Grading the Twins off season

Ed Note: today is an unofficial “introduction” day, as Samuel, aka turtlesrcooler, also debuts on the front page.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that this has been the best off season in recent memory for the Twins.

To kick it all off they exercised the option on Nelson Cruz to start the off season, great! Jake Odorizzi accepted his $17.8 million qualifying offer, the #2 starter is back! Michael Pineda was signed to a two year $10 million contract, another solid starter. Next they signed Tyler Clippard and Sergio Romo on one-year contracts, helping to solidify an already great bullpen. To end 2019 the Twins signed Rich Hill and Homer Bailey, both much needed starters. Going into the off season we needed starters, and we got them, (slightly used,) but still they are starters. Then the big one...the move we were all hoping was going to happen, they signed Josh Donaldson to a 4-year, $92 million contract. We had it, the Twins made a splash free agent signing, something that was only spoken of around the campfire. Everyone was losing their minds. Questions about how many Bombas were going to be hit in 2020 was the only thing on Twins Territory’s mind. Once the hubbub died down we were left with pleasant visions of a successful 2020 campaign.

However, the Twins then got caught up in the Mookie Betts megadeal. Not only did the Twins make a splash signing, it seemed that they were on the verge of trading a top prospect, another thing that was only spoken about in myths and urban legend. The Twins seemed primed to trade a top prospect in Brusdar Graterol, via the Dodgers, for Kenta Maeda, another solid starter. Then the whole starter/reliever drama went down with Boston and the Twins eventually had enough and backed out. Until they didn’t. Dealing directly with the Dodgers, the Twins completed the Graterol/Maeda trade and we got another starter. With pitchers and catchers reporting as I write this, the off season is over and boy was it a good one.

Overall I’d give the 2019/2020 off season an A-. If not only because of a slow start, but the last couple months have been fantastic!

With all these moves it seems that the Twins are ready to climb the mountain. Which brings up the question, will future off seasons be like this? Will the Twins be a bigger presence in future markets? I think that they will, the FO seems to finally be ready to loosen the purse strings and make the moves necessary to bring playoff wins to Minneapolis. There is a lot of baseball to play before another off season. Are the Twins ready to play with the big boys on the market? If this is indeed the game plan going forward for the Twins can we expect baseball past the ALDS in the near future? I think so, I am ready for the Twins to be more of a large scale team.