Recent content from Phil Miller
Twins deal for Gold Glove-winning Taylor to back up Buxton in center
Michael A. Taylor batted .254 in 124 games with nine homers for Kansas City last season — and led American League outfielders in defensive runs saved.
The Correa bet: Twins imagine payoff from their $200 million gamble
"I have no reason to believe there is not plenty more there to this guy," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. Perhaps so, but with a caveat that will be linked to Carlos Correa for the rest of his career
Twins have rebuilt starting rotation via trades, but at what cost?
Over the past three years, Derek Falvey has brought together a deep pool of potential starters into the Twins' mix all via trade.
Twins rotation has been heavily built by trades under Derek Falvey
Assuming Pablo Lopez makes a start in 2023, he will be the 14th Twins starting pitcher under Derek Falvey to have been acquired via trade.
Twins trade batting champ Arraez to Miami for pitcher Pablo Lopez, prospects
Lopez, a righthander, was 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA for the Marlins in 32 starts last season. The 26-year-old has been with Miami for his entire career, breaking into the majors in 2018.
Twins agree to terms with 12 international players
Ariel Castro, a teenage outfielder from Cuba, will get a $2.5 million bonus.
Arraez is only unsigned Twin; Paddack gets three-year deal
Friday was a day most arbitration-eligible players settled, but Luis Arraez and the Twins couldn't agree on a figure. Meanwhile, Chris Paddack got a three-year extension despite the prospect he'll miss the season after last year's Tommy John surgery.
Looking ahead: Is Correa the Twins' third baseman of the future?
Carlos Correa, 28, is going to with the Twins for at least six more seasons, and perhaps as many as 10. Few shortstops retain the athleticism to play shortstop beyond their early 30s.
Correa gets OK from Twins after differences of medical opinions
The Giants and Mets backed out of deals because of a troublesome old injury.
'My heart was here.' Correa describes twisting road that led back to Twins
Carlos Correa's agent said team physician Chris Camp was a key figure in erasing any doubts the Twins had after working with the star shortstop last season.
In bringing back Correa, Twins went where Giants and Mets wouldn't
Outbid twice for the most sought-after free agent in team history, the Twins turned patience, luck and an out-of-character assumption of risk into their most expensive commitment ever.
Twins pick up pitcher Alexy in trade with Nationals
A.J. Alexy, a 24-year-old righthander, has been a starter and reliever and was waived by Texas in December.
Talks between Twins and Correa renewed with Mets deal in limbo
Shortstop Carlos Correa's agreement with the New York Mets has not been signed after three weeks of uncertainty.
Are Twins being used as 'mystery team' for leverage in Correa saga?
Although a deal with the Mets has been agreed upon, it's not final, and rumors continue to fly around baseball world.
Twins claim right-handed reliever Ortega from Angels
Oliver Ortega, 26, posted a 3.71 ERA in 27 games for the Angels last season, striking out 33 hitters in 34 innings. He has battled control issues during his career.
A second swing at Correa? Mets moved quickly, now he's NYC-bound
The San Francisco Giants balked at Carlos Correa's medical report, opening the door for new negotiations that didn't last long at all.
Gallo, Twins see optimism in hitting the reset button after a tough season
Team officials are high on the former All-Star's potential upside, and have plans to help him cut down on strikeouts.
Twins turn page on Correa, begin roster building for next season
Christian Vazquez was added to bolster the catching position — and help the pitching staff.
Twins add Joey Gallo, slugging and strikeout prone former All-Star
Joey Gallo has averaged over 20 homers a year — and has a career batting average below .200 to show for his eight seasons in the majors.
What's next for Twins at shortstop? Here are seven names to know
Recently acquired Kyle Farmer could be the short-term answer and Royce Lewis may still be the long-term solution. But here are some other names to consider in the aftermath of Carlos Correa's departure.
Twins reach three-year deal with former Red Sox, Astros catcher
Christian Vazquez was considered the second-best catcher in free agency behind Willson Contreras, who got a five-year, $87.5 million contract from St. Louis last week.
Twins sign pitcher Murphy to minor-league deal
Patrick Murphy, a 27-year-old righthander, has pitched in the major leagues for Toronto and Washington over the past three seasons.
World Axe Throwing Championships just a state away
Minnesotans are eager for titles at the event, which begins Thursday in Appleton, Wis.
Twins add four top prospects to roster, shielding them from draft
Wary of losing some of their brightest prospects to next month's Rule 5 draft, the Twins added three minor league pitchers and a second baseman to their major league roster.
Twins sign outfielder Garlick to one-year deal
Righthanded hitter Kyle Garlick avoided arbitration for a contract worth $750,000.
Ahead by 25, Wolves need final-seconds defense to hold off Cavaliers
The Timberwolves were up 99-74 late in the third quarter before Cleveland rumbled back, sparked by an NBA season-high 51 points from point guard Darius Garland.
Timberwolves 129, Cleveland 124: game recap
D'Angelo Russell leads Timberwolves with 30 points and 12 assists.
St. John's beats Bethel 28-10 to claim fourth straight MIAC football title
The fifth-ranked Johnnies, 9-1, got revenge over the Royals for their lone loss this season, and clinched an eighth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament.
Arraez wins American League's Silver Slugger for utility players
Luis Arraez became a Silver Slugger on Thursday, which is a little weird. Because the Twins' latest batting champion doesn't consider himself a slugger at all.
Sano's 13 years with Twins come to an end with contract buyout
The Twins will pay Miguel Sano $2.7 million to let him out of his contract and declined options on two veteran starting pitchers who had disappointing 2022 seasons.
Twins shortstop Correa officially opts out of contract
Carlos Correa insisted all season that he wants to return to Minnesota permanently. But he also plans to seek a contract with far more guaranteed money
With six players under contract for 2023, Twins will reshape roster
The team will have a lot of personnel decisions to make, and plenty of wiggle room, as the MLB offseason gets underway.
Twins make first key hire in rebuild of athletic training staff
The team hired Nick Paparesta, the Oakland A's head athletic trainer for the past 12 seasons, to run its training staff. More new hires are coming.
(Former) Twins player will win Series ring for sixth year in a row
As roster churn has exploded over the past decade, evidenced by the Twins using a franchise-record 61 players in 2022, the number of ex-Twins has likewise boomed.
The big list: All 105 former Twins still playing pro baseball in 2022
Of that number, only a handful had sustained success. But if you're wondering about Fernando Rodney, Trevor Hildenberger, Byung Ho Park and others, you'll find them on this list.
Correa wins five Twins awards, is one of three team Gold Glove finalists
Carlos Correa was named the team MVP, won five of the nine postseason awards from local baseball writers and is among the shortstop finalists for baseball's Gold Glove honors.
Correa: Opting out of Twins contract for free agency 'the right decision'
During the season, Carlos Correa stated his willingness to remain in Minnesota — but also made clear the Twins would have to be among the highest bidders.
Twins lose Cave, Palacios, Hamilton on waiver claims
Jake Cave has been with the team the past five years and ended the season playing every day because of injuries to other players.
Twins plan to bring back coaching staff and bulk of roster; fire trainer
The team fired head trainer Michael Salazar and will reexamine its medical policies after its major run of injuries.
Outta here or back for '23? A player-by-player look at the Twins roster
Baseball writer Phil Miller guides you through the 53 players who were part of the Twins at the end of the season and let's you know what could be ahead for them.
Sunday's Twins-Detroit game recap
A quick look at Sunday's game, as the Twins used their 61st player of the season.
Twins prioritizing Arraez's health over AL batting race with Judge
With Luis Arraez still leading of the Yankees slugger for the batting title, the team's focus is on taking care of his hamstring over the season's last few games.
Woods Richardson's solid debut not enough as Twins fall to Detroit
Simeon Woods Richardson became the first Twin in team history to make his big-league debut in the final week of the season.
Twins won't finish above .500 after bumbling through loss to Tigers
Losing to Detroit on another night of mistakes gave the Twins their 81st loss of the season and means they'll need to win their final four games not to have a losing record.
Twins are one shutout away from tying team record
This year's Twins haven't hit 17 shutouts in quite the same manner as in 1967 and 1973.
Ryan wraps up rookie season in style, Twins shut out Detroit 7-0
First-year fastball specialist Joe Ryan finished up a splendid first full season Friday by shutting out the Tigers for six innings and setting a new Twins record for strikeouts by a rookie.
Young pitchers on parade: Woods Richardson likely to debut
The Twins' season will conclude with three young starters in action, and manager Rocco Baldelli says Simeon Woods Richardson, who starred this season at Wichita and St. Paul, also will take the mound at some point.
Friday's Twins-Detroit game recap
Twins starter Joe Ryan recorded his fourth scoreless start in his last seven.
Bailey Ober dominates White Sox in 4-0 Twins win
.The Twins pitcher, injured for much of the season, yielded only two hits and struck out 10 Chicago batters — one of several intriguing what-ifs during Tuesday night's game.
Jeffers returns to Twins, his home run swing in fine form
Catcher Ryan Jeffers, out since July with a broken thumb, hit three homers in his nine-game rehab stint in St. Paul.
Catcher swap: Twins activate Jeffers; Leon having surgery for knee injury
A three-game series against the White Sox starts tonight at Target Field with Bailey Ober facing Lance Lynn.
Twins getting new uniforms, Target Field getting massive new scoreboard
The Twins' offseason will include some substantial and noticeable changes, and not just to a roster that fell well short of its goal of winning the AL Central.
Relief for Twins rookie Caleb Hamilton: No more .000
A home run Sunday broke an 0-for-12 start at the plate to start his major league career, the longest in team history.
Twins fail to convert opportunities in 10-3 loss to Angels in series finale
In six of the first seven innings Sunday, the Twins advanced a runner to second or third base, five times with fewer than two outs. But only two of those runners managed to score.
Sunday's Twins-Los Angeles Angels game recap
Mike Trout, a .303 hitter at Target Field, ripped the Twins for three extra-base hits.
Add another lesson in healing process: Trevor Larnach unlikely to return in 2022
The Twins outfielder had a setback with his wrist last week in what was expected to be his final tuneup in St. Paul.
Twins end season-wrecking road trip with another loss to Royals
The Twins will open the 2023 season in Kansas City next March 30. That gives them six months to forget the awfulness of this week's visit to Kauffman Stadium.
MVP vs. hometown hero: Shohei Ohtani will face Twins rookie Louie Varland
Varland and fellow Minnesotan Matt Wallner will be making their Target Field debuts after showing promise on the road.
Thursday's Twins-Kansas City game recap
The Royals recorded their first three-game sweep against an opponent in Kansas City since July 2021.
Baldelli calls Celestino's in-game benching a learning opportunity
Outfielder Gilberto Celestino was back in the lineup Wednesday after a baserunning blunder and a poor reaction to an umpire's bad call the night before.
Twins offense is team's worst enemy as losses continue piling up
Double plays short-circuited two potential rallies and the Twins continued leaving runners on base as they lost for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Twins will face Angels star Ohtani on Friday night
Ohtani, the Angels' two-way player, has pitched against the Twins only once — and that was in Anaheim in 2018. So this would be his Minneapolis pitching debut.
Twins blow lead; Baldelli yanks Celestino over mistakes, attitude
Severeal incidents in the early innings of the 5-4 loss to Kansas City caused manager Rocco Baldelli to remove outfielder Gilbert Celestino after the fourth inning.
Tuesday's Twins-Kansas City game recap
Carlos Correa attempted (unsuccessfully) his first stolen base since 2019.
Twins season effectively comes to an end with another loss in Cleveland
The Guardians won four of five in a series that was viewed as the Twins last chance of getting back into the American League Central race.
Twins set records with players and pitchers used, rookie debuts
Ronny Henriquez played in his first game for the Twins on Monday in Cleveland and increased the number in each category.
Sonny Gray starts as Twins face Cleveland for final time this season
The Guardians have won three of four in the five-game series and lead the Twins by six games in the AL Central.
Rodriguez jumps into action, gives Twins effective short-notice relief
Dereck Rodriguez went from projected Saints starter in St. Paul to last available arm in Twins' marathon loss to Guardians.
Ryan stellar again as Twins stop bleeding by shutting out Guardians
It might be too little, too late, but the Twins ended their losing streak to Cleveland and got back to .500.
Twins' fading hopes take another blow with loss to open doubleheader
Shane Bieber gave up a home run to debutant Matt Wallner but little else as Cleveland beat the Twins for the seventh time in a row.
