RSS Twins Team Notes

[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

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “Thankful for the Twins?” Edition

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend! It’s admittedly been tough to be thankful about the Twins, but thanks to all the fans who have made this season somewhat tolerable in our collective misery.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• Brandon Brooks gets us prepped for Winter Meetings with a look around the AL Central in the newest volume of the rival roundup!
• James Fillmore reviews last week’s Twinkie Town Movie night, Bull Durham. Join us this week for A League of Their Own!
• Voting has closed on Round 5 of Zach’s list of the Best Twins moments, but stay tuned for Round 6, coming out soon!
• Zach Koenig takes advantage of the recent “Wicked” hype by looking at baseball’s own Wizard of Oz, Ozzie Smith.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage looks at a potential reunion for the Twins to shore up their bullpen.
• Aaron Gleeman at The Athletic has some early December musings on the state of the Twins.
• Cody Christie at Twins Daily also has a potential bargain-bin reunion option for the Twins to help at first base.

In the World of Baseball:

• David Adler at MLB.com looks at comps for one of the hotter free agents on the market this offseason – Tatsuya Imai.
• Alden Gonzalez at ESPN gives a breakdown of the upcoming labor dispute between owners and players.
• Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs looks at the Hall of Fame case for Felix Hernandez.
• A few players have already been on the move this offseason, most notably:
  • Sonny Gray was traded to the Boston Red Sox
  • Ryan Helsley signed with the Baltimore Orioles
  • Dylan Cease signed with the Toronto Blue Jays
  • The Mets traded away Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...-minnesota-the-thankful-for-the-twins-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 6)

Results​

• R1: Jack Morris Game 7 Shutout 1991
• R2: Kirby Puckett Game 6 Dominance 1991
• R3: First World Series championship 1987
• R4: AL Champions Metrodome welcome 1987
• R5: Game 163 wild victory 2009

I will never forget the emotions I experienced surrounding the wild Game 163 to end the 2009 season.

First, there were the four must-win victories just to get the team to a one-game playoff. Then, there was a “I can’t believe this is happening again” sort of mentality. Combined with being the last days of Metrodome baseball, sentiments were sky-high!

Then the game actually started—and provided almost no relief until Alexi Casilla sent Carlos Gomez pinwheeling around third base and into the playoffs proper. There’s a strong case I was never more morose as when Jesse Crain (my mortal enemy) gave up what looked for all the world like a season-ending RBI double. Conversely, seeing Joe Nathan induce an improbable game-saving double play and Michael Cuddyer chugging around the bases on an equally-as-unlikely “Dome triple” to keep the season alive were moments of pure sports fan ecstasy.

It’s possible I’ve had one or two more joyous moments as a Twins fan, but nothing has yet come close to the highs-and-lows rollercoaster of Game 163 in 2009.

The newbie: The playoff curse is broken in 2023!

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.

Breaking the playoff losing streak (2023)​

• Starting in 2004 and continuing through 2022, the Minnesota Twins lost 18 consecutive playoff games—a professional sports (of any kind) record. But in Game 1 of the 2023 AL Wild Card round versus the Toronto Blue Jays, Royce Lewis became The Exorcist and got MN into the October win column when Jhoan Duran polished off the save. The next day, the Twins sent the Blue Birds back over the northern border after Sonny Gray & Carlos Correa collaborated on a clutch pickoff. Meaningful baseball was revitalized in Minnesota!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...t-1965-world-series-2023-playoff-curse-broken

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Rival Roundup, Vol. 73: Salvy-vating for news

We are taking a sharp turn into the December of it all, and with the annual Winter Meetings right around the corner, it’s about to pop off, baby. But in a division like the Central, where $200MM Dylan Cease contracts are decidedly not right around the corner, the cap is still on. In the coming weeks, I’d expect a handful of significant signings and maybe even a creative trade or two. Until then, the onus of creativity is on yours truly, as I attempt to spin “a guy said a thing last week” into the biggest story this damn blog has ever seen.

Links for ya!

• This offseason, we’ll have the gift of the World Baseball Classic, which will usher in meaningful baseball a few weeks earlier than we’re used to. 35-year-old Salvador Perez, perhaps the biggest “elder statesman” of the division, will be the captain for Team Venezuela. It’ll be the fourth WBC appearance for Perez, who will be squaring up against a handful of Kansas City teammates in the tournament.
• The Detroit Tigers missed out on Ryan Helsley, who signed with the Baltimore Orioles this weekend. But they were among a contingent of teams who were interested in Helsley as a starting pitcher, which shines a little bit of light on elements of their offseason approach.
• Royals Review shares some thoughts on Missouri’s relationship to sports gambling.
• The White Sox are in a bit of a holding pattern right now, which has led our friends at South Side Sox to embark on equal-parts arbitration spending breakdowns and musical revues.
• Zack Meisel at The Athletic dips into the mailbag to cover the Cleveland Guardians’ coaching situation, as well as the likelihood that Steven Kwan is still on the team this spring.
• The Royals tab Mike McFerran as their new assistant pitching coach, fresh from a two-year stint with the Various Athletics.
• My fellow Brandon in blogging over at Bless You Boys dives into why Alex Bregman should still be a top target for the Detroit Tigers.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50226/rival-roundup-vol-73-salvy-vating-for-news

 

[Minnesota Twins]

ESPN ranks three Twins among top 25 trade candidates; Buxton “willing to waive his no-trade clause”

We hope he stays, but we fear that hope is frivolous. | Jerome Miron / Imagn Images

In this season of giving, Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan have given baseball fans a ranked list of trade candidates, in turn relaying that Krampus Pohlad has taken Twins fans’ morale and given them absolutely nothing in return.

Their ranking, ordered by “value for their new team if being traded,” lists Byron Buxton (#5), Joe Ryan (#6), and Pablo López (#8) in the top 10. While Ryan and López share a projected 50 percent chance of being traded, it’s the opening of the buzz on Buxton (35 percent) that tears at the heart the most:

Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade clause — and not just for Atlanta (he’s a Georgia native)

Is this really a surprise? No. After Buxton continuously expressed loyalty to Minnesota and his desire to remain with the Twins, ownership rewarded him by trading away 10 players from the major league roster, torpedoing any chance of a playoff push and dropping to fourth in the AL Central. They clearly have no interest in sustained victories, so one can’t fault Buxton for wanting to play where he has a chance to win.

And if Buxton is traded, or Ryan, or López, or article honorable mention Ryan Jeffers, how many people are going to want to watch this team? We’d be lucky to get a couple dozen comments on game threads here, and attendance is surely going to plummet in 2026.

For now, this is still a hypothetical projection. But if beloved Twins players are shipped off during the Winter Meetings next week, we in the fanbase are depressingly prepared for it.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...n-buxton-willing-to-waive-his-no-trade-clause

 

[Minnesota Twins]

The 2016 Twins mostly stand pat—but add a bat—after promising push

During the 2015 season, the Minnesota Twins underwent a youth movement. Exciting prospects such as Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, & Eddie Rosario all received big league call-ups and—combined with a now-established Brian Dozier superstardom—helped the ’15 squad compete for the postseason right down to the wire.

With the next wave of success seemingly positioned to come from within, GM Terry Ryan did more unloading than acquiring in the ‘15/’16 offseason—aside from one big splash and a search for a catcher.

The departures:

• Mike Pelfrey (0.9 WAR in three MN seasons—yikes)

• Brian Duensing (at age 32 and swingman status, MN did not re-up with The Dunce)
• Torii Hunter (after his 1-year return & invigoration of the franchise, Torii hung up the cleats)
• Longtime OF enigma Aaron Hicks was traded to the New York Yankees for C John Ryan Murphy. With Joe Mauer now permanently entrenched at the first sack and Kurt Suzuki not necessarily viewed as the long-term C plan, the Twins pulled the plug on Hicks for the promise of Murphy. Thoughts were mixed on this deal at the time, though not by me (see below). I was not a Hicks fan.

The additions:

• Further catching depth in free agents Josmil Pinto & Juan Centeno
• Bullpen shore-ups Brandon Kintzler & Fernando Abad

Then, of course, the big one:

The Twins won the rights to negotiate with Korean Baseball Organization superstar Byung-ho Park, ending up signing him to a 4-year, $12 million contract. In the KBO, Park was as legitimate of a power threat as they came: 52 home runs with the Nexen Heroes in 2014, then 53 more and a league-record 146 RBI in 2015. Not just a bomber, Park also regularly posted batting averages north of .300. The Twins hoped he could anchor the middle of the lineup amidst the young guns.

It had been some time in Twins Territory since a season would be approached with such optimism as 2016!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...urphy-josmil-pinto-juan-centeno-byung-ho-park

 

[Minnesota Twins]

TwinkieTown Movie Night: A League of Their Own

From the fine folks at the American Film Institute.

Hey, last week we had Thelma, this week we have Louise? Or is it the other way around? I’m not sure…

But I know this is on Pluto! Here’s the Pluto link.

Based (sort of) on the true story of the Rockford Peaches, part of a women’s league that played during WWII when many of the men were overseas. With Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Jon Lovitz, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Lori Petty, Bill Pullman, and David Strathairn. Written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (Splash); directed by Penny Marshall (Big).

Somehow, I’ve never seen this one, despite how much I like much of the cast — I think I avoided it because Madonna was in it. (For those who don’t remember, Madonna was kinda the Lady Gaga of her day, although much less creative and much more popular.)

We’ve had some writing on women’s softball/baseball on TwinkieTown before, though! This one’s about the 40s/50s league in general. It doesn’t have an author’s name, so it’s probably written by somebody who sued the company for back pay (and won).

And this one’s a favorite of mine, by Colossus of Rhode. It’s specifically about the Minneapolis Millerettes, and Rhode actually got in touch with one of their former players!

Here’s a solid history post by Morgan Leigh Davies at Bustle. And here’s another good one by Christina De Nicola at MLB.com. It details how a short documentary that aired on PBS what was got the filmmakers interested in this story in the first place. The documentary is right here:

Per the AFI site I swiped the top image from, the documentary’s producers worked up a story idea for this movie, and their “mother and aunt were actual players in the league.” Comedy experts Ganz and Mandel wrote the screenplay. Various names attached to the cast included Jim Belushi, Laura Dern, Darryl Hannah, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Brooke Shields and Debra Winger; Winger trained for three months with some of the Chicago Cubs! But she dropped out when Madonna got involved; she hated the idea of it being like “an Elvis film.” (So, she had the same concerns I did!)

Winger got paid anyways, and Davis took over the part. The final cast did some training with an assistant coach at USC. You can read more about the production details on Wiki.

Here’s your link again for tonight, and here’s the upcoming schedule. I had to scratch Major League, for now, because it disappeared from the free streamers; I’m sure it will return.

December 12: 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 Pluto.

December 19: 12 Angry Men (1957)

It’s on Internet Archive, and baseball plays a part in the plot, or wanting to finish in time for a game does. I mean, justice SHOULD matter more, but priorities are priorities.

December 26: Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

I figure, it’s Christmas, so why not a Christmas movie? Specifically, a Christmas movie where people bash zombies with baseball bats! Free on Tubi.

January 5: Eight Men Out (1988)

Yep, they cheated for gambling money, but the way Charles Comiskey treats them, you’ll kinda understand why. 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! (We’ve already got two, and will be getting to those soon!)

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

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/book-club/50242/twinkietown-movie-night-a-league-of-their-own

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Winter Meetings Preview: 3 Things for Twins Fans to Follow

Welcome to Orlando, FL where MLB executives, media, and players alike all gather for the most transaction-filled portion of the offseason. There’s a trio of Twins in the middle of the juiciest offseason trade rumors and they finally have their additional partners approved and POBO Derek Falvey reportedly has some “mild payroll flexibility” to work with, meaning Minnesota will likely find themselves at the center of some transactions this week. Let’s dive in.

What Happens to Buxton, Ryan, and Lopez?​

Byron Buxton is likely the best hitter available on the trade market and nearly every team in baseball wants him. With All-Star level production and health over the last two seasons and the boon of an incredibly team-friendly contract, it’s easy to see why everyone from the Pirates to the Dodgers have reportedly expressed interest.

The same can be said for 2025 All-Star Joe Ryan who still has a strong market despite faltering in the last two months of the season. Ryan is under team control for two more seasons and has been one of the best and most consistent starters in baseball over the past three seasons. Pablo Lopez, meanwhile, will have a more limited market with $43.5M guaranteed over his final two seasons, but that’s still very affordable for a pitcher who is, at worst, a #2 on an elite staff.

Falvey has been praising that trio and saying he hopes to build around them, and with the Twins’ cash flow issues less prevalent than they were even a month ago, he may get his wish. The industry consensus is now that the Twins will likely hold onto all three players (as I believe they should), but teams like the Dodgers and Red Sox have the young players and prospects to force Falvey’s hand and make a deal he can’t refuse.

Personally, I would give this core one last shot. The AL Central is incredibly winnable (especially if the Detroit Tigers trade two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal) and the trade value of Buxton, Ryan, and Lopez likely remains the same at the trade deadline. Health is the only real risk factor, but that’s sports for you. Run it back, see if players like Royce Lewis, Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee, and their bevy of young pitchers can take a leap, and give yourself a fighting chance in 2026.

MLB Draft Lottery: Will Lady Luck Smile on Minnesota Again?​

The Twins have been the beneficiary of the new MLB Draft Lottery already, jumping several spots 2022 and 2024 to nab future top-20 prospects Walker Jenkins and Brooks Lee. This year, the Twins hold the second-best lottery odds thanks to their weak finish to the season and the Rockies and Nationals being ineligible for a top 10 pick. They hold a 22.18% chance at the first pick in the draft and a very likely shot for their pick to land in the top three. Even in a weak draft, a top three pick is almost a guaranteed Top 50 prospect and likely one who can contribute to the Big League roster soon if their recent picks are anything to go by.

Rule 5 Draft: Who Will the Twins Lose and/or Gain?​

The Twins’ roster is in flux and currently has several 40-man roster spots that are easy to free up (see: Ryan Kreidler, Edouard Julien, Ryan Fitzgerald, Carson McCusker, Jhonny Pereda and potential trades for Trevor Larnach/James Outman) which means they are primed to make at least one selection in this year’s Rule 5 Draft. They selected Eiberson Castellano in 2024, but he struggled in Spring Training and was ultimately returned to the Phillies where he struggled through 36 innings while battling injury. As a reminder, any players selected in the Rule 5 Draft must be kept on the active 26-man roster or injured list for the entirety of the season, meaning there’s very few players that hit. Of the 15 players selected last season, only Shane Smith of the White Sox, Liam Hicks of the Marlins, and Angel Bastardo of the Blue Jays remained on their respective teams for the entire season.

With several spots in flux, the easiest place to stash a volatile arm is at the end of the bullpen. The Twins already have players like Pierson Ohl and Travis Adams who showed flashes after moving to relief full time, but building a bullpen is all about taking shots and seeing who hits. The Twins need lefties and Hayden Mullins of the Red Sox fits the bill. He has a lower velocity fastball that misses bats thanks to elite extension and shape, and a slider with a good whiff rate. Mullins has a high walk rate and has never pitched above AA, but that hasn’t deterred Minnesota in the past. Everyone available in the Rule 5 Draft has major flaws, which is why they weren’t protected by their teams in the first place.

Other pitchers to watch include Will Childers (Brewers, 3.48 RA9, 9.6 K/9, 5.4 BB/9), Griff McGarry (Phillies, 4.20 RA9, 13.3 K/9, 5.3 BB/9), and Jose Rodriguez (Dodgers, 5.67 RA9, 14.0 K/9, 5.8 BB/9). It’s harder to stash position players, but the Twins could look for a needed utility man among the crop to replace Willi Castro. Cameron Cauley of the Rangers would be the name to watch there with the ability to play SS, 2B, and CF while stealing bases at a high clip, though he’s never played above AA and managed just a league-average .773 OPS in 2025 while striking out in 25% of his plate appearances. If the Twins look for a backup catcher, Arizona’s Christian Cerda and the A’s Daniel Susac both have some pop and respectable defense behind the dish. If they don’t take a pitcher, Susac, a former first-round pick, might be the best option.

On the Twins’ side, they were able to protect most of their at-risk players, but had to leave a few exposed. Notable players include infielder Tanner Schobel (Twins #12 prospect via FanGraphs), breakout outfielders Kala’i Rosario and Kyler Fedko, RHP CJ Culpepper (#10 prospect), RHP Jose Olivares (#16 prospect), and the injured Matt Canterino who could be a draft-and-IL-stash candidate like Jovani Moran reportedly was last season before being traded to the Red Sox.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...ngs-preview-3-things-for-twins-fans-to-follow

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 7)

Results​

• R1: Jack Morris Game 7 Shutout 1991
• R2: Kirby Puckett Game 6 Dominance 1991
• R3: First World Series championship 1987
• R4: AL Champions Metrodome welcome 1987
• R5: Game 163 wild victory 2009
• R6: Mudcat’s World Series must-win 1965

The last few years, Shohei Ohtani has simultaneously thrilled MLB fans with arm and bat. Well, Jim “Mudcat” Grant was perhaps the O.G. of dual-threat theatrics in the 1965 World Series!

With the Twins needing a victory to stay alive, the Mudcat twirled a 1-run complete game AND homered in the sixth inning to put the outcome on ice. It proved to be the last game the Twins would win in ‘65, but what an effort to force a Game 7!

The newbie: Thome is my homie!

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.

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.

Breaking the playoff losing streak (2023)​

• Starting in 2004 and continuing through 2022, the Minnesota Twins lost 18 consecutive playoff games—a professional sports (of any kind) record. But in Game 1 of the 2023 AL Wild Card round versus the Toronto Blue Jays, Royce Lewis became The Exorcist and got MN into the October win column when Jhoan Duran polished off the save. The next day, the Twins sent the Blue Birds back over the northern border after Sonny Gray & Carlos Correa collaborated on a clutch pickoff. Meaningful baseball was revitalized in Minnesota!

Thome christens Target Field (2010)​

• When Target Field opened to begin the 2010 season, it was clearly a beautiful new ballpark that the hometown nine excelled in. But it was missing one thing: a signature moment. Try as they might, the Twins could not muster a walk-off victory in front of the sold-out crowds for the first four-and-a-half months. But on August 17, The Man With An Ox In The Batter’s Box finally gave Target Field it’s first magical memory.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...tt-milwaukee-2023-playoffs-thome-target-field

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Draft Lottery: Twins to Pick 3rd in 2026 MLB Draft

After blowing up the bullpen and leaning into an all-out tank to end the 2025 season, the Minnesota Twins will select third in the 2026 MLB Draft. The Twins finished with the fourth-worst record in baseball but had the second-best odds of landing the top pick in the draft thanks to the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals being ineligible for a lottery selection.

The Twins made big jumps in the past, but fell a down slot in the first round this season. In a draft year where there’s a clear #1 in UCLA’s Roch Cholowski, Twins fans and executives alike were hoping to jump up to the first pick. However, with a deep crop of college and high school hitters, the Twins will still be able to nab one of the most talented players in the draft. Plus, there’s still a chance Derek Falvey and Co. could try to cut a deal with Cholowski ahead of the draft, but he’s such a talented player that I doubt the White Sox or Rays (selecting first and second, respectively) will allow that to happen.

Assuming Cholowski is taken, the other big name to watch would be Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron. Lebron (not that one) was widely considered the top prospect in this class before Cholowski’s 2025 breakout. Given Falvey’s penchant for college hitters, and shortstops in particular, Lebron (still not that one) would be a safe bet if he’s available at 3. Other college hitters include LSU’s Derek Curiel and Georgia Tech’s Drew Burress.

If they go the high school route, Texas prep SS Grady Emerson could end up being the best prospect in the bunch when all is said and done. It’s also worth mentioning Florida prep SS Jacob Lombard, the younger brother of Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. and the son of George Sr., the Tigers’ bench coach. Teams love those athlete genetics. As things stand now, I would expect one of the top three of Cholowski, Lebron (STILL not that one), or Emerson to be the pick.

There’s obviously a lot that can change between now and the draft, starting with an entire college baseball season. No one saw Paul Skenes being the top pick after the 2023 draft lottery, but he played himself into that spot and now might be the best pitcher in the sport. Regardless of what happens, the Twins find themselves in an enviable spot with a top three pick and a sizable draft pool.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...t-lottery-twins-to-pick-3rd-in-2026-mlb-draft

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins select catcher Daniel Susac in Rule 5 Draft, trade him to Giants

The one and only time you’ll see Susac as the featured image on this site. | Lansing State Journal

For the second consecutive year, the Twins have made a pick in the Rule 5 draft. Like last year’s choice, the player selected will not make Minnesota’s roster.

While the team dipped into the pitching pool last year with reliever Eiberson Castellano, they took a position player this season, selecting catcher Daniel Susac from the A’s AAA (Las Vegas) roster, and immediately traded him to the Giants.

Sources: The Twins will trade Rule 5 draft pick Daniel Susac to the Giants.

— Eric Longenhagen (@longenhagen) December 10, 2025

The A’s first-round pick in 2022, Susac has risen quickly up their farm system. At age 24, he spent 2025 in AAA-Las Vegas, slashing .275/.349/.483 with 18 home runs across 97 games. He also threw out 26 percent of base stealers, but made eight errors and allowed six passed balls. But that’s San Francisco’s problem now.

In exchange for Susac, the Twins received 17-year-old catching prospect Miguel Caraballo. In the Dominican Summer League, the switch-hitting Caraballo slashed .264/.432/.442 across 41 games.

No Twins prospects were selected by any other clubs in the Major League portion of the draft. In the minor league (AAA) portion, Minnesota lost relievers Aaron Sozak and John Stankiewicz while adding reliever Sam Ryan and outfielder Garrett Spain.

Ahead of the draft, the Twins released outfielder Carson McCusker to clear a roster spot. That spot belonged to Susac for three minutes and is once again vacant.

The Twins cleared a spot on their 40-man roster and put OF Carson McCusker on unconditional release waivers. McCusker is expected to pursue an opportunity to play in Asia next year.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr.bsky.social) 2025-12-10T16:32:12.080Z

McCusker played in 16 games for Minnesota in 2025. Despite his AAA power numbers (.795 OPS, 22 homers) and 6’8” frame, McCusker never replicated those results for the big club, putting up a .372 OPS (five hits, all singles) and striking out in 16 of his 30 plate appearances.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...atcher-daniel-susac-rule-5-draft-trade-giants

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “Warm Stove” Edition

We are in the middle of Winter Meetings now, with plenty of rumors abounding of potential player movement and free-agent signings. Not much has changed for the Twins in terms of their personnel so far, but we’ll see as the offseason continues if the team will actually do anything to improve their roster in a meaningful way.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• Ben Jones previews the Winter Meetings to see what Twins fans should follow.
• The MLB Draft Lottery was yesterday, and with the Twins having the second-best odds to grab the #1 pick, they unfortunately missed out and ended with the third pick.
• James Fillmore reviews last week’s Twinkie Town Movie night, A League of Their Own. Join us this week for Damn Yankees!
• We’re onto Round 7 of Zach Koenig’s list of the Best Twins moments!
• Zach also takes us through the unofficial start to the 2016 Twins season with the 2015 offseason.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Dan Hayes at The Athletic reports on a shift in the Twins’ approach to the offseason. This is after Ken Rosenthal, at The Athletic, also reported that the Twins do not plan to trade Byron Buxton or Joe Ryan.
• Betsy Helfand at the Pioneer Press checks in on Derek Shelton as he prepares for his first season as the Twins’ manager.
• Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune looks at where Derek Falvey might want to add to the roster.
• Matthew Leach at MLB.com looks at the Twins’ thoughts after getting the #3 pick in the MLB draft.
• Byron Buxton is also expected to be added to the preliminary World Baseball Classic roster for Team USA.
• Perhaps fueling a little fire for the “Buxton to LA” rumors, Rocco Baldelli is joining the Dodgers’ front office.

In the World of Baseball:

• Jeff Kent was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Era Committee. Kent holds the record for most home runs by a second baseman, with 351. Perhaps more notably, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens did not earn enough votes to be eligible for the ballot the next time the Contemporary Era Committee meets to elect players to the Hall of Fame.
• With the MLB Draft Lottery done, Jim Callis at MLB.com has his first mock draft of the season.
• Major signings in the MLB since our last update:
  • Kyle Schwarber re-signs with the Philadelphia Phillies for 5 years, $150 million.
  • Edwin Diaz signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 3 years, $69 million.
  • The Los Angeles Angels and the Baltimore Orioles made a trade, sending Taylor Ward to Baltimore for Grayson Rodriguez.
  • Devin Williams signs with the New York Mets for 3 years, $51 million.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50347/monday-morning-minnesota-the-warm-stove-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

MLB jumps into the stream(ing) in 2026

For the past couple of seasons, Major League Baseball has dipped its toes into streaming entertainment platforms. Apple TV Friday night games were the most substantial non-traditional TV presence (and will continue), with smatterings of the odd Peacock or Roku games here and there.

In 2026, MLB is going to Greg Louganis into the deep end of all-digital television—kind of—which a series of recent league announcements revealed as part of a new 3-year media deal with various partners:

ESPN takes over MLB.TV​

First and foremost, ESPN is now taking over MLB.TV. While still letting MLB produce the contests and “air” them on the MLB.TV app (at least for 2026—further changes are almost assured for subsequent seasons), the out-of-market package can now be purchased/seen on the ESPN app too. ESPN will also air 30 weeknight primetime games throughout next season.

What does this mean for in-market Twins fans? Well, nothing—again, at least in ‘26. In a very detailed season ticket holder email—and of course Twins brass would never screw up this marketing—I was assured that nothing will change in my ability to purchase the entire in-market Twins package in 2026. The ESPN app will NOT be needed (yet), Twins.TV subscriptions will remain the same (we’ll see on pricing, of course), and the Twins channel will still reside in local cable and satellite provider lineups.

Bottom line: ESPN is partnering with MLB to slow-play an attempt to consolidate all team broadcast rights by 2029. In the early stages (2026), the sports behemoth is keeping things pretty status quo. As such, there should be much less consternation and confusion regarding how to watch your Minnesota Twins in 2026.

I’ve been waiting all day for Sunday Night (Baseball)​

For the first time since the 1990s and its Bob Costas heyday, NBC will have a significant baseball footprint.

Yes, the weird MLB Sunday Leadoff late-morning package will continue—but NBC will also slide into the summer Sunday Night Baseball slot (taking over for the aforementioned ESPN in that role). Presumably, these contests will begin on linear NBC and transition to Peacock when the NFL ramps up. No word on if Carrie Underwood is crafting a baseball theme.

NBC/Peacock will also be the exclusive home of MLB’s playoff Wild Card Round.

Netflix noses in​

Because Netflix is still king of the streaming realm and are currently making a play for the whole dominion, they’ll also share a piece of the baseball pie the next 3 years.

Netflix will be home to the Opening Night primetime game between the San Francisco Giants & New York Yankees. Later in the summer, the ta-dum company will produce and air the MLB Home Run Derby.

Big Red will also air the now-annual Field of Dreams game—in ‘26 featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and your Minnesota Twins on August 3! Hopefully the only ghosts will be in the stalks and not in Netflix’s servers.

On one hand, “streaming fatigue” is very much a thing right now. We’ve slain the cable TV empire, only to have it replaced by a different monster we don’t yet fully understand.

On the other hand, this type of exposure is exactly what Major League Baseball desperately needs. As frustrating as it is to manage/budget multiple subscriptions and their requisite technology, that’s where the eyeballs/money are right now.

With MLB looking to avoid a strike or lockout after 2026, every bit of revenue potential may be helpful in dragging the owners and the Players Union to the bargaining table to avoid a shutdown.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...-nbc-peacock-field-of-dreams-game-hr-derby-tv

 

[Minnesota Twins]

TwinkieTown Movie Night: Damn Yankees

Tonight’s movie is on Pluto! Here’s your link.

A long-suffering Senators fan makes a deal with the devil to help the team… but, as we know, those deals with the devil tend to backfire on ya. (He doesn’t tend to be a scrupulously honest negotiator.)

This musical is drawn from a book, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, by Douglass Wallop, a D.C. native. Born in 1920, his formative years would have been spent watching the Yankees beat the Senators year after year after year — between 1936 and 1954 (when the book was published), the Yankees appeared in 13 of 19 World Series… and won 12 of them. While the Senators had won a Series in 1924, lost ones in 1925 and 1933, and would never appear in one again. (They were officially named the “Nationals” by this point, but everybody just referred to them by the old name.)

Incidentally, you’re probably familiar with the bigoted comments made by Senators/Twins owner Cal Griffith about 1960s Black baseball fans, suggesting they didn’t like baseball (these comments, made in 1978, were part of why Rod Carew demanded a trade from the Twins).

Well, of course Griffith was wrong… and yet baseball in D.C. DID face a huge challenge, especially as/after the federal government grew massively during WWII. The biggest problem was, most government workers came from other cities! So if they were baseball fans, they stayed loyal to their former teams! It’s less of a problem now, since D.C. has more than just the feds as a main employer. But in 1954, things were looking pretty bleak for Senators fans, and maybe only a bargain with the diabolical could save them?

No such bargain was made… and the Senators left town for Minnesota in 1961. They’d get an expansion team to replace them, but that team wasn’t very good, and it moved to Texas in 1972. (D.C. would get another team in 2005, courtesy of Jeff Loria, which one might say was a definite deal with the devil.)

The book became a Broadway musical in 1955, written by Wallop and George Abbott (who lived to 107!). Songs by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The musical became a movie in 1958, directed by Abbott and Stanley Donen (who I assume worked on the musical numbers; he directed Singing in the Rain). It stars the totally-closeted Tab Hunter, the totally hammy Ray Walston, and the muse to Bob Fosse, dancing legend Gwen Verdon.

And I guess the musical/movie was responsible for bringing us, um, this:

Here’s tonight’s link again. And here’s the upcoming schedule:

December 19: 12 Angry Men (1957)

It’s on Internet Archive, and baseball plays a part in the plot, or wanting to finish in time for a game does. I mean, justice SHOULD matter more, but priorities are priorities.

December 26: Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

I figure, it’s Christmas, so why not a Christmas movie? Specifically, a Christmas movie where people bash zombies with baseball bats! Free on Tubi.

January 5: Eight Men Out (1988)

Yep, they cheated for gambling money, but the way Charles Comiskey treats them, you’ll kinda understand why. Free on Pluto and Tubi.

January 12: Benched (2018)

John C. McGinley and Garret Dillahunt star as two youth baseball coaches with very different approaches to coaching. Free on 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/50357/twinkietown-movie-night-damn-yankees

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Rival Roundup, Vol. 74: Tids, Bits, and Tidbits

The Winter Meetings didn’t bring much in the way of American League Central news — at least not much outside of the realm of speculation and fantasy. For fans of branching realities, it was a great week. For fans of canon events, it left a little to be desired. But fret not! Even a slow Meetings is busier than the usual doldrums of the offseason, and we’ve got some certified-organic tidbits for a guy like you.

• The White Sox were the big winners of this year’s Winter Meetings, winning the MLB Draft Lottery and landing the #1 pick in the 2026 Amateur Draft. As it stands today, that pick would likely take the form of UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a talent who could torment the Twins for years to come. Of course, we were saying similar things about the prospect crop that headlined Chicago’s 2021 division title, and how quickly that era of Sox baseball has been decimated.
• The White Sox have also provided us with an actual major-league signing, acquiring free agent lefty Anthony Kay on a two-year contract after Kay spent a little stint in Japan. He returns to the American League $12 million richer in guaranteed money.
• Keeping busy, the Sox were one of a handful of teams making selections in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft; they picked up righty Jedixson Paez with the second pick.
• The Cleveland Guardians had a decently busy Rule 5 draft, with moves in both the major- and minor-league portions.

The Guardians selected right-hander Peyton Pallette from White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft.24 years old, 2nd round Draft pick in 2022. 4.06 ERA in 52 relief appearances between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025.

— Tim Stebbins (@timstebbins.bsky.social) 2025-12-10T19:14:41.670Z

The Guardians also selected Jack Carey from the Pirates in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft.26-year-old had a 3.63 ERA in 44 relief appearances between High-A and Double-A in 2025.

— Tim Stebbins (@timstebbins.bsky.social) 2025-12-10T19:33:27.771Z

• They also lost reliever Zak Kent to the St. Louis Cardinals on the waiver wire.
• But they gained some hardware to make up for it!

Congratulations to the 2026 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner, Paul Hoynes! https://t.co/q62X3aWDh0 pic.twitter.com/foadR6WI4j

— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (@baseballhall) December 9, 2025

• The Royals took a leap in the draft lottery, jumping from a projected-13th into the #6 pick. They also grabbed outfielder Lane Thomas on a one-year contract and pushed their 40-man roster to 38 players.
• The Tigers are bringing back Kyle Finnegan.

Tigers, RHP Kyle Finnegan agree to 2-year deal, per multiple reports including @MLBNetwork insider @JonHeyman. pic.twitter.com/NbzolxDskF

— MLB (@MLB) December 10, 2025

• Then, for good measure, they acquired veteran closer Kenley Jansen to bolster AJ Hinch’s flexible relief corps. They also — though they didn’t know it at the time — closed out this week’s Rival Roundup.

Kenley Jansen signs 1-year, $11 million contract with Detroit Tigers as he nears exclusive 500 save club https://t.co/nwJ6E5zKn6

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 13, 2025

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50257/rival-roundup-vol-74-tids-bits-and-tidbits

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “For Whom The Bell Tolls” Edition

Time to get the bell-related puns out of the way, as the Twins made their first major-league move of the offseason by signing Josh Bell. Other than that, the winter meetings went by without too much fanfare, with the Twins making a selection in the Rule 5 draft, only to promptly trade that pick away. With the holiday season approaching, I would not be surprised to hear radio silence from the team until the new year.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• Brandon Brooks takes us around the AL Central in this week’s Rival Roundup.
• James Fillmore reviews last week’s movie night, Damn Yankees. We’ve got 12 Angry Men coming up this week.
• Zach Koenig looks into the streaming situation for the MLB next season.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Aaron Gleeman and Stephen J. Nesbitt at The Athletic have a deep dive into the Josh Bell signing.
• Betsy Helfand at the Pioneer Press looks at the Twins’ perspective on the Winter Meetings.
• Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune checks in on Royce Lewis’ thoughts on new manager Derek Shelton.
• Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage tries to find the meaning behind the Twins’ moves during the Rule 5 draft.

In the World of Baseball:

• The winter meetings gave us a few more notable moves through the major leagues:
  • Pete Alonso signs with the Baltimore Orioles for five years, $155 million.
  • Old friend Jorge Polanco will be signing with the New York Mets for two years, $40 million.
  • Merrill Kelly will return to the Arizona Diamondbacks on a two-year, $40 million deal.
  • Michael Soroka, after a breakout season in Washington and Chicago, also goes to Arizona for one year, $7.5 million.
  • Robert Suarez heads to Atlanta for three years, $45 million, albeit as a setup man to closer Raisel Iglesias, who had re-signed earlier in November.
  • Kenley Jansen signs with Detroit for one year.
  • Tyler Rogers will be taking his talents north of the border for a three-year, $37 million contract.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...minnesota-the-for-whom-the-bell-tolls-edition