It is unfortunate, but we find ourselves rapidly approaching the offseason. There is some table setting for the winter from the organization, and while none of the news is going to make headlines during football season, it is still important in the direction of the team going forward. Let's touch on a couple of things.
First, there was the announcement from Derek Falvey that they intended to keep Rocco Baldelli on as manager. Regardless of where you or I come down on the matter, I think this indicates that Falvey attributes the collapse this season on injuries, and not managerial incompetence. Perhaps more importantly, if Falvey is making these statements, it suggeests that the Pohlads think this too, and that they won't get in the way of offseason activity.
The other bit of news surrounded Byron Buxton, who has had arthroscopic knee surgery. Not only are we cleaning houses, apparently, we are also cleaning knees. This was a surgery that could have waited if the Twins were still in contention, and will be a quick recovery. Getting this knocked out early sets Buxton up for a full offseason of healthy preparation for 2023. It also opens up the roster for guys like Matt Wallner for the rest of the year, short though it is.
As Aaron Gleeman noted at The Athletic ($) today, many players who picked up knocks were out longer than expected, never came back, or went right back on the shelf. Now is not the time to rush players back. Who knows, maybe there is an overlooked diamond in this rough season out there. At the very worst, it is fun to see guys like Caleb Hamilton get a taste of Major League action, or for Nick Gordon to round out his year in the outfield.
We've reached the part of the season where the most important part of this year is planning for next year. It will mean a rocky set of games to finish the year, and won't make much of a splash, but it's what we have to do to finish things off.
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