MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The first step toward fortifying the fallen Minnesota Twins was a change in leadership, with chief baseball officer Derek Falvey plucked from Cleveland's front office and general manager Thad Levine hired from Texas.
The revamp stopped there, though, during an inaugural offseason for the new regime that was more methodical than it was a makeover.
''There are some great people here, some great players here. We never had any intention to come in here with a bulldozer and risk losing great players, great people, by making short-sighted, rash decisions,'' Levine said.
Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Miguel Sano form the under-25 core of a lineup that ranked sixth in total bases in the American League in 2016 despite a club-record 103 losses.