Our Darren ‘Doogie’ Wolfson spoke with Twins president of operations Derek Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll on Friday of TwinsFest weekend.
Topics hit on: why going to an arbitration hearing with SP Joe Ryan is necessary, how big a year it is for SS Brooks Lee, and the potential of adding one more reliever in free agency.
***Click the video box above to watch our conversation with Falvey***
Falvey and Zoll now report to Tom Pohlad.
One of Pohlad’s priorities over his first month as controlling owner of the Minnesota Twins was personal phone calls to fans who have not renewed season tickets.
Many of his attempts went to voicemail and one recipient hung up three times before replying to a text message with pointed criticism about the direction of the franchise. The Twins have a big hole to climb out of with the public. Pohlad recently took the reins of the franchise his grandfather bought in 1984. He has vowed to tackle the organization’s recent slide head-on.
***Click the video box below to watch our chat with Zoll, or if on our app, swipe to the right***
The current disappointment within the fan base stems from the front office’s decision to pare back the payroll after winning the AL Central in 2023 and advancing in the postseason for the first time in 21 years. Pohlad pointed to several factors such as the pandemic and the collapse of the team’s regional television contract that hurt the Twins financially over the past five seasons and influenced that decision to spend less on the roster, but he fully acknowledged how much of the strain was self-created.
While the payroll is still significantly down from recent seasons, the Twins refused to trade their top trio and made some modest investments in enhancing the roster by signing veterans Josh Bell, Victor Caratini and Taylor Rogers.
With more to come?
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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