Gleeman and The Geek

Aaron and John talk about the start of the offseason and the Twins' window to make moves before the lockout, the domino effects of Ryan Jeffers receiving the $23 million qualifying offer, reactions to early 40-man roster housecleaning, and two free agents who would make a lot of sense to pursue.

Aaron and John go position by position through the Twins' roster to break down their biggest offseason needs, talk about the hire of new pitching coach Brian Reith from the Rays organization, and predict how much the front office will actually be able to spend in free agency. 0:00 Intro: Gleeman & The Geek, presented by Black Stack Brewing 1:11 Twins offseason preview: where the roster is set and where it needs help 7:46 Twins officials expect to be active early before the Dec. 1 MLB lockout 10:44 New Twins pitching coach Brian Reith replaces Pete Maki 16:59 Jeff Hoffman's elbow cleanup procedure 23:59 The Twins starting rotation for 2027 32:47 Why not just sign a veteran fifth starter? 36:14 Win-now rotation vs. develop-the-kids lineup 40:50 Could the Twins trade a starter? Jeremy Zoll's hint 52:24 The bullpen is the Twins' biggest need again 52:52 Bullpen locks and bullpen maybes 57:12 Losing A.J. Minter and Taylor Rogers; Cole Sands and Anthony Banda non-tender risks 59:09 How much will the Twins invest in their bullpen? 1:14:04 The Twins catcher situation 1:22:20 First base: is Royce Lewis still the answer? 1:26:42 The Twins need an impact middle-of-the-order bat 1:28:18 Is designated hitter an option? 1:32:46 What about the rest of the infield? 1:35:24 The crowded outfield and the real cost of signing an impact corner outfielder 1:41:34 Ranking the Twins' biggest offseason needs 1:47:43 Coming up: Patreon free agent target shows and GM meetings in Las Vegas

Aaron and John talk about team MVP Kody Clemens and the rest of the Twins' season-ending award winners, Charley Walters' report about the Pohlads possibly talking sale again, reviewing our preseason over/under picks, and surprising arbitration projections. 0:00 Gleeman & The Geek: Twins Diamond Awards, 2027 payroll, and over/under results 2:51 Twins Diamond Awards with no ceremony and no TwinsFest during the lockout 4:24 Most Valuable Twin: Aaron's vote for Taj Bradley 9:10 Cody Clemens wins Twins team MVP 14:14 Twins Pitcher of the Year: Taj Bradley 14:41 Most Improved Twin: Brooks Lee 16:09 Twins Rookie of the Year: Connor Prielipp 17:49 Defensive Player of the Year: Byron Buxton over ... Ryan Kreidler? 20:25 Byron Buxton wins the Twins leadership award 20:53 Louie Varland wins Upper Midwest Player of the Year after the Twins traded him 22:21 Media Good Guy: Ryan Jeffers three-peats 26:36 Twins minor league awards: Walker Jenkins and Adrian Bohorquez 27:22 The case for Marek Houston as minor league player of the year 33:56 Twins 2027 payroll: what $100 million actually buys 38:29 Why matching the 2023 Twins payroll now means $175 million or more 40:33 No winter meetings: how the lockout reshapes the MLB offseason 41:39 2027 MLB free agent class: Tarik Skubal and a lot of Josh Bell types 44:32 Ryan Jeffers and the qualifying offer 46:37 Replacing Jeffers: a thin catcher market and the Victor Caratini problem 51:09 What happens with Alex Jackson 56:59 MLB Trade Rumors arbitration projections 58:52 Tender now, trade later? The Trevor Larnach decision 1:04:31 Charlie Walters reports a Twins sale to Varde Partners is heating up 1:12:30 What private equity ownership could mean for the Twins 1:18:47 Spring training over/under review: Aaron's prediction slump 1:21:46 Why 10 of 15 American League teams finished under their Vegas win totals 1:23:21 AL East over/unders: Tampa Bay Rays win 98 games 1:25:18 Baltimore Orioles disappoint despite Pete Alonso's 40 homers 1:26:48 Boston Red Sox: Aaron gets one right 1:28:03 Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s nine-homer season 1:30:00 New York Yankees win 93 games 1:31:28 AL West over/unders: all five teams go under, starting with the Angels 1:32:00 The Athletics' injury-wrecked season 1:33:15 Texas Rangers fall short 1:34:21 Houston Astros' front office decline 1:36:47 Seattle Mariners and Cal Raleigh's collapse 1:37:30 Aaron's George Costanza plan: pick the opposite 1:39:55 AL Central over/unders: Chicago White Sox make the playoffs 1:41:45 Twins over/under: Aaron takes the over and wins 1:44:38 Cleveland Guardians win the AL Central 1:45:42 Kansas City Royals sink to 69 wins 1:46:26 Detroit Tigers sell and fade 1:47:56 Final tally over/under tally. 1:50:37 Wrap-up and offseason schedule

Aaron and John talk about which of the Twins' key veterans will or won't be on next year's team, the end-of-season press conference with Tom Pohlad, Jeremy Zoll, and Derek Shelton, and what to expect this offseason before the lockout hits. 0:00 Intro: Blackstack beer and the end of the Twins season 1:16 Twins finish 77-85: met expectations, but the third straight late-season collapse 3:43 Offseason preview: key dates, the Pohlad press conference, and who's staying or leaving 4:41 Thank you, listeners: Aaron Gleeman's year leaving The Athletic and going independent 7:03 John Bonnes on independent publishers and the G&TG community 13:17 MLB offseason schedule: free agency opens after the World Series 13:47 Qualifying offer deadlines and how a QO affects a free agent's market 15:46 Arbitration tender deadline: keep or cut for Royce Lewis, Bailey Ober, Trevor Larnach 17:11 MLB lockout on November 30: no winter meetings, no Rule 5 draft? 18:50 Flashback: the 2021 lockout day, Byron Buxton's extension and Dylan Bundy 19:59 If a lockout cancels 2027, what happens to Pablo Lopez's contract? 22:52 GM meetings in November could replace the winter meetings 24:47 Both Gleeman and The Geek heading to the GM meetings? 32:10 Twins end-of-season press conference with Tom Pohlad, Jeremy Zoll, Derek Shelton 33:06 Pohlad skips the spin: "Our roster wasn't built for a 162-game season" 34:37 Pohlad backs Zoll and Shelton, blames the ownership mess 35:40 Could the Twins have made moves last winter? 37:40 Pitching coach Pete Maki fired 39:31 Twins payroll: Pohlad won't commit to a number or even a range 41:06 The baseline: why the first $105 million is already spoken for 42:58 Why the Twins should level-set payroll expectations with fans 44:40 Pohlad's words sound good, now he has to back them up 47:02 A one-month window and a weak free agent class 49:01 Is Jeremy Zoll more aggressive than Derek Falvey? 51:27 The lockout doesn't stop moves: lessons from the 2021 November frenzy 55:34 Staying or leaving: rating the Twins players whose futures are in doubt 57:36 Byron Buxton is staying (stop asking) 58:33 Ryan Jeffers: free agency and the qualifying offer decision 1:03:20 Why a qualifying offer to Jeffers is a low-risk move 1:09:02 Josh Bell: good bat, but no fit at first base or DH? 1:12:18 AJ Minter: the best fit of the Twins' free agents 1:19:05 Taylor Rogers: end of the line for a Twins bullpen great 1:21:25 Trevor Larnach: the left-handed logjam and an $8 million arbitration raise 1:29:23 Bailey Ober: the velocity is gone and the strikeouts are falling 1:34:38 Joe Ryan: trade him now with one year left, or keep him? 1:39:53 Pablo Lopez returning from Tommy John surgery 1:40:23 Royce Lewis: two and a half years of struggles at the plate 1:43:56 John and Aaron disagree: is Royce Lewis staying or leaving? 1:49:55 Austin Martin and Matt Wallner 1:50:27 Wrap-up: Patreon mailbag next week

Aaron and John talk about what's left for the Twins to play for during the final weekend, young players like Luke Keaschall, Connor Prielipp, and Walker Jenkins providing bright spots, Royce Lewis and Ryan Jeffers struggling down the stretch, the rotation outlook for 2027, and the end of the Alex Jackson saga. 0:00 Intro: John checks off his last active MLB ballpark in Sacramento 2:03 Twins win first road series since July in San Francisco 2:03 Final series vs. Texas Rangers with the AL West title at stake 8:00 Final Twins games for Ryan Jeffers, Taylor Rogers, Josh Bell, Bailey Ober? 9:07 Will Kendry Rojas get a look before the season ends? 10:40 Walker Jenkins goes from 4-for-45 to above-average MLB hitter 14:15 Luke Keaschall reaches 10 home runs as his defense improves 20:50 Royce Lewis ends the season lost at the plate again 22:57 Ryan Jeffers slumps after nine straight starts at catcher 33:14 The Alex Jackson saga and Twins roster construction.  45:51 15 pitchers with a save: an AL record that reflects bullpen chaos 47:20 Hoffman passes Gomez as the Twins' top reliever 48:34 Septembers bullpen struggles and what it means for the offseason.  57:50 Connor Prielipp finishes his rookie season healthy with 140+ innings 1:03:42 Zebby Matthews: a 6.87 September ERA and a bullpen future? 1:06:05 Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and the Twins' history of rotation-depth mirages 1:09:50 Derek Falvey joins the Mets front office 1:17:39 Daniel Adler parts ways with the Twins 1:23:55 Longtime scouting executive Deron Johnson let go 1:25:15 Is Tom Pohlad reshaping the organization or just saving money? 1:30:24 A Thad Levine interview and offseason plans for the show