Minnesota Twins Offseason Report #1

This is the first in a series of articles chronicling the Minnesota Twins and their offseason moves. Even though there have been no major player acquisitions to date, every level of the organization has been busy responding to the disappointing finish of the 2024 campaign. Some long-time mainstays have departed, and hopefully, replacing them will be some new faces that Twins’ fans hope will contribute to the rejuvenation of this storied franchise.

For our purposes, I have divided the article into three sections. The first is “Ownership and Front Office,” Next comes Managers and Coaches.” And the last section is entitled “Player Movements.” In future articles, we will examine the ownership situation, front-office strategies to improve the team, and any significant player movements. This will be presented chronologically, but some of the biggest news related to the team creates ripple effects that are seen and sometimes unseen when announced.

Ownership and Front Office

Twins Are for Sale

On October 10, it was announced that the Pohlad Family (majority stakeholders in the team) was taking offers for the team. This was probably a move that the family had considered for some time. Still, the abysmal finish to the baseball season and the state of payroll economics also weighed heavily into their decision.

Joe Pohlad said at the time. “For the past 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been part of our family’s heart and soul. The staff, the players, and most importantly, you, the fans — everyone who makes up this unbelievable organization — is part of that. We’ve never taken lightly the privilege of being stewards of this franchise.”

It should be noted that Carl Pohlad purchased the team from Calvin Griffth in 1984 for $44 million. The team is now estimated to be worth between  $1.46 billion and $1.7 billion.

Team Has a New Broadcast Deal

Just days before the Pohlad’s announcement, the Twins agreed to a new broadcast partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB). They are part of a five-team consortium that agreed to have MLB produce and broadcast their games.

The new deal will create a dedicated television station available to fans through cable, satellite, and streaming services. The new station will reach three million more fans than the Twins were able to on Diamond Sports Group channel this past season. It also brings the curtain down on game blackouts except for national broadcasts.

Goodbye to Thad and Hello to Jeremy

There had to be scapegoat for the complete collapse of the Twins down the stretch, and that person was nice guy, senior vice-president and general manager (GM) Thad Levine. Levine, who just last offseason interviewed for the Boston Red Sox general manager position was thought to be a lock to eventually succeed Derek Falvey.

He will be replaced by Jeremy Zoll, who has served as the team’s farm director and, for the past five years, as an assistant GM. His role with the Twins has yet to be fully defined, but it’s a good bet he will continue to be a power player in the player development division of the team. In a related move, Zoll’s hire coincided with the announcement that Falvey is being promoted as team president to replace Dave St. Peter, who has served in that capacity since 2002. St. Peter will move to an advisory position sometime after the first of the year. There will be additional front-office moves as the offseason progresses.

Managers and Coaches

Immediately after the season, it was announced that manager Rocco Baldelli would retain his position for at least another season. Not faring as well were some of his coaches. After the total team collapse in the final two months of the season, the Twins terminated the contracts of hitting coaches David Popkins and Rudy Hernandez, assistant hitting coaches Derek Shomon, and assistant bench coach/infield coach Tony Diaz. Even though every facet of the game took a dive starting in August, it was hard to ignore the team’s slash line of .228/.292/.354 in their final 39 games.

In the search for more consistent offense, the team brought back an old friend to liven up the Twins’ hitting attack. Matt Borgschulte was hired as the team’s new hitting coach. He previously served with the Twins from 2018-21 in various minor league hitting coaching positions. He has spent the last three seasons as the Baltimore Orioles’ co-hitting coach. And ironically, he was a finalist for the team’s hitting coach position in 2022 before Popkins was hired. As with the front office, expect more changes on the coaching and minor league managing fronts before spring training starts.

Player Movements

Twins Say Goodbye to Some Fan Favorites

The Minnesota Twins are saying goodbye to several fan favorites in this year’s class of free agents. Outfielder Max Kepler is the longest-tenured Twin, having spent 15 years in the organization. But his ultimate downfall was his inability to hit lefthanded hitting and his inconsistent bat.

Caleb Thielbar had several successful seasons as a mid-inning reliever in Minnesota’s bullpen. However, some mechanics issues led to a rise in his ERA, making it very unlikely that the team would try to re-sign him. Kyle Framer was a nice pickup last season, and his versatility helped the team make a long playoff run. But a bloated contract and weak hitting performance spelled the end of his Twins career.

Carlos Santana proved that he still had something left in the tank, hitting 23 homers and winning the American League Gold Glove at first base. I, for one, would have loved to see the team run him back for one more season. But the Twin are voting to give Jose Miranda and Eddy Julien a chance to get regular playing time. Goodbye, and thanks, Carlos.

Outfielder Manuel Margot had a terrible season, including a goose egg as a pinch hitter. Pitcher Anthony DeSclafani, obtained in the Jorge Polanco trade, missed the entire year after elbow surgery in spring training. And Alex Kirilloff, with the beautiful swing, elected to retire at age 27 after an injury-plagued career.

And Retained These Four Relievers

And to bolster their bullpen, the Twins signed relief pitchers Michael Tonkin, Brock Stewart, and Justin Topa to one-year contracts. Of note here is Stewart, who pitched some dynamite innings out of the bullpen last season but has had a hard time staying in the lineup due to injuries. Reliever Justin Topa came over in the Seattle trade with a proven track record of success. But after suffering a partial tear in the patellar tendon in May, Minnesota wanted a longer look to see if the lanky reliever could return to his previous form. And the team exercised their club option on Jorge Alcala, hoping that he, with his live arm can stay off the injury list.

More to Come

Hang on to your hats as the Twins attempt to retool their team while continuing to live under a tight, self-imposed salary cap. Stay tuned for all of the action.