Minnesota Twins 2023 Season Preview: The Year of Brand New

[Mike Sixel]

22 minutes ago, GeorgiaBaller said:

Entering the year with a team still riddled with injuries.  Other than Correa, not a stellar defensive infield and would much rather see Gordon in left than at 2nd.  Looks like a patchwork lineup in the field, at best.  Without strikeout pitching, I would expect the Twins will have to produce in the area of 5 runs per game to be above .500 with this lineup.

 

Riddled? They have two guys hurt (check out some of the pitching staffs across the league), and they added depth at every position. I have no idea how they are riddled at all. Patchwork? Larnach is a legit starter when healthy. Buxton and Kepler are also (and Taylor / Gordon / Gallo are all legit backups, potential starters). Then you have Miranda who looks more than legit, Correa, an injured Polanco (backed up by Gordon, Farmer, and others) and an injured AK (backed up Gallo). They have one or two starting catchers healthy.......

I'd guess in this environment, every team needs to average (or very close to) 5 runs a game to be over .500.....

[Battle ur tail off]

If this rotation stays healthy along with our top bullpen guys, I think it will be a good season. Still IMO alot of question marks in that starting rotation on the health front though, we will see. 

 

[Nick Nelson]

19 hours ago, stringer bell said:

The roster still isn't official as far as I know. Castro hasn't been added to the 40-man and all the players who will go on the IL (non-60 day) are still listed on the roster as active. I won't be shocked if the Twins claim someone and keep Castro in the minors.

This is true. As we saw last year, things can easily change at the last minute. What I tried to balance with this article was, 1) providing an overview of the team's situation to start the season, and 2) giving people a full day to explore all the content and links, since there is a ton! This meant publishing before the final roster becomes crystallized, We'll update if anything changes.

Re: the roster. Actually I believe Canterino is the only long-term injured player who hasn't been placed on the 60-day IL. Paddack and Lewis have. And even with him still active, they only have 39 spots accounted for the on the 40-man, so they could add Castro without another move. (This is why I found it odd they chose to part with both Coulombe and Hoffman. They could've kept one and still had Sands readily available at Triple-A.)

[stringer bell]

46 minutes ago, Nick Nelson said:

This is true. As we saw last year, things can easily change at the last minute. What I tried to balance with this article was, 1) providing an overview of the team's situation to start the season, and 2) giving people a full day to explore all the content and links, since there is a ton! This meant publishing before the final roster becomes crystallized, We'll update if anything changes.

Re: the roster. Actually I believe Canterino is the only long-term injured player who hasn't been placed on the 60-day IL. Paddack and Lewis have. And even with him still active, they only have 39 spots accounted for the on the 40-man, so they could add Castro without another move. (This is why I found it odd they chose to part with both Coulombe and Hoffman. They could've kept one and still had Sands readily available at Triple-A.)

Not if they add Castro. Castro takes the last spot on the 40-man and then they would have to clear a spot for a non-roster pitcher. 

[Nick Nelson]

2 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Not if they add Castro. Castro takes the last spot on the 40-man and then they would have to clear a spot for a non-roster pitcher. 

Right, they but they could just move Canterino to the 60-day IL. I understand there's some downside to doing that but they'll need to eventually unless they plan to operate with a 39-man roster all season. 

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

Right, they but they could just move Canterino to the 60-day IL. I understand there's some downside to doing that but they'll need to eventually unless they plan to operate with a 39-man roster all season. 

They had the same situation with Enlow two years ago and never placed him on the 60-day list. I'm not sure what the provisions are, but I'm willing to guarantee that Canterino won't be placed on the major league 60-day list.

Edit to add: mlbtraderumors.com is reporting that Castro has been selected (not quite, he's been listed as on the 26-man roster which implies he's been selected). His name has been added to the 40-man roster on the Twins' official site (as an outfielder).