Fox 9 Sports Now: Jim Rich talks Minnesota Twins baseball with Al Newman

Sunday night on Fox 9 Sports Now, Jim Rich talked with former Twins' great and coach Al Newman as we wait for the players and owners to agree on terms to play the 2022 season.

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins should be in Spring Training right now, with pitchers and catchers more than two weeks in.

Position players should be at the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla., with snowbirds and vacation-goers watching the Twins in action. Instead, it’s mostly quiet as Major League Baseball owners locked out the players as the two sides have been unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

The two sides are negotiating over $11 billion. Owners seem content to have games get canceled, and players are standing their ground. The Twins, along with every other MLB team, have canceled their first two regular season series with no agreement in sight. Sunday night on Fox 9 Sports Now, Jim Rich talked with former Twins’ great and coach Al Newman about the season ahead, whenever it does start.

"There’s billions of dollars that are on the table out there. The players are making money, the owners are making money. I think for the players, they’re trying to take care of the younger guys. The game is getting younger and younger, and I think the owners are finding different ways to create revenue," Newman said. "There’s plenty to go around, there’s no reason that this hasn’t been solved already."

When the time does come to get started, the Twins have major work to do to get back to being competitive. After winning division titles in Rocco Baldelli’s first two seasons, the Twins finished last in the AL Central last year at 73-89 and were among the worst teams in the American League.

They’re in desperate need of pitching, with Kenta Maeda out for the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery and Jose Berrios traded last season. Their biggest offseason priority before the lockout? Keeping star Byron Buxton in Minnesota.

Buxton signed seven-year, $100 million extension to stay with the Twins. He was one of the hottest players in the game last season before injuries got in the way. The hope is if he can stay healthy, he can lead the Twins back to the playoffs.

"I think it was a great deal. I’m glad the Twins got it done, they had to get that deal done. That’s our big spend for the winter," Newman said.

Watch the video for the full interview with Al Newman on Fox 9 Sports Now!