2022 has been a promising year so far for Minnesota professional sports. If you haven’t been paying close attention, there’s been many developing stories in the works for what should be a fun year for the Timberwolves, Twins, Vikings, and Wild. Make sure you’re following @LoonStateSports on Twitter to keep up with the latest stories, updates, and bets. By the way, if you’ve been following our college basketball bets, we’re on a bit of a heater with our 5th win in a row. Now onto the stories you came here for.
The Twins:
The MLB lockout is finally over, and with that comes spring training baseball, free agent signings, and big trades. The Twins dealt Josh Donaldson’s big fat contract to the Yankees in addition to Isiah Kiner-Falefa who was welcomed to Minnesota for hardly even 24 hours. This cleared up some space and allowed for one of the biggest, if not the biggest, free agent signing in club history. The Twins signed sensational shortstop Carlos Correa to a 3 year deal including opt outs after the first and second season. The Twins now have the first and second pick from the 2012 draft in Correa and Buxton, respectively. In Correa’s first ever defensive inning with the Twins in spring training, he made a diving stop going to his left and threw out a runner at first base. Welcome to Minnesota, sir! Other notable moves include trading for pitcher Sonny Gray, and both Catcher Gary Sanchez, and third baseman Gio Urshella in the Yankees trade. There were rumors of the Twins looking to get Sean Manaea or Frankie Montas from the A’s, but no transaction has been made thus far. I’d personally love to see the Twins pick up another arm before the season kicks off April 7th at Target field against the Mariners.
The Wolves:
I’m gonna preface this section with some honesty from yours truly. Basketball is the sport I watch least during the regular season, so this portion will be brief. The Wolves are currently 7th place in the Western conference, hoping to move up a slot into 6th to avoid a play-in game the first round of the playoffs. This would be the first time since the 2017-2018 season that the Timberwolves made the playoffs, and before that it was 2004. Karl Anthony Towns has been playing well of late, and it’s been a great season for the young star Anthony Edwards. Keep an eye on this team as they make a playoff push.
The Vikes:
It’s been a nerve racking, fun, and interesting off season for the Vikings so far to say the least. The off season began with clearing house, firing coach Mike Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman. The Vikings hired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensaw who previously served as the vice president of football operation for the Cleveland Browns, and coach Kevin O’Connell fresh off a Super Bowl with the LA Rams as their offensive coordinator. The Vikes agreed to terms with QB Kirk Cousins on a one year extension, signed LB Jordan Hicks, and DT Harrison Phillips. Things got interesting as talks of restructuring or trading star Danielle Hunter emerged, but he has stayed put so far and the Vikings just paid him out a large roster bonus. Hunter has only played 7 games the past two seasons, but is a real difference maker on the field when healthy. The most exciting move of the offseason so far was undoubtedly the signing of OLB Za’Darius Smith who was a stud for division rival Green Bay Packers. Smith had agreed to terms with the Ravens before backing out and signing with Minnesota. Most recently, the Vikings also signed Cornerback Chandon Sullivan who also most recently played for the Packers as their starting slot CB. This Vikings defense keeps adding pieces after a disappointing 2021 campaign.
The Wild:
The Wild are heating up again after a couple rough patches during the season got them off track. A scorching 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, the team is looking to make a run in the playoffs. The Wild are currently in 2nd place in the Central Division behind the Colorado Avalanche. Before the deadline, the Wild acquired netminder Marc-Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks in time for a playoff push. Fleury is a future hall of famer and the Wild came from behind to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 3-2 overtime thriller in his debut with Minnesota. The electrifying Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 81 points in 63 games. Keep an eye out for this team making a playoff push, and remember Loon has a future at +1600 for the Wild to win their first Stanley Cup.
Altogether, this has been a fun last couple weeks to be a Minnesota Sports fan. All four teams have a playoff push in the works, or have made big signings in the last couple weeks. The state of Minnesota has not seen a championship since 1991 when the Twins won it all in 7 games, and none of the other three franchises have won a championship. It’s time for the drought to end! This surely should be a year to remember with young superstars like Justin Jefferson, Carlos Correa, Anthony Edwards, and Kirill Kaprizov. Stay tuned and make sure to follow Loon for all the latest updates, signings, bets, and more.
-Schmidt
loonstatesports.com 