Gleeman and The Geek

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' having a playoff spot there for the taking with six weeks left, why the rotation desperately needs first-half Joe Ryan back, the dramatic in-season bullpen turnaround, why Alex Jackson is such an uninspired choice for a roster spot, and what lessons Tom Pohlad can learn from the Padres. 0:44 Swept by the Phillies, then a sweep of the Braves 2:32 Where things stand: 63-65 with 34 games left 3:32 Twins hold the final AL wild card spot — 40% playoff odds 4:20 Fourth-easiest remaining schedule in baseball 5:04 The seven-team wild card logjam 5:56 Tiebreakers: the Twins have them over almost everyone 8:14 AL Central odds and the six games left vs. the White Sox 12:16 Why the AL playoff field is wide open 15:52 What this season still has to accomplish 21:14 Last August's fire sale and the joylessness of a lost season 25:43 The rotation is the problem: worst ERA in the AL since the break 29:46 This rotation could really use Joe Ryan 35:06 Kendry Rojas as rotation depth at Triple-A 36:16 Derek Shelton's quicker hook 40:53 The bullpen is now the strength of the team 43:34 Reading the Opening Day bullpen out loud, one disaster at a time 52:17 Luke Keaschall is back to his rookie form 58:00 Royce Lewis and the shortage of right-handed bats 1:00:29 Why not Walker Jenkins? 1:01:39 The Alex Jackson move: DFA'd, cleared waivers, recalled two hours later 1:06:57 Byron Buxton isn't 100%, and Jenkins is a real center fielder 1:09:47 John pushes back: where do the at-bats come from? 1:16:52 Kaelen Culpepper's first 10 games 1:22:00 Attendance is down 83,000 1:27:23 What Tom Pohlad should take from the Padres sale 1:36:32 The 2023 payroll cut and kneecapped a five-year plan 1:42:07 Coming up: Padres, A's, then 15 straight vs. the AL Central

Aaron and John recap the Twins' trade deadline moves to add Jeff Hoffman, A.J. Minter, and Dean Kremer, speculate about the moves they didn't make while keeping the lineup intact with Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach, and wonder what's wrong with Joe Ryan. 0:00 Family Feud, Steve Harvey and we got a good one for you today 2:06 Twins add Jeff Hoffman, AJ Minter and Dean Kremer at the trade deadline 3:51 Twins slip below .500 while the AL wild card race stays wide open 5:35 Front office and ownership did their part — now the players have to play 7:52 A rebuilt bullpen is useless if you can't build the bridge to it 10:44 Tom Pohlad in Kansas City: payroll will rise, trust takes longer 14:14 Aaron gets punched in the shoulder by Tom Pohlad 15:51 The looming lockout and a possible $150 million payroll floor 20:08 Toronto sends $3.75 million to cover Jeff Hoffman's 2027 salary 22:14 Jeff Hoffman under control for 2027 at $7 million is the real prize 23:35 AJ Minter was the no-brainer; Dean Kremer cost a premium 24:53 Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani go to the Mets for AJ Minter 27:45 Johnnardo Reyes, the 19-year-old given up for Dean Kremer 29:15 Dasan Hill headlines the Jeff Hoffman package to Toronto 31:41 Why the Twins traded low-minors upside instead of Double-A depth 36:10 Grading the deadline 39:24 A thin right-handed bat market 45:13 Get to know Jeff Hoffman 49:00 Losing the closer job to Louie Varland — the strangest domino of the fire sale 49:40 Why Hoffman's ERA lies: 97 mph, a 50 percent whiff slider, 12.3 strikeouts per nine 54:00 Why Shelton keeps Gomez as closer and uses Hoffman earlier 58:19 Dean Kremer and the 2024 scars: Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, rotation question marks 1:06:30 The trade that died: Trevor Larnach to Houston for Bryan Abreu, nixed by Jim Crane 1:11:37 Trevor Larnach's arbitration raise and his offseason trade market 1:13:19 Ryan Jeffers stays as the Rays and Red Sox pay up for catchers 1:16:01 The qualifying offer case: pay Ryan Jeffers $24 million next year 1:19:17 No bats added — Josh Bell, Larnach and the lineup stay intact 1:21:06 Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins and Byron Buxton's hip 1:27:39 The bullpen remodel: Hoffman, Gomez, Morris, Minter and Tommy Nance 1:29:38 Joe Ryan's discouraging start against the Royals 1:31:37 A 3.17 first-half ERA and a 4.93 second-half ERA — the most extreme split in Twins history 1:32:11 Joe Ryan's cryptic quotes and performance 1:36:25 Dead arm or something worse? 1:39:45 Why selling Joe Ryan stopped being an option once his trade value cratered 1:41:41 Joe Ryan's performance also affects the offseason. 1:44:51 Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton matter more than the entire deadline 1:48:56 Field of Dreams game in Iowa, Patreon Q&A Friday, and a wide-open American League

Aaron and John talk about the up-and-down path the Twins have taken to an expected destination, Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas debuting, Mick Abel's elbow injury, Royce Lewis' return, and how to address the glaring bullpen and defensive weaknesses.

Aaron and John talk about what the Twins' surprising four-game sweep of the Tigers means and doesn't mean, Taj Bradley and Mick Abel taking steps forward, Brooks Lee coming through off the bench, and Ryan Jeffers' mastery of ABS challenges.

Aaron and John dig into the latest spring training cuts, unpack what they signal, and lay out their expectations for how the Twins' 2026 season could unfold.

Aaron and John talk about the national expectations for the Twins, Luke Keaschall being cleared to play the outfield again, Alan Roden vs. James Outman, how much is riding on Brooks Lee, and trying to make sense of the elderly bullpen group.

Aaron and John talk about the buzzkill of the Twins losing Pablo López for the season on Day 1, the domino effect on both the rotation and the bullpen, and takeaways from an interview with Tom Pohlad ... or maybe Paul Tohmad.