While nobody wanted to see Nelson Cruz or Jose Berrios dealt, it’s difficult to argue the return packages that Falvine got in return for both stars. In the last two weeks, with the additions of Joe Ryan (Cruz deal), Austin Martin (Berrios) and Simeon Woods-Richardson (Berrios), Minnesota has added three players to their top-10 organizational prospect rankings (MLB.com).

Not only are all three guys highly ranked among their peers, but they’re expected to see big league innings in the very near future. Drew Strotman, who will make his St. Paul Saints debut tonight, could also help the starting rotation as early as this season.

No Buxton trade. Staying with Twins.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2021

Kenta Maeda and Michael Pineda are still members of the #MNTwins.

— danhayesmlb (@DanHayesMLB) July 30, 2021

#MNTwins Trade Deadline recap:

Traded:

DH Nelson Cruz
RHP José Berríos
RHP Hansel Robles
LHP J.A. Happ

Acquired:

RHP Joe Ryan (No. 8)
RHP Drew Strotman (No. 15)
SS/CF Austin Martin (No. 2)
RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (No. 3)
RHP Alex Scherff
RHP John Gant
LHP Evan Sisk

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) July 30, 2021

Balancing act

With just hours remaining before the deadline, talks for Byron Buxton were heating up and the Minnesota Twins were reportedly willing to deal him if another team were to meet their asking price. Nobody did so Buxton will spend the rest of 2021, at least, in Minneapolis.

If he can stay healthy after returning (late-August per reports), then his market value will skyrocket along with his trade value. If he gets hurt again, it could all fall through the floor. The Twins were also rumored to be listening on Kenta Maeda and even got some interest in offloading some of Josh Donaldson’s contract, but those deals never materialized in the end. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with those players this offseason.

With the moves made (and not made) today, the Twins could still argue they’re trying to win next year. If any combination of Buxton, Donaldson and Maeda had been traded, that argument would’ve died.

Surprises

The deadline surprises start with the return Falvine roped in for JA Happ, who isn’t worth anything more than a bucket of batting practice balls. Instead, they received John Gant, who’s been a pretty good pitcher for the Cardinals during his 6-year MLB career, posting a cumulative 3.72 ERA in 339 innings pitched, and a solid minor league arm, in Evan Sisk.

Michael Pineda still wearing a Twins uniform for his next start is a bit surprising. He’s a guy who was sure to go but other teams must not have hit the pricetag, which couldn’t have been that much?

They held onto Andrelton Simmons too, but that’s because nobody was interested, apparently.

If wondering if the #MNTwins could've moved Simmons for the bag and footballs below, answer is no. In the end, not one offer was there for the taking. https://t.co/1zZU9hHFLX

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) July 30, 2021

Makes no sense at all… https://t.co/1RDxPGgD6Z

— Seth Stohs (@SethTweets) July 30, 2021

Extend Byron Buxton and build your core around him, Austin Martin, Royce, Arraez, Larnach, Kirilloff and Miranda. That’s a dynamic group.

— Nash Walker (@Nashwalker9) July 30, 2021

Let’s play

The eventual return of Buxton, paired with a bunch of youngsters ready to make their debuts, should make for an interesting second half of the MLB season, for those Minnesota Twins fans that are still watching. We’ll see how serious this franchise is about winning in 2022 this offseason.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Martin was playing in AA New Hampshire until this morning. Woods-Richardson is now the 2nd Twins minor league starter who’s in Japan pitching for Team USA. What a haul.

Berríos to Blue Jays, source tells @TheAthletic.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2021

The Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a deal to acquire right-hander Jose Berrios from the Minnesota Twins, sources tell ESPN. Twins will be getting back multiple prospects. Big get for the Blue Jays, who needed pitching badly and get the best arm. @Ken_Rosenthal was on it.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2021

That's the full deal between the #MNTwins and Blue Jays, per sources:

José Berríos for SS/OF Austin Martin (No. 16 prospect in baseball) and RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson (No. 68). Both are in the high Minors.

Martin is 22. Woods-Richardson is 20.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) July 30, 2021

If Jose Berrios was going to be dealt, we knew the return package would be big. I’m not sure anyone thought they’d get anything this substantial. Through two major trades so far during this deadline season, the Minnesota Twins’ front office (which has a checkered trade deadline past) appears to have hit two homeruns. But only time will tell.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Now that the All-Star break is behind us, it’s more clear than ever that the Twins will be sellers. But how big will the sell-off be? Most importantly, with just 1.5 seasons remaining of team control and big pay days just over the horizon, will the mid-market Minnesota Twins owner expose themselves by trading away Byron Buxton and/or Jose Berrios in the next two weeks, to avoid paying them?

Probably not. At least, not yet. In all likelihood, both Buxton and Berrios will still be in Minnesota Twins uniforms when the trade deadline dust settles. But don’t get comfortable. Spring Training 2022 opens next February. We’ll see what uniform they’re wearing then.

.@Buster_ESPN just now on #SundayNightBaseball, paraphrasing here as it relates to the #MNTwins , "Teams are being told that guys under contract for next year are not available."

That leaves, Cruz, Simmons, Robles and Colome. Happ will eventually fill long relief or be released.

— The Ross Brendel (@BrendelRoss) July 18, 2021

Buxton’s ‘best and final’ offer?

Jose Berrios and Byron Buxton will become unrestricted free agents after next season. Minnesota’s front office has been trying to extend them at a bargain price for years, to no avail. Both guys want to cash in and, after the 2022 season, that’s their right. They deserve it.

Falvine and the Pohlad’s reportedly offered Buxton a ‘best and final’ contract extension last week, worth somewhere in the ballpark of $70 million ($10M/YR), plus escalators he’d surely hit with good health (Ken Rosenthal – The Athletic). Will he sign it? Probably not.

But with some negotiations, could it get done? The Twins threatening to trade him doesn’t seem like a good-faith negotiating tactic. But the numbers, given Buxton’s injury history, could make sense. Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) seemed to pin that magic dollar amount at $15 million per season, in an article he released this morning. That price actually seems attainable for a front office willing to pay Miguel Sano and Josh Donaldson $11 million and $21 million per year, respectively.

I would trade both of those players for nothing if it meant keeping Byron Buxton.

What about Jose Berrios?

If the Twins find a way to sign Byron Buxton to a long-term extension, it’ll only be made possible because of his injury history discount. That won’t be the case for Jose Berrios, who’s been one of the more reliable players at staying on-roster for most of his career.

How expensive are we talking? On his “The Scoop” podcast Sunday (around the 09:00 mark), Darren Wolfson (KSTP and SKOR North) put Berrios’ asking price at over $20 million per year. He put La Machina’s next deal closer to that of Zach Wheeler’s 5YR/$118M with the Phillies than Lance McCuller’s 5YR/$85M from the Astros. Phil Miller interviewed Berrios for today’s Star Tribune and made it clear the 27-year-old stud isn’t giving the Twins any sort of discount.

Jose Berrios wants over $20 million per season according to @DWolfsonKSTP.

Get the trade blogs and graphics ready. #MNTwins

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 19, 2021

Would the Twins outbid the field? They will need to, he hinted.

“I like Minnesota. My family likes it too. This is the organization that gave me an opportunity to be a professional and a big-leaguer,” Berrios said. “But it’s a business, too. They understand that I have to do what’s best for me and my family. We’ll see what they think. Someday.”

That day could be soon. If the Twins aren’t interested in paying market rates, they could trade him before the July 30 deadline, in order to receive the maximum return in new players or prospects. There have been no talks this season, he said, but “maybe they’ll come to us before the trade deadline. I don’t know yet.”

Phil Miller – Star Tribune

The real test

Berrios is having one of the best seasons of his career, even as the team around him has collapsed. That’s not going to help his “affordability”. Jose’s 3.48 ERA, 1.7 WAR and 1.095 WHIP through half of 2021 are all much better than his career averages 4.09/1.8/1.243. For good reason, Jose Berrios is going to demand at least $20 million per season in free agency, a price the Minnesota Twins have historically balked at.

No matter how desperate this franchise is for bona fide front-line starting pitchers, I’d be shocked if they make Berrios a $20M offer he can’t refuse. This is a dude who’s obviously excited to hit free agency. And once he does, the Twins aren’t going to win an auction-style bidding war to retain his services.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Expiring contracts on losing teams are as good as liquidated at the MLB trade deadline and that’ll certainly be the case for the Twins too.

Good as Gone

There are five expiring contracts currently on this Twins roster and all of them already feel as good as traded, even if it’s for an extra bag of BP balls. If you bought one of these jerseys before the season, you’re an idiot sell or trade it in now.

• Andrelton Simmons
• Michael Pineda
• J.A. Happ
• Hansel Robles

The fifth guy expiring contract destined to be dealt before the deadline is Nelson Cruz. Even at 41 years old, Cruz is by far the best expiring contract player the Twins have to wave in front of playoff teams who feel they’re one elite bat away from a World Series run.

But, as mentioned, he’s “up there” in age and can’t play the field. That means Cruz’ suitors are narrowed to American League playoff team who need an immediate upgrade at that specific position. Most of the trade steam connected to Boomstick, so far, has come out of Tampa Bay, Oakland and Toronto. Hopefully, competing teams will bid his price up a little bit but I’m not expecting anything major in return for a half-season Cruz rental.

A’s and Jays are among possibilities for All-Star Nelson Cruz. Can you imagine Toronto’s lineup with Cruz? @MLBNetwork

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 8, 2021

Blow it up… or not?

At the end of the day, Minnesota Twins fans are expecting departures from all five of the players we’ve already touched on in this blog. But the trade deadline conversation gets a bit more complicated when you’re finished with the expiring contracts.

Does the Twins front office believe they’re legitimate contenders in the AL Central for next season? If so, trading non-expiring contracts, that could return a nice boatload of prospects, could end those 2022 dreams. But if contending next season feels at all out of reach, then trading the guys below would maximize their value to a degree you might never see post deadline and give you an early start on your rebuild.

• Taylor Rogers (1.5 years left)
• Tyler Duffey (1.5 years left)
• Josh Donaldson (2.5 years left w/team option for 3.5)
• Jose Berrios (1.5 years left)
• Byron Buxton (1.5 years left)

All of the players listed above, minus Josh Donaldson, would bring back very nice trade packages for the Twins. They’re all under team control for at least 1.5 more seasons and all would be productive members of any playoff team. But any trade of Taylor Rogers, Jose Berrios or Byron Buxton would definitely signal a complete rebuild and an admission that 2022 won’t be “our time”.

Tweeners

Josh Donaldson and/or Tyler Duffey being traded away wouldn’t signal the same type of “blow it all up” rebuild that the other three would. It was reported recently that the Twins don’t want a promising prospect(s) in return for Donaldson. They want a team willing to eat the majority of Josh’s remaining $50-ish million in salary over the next 2.5 years. They want as much of their money back as they can collect in an exchange policy.

If they can’t find it, hanging onto Donaldson seems like the better option. Duffey, while a nice complimentary piece to a good bullpen, wouldn’t make or break any future Twins roster but, with a full season left on his contract, he could still be a valuable trade asset.

Other Wildcards

Max Kepler is one guy to keep an eye on. He has two years left on an affordable contract, with a team option for a third. The Twins could have their future corner outfielders in Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach, making Kepler expendable for the right trade offer. If the front office can get the right deal for Kepler or attach him to sweeten a deal they really want to get done, the option is there.

Guys like Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez could be in this same boat. Don’t ask about Miguel Sano because he isn’t tradeable right now.

(Probably) Keeping the gang together

All whispers around town point to the Minnesota Twins front office doubling down on what they’ve built to this point. Reporters with ears to the ground just don’t see a world where Falvine unloads the likes of Jose Berrios and/or Byron Buxton before the deadline. I’d be surprised to see Rogers dealt, at this point.

Scoggins (Star Tribune): “Odds are, Twins management will convince themselves that this season is more fluke than fact, and that next season will yield different results with largely the same core personnel, which is a risky assumption.”

Wolfson (SKOR North): “I don’t think they’re completely blowing this thing up. I just don’t. He certainly talked about, this being my words not [Falvey’s], but this being a blip on the radar. That he feels they can rebound in a pretty significant way in 2022, that the idea is not to strip this thing down. [Falvey] did allude to [not stripping this thing down] big time on the Scoop Podcast a couple weeks ago.

Yes, there will be changes and we could see guys like Donaldson and Duffey go. But, if you’re hoping for a complete tear-it-down, build-it-back-up strategy, you’ll probably be disappointed. We’ll see if that’s the track they take and whether it ends successfully.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Well, we’re officially one month from the MLB trade deadline and all is quiet around the league. In fact, it’s too quiet. Why is it so quiet? According to Jeff Passan (ESPN+), the entire league is waiting on the Minnesota Twins to start selling off players.

Why the Twins? Because we have the players everyone wants. Passan lists a bunch of sellers that buying front offices will target, including division selling rivals like Kansas City and Detroit. But, he comes back to Minnesota and all of the shiny new and used toys other teams will want to play with.

Goodbye Jose Berrios?

He really hits hard on Jose Berrios, specifically. Clearly, the Twins are shopping their young ace and it looks like they’ll get a massive haul in return. Passan calls him the best pitcher on the market, should Scherzer not come available.

The team almost every contender is waiting on: the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins?

What you want, they’ve got. Or pretty much, at least.

Barring a team like the Washington Nationals cratering and making Max Scherzer available — more on him later — the Twins’ Jose Berrios looks like the best pitcher on the market. The belief among teams is that Minnesota will entertain dealing Berrios but will necessitate a massive return. Understandably so. Berrios is 27, is under club control through 2022, as durable as it gets and in the midst of the best season of his career. He’d be perfect for the New York Mets, who are in first place in the National League East, or Atlanta, which isn’t. He’d fit in Chicago (North Side edition) and Los Angeles (Orange County edition), even if neither is a playoff team. That’s the beauty of Berrios. If he’s out there — and an increasing number of executives believe Minnesota will deal him — his market is everyone.

Jeff Passan – ESPN+

Jeff also spends a lot of time on Nelson Cruz, who could be an immediate impact to the middle of many lineups in the American League. He specifically mentions Tampa Bay, Toronto, Seattle, Chicago and Oakland. He only touches on other obvious trade candidates; including higher priced pieces like Taylor Rogers, their bargain bin options like Michael Pineda and Andrelton Simmons, and even guys in between, like Tyler Duffey and Hansel Robles.

But the MLB trade market buyers in need of starting pitchers are clearly hunting Jose Berrios the hardest. And the trade deadline buyers wouldn’t be waiting on Berrios if they didn’t believe he’ll come available. The question could be less of “if” the Twins will deal him and more about how much they’ll get in return.

Only time will tell.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Twins have mostly sucked lately and when they haven’t sucked, they’ve been sidelined with positive COVID tests. Now, they sit at the bottom of the AL Central with a 6-11 record and a deflated fanbase to show for it.

There’s enough blame to go around, especially after Wednesday’s 10th inning debacle, where 2-out errors by Blankenhorn and Arraez meant a 9th loss in 10 games. That’s right. The one-time division favorites have tasted victory just ONE time in their last ten outings.

But, I come to provide some hope if you’re willing to look beyond the AL Central standings and deeper into this team’s cumulative 2021 numbers. Given we’re only 17 games into a 162-game season, I’d argue that standings really mean nothing at this point anyway. Other numbers can paint a much better picture.

The right numbers

Almost every baseball metric, both from the old and new school ways of thinking, have the Minnesota Twins pinned at, or above, average vs the rest of Major League Baseball. There’s been a lot said and a lot written about the struggling Minnesota bats… but if these numbers are “struggling” then I’m excited for whatever “not struggling” is.

The offense is what we thought it was. If, healthy, it’ll be one of the best in the league… but health is never guaranteed with this team. Even the pitching numbers, though, run near average across the board. Again, if this is what a bad Minnesota Twins team looks like then we’ll be fine in the long run. (Note: 1st is always league-best; 30th is always league-worst. – numbers via baseball reference)

Offensive positives

History tells us that Miguel Sano is going to make a surge back to relevancy again this season. Hopefully his injury list stint will help right his ship. But, when you throw a hot Sano into a lineup that includes Buxton, Cruz and Donaldson… the home runs will start hitting themselves. The Twins are 21st in Major League Baseball at hitting the long ball. If healthy, there’s no chance that remains the case.

If the Minnesota lineup can start pumping a few more balls over the outfield fences, they’d see the rest of their statistical rankings improve and their offense go from “good” to “elite”. In reality, I’ll take Byron Buxton’s 2021 MVP start if it means the Twins have to begin 6-11. What a treasure he’s been to watch blossom.

Pitching

Kenta Maeda isn’t going to pitch like shit every time out. That dude is a pro and he’ll bounce back to have a good season. While we wait for him, however, Jose Berrios is quietly off to the best start of his young career. He’s striking out 12.9 hitters per 9 innings, which is three more than the best K/9 season he’s posted (2020: 9.7).

On top of that, Berrios’ 3.00 ERA, 2.14 FIP, 0.952 WHIP, 132 ERA+, 0.4 HR/9 this season are all career bests. As I’ve mentioned a few times in this blog, the season is young, but those are very promising numbers after four starts.

If you think Jose Berrios is off to a good start, wait until you see the dude who’s scheduled to take the mound Saturday vs the Pirates. Michael Pineda is absolutely dominating hitters right now. He’s pitched 18 innings, surrendering just two earned runs and FIVE hits per nine innings. His ERA sits at 1.00 and his WHIP is a stellar 0.722.

So yes, as a whole, Twins’ pitching has been frustrating so far this season. But, a deeper look has me just as excited as it does concerned. If this is Jose Berrios’ breakout year, the sky is the limit for this pitching staff.

Don’t worry about the bullpen. As we get closer to the trade deadline, relief pitchers become cheaper than DOGE coins. Any flaws that can’t be fixed in-house can easily be fixed via import.

Bad luck.

Did you know that baseball analytics measure “luck” now. That’s right, all of the time you spent searching for those four-leaf clovers were all for not. Baseball nerds bottled it up and threw it into a computer. I have no idea how it’s calculated or what it means but it looks bad for the Twins, who sit behind only the Yankees in “Luck Rating” at -3.25, according to teamrankings.com.

But I don’t have to know how to work scientific calculators to know what this means…

The #MNTwins have lost games this year in which they had win expectancies of 98.3%, 98.1% and 95.5%.

The odds of the Twins losing all three of those games were 0.0015%. pic.twitter.com/DX0FL6IWxP

— Matthew Taylor (@MatthewTaylorMN) April 22, 2021

Look, the purpose of this blog wasn’t to paint a fair picture of how the Minnesota Twins are currently playing. I started this blog in search of positives. And honestly, there’s a lot more positivity and hope than what I expected when I started my deeper dive.

So, I’m going to take that light and run with it. I’m going to blindly yell, “THE TWINS WILL BE FINE” until they prove otherwise.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Twins lost both ends of a doubleheader Wednesday vs the Boston Red Sox, putting them behind 0-3 in the four-game series and winless in their last six games. Now 5-7, the Twins have fallen to last place in the American League Central and fans are starting to get dry mouth, if they’re not already in full fledged panic mode.

Byron Buxton missed both games today with “right hamstring tightness” and Miguel Sano couldn’t hit a beach ball with a 2 x 4 if you underhanded it to him. On top of that, Jose Berrios and Kenta Maeda were the losing pitchers, meaning the hurlers will only get worse before they get better.

So, panic is probably the right emotion….

#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/x3Siu1P7Uw

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 14, 2021

But wait…

But let’s take a deeper look before we start selling all of our assets for future hope. There’s plenty of that “H” word to hold onto for the current club. Like, Byron Buxton. Sure, he didn’t play today and that sucks. But, if sitting Buxton for two losses today means that he plays more games throughout the year, I’m happy to make the sacrifice.

Especially when Buxton is finally blossoming into the great player he was once touted to be. Entering Wednesday, Buxton was leading the league in WAR, slugging %, OPS, and offensive win %. He was also 2nd in batting average and 5th in on-base %. If Byron plays 120 games this season he might win MVP.

Donaldson is Back too

We also got to see Josh Donaldson again today. He went 1 for 2 and immediately stretched out his hamstring, running from 1st to 3rd on a base hit and then tagging home for a run scored. It was good to see him open things up a little bit and still stand up looking healthy. That’s a victory in my book.

DONALDSON WENT FROM FIRST TO THIRD AND HE’S OK pic.twitter.com/BOJRZvxZ4F

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 14, 2021

Hopefully we get all three of Buxton (.469 AVG), Donaldson (.667 AVG) and Cruz (.438 AVG) in the middle of the Twins lineup tomorrow. The more often we can put those three together, the more likely we are to pile up wins. At the end of the season, 2021’s success will be dictated by the health of Donaldson and Buxton. So far, neither guy has had any severe injuries BUT they’ve obviously left us plenty to be concerned about.

Sano Will Be Fine

Stop worrying about Miguel Sano. He’s always been a slow starter and maybe he always will be. Keep giving him at-bats and let him hit himself out of his slump. Sano is a big league hitter and pitchers are still afraid of him. He’ll turn it around and he’ll be a huge contributor at points throughout this season. When he does, he’ll be our best and most dangerous hitter. And that’s saying something.

As long as the Minnesota Twins stay mostly healthy, we’ll only be concerned with playoff victories at the end of the season. So far, we still have a full team in-tact and a lot of season left to play. So until something changes on the injury front, I’ll be over here unconcerned.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Rosario’s non-tender isn’t a surprise, but Wisler is definitely a surprise considering his 2020 performance and the fact that the Twins have already lost Trevor May from the bullpen, with Sergio Romo and Tyler Clippard also free agents.

We’ll be speaking with Falvey shortly.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) December 3, 2020

#MNTwins agree to terms with five players on 2021 contracts. pic.twitter.com/GW0otG75U9

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) December 3, 2020

Contracts Offered

Everyone else who was due to be offered a contract by today’s non-tender deadline has been offered, other than Rosario and Wisler, who were non-tendered. The only person left to sign his offer sheet is Taylor Rogers. Some of those deals are for major contributors to this team, including Byron Buxton, Jose Berrios and Tyler Duffey.

The values these players have signed for are below. We don’t appear to be heading for any major arbitration disagreements but we’ll obviously have to keep an eye on what happens between the front office and Taylor Rogers.

*UPDATE (Dec. 3, 9 AM): Taylor Rogers and the Twins have come to a contract agreement, per Dan Hayes (The Athletic). The table below has been updated accordingly.

Now that these deals are signed and Eddie Rosario + Matt Wisler are set for free agency, the Minnesota Twins and other teams around the MLB will sift through some of the surprise non-tender free agents, and continue to fill out their rosters.

We’ll be here with any news that drops for the Twins.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Two days later… I’m still not over what happened on Wednesday. The Minnesota Twins defied all odds and lost 18-straight playoff games. Once again, the Twins went out and embarrassed themselves in front of the entire baseball world.

The worst part about the game-2 loss, was Rocco Baldelli’s decision to pull Jose Berrios after five amazing innings and just 75 total pitches. Since his debut in 2016, we’ve waiting for Berrios to do exactly what he did Wednesday. He cruised through five innings, like an ace, and was more fired up than anyone else in the stadium after what would be his final inning. When Rocco Baldelli (who melts down in the playoffs) broke the news, Jose was devastated. It was hard to watch.

What was Rocco telling him? “Hey buddy, I know you’ve been lights out, but you’re about to get lit up next inning so we’re bringing in Stashak and stretching him out for two. Thanks.”

Berrios crushed he’s being removed pic.twitter.com/Qawiv59CBM

— CJ Fogler (@cjzer0) September 30, 2020

Don’t get me wrong, I’m as big of an analytics or statistics guy as almost anyone out there. Berrios has struggled on his third trip through batting lineups this season and there is no denying that.

You still have to send him back out. Once in a while, you have to look past the numbers through the course of a baseball game and consider the human variables playing out in front of you. This isn’t some early-June game, where you’re getting Berrios out early to be cautious. Nope, this was literally the life or death of your season. The Astros could barely touch him, but that didn’t matter because the analytics said he was done.

Berríos OPS by times thru order:

1st – .592
2nd – .708
3rd – .905

The #MNTwins will more often follow the numbers, whether you like it or not.

— Nash Walker (@Nashwalker9) September 30, 2020

Maybe this wouldn’t be as big of a problem, if Rocco hadn’t traded out his lights-out starting pitcher (who still had a quarter tank of gas left in his tank), for a 13th round draft pick in Cody Stashak who he needed for TWO INNINGS! I like Stashak a lot. He’s a really good, young talent… but are you serious? You pulled a dealing Jose Berrios for two innings of Cody Stashak? Not Tyler Clippard? Jake Odorizzi? Michael Pineda? I don’t get it.

It’s a damn shame this offense can’t score more than one run per playoff game or we wouldn’t even be discussing this. It’s just an embarrassment all around… again.

Cooper Carlson | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Twins find themselves in a familiar position once again. They’re down in a postseason series, just hours away from playing a decisive must-win game. These are the exact moments when franchises trust their best pitchers to shepherd in a victory.

Kenta Maeda has had a magnificent year but Rich Hill’s season was rocky and Michael Pineda is a loose cannon. The Twins have groomed and prepped one guy to be their ace, for nearly a decade. That guy is Jose Berrios. Today, September 30, 2020; is his moment… 8-Mile style.

This afternoon, Jose Berrios is B-Rabbit. He is Eminem. The guy with all the talent, but can’t come through when it matters. This is his one shot, his one opportunity. We are the crowd. The Astros are his rap-battle opponent. Only he can decide whether he’s up against Lil’ Tic or Lotto. What are you gonna do, Jose?

Can’t Count on the Bomba Squad

The offense was only able to harvest one run vs the Astros in Game 1 and it’s become clear that Minnesota can’t bank on the “Bomba squad” to will them to a win. Look, one run on four hits (at home) isn’t going to cut it, no matter the pitcher. At this point, though, just don’t expect the Twins’ hitters to win a game on their own.

In last year’s playoffs against the New York Yankees, Minnesota put up a combined seven runs in three games. The vaunted “Bomba Squad” (that hit over 300 HR’s in 2019) must have an expiration date, come playoff season.

The Minnesota Twins need Jose Berrios to man their ship. He’s been declared a #1 starting pitcher since he was killing hitters in the minor leagues. If the two-time All Star wants to be in the discussion around the league of aces, here’s his chance.

Nobody in the sports world desperately needs a win more than the Minnesota Twins right now. They are the laughing stock of Twitter and the frauds of Major League Baseball. They’ve lost 17 playoff games in a row (and counting). If they succumb to Houston today, not only does that streak extend to 18, but their 2020 season is finished.

Jose’s One Shot

In a postseason where Minnesota can avoid the New York Yankees for at least two rounds, this feels like the year to make a run. The Twins’ AL Central rival, Chicago White Sox, are starting to mushroom and manifest into a contender, earlier than expected. The Twins’ core is suddenly getting a year older. Nelson Cruz and Josh Donaldson aren’t getting any younger but nobody’s clock is ticking like Jose Berrios’. It’s a clock he has a chance to reset this afternoon, though.

Jose Berrios could be pitching for his future this week. The numbers say he shouldn’t even be in this playoff rotation. (Via @TheAthleticMIN) #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/9wiWYf3Y8n

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 28, 2020

If Jose’s been waiting for an opportunity to prove himself… he won’t find one better than this. A must-win postseason game, with his team’s “back against the wall”, an 18-game playoff losing streak on the line, and on the verge of being swept by a below .500 Houston Astros team. Phew.

It’s up to Jose now. The ball is literally in his hands. Can he go out and show this Minnesota Twins organization, and their fanbase, that he is “The Guy”? On behalf of this entire fanbase, I beg him to do so. Please, put the state of Minnesota on your back, today, and guide us to a game-3, Jose. We need hope. You can provide that hope.

Don’t let us down.

Stephen Strom | Minnesota Sports Fan