The Twins took over the Mall of America's rotunda on Nov. 18, 2022, in order to show off new designs on their hats and jerseys meant to cause civilians to put several hundred on their credit cards to update their casual-wear wardrobes.
Twins' plans fell apart — and yet they're headed on in the MLB playoffs
This Twins team headed for the ALDS against the Houston Astros looks nothing like the one we were watching a few months ago — or the one we imagined at the beginning of the season.
October 6, 2023 at 12:59AM
The most prominent pitchmen on the stage were Juice Sutton, a renowned emcee who came off as if he had been to a couple of ballgames in his life, and Joe Pohlad, the new chairman of the Twins' board, after previously attempting to mix the team's radio broadcasts with an alternative music station he was running at 96.3 FM.
That marriage was more successful than that of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, although not significantly.
Juice and Joe promised they were introducing a "new era" of Twins baseball, which might have drawn a larger reaction if most of the several hundred gathered fans weren't busy nudging one another and asking, "Why do they have the Marlins' 'M' logo on those hats?"
The Twins models for these new duds were the following: Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, Joe Ryan, Byron Buxton and Jose Miranda.
It was revealed later that day the Twins had acquired Kyle Farmer from Cincinnati for a minor leaguer. Farmer filled the pressing need to replace Carlos Correa at shortstop.
On Dec. 10, the Twins signed another veteran in outfielder/first baseman Joey Gallo. Miguel Sano had been bought out, and this signing filled the pressing need to replace his strikeouts.
Correa had opted out of his Twins' contract earlier in November, sending agent Scott Boras on a search for a $300 million-plus contract.
Eleven months later, on Wednesday evening in Target Field, the "new era" promised by Juice and Joe came to fruition, with the Twins winning a playoff series for the first time in 21 years, although with notable changes from what was displayed that day in the rotunda.
Correa returned to the Twins on Jan. 10 — a six-year, $200 million contract that came after both San Francisco and the New York Mets reneged on $300M-plus deals because of concerns over an ankle injury sustained in, get this, 2014.
Correa's re-introductory news conference was highlighted by Boras taking on the entire orthopedic medical field. The unhappy agent sounded like Otter addressing the disciplinary hearing in "Animal House." (Never watched and don't get it? That's your problem.)
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On Jan. 20, Arraez, the Twins' most popular player and reigning AL batting champion, was traded to Miami for starting pitcher Pablo López. On Jan. 23, the Twins acquired Gold Glove center fielder Michael A. Taylor from Kansas City, a clear message that Buxton's knee remained a serious problem (after not playing after Aug. 22 in 2022).
Polanco's physical condition was also iffy, after missing the final five weeks in 2022.
Thus, the season began with one jersey model gone (Arraez) and two others questionable (Polanco, Buxton), leaving only starting pitcher Ryan and Miranda, presumed ready to take charge at third base and reach his full potential as a productive hitter.
On March 30, Opening Day in Kansas City, the Twins ran out this starting lineup: 1-Max Kepler, rf. 2-Correa, ss. 3-Buxton, dh. 4-Trevor Larnach, lf. 5-Miranda, 3b. 6-Nick Gordon, 2b. 7-Gallo, lb. 8-Christian Vázquez, c. 9-Taylor, cf. P-López.
On Tuesday, when the postseason started, five of those starters were not on the roster: Buxton (out since Aug. 1), Gordon (fractured shin), Larnach, Gallo and Miranda.
They have been supplanted by a splendid trio of rookies — Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner and Edouard Julien — and Alex Kirilloff, who was recovering from wrist surgery at season's start. There's also veteran Donovan Solano, who can hit, and might pinch hit for Kirilloff at any moment.
The Opening Day rotation included Tyler Mahle, who made five starts, was hurt again and is gone. He was replaced in the rotation by Bailey Ober, who was very good and should be back on the roster for the AL Division Series.
The bullpen now includes Brock Stewart, Louie Varland and Chris Paddack, rather than Cole Sands, Jorge Alcala and Jovani Moran from Opening Day.
Bottom line: This is a far different team than the one kicking off the "new era'' months ago, far different from the one that opened the season in Kansas City at the end of March, and considerably different from the feeble-hitting club that showed up so often well into the summer.
They didn't exactly tear it up at the plate in the sweep vs. Toronto, but with Correa at short and Taylor in center lifting the fielding, and with the deepest bullpen the Twins ever have brought into a postseason — yup, they have ended the club's October nightmare and won a pair of taut, terrific games at Target Field, and got many of you interested again.
That's a "new era," just as Juice and Joe promised back in November.
As for the "M" on the hats, it still looks like a Marlins rip-off from here.
Speaking of which, congratulations on another batting title, lovable Luis Arraez, but after all that whining we did … it's October, the Twins have slayed the beast of 18 consecutive losses, your team is out of the playoffs and we've been converted into big Pablo fans.
A former second-round pick of the Rangers, Alex Speas has pitched in four major league games.
