FIRST PITCH: 12:05 PM CDT

TV: Roku

RADIO: TREASURE ISLAND BASEBALL NETWORK

KNOW THINE ENEMY: Gaslamp Ball

Without getting too glib about the point, we’re probably not going to have a huge audience this afternoon. It’s Labor Day weekend, the weather looks good, the State Fair is approaching crunch time, the game is on Roku, and the Twins stink.

So, I’m going to dedicate this thread intro to one specific thought. It may not even be the greatest of thoughts (hence me pulling it out for a sparse crowd—hahaha), but it’s one that has been kicking around in my brain since the trade deadline.

Upon being cash-dumped traded back to the Houston Astros, one of the first statements Carlos Correa made revealed that he had been asking the Twins organization (possibly for some time) to switch to third base duties (his new HOU position with Jeremy Pena ensconced at SS).

My first thought was “that seems dumb”, what with the way that C-4 handled SS in Minnesota (brilliantly) and how Brooks Lee (next man up for the captain of the infielders) struggled just at 3B. But then, an interesting thing happened: installed as the everyday shortstop, Lee immediately looked comfortable at the position upon Correa’s departure and routinely stated how much more he enjoyed it than 3B.

Some of the defensive numbers back this up…

Obviously, the first thing you’ll notice from Lee’s career defensive numbers are a lot of minus signs in the Total Zone & Defensive Runs Saved categories. Let’s just say that he is primarily in the Bigs for his bat. But interestingly, he has graded out better at SS than 3B or 2B this season.

Of course, I won’t get it twisted—Lee does not profile as an everyday shortstop prospect. Not by body type, metrics, or just general career trajectory (especially with Kaelen Culpepper waiting in the wings).

But in a season where no configuration seemed to have been working, would it really have been so bad to try out Correa at third and Lee at short? What if—just maybe—something would have clicked and instead of falling face-first after early-June the team would have hung around Wild Card contention. Is the bullpen still intact? Is Correa still in town? Is fan morale something other than non-existent?

Flip-flopping 4 & 72 probably doesn’t save the 2025 season. But if both players were up for it, I can’t help but at least cogitate on the notion that it could have been tried—and it wasn’t. As such, today’s contest versus the San Diego Padres will be meaningless all but for the entertainment and contractual paychecks value.