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Twins’ Trade Conversations Have Picked Up In Recent Weeks

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The Twins have been one of the quietest teams in Major League Baseball this winter, but president of baseball operations Derek Falvey tells Dan Hayes of The Athletic that trade conversations have picked up over the past couple weeks. Naturally, Falvey didn’t delve into specifics but expressed optimism that there’s been some “traction” in recent talks as some teams have begun to focus more on the trade market. “…I can tell you we’ve had more active conversations in the last couple of weeks than we’ve had prior,” said Falvey.

Minnesota has yet to sign a major league free agent this winter, and their only 40-man roster additions have come via the Rule 5 Draft (Phillies righty Eiberson Castellano) and via minor trades to acquire utilityman/catcher Mickey Gasper from Boston and former top catching prospect Diego Cartaya from Los Angeles. (The Dodgers had designated Cartaya for assignment prior to the trade.)

Ownership mandated a payroll cut of nearly $30MM for the Twins last offseason due to uncertainty stemming from the bankruptcy proceedings of Diamond Sports Group/Bally Sports. The Twins and DSG/Bally reached a one-year agreement at a reduced rate for 2024 broadcasts. Minnesota has now turned broadcast rights over to the league, securing some certainty for the upcoming season but still checking in at a reduced rate relative to their former Bally’s deal.

Despite the lesser television revenue, however, the Twins are not under any mandate to further reduce payroll from their currently projected mark, Hayes reports. For Minnesota fans, that’s good news to an extent, though Hayes adds that there’s minimal room for any additions. If the Twins have eyes on any decisive upgrades, they’d likely need to trim payroll to make that happen.

Christian Vazquez (owed $10MM in the final season of his contract) and Chris Paddack (owed $7.5MM in the final season of his own deal) have been the most speculated-upon targets, as the Twins have other options behind the plate and in the rotation. Ryan Jeffers is the clear starter at catcher, while the rotation includes Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson — with prospects David Festa and Zebby Matthews among the options in the fifth spot, should Paddack be moved.

Hayes reports that utilityman Willi Castro ($6.4MM, free agent at season’s end) has been “asked about often” this winter as well. Presumably, given the switch-hitting Castro’s versatility, productivity and popularity with the rest of the roster, the Twins would prefer to hold onto him. Falvey & Co. surely wouldn’t mind dumping the final $4MM owed to twice-outrighted pitcher Randy Dobnak on another club, though they’d likely need to send a low-level prospect to another club to facilitate such a swap. The Twins have at least heard other teams out as they’ve approached about the likes of Lopez and Carlos Correa, but Falvey has also made clear that despite payroll constraints the Twins are in win-now mode, calling Lopez, Correa and Byron Buxton “key” players to the team’s 2025 hopes in the same breath. (Correa and Buxton have full no-trade protection anyhow.)

Vazquez’s contract is clearly underwater, but given the $4MM guarantee secured by a comparable glove-first backstop in each of the past two winters (Austin Hedges), the Twins may not have to eat his entire salary to facilitate a trade. Paddack’s $7.5MM guarantee seems reasonable, if not something of a discount, in the current climate for free agent starters. Castro has clear surplus value after hitting .251/.334/.395 (108 wRC+) with 21 homers and 47 steals in 1044 plate appearances and providing decent or better glovework at nearly every position on the diamond over the past two seasons.

The Twins have spent the offseason looking for help at first base, and they’ve been in the market for a right-handed-hitting outfielder as well. Their recent stockpiling of catching depth has led to plenty of speculation about finding a potential deal to move a portion of Vazquez’s contract, though there’s still no indication anything is close on that front.

Most of the first base market has been picked over. Pete Alonso is surely out of Minnesota’s price range, barring a wild about-face from ownership, but Justin Turner remains unsigned and there are rebound candidates to consider (e.g. Anthony Rizzo, Ty France, Connor Joe). Affordable corner outfield options who bat from the right side include Mark Canha (who can also play first), Randal Grichuk, Austin Hays, Tommy Pham and Ramon Laureano.

Twins fans will want to check out Hayes’ piece in full, as it also includes several updates on the ongoing sale process. That comes just one day after La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that there have been “double digit” inquiries from potential buyers/groups, Hayes writes that billionaire Justin Ishbia, who co-owns the NBA’s Phoenix Suns with his brother Mat, is “very, very serious” in his desire to buy the team and “could be aggressive” in his reported bid. The Ishbia brothers are the only known suitor to date, though Neal reported yesterday that some notable former Twins players — Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter among them — could each have interest in pitching a new ownership group on securing a 1-2% stake in the club.

Notable International Signings: 1/15/25

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January 15 marks the official opening of the international signing period. The majority of top talents have reached verbal agreements with teams months or years in advance, they’re allowed to formally put pen to paper to begin their affiliated careers. The signing period technically runs until December 15, but many of the top signees ink their contracts as soon as first eligible.

This year’s international market has been thrown into disarray, to an extent, by the emergence of star NPB right-hander Roki Sasaki on the market. While Sasaki is an established professional in every sense of the word over in Japan, his age (23) and the fact that he has fewer than six seasons of pro ball in another country under his belt make him an “amateur” under the purview of Major League Baseball’s international free agency structure.

As such, we’ve seen both the Dodgers and Padres both hold off on finalizing longstanding agreements with other teams and, in some cases, let players with whom they’ve had standing verbal agreements instead pursue other opportunities. The Dodgers, for instance, saw Dominican shortstop Darell Morel instead agree to a $1.8MM bonus with the Pirates. That worked out for Morel, who’d agreed to sign for roughly half that amount with Los Angeles (likely more than a year prior). Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports that Venzuelan outfielder Oscar Patiño also walked away from his Dodgers deal ($400K) to sign for a $570K bonus with the White Sox. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen reported yesterday that Dominican outfielder Teilon Serrano, another Dodgers commit, will instead sign with the Twins now. He’ll receive roughly $1MM from Minnesota, per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com.

Those defections will sting for the Dodgers if they’re unable to ultimately sway Sasaki to sign in Los Angeles, though there will be other opportunities to spend those dollars down the road. Unexpected amateur players can pop up well after a signing period has commenced, and Los Angeles would also have the ability to trade some any unused international money. The Dodgers have long been regarded as the Sasaki favorite — so much so that agent Joel Wolfe had to publicly deny speculation regarding a predetermined agreement between the two sides — and the recent run of prospects bolting from their international class does little to quell that perception. The Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays are the three finalists for Sasaki, whose posting window closes on Jan. 23.

Turning back to the rest of the class, Badler has a team-by-team breakdown of the most prominent signings over at Baseball America, as well as scouting reports and (in some cases) projected bonuses for as many as 100 players. Longenhagen runs through his own list of 50 international prospects with their expected team and signing bonus over at FanGraphs, as well as a detailed look at some of intricacies and idiosyncrasies of Sasaki’s unique free agent saga. Romero runs through 35 high-profile international talents and their expected team/signing bonus at his site as well. At MLB.com, Jesse Sanchez and Jesse Borek have their own ranking of the top 50 in the class, with scouting reports on each. Those interested in the finer details of this year’s collection of international amateurs are highly encouraged to check out those resources in full. Badler, Longenhagen, Romero, Sanchez and many others around the baseball world dedicate enormous portions of their time and efforts to covering this topic to the fullest.

Note: This is not a comprehensive list of all international signings, nor is it intended to be. If your favorite team is not listed here, it’s not because they’ve sat out the IFA market. There are a few dozen players who’ll sign $1MM+ bonuses and a few hundred who’ll ink six-figure bonuses. Those interested in a comprehensive rundown of the international class can check out links to the excellent work from Badler, Romero, Sanchez and Longenhagen provided above. We’ll run down some of the top signing bonuses here, focusing on those that check in at $2.5MM or more. These are ordered by reported signing bonus, and this list will be updated multiple times today:

  • Elian Peña, SS, Mets: The Mets paid a reported $5MM bonus to Pena, per Badler, which represents a whopping 80% of their $6.261MM bonus pool. Currently listed at 5’11” and 170 pounds, Pena is a lefty-swinging shortstop who’s expected to move down the defensive spectrum but have more than enough bat to profile at third base or second base if all pans out. Badler and Romero both liken his power potential to that of Rafael Devers, praising his pitch recognition, plate discipline and willingness to draw walks. He turned 17 in October.
  • Andrew Salas, SS/OF Marlins: The younger brother of Twins infield prospect Jose Salas (originally signed by Miami but traded to Minnesota alongside Pablo Lopez) and current Padres top prospect Ethan Salas, Andrew will turn 17 in March. He’s a switch-hitter who’s touted for his patient approach, good swing decisions and balance on both sides of the plate. MLB.com lauds him as a potential plus defender both at shortstop and in center field. Salas was born in Florida but moved to Venezuela, his family’s native country, and is already bilingual as a result. The Marlins are committing a $3.6MM bonus to the youngest of the three Salas brothers, per Romero.
  • Cris Rodriguez, OF, Tigers: Rodriguez receives a $3.2MM bonus from Detroit, per Badler. Already 6’4″ and 200 pounds with his 17th birthday still two weeks away, Rodriguez stands out for his bat speed and raw power. Badler calls him a potential 30-homer slugger who’ll probably settle into a corner but for the time being runs well enough to have a chance in center. MLB.com’s report calls Rodriguez a “near carbon copy” of Eloy Jimenez at this same age, even down to hailing from the same city in the Dominican Republic and possessing a similarly aggressive approach. The Tigers will hope Rodriguez can do a better job of avoiding injuries, but Rodriguez possesses thunderous power — more so than any other player in this class.
  • Josuar de Jesus Gonzalez, SS, Giants: Badler and Romero both note that some scouts have graded De Jesus as the top prospect overall in this year’s class (Sasaki excluded). MLB.com indeed ranks him as the top non-Sasaki talent in the class. Listed at 5’11” and 175 pounds, the 17-year-old switch-hitter draws 70 grades for his speed (on the 20-80 scale) and also plus bat speed and the defensive tools required to convince scouts he can stick at shortstop. He’s landing a $3MM bonus from San Francisco, Badler reports.
  • Diego Tornes, OF, Braves: Tornes won’t turn 17 until July. He’s younger than many of the players in this year’s class but still received a $2.5MM bonus (per Badler) thanks to a projectable 6’4″, 200-pound frame that scouts think is a portent for plus power. He’s a switch-hitter who’s praised for plus bat speed and physicality that are well beyond some of his older peers on this year’s class. MLB.com feels he’ll eventually settle into an outfield corner, where he has an above-average arm and — at least at present — above-average speed.

Twins Promote Three Executives To Assistant GM

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The Twins announced a trio of front office promotions this morning. Minnesota bumped each of Alex Hassan, Sean Johnson and Josh Kalk to assistant general manager. They join Daniel Adler as AGMs in the Twins’ front office.

Minnesota’s front office is led by president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, who is heading into his ninth season at the helm. The Twins promoted AGM Jeremy Zoll to general manager at the start of this offseason. Zoll replaced Thad Levine, who stepped down after spending eight years as Falvey’s top lieutenant.

Hassan, 36, had a very brief major league playing career. He appeared in three games for the 2014 Red Sox. He retired in 2017 after playing parts of six seasons at the Triple-A level. The Duke product joined Minnesota’s player development department the following year. Hassan spent some time as the organization’s director of player development and has worked as the club’s vice president of hitting development and acquisitions for the past two years.

Johnson has spent nearly a quarter of a century with the organization. He has worked his way up the scouting ranks since the team first hired him in 2002. Johnson has been the team’s vice president of amateur scouting since the start of 2022. He has been in charge of the Twins’ amateur drafts over that stretch. Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star-Tribune notes that Johnson will continue in that role.

Kalk is entering his eighth season with the organization. He’d previously spent nine years as a member of the Rays’ analytics staff. Kalk has held the title of vice president of baseball operations strategy and innovation for three years. The team noted in their press release that he has worked to integrate data from their analytics department into both player development and MLB advance scouting (essentially building game plans for upcoming opponents).

Twins Sign Armando Alvarez To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed infielder Armando Alvarez to a minor league deal, according to the transaction log on Alvarez’s MLB.com profile page. The deal presumably includes an invite to big league Spring Training next month.

Alvarez, 30, was a 17th-round pick by the Yankees back in 2016. He climbed the minor league ladder with the club and eventually reached the Triple-A level in 2019. Unfortunately for Alvarez, however, the cancelled minor league season in 2020 and a down season in 2021 led to him not making his big league debut in a Yankees uniform. Instead, he elected minor league free agency following the 2022 season and signed on with the Giants for the 2023 season. Playing for the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, Alvarez took to the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League quite well as he slashed .308/.379/.581 with a wRC+ of 125 in 74 games. He once again failed to crack the club’s big league roster, however, and moved across the bay to Oakland ahead of the 2024 season.

With the Athletics, Alvarez raked at the Triple-A level to the tune of a .315/.407/.560 slash line in 75 games. That performance finally earned Alvarez his first taste of big league action at the age of 29, and he ultimately appeared in 16 games with the A’s throughout the season. The infielder struggled during his lone cup of coffee in the majors, hitting just .243/.282/.270 in 39 plate appearances while playing the infield corners, left field, and second base. That lackluster performance led the A’s to outright Alvarez off their roster back in October, allowing him to elect minor league free agency for a third consecutive offseason.

Now, Alvarez is headed to Minnesota to try and work his way into the Twins’ infield mix. Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, and Brooks Lee appear likely to get the lion’s share of playing time at shortstop, third base, and second base respectively when the roster is fully healthy. In theory, that should leave first base available for some combination of Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien, but the Twins have expressed interest in help at the position throughout the winter and as such appear to be open to other options. Alvarez is the second infielder the club has brought in on a minor league deal who could try to work his way into the big league first base mix, joining lefty slugger Mike Ford.

With less than 40 trips to the plate in the majors on his resume headed into his age-30 campaign, Alvarez may wind up outmatched by the Twins’ more established options in a camp battle for the first base job. Even if that comes to pass, however, he’ll still be a solid depth piece for the club given his ability to play multiple positions and his status as a career .280/.345/.492 hitter at the Triple-A level. The majority of Alvarez’s playing time in the minors has come at the hot corner, though he has plenty of first base experience as well and has made cameos at the keystone, the outfield corners, and even shortstop throughout his career. That versatility should come in handy for a Twins club that has a number of players who have struggled to remain healthy in recent years.

Twins Among Teams Interested In Nick Anderson

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Right-hander Nick Anderson is garnering interest from multiple teams, according to a report from Ari Alexander of KPRC2. Alexander adds that Anderson is scheduled to hold a workout for at least ten teams on January 23. Meanwhile, Darren Wolfson of KSTP 5 reports that the Twins will be among the teams in attendance for Anderson’s workout.

Anderson, 35, made his MLB debut with the Marlins back in 2019 but was traded to the Rays shortly thereafter. Upon arriving in Tampa, Anderson’s career started to take off as he posted a sterling 1.85 ERA in 43 2/3 innings of work with a 2.42 FIP and an eye-popping 42.5% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, those fantastic rate stats came in just 43 2/3 innings of work across the 2019, ’20, and ’21 seasons. Elbow issues limited him to just six innings in 2021 and kept him from pitching at the big league level in 2022, leading the Rays to cut him loose.

Since then, he’s pitched for the Braves and Royals at the big league level. His time in Atlanta went fairly well; while his 25.5% strikeout rate was clearly a step back from his peak years in Tampa, he nonetheless managed a 3.06 ERA and 3.09 FIP in 35 1/3 innings of work. Anderson’s stop in Kansas City, however, was not quite as strong. The right-hander’s strikeout rate dipped to just 19% while his walk rate crept up to 9.8% after sitting at a much stronger 6.4% the year prior. While Anderson posted the best hard-hit and barrel rates of his career with the Royals, the on-field results just weren’t there and he was cut from the roster back in July after posting a 4.04 ERA and 5.07 FIP in 35 2/3 innings of work.

Since parting ways with the Royals, Anderson briefly pitched in both the Dodgers and Orioles organizations on minor league deals but did not make it to the big league level. He ended the season on the minor league injured list, though early in the offseason Baltimore expressed at least some level of interest in reuniting with Anderson this winter. It’s unclear whether or not such a reunion would come on a minor league deal, however, as Alexander has indicated that clubs have expressed interest in Anderson on a one-year deal, implying he should be able to land a major league contract.

As for the Twins, Anderson could certainly make some sense for the club. After a down season in 2024 and given his checkered injury history, the right-hander isn’t likely to secure a massive guarantee on the free agent market at this point. That’s surely good news for Minnesota, as the club is in a position where they appear more likely to cut payroll than add significant salary. The Twins’ bullpen was decent in 2024, with a 3.65 FIP that actually ranked fifth in baseball, but their actual run prevention left something to be desired as their 4.12 ERA ranked 19th in the majors. The only major contributor to last year’s bullpen the club has parted ways with so far is southpaw Caleb Thielbar, but reinforcing the bullpen is rarely a bad idea and bringing Anderson into the fold could deepen the club’s bullpen and allow them to utilize middle relief options like Justin Topa and Jorge Alcalá more judiciously.

Dodgers Trade Diego Cartaya To Twins

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The Twins have acquired former top catching prospect Diego Cartaya from the Dodgers in exchange for minor league right-hander Jose Vasquez, per announcements from both clubs. Cartaya was designated for assignment earlier in the week. Minnesota had an open 40-man roster spot, and their roster is now full.

As recently as two years ago, Cartaya was a consensus top-20 prospect in the entire sport. He’s still just 23 years old, but the Venezuelan-born backstop’s offensive development has stalled out in the upper minors. Back in 2022, Cartaya slashed a combined .254/.389/.503 with 22 homers and a 14.3% walk rate across two Class-A levels. He’s followed that with lackluster performances in both Double-A (.204/.303/.379 in two seasons) and Triple-A (.208/.293/.350 in 208 plate appearances last year).

Though his bat hasn’t progressed, scouting reports in recent seasons have praised improved glovework from the 6’3″, 219-pound Cartaya. Both Baseball America and MLB.com noted in their 2024 midseason reports on Cartaya that he made notable gains with his framing, receiving and blocking. He’d already been touted for plus arm strength, though shaky accuracy has led to a roughly average 20% caught-stealing rate in his five minor league seasons.

If nothing else, the tools are there for Cartaya to be a solid defender behind the plate and a patient, OBP-focused hitter in the batter’s box. He did turn in a solid .247/.370/.377 slash against lefties last year, though that came in just 92 plate appearances and he struggled immensely versus southpaws in a similar sample a year prior. Cartaya still has one minor league option year remaining, so the Twins can send him to Triple-A to begin the season without needing to pass him through waivers.

The Twins already have an above-average starter in Ryan Jeffers and a pricey, glove-first backup in Christian Vazquez. Catcher Jair Camargo and catcher/first baseman Mickey Gasper (acquired from the Red Sox last month) are both on the 40-man roster as well. Minnesota has been hopeful of trading Vazquez and a portion of his $10MM salary as they seek to scale back payroll. There could well be a market if they’re willing to eat around half that sum, and the addition of Cartaya creates some further depth in the event that they do indeed move Vazquez (or, more surprisingly, listen to offers on Jeffers).

In return for Cartaya, the Dodgers will pick up a project right-hander. Vasquez, listed at 6’4″ and a 200 pounds, signed with the Twins out of the Dominican Republic as part of their 2022 international class. He’s spent the past two years — his age-18 and age-19 seasons — pitching for Minnesota’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. The bottom-line results aren’t much to look at, as Vasquez has been tagged for a 8.05 ERA in 57 innings. Part of that was a sky-high ERA north of 11.00 in 2023, however. He pitched to a more palatable 4.99 mark in 30 2/3 frames this past season.

Command was a major issue for Vasquez in ’23, evidenced by a ghastly 21.9% walk rate. He made major strides in 2024, however, cutting that mark in half (10.7%) while nearly doubling his strikeout rate from 17.8% to 32.1%. He was a bit older than the average DSL player last year and figures to head to one of the Dodgers’ full-season affiliates in 2025. There’s some obvious bat-missing potential for the lanky right-hander, but he’ll need to make further gains with his command and find a way to get left-handed opponents out. Vasquez held righties to an awful .203/.309/.290 output in 2024 but was scorched for a .314/.407/.392 line against southpaws.

Twins Plan To Keep Griffin Jax In Bullpen

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In November, Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler left the door open for a rotation move for Griffin Jax. With Spring Training approaching, the team no longer seems to be considering that move.

“Our plan is to keep Griff in the bullpen for 2025,” general manager Jeremy Zoll said on the team’s Inside Twins show. “Obviously he was tremendously valuable in 2024. We feel like he’s one of the best relievers in the game and feel really good about that role and plan for the upcoming year and know Griff is excited about that as well.” Zoll left open the possibility of Jax getting a rotation opportunity in future seasons, but that doesn’t seem to be on the table for this year.

Jax has been an excellent reliever for the past three seasons. He posted an ERA in the low 3.00s with plus strikeout and walk rates between 2022-23. The righty took a major step forward last year, working to a 2.03 earned run average over 71 innings. Jax’s 34.4% strikeout percentage ranked 10th among relievers with 50+ innings. His 18.4% swinging strike rate was even more impressive. Among that same group, only Josh Hader, Dylan Lee and Mason Miller missed more bats on a per-pitch basis.

Players like Michael King, Seth Lugo, Reynaldo López and Garrett Crochet have made successful bullpen to rotation moves in recent years. There’s significant upside in such a move if a pitcher can maintain similar rate dominance over a heavier workload. At the same time, taking a player out of a role in which he has been dominant comes with some element of risk. There’s the potential for injury or simply waning effectiveness as a pitcher navigates an opposing lineup two or three times in a game.

Jax, who is entering his age-30 season, is in his first of three arbitration years. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that he and the team settled on a $2.365MM deal to avoid a hearing. Pitching in a setup role in front of Jhoan Duran comes with less earning power via arbitration than he’d have if he were a starter or had a crack at the ninth inning.

Duran and Jax form a potentially elite back-end duo for skipper Rocco Baldelli. Brock Stewart, Justin Topa, Jorge Alcalá and Cole Sands could also pitch their way into leverage innings. Minnesota is light on left-handers and could look for a low-cost southpaw this offseason. Kody Funderburk and depth starter Brent Headrick are the only left-handed pitchers on the 40-man roster.

Minnesota has a decent stockpile of rotation depth. Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober project as the top three starters. Chris Paddack is lined up as the #4 arm, while Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson and prospects David Festa and Zebby Matthews could compete for the final rotation spot. López and Paddack have each come up in trade rumors because the Minnesota front office is seemingly working without any kind of payroll flexibility. They’d require a massive haul to move López, their staff ace. Trading Paddack to offload his $7.5MM salary and create space for an offensive acquisition may be more likely.

On the position player side, Zoll confirmed that the Twins will give Royce Lewis reps at both second and third base in Spring Training. The former first overall pick has only started one major league game at the keystone. Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported early in the offseason that the Twins were contemplating a full-time move to second base for the upcoming season. Zoll didn’t firmly commit to an infield alignment and spoke generally about the value of the defensive flexibility that Lewis, Willi Castro and Brooks Lee bring to the table.

Sale Of Twins Could Be Reached By Opening Day

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In October, Twins owner Joe Pohlad announced that his family was exploring a sale of the franchise. The Pohlad family has owned the Twins for 40 years, so the sale process set the stage for a monumental change for the organization. That could seemingly move quickly.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that there’s robust interest from potential buyers. Hayes suggests that a sale agreement could be in place as soon as Opening Day. He notes that MLB has already begun vetting interested parties and will drill down on certain candidates as the process nears its conclusion.

The identities of most of those suitors are unknown. Bloomberg reported last month that Justin and Mat Ishbia, owners of the Phoenix franchises in the NBA and WNBA, were interested in the Twins. While Mat Ishbia is the majority owner of the basketball teams, Justin Ishbia would get the bulk of the ownership stake in the Twins if the family submits the winning bid.

They’re clearly facing some level of competition. One family that does not seem to be in the mix: the Wilfs, owners of the NFL’s Vikings. Mark Wilf tells Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star-Tribune that they “have (their) hands full with the Vikings, in a good way.” Wilf acknowledged that he’d “always discuss those things” when an opportunity like the Twins presented itself but downplayed the idea of getting involved in the bidding.

In any case, Hayes reports that the Pohlads are planning to sell the franchise in full to whomever ends up as the purchaser. A new ownership group would assume control as soon as the sale is approved by Major League Baseball, which requires a 75% vote from the league’s other ownership groups. That should eventually impact the spending capacity available to the front office, but it’s not likely to affect this offseason. Minnesota has done nothing in free agency and has signaled that they’re working with little financial margin unless they shed money in trade.

The most recent franchise to be sold was the Orioles, which a David Rubenstein-led group bought from the Angelos family for $1.725 billion last January. Forbes valued the Twins at $1.46 billion last year. The Pohlad family paid $44 million to purchase the franchise in 1984.

Twins To Hire Ehire Adrianza As Assistant Of Player Development

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It was less than two weeks ago that Ehire Adrianza announced his retirement as a player but it seems he has already lined up a new job. Per Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase, Adrianza is will be joining the Twins’ front office as assistant of player development, working with infielders throughout all levels of the organization.

Adrianza, 35, spent over a decade in the big leagues, playing in each season from 2013 to 2024. He never hit much but managed to stay consistently employed as a utility player, bouncing all around the diamond. He eventually got into 625 major league games, playing every position except catcher.

The best stretch of that career was with the Twins from 2017 to 2020. He played 312 of his games in those years, consisting of three full seasons and the shortened 2020 campaign. He hit .253/.317/.377 as a Twin while stealing 14 bases in 18 attempts and bouncing all around the diamond.

Evidently, he made a positive impression on people in the organization and will now circle back to Minnesota to start the next phase of his baseball life. He will presumably be using his years of experience as a multi-positional player to impart wisdom upon the younger players in the organization. Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic relays that Adrianza had a strong clubhouse reputation during his previous stint with the Twins, which should help him transition into this new role.

Twins Sign Mike Ford To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed first baseman Mike Ford to a minor league deal, according to a report from Jon Morosi of MLBNetwork. The deal includes an invitation to big league Spring Training next month.

Ford, 32, made his big league debut back in 2019 with the Yankees. Ford hit the ground running in 50 games for the club, slashing an impressive .259/.350/.559 with 12 home runs in just 163 plate appearance. That dynamic performance was enough to earn Ford additional chances with the Yankees over the next two seasons, but he wasn’t able to capitalize on them as he hit just .134/.250/.276 in 156 trips to the plate split between the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The Yankees eventually opted to trade Ford to the Rays in a cash deal midway through the 2021 season.

Though Ford wouldn’t make it back to the majors in 2021, that trade nonetheless set off a lengthy series of transactions that saw the slugger bounce around the league with a number of different stops. Two months after being acquired by the Rays, he was claimed off waivers by the Nationals. After being non-tendered by Washington following the 2021 season, he was signed by the Mariners and added to their 40-man roster ahead of the 2022 season. Before appearing in a big league game with the club, however, he was traded to the Giants in a cash deal. His stay in San Francisco then lasted just one game before he was traded back to the Mariners, where he then appeared in 16 games before being designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Braves. After five games in Atlanta, he was then shipped to Anaheim and finished the 2022 season with the club, playing 28 games for the Angels down the stretch.

Given that whirlwind of transactions Ford found himself a part of over the course of 14 months, it’s perhaps no surprise that his 2022 season left much to be desired. While he garnered 149 plate appearances across 50 games with the four teams that played him in the majors that year, he hit just .206/.302/.313 during that time. Ford ultimately returned to free agency and signed a second consecutive minor league deal with Seattle. After lingering at Triple-A for the first two months of the year, he was added to the Mariners’ roster at the start of June and proceeded to have the best season of his career. He slashed a solid .228/.323/.475 (128 wRC+) in a career-high 84 games while clobbering 16 home runs in just 251 trips to the plate. Ford still struck out at a hefty 32.3% clip, but his power allowed him to carve out a semi-regular role with the Mariners serving mostly as the club’s DH.

Unfortunately for Ford, he was non-tendered by the Mariners following the 2023 campaign as the club looked to overhaul its lineup to focus more on contact rather than power. Ford signed with the Reds on a minor league deal prior to the 2024 campaign but managed to get into just 17 games with the club this year and hit a paltry .150/.177/.233 in 62 plate appearances. After being cut loose by Cincinnati at the end of May, Ford tried his luck overseas with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars. His time in Japan did not go especially well, and he made it into just six games with the club’s Central League team before returning to the open market this winter.

Now, Ford is poised to join the Twins as a budget first base option for the club. Minnesota has struggled with a significant payroll crunch throughout the offseason and been limited in its ability to add to a roster that entered September in clear playoff position but collapsed down the stretch. After watching Carlos Santana depart for their division rivals in Cleveland last month, Minnesota appeared thin at first base with some combination of José Miranda and Edouard Julien likely to be the club’s internal solution at the position. With Ford now in the mix, those two youngsters will have additional competition this spring for the first base job, though signing a non-roster veteran like Ford is unlikely to stop the Twins from adding a more proven player in free agency should they manage to create enough payroll space to do so.

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