Finally, more than three months into the offseason, the Twins on Thursday held their first news conference of the Falvey-Levine era to reveal a major addition to this summer's lineup at Target Field.
Anybody know if Billy Joel can pitch?
The 67-year-old singer will play Minneapolis on July 28, Twins manager Paul Molitor gamely announced, while the ballpark's baseball tenant is in Oakland. And from the dearth of major transactions executed so far this winter by new baseball bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine, a docket of tranquility that includes one major league free-agent signing and zero trades, that squad of traveling Twins might bear a striking and perhaps surprising similarity to last year's 103-loss club.
Not that anyone seems to mind.
"They never said they were going to make splashy moves. There was no expectation or instruction to make splashy moves just for the sake of change," Twins owner Jim Pohlad said. "It's more important to evaluate how to make the team more consistently competitive over the long haul, and I'm confident that's what they're trying to do."
It's not just the Twins who are proceeding cautiously, after all. The free-agent market has gathered no momentum this winter, so dozens of veteran free agents remain unsigned, one month before spring training camps open. And for all the big names rumored to be available in trade, including Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, only one major star — White Sox ace lefthander Chris Sale — has been dealt.
"Given the landscape of players that remain out there, I would expect more activity later this month as we get closer to spring training," said Falvey, the new Twins chief baseball officer. "We're in the same boat. We're looking for opportunities late this offseason, and we have the flexibility to do that. Jim [Pohlad] has been very supportive of that. If an opportunity presents itself, we'll be ready to strike."
That could be a free agent, and Falvey said he is in touch with agents on a daily basis, monitoring whether contract demands are falling as players grow impatient. He's willing to change the Twins' offseason plans if he finds a bargain.