The Minnesota Twins’ offseason has once again become the laughingstock of MLB’s winter meetings, thanks to yet another round of unrealistic demands from ownership. Last year, they were smacked with a $30 million wage cut. This year’s direction is no rise at all, placing the squad into the unfortunate situation of losing even more money.
Given the astonishing sums being thrown about in the free agent market, Derek Falvey has no excuse to hang up when clubs call about his high-priced talent. This was clear with Carlos Correa, but he is far from the only high-paid player on the Twins’ roster attracting attention. The Minnesota Twins should focus on adding skill.
Two years ago, the Minnesota Twins went on their best playoff run in decades. Ownership has followed up by being obtuse, ignorant, and completely ridiculous. Derek Falvey must reduce his income in order to meet another payroll constraint, and Pablo Lopez is the latest name to be named. Jeff Passan is the most well-connected and reliably accurate industry insider. If he says the Twins have received and are considering offers for Pablo López, he’s telling the truth. The unfortunate truth is that they did not instantly hang up the phone. The Oakland Athletics have just committed $67 million to 31-year-old Luis Severino, who finished the season with a 3.91 ERA and 4.21 FIP. While these figures are an improvement over his catastrophic 2023 season (6.65 ERA, 6.14 FIP), they remain below his greatest performances from previous years, making this significant investment all the more shocking. Pablo López was not at his best for the Minnesota Twins last season, with a 4.08 ERA and a 3.65 FIP. Despite his young age of 29, he maintained a high strikeout percentage of 9.6 K/9. With three years remaining on his contract at nearly $64 million, in today’s free agent market, he’d certainly command substantially more if he were available.
Minnesota’s need to listen on their ace is a ludicrous reality. There is no scenario in which trading Lopez, regardless of the outcome, improves the Twins. His compensation increases in 2025, thus Falvey must deal with the expectations of ownership.
The state of the twins is a sad truth.
The Minnesota Twins should go all in now that Correa has been signed, Buxton is nearing the end of his prime, and several young players are entering theirs. The division lacks a clear frontrunner, and Derek Falvey might establish his franchise as one.
Unfortunately, Joe, Jim, and the ghost of Carl are stupid owners who are entirely out of touch with asset management. It probably makes sense to exchange Christian.
Vazquez, Chris Paddack, and perhaps even Willi Castro. However, doing it just to get beneath a self-imposed threshold rings hollow. Minnesota might reallocate assets and compete in the free agent market. They need help at first base and a right-handed outfielder. They can’t afford either right now, and they’d rather make their advances in the thrift section than as a large player.
Fans, the front office, and the manager all expect more from the Minnesota Twins. When calls come in for crucial players, the response should be immediate – a click to hang up.
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