom of the fifth, Terry Jorgensen singling in Mike Poepping, but the Stories matched it when Knoblauch cracked a solo home run.

Although the Stories could do little against Aaron Slegers, who pitched 4.1 innings with Knoblauch’s homer the only blemish, the Tales were muted by Collum (seven innings, five hits, one run) and reliever Francisco Oliveras (two innings, one hit, no runs).

The last time the Stories narrowed the game to one game, they got trounced. They’ll hope the situation does not repeat in a matchup of starters, Lee Stange and Mike Smithson, from the high-scoring Game 2.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...chuck-knoblauch-party-five-hits-jackie-collum

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins Tender Contracts to All Remaining Arbitration-Eligible Players

After jettisoning Michael Tonkin and Genesis Cabrera and coming to terms with reliever Justin Topa earlier today, the Twins have reportedly tendered contracts to all of their remaining arbitration-eligible players. That group includes C Ryan Jeffers, RHP Bailey Ober, RHP Joe Ryan, OF/DH Trevor Larnach, 3B Royce Lewis, RHP Cole Sands, and the recently acquired C Alex Jackson.

The only surprise in that group is Larnach. MLB Trade Rumors projects Larnach to earn around $4.7M in arbitration for 2026, which is not that much in the grand scheme of things. However, Larnach is essentially a league average bat who is already limited to DH at 28-years-old. He started in the field in only 53 of his 142 games in 2025 and put up league-average offensive numbers for the season. Unlike in 2024, none of his pitch-level metrics paint him as someone likely to improve either. Larnach could still be traded to another team, but a team still reportedly trying to compete in 2026 can’t afford to pay nearly $5M for a DH who isn’t a particularly good hitter. This could signal that Derek Falvey has a larger budget than expected to work with, but we all know to expect the worst from the Pohlads at this point.

Additionally, the Twins have three top prospects in Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Gabriel Gonzalez who should all debut at some point next season. Put that together with the current outfield crop of Buxton, Wallner, Roden, Outman, and Martin and… well I simply don’t see a reason Trevor Larnach is still a Twin. He could absolutely make a leap over the offseason and prove me wrong, but Larnach’s at the point of his career where he’s likely plateauing. As is becoming increasingly common with Derek Falvey and his baseball ops team, this is bad process that likely precedes bad results.

I reserve my right to retract that last sentence if Falvey turns out to have a bigger budget than expected. Time will tell.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...to-all-remaining-arbitration-eligible-players

 

[Minnesota Twins]

TwinkieTown Movie Night: Angels in the Outfield (1951)

Here’s the Internet Archive link for tonight’s movie. Hit “play” at 7:30, and make jokes/comments as we go along!

Paul Douglas (not the meteorologist) plays Billy Martin a mean cranky manager who berates and cusses out his players a lot. Janet Leigh is the reporter who challenges him to be a little bit of a nicer guy. And, with the assistance of some theologically-dubious baseball angels, Douglas is gonna give it a try. With Keenan Wynn (Requiem for a Heavyweight); directed by Clarence Brown.

Brown was generally a director of lighthearted comedies (like this) and sensitive, emotionally-compelling dramas; the “kid loves animal” classics The Yearling and National Velvet were both directed by Brown. He also did Intruder in the Dust, based on a William Faulkner novel, about a proud southern Black man who refuses to grovel to White folks, even if it risks his life. Brown retired from filmaking after 1952, and refused to watch any new movie for the rest of his life (which lasted until 1987); he said if he watched any new movies, he might be tempted to un-retire. (By then he was rich from real estate.)

Paul Douglas usually played tough guys or meanies. He was originally cast in “Casey in the Bat,” a Twilight Zone episode about a baseball team that gets the world’s first human-looking robot pitcher; but by then Douglas was very sick from a heart condition. (The crew thought he was hungover; nope, he was dying. His scenes were re-shot with Jack Warden.) And after his death he was replaced by Fred MacMurray for the meanie role in The Apartment.

Janet Leigh would, of course, be most famous for her part in Psycho, but she could actually act, too; she’s quite good in The Manchurian Cadidate. She dialed back on taking roles in the mid-60s to spend more time with her kids. One of those kids is pretty good at acting, herself — Jamie Lee Curtis. (Janet Leigh was married to actor Tony Curtis for awhile.) Incidentally, after seeing Psycho, even Janet Leigh was scared of showers. So, in a small tribute to that…

NSFW (language), but the language is no worse than last week’s movie or next week’s.

Meanwhile, if you didn’t see the caption, the poster art up top is swiped from an INCREDIBLE website called “The Green Weenie” (I don’t know why it’s called that.) Thousands of words about Pittsburgh Pirates history, every day! All by Ron Ieraci. Check it out!

(Why does a Pirates history website mention this movie? Because singer Bing Crosby makes a short appearance in the film. Crosby owned 25% of the Pirates.)

Here again is the Internet Archive link for tonight’s movie. Show starts at 7:30!

Here’s the upcoming schedule:

November 28: Bull Durham (1987)

About a experienced catcher and experienced groupie who teach a young pitcher a thing or two. Written/directed by Ron Shelton, no relation to Twins manager Derek Shelton… but Ron DID play on a team with Derek’s dad. Free on Plex, Pluto, Roku, and Tubi (with commercials, probably how I’ll watch it). It’s on the free library streamer Kanopy, and on library DVD (no commercials on those).

December 5: A League of Their Own (1992)

If we keep this going, I wanna mix in a “somewhat based on true story” movie every now and then. (It’s Hollywood, you know they never make it strictly factual.) Oddly, I’ve never seen this one. (Because Madonna’s in it, is probably why.) Free on Pluto.

December 12: Major League (1989)

Yes, Charlie Sheen is a jackass, and Wesley Snipes had some stupid ideas about paying taxes. But Rene Russo is cool. Plus Bob Uecker! A team’s crummy owner wants them to lose, and the players fight back by winning. I wish! Free on Pluto.

December 19: Damn Yankees (1955)

A long-suffering Senators fan gets an offer to magically turn into a star player and save the team; but, when you make a bargain with Mr. Applegate, the devil’s in the details. Free on Fawesome, Pluto, and Tubi.

I’ve got some good ideas for future ones if we do this more, and all movie suggestions are absolutely welcome & wanted!

But, until then, pop your popcorn, and let’s start the show at 7:30!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/book-club/50102/twinkietown-movie-night-angels-in-the-outfield-1951

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Roster Moves: Alex Jackson Acquired, Topa Signed, Keirsey DFA’d

According to Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune, the Twins acquired catcher Alex Jackson from the Orioles for AAA shortstop Payton Eeles. OF DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Additionally, they agreed to terms with reliever Justin Topa for the 2026 season

Jackson, 29, is a former top 100 prospect for the Seattle Mariners, ranking as high as 20th in Baseball America’s rankings in 2015. He lost most of his prospect shine after putting up a combined .670 OPS in two seasons in Low A and has spent the rest of his career bouncing around organizations as a defensive-minded backup.

The former Oriole spent most of the 2025 season as the backup catcher for the Yankees’ AAA team where he put up a league average 101 wRC+ in 44 games. He made his way to Baltimore for the final few weeks of the season after injuries to Adley Rutschman and Gary Sanchez left them without a catcher. Jackson enjoyed a mini breakout as an Oriole, putting up a 111 wRC+ while accumulating 1.1 fWAR in just 37 games and 100 plate appearances.

That offensive production was carried heavily by the five homers he hit in his limited playing time, and his ghastly 37% strikeout rate makes Matt Wallner look like a contact hitter by comparison, but Jackson’s real value will come on the defensive end where his framing, pop time, and caught-stealing metrics all rank well above league average. With Ryan Jeffers in line to receive the lion’s share of playing time behind the dish, Jackson slots in as a good defensive option behind him with a bit more juice in the bat than Christian Vazquez provided. In the meantime, the Twins can keep working with Mickey Gasper and Jhonny Pereda at AAA to develop their work behind home plate.

In return, the Twins sent AAA infielder Payton Eeles to Baltimore. The 26-year-old was signed out of Indy ball in May 2024, alongside current Twin Carson McCusker, and exploded onto the scene after originally intending to just be a depth option. Eeles found himself thrust into AAA after injuries to Brooks Lee and others left the Twins without someone able to man short in St. Paul, and he simply never let go of the job, putting up a 141 wRC+ in 64 games after mere weeks in affiliated ball. 2025 was a different story as the 5’5” infielder struggled to show any semblance of the power he displayed in his 2024 breakout. Between his struggles and plenty of top prospects like Kaelen Culpepper above him in the organizational hierarchy, Eeles became expendable.

To make room for Jackson on the 40-man roster, the Twins designated outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. for assignment. Keirsey is an organizational stalwart for the Twins, but has been used sparingly when on the big league roster. He received just 88 plate appearances in 74 games for the Twins last season despite being on the active roster for over 75% of the season. Should Keirsey clear waivers, the Twins would likely want to keep him around as AAA depth, but with three top outfield prospects on the brink of their debuts (Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, Gabriel Gonzalez) and a glut of MLB options already on the roster (Buxton, Wallner, Larnach, Roden, Martin, Outman), the path for him to return to the Twins is slim.

Finally, Justin Topa is the first Twins arbitration-eligible player to officially agree to a contract for the 2026 season, coming to terms on a one year, $1.225M pact. Combined with his previously declined $2M option buyout of $225K, that will bring Topa’s total 2026 earnings to $1.45M.

The Derek Falvey-led Twins traditionally don’t like to go to court with their arbitration players, so expect more agreements to be announced ahead of tonight’s 5 PM ET non-tender deadline. The aforementioned Larnach and Outman may find themselves on the chopping block due to the Twins’ outfield glut.

The Twins’ have 6 remaining arbitration eligible players: C Ryan Jeffers, RHP Bailey Ober, RHP Joe Ryan, OF/DH Trevor Larnach, 3B Royce Lewis, and RHP Cole Sands. Relievers Genesis Cabrera and Michael Tonkin were already non-tendered earlier this offseason.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...lex-jackson-acquired-topa-signed-keirsey-dfad

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Rival Roundup, Vol. 72: Holy Cow

Big ups to my loyal Rival Roundup readers. Feel free to start brainstorming a sort of “fandom name” for yourselves in the comments. The more provocative, the better, I’m thinking. That’s my early take here. I might change my mind after seeing some suggestions.

• Let’s start with our friends atop the division, the Cleveland Guardians. This week, the Guards avoided arbitration with Matt Festa, Nolan Jones, and David Fry; their non-tenders for the year comprised of pitchers Nic Enright and Sam Hentges, as well as outfielder Will Brennan. All told, the contracts comprised less than $5 million combined, and the moves bring the Guardian 40-man roster to 38.
• Old friend — sorry — “old friend” Justin Ishbia met the Pope. Your thoughts??? He invited the pontiff to come throw out the first pitch at a Sox game next season, which will either result in the horrific holy dominance of the Chicago White Sox over the next decade, or the funniest curse in baseball history.
• In White Sox news that many people are calling “more baseball-related,” here are the Chicago arbitration details in lieu of the non-tender deadline.

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a one-year, $900,000 contract with outfielder Derek Hill, avoiding arbitration, and have declined to tender 2026 contracts to left-handed pitcher Cam Booser, first baseman Tim Elko and outfielder Mike Tauchman.

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) November 21, 2025

• They’ve also begun engaging in their own brand of Twinsian deck-chair shuffling, although you don’t have to be that much of a pessimist to suggest that the White Sox organization is trending in a more positive direction than ours is.

White Sox are getting Everson Pereira and Tanner Murray for Yoendrys Gómez and Steven Wilson, per sources https://t.co/uD0sqMm7TD

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) November 18, 2025

• Gleyber Torres accepted the qualifying offer from the Detroit Tigers, in a year that was uncharacteristically ripe for accepted QOs. He’ll make $22.025MM in 2026.
• The Royals chucked a pair of non-tenders atcha.

We have not tendered contracts to RHP Taylor Clarke and OF MJ Melendez. They are now free agents.

— Kansas City Royals (@royals.com) 2025-11-21T22:13:49.976Z

• But, wait! Why, they’ve added a man, as well!

We have agreed to terms on a contract with RHP Alex Lange for 2026. Lange is a Lee's Summit West High School grad.

Welcome to the Royals, Alex! pic.twitter.com/n9Ugt0M7fO

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 21, 2025

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50169/rival-roundup-vol-72-holy-cow

 

[Minnesota Twins]

The Minnesota Twins Breakfast Club

Two days ago, I turned 40 years old.

On one hand, my body is feeling it. Year #39 has been challenging from a health perspective. A severe noro-virus wiped me out at the beginning of the year, my 6’8” frame finally proved too much for my lower back (though strengthening PT has helped a lot!), and I’m currently working through a shoulder issue. I’ll stop before this turns into the Billy Crystal City Slickers speech.

On the other hand, I’m still the goofy kid who grew up in the 1990s mainlining movies, playing Nintendo like it was going out of style, and (of course) learning to love baseball through books, video games, and the real thing.

My all time favorite flick—Back to the Future—just so happens to come from the year of my birth. A close second? The Breakfast Club (Rocky IV rounds out the top trilogy). If you’ve never seen The Breakfast Club: A. What have you been doing with your life?! (hahaha); & B. It is writer/director John Hughes at his pinnacle. The five high school students thrown together in detention proved to be templates that have never gotten stale and appeal to all generations—even ones where the fashions aren’t trench coats and jean jackets.

This got me thinking: If I were to cast a MN Twins Breakfast Club, who would participate? Well, with Joe Pohlad perhaps the easiest casting in Paul Gleason’s Principal Vernon role, here are my choices to re-cast the Brat Pack…

Ally Sheedy’s Allison: Tom Kelly​

• Extremely quirky and can’t relate to the average human. Yet, is far savvier than he lets on. I’m not sure if T.K. has ever eaten a Cap’n Crunch sandwich, but he’d definitely be in the back row muttering to himself.

Emilio Estevez’s Andrew: Torii Hunter​

• Big smile, charming personality, and the ability to relate to everyone in the room. Aggressive when he needs to be and prone to sometimes-violent outbursts (ask Nick Punto), but overall too nice of a guy to ever deny.

Molly Ringwald’s Claire: Joe Mauer​

• High school superstar and goody two shoes. Even when trying to project a tougher image, cannot manage to pull it off. Definitely the kid from the rich part of the Midwest suburbs.

Anthony Michael Hall’s Brian: Tony Oliva​

• Sometimes struggles to communicate a bit but is a super nice guy who just wants to be friends with everyone. Extremely smart and talented in his specific skill area. Always looking for a laugh.

Judd Nelson’s Bender: Bert Blyleven​

• Comes off as extremely churlish until you realize it’s all in fun. Master instigator who enjoys playing pranks or watching others squirm. Easily the most likely to start a dirty joke and not quite get to the punchline.

Let me know how I did as Casting Director and/or drop your suggestions in the comments. I would have no issues wiling away a Saturday morning with that crew!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/satire/...om-kelly-torii-hunter-bert-blyleven-joe-mauer

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “Welcome to the 40-man” Edition

Once the managerial musical chairs ended, it’s been a relatively normal offseason for the Twins, with a few trades of minor leaguers before the Rule 5 draft deadline to add players to the 40-man roster and tendering contracts to arbitration-eligible players. And now we wait for the winter meetings!

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• Derek Shelton finalized the coaching staff, adding on former Twin LaTroy Hawkins as a bullpen coach. The hitting staff was somewhat revamped, with Keith Beauregard joining the staff as the hitting coach, replacing Matt Borgschulte, who was hired last year to replace David Popkins. Toby Gardenhire also got a promotion from AAA and is now the major league field coordinator.
• The Twins also made a few roster moves, trading for reliever Eric Orze and catcher Alex Jackson, along with a few additions and subtractions to the 40-man roster.
• After the dust settled on roster changes, the Twins tendered contracts to all the remaining arbitration-eligible players, including surprisingly to some, Trevor Larnach.
• James Fillmore reviews last week’s Twinkie Town Movie night, Angels in the Outfield. Join us this week for Bull Durham!
• Brandon Brooks has another look around the AL Central in his Rival Roundup!
• Zach Koenig puts together his Twins-themed version of the Breakfast Club.
• Voting has closed on Round 4 of Zach’s list of the Best Twins moments, but stay tuned for Round 5 come out soon!

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Dan Hayes at The Athletic walks through the new additions to the Twins staff.
• Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage looks at the Twins’ plans for Trevor Larnach after tendering him a contract last week.
• Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune profiles prospect Brandon Winokur, who has made significant strides this season at High-A and in the Arizona Fall League.

In the World of Baseball:

• Andrew Marchand at The Athletic has the details on the MLB’s agreements with ESPN, NBC, and Netflix totaling $800 million. These rights had become available when ESPN opted out of the remainder of their media rights agreement with MLB with $1.65 billion left.
• Anthony DiComo at MLB.com reports on why the Mets parted with Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien.
• Jorge Castillo at ESPN looks at who might be lining up for Pete Alonso’s services this offseason.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50187/monday-morning-minnesota-the-welcome-to-the-40-man-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 5)

Results​

• R1: Jack Morris 1991 Game 7 Shutout
• R2: Kirby Puckett 1991 Game 6 Dominance
• R3: First World Series championship in 1987
• R4: AL Champions Metrodome welcome in 1987

The 85-win 1987 Minnesota Twins were huge underdogs going into the ALCS against the juggernaut Detroit Tigers. Five games later, however, the Twins were heading back to the Twin Cities as American League champions for the first time since 1965!

Welcoming them back to Mpls was a capacity crowd at the Metrodome. Not to see a game, mind you, but simply to cheer their boys of summer onto the World Series in what amounted to a gigantic pep rally.

To a man, every member of that ‘87 championship squad states that as the season’s most special moment.

The newbie: Kirby goes ham in Milwaukee.

Game 163 (2009)​

• For a certain cohort of Twins fans, this is the single greatest game in franchise history. Orlando Cabrera’s HR—Joe Nathan’s double play—Metrodome magic—clutch Casilla. This bonus baseball contest to clinch the AL Central had it all.

Last Day Division Title (2006)​

• On 8/6/06, the Twins were 10.5 GB the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central top spot. Going into Game 162? Tied with the striped cats. After the Twins polished off the Chicago White Sox on the season’s final day, the entire Metrodome crowd stuck around to watch the Tigers lose to the Kansas City Royals on the Jumbotron scoreboard—triggering a celebration as massive as it was unlikely for the Smell ‘Em & Piranha Crew.

Killer Crushes #500 (1971)​

• On August 10, 1971, Minnesota masher Harmon Killebrew took Mike Cuellar deep in the 1st inning at Metropolitan Stadium. That home run gained Harm admittance into the 500 Home Run Club—only the 10th occupant of that roundtable at the time. The clout cemented The Killer as an all-time slugger.

Mudcat’s World Series Must-Win (1965)​

• In 1965, the Twins appeared in their first World Series. Things were looking great—two wins at Metropolitan Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers—until the series shifted to Chavez Ravine where the Twins could not record a victory. So, Game 6 was a must-win back at The Met and The Mudcat (Jim Grant) was more than up to the task. Not only did he pitch a full 9 innings of one-run ball, but he pulled a Shohei Ohtani and homered in the 6th to put the game on ice and ensure another day of baseball in ‘65.

Kirby Puckett takes Milwaukee (1987)​

• One could argue that Kirby Puckett became a true star on a late-August 1987 weekend in Milwaukee. On Saturday, 8/29, he went 4-5 with 2 HR. The Sunday 8/30 encore: 6-6, 2 2B, & 2 HR. If you are counting along at home, that’s 24 total bases in less than 24 hours! Puck raised his average from .315 to .328 in that short span and his storied career was off to the races.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...udcat-grant-1965-harmon-killebrew-500-hr-1971

 

[Minnesota Twins]

North Star Stature Showdown, Game 6: The Restov the story

One more moment in the Minnesota sun for Mike. | Jerry Holt / Star Tribune via Getty Images

The Tall Tales clearly had the more star-studded lineup in the North Star Stature Showdown, featuring Hall of Famers Joe Mauer and Dave Winfield along with many more power bats (e.g. Cotton Nash, Miguel Sanó).

But in Game 6 of the Showdown, it was Michael Restovich that emerged as the lineup’s hero.

Restovich pinch-ran for Mike Poepping in the fourth and led the team with three hits, the Tales pummeling Lee Stange once again and emerging as Showdown champions with a 15-9 victory.

The game echoed Game 2’s offensive dominance as the score was 5-5 after two innings. The Stories used singles, a double, and an error to get theirs across both frames while the Tales used power, their second inning featuring doubles by Poepping and Nash before series MVP Mauer (.484 AVG on the series) launched a two-run dinger to cap the inning.

The next two innings belonged to the Tales. Stange allowed the first five men in the third to reach base before being relieved by Danny McDevitt, who fared no better: he immediately allowed a two-run double to Terry Jorgensen and later surrendered a Miguel Sanó sacrifice fly. In the fourth, he loaded the bases with one out and walked in a run before Carmen Cali came out of the bullpen; his inning was similar to McDevitt’s third, immediately surrendering a two-run double (this one by Scott Stahoviak) and later giving up a sac fly to Sanó.

Three innings later, Kennys Vargas finished off the Tales’ scoring with a bases-loaded RBI single.

Alas for the Stories, their nine runs off Mike Smithson were not enough for a win. César Tovar led their offense with three hits, including a home run; only one other of their 12 hits (the aforementioned early double by Donovan Solano) went for extra bases.

With that, the North Star Stature Showdown has concluded. What this means about tall people versus short people, obviously, is absolutely nothing, for Out of the Park Baseball is a computer game.

See you for the next tourney.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/49911/north-star-stature-showdown-game-6-the-restov-the-story

 

[Minnesota Twins]

TwinkieTown Movie Night: Bull Durham

It’s the classic tale of an experienced catcher and experienced groupie who teach a young pitcher a thing or two. With Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson (Raising Arizona) and Robert Wuhl (Batman). Free on Plex, Pluto, Roku, and Tubi. Pick one of ‘em, and start your movie at 7:30! Then sit back and make comments/jokes as you would during a gamethread.

Now, the obvious problem with using free streamers is that they have commercials, and each streamer will have different commercials at different times, and that throws the sync off. But it shouldn’t be a huge problem — I think most of us have seen this one before, so we’ll know what people are commenting about even if we’re on different syncs.

The writer/director of this is Ron Shelton, who played minor-league ball for a few years as an infielder. His first year in rookie league ball, there was already another Ron Shelton on the team! Ronald Shelton, a pitcher, who went by “Ron.” So the future moviemaker was known as “other Ron.” Neither guy made it to the majors, but they stayed in touch. And guess what baseball team “original Ron”’s son now manages? That’s right, it’s your very own Twins.

Shelton based some of the incidents here on things he actually saw in the minors; the characters are more composites. There were legends about 50’s/60s minor-league fireballer Steve Dalkowski, who could throw harder than anybody (it was said) but never learned control. The Crash Davis character was a mixture of many lifetime minor-leaguers, including one actually named “Crash” Davis (Shelton just picked that one because he liked the name). Shelton called up the real Davis and asked for permission. Davis asked, “I have just one question, do I get the girl?” Shelton responded, “you sure do.” And Davis said “well, then, fine.”

You can read about the making of the film in Shelton’s 2023 book The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham; you can also read our review of the book here. The studio wanted someone more famous than Costner, but Shelton liked him and he could actually play a little; Costner brought his own bat, ball and glove to the audition. Charlie Sheen was offered the Nuke LaLoosh role, but turned it down for a smaller role in Eight Men Out, since that was by acclaimed independent filmmaker John Sayles. And Sheen wanted to be known as the type of guy who was in a movie because of the artists involved, not the box office.

Yes, once upon a time, Charlie Sheen had actual convictions. Before he had a different sort of actual convictions.

Well, let’s not pick on him. Hollywood corrupts a lot of people, over time. It’s given us some great stuff, but a whole lot more that’s dreck, and money’s always been the name of the game.

My favorite story from Shelton’s book was when he was pitching the script to a studio executive:

“I like the script a lot,” said the exec. “It reminds me of a movie I once made called Slap Shot.” Then the exec complained that the film was a flop.

“Yeah, but it was a really good movie,” Shelton replied.

“Nobody gives a f**k.”

That is, and always has been, and always will be, the “entertainment industry.” Movie studios, music companies… sports teams and blog companies. It’s just the way it is. If it doesn’t make money, nobody gives a f**k.

So cue up your movie at 7:30 to watch on some wretched corporate entity’s streaming platform! It’s still a lot of fun!

And, just in time for our movie, Yardbarker has a list of the best minor-league players who never quite caught on in the bigs. Some reading material before the show.

Here’s the upcoming schedule:

December 5: A League of Their Own (1992)

If we keep this going, I wanna mix in a “somewhat based on true story” movie every now and then. (It’s Hollywood, you know they never make it strictly factual.) Oddly, I’ve never seen this one. (Because Madonna’s in it, is probably why.) Free on Pluto.

December 12: Major League (1989)

Yes, Charlie Sheen is a jackass, and Wesley Snipes had some stupid ideas about paying taxes. But Rene Russo is cool. Plus Bob Uecker! A team’s crummy owner wants them to lose, and the players fight back by winning. I wish! Free on Pluto.

December 19: Damn Yankees (1955)

A long-suffering Senators fan gets an offer to magically turn into a star player and save the team; but, when you make a bargain with Mr. Applegate, the devil’s in the details. Free on Fawesome, Pluto, and Tubi.

December 26: 12 Angry Men (1957)

What??? It’s not even a sports movie! Well, baseball is mentioned a few times in the movie. Plus, it’s gonna be right after Christmas, so I don’t think we’ll be getting many participants anyways. Great film; I could watch it anytime. Free on Pluto and Tubi.

I’ve got some ideas for future ones if we do this more, and all movie suggestions are absolutely welcome & wanted!

But, until then, pop your popcorn, and let’s start the show at 7:30!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/book-club/50166/twinkietown-movie-night-bull-durham

 

[Minnesota Twins]

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Right now, Wicked-mania is again sweeping the nation’s cinema-goers as the musical saga of Glinda & Elphaba comes to a close. Good-natured critical disagreement on the franchise between myself and our resident film guru aside, Wicked: For Good is raking in the box office dough.

In that spirit this Black Friday, let’s follow the yellow brick road—even if in this case leading away from Twins Territory—to look at baseball’s own Wizard of Oz.

Right now, baseball offense is largely geared towards hard contact. Objectively a solid approach in the sense that booming contact has a direct (and upward) correlation with batting success. Sure, there is still more than enough room for small ball and fundamentals, but “barrels” are a much greater indicator of racking up total bases.

So, imagine a 19-year player elected to the Hall of Fame with this overall lumber resume:

2,573 G, 2,460 H, 402 2B, 28 HR, 793 RBI, .262 BA, .666 OPS.

Put another way: in any 162-game span this player would hit 25 doubles, 2 homers, and drive in just 50 teammates. Would such a light batsman even have a career in modern MLB? Perhaps if one possessed the otherworldly peripherals of one Ozzie Smith.

You see, the Wizard was a defensive (SS) guru of the highest order. Six times Smith led the National League in defensive WAR—in 1989 putting up an absurd 4.8 dWAR. His career 44.2 dWAR is tops in MLB history.

Not only a wizard with the glove, Ozzie mustered magic with his feet: 580 career stolen bases—most of them for Whitey Herzog’s high-octane St. Louis Cardinals of the 1980s—or close to a 40-a-season average. His primary role was to get on base by any means necessary (seeing eye single, bunt, etc.) and wreak havoc on the base paths while Jack Clark & Terry Pendleton tried to drive him in.

Of course, because baseball is a most unpredictable sport, one of Smith’s career highlights ended up—of all things—a long ball that helped the Cardinals to an NL pennant and gave Jack Buck yet another iconic mic moment…

Because Ozzie was an NL life-er, he never crossed paths with our Minnesota Twins in the regular season. But they did clash in the 1987 World Series, where Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven & Co. handled the Wizard pretty well: 30 PA, 6 H, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB, 3K.

Generally-speaking, it shouldn’t be possible for defensive and speed value to utterly trump offensive thump and allow a player to craft a Hall of Fame career. But Ozzie Smith was an outlier with glove and ruby red cleats. His leather wizardry and aggressive advancements around the horn were so finely-tuned as to be the stuff of legend.

An iconic field entrance didn’t hurt either…

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun, baseball’s Wizard of Oz will forever be one of the most popular MLB superstars of all time—synonymous with diamond excitement in all forms.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/satire/...ie-elphaba-cynthia-erivo-glinda-ariane-grande