The Minnesota Twins officially opened spring training in Fort Myers, Florida, on Feb. 17. The team hopes to rid itself of the stench of its total team collapse at the end of last season. Hoping their veteran core stays healthy and some of their youth rebound from sophomore slumps, manager Rocco Baldelli opened camp promising more vigorous workouts and more attention to accountability.
Due to the ongoing uncertainty about the Twins’ ownership situation, soon-to-be-installed president Derek Falvey had precious little to spend on the free-agent market. And after three quiet additions that should nonetheless help the team, rumors of an additional $10 million in available funds stir the hope that perhaps another deal could be in the offing.
Return to Tomorrow
The Minnesota team that will take the field this summer looks almost exactly like the roster that finished the 2024 season. Gone are long-time right fielder Max Kepler and Gold Glove-winning first baseman Carlos Santana, but shortstop Carlos Correa and center fielder Bryon Buxton continue to lead this team. And with the youth movement of Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Matt Wallner, Eddy Julien, and Jose Miranda, you have a starting nine that could be competitive, injuries and slumps aside.
The pitching staff returns starters Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober, who will mentor a tantalizing group of potential stars, such as Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews. Bullpen stalwarts Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax return to lead a surprisingly deep Twins relief staff. They will be assisted by veterans Brock Steward and Danny Coulombe and young flamethrowers like Jorge Alcala and Louis Varland.
New Twins and Early Returns
As stated, with their limited resources, the Twins made only a small splash in the free agent and trade markets. The most important pickups included former All-Star Ty France, who was brought over to assume the first base starting role. Not to mention Gold Glove winner Harrison Bader, who will backup all three outfield positions, and Coulombe, a crucial lefthanded component added to the bullpen. The only other new addition that could make waves is catcher, Diego Cartaya, but his road is temporarily blocked by the Twins’ inability to trade Christian Vazquez and his $10 million contract.
How is it going so far? By some measures, it’s too early to tell, but there are some promising signs. Correa and Buxton do appear to be the healthiest they have been in several years. After bulking up too much before last season, Wallner appears to be swinging the bat with more gusto. Lewis is happy and ready to go after some rumblings of discontent at the end of 2024. Duran has added a changeup to his pitching repertoire in addition to his 100 mph fastball. Festa and Mathews each threw two scoreless innings in their spring openers.
And Bader and France each launched a dinger in Tuesday’s win over the Yankees. Wallner also added one. Additionally, outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has had a nice spring with three hits, including a walk-off single to end Tuesday’s game.
Ownership Update and Falvey Promotion
Just this week, Justin and Mat Ishbia abandoned their bid to purchase the Twins and are turning their attention to acquiring the Chicago White Sox. Justin already owns a small part of the team and is interested in securing controlling interest from long-time owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Now, Minnesota is searching for a new ownership group. There are rumors that the Pohlad family may pull the team off the market and retain ownership of the team. This scenario played out in recent sales attempts by the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals.
Finally, in other front office news, it was announced that on Monday, March 3, President, Baseball Operations Derek Falvey will succeed Dave St. Peter and become the new President, Baseball & Business Operations for the Twins. St. Peter will move to a Strategic Advisor position. Falvey will be the fifth president in Minnesota Twins history and the first to carry the dual title of President, Baseball & Business Operations. This was originally announced last November when Jerry Zoll was elevated to the role of General Manager for the team.
