Offseason Twins News Roundup
Since the mid-playoffs 1-2-3-4 punch of firing four coaches, Thad Levine leaving, MLB taking over TV broadcast rights, and the Pohlads announcing their intention to sell the team, the Twins have had a quiet offseason relative to most teams. But now that the stove has heated up with big trades and signings over the last week or so, I expect things to start moving for the Twins as well. Here's a roundup of what's happened since mid-October as we prepare for what comes next.
Kirilloff's Retirement
At the end of October, Alex Kirilloff, the Twins' 2016 first-round draft pick, announced his retirement from baseball at age 26 due to the physical and mental complications of his various injuries. This came as a huge surprise, but an understandable decision nonetheless, and by every indication he's in a good headspace about it. I wish him the best.
Article here
Roster Moves
Here's the current state of the Twins' 40-man roster. As we've passed various early offseason roster deadlines, there have been a lot of procedural moving parts here:
Kepler, Santana, Thielbar, Farmer, and Margot are free agents, the latter two after having their mutual options declined
Kirilloff retired from baseball (see above)
Dobnak, Duarte, Blewett, Winder, and Severino were outrighted off the 40-man roster to clear space. Dobnak remains with the organization on his contract; Duarte, Blewett, and Severino were all re-signed on minor league deals, and Winder elected free agency
Alcala's team option was picked up
Stewart, Tonkin, and Topa were all signed to one-year deals to avoid arbitration
The rest of the Twins' very large arbitration-eligible class were all tendered contracts: Castro, Jeffers, Ober, Jax, Ryan, Larnach, Duran, and Lewis. The arbitration filing deadline is 1/9/25, though I don't expect any players to go to arbitration
Top prospect Marco Raya as well as Travis Adams (both pitchers) were added to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. No players in the organization were lost in the major-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft
The Twins selected Eiberson Castellano, pitcher in the Phillies' organization, in the Rule 5 Draft (more on that later)
Few surprises here outside the Kirilloff news. I always liked Winder, so I'm sad to see him go. I expect to see Raya in the majors next season. There's a nonzero chance the Twins re-sign Santana given the glaring hole at first base. Also best wishes in Colorado to Kyle Farmer, forever a Twins legend for the opening day walkoff, promising a playoff win, and hitting that homer in ALDS Game 2 🫡
Front Office Changes
Longtime Twins president Dave St. Peter stepped down, while Derek Falvey will be taking over in a joint president/POBO role. Assistant GM Jeremy Zoll, one of the Twins' two assistant GMs and head of player development, was promoted to GM to replace Levine. St. Peter was the president for 22 years and the face of things like "if you fund our new stadium we promise to raise the payroll" and "why aren't fans coming to the ballpark after we cut payroll". He won't be missed among fans.
Articles: St. Peter, Zoll
Arizona Fall League
The Salt River Rafters, the Twins' Arizona Fall League affiliate this year, won the AFL championship. Their manager was Saints coach Tyler Smarslok, and Twins prospect (and 2023 AFL home run derby champion) Kala'i Rosario drove in the go-ahead run. I hope Rosario can make the majors, he seems like a cool guy and I enjoy rooting for him.
Article here
Coaching Staff Changes
The Twins recently finished their major league coaching staff hires, as well as some internal promotions.
Hitting coach: Matt Borgschulte, Orioles assistant hitting coach and former Twins minor league hitting coach
Hitting coach: Rayden Sierra, Twins minor league assistant hitting coordinator
Assistant hitting coach: Trevor Amicone, Yankees triple-A hitting coach
First base/infield coach: Ramon Borrego, Twins double-A manager and 21-year organizational veteran
Assistant bench coach/catching coach: Hank Conger, promoted from first base coach
It'll be interesting to see if the all-new hitting staff can fix the Twins' situational hitting issues, which they've specifically called out as a goal. I'm really excited to see Borrego join the major league staff, he's very popular and managed a lot of our players in the minor leagues.
Articles: Borgschulte, other coaches
Rule 5 Draft Pick
For the first time since 2017, the Twins selected a player in the major league Rule 5 Draft: Eiberson Castellano, a rising star pitching prospect for the Phillies' double-A team. He fits the Twins' pitching prospect profile (big righty with good command) and they've apparently liked him for some time. Since Rule 5 draftees must be kept on the active roster, he'll likely be tried as a long reliever.
Article here
Potential Buyers for the Twins
The first potential buyers for the Twins have emerged, Justin and Mat Ishbia, owners of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury basketball teams. Any potential sale is likely still in early stages, but the Ishbias have apparently been meeting with local leaders already. They are characterized as assertive, willing to spend, and passionate about baseball. If this is accurate, this absolutely seems like best case scenario.
Article here
















