Reagan Responds
Choosing a Valentine's gift and pondering the Twins
February 14, 2020
How do you know what the right gift is for Valentine's Day?
There are a lot of different routes to take when choosing a gift for a significant other for Valentine’s Day. Some people decide to go get expensive jewelry, some go for cards and flowers, and others opt for dinner at a nice restaurant. When choosing a gift, it truly does depend on the person – each relationship is different. The most important thing to keep in mind is that expensive does not always mean better. Sometimes a card and some flowers will be more than good enough. A steak dinner at the best place in town is not a requirement, it’s sim ply an option. There are lots of ways to show someone that you love them without breaking the bank, and on a college campus, that’s likely what a lot of couples will be doing this Friday. Simple spending time together and creating meaningful, lasting memories will mean more than any fancy dinner. Valentine’s Day is just another holiday where you get an opportunity to tell that special someone that you love them – so take that chance and let them know that you care about them.
What do you think of the Twins prospects with their trades?
After some drawn-out negotiations and headache surrounding the Brusdar Graterol trade, and more specifically, the health of his shoulder, the Twins agreed to send Graterol to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for their pitcher Kenta Maeda.
My initial reaction to this news was a bit concerning. I had thought that trading what was once a blue-chip prospect in the Twins farm system for an aging, slightly above average pitcher was a huge mistake -- and then I thought about the Twins’ goals for the 2020 season.
In 2019 the Twins set the record for home runs in a single season. With the way that baseball has been trending in the last couple of years, that record has a chance to be broken again in 2020. The bottom line is that the 2019 Twins won the American League Central for the first time since 2010 and managed to create baseball postseason buzz in Minnesota for the first time in a decade. The expectations are rising, as they should be; they were the most prolific home run hitting team in baseball history last year -- that comes with some lofty expectations.
The 2020 Twins will be expected to win the American League Central again this year. With that as an expectation, the Twins are in “win now” mode and will be for the next several years. The goal is no longer a playoff berth, the goal has become World Series appearance or even championship for the first time since 1991.
Brusdar Graterol was slated to be, at best, a bullpen piece for the Twins this year. As such a young player with an extensive injury history, it was unlikely that he would have any significant impact on a 2020 playoff run. In trading him, the Twins get themselves a solid third piece to add to their pitching rotation for the 2020 season in Maeda. He will add consistent, quality outings to the starting rotation -- something that the Twins haven’t had much of in recent years.
It’s been a while since the Twins front office made “win now” moves, especially for impact pitching. With the suspension of Michael Pineda until mid- May, Maeda will be the third man in the rotation and will be asked to be a significant contributor for the first couple of months
Reagan Hoverman is a student at UW-River Falls.