This Month in Twins History

With Spring Training in full swing, we at Twinkie Town took a trip down memory lane to recap historical happenings from Februaries of yesteryear.

Here’s hoping the Twins build on last year’s momentum and head into the season a determined bunch.

Without further ado, here goes nothing:

February 1, 2020—Coming off an all-star season, Jorge Polanco places eighth on MLB Network’s list of the Top 10 shortstops Right Now.

February 2, 2008—The Twins ship two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana to the Mets for Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey, Philip Humber, and Deolis Guerra. Santana has a nice run with the Mets, but injuries derail his career, and his time in New York lasts four short seasons.

February 3, 1979—Two years removed from his MVP season, Rod Carew is traded to the California Angels for Ken Landreaux, Dave Engle, Paul Hartzell, and Brad Havens.

February 4, 2020—Twins hire not one, but two people to be mascot T.C. Bear. Rumor has it the original T.C. was released in October of last year.

February 5, 2002—Bud Selig backs down from folding the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos but promises to do so by 2003.

February 6, 1998—Chuck Knoblauch’s trade demands are finally realized. The Twins send Knoblauch packing for the Big Apple. In return, the Twinkies land Eric Milton, Christian Guzman, Danny Mota, Brian Buchanan, and $3 million in cash.

February 7, 2019—Major League Baseball gets its act together and says they will rename the disabled list to the injured list.

February 8, 2020—Coming off a bounce-back year, Josh Donaldson places sixth on MLB Network’s list of the Top 10 Third Basemen Right Now.

February 9, 2017—The Twins trade pitcher Pat Light to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a Player To Be Named Later. That player’s name? Cold Hard Cash.

February 10, 2020—After an absolute SNAFU courtesy of the Red Sox, the Twins announce they’ve acquired Kenta Maeda, Jair Carmago, and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for coveted prospect Brusdar Graterol, Luke Raley, and a pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft.

February 11, 1974—Major League Baseball holds its first arbitration case. Minnesota Twins pitcher Dick Woodson seeks $29,000, while the Twins counter with $23,000. The arbitrators rule in favor of Woodson.

February 12, 2020—The Twins lease smart mounds for 2020 Spring Training. The new technology is said to help analyze pitchers’ efficiency.

February 13, 2020—The Minnesota Twins officially introduce Kenta Maeda. In his press conference, Maeda, who’s had a few bullpen stints with the Dodgers, was “really glad” to hear that he’ll “be starting in the rotation.”

February 14, 2017—Ron Gardenhire, now serving as a bench coach in Arizona, announces he’s been diagnosed with Prostate cancer.

February 15, 2019—The Twins finalize two team-friendly deals with Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler. Polanco’s five-year contract is worth $25.75 million with options that could make it worth $47.25 over seven seasons. Kepler’s five-year contract is worth $35 million with an option that could increase its worth to $44 million over six years.

February 16, 1973—The Twins announce that shortstop Danny Thompson has chronic granulocytic leukemia. Thompson continued to play for the Twins before being traded to Texas in 1976. Thompson, at the young age of 29, passed away at the Mayo Clinic on December 10, 1976.

February 17, 2020—Twins invite Cory Gearrin to Spring Training on a Minor League deal. Gearrin, 33, is an eight-year veteran who owns a 3.64 career ERA in what has mostly been as a reliever.

February 18, 1964—Keven Tapani is born in Des Moines, Iowa.

February 19, 1985—The Twins land Roy Smalley from the White Sox in exchange for Randy Johnson (no, not the Randy Johnson) and Ron Scheer.

February 20, 1987—The Twins shop Mike Schade to Montreal for soon-to-be fan-favorite Al Newman.

February 21, 1961—The Minnesota Twins first Spring Training takes place at Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida.

February 22, 2019—Major League Baseball announces it will introduce a 20-second pitch clock for all 2019 Spring Training games.

February 23, 2019—The Baltimore Orioles top the Twins 7-2 in the first Spring Training game of 2019. The Twins lineup includes the likes of Lucas Duda and Tyler Austin.

February 24, 1988—The Twins swap shortstops with the Detroit Tigers. Julius McDougal heads to Detroit while Doug Baker makes his way to Minnesota.

February 25, 2005—The Twins announce their new marketing campaign: This Is Twins Territory.

February 26, 2019—Our beloved ball club bests the Pittsburgh Pirates, upping the Twins 2019 Spring Training record to 3-2.

February 27, 2019—The Twins take down the Philadelphia Phillies to improve their 2019 Spring Training record to 4-2.

February 28, 2019—The Tampa Bay Rays blank the Twins 1-0. Ehire Adrianza and something called Jordan Gore are the only Twins to collect hits.