The Twins Renew: A New Chapter After a Wave of Changes
CLEVELAND – The arrival of the Minnesota Twins at the stadium on Friday was marked by a widespread meet and greet, a reflection of the drastic changes the team experienced. After making nine transfers and getting rid of almost 40% of its squad before the deadline, the visiting club received a large number of new faces for the three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians. The Twins’ restructuring included key figures such as shortstop Carlos Correa, closer Jhoan Duran, and four high-caliber relievers who were still far from free agency, including St. Paul native Louis Varland.It’s hard to take in, but maybe a reset was needed.
Ryan Jeffers, Twins catcher
Just two years ago, the Twins won the American League Central Division title and advanced to the divisional series. However, that was the high point of their post-pandemic era, as they failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2024 and are currently six games out of the final American League wild card spot.
Ober was one of 10 players who spent Thursday together in a room at the team hotel in downtown Cleveland, following the activity across the league. The optimistic atmosphere changed when several of them received calls from Twins president Derek Falvey, informing them that they would be traded. Manager Rocco Baldelli and Ober mentioned that no one took the news worse than Varland, a promising reliever who was under team control until 2030.Many of the players who were in our path in ’23 are no longer here due to transfers, and that hurts. The business side of baseball sometimes shows its ugly face. It was surreal to see what happened.
Bailey Ober, Twins pitcher
To complete the roster against the Guardians, the Twins called up six players from Triple-A St. Paul and selected the contracts of two more Saints. Baldelli held a team meeting as soon as everyone arrived at Progressive Field, and then spoke individually with many of his remaining veterans. Byron Buxton, center fielder and undisputed leader of the team, who is on the 10-day injured list for inflammation in his left rib cage, also joined the Twins in Cleveland.It was harder for Lou and I think there’s no doubt. He loves the organization and loves being around his family. Yes, he took it badly.
Rocco Baldelli, Twins manager
Chris Paddack, one of the six imminent free agents, was the first to be traded on Monday to the Detroit Tigers. Duran, who had an effectiveness of 2.47 with 292 strikeouts in 233 2/3 innings in four seasons, was traded on Wednesday to the Philadelphia Phillies, the first sign that the Twins were serious about selling. Duran obtained Triple-A starting pitcher Mick Abel and High-A catcher Eduardo Tait.Just having it here is huge. That gives us a sense of normalcy.
Matt Wallner, Twins’ gardener
Harrison Bader followed Duran to the Phillies and reliever Brock Stewart was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Reliever Danny Coulombe went to the Texas Rangers. First baseman Ty France and Varland were sent to Toronto in exchange for Triple-A outfielder Alan Roden and Triple-A starting pitcher Kendry Rojas.It’s difficult, but it’s about making sure you’re constantly trying to find a way to not just sit on your heels, hope everything gets better, and cross your fingers. It’s a way to really invest in the future of the team, hopefully in the short and long term.
Derek Falvey, Twins president
Willi Castro, a multi-position player, went to the Chicago Cubs and reliever Griffin Jax was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays. Then came the main course. Correa returned to his original team, the Houston Astros, in what amounted to a salary dump, while also bringing back High-A starting pitcher Matt Mikulski. It was sad that Carlos left. It was a difficult day yesterday. We are like a family in the clubhouse, so it was difficult. It was a fun trip with all of them. Less than 22 months ago, the Twins celebrated in a packed Target Field after Duran closed out a two-game sweep over the Blue Jays in the wild card round for their first series win in 21 years and the end of their 18-game postseason winless streak. Since then, they have been in payroll purgatory ordered by ownership in light of the heavy blow they suffered in regional television revenue after the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, which affected several other mid-market and small-market clubs. Even the most aggressive scenarios the Twins envisioned before the deadline didn’t include Correa, who signed the richest contract in club history as a free agent after the 2022 season. But the Astros wanted him back and were willing to take on most of the approximately $103 million remaining on his deal through 2028, and Correa was willing to waive his no-trade clause to return to the team that drafted him. The Twins agreed to cover $33 million, to be paid in four installments each December 15th. Falvey insisted the Twins are not trying to bottom out with this rebuild as other clubs have done with varying degrees of success. They kept their two All-Stars, Buxton and starting pitcher Joe Ryan, who had many suitors. They still have faith in third baseman Royce Lewis, who has followed a series of injuries with inconsistency at the plate this season. Starting pitcher Pablo López, whose shoulder injury preceded a June slide that the Twins never corrected, will return sooner rather than later.I was in uniform, ready to play for the Buffalo Bisons when it happened. It was a pretty normal day, until it wasn’t.
Alan Roden, Blue Jays outfielder
We are here to win, let’s be clear. The locker room looks different, the team looks different, the lineup is different, but we are going to work.
Rocco Baldelli, Twins manager
