As far as polite, common ground conversations for Minnesotans to have in January go, you really can't beat this trifecta: grumbling about suddenly cold weather (with the caveat that it could be worse), fretting about the Vikings' quarterback situation and wondering when the heck the Twins are going to make any big moves.
Now is the time for the Twins to make moves, and history says they will
Fans frustrated with the Twins' lack of offseason moves would be wise to remember that this is the time of year when Derek Falvey tends to spring into action.
January 12, 2024 at 5:20PM
I covered all three, to a degree, from my increasingly chilly basement on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast.
The Vikings' questions are longer-term, and the weather is beyond our control. But as Twins writer Phil Miller noted on the show, any frustration with the Twins' quiet offseason-to-date should be tempered by this knowledge:
Waiting out the market for both free agents and trades is their playbook during the Derek Falvey era, and it has tended to work out pretty well.
Just because it's mid-January and the Twins haven't added a capable starting pitcher or swung a trade involving a veteran like Jorge Polanco or Max Kepler doesn't mean they still won't.
Now is not the time to stop paying attention. Rather, it's just the opposite — as these examples show:
* Thursday was the one-year anniversary of the Twins signing Carlos Correa to a six-year contract. That came after longer and more expensive deals with the Giants and Mets fell through. Time will tell if the six-year, $200 million deal (with options for more down the road) was a good idea, but Correa showed his maximum value in last year's playoffs.
*The Luis Arraez for Pablo López trade — ultimately a win for the Twins and the Marlins — came on Jan. 20 last year.
*The Twins' big free agent deal for Josh Donaldson in 2020 was reported on Jan. 15 that year and finalized on Jan. 22. Yeah, I know. Didn't work out so well. But it is more evidence of a big swing this time of year.
*The 2020 trade for Kenta Maeda, which sent out prospect Brusdar Graterol, was finalized in early February that year.
*Nelson Cruz's two-year deal with the Twins was originally agreed to in late December 2018.
Other moves came together even later. The Sonny Gray swap with the Reds was in mid-March of 2022. That same year, the Twins got Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan from the Padres for Taylor Rogers in early April.
Grumble all you want. I'm guilty of it, too. But let's not confuse patience with complacency.
Here are four more things to know today:
*As noted on the podcast, the big question for the Vikings was reaffirmed this week by GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah: Can the Vikings and QB Kirk Cousins find a deal that is suitable to each of their timelines. I'm having a hard time seeing it.
*Florida State was hit with sanctions relating to improperly using NIL money to entice recruits. Since I thought that was almost the whole point of Name, Image and Likeness — at least how it has evolved — I am very confused right now.
*A fun deep read today from Mark Craig on Vikings legend Chuck Foreman.
*The Wild, Wolves and Gophers men's basketball team were all off Thursday. They all play tonight. I'd like to have a word with the schedule-makers.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
