Twins – Page 63 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins GM Levine: Club Not Rebuilding

Posted on August 3, 2021August 3, 2021 by David Shama

Multiple trades last month, including departing headliners Jose Berrios and Nelson Cruz, left Minnesota Twins fans wondering if the club front office is signaling a rebuild for a team that is currently a disappointing 44-62 this season and in last place in the AL Central Division.

General manager Thad Levine told Sports Headliners rebuilding is not the direction of the franchise that this spring was a favorite to win a third consecutive division title. “Our intent is to maintain our competitiveness. We think we’ve been a force in the American League Central the last handful of seasons. We expect to do that moving forward as well.”

Trades last month by Levine and executive VP Derek Falvey focused on prospects, not proven MLB talent. Pitchers dominated the new talent crop, along with highly hyped infielder-outfielder Austin Martin.

“We are not in a rebuild mode,” Levine said. “I think if we had been you would have seen a very different complexion to the trading deadline as we had a number of assets…players that could have drawn a ton of interest in the game. I think if anything, I would clarify it for a little bit more of a retool where we were making adjustments on the fly.

“No one expected the season we just had. But rather than just being muddled and confounded with what transpired and inactive at the deadline, I think we took an opportunity to add to what we feel is already a strong farm system to better position ourselves for 2022 and beyond.

“Painful decisions without question, in terms of departing with a guy like Jose Berrios, in terms of parting with a leader like Nelson Cruz. But I do think there’s an obligation we have to fans, (and) the players to try to build for the future when we’re not winning at the present. So we took advantage of that, but we think the core of this team has a chance to be very competitive in 2022 and beyond.”

Martin had been ranked the Toronto Blue Jays’ second best prospect and 16th overall in baseball, per Mlb.com. He has been assigned to the Wichita Wind Surge, Minnesota’s Double-A affiliate. He was activated today.

As a college player in 2019 at Vanderbilt, Martin hit .392 and helped Vandy to the NCAA championship. When the Twins acquired him last Friday he was batting .281 (55-for-196) with 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 16 RBI, 43 runs scored and 37 walks. He had a .424 on-base percentage and an .807 OPS in 55 games for Double-A New Hampshire. This is his first season of professional baseball.

In college and professional baseball he has shown scouts exceptional knowledge of the strike zone and making contact with the baseball. “Those are fundamental skills that are exceptionally valuable to major league hitters,” Levine said. “We believe the power will come with him. …”

The 6-foot, 185-pound Martin has the athleticism to play multiple positions in the majors, perhaps even shortstop. Levine said Martin is not “preordained” by the Twins to any position yet and the organization will go through an assessment process in the weeks and months ahead. He is listed as an outfielder on the Wind Surge roster. “He actually will have the opportunity to fill a variety of holes when he gets here,” Levine said.

The Twins GM is appreciative of Martin’s versatility in the field but said, “The best position we think he has is being in the batter’s box and hitting good pitching.”

Worth Noting

Right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, another top 100 prospect acquired from the Blue Jays, is pitching for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics and will later join Martin in Wichita. His Olympic teammate, right-handed pitcher Joe Ryan who was acquired in the Cruz deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, will be assigned to Triple-A St. Paul. Right-hander Drew Strotman, also part of the Rays deal, is already on the St. Paul roster.

It was 20 years ago last Sunday that Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer died. He collapsed from exertional heatstroke in training camp on July 31, 2001 and passed away the next day. The Vikings are honoring his memory including partnering with the NFL Foundation and the Korey Stringer Institute to create the Korey and Kelci Stringer Athletic Training Scholarship with an initial $50,000 endowment.

Prominent Minneapolis attorney and former Minnesota Daily sports editor Marshall Tanick wrote in a Minnpost.com article last week about how Stringer’s death changed protocols in the NFL. “It prompted changes in the game, how it is played and monitored, and the team, but not the law,” Tanick wrote in his story that makes reference to lawsuits and legal precedent.

Word is the Vikings are hoping for a crowd of 20,000 at Saturday afternoon’s scrimmage open to fans at U.S. Bank Stadium. An adult ticket is $20, with a $10 cost for those 17 and younger (children under 36 inches admitted free). The practice begins at noon, with activities and promotions available for fans outside the stadium prior to watching the Vikings.

Target attendance is 45,000 for the recently announced U.S. Bank Stadium game September 2, 2023 between FCS powers North Dakota State and Eastern Washington. NDSU has nearly 15,000 alums in the metro area and 26,000 in the state of Minnesota, per a news release. A 2019 game between the Bison and Butler drew a crowd of 34,544 to Target Field.

The football Golden Gophers open their 2023 schedule at home August 31, playing Big Ten opponent Nebraska.

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck didn’t identify the players but said today those who have been sidelined will make their way back to practice in different phases this month. Minnesota opens training camp Wednesday.

Dave Matter, writing yesterday for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, speculated Gophers AD Mark Coyle could be a candidate for the vacancy at Missouri. Matter writes that Missouri may want to hire an existing AD from a Power Five conference and someone with SEC experience. Coyle has been an AD at three schools including Minnesota and he was once deputy athletics director at Kentucky, an SEC member.

Ken Novak Sr. enriched so many lives as a high school basketball coach, his legacy will endure for a long time. The legendary Hopkins High School figure passed away last week. Condolences to his family and many friends.

Patrick Mader, the author of two books on Minnesota Olympians, is promoting a Zoom event next Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. He will present a slide show about the rich history of Minnesota Olympians, and then be joined by former Olympians who will talk about their experiences. More at http://patrickmader.com.

Comments Welcome

Berrios Trade May Help Keep Buxton

Posted on August 1, 2021 by David Shama

The Twins made a significant payroll dump Friday, trading away starting pitchers Jose Berrios and JA Happ. Their 2021 salaries are $4,142,980 and $5,204,285, per MLB payroll authority Spotrac.com.

Happ, 38, had a questionable future with the club but the 27-year-old Berrios was a foundational talent if he was willing to stay in Minnesota beyond the 2022 season. Front office executives Derek Falvey and Thad Levine decided the uncertainty of signing Berrios to a long-term deal starting with the 2023 season wasn’t worth losing the opportunity to acquire two of the Toronto Blue Jays’ best prospects.

After the 2022 season Berrios, who was Minnesota’s best starter, is on track to command a contract over $100 million. Before the trade, Falvey and Levine faced the prospect of Berrios and center fielder Byron Buxton both having new deals in 2023 for more than $100 million each, plus incentives to earn more.

Buxton, also 27, reportedly is more amenable to staying with the Twins after team control ends following the 2022 season. Although the oft-injured Buxton goes through stretches where he is sidelined more than being in the lineup, he has flashed superstar potential with his hitting, fielding and running the bases. The Twins are in a historically difficult place with the Buxton negotiations, trapped between his career history of physical woes but tantalized by performances that draw comparisons to baseball’s best player, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.

Two years ago New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, a former Twin, signed a reported seven-year $70 million deal. Hicks is a poor man’s Buxton. The Twins will try to lock up Buxton with a deal that includes incentives for playing in a certain number of games, or plate appearances. That could be a hang-up with Buxton and his advisors who are positioned to ask for sizeable guaranteed money—perhaps five-years, $110 million.

Negotiations will happen during the offseason with Buxton. He earns $5,125,000 this season, per Spotrac.com. That payroll authority also lists the $7,897,884 salary of DH Nelson Cruz, who was recently traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Twins brought back Berrios, Cruz and Happ in 2022, on similar deals as this season, that totals about $17 million.

In the next offseason the team is likely to part with 31-year-old shortstop Andrelton Simmons who has a one-year deal at $10,500,000. Starting pitcher Michael Pineda, 32, makes $10 million this season but with unrestricted free agent status in the offseason he might be another payroll savings. Reliever Alex Colome, a first-year bust with Minnesota, is making $5 million in 2021 and unlikely to return. Other Twins like Max Kepler (due $6,750,000 in 2022, per Spotrac) could be expendable. The grand prize of payroll reduction is if the Twins find another franchise willing to take on third baseman Josh Donaldson’s deal paying him $21 million next year.

The point is the Twins, historically careful with high salaries, are potentially looking at a much reduced payroll the next couple years and they now may feel more comfortable about offering Buxton a new contract he will sign. Whether Buxton is worth a mega-deal to a franchise that fans are worried is headed for reset mode in 2022 and beyond is another question. Certainly securing Buxton for years to come will help the organization’s image and ticket sales. But Buxton and a ho-hum supporting cast won’t produce championships. Trout’s Angels have been mediocre for a long time and can only dream of playing in the World Series.

It takes a roster of high performers to win championships and no team goes deep into October without pitching. Falvey and Levine substantiated that need in their flurry of trades late last week when six of the seven new players acquired were pitchers.

Worth Noting

Austin Martin, 22, the infielder-outfielder acquired from Toronto in the Berrios deal, could be Buxton’s successor in center field if the veteran leaves Minnesota either by trade or free agency. Martin has been ranked the Jays’ second best prospect and 16th overall in baseball, per Mlb.com.

Joe Ryan, acquired this summer from the Rays for Cruz, is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA as a starting pitcher for Team USA in the Olympics. The Americans have now advanced into the medal round.

Best player from the Twins organization ever to play for the U.S. in the Olympics? Jacque Jones, 1996.

Condolences to family and friends of Tom Duffy of Minneapolis, who passed away in late July. Retired from IBM, Tom was the second person Hollis Cavner hired to help run the 3M Championship Tournament in 1992. Tom told Cavner he would work for one year in sales and marketing, but stayed for 19.

Cavner said he learned a lot from Tom including how to deal with people. “He is one of the finest gentlemen I ever met in my life,” Cavner said.

Expectations are Cavner’s 2021 3M Open Tournament will gift a minimum of $1.5 million to charity. The figure is in line with previous years.

Next year’s 3M Open will be July 18-24 and again following the British Open. Cavner likes that positioning and hopes for it indefinitely because he sees top players wanting to play here, and then taking a break for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Big Ten men’s basketball coaches like to brag on their league but the players aren’t doing much to captivate NBA scouts. In the last two NBA drafts only two conference players have been selected in the first round, Maryland’s Jalen Smith in 2020 and Michigan’s Franz Wagner in 2021.

No Big Ten team has won an NCAA title since Michigan State in 2000.

Congratulations to Edina resident and prominent Minnesota businessman Ron Leafblad on his upcoming induction September 10 into the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. Leafblad was a tight end on the 1963 UW Rose Bowl team and captained the 1964 squad. The Chicago-area native has been an exemplary supporter of UW through the years including with the school’s alumni association and letter winners club. He was a student representative of the Athletic Board while in school. He and his wife Diane have generously donated funds to assist academics, football and alumni efforts at UW.

Leafblad is the owner of a diverse group of companies whose products range from retail apparel to corporate uniforms, and from website development and fulfillment to precision parts for the computer and medical equipment industries. His Gold Country business has for several years been part of the Sports Headliners group of advertisers.

Scheels in Eden Prairie has been promoting an appearance today by University of Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck. A $50 ticket at the meet and greet includes an autographed copy of his new book, Row the Boat, with proceeds benefiting the U Masonic Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.

Former Minnesota North Stars Neal Broten and Mike Modano have scheduled signings at Scheels Eden Prairie August 14 and 21.

It looks like WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle, the much listened to Sunday show that started in 1981 and aired through early 2020, won’t be returning to the air.

Comments Welcome

Twins Prez: Little Merit in ‘Standing Still’

Posted on July 18, 2021July 18, 2021 by David Shama

The Minnesota Twins, prior to the season considered a World Series favorite, were 11 games under .500 during last week’s MLB All-Star game break in the schedule. “I don’t think there’s a lot of merit in standing still when your team is in the position we’re in,” club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners Friday.

The MLB trade deadline is 3 p.m. Minneapolis time on July 30. St. Peter said as the deadline nears front office leaders are obligated to assess their personnel and listen to what rival clubs are offering. “There’s no mandate from ownership around moving players for the sake of moving players, or saving money. That said, we also want to look for ways to improve our club.”

St. Peter isn’t predicting a fire sale by Minnesota but it sounds like there will be at least minimal change to the roster. “I guess I would be surprised if we didn’t see some movement considering where we’re at and considering the number of good players that we believe we have that other teams certainly have interest in. But it ultimately comes down to what you’re getting in return—so hard to predict how that market will evolve over time.”

Trading high potential young players always prompts anguish for organizations but St. Peter believes it’s wise to consider trades involving all personnel. “I think every player is on the table for discussion,” he said about the Twins.

Speculation is 41-year-old DH Nelson Cruz should keep his suitcase nearby, with a possible landing spot in Tampa Bay with the Rays. Wherever Cruz might go, he is unlikely because of his age to command much in trade return other than lower level prospects with promising potential.

Several other Twins players are part of trade chatter across the country, including pitcher Joe Berrios and center fielder Byron Buxton. Both are cornerstones for having a winning team during the next several seasons but they will be free agents in 2023 and it’s uncertain how long they will be in Minneapolis. Rumors are the Twins are trying to secure them long term but St. Peter declined to talk about contracts. It might take deals of more than $100 million each to retain Berrios and Buxton.

While Berrios has emerged as the staff ace, Buxton has only played in 27 games because of injuries. He was one of baseball’s best hitters and complete players before his latest injury (left-hand fracture) sidelined him again. In only 103 at bats he is hitting .369 with 10 home runs and 19 RBI, along with a .767 slugging percentage and 1.176 OPS.

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

At the time of his late June injury Buxton was playing in his third game back after being sidelined with a right hip strain. St. Peter said Buxton’s hand injury initially left him feeling down and frustrated, but the 27-year-old is resilient and a terrific teammate even when not playing.

“He’s a special person,” St. Peter said. “There’s no question he’s dealt with his share of adversity and it has made him stronger.”

From wisdom teeth to serious injuries, a lot of problems have kept Buxton sidelined over the years. St. Peter thinks Buxton’s goal for the remainder of 2021 will be to stay healthy and play as many games as he can.

What does St. Peter want to see from his club before the season ends? Play better and more consistent baseball, and move toward a .500 record. He added that the attitude of players is the season isn’t over. “I think that’s step No. 1 (getting to .500),” St. Peter said. “We get there and start to think about what’s the next step.”

The Twins are third among MLB teams in home runs with 130. Their runs scored total of 425 ranks 12th. “Offense really has not been the problem,” St. Peter said. “We’ve struggled at times in clutch situations, runners in scoring position, but for the most part offensively we think we’re scoring enough runs. Where the regression has taken place is on the mound. So I am optimistic that we’re going to see improvement there.”

Berrios leads the starting rotation at 7-3 with a 3.48 ERA. No other starter has won more than five games for Minnesota and 2020 club ace Kenta Maeda has a 4-3 record with a 4.71 ERA. In 2019, when the Twins earned what would be the first of two consecutive AL Central championships, the team had five starters who won 10 games or more.

The Twins are among the MLB leaders in giving up the most earned runs. The bullpen has faltered too, including offseason acquisition Alex Colome. He was supposed to be a late inning lights out guy, maybe even the team’s ninth inning stopper. The 32-year-old had a resume of relief pitching success including as recently as 2020 with the Chicago White Sox when his ERA was 0.81 in 21 games during the pandemic shortened season.

“The Horse” has been more like a colt for the Twins, with shaky pitching and just two saves to go with his 4.83 ERA. St. Peter believes Colome’s “stuff” is as good as ever but the reliever’s confidence is off in locating his pitches.

“When you miss, particularly in the zone in this league, you’re going to get hit,” St. Peter said. “He also, I think, had some bad luck early on as well. But it hasn’t worked out. He’s pitched better of late. …”

The Twins started the season 5-2 but by late April weren’t even close to playing .500 baseball. The team had a difficult spring, losing a lot of close games and sometimes both strategy and execution was questioned. Rocco Baldelli, the 2019 AL Manager of the Year, became the target of unhappy fans.

St. Peter said Baldelli, 39, will be the team’s on-field leader for years to come. “We love Rocco Baldelli and everything he represents, and we believe he will be our manager for a long, long time.”

Baldelli, St. Peter said, is admired inside and outside the Minnesota organization. “Rocco Baldilli is one of the more respected managers in the game. Just talk to other managers, talk to other executives. This guy has done a tremendous job here in 2019, 2020.

“2021 hasn’t worked out as well. I think some of the adversity we’ve dealt with collectively…over time will certainly help Rocco. Make him an even better manager going forward.”

This has been a challenging year for the Twins at the box office, too. The club hasn’t fulfilled expectations and the social unrest that hit downtown in 2020, along with the alarming ongoing Minneapolis crime reports, has created an image of the city that keeps some fans away from the ballpark.

“We believe very strongly that Target Field is a safe place to come to,” said St. Peter, who has been with the organization since 1990. “We don’t buy into the premise that it is not. The statistics, the reality would show that our fans have been very safe attending games. There have been…no incidents of note that have taken place in our home schedule, this year or…in previous years.

“There’s a perception issue. We have a lot of work to do as a community to deal with that. We’ve taken strides locally to try to ensure that there is a heavier infusion of security measures but at the end of the day we believe in an urban ballpark. We believe in playing downtown Minneapolis and frankly that’s going to include a number of night games which…most of our fans prefer because of their ability to get to those games.”

Comments Welcome