Twins reliever surprisingly claimed by Yankees

But on Tuesday, a surprising move out of New York caught Twins reporters and fans by surprise. Apparently, the Twins had recently designated Brent Headrick for assignment too, though it was not reported on or inputted into the league’s transaction log. We only found out because Headrick was claimed by the Yankees today.

LHP Brent Headrick has been claimed by the Yankees.

— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) February 11, 2025

This offseason, the Minnesota Twins have been trying to find left-handed options to replace Caleb Thielbar in their bullpen, after the Minnesota native signed with the Chicago Cubs earlier this offseason.

Check Out: How to Watch the New York Yankees Without Cable in 2025

Ultimately, the newly signed Coulombe fills that role, but depth behind him is questionable, which makes the Headrick DFA even more head-scratching. Again, no mention of Headrick being designated for assignment was reported on prior to him being claimed by the New York Yankees.

It turns out the Twins did have another move in the works, to help explain the Headrick DFA. Tuesday afternoon, right after the former reliever was claimed by the Yankees, Minnesota signed former Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France.

Goodbye Brett Headrick…

The former 9th round pick made his big league debut in 2023 and threw 25 2/3 innings. He allowed seven home runs in that stretch and needed to figure things out a bit more at the Triple-A level.

The injury bug bit Headrick early last season. He wound up throwing just 19 1/3 innings because of it. Three of those came in a single outing for the Minnesota Twins. He gave up a home run while striking out five against the Red Sox during a late-September game in Boston.

#MNTwins LHP Brent Headrick gets his first MLB strikeout! 2 up, 2 down for Headrick in his MLB debut. pic.twitter.com/v7uc8pOFqu

— Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) April 20, 2023

Headrick profiles as a back-end starter or long-relief option out of the bullpen. It’s curious that the Twins would move on from him with no official announcement. He looks like ideal organization depth, and has been someone that elevated himself into the major league conversation.

Related: New Twins Channel Debut Revealed Along with Broadcast Enhancements

We will have to wait and see if another move is coming. That would certainly make more sense of the situation. Minnesota has been rumored to be looking for big league infield depth.

Headrick isn’t necessarily a loss that will shock the system, but the implications here suggest that the Twins are confident in Coulombe and Kody Funderburk. There is not another left-handed option present on the 40-man roster right now.

Marlins claim Minnesota Twins Ronny Henriquez

After the signings earlier this week the Twins needed to shuffle their 40-man roster. That meant putting Ronny Henriquez on waivers. He was part of the return in the Mitch Garver trade with the Texas Rangers. Now he’s headed to Miami.

Bienvenido Ronny Henriquez 🫡 pic.twitter.com/RMhX0qUtMs

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) February 11, 2025

Henriquez returned to the big leagues last season after only pitching in the minors during 2023. He threw 19 1/3 innings with a 3.26 ERA. Definitely a fringe reliever, he has been sent off the roster by Minnesota multiple times previously.

The Marlins should provide a greater opportunity for him to stick in the bullpen. At just 24 years old, there’s still plenty of reason to believe he could blossom into a valuable piece.

There have been rumors Carlos Correa, Pablo Lopez and just about every other notable name are on the trade block, but if those names return, it’s very plausible they are competitive yet again. The AL Central was tightly contested last season. Minnesota, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City all finished within 10 games of one another.

Aside from the White Sox being literally the worst team in Major League Baseball history, the division was one of the more competitive in baseball last summer. The problem for the Minnesota Twins came when they played against teams at the top of the MLB food chain, which isn’t a new issue. ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote Thursday about the Twins’ biggest kryptonite.

Minnesota Twins can’t beat good teams…?

“That was the Twins’ record against the Yankees (0-6), Guardians (3-10) and Orioles (0-6), the three best teams in the AL in 2024. The Twins went 5-9 against the three best AL teams in 2023 (when they won a weak AL Central with 87 wins) and 6-14 against them in 2022 (finishing 78-84). That’s a three-year record of 14-45 against the top three teams in the AL.”

David Schoenfield on the Twins struggles against good teams (ESPN)

Minnesota was 10.5 games back in the division, but seven of those games were a direct result of losing to the Guardians. The early two-game sweep at Target Field set the tone and they never recovered from there.

The consistent inability to beat the New York Yankees is also brutal. Juan Soto isn’t in Aaron Boone’s lineup for 2025, but Minnesota has never had the upper hand in that matchup. The Twins don’t necessarily need to win these season series’ but they can’t afford for the tallies to be so lopsided.

Related: Minnesota Twins Trade Lefty Reliever to Boston for Utility Help

Fears about playoff performance aren’t unfounded. There are no bad teams in the playoffs, especially as you get deeper into October. So… what’s the problem? Why can’t the Twins figure it out vs the best teams in the league? Because they don’t have enough talent, according to Schoenfield.

It seems as if the Twins just aren’t talented enough to beat the best teams. It’s unclear how they’ll change that in 2025. Certainly, getting Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton on the field more often will help — but at this point, can you really count on those three averaging, say, 130 games? Not really. The Twins have the versatility to fill in for that trio with multi-faceted Willi Castro plus shortstop Brooks Lee. But the Twins, hamstrung by their payroll situation, have been unable to add new talent to the roster. The division is still winnable, but they’ll have to figure out how to beat Cleveland head-to-head.”

How can the Twins right the ship…?

This offseason, Derek Falvey is strapped for additional funds, which makes adding more talent pretty difficult. Hopefully that will change under new ownership. Until then, as Schoenfield notes, it’ll be up to Correa, Buxton and Lewis to produce.

Consistency is the key for the Twins. The inability to generate a baseline level of lineup performance was a problem each of the past two seasons. David Popkins is out as the hitting coach and Matt Borgschulte will be tasked with finding answers.

Related: Former Minnesota Twin Retiring After 12 MLB Seasons

There are a couple of key issues that stick out for the Minnesota Twins, when taking a deeper look at the numbers. For a team that regularly utilizes pinch hitters (356 plate appearances from substitutes), a .662 OPS with just 29 extra-base hits isn’t a good enough result. That’s a near 70-point drop in OPS compared to starters.

Royce Lewis missed his sixth career grand slam by a foot.

It would have tied him for seventh-most in #MNTwins history.

Instead, he'll have to settle for a two-run double. Lewis is now 9-for-17 (.529) with 30 RBIs in his career with the bases loaded.pic.twitter.com/UWS9Vx2dhx

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) September 12, 2024

Hitting with runners in scoring position is also a huge problem. Last season, the Minnesota Twins had 155 plate appearances with the bases loaded, where they slashed .234/.279/.367, hitting only one grand slam, and 13 extra-base hits.

If Minnesota wants to contend with the best teams, then they’ll need their best production when opportunities present themselves. Consistency is a must in 2025, and there’s a clear path to reversing course from an otherwise ugly season.

You can only ‘cry wolf’ so many times, before promises ring hollow on a fanbase growing more apathetic every summer. My MN sports fan 6th sense is tingling. It’s starting to feel like the Twins are planning an offseason yard sale on their roster. The focus? Unloading the best and most expensive players, in order to allow “more flexibility”. If true, standing front and center when potential buyers walk in, is a slightly used Carlos Correa.

Related: Hulu Live TV Price, Plans and Bundles: Is It the Right Choice for Minnesota Sports Fans?

Carlos Correa + New York trade rumors starting to rumble…

Insiders around the MLB feel weird about the Minnesota Twins, too. That’s why, on Saturday, MLB insider Joel Sherman (New York Post) called for either the New York Yankees or New York Mets to swing a blockbuster trade to land Correa in The Big Apple.

Structurally, the Twins don’t work. Their three key positional pieces — Correa, Buxton and Lewis — are injury prone. The trio started together just 26 times last year. Keeping that nucleus intact leaves Minnesota too vulnerable to playing too often without one or more of them.

Financially, the Twins don’t work well. The Twins, with uncertainty about their local TV deal, slashed payroll about $30 million in 2024 to around $125 million and plan to be roughly at that level this year. But they signed Correa at a $33.3 million average for six years with the belief that payrolls would be $150 million-ish or more.

Joel Sherman (New York Post)

So… wow. I’m going to mostly ignore the fact that it only took one phone call from a New York reporter for Twins president of baseball operations, Derek Falvey, to sing like a songbird. In Sherman’s report, more of which is below, we found out that (a) last season’s player payroll cuts were 100% due to uncertainty surrounding the Twins’ television contract with Diamond Sports Group. It was not about “rightsizing” the budget of a failing business model.

Twins PoBO Derek Falvey blindsided by player payroll cuts

Also, Sherman reveals that (b) the Minnesota Twins’ front office was as blindsided by the Pohlad payroll cuts as fans were. When the Twins re-signed Carlos Correa for $33 million per season, Falvey & Co expected to be operating with a future player payroll budget of $150 -$160 million.

Related: Top Twins Prospect Recovering from Thumb Surgery: Here’s What We Know

Had the Twins PoBO known Twins ownership was going to cut player spending that drastically, there is no way they would have considered bringing Carlos Correa back. You just don’t pay one player $33 million dollars, when you have 40 other players to fit into a $120-130 million budget.

For months, we have heard Derek Falvey spew lies to local reporters about how thankful he is for the Pohlad family. How Minnesota Twins owners have given his front office everything it needs to build a World Series roster.

Related: MLB Teams are Supposedly Interested in Oft-Injured Minnesota Twins Starter

Now, in mid-November, we find out that was all bologna… which brings us back to an overarching question, looking forward to 2025. Do the Twins really have a tight budget problem? Or… do they have a Carlos Correa problem? Because those are two very different things, even if both are caused by cheap owners.

Minnesota Twins invite trade offers for Carlos Correa

Oh, you think I am letting my imagination run wild? That I am getting hysterical and starting conspiracy theories? What if I told you that the author of this NYP article actually talked to — and got direct on-record quotes from — Minnesota Twins PoBO Derek Falvey for his story? Because he did, and the on-record quote sounds more like a sales ad.

“If they came at us, we’re open-minded to anything,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “Obviously Carlos has a full no-trade clause. We love him. We’re always open-minded when teams hit us on all of our players. We’ve been hit on Carlos before, we’ve been hit on Byron [Buxton] before, we’ve been hit on Royce [Lewis] before. That’s not shocking to anybody, but we hold an extremely high bar to even start that conversation, and I still feel like those guys are critical to our success.”

Check Out: How to Watch the New York Mets Without Cable in 2025

Twins president Derek Falvey (as relayed by the New York Post)

We all know that front offices around professional sports are constantly talking to each other about different players. They make it known who they lo like, and who they don’t. Trade ideas are floated, interest is gauged. These things probably happens all the time.

Derek Falvey isn’t supposed to say the quiet part out loud…?

But the first rule about superstar trade talks, is that you never talk publicly about superstar trade talks. And you absolutely do not go on record with a major national media outlet about those conversations. Then, in the next breath, I love how Falvey pretty much tells everyone reading ‘oh, and we are also taking calls on Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis, too’.

Related: Where Do Minnesota Twins Free Agents Rank Among Peers?

Maybe Derek Falvey should just put Correa, and other highly paid Twins, onto Facebook Marketplace. That would be sure to drum up more interest. ‘Superstar Shortstop (and others) for Sale – Past injury issues but works GREAT when healthy‘

Just think about how insane that above quote is from Falvey. For example, Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly has made a few stunning trades in his day. Never has he gone on-record (with a NY media tabloid) and openly welcomed other teams to call on Anthony Edwards.

Look at what happened with Karl-Anthony Towns, before he was shipped him out of town. Even KAT was in complete shock when gangster Tim rolled up and told him he had been traded, (four minutes prior to when the deal was reported on Twitter, by Shams).

Minnesota Vikings General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who has made some media mistakes in his day, would never be caught talking on the record with reporters about all the trade offers he is kicking around with other NFL GMs, regarding Justin Jefferson. Maybe these calls do take place. If so, however, they are kept under wraps.

Minnesota Twins fans should brace themselves for Correa’s exit

Unless, of course, you are inviting more teams to call with more trade offers. Then, it would make sense to go to one of the biggest tabloid media outlets in the world, trying to spread the trade rumors. That’s what a team who can no longer afford their $33 million superstar would probably do.

Related: Justin Jefferson + Anthony Edwards Throwback Reshoot Photos are Finally Here

So… if you are a Minnesota Twins fan who enjoys Carlos Correa, I have some bad news for you. He probably won’t be in your favorite team’s uniform by the time Spring Training rolls around. At least, not if Derek Falvey and the Pohlads can help it.

People who have played with Correa will tell you he is obsessed with winning and trying to make the Hall of Fame — both clearer shots with a New York team, especially if the Twins suggest that his contract at their current payroll will lead to at least a soft rebuild — a message to not use his no-trade clause as a preventative measure.

Correa’s remaining contract and dubious durability — let’s call it a probable 120-ish games a year — works far better with a team like those in New York with a $300 million-ish payroll to work around it than a $120 million-ish allotment.

Joel Sherman (New York Post)

Let’s be honest. The Twins’ marriage with Carlos Correa doesn’t make sense anymore. He wants to play in the postseason year-after-year, and make World Series runs. Meanwhile, the Pohlads want to cut off player spending to a number that’s below league average, then brainwash fans into thinking they care about winning. Those two approaches do not align.

Twins have no interest in bringing Josh Donaldson back.

In both cases, he checked on whether or not the Minnesota Twins would have interest. For Donaldson, the answer was a definitive “no”.

—The Twins badly need a third baseman, but have no interest in re-acquiring Josh Donaldson from the Yankees.

Bob Nightengale – USA Today Sports

Donaldson is recovering from a hamstring injury but his rehab assignment was pushed back after he sliced his thumb while assembling something at home. The Yankees would love for another team to offer ANYTHING in exchange for Donaldson, when he eventually returns to full health. Thankfully, that team won’t be the Twins.

Before his injury, Donaldson hit .125 in 16 at-bats this season. It wasn’t the start he had hoped for, after struggling in his first season with the Yankees, after the Twins traded him in exchange for Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez the offseason before. Their lack of interest makes even more sense given Royce Lewis could be ready to take over at 3rd base in just over one week.

Could Twins want Aaron Hicks back?

The Yankees designated 33-year-old Aaron Hicks for assignment on Saturday. That means they have one week to trade or release him. Finding a trade partner is very unlikely so they’re expected to pay the final $30 million he’s owed before cutting him loose.

—Center fielder Aaron Hicks, who still has 2 ½ years left on his seven-year, $70 million contract, was designated for assignment by the Yankees. 

Considering how well Sonny Gray and Joey Gallo have fared in Minnesota since their departure from New York, maybe the Twins should call and bring Hicks back. 

Bob Nightengale – USA Today Sports

When Hicks reaches free agency, the Twins seem like an obvious landing spot. After all, he was drafted in the 1st round (14th overall) by the Twins and started his major league career in Minnesota, before he was traded to the Yankees following the 2015 season.

On This Date 07/10/2013: with the game tied in the 10th inning and the winning run on first base, Aaron Hicks made this game-saving catch.#Twins @AaronHicks31 @OTDTwinsHistory pic.twitter.com/OHbSM435Hz

— Brad Badini ⚾️ (@celeBRADtion) July 11, 2019

The 2023 Twins could use another established veteran in their outfield rotation, given the injuries they’ve dealt with to this point continue to deal with (Kepler, Gallo, Larnach, Kirilloff, Buxton).

While Nightengale’s Hicks + Twins steam reads as more conjecture than actual reporting, it’s clear Bob has been in contact with sources inside the Minnesota Twins organization recently. It’d be a weird coincidence that he mentions Hicks + Twins in the same article he rules out any chance of a Josh Donaldson reunion.

Also included in the same article are quotes from Rocco Baldelli and Joey Gallo, about Gallo’s 2023 resurgence. Again, it seems weird that Nightengale would throw the Hicks steam out there, without checking on the Twins’ interest, when he’s already talking to his Twins sources about other news nuggets (like Donaldson and Gallo)

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

With the game tied 2-2 in the 8th inning, and the Twins in danger of being swept in the Bronx yet again, Correa came to the plate with two outs and Jake Cave on 1st. Had Yankees pitcher Wandy Peralta been able to handle an underhand toss from 1st baseman Marwin Gonzalez earlier in the inning, the game would already have gone to the 9th.

Instead, Carlos Correa got another opportunity to show off his clutch gene. This time, he finally delivered, forcing Peralta to pay for his defensive butter fingers.

This go-ahead two-run homer is Carlos Correa's biggest hit in a #MNTwins uniform by Win Probability Added.pic.twitter.com/r16FwlyraH

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) September 9, 2022

Daily News Bitter

The New York Daily News was founded over 100 years ago and it was the first ever to print in “tabloid format”. Today, it remains as one of the most circulated daily papers nationwide, ranking 11th as of 2019.

On Thursday, the Daily News’ cover story and main headline featured a full-page photo of Carlos Correa. The headline reads: “HOU AGAIN: Ex-Astro cheat Correa delivers big blow as Yank bats come up short in loss to Twins”.

The hostile nature of the sub-headline, toward Correa, serves as a reminder to Minnesota Twins fans of just how much hatred is still aimed at the superstar shortstop when he steps outside of Houston or the upper midwest (Twins Territory).

I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers: back page edition. @Yankees go 2 for 3. pic.twitter.com/JFBwIzIkSI

— Robert Shields (@rshields37) September 9, 2022

And once Correa is dropped into big market fish bowls like New York and Los Angeles, the taps on the glass become more frequent and A LOT louder. Yankee fans have good reason for their hostility toward Carlos Correa.

Yankees fans won’t forget

Remember, the Houston Astros went through the GAUNTLET of big market teams on their 2017 championship run. They took down the Red Sox (ALDS) and the Yankees (ALCS), before toppling the Dodgers in the World Series.

That same run was later marred by the Astros infamous cheating scandal, which according to the official MLB investigation, ran from the ’17 regular season, through the playoffs and into the ’18 regular season. Naturally, all of those fan bases feel cheated. I can’t blame them.

The Bronx is one rumored offseason landing spot for Carlos Correa that I do not see coming to fruition, however. For a guy who seems intent to settle down in a place where he, along with his wife and young children, can live daily life in peace. Clearly, that won’t be possible in New York.

Need more of clutch Carlos

Personally, I could care less about Correa’s past transgressions, at this point. I just hope he can use this type of hatred as fuel to hit more big time bombs down the stretch and into the playoffs. He and the Minnesota Twins are back at Target field on Friday night, where they will kick off a three game series vs the AL Central leading Cleveland Guardians.

With just three weeks remaining in the season, Cleveland enters the series up 1.5 games on the Twins. The two teams will play 8 of their next 11 vs one another.

#MNTwins next 11 games:
9/9: CLE
/10: CLE
/11: CLE
/13: KC
/14: KC
/15: KC
/16: @ CLE
/17A: @ CLE
/17B: @ CLE
/18: @ CLE
/19: @ CLE

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 9, 2022

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Ok, ok… so maybe we’ve known this for years. Hell, “High Quality Pitchers” has been written in permanent marker underneath the “Needs” section of the Twins’ front office whiteboard for at least a decade. And yet, here we are again.

There’s no doubt, this deadline, that Minnesota is a buyer. The Twins lead the AL Central by 4 games and neither the White Sox nor Guardians want to fully buy in. So, it’s the Twins’ division to lose. Buying big would make sense and pulling off a blockbuster would be, rightfully, lauded from all corners.

Perfect encapsulation of the #MNTwins pitching staff as a whole that inning. Spotted a 3 run lead, walk the 9 hitter to load the bases, and then give up a game tying double with 2 strikes. *chef’s kiss*

— Cody Pirkl (@CodyPirkl) July 10, 2022

But there’s a problem. Pitchers in this trade market, according to The Athletic, are expected to be more expensive than those of years past. Why? Because available quality pitchers are few and buyers in need of quality pitchers are plentiful. Especially big market buyers with a lot less to lose than the Twins.

Twins Bidding for Best Arms Available

There are two starting pitchers available at this year’s deadline, who sit at the top of the target list for buying teams. At 29 y/o, Luis Castillo (Reds) is a high-90’s throwing righty with a plus slider and devastating changeup. He started the season hurt but has gotten better and better since the season’s gone on, now repping a 2.92 ERA, 1.099 WHIP and 158 ERA+.

Frankie Montas (A’s) has been on the Minnesota Twins’ radar for years but they and Oakland have never gotten that close to striking a deal. Also 29 y/o, Montas is having a career year, posting a 3.26 ERA, 1.086 WHIP and 113 ERA+, in 96.2 innings (2nd most of career). But that was before Montas left his last start after 1 IP (July 3) due to shoulder inflammation.

His MRI came back negative, but Frankie hasn’t pitched since, and he’s currently listed as “day-to-day”. Paying Oakland a premium for Frankie Montas would probably be the riskiest trade this franchise has ever made.

Large Market Competition

But injury issues or not, both pitchers listed above are in their 20’s (barely) and have one year remaining of team control. Their cost is going to be steep and, outside of Minnesota, the bidders will be the biggest in baseball. The Athletic names Minnesota as a suitor for both Castillo and Montas. But they also list the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Padres, Cardinals and Blue Jays.

The Twins will pursue both Luis Castillo and Montas before the deadline, but to what extent remains to be seen. They have to engage. In the past, the front office discussed the need to add front-end starters when possible. But how far are they willing to go, eh? — With a lack of available starting pitching out there, the prices will likely exceed anything the Twins want to pay. Free agency aside (Carlos Correa and Josh Donaldson), they’ve never “gone for it” under Derek Falvey and Thad Levine, and it’s hard to see the Twins paying sky-high prices unless they knew they could lock up the pitcher to a long-term deal they find reasonable. — Dan Hayes (The Athletic)

Buy Now or Forever Live in Regret

Remember, this is the Minnesota Twins’ only season with perennial MVP candidate in his prime, Carlos Correa, on roster. And let’s be realistic, the Twins are unlikely to get another one-year winning window like what has been gifted to them this season by Correa and his agent, Scott Boras.

If Derek Falvey, Thad Levine and the Pohlad family are ever going to fix the back end of the Twins’ bullpen and front end of their starting rotation, this would be the time, right?

Roster is Begging for a Trade

The roster is primed for a trade, too. Rocco Baldelli has too many bats to fit into his lineup. The Twins have so many MLB-ready hitters that they’re having to stash them in St. Paul.

Even Miguel Sano is on his way back after knee surgery. His rehab assignment is soon to be elevated out of Single-A. Falvine will have to add Sano to the roster, or lose him, sometime in the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins’ pitching staff is falling apart and getting exposed on a near-nightly basis. Not only do they need bullpen help, but nobody will take them serious as a World Series contender if they can’t add a playoff ace to their staff before the trade deadline bell rings on August 2.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Catcher Ben Rortvedt is headed to the Yankees along with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, sources tell ESPN. Catcher Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela are going to Minnesota.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 14, 2022

What is happening?

It’s difficult to know what this move means for the Twins competitiveness this season. There have been conflicting reports coming from respected national baseball reporters (Rosenthal vs Nightengale) on whether or not the Twins plan flip Sanchez, much like they did with Kiner-Falefa.

With moves they had made leading up to this one, it felt like the Minnesota front office was well on its way to fielding a competitive team baseball team, come April 7. And while this trade doesn’t necessarily signal a rebuild, it’s certainly a step backwards for their immediate chances.

But what’s clear, is how much money they will save now and into the future. Josh Donaldson was on the books for $23 million in 2022 and $21 million in 2023. Sanchez and Urshela will combine to make just $14 million in 2022 and both are scheduled to be free agents when the season is over.

Twins' payroll is roughly $95 million right now, about $40 million below their recent spending levels.

They're back to needing a shortstop, with Carlos Correa and Trevor Story still unsigned.

They still need a starting pitcher, but there are no high-end free agents remaining.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) March 14, 2022

What Falvine does with money they’ve saved is what will dictate their relevancy in the upcoming season. If the Minnesota Twins really want to win now, they’ll double down and deal for more and better pitching. Currently, they sit $40 million short of what they paid in 2021 player salaries.

Stay tuned.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

They said the 2020 Major League Baseball season would be a sprint. They were wrong. It was a mad-fucking-dash. Hopefully you didn’t blink because the Minnesota Twins have just one three-game regular season series remaining on their schedule and it starts Thursday. The tightened agenda, expanded playoff bracket and all-home or away first round, has made for one of the more exciting American League playoff races in recent memory. Every single game changes the bracket entirely.

It’s been a good week for Minnesota baseball fans and that continued tonight. The White Sox and Yankees lost while the Twins were beating the Tigers, 6-0. When the dust settled at Target Field, the Twins walked away 7-6 winners, after Miguel Cabrera made everyone nervous with a 3-run HR in the 9th.

The @Twins have their sights on the division crown. pic.twitter.com/e0xbCJVUBw

— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2020

It’s about damn time pic.twitter.com/i3AQxusuid

— Cooper (@CoopCarlson) September 24, 2020

All of those ingredients lead to one hell of a shakeup in the American League playoff race. At the moment (another shakeup will take place tonight, depending on the outcome of Oakland vs LAD), the White Sox and Twins have swapped spots. Minnesota is now the 2-seed and the Sox sit at the 4-seed, ready for the Yankees, who stood-pat in the 5-seed.

Just a couple of nights ago, Twins fans were worried about traveling to the bronx for all three first-round games. If the season ended at this moment, however, the Cleveland Indians would head northwest to Target Field for three games.

Staying Up Late?

Across the country, the Oakland Athletics are playing at Dodger Stadium and currently lead 3-2 (4th inning). If the A’s win, they’d jump back over the Minnesota Twins. That would mean dropping to the AL 3-seed, heading into Thursday. That would pit the Twins against the cheating Astros for a Wildcard matchup at Target Field.

But hey, no matter where things finish tonight, there are still 4 days (3 Twins games) left, before the playoffs start. That means this rollercoaster ride will continue. If the Twins can stay hot through the end, win the AL Central and secure a top-3 seed, they can avoid both a road game and the Yankees (probably).

Twins players and coaches have been sleeping in their own beds since Sunday night, when they returned from their final road trip of the season, in Chicago. If the Minnesota Twins can secure a first-round home series, it’d mean two whole weeks (Sept. 20 — Oct. 4) in their own houses and their own beds, leading up to a possible playoff bubble departure.

The Wild Card rounds ends on October 3 and Divisional round bubble play in California starts on October 5. With all of the travel restrictions and rules players have to deal with while on the road this season, I’m not sure you can quantify how big that is. But if you tried, you’d definitely mention the Twins 23-5 record at Target Field in 2020.

Just keep winning baby.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

We told you it was #BombaSZN.

? ? pic.twitter.com/687zP6KLOg

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 4, 2019

Boomstick. Bat drop. ??#CruzControl | BombaSZN pic.twitter.com/2oyZLSbhDq

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 5, 2019

THE YANKEES TAKE A 3-2 LEAD AFTER CRON CAN’T HANDLE THE BAT THROW LETS GOOOOOOOOOO #NextManUp #PinstripePride pic.twitter.com/8xOFySwCoo

— Matt H. (@MattHanifan_) October 5, 2019

The Twins came back to tie the game at 3 and the bats looked ready to hang in there, early. Unfortunately, it took them 30 minutes between at-bats because our bullpen was too busy walking guys and then giving up big hits, while those hitters we need ran around the field on defense.

I put a lot of this loss on the shoulders of that defense because it was Cron missing the backend of that double play above, and a hobbled Arraez not being able to make it to a pop-fly that same inning, that got the Yankees going.

But the freshman manager, Rocco Baldelli deserves plenty of the blame too. Berrios struggled to get his slurve over for a strike in the first few innings and it got him into trouble. After giving up 3 runs in the 3rd however, a different Jose Berrios took the mound in the 4th inning, mowing down the side with only 12 totaling him at 88 on the night. But, Rocco Baldelli chose to bring in…… Zach Littell…… to replace him for the 5th. A walk + hit batter later, Littell was replaced by Tyler Duffey.

Duffey saved the inning and kept the Twins in the game but Baldelli’s calls to the bullpen didn’t get anymore normal after that.

The score was 5-4 when this game entered the bottom of the 6th. So naturally, Rocco Baldelli called on a guy he’s trusted all season (lol), Cody Stashak… Yeah, he brought in Cody fucking Stashak to pitch the 6th inning of a 1-run ALDS game. He (shockingly) gave up 2 more. This team hasn’t played in 4 days and the entire bullpen is fresh as fuck… but you call Stashak in that situation? Oh yeah, then (in slightly less frustrating fashion) Gibson came in to nibble his way to 3 walks and two outs before he gave up a bases-clearing triple.

Just like that, it was 10-4 and the game was all but over.

Machine from the leadoff spot.
Gardy from the 3-hole. #NextManUp pic.twitter.com/Qr7FnMsLSe

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 5, 2019

The Machine Uprising. #NextManUp pic.twitter.com/ugSShVAToc

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 5, 2019

This was a terrible playoff debut for Rocco Baldelli and there is plenty to question… but there is still plenty of hope, too. We weren’t sure what we were going to have for starting pitching when we came into this series so there aren’t additional worries after we wasted Berrios’ start. As I’ve bitched about for much of this blog, we didn’t use any of our key relievers, either. This 2019 Twins team has already proven they won’t be phased by losses and I expect them to look a lot better on Saturday, and for the rest of the series. We are far from out of this thing.

Still, tonight wasn’t the start we were looking for.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

In the end, former Twin and current Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, robbed Max Kepler of a walk-off gapper in the bottom of the 10th. We never liked you anyways Aaron.

AARON HICKS ? #SCtop10

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/A41RrV8ajl

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 24, 2019

I’m here to touch on two takeaways from the Twins first 100 games of the season, and no, “we need bullpen help” is not one of them. We know. Santa Clause knows. Your drunk uncle knows. Everyone knows that the Twins need better bullpen pitching, and it will be addressed. The trade deadline is exactly one week from today, and I promise you, the twins will be buyers. The front office won’t let a lineup like this go to waste.

I’m here to touch on two takeaways from the Twins first 100 games of the season, and no, “we need bullpen help” is not one of them. We know. Santa Clause knows. Your drunk uncle knows. Everyone knows that the Twins need better bullpen pitching, and it will be addressed. The trade deadline is exactly one week from today, and I promise you, the twins will be buyers. The front office won’t let a lineup like this go to waste.

Number one takeaway

The Twins will win the AL central. Many fans/analysts have been getting pumped up/nervous about the recent gap closing in the division. The Twins lead over Cleveland has shrunk to 3 games, leaving many Twins’ fans impatient and anxious. I’m here to comfort you. Three games might be as close as Cleveland gets to to taking the division.

Let’s look at the last 26 games for each team (approximately a month’s time), The Twins have played 18 of those 26 games against teams with winning records. The Indians? They have played just 3 of those 26 games against ONE team with a winning record. The Twins took 2 of 3 in that series.

So pat yourself on the back for now Cleveland, tougher teams and times await you in the near future, as well as a bigger deficit in the AL Central. After Cleveland is done with their series in Canada (against another <.500 team), they have one more bottom feeder series left against the Royals, before they step onto the big boy stage where their next 20 games consist of series against the Astros, Angels, Rangers, Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees, all of which currently sit above .500.

The Twins have 10 games coming up against the White Sox, Marlins, and Royals, with our trade deadline help coming somewhere in-between. I rest my case. Not to mention, while the Twins were exchanging blows in a heavyweight match last night, the Indians were getting walked off by some team from Canada. Rough.

Sound the Smoak Alarm, we smell a #WALKOFF! pic.twitter.com/y0SlXcqZ0E

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 24, 2019

Number Two Takeaway

This team (will be) primed for a fun ride come playoff time. This isn’t the same Twins team of the early 2000’s, they aren’t scared of the big bad wolf anymore. They ARE the big bad wolf. Other teams pitchers are shaking in their boots, facing this lineup. Their pitching isn’t as bad as it seems either. Carried by their strong starting rotation, the Twins have a 4.06 team ERA, which is good for 7th best in the MLB. Imagine what that ERA will look like when the Pohlads pull the trigger on some trade deadline day deals to bolster the bullpen.

This series with New York has had a touch of October in July feel. Just wait until these boys actually play in October, they won’t go down easy…. if at all.

Clem Clemans | Minnesota Sports Fan