Will Ragatz

Minneapolis

Writer, Inside The Vikings at Sports Illustrated

Vikings beat writer and other Minnesota sports coverage for @BMTNsports on SI. Northwestern alum. Minneapolis native.

Articles

After sweep in Atlanta, Minnesota Twins' season is already on life support

3 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

It's no longer an overreaction to say that the Minnesota Twins' 2025 season is already on life support. The Twins were swept this weekend by the Braves, who came into the series with just five wins. Minnesota is now 7-15 on the season and 19-42 since their infamous 2024 collapse began last August 18. That's a 50-win pace over a full season. The track record of teams that start a season this poorly is not pretty.
Joe Ryan struggles, Twins' offense remains quiet as Braves finish sweep

3 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

After taking a series against the Mets earlier this week at Target Field, things appeared to be setting up nicely for the Twins to turn their season around. The rest of their April schedule looked quite favorable, starting with a weekend trip to Atlanta to face the struggling Braves. As it turns out, this Twins team might've been just what the Braves needed to turn their season around.
Minnesota Vikings 2025 NFL draft position preview: Left guard

3 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

With the 2025 NFL draft approaching, Vikings On SI will be breaking down each of Minnesota's major positions of need, complete with a look at the current depth chart and some names to know in the early and later rounds. Next up: left guard. The Vikings came into this offseason knowing they needed to "solidify the interior of the pocket," as Kevin O'Connell put it after the team's blowout loss against the Rams in the first round of the playoffs.
Iowa transfer defensive back John Nestor commits to Gophers football

3 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

Iowa transfer defensive back John Nestor has committed to the Gophers, he announced on social media on Sunday. It's the first addition for P.J. Fleck and Minnesota since the spring portal window opened this past week. Nestor has two years of eligibility remaining after playing in 20 games for the Hawkeyes over the past two seasons. He recorded 14 tackles and a fumble recovery last year.
Anthony Edwards did everything right for the Timberwolves in Game 1

3 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

On and off the court, Anthony Edwards did exactly what the Timberwolves needed him to do in their emphatic 117-95 Game 1 victory over the Lakers on Saturday night. It wasn't a huge scoring night for Edwards, who finished fourth in the NBA with 27.6 points per game in the regular season. He had 22 points on 22 shot attempts in this one. But the buckets will come over the course of this series.
LeBron James, Lakers react to Wolves' emphatic Game 1 victory in LA

3 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

One quarter into Saturday night's Game 1 against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, things hadn't gone very well for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They had committed four turnovers, allowed five offensive rebounds to LA, and watched as Luka Doncic got off to a red-hot start with 16 points. The result being just a seven-point deficit was perhaps encouraging, given how poorly they had played. Once the second quarter began, the Wolves took off and didn't look back.
Twins lineup vs. Braves: Luke Keaschall starts in debut, Correa returns

5 days ago | yardbarker.com | Will Ragatz

Injuries to Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee opened the door for Gasper to make the Twins' Opening Day roster, but he was just 2 for 18 with a pair of singles in limited playing time. He could be back with the Twins at some point if infield depth is needed. Canterino, once an exciting pitching prospect, has seen his career derailed by injuries. He's currently missing a third consecutive full season after undergoing shoulder surgery. First pitch between the Twins and Braves is at 6:15 p.m. CT.
Twins lineup vs. Braves: Luke Keaschall starts in debut, Correa returns

5 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

Luke Keaschall, the Twins' No. 3 prospect, has officially been called up and is in the starting lineup for Friday night's series opener in Atlanta. He's hitting eighth as Minnesota's DH in his MLB debut. Utility man Mickey Gasper has been optioned to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. Because the Twins also needed to create a spot on their 40-man roster for Keaschall, they've designated injured pitcher Matt Canterino for assignment. Carlos Correa (wrist) is back in the Twins' lineup.
Do Vikings regret process that led to Dallas Turner and decimated draft capital?

5 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

The Vikings are less than a week away from kicking off a critical NFL draft — one where they need to add impactful young talent despite currently possessing the weakest collection of picks of any of the league's 32 teams. Minnesota has just four selections at its disposal right now: A first-rounder (No. 24), a compensatory third-rounder (No. 97), a fifth (No. 139), and a sixth (No. 187).
Lakers' Hayes dismissive of Wolves' Rudy Gobert: 'Not my main focus'

5 days ago | si.com | Will Ragatz

As the one true center in the Lakers' rotation, Jaxson Hayes figures to see plenty of the Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert in the upcoming first-round playoff series between the two teams. But when asked about that individual matchup this week, Hayes downplayed its significance, saying Gobert isn't his main focus in this series. "Box him out, force overs, get him switched onto guys, set good screens," Hayes said of Gobert. "He's not my main focus.