MLB Rumors: Brewers surprise trade, Cardinals boring winter, Twins fire sale

We are a few games away from baseball's Final Four. The New York Mets have already moved on to the NLCS, awaiting the winner of a highly entertaining Padres-Dodgers series. In the AL, meanwhile, Detroit leads Cleveland 2-1 and New York leads Kansas City 2-1. Anything can happen in baseball, especially in October, which is the beauty of this wacky and wonderful sport.

For the teams no longer playing, however, all sights are set on the offseason. Just about every team, with a few notable exceptions, will go into next season with designs on making the playoffs and potentially getting to the World Series. With the recent success of teams like Detroit or last season's Diamondbacks, there's really no excuse not to aim high.

That said, this should be a fascinating winter as free agency and trade season pick up. Each front office has a unique approach — some more effective than others — and several big names are expected to change teams in the months to come.

So, without further ado, let's dive into the latest MLB rumors.

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MLB Rumors: Twins fire sale looming with ownership change on the horizon

Joe Pohlad, executive chairman of the Minnesota Twins, is officially open to selling the team. The Pohlad family has owned the Twins for 40 years. Purchased for $44 million back in 1984, the club is now worth a projected $1.5 billion, per Phil Miller of the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Minnesota currently has the third-longest tenured ownership group in baseball behind the Yankees and White Sox. We don't show up to the stadium or flip on the television to cheer on the ownership group, but the Twins fandom generally has a positive relationship with the Pohlads. Any ownership change can be unsettling, as there's no guaranteee that the next group prioritizes the right things.

The Twins occupy one of the smallest markets in the MLB, which makes this a doubly troubling development. We've already seen Minnesota cut corners financially time and time again, even if the Twins are willing to spend when it really counts (see: Carlos Correa). With controlling stake in the team soon to change hands, it feels like only a matter of time until the Twins start trimming costs.

It could, in theory, go the other direction. The Orioles dealt for Corbin Burnes shortly before announcing new ownership, for example. Sometimes an aggressive owner takes over and isn't afraid to put their money where their mouth is. More often than not, however, it goes the other direction — especially with non-major markets.

Minnesota is fresh off a dispiriting collapse down the stretch of the season, which saw both Kansas City and Detroit surpass them in the AL Central (and the postseason standings). The Twins are heading back to the drawing board with a new layer of uncertainty hanging over the franchise, which impacts everyone from the GM, to the players, to the other full-time staffers around the building.

It's not ideal.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals expected to prioritize minor league development in 2025

The St. Louis Cardinals' offseason is off to a rather tepid start, which is to say that nothing much has changed. John Mozeliak is now the MLB's most powerful lame duck, having already announced plans to step away in 2025. The Cards probably should've bit the bullet a year early, but out of respect for Mozeliak and his accomplishments in St. Louis, that was never really on the table.

Chaim Bloom is expected to take over presidential duties once Mozeliak does step down. In the meantime, Bloom will take command of the Cards' minor-league system, working to reboot and revamp a stagnant player development track. Bloom has a long history of reworking farm systems, so this is his bag.

"[Chaim Bloom] will be charged with making changes in the Cardinals’ farm system based on his findings," writes Katie Woo of The Athletic. "His first and most pressing task: hiring a new director of player development."

A complicated tenure in Boston has not exactly ingratiated Bloom with the Cardinals fandom, but a new perspective is quite welcome after toiling for so long under Mozeliak's supervision. That said, St. Louis is dubbing next season a "reset," per Mozeliak's own words. St. Louis has no plans to outspend the competition in free agency or level up in the immediate future. Instead, the Cards are playing the long game and taking a calculated step back after back-to-back disappointing seasons.

"There are some fundamental things we want to do differently in the organization,” Mozeliak told reporters (h/t The Athletic). “Then, ultimately, as we continue to have success at the minor-league and player procurement level, then we can time it right to then try to invest at the major-league level."

Sounds like a real snooze-fest for St. Louis fans. It is absolutely the right spirit of approach, as St. Louis has ignored its farm system for far too long, but basically ceding the NL Central to Milwaukee, Chicago, or the ascendent Reds is not exactly what fans expect from such a historically successful organization.

The Mets were supposed to "reset" once upon a time and now they're in the NLCS, though, so who really knows what will happen next season.

MLB Rumors: Brewers could trade Devin Williams in final year of his contract

The Milwaukee Brewers' first season under Pat Murphy was an unequivocal success, highlighted by their ability to trump Craig Counsell's Cubs in the NL Central standings. That said, another disappointing first-round exit has Milwaukee going back to the drawing board in need of meaningful changes. The Brewers can't keep running it back with the same core and expecting a different result. Especially not after ceding Corbin Burnes to another team in his contract year.

Milwaukee has the tools to build a sustainable contender, but the Brewers also occupy a notoriously small market. That can make retaining top-end talent difficult. GM Matt Arnold is keenly aware of those limitations.

Devin Williams was absolutely dominant on the bump for Milwaukee this season, posting a 1.25 ERA and 0.97 WHIP across 21.2 innings. He picked up 14 saves in 22 appearances and struck out 38, just eviscerating hitters down the stretch. Then, in a do-or-die Game 3 against the Mets, Williams coughed up the go-ahead, three-run home run to Pete Alonso that ended Milwaukee's season. He allowed one home run all regular season, but couldn't keep Alonso from smashing an oppo-taco when the lights were brightest.

That is bound to leave a bitter taste in the Brewers fandom, but trading Williams shouldn't even be on the table. He's one of the most dependable closers in the sport when he's healthy and the Brewers are one well-timed hot streak away from the World Series. It sucks when competitive teams get worse for financial reasons, and Milwaukee's front office so blatantly admitting the need to cut costs is not a great sign of what's to come.

That said, quality relief pitching is a value commodity around the MLB and the Brewers can probably get a nice prospect haul for Williams. Milwaukee has already reaped the rewards of the Burnes trade, with Joey Ortiz getting regular reps in the infield. Perhaps a Williams trade can help Milwuakee address another area of need.