Roster and Payroll

There were a few surprises on Opening Day at Target Field but for the most part, the game went according to plan. Justin Verlander pitched well. Joe Mauer got his hits. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder know how to get RBI. The inexperienced Minnesota bats didn't know how to get an RBI. This all led to the Tigers coming out on top.

One interesting move made was actually a player left on the bench.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ron Gardenhire turned to his bench and ...

Tags: brian dozier, denard span, eduardo escobar, jamey carroll, joe mauer, pedro florimon, ron gardenhire, wilkin ramirez

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

Three years ago, the Twins were in an ideal position. The organization was proud to be opening Target Field on a beautiful day in downtown Minneapolis. Minnesota would be on their way to 94 wins, the most for the franchise since the 2006 season. It would be a memorable season for Twins Territory but there were some problems starting to bubble under the surface.

The dreaded Yankees were again waiting for the Twins in the first round. It would be another quick exit from the postseason ...

Tags: 2010 alcs, ben revere, bill smith, denard span, joe mauer, joe nathan, johan santana, michael cuddyer, new york yankees, terry ryan

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

The addition of free agent Ryan Doumit during last offseason raised an interesting question for the Twins. Should the club carry a third catcher? Joe Mauer was coming off an injury-plagued year and it seemed like the club might need a little insurance with the big league squad.

If Mauer and Doumit were in the line-up on the same day, the team could run into some problems without an extra catcher. There is a chance the team could lose the designated hitter spot or the club could be ...

Tags: chris herrmann, drew butera, eduardo escobar, joe mauer, ron gardenhire, ryan doumit, sean burroughs

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Roster and Payroll , Twins

One of the best stories in the Twins organization in 2013 was the tale of a 28-year old man that got his first taste of baseball with an affiliated club. Chris Colabello had molded himself into one of the best hitters in the Canadian-American Association before the Twins signed him to deal. He spent all of last season being the elder statesman of the Eastern League while showing off his skills at the plate.

The story of Colabello could get even better this year if he was able to make ...

Tags: can-am association, chris colabello, detroit tigers, eastern league, new britain rock cats, team italy, world baseball classic

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Twins , Minor Leagues , Roster and Payroll , Other Baseball

The Twins have multiple pitchers in camp recovering from different surgeries in the last year. Scott Diamond and Vance Worley had bone chips removed from their throwing elbow. Mike Pelfrey and Kyle Gibson are recovering from Tommy John surgery. Another interesting name in camp is Rich Harden and he is trying to overcome some shoulder problems that have haunted him in the past.

Harden is attempting to make his way back to the big leagues after missing ...

Tags: kyle gibson, mike pelfrey, new britain rock cats, rich harden, rochester red wings, scott diamond, vance worley

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Twins , Minor Leagues , Roster and Payroll

There are more than a few question marks when it comes to the 2013 Twins starting rotation. Two potential starters are coming off of Tommy John surgery, two other players had bone chips removed in the offseason, and three players are trying to make the switch from the National League to the American League.

This could cause a lot of headaches when it comes time for the Twins to hammer out a projected Opening Day starting rotation. Some players might end up on the disabled list because ...

Tags: justin verlander, kevin correia, kyle gibson, liam hendriks, mike pelfrey, sam deduno, scott diamond, vance worley

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Twins , Minor Leagues , Roster and Payroll

When Twins position players reported to camp at the end of last week, Justin Morneau was one of the first people that the media hunted down. There was good reason to do this since he is in the last year of his contract with the club and his future is unclear at this point.

According to Morneau, there haven't been any discussions about an extension between his agent and the club. This means that he is anticipating playing out the rest of his contract and testing the free agent market ...

Tags: joe mauer, joe nathan, justin morneau

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

It might have seemed like it would never come (especially with the recent snow storm that hit a chunk of Twins Territory) but Twins pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers today. The first workout is tomorrow morning and there are plenty of questions to be answered before the start of the year.

For the rest of the position players, the reporting date is on Friday with the first full squad workout taking place on Saturday. It sure doesn't feel like it is close to the start of baseball ...

Tags: cole de vries, glen perkins, jared burton, joe mauer, joe torre, kevin correia, kyle gibson, liam hendriks, mike pelfrey, ron gardenhire, scott diamond, vance worley

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

Yesterday was the first part of a series that will look at the road that lies ahead for the Minnesota Twins as they try to rebuild after back-to-back 90 loss seasons. The team has already started the rebuilding process by trading away two of their most valuable major league assets in Denard Span and Ben Revere.

In the first part of the series, Kyle Gibson was looked at as one of the key pieces to helping the rebuild get off to a good start. He might not end up being an ace for the ...

Tags: ben revere, chris parmelee, denard span, joe mauer, josh willingham, justin morneau, terry ryan

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

On Saturday evening, word slowly started to trickle out about Zach Greinke, the best starting pitcher on the free agent market, signing a six-year, $147 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The new ownership team in LA is not afraid to spend money as their team payroll is well over $200 million for next season and they might not be done yet. With Greinke now off the market, some of the other big name free agent starters should begin to sign.
...

Tags: anibal sanchez, edwin jackson, kyle lohse, ron gardenhire, scott boras, zach greinke

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

There have been plenty of rumors surrounding the Twins over the last couple of days at the Winter Meetings. The team still has plenty of holes to fill in their starting rotation and there is talk of adding a third baseman to challenge Trevor Plouffe for the starting role. It would be nice to see the team add some middle infield depth since there are plenty of question marks at those spots. Even with all of this talk, there hasn’t been much action on the home front. ...

Tags: aaron hicks, ben revere, brian dozier, chris parmelee, joe mauer, josh willingham, justin morneau, oswaldo arcia, pedro florimon, trevor plouffe

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

In an interview with reporters on Monday night at the Winter Meetings, Twins General Manager Terry Ryan wanted to make sure to tame expectations. When asked if the Twins will be competitive in 2013, he said, "We will try to have that happen... We have to be realistic on all fronts." This most likely means that the Twins won't be handing out buckets of cash to front-line starting pitching but that could be expected from the start of the offseason. There could be some other deeper meanings that are ...

Tags: aaron hicks, alex meyer, ben revere, josh willingham, justin morneau, kyle gibson, oswaldo arcia, terry ryan

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

The Rule 5 Draft can be an interesting test of an organization because of all of the rules and regulations involved in selecting a player. To understand the Twins mindset for the draft, it is important to know the rules involved in selecting a player and the purpose of the Rule 5 Draft. All of these things can go a long way into a team's decision to pick a player or to let their pick go to the wayside.

When MLB instituted the Rule 5 Draft, ...

Tags: billy bullock, charles nolte, jason jones, jc sulbaran, josh fields, kyle kaminska, rule 5 draft, scott diamond, terry doyle

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Twins , Roster and Payroll

It has been a continuous quest for the Twins to solidify their options up the middle. In recent seasons, it has seemed like a revolving door at some key positions on the field and this hasn't been beneficial to the club. One of the most problematic areas for the Twins in recent memory has been their search for a shortstop that could fit into their long-term plans. This search continues and it's hard to see an end in sight.

In the last decade, the ...

Tags: adam everett, alexi casilla, brian dozier, cristian guzman, daniel santana, jamey carroll, jason bartlett, jj hardy, juan castro, levi michael, nick punto, orlando cabrera, pedro florimon, tsuyoshi nishioka

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Roster and Payroll , Twins