The calendar has flipped and in just six short weeks, Twins pitchers and catchers will report to Fort Myers, Fla., to prepare for the upcoming season.

The beginning of the Twins’ offseason has been slow — the only addition they’ve made to their major league roster is reliever Josh Staumont, whom they signed to a one-year deal in late December — meaning many of the questions we had about the 2024 Twins at the beginning of the offseason have yet to be answered.

While this front office has shown its willingness to stay patient and make additions even into spring training, we should have answers to most, if not all, of these questions by the time pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 14.

How and when will the Twins’ television deal be resolved?

The end of the long-term television deal with Bally Sports North has cast some uncertainty on the Twins’ offseason, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey has admitted. The Twins’ payroll is expected to decrease, as is the amount the Twins receive in television revenue.

The Twins have yet to announce a new television arrangement and whether it will be a short-term deal with BSN, if their television rights will be taken over by Major League Baseball or any other potential option. This is one of the most pressing questions for the fanbase, as the Twins try to ensure as many fans as possible can watch their product.

But no matter where their games are aired, which is something that will need to be figured out in relatively short order, the broadcasts are sure to sound different with Cory Provus taking over for long-time television play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer this season.

What will the Twins do about their pitching rotation?

The question shouldn’t be will the Twins acquire a starting pitcher, but rather who will they acquire?

The Twins have yet to make an addition to the rotation after Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda departed in free agency, and while they technically do have five starters — Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack and Louie Varland — they have little in the way of depth, which they know is necessary to get through the 162-game season.

Adding a starter could push Varland to Triple-A to begin the season, where he would be ready to step in if/when someone goes down with an injury. (The Twins have also discussed using the Minnesotan in relief, as they did at the end of last season).

The most likely scenario to add a new pitcher seems to be via trade, rather than free agency. López, Ryan and Paddack were all acquired via trade, as were Maeda, Gray and Tyler Mahle, a path this front office has proven comfortable taking with starting pitching.

Will the Twins make an external addition for center field?

Falvey and manager Rocco Baldelli had positive things to say about Byron Buxton’s health status at last month’s winter meetings.

But with Michael A. Taylor now a free agent and Buxton coming off his second knee surgery in as many years, it’s fair to wonder what kind of workload he will be able to handle out in center field, even if he is feeling better. Buxton did not play a single major league game there last season, though both Falvey and Baldelli expressed optimism in him returning to the field this year.

Will the Twins try to get somebody to supplement their center field mix or will they just roll with internal options? Willi Castro and Nick Gordon are among those who could play center field, though neither is a starting center fielder-type. Prospect Austin Martin is another option for the Twins out in center.

Will the Twins trade a position player from the major league roster?

The Twins picked up the options on veterans Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler and tendered utilityman Kyle Farmer a contract. Now, the question remains: will all three be on the Opening Day roster?

The Twins could keep all three, but if they’re trying to slash payroll, this group, making $10.5 million, $10 million and projected salary near $6.6 million, respectively, per MLB Trade Rumors, is likely the place to look.

Polanco, though he missed half of last season with health issues, has an option for the 2025 season and figures to have the most trade value of the group. Plus, if the Twins did deal him, they have plenty of coverage at second base with Edouard Julien and Farmer on the roster.

Will Joe Mauer be elected to the Hall of Fame this year?

This is not a question for the Twins to answer — long-tenured members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted on the matter — but it is one of the most exciting things for Twins fans to watch for this month.

Mauer, the St. Paul icon who graduated from Cretin-Derham Hall, is on the ballot for the first time this offseason and had received support on 83.2 percent of the revealed ballots (27.9 percent of ballots) as of Wednesday morning, per Ryan Thibodaux’s tracker on X (formerly Twitter).

Candidates need to appear on 75 percent of ballots to be elected, and based on early revealed ballots, Mauer’s chances of making it in on the first ballot seem stronger than many originally anticipated.  We’ll find out if he’s gotten the necessary support on Jan. 23, when it is revealed during a nighttime show on MLB Network.

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