Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s OK, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
* * *
The Twins are in rough shape. They’ve been promoting from within and recycling executives in their front office for years, and in troubling ways. In 2007, general manager Terry Ryan was replaced by Bill Smith. Smith was then fired as GM in 2011, and was replaced by … Terry Ryan. Who then named Smith an assistant to the GM, keeping him and the tendencies that got him fired in the organization in a high-ranking spot. So, when the Twins say things will be different this time, it’s not necessarily easy to believe them. In fact, multiple former GMs have apparently turned down the new role of president of baseball operations that they’re trying to fill, including former Red Sox GM and new Blue Jays vice president, Ben Cherington.
This isn’t dissimilar to the situation the Orioles found themselves in back in 2011. No one wanted their GM job, and some execs decided to stay on as assistant GMs rather than have their own team, because they didn’t think it would actually be their team with owner Peter Angelos around. Eventually, Dan Duquette, who had been out of MLB for nearly a decade, stepped in. The Twins might similarly need to wait for a bit until someone desperate enough to get back in the game and run their own team comes around. It worked out well for the O’s, who snapped a playoff drought and are currently just a game back in the AL East under Duquette.
The Twins do have a desirable collection of youth, but their roster is still a mess and it’s unclear just how much control over the front office a new president would have. It’s a fancy title, sure, one used in more and more front offices across the game, but will the person holding it be the President of The Twins Way of Doing Things, or will they be able to inject some new thought and procedure into a front office that is well overdue on adding either? Cherington, a former GM who was part of the three Red Sox World Series runs during his time as an exec, took on a VP role and demotion from his last job with a team that already has a GM and a president of baseball ops rather than takeover the Twins. That should tell you how the league feels about the Twins changing.
- Here is a dog in sunglasses at a Royals’ game, sitting next a sleeping baby.
- Grant Brisbee tried to make sense of the Ryan Braun trade rumor for the Dodgers and the Brewers. The latter takes a little more thought, but the sense is there.
- Here’s a reminder that the Dodgers can use Yasiel Puig, whether that makes them happy or not.
- You should read Jeff Passan on the hypocrisy of Tony La Russa, who is exactly the kind of authority figure Adam Jones was talking about earlier this week.
- The Yankees signed Billy Butler, possibly in the hopes of starting some clubhouse trouble.
- The Giants were swept by the Padres for the second time in the second half. There are a few weeks left to right this ship, but it would be fitting if the even-year BS was both started and ended by the Padres.
- Miguel Cabrera would like Tigers’ fans to stop being so negative.
- David Wright’s recovery from neck surgery seems to be coming along well, as he might be ready for spring training in 2017.
- Joey Votto has stopped striking out, which should be a terrifying realization for opposing pitchers.
