3 main takeaways from Twins press conference

Jeremy Zoll, Tom Pohlad and Derek Shelton faced the media on Tuesday.

What can be said about a baseball team that went 77-85 this season other than, "It is what it is"? That's essentially what the Twins' top three power brokers took 45 minutes to say. But there were a few newsy nuggets and funny moments that are definitely worth sharing with you, my beloved readers.

1. Pohlad, the latest and so far the most competent and trustworthy member of the family to run point for the team, was uncharacteristically (for a team owner, not for him) blunt in his assessment of the recent past and how it squares with his vision for the future of the team.

I've said repeatedly that the difference between what we're doing today and where we've been culturally, is by and large, this is an organization that, in my opinion, has been comfortable with the goal to be competitive. And I've clearly stated that our goal is to win a world championship. And that is the reason that we set high expectations for ourselves this year. Maybe expectations that some in this room thought were unreasonable, but if you're trying to redefine a culture and accomplish the ultimate goal, I think that's what's necessary.

Pretty refreshing to hear a Twins owner set the bar high. It was pointed out that the top seeds in this year's playoffs are the Rays and the Brewers, two teams whose financial realities mirror those of the Twins – constrained by a smaller market and thus a media rights ceiling that falls well short of those of the Yankees, Dodgers, etc.

And yet he said he wasn't going to hold the front office to a payroll limit like the ownership has done in the past. Pohlad indicated that he'd be open to green-lighting any deal that made sense if it would improve the team. In other words, he trusts GM Zoll and his department to be responsible stewards of the family's money. That's a breath of fresh air compared to the clunky, MBA-speak of his younger brother Joe, whose picture could be found next to the definition of "failson" in your dictionary.

2. Zoll might've said a little more than he realized when discussing the future of catcher Ryan Jeffers, whose contract expired after the 2026 season. The team could make him what's known as a qualifying offer – a one-year contract at a level set by the current collective bargaining agreement (currently $23 million). If Jeffers were to accept such an offer, he'd be back for another year before becoming a free agent again next year. Or they could go all-in and negotiate a long-term deal with Jeffers – something along the lines of, say, five years, $100 million. Instead, this is how Zoll characterized the Jeffers situation:

Ryan Jeffers, obviously, is set to become a free agent, which is a hole that we’ll need to plug considering the production he had in the lineup.

Doesn't sound like the Twins expect Jeffers to return, does it? It's certainly not a shocker. But I do believe it's the first time anyone affiliated with the team has made such an admission.

3. I asked Zoll if any of their current players would be deemed "untouchable" in trade talks this year. He began his response by extolling the merits of Byron Buxton, who has a no-trade clause and has insisted that he's not going waive it under any circumstances. (I meant to say "other than, of course, Byron Buxton, who has a no-trade clause and has insisted that he's not going to wave it under any circumstances" but I opted for brevity instead.) Then Zoll said, without naming any names, that the Twins fully expect that the nucleus of the next great Twins team will include all of the promising young players who have debuted here the last couple of years. In other words, if a rival GM thinks he's going to pry Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Brooks Lee, Luke Keaschall, et al, away from the Twins, they're wasting a phone call.

The other two figures at the dais drew laughs with their followup comments:

POHLAD: He’s really happy you didn’t ask me who the untouchables are.
SHELTON: And we’re not allowing him to answer that.

I took that to mean those two would name names – specifically the names I mentioned above – which GMs never want to do because it limits their leverage in potential trade talks. But it's clear the three are on the same page vis-a-vis the future of the key members of this roster.

My favorite part of the day was at the beginning, after the opening statements ended and the floor was opened to questions from the assembled media. Dustin Morse, the team's longtime communications/media relations guru, asked the Star Tribune's Patrick Reusse – the dean of Minnesota baseball writers – if he'd like the first question. Patrick's response: "Not really, no." Classic Reusse. I sat next to Patrick and throughout the press conference he kept leaning over toward me and sharing his typically snarky asides while I struggled to keep a straight face. Becoming a trusted member of Patrick's inner circle has been one of the joys of my career and I hope I never take it for granted.

No. 4 – Keaschall's Mad Dash

Now back to the countdown of the Top 5 Coolest Things I Saw at Target Field This Summer. Luke Keaschall has quickly become one of my favorite players to watch. He plays at one speed – Hair on Fire – and his balls-out mentality is not a fake in any way. He generally finishes each game with the dirtiest uniform on the field, well-earned by his headfirst slides and diving catches. If you ask anyone in the clubhouse about Keaschall's whole deal, nine times out of ten they'll shrug and say, "He was a wrestler in high school." And that pretty much sums it up.

The play that to me typifies the Luke Keaschall Experience happened in the same game as our No. 5 moment, Jenkins' first major league home run. In the sixth inning of that August 31 game vs. the Tigers, Keaschall drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Brooks Lee followed with a line drive to right field, a clear tw0-run single to give the Twins a 7-1 lead. But that's not exactly how it played out. See for yourself.

I love the video angle that shows all three runners. Focus on Keaschall as he brakes from first and doesn't stop moving until he's gliding belly-first across home plate. As color commentator/Twins legend Justin Morneau put it, "Watch Keaschall – left side of your screen. He never breaks stride. That is absolutely incredible."

I like to think that Morneau and I are amazed for the same reason – we're both former first basemen incapable of impressing anyone with our speed. The fact that he was an AL MVP and I never got further than the Tomahawk League is irrelevant here – those of us who never had wheels are generally in awe of those who can use their speed as a weapon. And that's why Keaschall's Mad Dash checks in at No. 4 on our countdown.