#-1: Twins (Re-Entry!). OK, what with so many local teams playing Games or at least making news this week, but no one standing out, I don't really know where to go with the survey this week. But one thing stands out: Three pro teams made trades this week. And you know what I realized? Trades are fun. They turn every fan into a General Manager. They can wheel and deal players like they're trading cards, and you always get the feeling that after you move players, the ones you get in return are the ones that will make your team better, instantly and significantly. Whether that's true or not won't be sussed out until you get through the life of the trade, but that doesn't matter now. What matters now is how the trade makes you feel. It's like rearranging the furniture in your living room, or getting a whole new hairstyle. You are transformed, and you feel it in your bones that it's for the better.
Of the three pro teams that pulled off transactions, I am going to put the Twins on top. Frankly, between them, the Timberwolves and the Wild, the Twins made the least significant move. But for one thing, they didn't lose any Games this screening week like the other two. And but for another, the move they made for Pitcher Kento Maeda comes on the heels of the moves they made for Pitchers Homer Bailey and Rich Hill, a transaction I didn't cover completely in a previous WMNSS. I will now, and if you do stand back, you can see a plan Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are putting into place. Is it a surefire winner? No. What Twins fans have been clamoring for is a top-of-the-line Starting Pitcher, a shutdown ace who you feel like will guarantee a win every fifth Game.
Obviously the Twins haven't done that. But the front office is addressing their rotation, a weak spot that helped sink their breakthrough season, by overloading on arms that are distressed in the hopes of seeing a bounce-back off of a value-laden contract. And, to be generous, there is some sense to that. Rich Hill, in particular, is another of those Pitchers who has been injured but has been picked up by the Twins. At his best, he can be that SP who can shut down foes in an offseason.
Moreover, the Twins finally did what many fans were demanding they do when they finally got Maeda: Trade one of their prospects. It was Brusdar Graterol, their top-rated pitching prospect (whose last name sounds like a steroid, to be honest). He was envisioned to be a bullpen rocket, but FalVine instead tried to flip him to Boston as part of the huge Mookie Betts/David Price-to-the-Los Angeles Dodgers three-team blockbuster trade. (The Red Sox balked at Graterol after seeing his medical write-up; after negotiations failed, the three-team deal was off, but the Twins just sent Graterol to the Dodgers instead. Betts and Price still went to Los Angeles, just as part of a conventional two-team trade.) What they get in Maeda is a sneaky-good pitcher with some control and heat, but also has a team-friendly contract for a few more seasons. Maeda isn't a bad guy to add to the rotation, and the Twins got him.
So all in all, there is still a lot of wishing and hoping with the Starting Pitching. But with so many irons in the fire, Twins brass probably thinks that one or two of them will get hot and dependable for the postseason. And that's the key: There is an assumption that the Twins will make the postseason. There will always be some doubt; Cleveland still has some firepower while the White Sox could make the same jump Minnesota made last year. But with Houston being shamed after their sign-stealing scandal and Boston wanting to shed payroll, it looks as though the Yankees are the class of the American League and then ... ?
We were hoping that Falvey and Lavine could capitalize on what the Twins had last year. Maybe, just maybe, they thought the squad was a year too early, and 2020 is the time to pounce. That could be a Pollyanna-ish view, but hey, the Twins didn't lose any Games this week, so I will give these guys the benefit of the doubt this week.
#-2: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -4). I hate to temper my enthusiasm for the female U. icers. They beat the shit out of the Beavers in Bemidji St. last weekend (scores of 4-1 and 6-3), plus Wisconsin got upset at Minnesota State-Mankato. I thought that meant that the Gophers would rise to the #1 spot. Instead, it's Cornell. In fact, the Gophs are only in fourth place. And what's worst of all? In the PairWise, they're only third. I'm kind of shocked, because that means that it isn't just two teams that are contenders in the NCAA Tournament but three -- and four, if you count Northeastern, who is also supposed to be good. So I don't know what to think now. All I know is that this club ends their regular season hosting the Mavericks for a pair this weekend.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -7). Maybe I should put these guys in the top spot. Somehow, someway, trading the albatross that is the Andrew Wiggins max contract should become a state-wide holiday. But General Manager Gersson Rosas somehow moved him out ... as well as six other players in the days leading up to the Trade Deadline. As of right now, there are only three Timberwolves who were on this squad at the start of the regular season, and one of them was Jarrett Culver, the team's first-round pick who was selected by Rosas just before he was hired. Only Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Okogie have more tenure on the Wolves than Rosas. That is fucking insane.
And that is manna from heaven to GM wannabes who now will fill -- well, go back to -- Target Center without bags over their heads. Because it was absolutely imperative that this organization do something to fight the metastasizing apathy that the 13-Game losing streak was torturing the fanbase with. And so -- somehow -- Rosas finally got the guy we all were alerted to as The Guy He Always Wanted: D'Angelo Russel. Towns was trying to get his friend to come to Minnesota over the off-season, but he signed a deal with Golden State. There really was no reason to move him so soon after the signing, but giving up two draft picks (one a first-rounder that is protected for the rich 2021 Draft) was the final piece of the puzzle.
And so Russell gives KAT a jolt because he's a friend and a guy who can give him the ball on the pick-and-roll. Russell gives Ryan Saunders a jolt because he is the type of Three-Point shooter he and Rosas want this team to predicate on offense. And Russell gives Timberwolves fans a jolt because, for once in this godawful town, a big guy we wanted to come here finally came here.
Let's not forget the other pieces that have come over. Malik Beasley is another three maven. Juan Hernangomez is a prospect Rosas might sign long-term. And James Johnson (domestic violence rap aside) will be the veteran presence any improving team needs. But really, it's all about Russell. And they got him ... while shipping off an enigma with a huge contract. The freedom from being under that psychological burden alone is worth it, no matter what the record of this team from here on out.
And how are they doing so far? Well, they sleepwalked through the loss at home to Atlanta, which may have been the nadir for Owner Glenn Taylor and the trigger to pull off all of these trades. But behind the frisky energy of Beasley's seven Threes, the Timberwolves finally broke their losing streak Saturday and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (who, let's face it, would kill the Woofie Dogs if this weren't a regular season Game in February) by 27. They scored the most Points they have ever scored in franchise history, and that instant offense will be a trend. Shitty defense will be a trend too; after going toe-to-toe with the Raptors in Toronto Monday for a half, they pulled away to an 11-Point victory despite having Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka out with injuries and despite Russell finally being able to play in a Wolves uni after sufficient rest for his quad. (That's where trading Robert Covington hurts; he probably was the only good defenseman the club had, so now the Wolves will need to outscore opponents every Game.) So, a 1-2 screening week. But hey, Standrew Wiggins is gone!
They host Charlotte. Okogie then goes to Chicago to participate in All-Star festivities this weekend.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: -5). The third and final installment of Trades Are Fun!!!
While it's fun as a fan, we have to be cognizant that it sucks to be a player, especially one that has been in trade talks for a long, long time. Such was the case with Jason Zucker, a Wild favorite who, by all accounts, is a stand-up person in the locker room and for The Media. (His wife works for KFAN, a place I used to work at, so I feel an unearned bond with her that way.) The writing has been on the wall for him to move on for some time. That timeline coincides with the countdown of Kirill Kaprizov, the dyanmo who was drafted by the Wild seemingly three decades ago, finally coming over from the Kontinental Hockey League. His offensive production has remained fantastic, so his spot as a top-six Forward for Minnesota has virtually been etched in stone. But with such a logjam of Forwards -- Zach Parise, Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarrello have huge contracts and generous no-trade provisions -- Zucker has been the most likely Forward shipped out.
Zucker was supposed to go to Pittsburgh last year in a trade for Phil Kessel, but Kessel thought the Wild were a shitshow, so he said no. (He got traded to The Bastard Winnipeg Jets instead.) Finally, with the Wild treading water for far too long, Zucker was traded ... to Pittsburgh, in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk, Defenseman prospect Calen Addison, and a first-rounder in this year's draft. Everybody feels bad for Zucker, but he's going to a place where he'll probably not be buried on the Fourth Line (he vented about being on the Fourth Line shortly before he was traded) and he'll be fed pucks from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins want to win now; Zucker might be the guy who will help them.
But long-term, you cannot help but think the Wild are going to come out ahead. Forget about Galchenyuk; he was the fourth overall pick in the 2012 Draft which has come to be known as a total bust -- who knew? And the draft pick, while unprotected, will probably land in the late teens to early twenties. It's a good and deep draft, though, and we'll see how General Manager Bill Guerin can pick 'em. No, it's this propsect, Addison, who's the prize. He was the top Penguins prospect and helped Canada to gold in the World Juniors over New Year's, and while his defense is on the mediocre side, some say he can quarterback a Power Play right now. That sounds like a stud to me. Hopefully he pans out. One other thing: For a team that was capped out like mad, this Zucker trade alone gave them huge salary flexibility for next year -- $20 million, by some estimates. They still have those massive contracts of Parise and Ryan Suter to lug around, but now, the Wild can finally start a rebuild in earnest.
As for on the ice, they won three-of-four; they beat The Bastard North Stars, but lost at home to The Bastard Quebec Nordiques. They remain four Points off of the final playoff spot in a mediocre-to-bad Western Conference. (And by the by, I put the Wild underneath the Timberwolves because, hey, the Timberwolves managed to move the Andrew Wiggins contract!!!) With the way they're playing, however, if they get a Goalie who has his shit together right now and trade, say, Matt Dumba or Jonas Brodin for him, they might be able to make a run. Just spitballin'.
Their four-Game homestand ends with contests vs. the Rangers and San Jose.
#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2). Follow up a convincing win at Wisconsin Thursday by getting drilled at home by Michigan Monday. According to Charlie Creme, the Golden Gophers remain The Penultimate Team Out -- still a chance, but dammit, they needed to beat the Wolverines. And now the club goes on the road for contests versus Ohio St. and Michigan St.
#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -6). Crushed the Badgers at Williams Wednesday but couldn't keep up with tournament lock Penn St. (?!) Saturday despite a monster performance from Daniel Oturu. Coincidentally, according to Joey Brackets, they, like their female counterparts, are also The Penultimate Team Out of The Big Dance (if you consider the play-in Games part of the tourney, and if you don't, you're right). These young men have one tilt this week: Iowa Sunday at The Barn. Will that change things?
#-7: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -1). Geez, I thought these guys were on the upswing. I really felt that after beating Michigan St. at 3M Friday, 4-1, that Gopher men's ice hockey was back. But then they fell to the Spartans Saturday, 4-2, ending their winning streak at five Games. Worse yet, they are now stuck in 19th in the PairWise. It's not over, but I may have overestimated the team's margin for error. They travel to Notre Dame for a two-Game set this weekend.
#-8: Gopher softball (Re-Entry!). Softball's back, baby! And the Gophers are back with a ... 3-2 weekend in the NFCA Division 1 Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., over the weekend. The defeats were to Missouri and ranked Kentucky, therefore Minnesota, which was ranked 8th in the preseason USA Today poll, dropped to 14th. Reaching the program's first-ever Women's College World Series will be a tall task to repeat.
The club remains in Clearwater this weekend to participate in a different tournament, the ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. The U. plays four Games, three of which are against ranked colleges: 16th-ranked Oklahoma St., a rematch against Mizzou (which leapt from Not Ranked to 19th), and fifth-ranked Florida St. The matches against the Cowgirls and the Seminoles are to be played on Friday, the tourney's first day.
#-9: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -3). Yeah, no surprise -- Penn St. came into Maturi and crushed the Goofers, 31-10. The U. won only three of the matches, and the Nittany Lions got two Major Decisions, and Technical Fall, and a Fall. Oh, and the Goofs got so scared that they forfeited the first match, at 125. Way to compete, guys.
Oh, great. They're at #1 Iowa Saturday night. They could get beaten down worse than they did Sunday.
Of the three pro teams that pulled off transactions, I am going to put the Twins on top. Frankly, between them, the Timberwolves and the Wild, the Twins made the least significant move. But for one thing, they didn't lose any Games this screening week like the other two. And but for another, the move they made for Pitcher Kento Maeda comes on the heels of the moves they made for Pitchers Homer Bailey and Rich Hill, a transaction I didn't cover completely in a previous WMNSS. I will now, and if you do stand back, you can see a plan Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are putting into place. Is it a surefire winner? No. What Twins fans have been clamoring for is a top-of-the-line Starting Pitcher, a shutdown ace who you feel like will guarantee a win every fifth Game.
Obviously the Twins haven't done that. But the front office is addressing their rotation, a weak spot that helped sink their breakthrough season, by overloading on arms that are distressed in the hopes of seeing a bounce-back off of a value-laden contract. And, to be generous, there is some sense to that. Rich Hill, in particular, is another of those Pitchers who has been injured but has been picked up by the Twins. At his best, he can be that SP who can shut down foes in an offseason.
Moreover, the Twins finally did what many fans were demanding they do when they finally got Maeda: Trade one of their prospects. It was Brusdar Graterol, their top-rated pitching prospect (whose last name sounds like a steroid, to be honest). He was envisioned to be a bullpen rocket, but FalVine instead tried to flip him to Boston as part of the huge Mookie Betts/David Price-to-the-Los Angeles Dodgers three-team blockbuster trade. (The Red Sox balked at Graterol after seeing his medical write-up; after negotiations failed, the three-team deal was off, but the Twins just sent Graterol to the Dodgers instead. Betts and Price still went to Los Angeles, just as part of a conventional two-team trade.) What they get in Maeda is a sneaky-good pitcher with some control and heat, but also has a team-friendly contract for a few more seasons. Maeda isn't a bad guy to add to the rotation, and the Twins got him.
So all in all, there is still a lot of wishing and hoping with the Starting Pitching. But with so many irons in the fire, Twins brass probably thinks that one or two of them will get hot and dependable for the postseason. And that's the key: There is an assumption that the Twins will make the postseason. There will always be some doubt; Cleveland still has some firepower while the White Sox could make the same jump Minnesota made last year. But with Houston being shamed after their sign-stealing scandal and Boston wanting to shed payroll, it looks as though the Yankees are the class of the American League and then ... ?
We were hoping that Falvey and Lavine could capitalize on what the Twins had last year. Maybe, just maybe, they thought the squad was a year too early, and 2020 is the time to pounce. That could be a Pollyanna-ish view, but hey, the Twins didn't lose any Games this week, so I will give these guys the benefit of the doubt this week.
#-2: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -4). I hate to temper my enthusiasm for the female U. icers. They beat the shit out of the Beavers in Bemidji St. last weekend (scores of 4-1 and 6-3), plus Wisconsin got upset at Minnesota State-Mankato. I thought that meant that the Gophers would rise to the #1 spot. Instead, it's Cornell. In fact, the Gophs are only in fourth place. And what's worst of all? In the PairWise, they're only third. I'm kind of shocked, because that means that it isn't just two teams that are contenders in the NCAA Tournament but three -- and four, if you count Northeastern, who is also supposed to be good. So I don't know what to think now. All I know is that this club ends their regular season hosting the Mavericks for a pair this weekend.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -7). Maybe I should put these guys in the top spot. Somehow, someway, trading the albatross that is the Andrew Wiggins max contract should become a state-wide holiday. But General Manager Gersson Rosas somehow moved him out ... as well as six other players in the days leading up to the Trade Deadline. As of right now, there are only three Timberwolves who were on this squad at the start of the regular season, and one of them was Jarrett Culver, the team's first-round pick who was selected by Rosas just before he was hired. Only Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Okogie have more tenure on the Wolves than Rosas. That is fucking insane.
And that is manna from heaven to GM wannabes who now will fill -- well, go back to -- Target Center without bags over their heads. Because it was absolutely imperative that this organization do something to fight the metastasizing apathy that the 13-Game losing streak was torturing the fanbase with. And so -- somehow -- Rosas finally got the guy we all were alerted to as The Guy He Always Wanted: D'Angelo Russel. Towns was trying to get his friend to come to Minnesota over the off-season, but he signed a deal with Golden State. There really was no reason to move him so soon after the signing, but giving up two draft picks (one a first-rounder that is protected for the rich 2021 Draft) was the final piece of the puzzle.
And so Russell gives KAT a jolt because he's a friend and a guy who can give him the ball on the pick-and-roll. Russell gives Ryan Saunders a jolt because he is the type of Three-Point shooter he and Rosas want this team to predicate on offense. And Russell gives Timberwolves fans a jolt because, for once in this godawful town, a big guy we wanted to come here finally came here.
Let's not forget the other pieces that have come over. Malik Beasley is another three maven. Juan Hernangomez is a prospect Rosas might sign long-term. And James Johnson (domestic violence rap aside) will be the veteran presence any improving team needs. But really, it's all about Russell. And they got him ... while shipping off an enigma with a huge contract. The freedom from being under that psychological burden alone is worth it, no matter what the record of this team from here on out.
And how are they doing so far? Well, they sleepwalked through the loss at home to Atlanta, which may have been the nadir for Owner Glenn Taylor and the trigger to pull off all of these trades. But behind the frisky energy of Beasley's seven Threes, the Timberwolves finally broke their losing streak Saturday and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (who, let's face it, would kill the Woofie Dogs if this weren't a regular season Game in February) by 27. They scored the most Points they have ever scored in franchise history, and that instant offense will be a trend. Shitty defense will be a trend too; after going toe-to-toe with the Raptors in Toronto Monday for a half, they pulled away to an 11-Point victory despite having Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka out with injuries and despite Russell finally being able to play in a Wolves uni after sufficient rest for his quad. (That's where trading Robert Covington hurts; he probably was the only good defenseman the club had, so now the Wolves will need to outscore opponents every Game.) So, a 1-2 screening week. But hey, Standrew Wiggins is gone!
They host Charlotte. Okogie then goes to Chicago to participate in All-Star festivities this weekend.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: -5). The third and final installment of Trades Are Fun!!!
While it's fun as a fan, we have to be cognizant that it sucks to be a player, especially one that has been in trade talks for a long, long time. Such was the case with Jason Zucker, a Wild favorite who, by all accounts, is a stand-up person in the locker room and for The Media. (His wife works for KFAN, a place I used to work at, so I feel an unearned bond with her that way.) The writing has been on the wall for him to move on for some time. That timeline coincides with the countdown of Kirill Kaprizov, the dyanmo who was drafted by the Wild seemingly three decades ago, finally coming over from the Kontinental Hockey League. His offensive production has remained fantastic, so his spot as a top-six Forward for Minnesota has virtually been etched in stone. But with such a logjam of Forwards -- Zach Parise, Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarrello have huge contracts and generous no-trade provisions -- Zucker has been the most likely Forward shipped out.
Zucker was supposed to go to Pittsburgh last year in a trade for Phil Kessel, but Kessel thought the Wild were a shitshow, so he said no. (He got traded to The Bastard Winnipeg Jets instead.) Finally, with the Wild treading water for far too long, Zucker was traded ... to Pittsburgh, in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk, Defenseman prospect Calen Addison, and a first-rounder in this year's draft. Everybody feels bad for Zucker, but he's going to a place where he'll probably not be buried on the Fourth Line (he vented about being on the Fourth Line shortly before he was traded) and he'll be fed pucks from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins want to win now; Zucker might be the guy who will help them.
But long-term, you cannot help but think the Wild are going to come out ahead. Forget about Galchenyuk; he was the fourth overall pick in the 2012 Draft which has come to be known as a total bust -- who knew? And the draft pick, while unprotected, will probably land in the late teens to early twenties. It's a good and deep draft, though, and we'll see how General Manager Bill Guerin can pick 'em. No, it's this propsect, Addison, who's the prize. He was the top Penguins prospect and helped Canada to gold in the World Juniors over New Year's, and while his defense is on the mediocre side, some say he can quarterback a Power Play right now. That sounds like a stud to me. Hopefully he pans out. One other thing: For a team that was capped out like mad, this Zucker trade alone gave them huge salary flexibility for next year -- $20 million, by some estimates. They still have those massive contracts of Parise and Ryan Suter to lug around, but now, the Wild can finally start a rebuild in earnest.
As for on the ice, they won three-of-four; they beat The Bastard North Stars, but lost at home to The Bastard Quebec Nordiques. They remain four Points off of the final playoff spot in a mediocre-to-bad Western Conference. (And by the by, I put the Wild underneath the Timberwolves because, hey, the Timberwolves managed to move the Andrew Wiggins contract!!!) With the way they're playing, however, if they get a Goalie who has his shit together right now and trade, say, Matt Dumba or Jonas Brodin for him, they might be able to make a run. Just spitballin'.
Their four-Game homestand ends with contests vs. the Rangers and San Jose.
#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2). Follow up a convincing win at Wisconsin Thursday by getting drilled at home by Michigan Monday. According to Charlie Creme, the Golden Gophers remain The Penultimate Team Out -- still a chance, but dammit, they needed to beat the Wolverines. And now the club goes on the road for contests versus Ohio St. and Michigan St.
#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -6). Crushed the Badgers at Williams Wednesday but couldn't keep up with tournament lock Penn St. (?!) Saturday despite a monster performance from Daniel Oturu. Coincidentally, according to Joey Brackets, they, like their female counterparts, are also The Penultimate Team Out of The Big Dance (if you consider the play-in Games part of the tourney, and if you don't, you're right). These young men have one tilt this week: Iowa Sunday at The Barn. Will that change things?
#-7: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -1). Geez, I thought these guys were on the upswing. I really felt that after beating Michigan St. at 3M Friday, 4-1, that Gopher men's ice hockey was back. But then they fell to the Spartans Saturday, 4-2, ending their winning streak at five Games. Worse yet, they are now stuck in 19th in the PairWise. It's not over, but I may have overestimated the team's margin for error. They travel to Notre Dame for a two-Game set this weekend.
#-8: Gopher softball (Re-Entry!). Softball's back, baby! And the Gophers are back with a ... 3-2 weekend in the NFCA Division 1 Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., over the weekend. The defeats were to Missouri and ranked Kentucky, therefore Minnesota, which was ranked 8th in the preseason USA Today poll, dropped to 14th. Reaching the program's first-ever Women's College World Series will be a tall task to repeat.
The club remains in Clearwater this weekend to participate in a different tournament, the ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. The U. plays four Games, three of which are against ranked colleges: 16th-ranked Oklahoma St., a rematch against Mizzou (which leapt from Not Ranked to 19th), and fifth-ranked Florida St. The matches against the Cowgirls and the Seminoles are to be played on Friday, the tourney's first day.
#-9: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -3). Yeah, no surprise -- Penn St. came into Maturi and crushed the Goofers, 31-10. The U. won only three of the matches, and the Nittany Lions got two Major Decisions, and Technical Fall, and a Fall. Oh, and the Goofs got so scared that they forfeited the first match, at 125. Way to compete, guys.
Oh, great. They're at #1 Iowa Saturday night. They could get beaten down worse than they did Sunday.
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