Oct. 3, 2023, will go down as one of the most important dates in Minnesota Twins history.
Royce Lewis’s first-inning home run and Pablo López‘s lights-out performance paved the way for the bullpen to take care of business. When Jhoan Duran stepped on first base for the final out, the Twins had won their first playoff game since 2004, ending an 18-game postseason losing streak.
A few months later, the honeymoon period has ended. Fans are upset that the team will slash payroll and hasn’t signed a single major leaguer as Christmas approaches. The black cloud that hung over Target Field seems to have returned, and fans are eager for the Twins to do anything to build off last year’s success.
Ending the longest playoff losing streak in the history of major men’s sports in North America was a shot of adrenaline for a fan base that needed it. But by ending the streak, the Twins might have added more pressure than before, leading to an overreaction from a tortured fan base.
It starts with a look at the offseason so far. The Twins came off a successful year by ending the streak, but they haven’t done much to add to it. On November 7, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported that Minnesota would be slashing payroll from $154 million to the $125 to $140 million range. Since then, they have lost more than they have gained.
Sonny Gray signed a three-year, $75 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on November 27. Kenta Maeda signed a two-year, $24 million deal with the Detroit Tigers the next day, and Emilio Pagán signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds two days later.
Meanwhile, things have been silent over at Twins Way. Minnesota signed Niko Goodrum, Michael Boyle, and Jeferson Morales to minor-league deals this month. But the biggest news has been more about what the Twins could do. After learning that Minnesota will slash payroll, Twins fans have looked on with suspicion as potential trade targets such as Tyler Glasnow have come off the board. But Minnesota’s strategy is nothing different than what they did a year ago.
At this time last year, Minnesota’s only major moves were trading for Kyle Farmer on November 18, signing Joey Gallo on December 20, and signing Willi Castro to a minor league deal on December 23. The Twins didn’t sign Carlos Correa until January 11, traded for López nine days later, and Michael A. Taylor on January 24.
The Twins didn’t sign Donovan Solano, who became the team’s primary first baseman at the end of the season, until February 23.
A lot of this is the willingness of players and general managers to play the long game when it comes to new contracts. While Shohei Ohtani wanted to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers all along, it took a story about a jet flying to Toronto and a secretive free agent tour before signing his 10-year, $700 million mega deal.
Bryce Harper had a similar free agent tour in 2019 and waited until February 28 to sign his 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
With any team, some patience is required when adding players over the offseason. But it’s one thing to be patient; it’s another when there’s nothing imminent.
Minnesota’s MLB Trade Rumors page has just four entries in December. Jon Morosi’s report about Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco being available in a trade reiterated what was said at the general manager meetings in November.
So, what is going on with the Twins? And why are fans so upset? It comes with expectations.
At this time a year ago, Twins fans were apathetic. Weighed down by the pain of their postseason losing streak, they also had historical scars created by ownership’s reluctance to spend on the team. While there were outliers (Joe Mauer, Correa, Byron Buxton, etc.), they were outweighed by the players that didn’t stick around (Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, etc.) and created a negative perception.
That perception grew as the New York Yankees swept the 2019 Bomba Squad from the playoffs, and that team fell apart. The 2020 team was running on fumes when the Houston Astros swept it in a Wild Card series. Back-to-back disappointing seasons in 2021 and 2022 left the fan base feeling hopeless.
Even as the Twins made their way toward a division title in 2023, there was still plenty of skepticism. Fans felt the starting rotation would fall apart or that Rocco Baldelli would make the wrong move at the wrong time. They gasped when Farmer declared that they were going to end the streak. Tension was thick when they played the first game of their series with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lewis’s home run relieved a lot of that pressure by giving the Twins a 2-0 lead, and the weight was lifted once they finished that game. But that win and the victory that helped Minnesota win their first playoff series since 2002 created a new level of expectations and pressure that comes with it.
While last year’s goal was to simply win a playoff game, this year’s challenge is to build off it. Returning talents such as Correa and López should help, but so should a young core that includes Lewis, Edouard Julien, and Matt Wallner.
Even a younger group that includes Brooks Lee and Austin Martin should provide hope. But Twins fans always brace for the worst. They figure Minnesota won’t add anyone as they hit the floor of their payroll projection. Everyone will cross their fingers, hoping Chris Paddack can fill Gray’s shoes and Buxton can last an entire season in center field.
Perhaps that’s unfair, considering a trade could bring back an important piece that could help this year’s team. If the Twins trade Kelpler or Polonco, it could bring back a starter that could fill the void Gray leaves behind or a center fielder who can fill in for Buxton if he gets hurt.
But nobody wants to think about it because the Twins have built them up just to let them down in the past. Perhaps clearing the next hurdle is the only way to solve this issue, but until they do. But the pressure the Twins are feeling right now is far greater than what they endured one season ago.
