They did it…they really did it
They did it.
They finally, really did it.
You maniacs!
You blew it up!!
(camera pans up to 2023 We Believe homer hanky)
Not two years after the region-invigorating 2023 postseason, the Pohlad ownership group has gutted the roster down to the studs. Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Pablo Lopez, & Joe Ryan remain (Bailey Ober, Matt Wallner, & Brooks Lee in the A-/B+ tier also will stick in MN).
Everyone else? Well…
- Chris Paddack & Randy Dobnak to the Detroit Tigers
- Harrison Bader to the Philadelphia Phillies
- Willi Castro to the Chicago Cubs
- Ty France to the Toronto Blue Jays
(all the low-hanging fruit)
Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images
- Carlos Correa back to the Houston Astros
(what?!)
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
- Jhoan Duran to the Phillies
- Griffin Jax to the Tampa Bay Rays
- Brock Stewart to the Los Angeles Dodgers
- Louie Varland to the Blue Jays
- Danny Coulombe to the Texas Rangers
(that’s the whole A-bullpen if you are keeping score at home)
Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images
I hope the Twins PR department got time-and-a-half today for all the “Thank You (insert departed player here)” posts that hit social media. At a certain point, I was half expecting to see “Twins trade organist Sue Nelson to get out of her hot dog meal per diem.”
I didn’t list the returns. I’m not a prospect guy—other voices on this site will provide far better analysis on that side of the equation. Also, I quite frankly have not processed all this yet—I’m almost in a state of shock. Unquestionably the biggest trade deadline fire sale in the history of the Minnesota Twins organization—if not all of baseball ever.
No further thoughts or analysis at this time. Other than I’ll go to my grave not understanding why the next generation of Pohlads—led by Joe—decided that immediately after the October 2023 success seemed the perfect time to turtle-up financially, place the team up for sale, and decimate it on the way out the door (hopefully).
To crib another pop culture property: “Where have you gone, 2023 promise, Twins nation turns its lonely eyes to you…”