Minnesota’s offseason has been underway for more than two months, but as the Winter Meetings draw near, the Twins still appear to be wrestling with their direction. That uncertainty isn’t just external perception either. According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the organization’s internal conversations remain murky. As he put it on Foul Territory, the Twins “are a mystery” because “there is not clarity yet on how they are going to operate this offseason.”
Rosenthal emphasized this wasn’t simply a matter of the team keeping plans quiet. “I mean clarity within their own organization. I don’t know that they know what they’re going to do. They’re working through it. What I was told this week is that they’ll have clarity by the winter meetings. OK. It’s probably a good idea to have clarity by the winter meetings.”
That kind of ambiguity is unusual for this point in the calendar, especially with the annual gathering of front offices set to take place next week in Orlando. The Twins have had over two months since the regular season ended to prepare their approach, and yet the franchise’s posture remains unsettled. Much of that stems from Minnesota’s stumbling ownership transition. The failed sale and the arrival of still-unnamed minority investors appear to be casting a shadow over budget decisions.
Rosenthal noted that internal opinions are diverging. “It seems to me that there are factions in the Twins organization that want to start building the team back up again. Good idea since you’ve alienated your fan base. And then there are ownership questions. They just took on the two new investors. How much are they going to spend? All of that.”
Amid that backdrop, the club’s most significant decisions still loom. What will Minnesota do with its remaining star-level players? Rosenthal wondered aloud: “So, the question then becomes … where are they going to go? Which way are they going to go? I don’t necessarily expect them to trade (Joe) Ryan, (Byron Buxton), maybe Pablo Lopez.”
If the side pushing for a roster rebound wins out, the Twins could arrive at spring training with their core intact. But if the payroll-cutting faction gains control, then difficult choices become more likely. As Rosenthal put it, “But to keep going backwards, if they do that, then yes, Ryan becomes available. Buxton becomes available. They’re probably more valuable separately than they would be (packaged) together.”
The clock is ticking. With the Winter Meetings just days away, the Twins need to settle on a path that not only clarifies their competitive intentions but also signals to fans that the organization is finally ready to move forward.