Thread: Burnett's Elbow Soreness May Force Twins to Make Roster Move

The Twins have 12 pitchers on the roster and Burnett could end up on the disabled list according to ESPN's Phil Mackey. (Source: http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/A...ter_move052512)
Don't get your hopes up too high though Slama fans. Ron Gardenhire says right-handers Deolis Guerra and Lester Oliveros are the two likeliest bullpen candidates to be called up if a move were made. Mackey writes: "Anthony Slama also has solid numbers -- a 0.44 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 12 walks in 20 1/3 innings -- but Gardenhire said Guerra and Oliveros have "better stuff."."

Plus, Guerra and Oliveros are already on the 40-man. Slama would need to be added to it.

Originally Posted by sbknudson

Plus, Guerra and Oliveros are already on the 40-man. Slama would need to be added to it.

This is probably the key...

The Twins only have 39 players on their 40 man roster as of now though.

No, by my count there are 40. Nishioka is one of them though . . .

Lester will be the guy, then. I would assume they will wait with Guerra a bit yet.

Baker is 60-dayed, so his spot is open. 39. Room for Slama!

Originally Posted by shanewahl

No, by my count there are 40. Nishioka is one of them though . . .

Do we really? I went through this list multiple times and got 39. http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/team/...n.jsp?c_id=min
It says Baker doesn't count. Maybe it's not up to date? I don't know. I apologize if I am wrong shanewahl, but I'd just like a little evidence.

I count 39 as well.

One thing to remember is that Kyle Waldrop has already missed almost 50 days, so he could be put on the 60 Day DL to open up a spot. Waldrop would just need to be put back on when he's done rehabbing...

Yeah, I ignored the 60-day thing.

So . . . again, no respect for Slama.

The thing is it seems pretty guaranteed that Oliveros is going to be a viable reliever going forward from 2013 on. Same for Guerra, most likely. That isn't known for Slama. So . . . maybe they should FIND OUT!?

Funny how Mackey writes about Slama having "solid" numbers. If his numbers are just solid I would like to see what GOOD numbers would look like.

They've been at 39 for some time now - since April I think. My understanding is that some teams like to keep a slot open in case something comes up on waivers or trade. It does mean, though, that they can't move Waldrop to the 60-day DL as you can only do that if your 40-man is full and you actually need the space for someone else.

Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

I count 39 as well.

One thing to remember is that Kyle Waldrop has already missed almost 50 days, so he could be put on the 60 Day DL to open up a spot. Waldrop would just need to be put back on when he's done rehabbing...

Waldrop had a set back. He should be on the 60-day list.

I hope Slama gets called up. Both Oliveros and Guerra can use some confidence building in AAA. But this quote from this article is very telling about the feelings of the Twins' brass:

The Twins are skeptical about Slama's ability to succeed consistently in the big leagues because his fastball stays on "one plane," per Gardenhire. "Up here you've got to make it do something."

So, basically, the scouting department and the numbers do not agree and Gardy and Terry and Andy are going with the scouts... Unless this organization get new people with new mind set, the scouts will be running things and the Twins will continue the stagnation.

Slama should, at least, get a chance. Does anyone removed from 40 man roster automatically have to go through waivers? No one would claim Nishioka, would they? And so what if they did? Will they really miss him in Rochester? He won't be back to the Twins. It seems like Baker is probably done here too. Are there other implications with Baker?

There, I'll stop with five questions asked.

Originally Posted by Curt

Slama should, at least, get a chance. Does anyone removed from 40 man roster automatically have to go through waivers? No one would claim Nishioka, would they? And so what if they did? Will they really miss him in Rochester? He won't be back to the Twins. It seems like Baker is probably done here too. Are there other implications with Baker?

There, I'll stop with five questions asked.

My understanding is, yes, anyone being removed from the 40-man has to go through waivers. If they are not claimed, they can be outrighted to the minors (assuming they are not 5-year veterans or have given consent), traded, or released.

That was done to prevent clubs from stockpiling talent that is major league quality (at least theoretically) in their minor league system - it gives good players who belong in the majors the chance to actually be there, if not with their current team than with someone else. Same with the option system - to prevent stockpiling talent.

Originally Posted by thrylos98

So, basically, the scouting department and the numbers do not agree and Gardy and Terry and Andy are going with the scouts... Unless this organization get new people with new mind set, the scouts will be running things and the Twins will continue the stagnation.

Precisely. And that's terrible. The old guys caricatured at the beginning of Moneyball might not be caricatures in the Twins organization. Only Rantz is that damn old though.

No one would claim Nishioka and even if they did, the Twins would have to be thrilled about losing the rest of his salary. I'd like to get another look at Slama, but I understand the hesitation. Aside from the fact that his fastball may or may not have any movement, he does not have a high velocity. No movement plus average velocity does not translate into K's at the MLB level and since he is a K heavy, all or nothing kind of pitcher in the minors, he may have to radically adjust his approach at the next level.

Originally Posted by shanewahl

Yeah, I ignored the 60-day thing.

So . . . again, no respect for Slama.

Could it be they are trying to keep their options open (both figuratively and literally) on Slama?

He was on the 40-man in 2010 and 2011 - that's two option years burned up. He only has one left. If they call him up this year, and he isn't quite ready, next year he either stays on the 25-man roster or get's put on waivers. I'm not trying to defend them, because I don't know, but it seems to me it makes sense to bring up one of the pitchers who is doing a comparable job but has already burned an option year this year, so there is no real cost.

Just a thought.

Originally Posted by thrylos98

...So, basically, the scouting department and the numbers do not agree and Gardy and Terry and Andy are going with the scouts... Unless this organization get new people with new mind set, the scouts will be running things and the Twins will continue the stagnation.

I think your hatred for Gardenhire may be affecting your judgement here. The quote you cited said nothing about "scouts". It was (apparently) a direct Gardenhire quote. His thought. And quite legitimate from my point of view.

If by "scouts" you mean people with a lot of winning baseball experience then you might as well reconcile yourself to the fact that ML baseball will always and forever be run by the "scouts". Just like bakerys, law firms and banks will always be run by bakers, lawyers and bankers. There's a thousand details, subtleties and variables that the bean counters and statisticians don't see.