Minnesota Twins Daily Clips
Thursday, October 9, 2014
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Twins GM Ryan tells fans Sano could be headed for the outfield. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 1
MLS officials meet with United, Vikings; Twins owner sits in with first group. Star Tribune (Rand) pg. 2
Soccer: Twins, Wolves owners join MLS meeting. Pioneer Press (Greder) pg. 3
Report: Twins get permission to interview Boston’s Torey Lovullo. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 3
Twins should be taking notes form Cardinals. 1500 ESPN (Mackey) pg. 4
Could the Twins move Miguel Sano to the OF? Terry Ryan suggests yes. 1500 ESPN (Mackey) pg. 5
Minnesota United bolsters potential MLS bid with Twins, T-Wolves backing. Sports Illustrated (Straus) pg. 5
Minnesota United FC’s MLS bid gets help from Twins, Timberwolves owners. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
(Reilly) pg. 7
Twins GM Ryan tells fans Sano could be headed for the outfield
Phil Miller / Star Tribune – 10/9/14
The Twins’ original timetable may have envisioned Miguel Sano as the team’s starting third baseman next April, but Tommy John
surgery and a lost 2014 season changed all that. Sano won’t be in Minneapolis next April, General Manager Terry Ryan told seasonticket holders on Wednesday, and when he does arrive, it’s possible he won’t be a third baseman, either.
“Sano could go to the outfield if he had to,” Ryan said on the team’s annual conference-call Q&A for its best customers. Trevor
Plouffe, considered by some observers a place-holder for the organization’s brightest power-hitting prospect, is coming off his best
season as the Twins’ third baseman, and Ryan suggested that he might not want to make a change.
“[Sano] can run enough. He certainly can throw. His ticket up here is going to be that bat he possesses — he’s got the type of power
that everybody’s looking for,” Ryan said. “So if we had a problem at third and you had too much talent over there, which is a good
problem to have, you certainly could consider the young kid going to the outfield and learning his craft out there. A lot of them do —
there are a lot of young players who come up and change positions in a hurry if they’re blocked [by] an established veteran.”
That’s a decision for later, however, because Ryan also made it clear that Sano, who underwent elbow surgery last February but
now “looks pretty healthy to me,” will require more time in the minor leagues. “He’s not going to be ready to make this team out of
spring training. He’s going to have to re-establish himself,” Ryan said of the 21-year-old Dominican. “We’ll give him a good look in
spring training, but to put that out there, that he’s got a chance to make this club out of spring, I think that would be the wrong
approach. He’s barely got any at-bats at Double-A.”
Ryan and Twins President Dave St. Peter answered roughly two dozen questions from fans during the session, ranging from the
search for a manager (There are “a lot of people who I need to talk to before we name a guy,” Ryan said) to the slow pace of play (“It
has the potential to have a negative impact on the future of our game,” St. Peter said) to Joe Mauer’s indifferent body language
during a subpar season.
“He’s got a stoic look. He’s got a calm presence,” Ryan said of the team’s first baseman, who batted a career-low .277 this season.
“When the guy doesn’t succeed and have the breakout years that you’re expecting, it looks like he’s disinterested. When he had the
big years, it’s calm. So I wouldn’t put too much stock in [his demeanor], one way or the other.”
One caller, after complimenting the team for firing manager Ron Gardenhire, even asked St. Peter why he’s sure Ryan should keep
his job in the wake of four straight 90-loss seasons.
“I know this — if Terry Ryan was on the open market, there would be no shortage of teams that would be very interested in [hiring]
him,” St. Peter replied. “It’s a results-oriented business, and until we get this major league club back to where ultimately we want it
and you deserve it, those are fair questions. But I’m optimistic we have the right person in charge, the right person to have that
balance between building an organization to have success, but also doing it in a way where you can sustain that success over the
long haul.”
Ryan promised to try to attract free agents again this winter, in hopes of repeating his free-agent success with Phil Hughes and Kurt
Suzuki last winter, though he declined to say how much the team is willing to spend on more pitching. And he repeated his optimism
about the team’s coming lode of talent — though he cautioned once more that young players take time to develop.
“We’re not broke here, we’re bent. We’ve got some issues, and we need to make better decisions. But I feel a heck of a lot better
about this club and moving forward than I did a year ago,” Ryan said. “I don’t think we’re all that far away [from contention]. I don’t
want to punt on 2015, but it’s still going to be a struggle.”
MLS officials meet with United, Vikings; Twins owner sits in with first group
Michael Rand / Star Tribune – 10/9/14
High-ranking officials with Major League Soccer, including Commissioner Don Garber, met in the Twin Cities recently with
representatives from both local groups vying for an MLS expansion franchise in Minnesota.
Garber met with a group led by Minnesota United and its owner, former UnitedHealth executive William McGuire. That group also
includes Twins owner Jim Pohlad, a source confirmed to the Star Tribune.
SI.com reported that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is also part of the group and that Pohlad and Taylor attended the meeting with
Garber while he was in town Sept. 22-23. Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, did not return a message seeking comment.
Twins officials declined to comment.
Minnesota United plays in the second-division North American Soccer League, and securing an MLS franchise would mean building
anoutdoor soccer-specific stadium.
Garber also met with the Vikings, who are vying to secure a team to play in their new stadium slated to open in 2016.
Minneapolis is a strong contender to land an MLS franchise, though the league also is considering other markets such as
Sacramento. MLS, which has a goal of expanding from 19 teams to 24 teams by 2020, could make an expansion decision by the
end of the year — perhaps as soon as Dec. 7, when the league’s board of governors will be gathered for the MLS Cup final.
Vikings Vice President Lester Bagley characterized the recent meeting with Garber as “a continuation of our ongoing dialogue with
MLS,” and noted that MLS leaders were making the rounds to various cities. Indeed, officials from the league were in Sacramento
shortly before visiting Minnesota.
United President Nick Rogers would not confirm his group met with MLS leaders, continuing that group’s preference to work behind
the scenes.
“We have been focused on building a great football club,” said Rogers, whose team won the NASL spring championship. “I think our
achievements this year speak to that approach.”
The two sides have been battling to gain the upper hand for several months and appear to have no interest in joining forces on a
unified bid for a team that would play in the Vikings stadium.
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Privately, members of the United group are confident that if Minneapolis is awarded an expansion franchise, their group will get it.
The biggest obstacle remains securing a stadium site and funding, though the inclusion of billionaires Pohlad and Taylor in their
group enhances their position. The United group has renderings for an outdoor downtown stadium near the Farmers Market, though
the drawings have not been made public.
Soccer: Twins, Wolves owners join MLS meeting
Andy Greder / Pioneer Press – 10/8/14
The two groups competing to bring Major League Soccer to Minnesota held separate, private meetings with league officials in the
Twin Cities about two weeks ago, according to a source with direct knowledge.
Representatives of the Vikings as well as Minnesota United FC met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and deputy commissioner
Mark Abbott late last month, a source told the Pioneer Press.
The meeting with United included Twins owner Jim Pohlad and his brother, film producer Bill Pohlad, Timberwolves owner Glen
Taylor and United owner Bill McGuire, the former CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the source said.
The Vikings did not return a request for comment Wednesday night about the meetings.
United President Nick Rogers confirmed his team met with MLS officials. He said the discussion was about professional soccer but
declined to comment about possible MLS expansion. United plays in the North American Soccer League, which is considered a step
below MLS.
The Vikings and United are each vying to become the 24th and final expansion team by 2020. Sacramento, San Antonio, Las Vegas
and Indianapolis and others have been mentioned as candidates for the franchise.
MLS officials previously have said they are not in a rush to name the recipient of the expansion franchise.
During the Vikings meeting, MLS officials are believed to have visited the construction site of new $1 billion stadium in downtown
Minneapolis. The stadium is scheduled to open in 2016.
United, meanwhile, is exploring locations to build a soccer-specific stadium.
Possible locations include in the vicinity of the Minneapolis Farmers' Market and a few locations in Bloomington.
"We continue to study the feasibility and the right place to do it," Rogers said. "But there aren't any new developments that I can
share."
A stadium -- or stadium plan -- is integral to any MLS expansion franchise, the league has said.
United plays its home game at the National Sports Center in Blaine, where it has drawn more than 5,000 fans per match this season.
When United midfielder Miguel Ibarra was called up to train with the U.S. national team last week, Rogers said it was the latest
example of the club's efforts to be elite.
"Miguel getting called up is really exciting," Rogers said. "That's essentially the highest honor you can achieve as a soccer player.
The fact that we are providing that pathway right now tells me that we are already starting to do those things."
United won the spring season in the NASL and is at the top of the table in the ongoing fall season. The Loons also beat English
Premier League side Swansea City in July.
"We are focused on building a great football club," Rogers. "Dr. McGuire doesn't let us get complacent ever, so I don't want to say
we're satisfied, but I'm encouraged by the progress we've made this year."
Report: Twins get permission to interview Boston’s Torey Lovullo
Derek Wetmore / 1500 ESPN – 10/7/14
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Add Boston to the list of organizations the Twins are tapping in an attempt to find their next manager.
The Red Sox have granted permission to the Twins to interview Boston's bench coach, Torey Lovullo, for the vacant manager's job,
according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Lovullo joins a list that's believed to inlude Paul Molitor, Doug Mientkiewicz, Chip Hale (A's), John Russell (Orioles) and Gene Glynn
(Triple-A Rochester) as potential replacements for Ron Gardenhire. Terry Ryan assured this would be a diverse search at the time of
Gardenhire's dismissial, so that list could grow longer still.
Lovullo's name has come up in past manager searches but he's never managed in the Majors.
He'll reportedly interview for the Texas Rangers job. He was called about the vacant Houston Astros job before the team hired A.J.
Hinch.
The Twins should be taking notes from the Cardinals
Phil Mackey / 1500 ESPN – 10/7/14
After knocking off Major League Baseball's top spending team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, on Tuesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals
have now reached the NLCS (or beyond) in four consecutive seasons, and nine times since 2000.
The Cardinals are the San Antonio Spurs of Major League Baseball, and they do it without spending toe-to-toe with baseball's
richest franchises. It's not feasible for mid-market franchises like the Cardinals (and Twins) to outspend the multi-billion dollar TV
deal franchises in Los Angeles and elsewhere, so they must find different and more creative ways to be better.
If you can't outspend the opposition, you'd better be able to outsmart them. The Cardinals do.
Lately, the Twins don't.
And while the Cardinals did send $20 million more on payroll than the Twins in 2014, payroll has very little to do with why St. Louis is
Google and the Twins are Lycos.
Just look at the majority of the Cardinals' key players in these playoffs and where they came from: Kolten Wong was a 1st round pick
in 2011; Matt Adams was a 23rd (!) round pick in 2009; Matt Carpenter was a 13th round pick in 2009; Closer Trevor Rosenthal, who
had 45 saves in the regular season, was a 21st round pick in 2009; Daniel Descalso was a 3rd round pick in 2007; Yadier Molina,
now perhaps the best catcher in baseball, was a 4th round pick in 2000; Jon Jay was a 2nd rounder in 2006; The Cardinals drafted
starting pitchers Lance Lynn ('08), Adam Wainwright ('00), Shelby Miller ('09) and Michael Wacha ('12) in the 1st round. Allen Craig,
who played a key role on recent Cardinals playoff teams, was an 8th round pick in 2006. Joe Kelly, who was traded along with Craig
to Boston for John Lackey, was a 3rd round pick in 2009. Jaime Garcia has been a key rotation figure in recent years for the
Cardinals. He was a 22nd round pick in 2005.
Seven of those aforementioned key core players on this year's playoff team were drafted by St. Louis at some point since 2009.
Over that same stretch the Twins have had only seven draft picks total reach the big leagues at all. Only Brian Dozier and Kyle
Gibson have made a significant impact.
Additionally, Adams, Carpenter, Rosenthal, Garcia and Craig were all drafted in the 8th round or later - rounds where teams are
essentially throwing darts, blindfolded. The Cardinals are finding gems in these rounds.
Then the Cardinals supplement this core by spending on outfielder Matt Holliday and shortstop Jhonny Peralta.
All of this despite rarely having a top-10 payroll in a non-salary cap league (they sat 13th before this season began). In fact, the
Twins actually spent more money than the Cardinals in 2011 - the same year Minnesota lost 99 while watching St. Louis hoist the
World Series trophy.
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Could the Twins spend an extra $20 million? Sure. The front office does have permission to do so. But the Twins aren't one or two
free agents away from beating the Cardinals in a playoff series -- at least not until the Twins fully strengthen their core.
The Cardinals truly are the model franchise in baseball. They consistently outperform franchises that spend millions more on payroll
by drafting, developing and trading better than every team in baseball.
The Twins should be trying to steal their blueprints.
Could the Twins move Miguel Sano to the OF? Terry Ryan suggests yes
Phil Mackey / 1500 ESPN – 10/8/14
Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan said at least two interesting things in Wednesday night's annual season ticket holder
conference call.
First off, when asked who the Twins might pursue in free agency this offseason, Ryan left the door open for another big addition (the
Twins spent around $70 million on Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes last winter):
Max Scherzer, James Shields and Jon Lester are all available - and some other very good starting pitchers - but they'll all command
a lot of money over a long stretch of years. Most of the fat contracts handed out to starting pitchers wind up not panning out.
The other interesting nugget Ryan floated on Wednesday night was this:
Sano has already moved from shortstop to third base after outgrowing his original position in the minor leagues, and his Tommy
John surgery from earlier this year leaves questions about whether he can make the throw from third base across the diamond on a
regular basis. The infield throwing motion tends to put more stress on the elbow due to the compact nature of the throw, as opposed
to outfield throws which involve longer loads.
If the Twins are simply considering their defensive options for Sano, whose bat could be major league-ready in the very near future,
then they deserve points for trying to figure out a way to evolve the developmental process.
But here's the problem: Sano is a big man - approximately 6-4, 230 pounds. That's Kennys Vargas, Mark Trumbo, Jayson Werth
territory. Guys that big don't traditionally range very well in the outfield.
Now, from an individual perspective, Sano will probably hit enough to make up for any defensive deficiencies. There are plenty of
mashers in baseball with below average defensive value who wind up being "plus" players overall (Werth, Miguel Cabrera, etc.).
Sano, who is only 21 years old, owns a .940 minor league OPS with 90 home runs in 1,606 plate appearances.
From a team standpoint, however, the Twins' pitching staff isn't good enough - and doesn't miss enough bats, collectively - to keep
trotting out slow-ranging outfielders. Twins outfielders were among the worst-ranging in baseball this year, and it had a drastic effect
on pitching results. Look at teams like the Royals, Orioles and Cardinals; They oftentimes have multiple center fielders roaming
outfield pastures. The Twins barely have multiple center fielders on their entire 40-man roster.
Getting Sano's bat into the lineup is critical. But finding rangy outfielders is also critical. The Twins must find a balance here.
Minnesota United bolsters potential MLS bid with Twins, T-Wolves backing
Brian Straus / Sports Illustrated – 10/8/14
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For many fans, Miguel Ibarra’s surprising U.S. national team call-up represents their first introduction to Minnesota United. Its
Wikipedia page probably is enjoying record traffic. But for the NASL club based in suburban Blaine, about 15 miles north of
Minneapolis, this week’s brief turn in the spotlight might be just the beginning. It could become a major player, and soon.
Behind the scenes, the organization is taking steps that could transform it into one of the most well-funded teams in MLS. While the
race may be on for the Supporters' Shield and the remaining playoff places, the MLS contest with the most far-reaching implications
arguably is taking place in a market that hasn’t had a top-flight soccer club in 30 years.
The Minnesota Vikings have gone public with their desire to field an MLS team inside the $1 billion stadium scheduled to open in the
summer of 2016. As a result, United has been forced to consider all options. Bill McGuire, a physician who made his fortune at the
helm of health care behemoth UnitedHealth Group, didn’t rescue and rebrand the floundering club in 2012 with MLS on his mind.
“Promotion” from the 10-team NASL isn’t necessarily United’s ultimate goal.
The Vikings are owned primarily by Zygi Wilf, a New Jersey real estate developer, and his family. In this nascent local derby, they’ll
be up against some of the biggest names in Twin Cities sports.
SI.com understands that McGuire has partnered on a potential MLS bid with Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad and Minnesota
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, both of whom were present at the meeting with Garber and Abbott. There also is reason to believe
that an investor in English Championship club Derby County has joined McGuire. United visited England and played a friendly
against Derby in March.
The Rams’ ownership group is led by Andrew Appleby, who lives in Michigan and once worked with the Detroit Pistons. His
consortium also includes Vancouver Whitecaps and San Francisco Giants investor Jeff Mallett and Chicago Cubs owner Tom
Ricketts, among others. SI.com was unable to ascertain the identity of the Derby investor who may be working with United.
The Pohlad family, which has owned the Twins since 1984, is worth $3.6 billion, according to Forbes. The baseball team moved into
Target Field in 2010. Taylor, a printing and marketing entrepreneur originally from southwest Minnesota, is worth $2.2 billion,
according to Forbes. He purchased the NBA franchise in 1994.
Rogers brought United and McGuire, his father-in-law, together. Rogers’ wife and the daughter of former NASL commissioner David
Downs were college roommates. Formerly known as the Stars and with roots that extend to the early 1990s, United made the move
from the USL to the NASL in 2011, when it won the championship. But the finances were poor and the team was on the verge of
collapse when McGuire purchased it in late 2012.
It’s now among minor league soccer’s flagship franchises. It draws around 6,000 fans per game to the National Sports Center. Led
by coach Manny Lagos, a former MLS midfielder who’s the son of Minnesota soccer legend Buzz Lagos, United has the best record
in the NASL. And it has produced the first lower-tier player in nine years to receive a U.S. national team invite. United is doing just
fine. It just may have reached a point where it must do more.
"You've seen a lot of teams out there, whether you're talking about Sacramento, who's probably the most vocal, or some other
places, where they sort of fan the flames,” Rogers told SI.com. “We have made a point of staying away from all that. We've taken a
very club-centric approach to what we're doing. We care about establishing a high level of pro soccer in this market and that's what
we intend to be for a long time. I'm sort of agnostic about whether there's one true league you need to be in to succeed in pro
soccer. We've tried to be the best team that we can be within the NASL, and that has enabled us to provide a high quality of soccer
for fans everywhere."
The MLS board of governors expects to meet with both McGuire’s group and the Wilfs in December, when it gathers for the MLS
Cup final. Although United isn’t in a hurry, the Vikings are facing a time crunch. Lester Bagley, the NFL franchise’s executive VP of
public affairs and stadium development, told MLS4MN.com that Garber and Abbott toured the construction site and were shown
renderings of a “house reduction system” that would limit the seating capacity for soccer (along the lines of what Atlanta's MLS
franchise will use at the Falcons' new football stadium). The Vikings need to know soon whether to build it, and that could speed up
the league’s decision.
“We’ve got about 20 months from having the stadium open. So we are at the point in construction were we have to factor this
element in. We will be at the point soon on whether to invest or not. We are not there yet,” Bagley told the website.
United has discussed the prospect of moving to a new stadium even if it stays in the NASL, but it will have no choice if it intends to
move up. The current focus is on a potential site in Minneapolis’ North Loop, just to the west of Target Field. A group called 2020
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Partners, which aims to spur development in the area and has reached out to McGuire, includes executives from the Twins and
Timberwolves on its steering committee.
Twins president David St. Peter accompanied McGuire and Rogers on a tour of Kansas City’s Sporting Park late last year. And the
Pohlad family owns United Properties, a developer that’s been busy in the North Loop, where it was involved in a $79 million transit
hub that recently opened. If land can’t be secured in the North Loop, United may look south toward the Mall of America, which is
served by a rail line that extends north to Target Field.
Either way, the Minnesota sporting landscape may change soon. MLS wants a greater Midwest presence and it wants to be in
Minneapolis, at the heart of the country’s 15th-largest media market. It appears that the battle lines have been drawn. The NFL may
be the biggest game in town, but it’s not the only one.
Minnesota United FC’s MLS bid gets helps from Twins, Timberwolves owners
Mark Reilly / Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal – 10/9/14
Major League Soccer officials met last month with the Minnesota Vikings and Bill McGuire's United FC group, both of which want an
MLS team here. But McGuire has recruited some powerful allies — Jim Pohlad and Glen Taylor.
Sports Illustrated said that Jim Pohlad, whose family owns the Minnesota Twins, and Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor
both sat in on the MLS meeting with Commisioner Don Garber, and both have partnered with McGuire, the former CEO of
UnitedHealth Group Inc., on a potential MLS bid.
RELATED: Minneapolis 'on short list' for MLS expansion
The Star Tribune also reports that Pohlad is partnering with McGuire's group.
The Minnesota Vikings owners have gone public with their intentions to win an MLS team. But they're not partnering with McGuire,
and a Vikings-owned soccer team would spell doom for the Minnesota United, which currently plays in the second-division North
American Soccer League.
A key piece of the puzzle would be a stadium. The Vikings have one, of course, and rights to use it for soccer. But MLS generally
likes outdoor stadiums, and McGuire's group has floated the idea of a new facility near Target Field.
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