RSS Twins Team Notes

[Minnesota Twins]

Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 8)

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
• R7: Harmon’s 500th homer 1971

When Harmon Killebrew slammed his 500th home run on August 10, 1971, he became just the tenth member of that ultra-exclusive clubbing cohort. Ultimately reaching 573 career dingers, Killebrew was fifth on the all-time homer list when he put his powerful swing out to pasture in 1975.

The Killer never had a record-setting HR season, but he put up 40+ round-trippers an astonishing eight times—six of those leading the American League.

Harm’s prodigious power was the defining characteristic of Twins Baseball (TM) for the first decade of the franchise’s existence.

The newbie: Santana silences with 17 strikeouts!

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.

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.

Santana strikes out 17 (2007)​

• Johan Santana won Cy Young Awards with the Twins in 2004 & 2006. But his single-game zenith came August 19, 2007, when he K’d 17 Texas batsmen over 8 IP of victorious shutout ball. Santana whiffed every Ranger batter at least once, three of them 3x apiece, and put the golden sombrero (4 K) on Michael Young.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...07-jim-thome-2010-walk-off-homer-target-field

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins sign First Baseman Josh Bell to 1 Year Deal

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, The Twins have agreed to a deal with first baseman Josh Bell for one year with a mutual option for 2027. Due to mutual options never getting picked up, it’s a de facto single season contract with a buyout allowing the Twins to spread the money over two seasons. The contract is worth $5.75M this season with a $1.25M buyout on the mutual option, bringing the total guarantees to $7M.

Bell has been an above average hitter in every season of his decade-long career, which will help stabilize a lineup full of young, unproven hitters (Keaschall, Lee, Roden) and streaky ones (Wallner, Jeffers, Lewis). Bell gut .237/.325/.417 in 2025 for a 107 wRC+, which is essentially in line with his career 112 wRC+. A switch hitter, Bell is better facing lefties than righties, putting up a career 116 wRC+ against righties and 104 vs lefties. That split was even more pronounced in 2025 as he managed just a 56 wRC+ against southpaws. Which means, as always, the Twins still need right-handed first base/corner outfield/DH option to pair with Bell, Larnach, and Wallner, among others.

While Bell isn’t the flashiest name on the free agent market, he represents a clear upgrade for a Twins team in need of consistency at the plate. His surface-level numbers aren’t elite, but his xWOBA, xSLG, barrel rate, hard hit rate, strikeout rate, and walk rate are all in the top 25% of MLB hitters, so the Twins are likely hoping for a bit of a bounce back like they saw with Carlos Santana in 2024.

POBO Derek Falvey was reportedly happy to roll into next season with Kody Clemens as the starting first baseman, but Clemens has a very short track record of success and is extremely streaky, as Twins fans witnessed last season. This allows Clemens to slide back into a heavily-used utility role while Bell can be a steadying, if unspectacular, force in the middle of the lineup.

Bell will also be the Twins’ seventh projected starting first baseman in the eight seasons since Joe Mauer retired, joining Ty France, Carlos Santana, Joey Gallo, Jose Miranda, Miguel Sano, and CJ Cron in an increasingly infamous list. That’s before mentioning experiments at first base with Luis Arraez, Alex Kirilloff, and Donovan Solano, among others.

The Twins’ estimated 2026 payroll now sits around $101M depending on contracts with arbitration-eligible players. With the Twins reportedly looking to run a payroll in the $115M-$120M range, they still have plenty of cash available to shore up the bullpen and add another bat. With the Twins’ plethora of starting pitching, the trade market is an untapped resource as well.

Things are just getting started!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...s-sign-first-baseman-josh-bell-to-1-year-deal

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Santa Claus announces limited ownership stake in Minnesota Twins

He dabbled in Los Angeles, but Arte Moreno got stuck with coal. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images

Amidst the news of the Twins’ restructured ownership group, Twinkie Town has confirmed that Santa Claus has been named a limited partner in the team.

“Mr. Claus is a well-known name and has been running his toymaking business for millennia,” new executive chairman Tom Pohlad said. “When we announced stakes were for sale, he reached out to the family. The Pohlad family is excited to welcome him to the business of baseball and looks forward to the relentless spark he adds as we relentlessly seek a championship.”

Claus’ percentage of the team is uncertain, but he has been granted a seat on the executive board. It is unclear as to whether he intends to take that seat himself or appoint a representative from the North Pole.

“The responsibilities of overseeing the workshop year-round may prevent him from assuming full executive function,” Pohlad said. “We are in communication to determine whether he can spare an elf, perhaps a reindeer — they’re only needed one night a year.”

Although business records are confidential, Twinkie Town has learned that the deal includes no provisions regarding the Pohlads’ placement on Claus’ naughty-or-nice list.

“We are an operation of integrity,” a Kringle Enterprises spokeself said. “Mr. Claus would not consider any opportunity if there were any hint of unfairness regarding his delivery of gifts. What would the children of the world think if anyone should buy their way out of a stockingful of coal?”

The spokeself also stated that Twins fans should not fear a relocation as Minnesota is already cold enough.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/satire/...ship-stake-in-minnesota-twins-merry-christmas

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Proof positive of 2016’s objective optimism

A few weeks ago, we examined the high expectations heading into the 2016 Minnesota Twins season. In fact, excitement was at such a premium that a new season ticket holder entered the fold!

For most of my life, I lived a considerable drive—3+ hours—from the Metrodome. As such, my live game attendance was perhaps 5-8 times a year. Even that was goosed by a baseball-loving aunt and other relatives living in the TC metro.

Then in 2010, I moved to the suburban concrete jungle myself—almost synonymous with Target Field’s inaugural. What a boon! At least until I discovered that tickets would be at a premium for The New Place (TM).

So, for the first six years of Target Field baseball, I was a StubHub scrounger—looking for deals whenever I could. While sometimes I’d score sweet “clearly someone needs to unload this ticket” finds (especially in the 2011-2014 doldrums), it was also frustrating to be at the whim of others to attend a baseball game. Plus, there’s my 6’8” frame to consider, making an aisle seat slightly closer to “necessity” than “nice bonus” for me.

But then 2015 happened and my love for live baseball was revitalized. Dozier was depositing dingers, Miguel was mashing moonshots, and the vibes were simply fun again. As is always the slight paradox of supply-and-demand, this also meant less StubHub steals and more ushers clearing out lower sections of matriculating patrons.

Now that I was juuuuuust financially secure enough to afford a multi-hundred dollar bank transaction without breaking out in a rash, it was clear I needed something more stable. So, I headed to 1 Twins Way in the dead of the 2015-2016 winter to put my money where my mouth (or in this case, heart) was. I showed up in-person because I was adamant about putting butt-to-seat before purchasing, just to make sure I wouldn’t be viewing a railing every time I settled in. Ultimately, I found everything to my satisfaction and left the premises the owner of twenty 2016 games in section 319 (upper deck between home plate and 3rd base).

I was so excited I didn’t even screen the terribly dark, poorly framed, slightly out of focus pic snapped by the Twins ticket representative who probably just wanted to get out of the freezing cold…

As we’ll see—and many of you already remember—over the coming months, it’s amazing I lasted more than a solitary season after what happened in ‘16. But I’ve not only continued to re-up each year—I’ve also re-located to section 221. Of course, you’ll hardly even find me there for the amount of times I do a further nominal upgrade into the lower deck (hahaha).

Do you have any interesting stories about being a season ticket holder or just purchasing tix in general? This would be the place to drop them as we slog through a cold December.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...ticket-holder-optimism-target-field-metrodome

 

[Minnesota Twins]

TwinkieTown Movie Night: 12 Angry Men

Henry Fonda leads an all-star cast; they’re the jury of a murder trial. Here’s your Internet Archive link! No commercials, and excellent print quality! Click your clicks at 7:30!

This is from a live TV play by Reginald Rose, first broadcast on September 20, 1954, as part of the Studio One anthology series. Live anthology series of this sort were fairly common at the time. They had writers like Rod Serling and Gore Vidal, and future film directors like Franklin J. Shaffner (who directed the TV version of 12 Angry Men) and Sidney Lumet (who directed the movie version). The shows would be broadcast live in the Eastern/Central time zones; Mountain/Pacific viewers would see a fairly low-quality filmed video version.

Henry Fonda saw the TV episode and wanted to make it into a movie; he bought the rights and produced the film himself. Reginald Rose expanded his own original (he’d actually had to trim out some material for the TV version’s 60-minute running time). Fonda hired first-time film director Sidney Lumet, a 32-year-old who’d gotten his start in TV as an assistant director to Yul Brenner. Yep, THAT Yul Brenner! Brenner had been a TV director before he was cast in the stage version of The King and I.

Fonda and Lumet cast mostly little-known New York stage actors in all the supporting roles. Some would go on to be very well-known indeed! Like Jack Klugman, later half of TV’s The Odd Couple, and Jack Warden, here playing a baseball fan who just wants to deliver a verdict FAST; he’s got tickets for the game that evening!

Incidentally, when Paul Douglas, the star of Angels in the Outfield, got too sick to finish his role as a Cranky Manager in a Twilight Zone episode about a robot baseball player, he was replaced by Jack Warden. That episode’s called The Mighty Casey. It’s not… well, it’s not one of the series’ best. But it’s not terrible, either. Archive has a copy you can watch if you like (I can’t embed that one).

Lumet rehearsed this for two weeks, planning out the camera angles during rehearsal with experienced cinematographer Boris Kaufman. They shot it in three weeks. Reviews were ecstatic, although the movie didn’t turn a profit and Fonda never got paid for it (he’d never produce another film).

Some thought it didn’t make money because it was talky and not in color, but I think it was because audiences were morons. Look at the list of big money-makers in 1957. There’s two good movies and a ton of crap. Et Dieu… créa la femme was only a hit because Brigitte Bardot was semi-nude in it.

The excellent cast here also features Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb, and E.G. Marshall. John Fiedler would eventually become known to millions of kids as the voice of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh. And yup, the Ed Begley in this one is father of the actor Begley, Jr. The musical score’s by Kenyon Hopkins, who would do The Hustler, too.

Anyhoo, here’s tonight’s link again! Start the show at 7:30!

And here’s the upcoming schedule:

December 26: Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

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

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)

Boy, do I know NOTHING about these next two films. But they were requested by Movie Night commenters, so if you want a movie, join in the comments! John C. McGinley and Garret Dillahunt star as two youth baseball coaches with very different approaches to coaching. Free on Tubi.

January 19: Alibi Ike (1935)

Starring the great Joe E. Brown (Some Like it Hot) as a baseball player who concocts a harebrained excuse for every mistake, hence his nickname. Free on a Strange Site.

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/50436/twinkietown-movie-night-12-angry-men

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Rival Roundup, Vol. 75: South Side Surprise

Christmas is a-comin’, and the goose is getting fat. So, too, are the wallets of those lucky few who signed contracts with Central division teams this week. And as an early Christmas present to me, we actually got ourselves some headlines this weekend!

• The Chicago White Sox sent the weekend out with a bang, landing Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami on a two-year, $34MM deal, a contract which both fell way under the projected salary value, and stunned those who did not believe the Sox were reasonably in play for such a high-profile posting. The latest home run champ in the NPB signs an effective prove-it deal, which could see him finishing out a season and a half in Chicago before working a trade to a contender, then hitting the free market again for the kind of big MLB payday he was hoping for this winter. Either way, he shakes up the composition of the Chicago lineup and gives the Twins something more pressing to worry about at Rate Field.
• The Kansas City Royals helped keep the stove on for us during the middle of the week, acquiring 2024 All-Star reliever Matt Strahm in a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Royals acquire reliever Matt Strahm from the Phillies for RHP Jonathan Bowlan. @feinsand.bsky.social, Robert Murray on it.

— Bob Nightengale (@bnightengale.bsky.social) 2025-12-19T14:51:13.615Z

• Strahm, who will enter his age-34 season, ranks third among all lefties with a 2.90 ERA, and actually started his career with the Royals all the way back in 2016.
• It’s been a good idea to poach from the Tampa Bay Rays for quite some time now. The White Sox became the latest team to do just that, hiring Carlos Rodriguez to an assistant general manager role this week. Rodrigiuez had been a free agent since October, when he departed from the Rays following 15 years with the franchise.
• Luis Robert Jr. has been the centerpiece of Chicago trade discussions for a while, ever since he transformed from can’t-miss, perpetual-thorn-in-side status to a 1.5-WAR outfielder/DH making $20 million a year. A few big NL teams — and, as has strangely been the case this offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates — have all been linked to the former All-Star.
• The Sox also grabbed Tampa Bay DFA job Tristan Peters in a cash/PTBNL trade. Busy first week for Carlos Rodriguez.
• The Chiefs made bigger news this week in the NFL, but a quote from the Kansas state senate president believes that the Royals will join them in a move away from Missouri.
• The Cleveland Guardians picked up Justin Bruihl in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, officially inked Shawn Armstrong to a one-year deal, then snuck Bruihl into DFA-land to make room on the roster. Where he stops, nobody knows.
• Finally, legendary general manager Dave Dombrowski will join the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50467/rival-roundup-vol-75-south-side-surprise

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “Relentless Pursuit of…Something” Edition

The Pohlads announced the addition of three minority partners to the Twins, a long with a change at the top of the team, replacing Joe Pohlad with his older brother, Tom Pohlad.

Pohlad Family welcomes limited partners to Minnesota Twins Ownership Group pic.twitter.com/wyIBBzCVPN

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) December 17, 2025

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• Zach Koenig is up to Round 8 in his list of the greatest Twins moments.
• Matt Monitto has the scoop on the newest Twins minority partner who might checking who is naughty or nice.
• Brandon Brooks takes us around the AL Central in this week’s Rival Roundup, including a big move from the White Sox.
• James Fillmore reviews last week’s baseball-adjacent movie night, 12 Angry Men. We’ve got Anna and the Apocalypse coming up this week.
• Zach Koenig looks back at the optimism surrounding the start of the 2016 season.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Matthew Leach at MLB.com has Tom Pohlad’s comments from the limited partners announcement.
• Dan Hayes at The Athletic outlines the process it took for the Twins to go from putting the team up for sale to staying on as majority owners.
• Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune profiles new Twins chairman Tom Pohlad.
• Cody Pirkl at Twins Daily looks at the potential ramifications for Derek Falvey with a new boss at the helm.
• Joe Ryan will be joining Team USA in the spring at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Go put on a show, Joe!

Joe Ryan will be competing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic! pic.twitter.com/So2bk2ZpXn

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) December 17, 2025

In the World of Baseball:

• Anthony Castovince at MLB.com names his “All-Awardless” Team for 2025.
• There were still plenty of moves leading up to the holidays, here are a few major signings and trades:
  • Shane Baz traded to the Orioles
  • Willson Contreras traded to the Red Sox
  • Michael King returns to San Diego

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...a-the-relentless-pursuit-of-something-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 9)

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
• R7: Harmon’s 500th homer 1971
• R8: Final day AL Central title 2006

A three-way deadlock was the result of last week’s poll, so yours truly gets tie-breaker rights: I have to go with the last-day 2006 AL Central title and celebration at the Metrodome. On August 7, the Twins were 10.5 GB the Detroit Tigers. Until the season’s final day, they had not spent any time in the division’s catbird seat. But that’s why they play all 162.

On October 1, the Twins defeated the White Sox—and no one was blown out of the Dome immediately upon the final out. Why? Because the capacity crowd stuck around to watch the Kansas City Royals beat the Tigers and give our boys of summer a miraculous AL Central crown! After the disappointment that was 2005, the improbability of ‘06 felt like a restoration of order to the Central.

One of the handful of MN Twins moments to bring tears to my eyes even just watching it on TV.

The newbie: Minnesota Mauer takes a curtain call.

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.

Santana strikes out 17 (2007)​

• Johan Santana won Cy Young Awards with the Twins in 2004 & 2006. But his single-game zenith came August 19, 2007, when he K’d 17 Texas batsmen over 8 IP of victorious shutout ball. Santana whiffed every Ranger batter at least once, three of them 3x apiece, and put the golden sombrero (4 K) on Michael Young.

Mauer’s final bow (2018)​

• After 15 seasons in a Minnesota Twins—and no other—uniform, Minnesota’s own (St. Paul) Joe Mauer stepped onto the diamond for the final time in 2018’s finale. After what would quickly prove to be a Hall of Fame career, Mauer got to enjoy a special moment in the catcher’s gear where he always felt most at home. Few eyes that beheld his heartfelt goodbye were dry at the end of it.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...se-joe-mauer-2018-johan-santana-17-strikeouts

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Report: Burglars claiming to be “Christmas spirits” break into Pohlad residence

Eben-easy does it… | John Mottern / AFP via Getty Images

As filed to the Minnesota State Patrol, new Twins executive chairman Tom Pohlad reported a break-in early Christmas Eve morning.

Although there were no signs of forced entry, Tom said that the burglars appeared in quick succession in the middle of the night, each waking him up with “rantings about the soul of the Twins” while he tried to go to sleep.

The report also suggests that the burglars were equipped with disguises. The first, in the guise of Tom’s father Carl Pohlad, alerted Tom that the other three burglars would be coming later that evening. Tom made sure all entrances were secure and went to sleep, but the other three, respectively costumed as Calvin Griffith, Joe Pohlad, and “some emo goth in a black hoodie,” still found their way into his bedroom.

As quoted in the police report:

Complainant states that the burglars had intricate video or hologram technology, possibly an updated version of ChatGPT, to show him films of past, present, and future Twins seasons. Complainant says the burglars ordered him to spend money on the ballclub or the Twins would cease to exist; he did not see the problem as that was what his father had wanted. In addition to criminal charges, complainant seeks copyright infringement charges against burglars for use of his family’s likenesses.

Representatives of the Minnesota State Patrol and the Pohlad family did not respond to a request for comment.

In consultation, a member of Twinkie Town’s legal counsel said that Tom Pohlad’s case is unlikely to succeed due to the inspiration for this piece of satire being years out of copyright.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/satire/...christmas-spirits-break-into-pohlad-residence

 

[Minnesota Twins]

All I Want for Christmas is You: Free Agent Targets to Fill Out the Twins’ Roster

Coming into the offseason, the Twins had three major needs to fill. First base has been, at least temporarily, filled after Josh Bell agreed to take his talents to the Twin Cities. They started to shore up the bullpen by acquiring Eric Orze from the Rays last month, but could still use 2-3 reliable arms and anyone capable of pitching with their left hand. And, as they have for seemingly 8 straight seasons, the Twins could use right-handed hitting outfielder/first baseman to pair with their plethora of left-handed options in Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Alan Roden, James Outman, Kody Clemens, prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins, and even Bell who has better splits against righties.

Some of these roles, namely the bullpen, will likely be filled via internal promotions (Prielipp, Rojas, Raya) or trade, but those are much harder to predict. With the Twins reportedly still having somewhere between $10M and $20M to spend this offseason and avenues to create more payroll flexibility, here are a few players that fit well in Minnesota.

Relievers​

Hunter Harvey, RHP​

As I was writing this piece, Pete Fairbanks signed with the Marlins, leaving Hunter Harvey as the last high-ish end arm on the market. Since being acquired by the Royals midway through the 2024 season, Harvey has thrown just 16.1 innings, missing extended time with back, shoulder, and abductor injuries; the trifecta for concern among high-velocity pitchers. However, those injuries mean he could find himself in the Twins’ price range and should be gettable for around $5M or so on a 1-year pact.

Seranthony Dominguez, RHP​

Dominguez was a key member of the Blue Jays’ piecemeal bullpen throughout their World Series run and fans got to experience both ends of the Dominguez experience. He has some of the best stuff in baseball, but can’t keep it in the zone for the life of him, sometimes going from untouchable to unplayable in the same inning. The results have been mixed, but he’s coming off of his best season with a 3.16 ERA and peripherals to match. He’ll have plenty of suitors and might be outside of Derek Falvey’s budget, but the potential is extremely high if Pete Maki can help him keep the ball in the zone.

Danny Coulombe, LHP​

Why mess with a good thing? Coulombe has done nothing but post great numbers in a Twins uniform. He wasn’t nearly as good after being traded to the Rangers in Minnesota’s midseason blowup, and he also has plenty of his own injury concerns, but Coulombe is effective and cheap. Given the Twins’ current payroll constraints, a third reunion with Coulombe is probably worth the gamble.

Dauri Moreta, RHP​

Moreta was somewhat of a surprise DFA by the Pirates earlier this offseason. He struggled a bit last year in his return from Tommy John Surgery, but looked to be Pittsburgh’s closer of the future in 2023. The stuff is great, he limits walks, and is still in his arbitration years so he should relatively affordable compared to other targets. Plus, he probably has one of the best closing celebrations in the league.

Honorable Mentions: Justin Wilson, David Robertson, Kirby Yates, Scott Barlow, Twins legends Ryan Pressly and Tyler Kinley, any other mid-to-late 30s pitcher who still has some juice.

Right-Handed Hitters with a Pulse​

That’s right, folks. We’re back and our standards are lower than ever! Can you put up league-average numbers against left-handed pitchers? Can you hit one (1) big home run in the eighth inning at some point this season? Can you avoid embarrassing yourself in left field (sorry Manny Margot)? If you answered yes to these questions, YOU could be the next short-sided platoon outfielder for the Minnesota Twins.

Miguel Andujar​

The former Yankees top prospect has quietly put together a solid career as a role player over the past few seasons. He’s a terrible defender anywhere you put him, but has an elite arm and can stand in the corner outfield, first base, and maybe even third in a pinch. Most importantly, Andujar had a 171 wRC+ against lefties last season and 121 wRC+ for his career. His limitations and lack of ability against righties has FanGraphs projecting him for only $5M next season, right in the Twins’ wheelhouse. He would be my top realistic target.

Austin Hays​

Another former Red, Hays has been the talk of major-market teams needing righty bats, which may mean he’s getting priced out of the Twins’ market. He doesn’t have the best track record, but Hays is coming off of a career-best season in Cincinnati and has bit more juice than Andujar against right-handed pitchers. As such, the biggest thing keeping him from Minnesota might be the lack of a starting role. The Twins’ roster is chock full of corner outfielders with top prospects on the way, so Hays might not make sense unless there’s a few trades to clear out a role for him.

Dylan Carlson​

A flamed-out former top prospect, Carlson is still only 27-years-old and is the best defender of the bunch by a wide margin. He’s coming off the worst season of his career where he struggled across the board, but he still has a 117 career wRC+ against lefties. Carlson is a switch hitter with enough speed to at least be a threat on the bases. He’s also the cheapest option and might even settle for a minor league deal. As long as the front office is willing to cut ties if he doesn’t work, Carlson is a Willi Castro-esque signing that could pay off in spades if the Twins help him rediscover his swing.

Utility options: Dylan Moore, Jorge Mateo, Santiago Espinal, Legendary Twins All-Star Willi Castro

Honorable Mentions: Austin Slater, Chas McCormick, Starling Marte, and the veterans I’ve been begging the Twins to target the entire time I’ve been at Twinkie Town (Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham, Mark Canha)

Again, pulse + league-average production against righties. That’s all. This should be so easy to fix yet here we are for the 5th season in a row.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...ee-agent-targets-to-fill-out-the-twins-roster

 

[Minnesota Twins]

TwinkieTown Movie Night: Anna and the Apocalypse

Nothing says Christmas like bashing zombies with a baseball bat! (They’re not very scary zombies, but I wouldn’t show this to anyone under 15 or so.) Here’s the link, and click your clicks at 7:30!

Anna’s just a regular high school senior, with regular high school senior concerns. Go straight to college, or take a year off to travel? (On her own dime, from money she made working: these teens are MUCH LESS ANNOYING than teens in American movies.)

But there’s another concern; zombies.

The young Scottish film-school student, Ryan McHenry, came up with the idea when he watched a rotten Disney movie about high schoolers. So, he thought, what would improve it? Zombies.

(The violence & goopy gore here are nothing extreme; it’s about at the level of Gremlins, something like that.)

The fairest criticism I’ve heard of this movie is that it starts out so funny and great and ends up being sad.

That’s valid. But I think the movie had to be this way.

Ryan McHenry got financing to write & direct it at age 25! Every young film fan’s dream. And then he got a super-rare cancer and died at 27. Before he could direct it. At 27.

As the movie tells us… “there’s no such thing as a Hollywood ending.”

So the movie is two things. It’s a young person’s joy in goofing with genres and stereotypes and tweaking them around to make something giddy & new. But there is a sad core to it. How could there not be?

And I think it’s a very good movie.

OK, let’s address the Strange Site link: it’s a kind of Russian YouTube.

You’d be worried, with fair reason, that a Russian YouTube is gonna dump malware all over every device you own. And that IS something some Russian sites will do. (If you haven’t heard, Mr. Putin is a very bad man and there is a lot of corruption in Russia.)

But THIS Russian site is considered generally safe (for now) by most internet security experts. In terms of tracking your data, it’s certainly safer than Bezos Prime.

Plus, the versions on Roku/Tubi screw up the “aspect ratio”; chopping off the sides of the image. I used to be a movie projectionist, so this kinda thing drives me batty.

Again, as with Damn Yankees, there’s Spanish subtitles you can’t turn off. But subtitles won’t hurt you. Why there are Spanish subtitles on a Russian site showing a Scottish movie… folks, I have NO IDEA. There’s another copy on the same site without subtitles, but the video quality is lousy, and here it is very good.

Anyhoo, here’s tonight’s link again! Start the show at 7:30!

And here’s the upcoming schedule:

January 2: 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 9: Benched (2018)

Boy, do I know NOTHING about these next two films. But they were requested by Movie Night commenters, so if you want a movie, join in the comments! John C. McGinley and Garret Dillahunt star as two youth baseball coaches with very different approaches to coaching. Free on Tubi.

January 16: Alibi Ike (1935)

Starring the great Joe E. Brown (Some Like it Hot) as a baseball player who concocts a harebrained excuse for every mistake, hence his nickname. Free on a Strange Site.

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/50514/twinkietown-movie-night-anna-and-the-apocalypse

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Have a very merry, Cherry Cherry Christmas!

Every year, a big movie premieres in theaters on Christmas Day. Usually one that the whole family can enjoy to escape the in-laws for a few hours. This year, that flick is Song Sung Blue.

Hugh Jackman in a musical biopic about one of the greatest pop singers of all time? Count me in!

How does this all relate to baseball? Well, one of Neil’s standout tunes became a staple at MLB’s oldest ballpark…

On May 28, 1969, Diamond released Sweet Caroline as part of his Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show album. Written by the Jewish Elvis himself, the catchy chorale peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100—certified Platinum with 1,000,000+ sales.

But as even the catchiest of songs are known to do, it fell by the wayside in favor of the next month’s ear-worm. That is, until—legend has it—a Fenway Park staffer in charge of tunes randomly spun it one night in 1997 in tribute to a baby Caroline she knew who just entered the world.

The song got a big crowd pop, so it got played again…and again…and again! By 2002, it became official policy for Neil to flow through the Beantown loudspeakers in the middle of the eighth inning. The now-infamous “bah bah BAHHHHHH!” crowd response in the pause after Diamond’s “sweeeeeeeet Caroline” crooning was added in somewhere along the way.

Over the years, Sweet Caroline has become as much of a Fenway tradition as the Green Monster or Pesky’s Pole. It was featured in the film Fever Pitch and the man himself has even serenaded New Englanders.

Sadly, the 84-year old Diamond was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2018 and has retired from touring. But that hasn’t stopped him from making occasional public appearances to belt out his greatest hits!

Ironically, I discovered Neil due to my Dad having recorded his 1992 holiday TV special on a VHS tape—right before “Rocky”, which I watched a lot as a youngster. If there’s a better Jingle Bell Rock, I haven’t heard it yet…

Happy Holidays, Twinkie Town! As Neil himself croons in this inventive festive tune: “Let’s raise a toast of Red, Red Wine…we’ll even sing Sweet Caroline…while the whole world sings along!” We’ve been doing that since 1969.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/satire/...stmas-hugh-jackman-sweet-caroline-fenway-park

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Rival Roundup, Vol. 76: The Big Parade (of links)

It’s the last Rival Roundup of 2025! I hope you got everything done this year that you wanted to accomplish, because if not, you only have three days left, and you need to basically stop reading this immediately if you want any hope of achieving your dreams. Go on, get!

• The Christmas rumor mill was churning this week, as Tarik Skubal made an offseason visit to Detroit, attended a Pistons game, and elicited a comment from general manager Jeff Greenberg. Greenberg slyly suggested that Skubal was just a basketball fan; some thought the ace was in town for extension talks, which seems to have been closer to rumor than reality.
• Speaking of the Pistons — upon whose television network Skubal appeared to share some hoops knowledge — said network is the latest in a long line of Bally-likes to be weathering a financial storm on behalf of their parent company. FanDuel Sports Networks is in jeopardy of shuttering a laundry list of regional sports networks presently in the thick of mid-season NBA and NHL coverage, unless a speculative sale to the DAZN streaming platform can be cleared by next month.
• Our friends over at Royals Review have a couple items this week — first, a linkdump of their own with some weekend rumblings to close out 2025. Also, Max Rieper rounds up his own rivals, providing a Royal fan’s perspective on the American League offseason so far.
• The Cleveland Guardians make a couple of minor-league signings.

The Guardians signed reliever Codi Heuer to a Minor League deal with a non-roster invite to big league Spring Training.

— Tim Stebbins (@timstebbins.bsky.social) 2025-12-22T18:02:08.517Z

The Guardians signed outfielder Stuart Fairchild to a Minor League deal with a non-roster invite to big league Spring Training.

— Tim Stebbins (@timstebbins.bsky.social) 2025-12-20T19:29:09.096Z

• Beyond these minor signings, it’s been a quiet offseason for the reigning division champs. Quincy Wheeler at Covering the Corner covers which corners of the free agent market the Guardians may find themselves involved in, with under eight weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report.
• The Sox swap lefties, acquiring free-agent southpaw Sean Newcomb.

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb on a one-year, $4.5-million contract. To make room for Newcomb on the 40-man roster, the White Sox designated left-hander Ryan Rolison for assignment.

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 23, 2025

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50568/rival-roundup-vol-76-the-big-parade-of-links

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 10)

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
• R7: Harmon’s 500th homer 1971
• R8: Final day AL Central title 2006
• R9: Kirby Puckett’s Weekend for the Ages 1987

Kirby Puckett broke out as a Minnesota Twins superstar in 1986. But in 1987, he cemented himself as a team leader and far more than a one-hit wonder. This late-‘87 weekend in Milwaukee gained him entrance into our Top Ten of Twins moments…

The newbie: B-Doz completes a WILD comeback!

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.

Santana strikes out 17 (2007)​

• Johan Santana won Cy Young Awards with the Twins in 2004 & 2006. But his single-game zenith came August 19, 2007, when he K’d 17 Texas batsmen over 8 IP of victorious shutout ball. Santana whiffed every Ranger batter at least once, three of them 3x apiece, and put the golden sombrero (4 K) on Michael Young.

Mauer’s final bow (2018)​

• After 15 seasons in a Minnesota Twins—and no other—uniform, Minnesota’s own (St. Paul) Joe Mauer stepped onto the diamond for the final time in 2018’s finale. After what would quickly prove to be a Hall of Fame career, Mauer got to enjoy a special moment in the catcher’s gear where he always felt most at home. Few eyes that beheld his heartfelt goodbye were dry at the end of it.

Dozier caps a comeback (2015)​

• On July 10, 2015, the Twins trailed the Detroit Tigers 6-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. But in a remarkable sequence of events, Brian Dozier found himself at the plate with a chance to be a hero. He didn’t disappoint. In the words of Dick Bremer: “The most electric moment at Target Field in YEARS!”.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...santana-2007-joe-mauer-2018-brian-dozier-2015

 

[Minnesota Twins]

25 words for each month of ‘25

Let fireworks launch! | Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins/ Getty Images

2025 was not a year many of us probably want to remember, and that is doubly true for Minnesota Twins fans. We entered the year with hesitant hopes for an AL Central crown and a playoff berth, but we left the season wanting to punt ownership towards the nearest supernova.

Seeing as many of us are already hoping for a better 2026, even if aware that hope may be in vain (please: hope anyway, and do what you can to work towards a better year), let’s make sure 2025 stays in the past with a final look back at the year, 25 words to describe every month in ‘25.

January: The Twins trade for Diego Cartaya, whom we will futilely hope does not flame out, and sign a bunch of players to minor league contracts.

February: Harrison Bader joins the club and Danny Coulombe returns; spring training brings its usual excitement for the season along with a few jersey number changes.

March: The Twins lose their first four games, setting a morose tone that lingers throughout the season, and Randy Dobnak pitches his final game for Minnesota.

April: Still lingering just below .500, the team shuffles the roster: they send Jose Miranda down to the minors for good and trade for Kody Clemens.

May: Amazingly, the Twins win 13 consecutive games, their second-longest streak since moving to Minnesota, sparking a 13-8 month giving fans hope for a division title.

June: So much for that hope: injuries (such as Pablo López’s shoulder) and losing streaks of five and six games drop the Twins back below .500.

July: Ownership and the front office crush our hearts, trading away 11 players at the deadline, including Carlos Correa (salary dump) and hometown favorite Louis Varland.

August: Ownership takes our hearts and pisses on them, the Pohlad family pulling the team off the market, for which the fanbase will never forgive them.

September: With a bullpen constructed out of veteran castoffs and unproven minor leaguers, the Twins tumble to a 70-92 record, and Rocco Baldelli gets the axe.

October: Fans rooting for Varland to win a ring with Toronto instead watch the Dodgers break hearts across Canada; here, Derek Shelton gets hired as manager.

November: Very little on the player front; eschewing prominent, high-talent free agents, the Twins trade for Eric Orze, an OOTP favorite of mine, and Alex Jackson.

December: Tom Pohlad takes over for Joe as principal owner — fans still won’t trust him — and Josh Bell becomes the team’s first MLB free agent signing.

Thankfully, there is just over half a day remaining in 2025 as I post this. It may be ultimately irrelevant that the calendar turns over between December and January instead of say, April 12th at 10:51 AM and April 12th at 10:52 AM, but it is always pleasant to think of a new year as a time to reset oneself and look forward with an element of hope. (Not that I expect anyone to make or keep New Year’s resolutions.)

Here’s to a 2026 bringing more smiles and cheer — have a happy New Year.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...25-happy-new-year-2026-jettison-this-past-one

 

[Minnesota Twins]

TwinkieTown Movie Night: Eight Men Out

Here’s your link for the movie. It’s from a Strange Site, but most internet security experts consider it pretty safe (when it comes to collecting your data, IMDb is worse). It has good image quality and no commercials, so no sync issues! Sync issues are a pain on Movie Nights! Start the show at 7:30!

So, hypothetical question. If there’s something going on in baseball which really threatens the integrity of the sport, and you absolutely know it, what do you do about it?

Specifically, what do you do if it’s driving up fan interest? Making a lot more money for team owners? And some of that money is trickling down to players?

Well, in the 80s/90s/00s, that something was “roiding,” and everybody knew it. The players all knew it, the owners all knew it. Some of the players participated, some didn’t. Eventually, all the owners (and the commissioner) claimed they had no idea what was going on. And some of the players claimed that too, although nobody believes them.

In 1919, that something was “gambling.” Everybody knew it was driving up fan interest, and it had a huge risk of threatening the integrity of the sport. The players all knew it, the owners all knew it. Eventually, all the owners (and the first baseball commissioner) claimed they had no idea what was going on. And some of the players claimed that too, although nobody believes them.

Hmm, what do you think is happening today?

Writer/director John Sayles wrote this script in the 1970s, before he’d ever made a movie, and used the script as kind of a showcase for his talents, to help raise funding for his first independent films. He based the script largely on the 1963 book Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof, and the book (I haven’t read it) is considered a little below modern standards of baseball history research. For 1963, though, it was considered pretty good. (Asinof — who was born in 1919 — revisited the subject in a 1990 book, which I’d guess has some of the more updated research available by that point.)

There’s a lot that’s unknowable about the 1919 World Series gambling fix. The best article about it (that I’ve found) is this one by law professor Douglas Linder. It’s quite possible that some of the players who took bribes from gamblers intended to double-cross the gamblers; take their money, then play the best they could. (Particularly Buck Weaver and Joe Jackson, both of whom hit very well in the Series.) It’s possible some of the players had planned to do this, but were scared into cooperating by threats of violence from the gamblers.

And while White Sox owner Charles Comiskey was a skinflint (like every owner before or since), the 1919 Sox had a very high payroll compared to almost every other team in the league. But what’s certainly complete bulls**t is Comiskey and the other owners claiming, later, that they had no idea there was so much gambling going on! Like Claude Rains in Casablanca…

“Your winnings, sir.” “Thank you very much.” (Even when Claude Rains is playing corrupt, he’s certifiably cool.)

Ted Williams once said, about Joe Jackson: “Joe shouldn’t have accepted the money… and he realized his error. He tried to give the money back. He tried to tell Comiskey… about the fix. But they wouldn’t listen. Comiskey covered it up as much as Jackson did — maybe more. And there’s Charles Albert Comiskey down the aisle from me at Cooperstown — and Shoeless Joe still waits outside.”

What a cast, here! John Cusack, Clifton James, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, David Strathairn… many others. John Sayles himself appears as writer Ring Lardner.

(Fun Movie Trivia Fact: Lardner, Jr., Ring’s son, wrote the screenplay to M*A*S*H*, the 1970 film. But director Robert Altman and the cast used so much improvisation that Lardner was furious, and half-demanded his name be taken off the credits. Then he won an Oscar for Best Screenplay and stopped complaining.)

Here’s tonight’s link again! Fire it up at 7:30!

And here’s the upcoming schedule:

January 9: Benched (2018)

Boy, do I know NOTHING about these next two films. But they were requested by Movie Night commenters, so if you want to suggest a movie, join in the comments! John C. McGinley and Garret Dillahunt star as two youth baseball coaches with very different approaches to coaching. Free on a Strange Site.

January 16: Alibi Ike (1935)

Starring the great Joe E. Brown (Some Like it Hot) as a baseball player who concocts a harebrained excuse for every mistake, hence his nickname. Free on a Strange Site.

January 23: Major League (1989)

I wanted to do this right after A League of Their Own (two titles with the word “league”) but then it disappeared from the mainstream streamers. Well, it is also on the Strange Site.

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/breakfast-baseball/50607/twinkietown-movie-night-eight-men-out

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins Flashback: 1966

Happy New Year Twinkie Town! With the calendar flipped to 2026, I’ll be periodically checking in on the 2006 & 2016 campaigns this 365-cycle. But before that, we have a few one-off anniversaries—beginning with the Twins’ AL title defense 60 years ago.

In 1965, Minnesota established itself as a professional baseball powerhouse by flying an American League Championship banner and pushing a thrilling World Series to G7 before succumbing to Stunning Sandy. It should come as little surprise that 1966 saw 1,259,374 fans stream into Metropolitan Stadium—2nd best in the AL—for a pennant defense.

Offensively, tippy-top stalwarts Harmon Killebrew (39 HR, 110 RBI, 103 BB, .281 BA, 157 OPS+) & Tony Oliva (191 H, Gold Glove Award) showed no champagne hangover—but that couldn’t be applied to the rest of the lumber-wielders…

• Bob Allison was limited to 204 PA due to a wrist fracture
• 1965 AL MVP Zoilo Versalles dipped to an 83 OPS+
• Ted Uhlaender and his 59 OPS+ somehow received 403 PA

All told, a slightly-below-average team 95 OPS+.

Fortunately, the pitching picked up the slack.

Led by Jim Kaat’s newfound ace-dom—25-13, 2.75 ERA, 41 GS, 19 CG, 3 SHO, 304.2 IP, 131 ERA+—the likes of Mudcat Grant (111 ERA+), Jim Perry (142 ERA+), & Dave Boswell (115 ERA+) were also solid starters.

Add up the cunning contributions from Al Worthington (147 ERA+) & Pete Cimino (124 ERA+) out of the crib and the team 116 ERA+ was the squad’s strong point.

All told, this led to a respectable 89-73 record in 1966. Alas, “respectable” didn’t make the World Series in this era before divisions or playoffs. So, the MN boys of summer had to settle for 2nd place behind the 97-63 Baltimore Orioles—powered by a generational MVP season (198 OPS+) from Frank Robinson.

Hovering around .500 (17.5 GB) at the end of July, the Twins made a 21-11 August & 17-10 Sept/Oct push to cut the deficit to 9 GB—but ultimately ran out of time to catch the Orange Birds.

There were of course still some standout moments along route ‘66…

• June 9: Rich Rollins, Versalles, Oliva, Don Mincher, & Killebrew all homered in a single inning

• July 21: SP Jim Merritt K’d six batters in a row for an AL record
• August 18: The Twins turned the first triple play in franchise history—Rollins to Cesar Tovar to Killebrew off a Frank Malzone (California Angels) ground ball.

While not ending with the national fanfare of ‘65, this season proved the Minnesota Twins were no one-hit wonders. Their mix of hitting & pitching was strong enough to compete with AL stalwarts year-in and year-out.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...laender-kaat-perry-boswell-worthington-cimino

 

[JJ]

Man, reading through all this Twins stuff makes me appreciate what we've got going on in Buffalo right now with the Bills. You guys had a ROUGH 2025 - that July deadline fire sale was absolutely brutal to watch from afar. Trading Correa as a salary dump? Ouch. And then the Pohlads pulling the team off the market in August? That's just a kick in the teeth to the fanbase.

Gotta say though, that 13-game winning streak in May must've been a hell of a ride before everything fell apart. Classic sports heartbreak - gives you just enough hope to make the disappointment sting even more.

The 1966 flashback stuff is pretty cool though. Kaat going 25-13 with 304 innings pitched?! That's absolutely INSANE by today's standards. These modern pitchers can barely sniff 200 innings without their arms falling off. Different era for sure.

And that Eight Men Out movie night thing - solid choice. The gambling parallels to today's sports betting explosion are pretty on point. Every commercial break during Bills games is like 47 different sportsbook ads now. We're all just pretending this is totally fine and definitely won't cause any problems down the road, right?

Here's hoping 2026 treats you Twins fans better. Lord knows after the Pohlad nonsense you deserve some actual investment in the product on the field. At least you're not the White Sox - those poor bastards signed Sean Newcomb like it was some kind of accomplishment.

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “New Year New Bench” Edition

The Twins started 2026 with a pair of moves, trading for Marlins first baseman Eric Wagaman and signing infielder Orlando Arcia. Neither is (hopefully) likely to play a significant role for the Twins in 2026, but will serve as veteran bench bats for a team that hopes to usher in a youth movement.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• Zach Koenig takes us waaaayyyy back to the sixth Twins season in 1966.
• Last week, James Fillmore celebrated the New Year by watching Eight Men Out. We’ve got Benched on deck this week!
• Matt Monitto looks back on 2025 and the season in Twins Territory.
• Zach has finished up round 10 of his list of the greatest Twins moments – look for Round 11 voting coming out this week!

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune looks back at 10 pivotal games from the 2025 Twins season.
• Aaron Gleeman at The Athletic looks at the impacts of adding Wagaman and Arcia to the Twins’ roster.
• Matthew Leach at MLB.com looks at why the Twins still believe in Royce Lewis’ ability.

In the World of Baseball:

• ESPN looks back at their favorite MLB games of 2025.
• Brian Murphy at MLB.com breaks down the best remaining free agents.
• After Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox, the two remaining Japanese stars on the international free agent market quickly signed as well, with Tatsuya Imai signing with the Astros and Kazuma Okamoto signing with the Blue Jays.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/50661/monday-morning-minnesota-the-new-year-new-bench-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Greatest Twins Moments & Performances: A Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 11)

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
• R7: Harmon’s 500th homer 1971
• R8: Final day AL Central title 2006
• R9: Kirby Puckett’s Weekend for the Ages 1987
• R10: Breaking the Playoff Curse (TM) 2023

Starting with Game 2 of the 2004 ALDS and continuing through the 2020 Wild Card sweep by the Houston Astros, the Minnesota Twins lost 18 consecutive postseason contests—the longest such drought in North American professional sporting league history. The franchise had nearly become synonymous with the very concept of “playoff losing”.

But then, 2023 happened. Royce Lewis went supernova, Carlos Correa & Sonny Gray got sneaky, and Jhoan Duran slammed the door on the Toronto Blue Jays. For the first time in nearly two decades, YOUR Minnesota Twins were playoff winners!

The newbie: Old Man Don & Hometown Hrbie extend 1987 to its final day.

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.

Santana strikes out 17 (2007)​

• Johan Santana won Cy Young Awards with the Twins in 2004 & 2006. But his single-game zenith came August 19, 2007, when he K’d 17 Texas batsmen over 8 IP of victorious shutout ball. Santana whiffed every Ranger batter at least once, three of them 3x apiece, and put the golden sombrero (4 K) on Michael Young.

Mauer’s final bow (2018)​

• After 15 seasons in a Minnesota Twins—and no other—uniform, Minnesota’s own (St. Paul) Joe Mauer stepped onto the diamond for the final time in 2018’s finale. After what would quickly prove to be a Hall of Fame career, Mauer got to enjoy a special moment in the catcher’s gear where he always felt most at home. Few eyes that beheld his heartfelt goodbye were dry at the end of it.

Dozier caps a comeback (2015)​

• On July 10, 2015, the Twins trailed the Detroit Tigers 6-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. But in a remarkable sequence of events, Brian Dozier found himself at the plate with a chance to be a hero. He didn’t disappoint. In the words of Dick Bremer: “The most electric moment at Target Field in YEARS!”.

Baylor & Hrbek prolong the World Series magic (1987)​

• After winning the first two games of the 1987 World Series, the Twins dropped 3-through-5 in St. Louis. So, not only were they facing elimination in Game 6—but they were down 5-2 heading into the bottom of the 5th inning. Then some Metrodome Magic (TM) struck: Don Baylor homered in that frame to knot the score at 5, while hometown hero Kent Hrbek delivered the knockout blow in the following stanza to make sure Game 7 would commence.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...off-1987-world-series-baylor-hrbek-grand-slam