Snow storms are reminiscent of a hungover day at work. First and foremost, both are huge character builders. Second of all, once you are done with the bullshit, there’s a euphoria associated with surviving the entire mess.

With mother nature punching us in the kisser on Saturday, that excitement is what Minnesotans (including myself) were experiencing on Sunday. Once that feeling was parlayed with this announcement, regarding the Minnesota Twins, I was about to come out of my skin:

Source: #MNTwins, Logan Morrison have a deal, pending physical. $6.5 million guaranteed. Vesting option with escalators and performance bonuses. Chance to be 2-years, $16.5 million.

— Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayFRS) February 25, 2018

Let’s go! While Twins’ Nation plays checkers over possible signings of Yu Darvish, Mike Napoli, and others, Falvey and Levine are on some Bobby Fischer chess-champion shit.

What is Minnesota getting with Logan Morrison?

The 30 year-old, whose nickname is LoMo, will start the season as Minnesota’s primary DH. However, on days where Paul Molitor decides to DH or rest Joe Mauer, he can pencil Morrison in at 1B.

Possible Twins lineup:
2B Brian Dozier
1B Joe Mauer
3B Miguel Sano
DH Logan Morrison
LF Eddie Rosario
RF Max Kepler
CF Byron Buxton
SS Jorge Polanco
C Jason Castro

A very potent group.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 25, 2018

As for his bat, the 6’3″ 245 pound, left-handed slugger finished the 2017 season with a .246 batting average (.353 OBP), while hitting 38 home runs and driving in 85 runs. For comparison purposes, both Brian Dozier’s 34 bombs and 93 RBIs lead last year’s Twins squad.

Male readers: If your significant other seems oddly interested in LoMo, stay woke. Last time I checked, chicks dig the long ball.

It should be noted that Morrison’s 2017 HR and RBI total were both career highs.

Logan Morrison MLB Statistics:

Obviously, if he can get anywhere near last season’s numbers, the $6.5 million is straight out of the beloved bargain bin. 

Despite the Miguel Sano injury, your Twins finished the post-All-Star stretch with the second most run in the majors, in 2017. The way I saw it; with all due respect to Robbie Grossman, Kenny Vargas, and others, the DH slot was painful to watch, at times. In his 1,380 big league at bats, Grossman has hit 31 home runs. Vargas’ size is Big Papi-esque, but that’s about all he and David Ortiz have in common.

That’s why I liked the Mike Napoli (in GIF w/Ortiz) rumors from earlier this offseason. That’s why I love this Logan Morrison signing.

Now what? On to the next one?

Lance Lynn and Alex Cobb are both our there for the taking. Per our article from Saturday, I see those two as a horse a piece. Let’s grab one of them to join us for this 162 game dance. If the master recruiter that is P.J. Fleck the recently acquired Jake Odorizzi has anything to say about it, Cobb will be joining the rotation.

Jake Odorizzi is trying to recruit Logan Morrison AND Alex Cobb to the #mntwins. Source with direct knowledge said today #mntwins are showing interest in Morrison.

“Those guys would help any team,” Odorizzi said. https://t.co/57H6kURuRl

— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) February 25, 2018

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Chris Gimenez to the Cubs… Is Darvish next? #MNTwins

?: @TheJohnnyMN https://t.co/vNpsDUoCni

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 23, 2018

Yes.

After a marathon battle of cat and mouse, the back-and-forth between Yu Darvish and the MLB free agency market finally came to an end on Saturday. The 31-year-old pitcher agreed to a six-year, $126 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Breaking: Yu Darvish has agreed to a six-year, $126 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. (first reported by The Athletic, confirmed by ESPN) pic.twitter.com/XvZ0UMAkFh

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 10, 2018

Well, so much for the whole Mike Napoli recruiting Yu Darvish to sign with Minnesota thing. That whole story was as epic a reach as that one Michael Jordan dunk in Space Jam? Twins fans were supposed to be encouraged that a player, who’s not EVEN on our team, would help land one of the two most sought after free agent pitchers? As much as I wanted it to, that one didn’t pull the wool over my eyes.

Anywho, it’s on to the next one. F*ck it. The initial domino has FINALLY fallen. Yu Darvish, like the recently engaged Carson Wentz, is off of the market.

Carson Wentz is now engaged, 9 years after nearly suffering a dating career ending injury #Eagles pic.twitter.com/kcqoP27TS1

— Old Player Tweets (@OldPlayerTweets) February 6, 2018

Per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press, a rival club official said he still expected the Twins to land a starting pitcher but was “not sure which level they go to.”

As for other free agent pitchers available, Jake Arrieta is now, hands-down, the most coveted starting hurler available. Financially, the former Cy Young Award winner has the potential to top Darvish’s deal. Here are the 31 year-old’s numbers from the last few seasons:

In the event Arrieta is anywhere near his 2015 self, someone out there is getting a bonafide ace. Personally, considering his age and his downward-trending numbers, I’m good without Jake the Snake. Plus, he shaved his patented beard:

Jake Arrieta looks completely unrecognizable after shaving beard pic.twitter.com/Mg3eBBALJL

— Bush Leaguer (@BushLeague101) October 22, 2017

After Arrieta, there’s a drop-off to the next tier of talent, which includes Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn. Cobb (30 years-old) is coming of a 2017 campaign with the Rays, where he finished with 12-10 record (29 starts) and a 3.66 ERA. As for Lynn (30 years-old), the longtime St. Louis Cardinal, posted an 11-8 record (33 starts) with an ERA of 3.43 last season. Those numbers are right there with what Arrieta posted in 2017. As for how much Cobb and Lynn will get paid, that won’t be right there with the former Chicago Cub.

Berardino also reported that the Twins are continuing to explore starting pitchers such as Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi.

The way I see it, outside of avoiding Arrieta and his fat price tag, I don’t give a shit who they bring in at this point. Just bring in someone decent, please. With Ervin Santana set to miss the start of the season with a finger injury, this potential rotation sounds rough…

Twins opening day rotation

José Berríos
Adalberto Mejia
Kyle Gibson
Trevor May
Aaron Slegers pic.twitter.com/g1WfrSedPC

— Jared Rubado (@JaredRubado) February 10, 2018

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

The Twins have been looking to replace Ervin Santana as the Opening Day Starter all offseason as they search for a new bonafide #1 starter in free agency. After Tuesday’s news, it looks like one half of that equation will certainly prove true. Ervin Santana underwent surgery on the middle finger of his right hand. Per the Twins, the problem at hand (pun intended) occurred over a period of time while Santana, in anticipation of Spring Training, was increasing his workload.

Initial reports are indicating that the 35 year-old will be sidelined 10-12 weeks. If he does in-fact rejoin the team during that two-week timeframe, Twins fans can anticipate seeing Minnesota’s best returning starter make his 2018 debut between April 17th and May 1st.

Twins lose ace Ervin Santana for 10-12 weeks due to finger injury https://t.co/Vdlr45X5bf pic.twitter.com/JW9hZHDPU1

— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) February 6, 2018

With Minnesota opening their season on March 29th, it appears that Santana will miss the first few weeks of the season. Damnit. This shit sucks. Ah-shucks. Gosh diddly darn. To the individual who didn’t “enjoy hearing” the hip hop song I put into a Teddy Bridgewater video recently, is that better? It’s 2018, lady. Eagles fans are out there literally eating horse shit manure. I parlay “gangster rap nonsense” with some Teddy footage, because it got me jacked up, and apparently I’m the jackass jerk?

Anywho, let’s get back to baseball. Here are Ervin Santana’s 2017 Numbers:

As for who will replace him at the top of the starting rotation in the interim? Barring a big move, it appears that job will be given to Jose Berrios.

In regards to the rest of the starting rotation, I’m going to table those conversations. Yu Darvish is dragging this free agency thing out like it’s a seat at U.S. Bank Stadium. In Eagles’ fan fashion, he’s starting to piss anger some.

However you may feel of Darvish’ strategy, once he ACTUALLY signs, the rest of the dominos will start to fall. If the Japanese-born pitcher thinks an unexpected injury to Ervin Santana is going to increase my daydreams of possible free agents becoming Opening Day Twins’ Starters, I’m way too woke to fall for that shit garbage.

Whatever Santana misses, it ain’t shit it’s nothing compared to 80 games:

Last year, Ervin Santana was suspended 80 games for unkowningly taking an illegal PED

— Travis Brooks (@T_Brooks16) March 1, 2016

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Unlike a baseball fan’s approach to drinking ballpark beers, Chris Gimenez’ tenure with the Twins was one-and-done. After spending the 2017 season with Minnesota, the 35 year-old has agreed to a minor league deal with the Cubs’ organization. Now, just as he did a year ago, Gimenez hopes to parlay that agreement into a big-league role as a backup catcher.

On the surface, this may appear like a relatively meaningless signing. However, once you consider the much more coveted free agent with ties to Gimenez, this transaction might indicate that Chicago isn’t done making moves:

If you missed it last night, the Cubs have signed catcher Chris Gimenez, who happens to be close to Yu Darvish … https://t.co/hZ858VdzYk

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) January 23, 2018

Previously, as part of the Texas Rangers, Gimenez (a 9-year veteran) was teammates with Yu Darvish. Not only that. He was Yu’s primary catcher. The now former Minnesota Twin has been in contact with the highly coveted free agent throughout this offseason. With that said, I’ll let you put two and two together.

From noon on Monday to noon on Tuesday, there were a couple of other developments in the Darvish sweepstakes, outside of the move his old catcher made to the Windy City. 

First and foremost, the 31 year-old pitcher currently has at least one 5-year contract offer on the table. ESPN’s Buster Olney estimates that deal would be worth “something in the range of $100-125 million.” Second of all, the Associated Press confirmed that the Cubs are in active talks with Yu’s camp. As of Tuesday afternoon, whether or not the (or one of the) proposed half-decade deal(s) came from the 2016 World Series Champions had not been confirmed.

Outside of Gimenez’s new, and most recent teams (Cubs and Twins), the Brewers, Yankees, and Rangers remain interested in his old starting pitcher’s services. History shows acquiring top-tier free agents isn’t, to put it nicely, the Pohlad’s style. However, with Falvey and Levine now calling the shots, Up until recently, I remained optimistic that we had a strong chance to land Darvish. Technically, we still have a chance, but it’s far from strong. Actually, it’s weaker than the watered-down cold ones available at MN gas stations.

Despite being an advocate for bringing in Darvish, the second he signs elsewhere, I’m “on to the next one”. Plus, as someone who panics at the thought of commitment, the whole 5 year idea at this stage of his career, is terrifying.

Speaking of “on to the next one”, Gimenez’s departure means MN will have a different pair of catchers on their 2018 25-man roster. It looks like Mitch Garver will be the one to join returning starter, Jason Castro, for this year’s run.

Chris Gimenez signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs, which clears the path even further for Mitch Garver to be the Twins’ new backup catcher. Garver has hit .298/.386/.520 in 110 games at Triple-A. I’d like to see what he can do with regular plate appearances against lefties.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) January 23, 2018

Like the MLB’s pace of play, free agency has been slow. If nothing else, officially losing out on Darvish might cause an aggressive amount of dominos to start falling. By not having that lingering commitment, think of all the possible cool shit we could do.

To view who has already signed, along with who remains on the market, click here: MLB Free Agent Tracker

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Justin Morneau is set to become the latest ex-Twin to rejoin the organization in their post-playing career. Like O.J. did with his legal defense team, Minnesota is adding a plethora of off-the-field assistance.

Morneau returning is almost as much of a feel good story for Minnesotans as Millie getting Vikings’ tickets:

Vikings gift 99-year-old fan with tickets to Sunday’s game https://t.co/iXyXLPxCdK pic.twitter.com/Lm4Xo7eJTn

— Pioneer Press (@PioneerPress) January 9, 2018

#SKOL

The way I see it, hiring the 2006 AL MVP is more of a PR move than anything. There is nothing that suggests he will add much, if any, REAL value in his role as a special assistant. I know Morneau played 14 years in the big leagues, but so have a hell of a lot of other guys.

Regardless, my frustration doesn’t lie with bringing back our beloved Canadian. It lies with the lack of actual roster moves we’ve made this offseason. Outside of the bullpen, the Twins have made ZERO additions towards their 2018 MLB team. At least this latest free agent rumor has more potential than the Nick Buss signing.

Twins Have Shown Interest In Chris Tillman https://t.co/PziePA11X5 pic.twitter.com/6ebWlyjS9R

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) January 8, 2018

Along with Minnesota, Detroit and Baltimore (the franchise he’s pitched for his entire career), are also interested in acquiring Chris Tillman’s services.

The free agent is a 29 year-old, right-handed starting pitcher with a career 4.43 ERA over 1,118.1 innings pitched. In addition to his to low 90’s fastball, he bolsters a slider/cutter, curveball, and change-up. Due to shoulder issues, the 2013 All Star didn’t begin pitching last year until mid-May. Just like the Twins in the 2017 playoffs, this guy is a wildcard.

His stats from last season are bad enough to cause sea-sick-esque nausea.

• 1-7 Win/Loss Record
• 7.84 ERA
• 1.892 WHIP

The California Native’s drop in velocity resulted in some of the worst pitching numbers throughout the entire majors. In fairness to Tillman, there’s a good chance his health was less than 100%.

Per reports, he is looking for a one year “prove it” type of deal, in hopes of acquiring more of a demand in the 2019 free agent market.

As for my opinion, I’m against signing Tillman. Like they teach you in junior high health class, about using drugs and alcohol, I’m just saying no.

Outside of Mike Zimmer, no one has a crystal ball that shows them the future. Whether or not Tillman has the ability to be anything close to his former All-Star self remains to be seen. Either way, the shoulder issues, parlayed with those 2017 statistics are obvious red flags.

If you scratch last season and peel back the onion to 2016, it shows he had an impressive 16-6 record. However, rip that sucker back another layer and you’ll see that he closed that season with a lackluster two wins over his final six decisions. In the event he does sign with Minnesota, I hope I’m eating crow while watching him perform well above his cost.

Yes, Yu Darvish carries a more expensive price tag than Tillman. With that being said, if you have champagne taste and champagne money, you buy f*cking champagne. Unfortunately, sometimes, the Pohlad’s taste buds resemble that of a Wisconsinite.

Damnit. What a waste. I either need their pockets, or they need my palate.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

It’s been reported that the Minnesota Twins are pursuing free agent DH/1B, Mike Napoli.

The 36 year-old is coming off an interesting one-year stint with the Rangers. Napoli finished last season with 29 home runs in only 124 games. However, his batting average (.193) closed below the Mendoza Line.

Statistics (last two years):

Unlike the chaotic pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, signing Napoli appears to only be a two-horse race. The over pampered New York Mets represent the pony standing a lane over. The Yankees are pure evil, but at least they win. Not only do the Mets suck, but their mascot can’t even keep his composure:

Minnesota recently signed Michael Pineada and Fernando Rodney to big league deals. Will Mike Napoli be the next domino to fall? If not, could it be a much more attractive (and expensive) piece; such as Yu Darvish?

Mike Napoli Information & Yu Darvish Update:

Mike Napoli
In 2016; Napoli and Derek Falvey were part of the Cleveland organization. When 2016 ended, “Falvey” left the State of Ohio for greener pastures, while Napoli headed south. But, before Mike punched his plane ticket, he had to take a phone call from a known voice in a new (and better) state. The call didn’t go as well as Falvey had hoped.

The right-handed hitter agreed to a one year, $8.5M deal with Texas. His reasoning for taking less money was a desire to play for a playoff team……… Joke’s on him, I guess.

It feels good to say that MN now falls into that “contender” category. Even though last season was at a discount, Mike Napoli is now a year-older and coming off that terrible batting average. It’ll be interesting to see how much he can command this time around.

Where would Napoli fit in? Last year, Chris Giminez played a large role as a leader in the Minnesota locker room. However, 2017’s backup catcher isn’t under contract for next year. Catcher, Mitch Garver is the Twin’s organization reigning Minor League Player of the Year. With Garver primed to join the majors in 2018, Giminez’s return is in great flux. Napoli could replace him as that clubhouse presence and provide some much-needed dingers from the DH/1B slot at the same time.

COUNTRY STRONG! HELL YES! LET’S GO!

If you can’t already tell, I’m biased as can be, on this one. I’ve always had a soft spot for Napoli. The man looks like he just came off the set of a Chevy truck commercial.

My only complaint against the bearded slugger is that he wears batting gloves. If I had a hand tattoo like this, I’d let that baby breathe. Imagine being a pitcher, looking at this:

Yu Darvish Update
The most recent developments on the hunt to sign Yu Darvish are in regards to the length of his future contract. The 31 year-old is looking to get himself as long of a deal as possible. Naturally. With the RHP set to go over 1,000 career innings this upcoming season, he and his agent don’t know where his game will be in two years.

Per the StarTribune, it would take a club record type of deal to land Darvish. Thus far, there have been no confirmed reports of him receiving an offer from the Twins or any of their competitors. The rumors floating around on Thursday, that Yu signed with the Cubs, weren’t true. That news was more fake than the whole “Balloon Boy Hoax.”

Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope you all enjoy your families and respective traditions. Speaking of traditions, cue the music:

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Twins reportedly are among several teams rejected by Shohei Ohtani https://t.co/CbWtUd14K2 pic.twitter.com/0eWEkZ4FZf

— 1500 ESPN (@1500ESPN) December 4, 2017

Damnit. With the Vikings, Gophers Men’s Basketball, and the Timberwolves all winning on Sunday, the Twins took an “L”. We don’t get to have a full-day of nice things. On the bright side though, so did the Yankees. Like Minnesota, New York was informed of their own misfortune, on the Ohtani sweepstakes. Once considered front-runners to land Ohtani, the Bronx Bombers were less than thrilled to hear the bad news:

Shohei Ohtani’s representatives told the Yankees that they will not be among the teams invited to make an in-person presentation. Brian Cashman said the news was “disappointing.”

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) December 3, 2017

Re: Ohtani… Cashman said that if he was a West Coast team in a smaller market, he’d be excited right now.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) December 3, 2017

Technically, the Cubs and Rangers are still in the mix. My message to those fan bases: Don’t hold your breath. It doesn’t take a Geography savant to figure out Shohei wants to play on the West Coast. The Dodgers, Angels, and Padres are all still considered to be potential suitors for Baby Babe. As of Sunday evening, unlike the Giants and Mariners, those three organizations were yet to confirm any potential meeting. I’m sorry Athletics, but you’re out. The Bay Area already has the Warriors. They have nothing to complain about.

Twins fan’s fantasies of obtaining a power-hitting, 102 MPH throwing freak of nature are dead. There will be no 23-year-old phenom coming in from his outfield spot to throw smoke past Aaron Judge. At least not for us.

If you’re not up to speed on the Asian Baseball League legend, we’ve done a couple of articles on him recently. If you wish to further your education (knowledge is power) click here: Japan’s Babe Ruth.

EVERY team wants Shohei Ohtani, because he can do it all!pic.twitter.com/zcKynYwGAD

— SB Nation (@SBNation) December 2, 2017

Now what? There’s no crying in baseball. Minnesota needs to shake this one off and move onto the next potential move. The Twins currently have $3.25 million in their International Signing Pool. That money was being saved to offer Ohtani. Now that we’re out of the running, the thought of trading those funds is on the table.

Breaking: Angels get Jim Johnson, international bonus space from Braves https://t.co/mc0tnJZJ7u via @usatoday #Angels #LosAngeles #Braves #Atlanta #Trade #MLB #BreakingNews

— The Xtra Point (@TheXtra_Point) November 30, 2017

Falvey and Levine can trade some/all of said cash to one of the West Coast organizations in exchange for a prospect. The 5 teams still considered to have a shot at Shohei are VERY motivated to do something along those lines. They’d use the money, acquired from the Twins, in attempt to entice Ohtani with a larger signing bonus.

It was rumored the 23 year-old wanted to be the only Japanese star on his team. Maybe he knows something we don’t. Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish is considered one of the most coveted free agents available this offseason. His name has been swirling around these parts as a possible signing. If we can make it happen, I’m all for it. A three game series where opposing hitters see Santana, Berrios, and Darvish sounds good to me.

As always when talking about Yu, cue the music:

Johnny Minnesota @mnsportsnstuff
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Per @JonHeyman, in #Twins pursuit of free-agent starting pitching, Darvish target No. 1, Arrieta No. 1A. https://t.co/622sLSmj6z

— FanRag Sports MLB (@FanRagMLB) November 14, 2017

Has the time finally come? Are the Pohlad’s actually preparing to open up their check books? And not just for a middle-of-the road guy. No, no, no.

Per MLB.com, Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta are the top pitching free agents on the market. And according to Jon Heyman, in the tweet/story above. It seems like just yesterday the Twins were trotting Ricky Nolasco and Mike Pelfrey out to the mound. When Ervin Santana and Jose Berriors pitched on back-to-back days this past summer, it was extremely exciting. Imagine if we parlay those two with a pitcher such as… umm.. IDK, maybe, Yu F**KING Darvish?!?!

Raise your hand if you are familiar with the name Jack Morris? The pitcher who threw 10 innings to win game 7 in the 1991 World Series. The one who is now MN legend? I remember it like it was yesterday. Just a passionate 18 month-old Minnesota Fan, poppin’ victory bottles. Some of my fellow Millennials tend to forget that Jack came over in Free Agency. His tenure with the Twins was one year. One and done. Pitchers tend to make or break a team come postseason. The Morris case is a prime example of where a pitcher made a team. If it happened once, who is to say it can’t happen again?

All-time Twins leaders in playoff Win Probability Added:
1.3 Jack Morris
1.1 Kirby Puckett
1.1 Carl Willis
0.8 Dave Boswell
0.7 C. Knoblauch

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) October 7, 2017

I can probably cut the caffeine out for the rest of the day. I thought another Red Bull would be needed, but this bomb just dropped by FanRag Sports will do the trick. Fasten those seat-belts Minnesota. The ball club that improved by 26 wins over their 2016 total is ready to improve some more.

Our core of young hitters will only improve at the plate. Pitching is BY FAR the biggest question mark behind this organization. If we can get top market talent such as Darvish, October baseball in 2018 should consist of more than just a wild card game.

Johnny Minnesota @mnsportsnstuff
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Sources: Baseball-Reference, BeyondTheBoxScore.com, FanRag Sports, SI.com

Photo: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times