Enter this offseason with some positivity

 

 Ever since the internet became a means for sports fans to connect, the Twins have been an increasingly aggravating source of dismay and discord. The long post season losing streak shortly after the team was threatened with contraction because of penny pinching ownership certainly encouraged these bad vibes. But look at that video up above. Those are some good vibes, right? That is one happy stadium with a very happy team entertaining them. 

Despite the bellyaching of the last, oh, 20 years, it was THIS manger and THIS front office that put the team over the top. That's good! They did good! The results are the best they've been in a very long time. That's why the Red sox were taking a look at Thad Levine to run their front office. Despite everything that will happen, and the grousing that will inevitably come up, remember that we aren't in a long term drought anymore.

And surely, there are a lot  of question marks. How will the Twins retain a top starting rotation? Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda are free agents after this season. I think even the Twins are surprised by how good Gray was this season, which makes him more difficult to replace. The late spurt from Chris Paddack this past season gives hope that he will command a rotation spot as a reliable contributor in 2024. Bailey Ober came on for Tyler Mahle early in the season this past year and will be a rotation regular. The greatest concern will be depth, I think, which Minnesota was able to leverage in 2023 with Ober and Maeda, but the margins will be thinner next season without some additions. There aren't many names available at the top of the market, so picking at the edges might be the best idea anyhow. 

The pitching is a bit less of a concern if the Twins are hitting. The Twins are hitting if they are healthy on offense. For the second year in a row, the team was significantly impacted by injuries. Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis in full health for the full season would be terrific. If Jorge Polanco or Max Kepler are around again in the next campaign, having them all season would be helpful as well.

The option decision may be waiting on some payroll decision making. This time, the decision my hinge on where their TV revenue comes from. rather than the general cheapness of ownership. The Twins had a TV deal with Diamond Sports Group, to air games on Bally Sports North. DSG has gone belly up, and with more and more people cutting out cable, there is no easily identified TV partner, nor is there the revenue guarantee that partnership would assure. The Twins might want to patch their holes, they might even identify some good ways to do ot, but the money in this shifting landscape might just not be there. 

But look at that video. Even with all the headwinds of the winter, we still have the tailwinds leftover from the fall.