For as slow as this offseason has felt for the Minnesota Twins, consider that at this point last year, the Twins had yet to sign Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe or Ty France, their most significant moves of the offseason. All three signings came in February, in the days leading up to spring training.

In just two weeks, the Twins will gather once again in Fort Myers, Fla., but at TwinsFest, the team’s annual fan convention, club officials acknowledged there’s still work to be done this offseason, particularly in the bullpen.

Kody Funderburk #55 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning of game two of a doubleheader at Comerica Park on April 13, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Duane Burleson / Getty Images)

The Twins added first baseman Josh Bell and catcher Victor Caratini in free agency. They also reunited with left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers on a one-year deal.

They have made smaller roster additions, as well, such as a minor trade for reliever Eric Orze. But a bullpen that was stripped down at last year’s trade deadline remains an area of concern.

For president of business and baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll, there is time to tweak.

“For better or worse, (they) have a history of adding pieces late,” new executive chair Tom Pohlad said. “I’m sure you are going to continue to see that. We know that we have to continue to improve the bullpen, and we’re going to continue to be opportunistic about creative pieces that can improve this team across the field.”

Zoll acknowledged he and Falvey feel they have the financial flexibility to add players, though many of the top free-agent relievers already have inked deals. He also mentioned trade opportunities and noted he felt the trade market was starting to “open up more as some of the dominoes are falling across the rest of the league.”

“I think that feels like the most obvious opportunity for us to find ways to raise the floor and improve the club, so we’ll keep working on that and figure it out,” Zoll said of adding to the bullpen.

The bullpen became offseason need No. 1 after last year’s trade deadline when their top five relievers — Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louie Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe — were sent to contending teams as part of a massive sell off in which the front office shipped off 11 players.

With Rogers now in the mix along with fellow southpaw Kody Funderburk, who should have a leg up on a spot after a strong end to last season, adding a right-hander — or possibly multiple — to join the likes of Cole Sands and Justin Topa seems to be a particular focus.

Aside from trades and free agency, the Twins have been having ongoing conversations about which starting pitchers could be potential bullpen candidates. That’s a path that has produced some of the best Twins relievers in recent years, including Rogers, Duran and Jax. Prospect Connor Prielipp is a name that is often talked about possibility for that.

“I think we’ve shown the ability to build bullpens well in the past in creative ways and different ways,” Zoll said. “They can look like really strong bullpens in a lot of different configurations and how you allocate resources there. So I’m looking forward to working through that.”

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 03: Justin Topa #48 of the Minnesota Twins reacts as he exits the field after pitching to the Chicago White Sox in the ninth inning at Target Field on September 03, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The White Sox defeated the Twins 4-3. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

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Gerber, the maker of baby foods and other products, is recalling certain lots of its arrowroot biscuits because they might contain pieces of soft plastic or paper and should not be eaten.

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The recall includes 5.5-ounce packages of the biscuits, often given to teething babies, with best-by dates between Oct. 16 and Dec. 16, 2026. The plastic and paper pieces came from a supplier of arrowroot flour, who initiated the recall.

No illnesses or injuries have been reported. Consumers should check the back of the packages for the codes of affected lots. The products can be returned to the place of purchase for a refund, Gerber officials said in a statement.

No other Gerber products are affected by the recall.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By BERNARD CONDON

NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla’s annual profit plunged to its lowest level since the pandemic five years ago as it lost the title of the world’s biggest electric vehicle maker to a Chinese rival and boycotts hammered sales.

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The EV company run by Elon Musk reported Wednesday that net income last year dropped 46% to $3.8 billion. It was the second year in a row of steep declines. The drop came despite the introduction of cheaper models and Musk’s promise to remain laser-focused on the company after a foray into U.S politics.

Still, Tesla investors have kept the faith in Musk. The stock is up 9% in the past year.

Musk has been urging investors to focus less on car sales and more on what he considers a bright new future of robotaxis ferrying millions in cars without drivers, or even steering wheels, and robots watering plants and taking care of elderly parents.

On a conference call, Musk said Tesla would be closing down production of two models, S and X, in the second quarter this year and converting a Fremont, California, factory to produce its Optimus robots.

For the fourth quarter of last year, Tesla’s net income also plunged, down 61% to $840 million, or 24 cents. Excluding one-time charges, net income totaled 50 cents per share, compared to analysts’ forecasts of 45 cents.

“They’ve got aging product that is less and less competitive as others manufacturers come out with new models, then there is the general brand destruction,” said Telemetry analyst Sam Abuelsamid. “Musk‘s involvement in politics has turned off customers.”

One bright point was Tesla’s gross profit margins, which leapt to 20% last quarter from 16% a year ago.

“Tesla’s ability to show improving profitably was a surprise,” said Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein. “I think that is the reason the stock is up now.”

Goldstein said he was also encouraged by plans outlined in Tesla’s earnings report to roll out robotaxi service in Houston, Miami and five other cities in the first half of this year.

Investors cheered earlier this year when Musk shifted his focus back to the company after spending months as head of a government cost-cutting team in Washington. But it’s not clear his attention will remain as undivided in the new year. He has plans to take his rocket company SpaceX public, possibly in June, in what many expect to be a blockbuster IPO that make him the world’s first trillionaire — but also possibly distract him.

The latest Tesla figures are a setback for a company that had promised so much a year ago.

After President Donald Trump was elected, investors pushed up the stock on a bet that his advisory role in the new administration would help the company. Instead it backfired. Customers angry with his work for Trump and his right-wing political stances boycotted the brand.

Elon Musk attends the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Musk had also promised a year ago that European regulators would approve its partial self-driving software within three months, a potential big boost to Tesla sales there. But that didn’t happen either.

And investors were also excited about Teslas robotaxi service promising rides without anyone driving the car. But instead they got cars with supervisors inside to grab the controls in case something went wrong, though on this count there may be progress. Tesla recently said it was removing these safety drivers in Austin where it launched the service in June and has vowed to aggressively expand into other cities in the coming year.

For some on Wall Street that is enough to get excited about the company, and keep pushing the stock up.

Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities, one of Wall Street’s most bullish analysts, expects robotaxis will be in more than 30 cities by the end of this year, and that Tesla will capture 70% of the global market for self-driving cars in a decade.

Others are also excited about Tesla energy storage business, which posted strong numbers last quarter with revenues surging 25% to $3.8 billion. Tesla is benefiting from massive demand as datacenters sucking up energy are being built out around the U.S.

Amid frigid temperatures, New Yorkers lodged 26,000 311 complaints about lack of heat or hot water over the last week, the most in a seven-day period since 2018. City Limits’ reporter Patrick Spauster spoke to WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show about what landlords are required to provide, and what tenants can do if their heat isn’t working.

Manhattan during Monday’s snowstorm. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

Over the last week, as frigid temperatures gripped the city, New Yorkers lodged 26,000 311 complaints about lack of heat or hot water—the most in a seven-day period since 2018 when a similar cold spell hit, according City Limits’ housing reporter Patrick Spauster.

Spauster spoke to WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show Wednesday about what the current extreme weather means for New York City tenants. While local law requires building owners to maintain indoor temperatures above a certain threshold from October to May, New Yorkers report tens of thousands of violations each winter. Last year, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development responded to a record 161,773 unique heat and hot water problems, as City Limits reported in October.

“Looking at this year, it’s on pace to break that again,” Spauster told WNYC host Amina Srna. “In December, we had the most heat and hot water complaints of any December since the 311 call data starts in 2010.”

You can listen to the full segment below, which discusses what landlords are required to provide, and what tenants can do if their heat isn’t working. Find more advice and steps you can take in Spauster’s earlier reporting here.

Over the last few days, 10 people were found dead outdoors during the “life-threatening” cold snap, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a PSA video released Tuesday warning New Yorkers to take precautions. The exact circumstances of those deaths are not yet known, but officials said several of those who died had previous interactions with the shelter system.

On Wednesday, the Department of Social Services activated an “an Enhanced Code Blue”—more serious than a standard “Code Blue” declaration—meaning its sending outreach teams out every two hours to canvass for unhoused people outdoors.

The city has also expanded its network of warming centers and warming buses (find a list of locations here), and is relaxing shelter intake rules during the weather emergency (find a list of intake and drop-in center locations here).

To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org.

The post LISTEN: ‘No Heat’ During NYC’s Cold Spell? appeared first on City Limits.