Twins Minor League Transactions (2023-24)

[Seth Stohs]

Here is the start of the minor-league signings for the offseason. It starts with the news of which Twins minor leaguers have elected free agency. The biggest name of the group is RHP Blayne Enlow. 

This forum thread should be used to share news of players the Twins sign to minor league deals, or when former Twins players and prospects sign elsewhere. 

 

[Seth Stohs]

LHP Sam Perez re-signed with the Twins already. 

He's a fun guy to follow. Literally tops out at 84 mph, maybe 85, but the southpaw gets swings and misses and generally speaking has done a nice job. 

[nicksaviking]

Too bad about Enlow, that was a long run of quasi-prospectiveness*.

Looked like he'd found new life in Wichita, but St. Paul didn't go very well. If he doesn't re-sign here, I'm thinking another team is going to put him in the pen, get good results, and make the Twins wish they'd done so first.

*Yeah, I coined that just now, feel free to use it

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Too bad about Enlow, that was a long run of quasi-prospectiveness*.

Looked like he'd found new life in Wichita, but St. Paul didn't go very well. If he doesn't re-sign here, I'm thinking another team is going to put him in the pen, get good results, and make the Twins wish they'd done so first.

*Yeah, I coined that just now, feel free to use it

agreed. I don't understand why a guy like that wasn't in the bullpen this year in AAA....

[Seth Stohs]

2B Kamron Willman was released. He joined the organization in the middle of the season out of one of the independent leagues, played for Ft. Myers. 

And while we heard the work was being done, the Twins have officially signed LHP Jovani Moran and RHP Ronny Henriquez to minor-league deals. 

 

[tony&rodney]

The signings of Jovani Moran and Ronny Henriquez is good news and a smart baseball move. I still believe both can have respectable MLB careers. I usually check the transactions pages but haven't for a few weeks. Excellent.

[stringer bell]

The Twins have had less success than most (IMHO) when taking players off the 40-man roster and trying to keep them in their organization. I'm glad they were able to keep Henriquez and Moran. 

[Seth Stohs]

Andrew Bechtold signed with the Toronto Blue Jays... Sounds like he's going to be a pitcher full-time at this point. 

[Blyleven2011]

2 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

Andrew Bechtold signed with the Toronto Blue Jays... Sounds like he's going to be a pitcher full-time at this point. 

Everyone is desperate for pitching  , and he can play other positions  too .

Didn't hurt Toronto to take a flyer on him ...

[Althebum82]

Since the last post, the Twins have made two minor league signings:

Michael Boyle, a reliever who struggled with the Saints last year but got off to a nice start with Wichita, has been assigned to the Saints.  He was a non-roster spring training invite this past season but got knocked around pretty well in the 70 pitches he did manage to record.  He is presently 29 and has never appeared in the majors.

 

Jeferson Morales is an intriguing but SSSLLLOOOWWWly developing catcher.  He has been in the system five seasons now but never advanced higher than class A(+) Cedar Rapids.  Still only 24, he has had 4 solid offensive seasons, so one has to wonder if defense is a challenge for him or perhaps injuries or off field complications have hindered his development.  Catchers are always in demand for spring training, but he has yet to make such an appearance with the Twins.  Perhaps his turn will come this February.

He has been assigned to Witchita, a promotion that seems to have been well earned.

 

[Kenny Powers]

On 12/15/2023 at 7:21 PM, Althebum82 said:

Since the last post, the Twins have made two minor league signings:

Michael Boyle, a reliever who struggled with the Saints last year but got off to a nice start with Wichita, has been assigned to the Saints.  He was a non-roster spring training invite this past season but got knocked around pretty well in the 70 pitches he did manage to record.  He is presently 29 and has never appeared in the majors.

 

Jeferson Morales is an intriguing but SSSLLLOOOWWWly developing catcher.  He has been in the system five seasons now but never advanced higher than class A(+) Cedar Rapids.  Still only 24, he has had 4 solid offensive seasons, so one has to wonder if defense is a challenge for him or perhaps injuries or off field complications have hindered his development.  Catchers are always in demand for spring training, but he has yet to make such an appearance with the Twins.  Perhaps his turn will come this February.

He has been assigned to Witchita, a promotion that seems to have been well earned.

 

I like the Morales signing.  He put up an .827 OPS with a solid batting average.  Certainly worth a flier as a potential late bloomer.  We had a similar situation last year when we signed Camargo and he went on to have a break out season.  We have a little catching pipeline forming:

Level/Player (age) - OPS

MLB:  Jeffers (26) - .858

AAA:  Camargo (24) - .826

AA:  Pat Winkle (23) - .787

A+:  Cossetti (23) - .898 and Cardenas (24) - .779

A:  Ricardo Olivar (22) - .855

[Cory Engelhardt]

According to the Twins site, on 12/14 the Twins signed Niko Goodrum to a minor league contract. That's interesting, and cool he is getting another chance.

According to his stats, he last played in the majors with Houston in 2022, getting in 15 games for 45 at bats.

In 2023, he played in the KBO, and in 50 games (201 plate appearances) he batted .295/373/387. Not a huge sample size, but the Twins do like to have guys who can play multiple positions. I'd IMAGINE he is more depth for the Saints this year. 

Still, fun to have an "old friend" back :)

[Althebum82]

Baseball Reference shows he had better stats (888 OPS) with a few more plate appearances in 2023 with the Red Sox AAA team in Worcester where his most frequent position was 1B.  He also logged a fair amount of time at 2B & 3B.  He somehow managed to draw 66 walks with only 218 AB,  but he must have also taken a lot of called third strikes as well recording 60 strikeouts.  Is this malady now apparently completely unavoidable for the Twins?

But I agree, it is always interesting when a player returns to the Twins after departing.  He apparently still has something left in the tank, the question is whether or not it is enough to make people forget about that 2022 limited duty season.

At a minimum it is a low-risk depth signing for the Saints where the Twins may be promoting other infielders in 2024.

[Seth Stohs]

ah jeepers... should have known @Cory Engelhardt would beat me to it... 

 

[Cory Engelhardt]

Jeepers is not used nearly enough @Seth Stohs :)

[Althebum82]

David Banuelos has signed a minor league contract with the Orioles which includes a non-roster invitation to spring training.  

He played with the Saints in 2022 but after five total seasons of underwhelming offensive output he was demoted to AA Wichita in 2023.    He did post an 895 OPS and has always been known for his defensive skills.  This has been enough for the Orioles to find a place for him in their system.

Given the Twins promising supply of catchers at every level noted by Kenny Powers above, it was a pretty reasonable choice to not work too hard to retain him.

[Althebum82]

Infielder Hernan Perez signed a minor league deal with the Reds.  When healthy, he was a positive contributor to the Saints success this year, but he did miss two months due to an injury.  

[mnfireman]

He's back....

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/12/twins-sign-niko-goodrum-minors.html

[nicksaviking]

I dislike the reunion stuff. but a MiLB deal I don't much care about. However, who's spot is he taking in St. Paul?

Miranda, Lee, Severino, Martin, Prato, Kiersey, Camargo, Larnach and Williams should all have a full time gig over Goodrum. That's nine players, which as far as my baseball knowledge goes, is every spot in the lineup. Larnach is probably the only one with a legit shot to break camp with the big league club.

[danielp19653]

Goodrum to me feels like an insurance policy if Gordon still can't find anything at the plate, a buddy of mine also pointed out the Goodrum was pretty solids against LHP in his MLB time which given the Twins struggles is never a bad thing to have 

[Althebum82]

8 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I dislike the reunion stuff. but a MiLB deal I don't much care about. However, who's spot is he taking in St. Paul?

Miranda, Lee, Severino, Martin, Prato, Kiersey, Camargo, Larnach and Williams should all have a full time gig over Goodrum. That's nine players, which as far as my baseball knowledge goes, is every spot in the lineup. Larnach is probably the only one with a legit shot to break camp with the big league club.

As Seth noted on the list he presented in the original article above, Elliott Soto (still unsigned and not likely to return to St Paul if he does somehow sign a minor league deal with the Twins again) and Hernan Perez (signed by the Reds) opted for free agency, creating at least one opening that Goodrum fills.

[stringer bell]

9 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I dislike the reunion stuff. but a MiLB deal I don't much care about. However, who's spot is he taking in St. Paul?

Miranda, Lee, Severino, Martin, Prato, Kiersey, Camargo, Larnach and Williams should all have a full time gig over Goodrum. That's nine players, which as far as my baseball knowledge goes, is every spot in the lineup. Larnach is probably the only one with a legit shot to break camp with the big league club.

Most likely there will be injuries and having a veteran with Goodrum's skill set makes good sense, especially that he is so versatile in the field. Hernan Perez filled that role last year and he's signed with another organization, so I suspect there will be sufficient opportunities for Goodrum without taking time away from developmental guys.

[Althebum82]

Mark Kolozsvary signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox including an invite to spring training.

He finished his season with the Saints but was limited to 14 AB in six games after playing at all three top levels with the Orioles  (only 1 MLB game) before being released.

[stringer bell]

The Twins signed a player with actual big-league experience! AJ Alexy, who the Twins claimed and lost earlier, has been signed to a minor league deal. Alexy had good minor league numbers through 2021, but has been in several organizations and struggled mightily the last two years. 

[Kenny Powers]

On 12/23/2023 at 10:46 PM, stringer bell said:

The Twins signed a player with actual big-league experience! AJ Alexy, who the Twins claimed and lost earlier, has been signed to a minor league deal. Alexy had good minor league numbers through 2021, but has been in several organizations and struggled mightily the last two years. 

I knew that name rang a bell!  I just looked him up.  We actually traded for him to start 2023 (January 10th).  Then we designated him to make room for Michael Taylor.  He ended up being claimed by the White Sox.  So, now we got him back.

BTW, the guy we gave up in the trade was an 18 year old pitcher from the DSL Cristian Jimenez.  He didn't do great this past year in the FCL (5.12 ERA and 1.34 WHIP).

[Cory Engelhardt]

Twins claimed Ryan Jensen off waivers from the Marlins just now. Looks like a reliever profile, and he hasn't yet made the majors. He was a first round pick of the Cubs in 2019. Their 40 man roster now sits at 38.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/twins-claim-ryan-jensen-from-marlins.html

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Twins claimed Ryan Jensen off waivers from the Marlins just now. Looks like a reliever profile, and he hasn't yet made the majors. He was a first round pick of the Cubs in 2019. Their 40 man roster now sits at 38.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/twins-claim-ryan-jensen-from-marlins.html

Not trying to be picky, but since he's on the major league roster, why did you post this in "minor league talk" in a thread that includes minor league signings?

[Cory Engelhardt]

3 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Not trying to be picky, but since he's on the major league roster, why did you post this in "minor league talk" in a thread that includes minor league signings?

Mostly because he has never made the majors, at least not yet. I know he was a major league 40 man waiver claim, but I didn't know if that should be shared in the MLB side or the AAA/minor league side. I ASSUME he will be in St. Paul to start the year, so that's why I chose here.

Glad to be wrong, and maybe he does contribute to the major league team. That would be a good thing, right?

[Cory Engelhardt]

The Twins transaction page says they signed catcher Matthew Clayton to a minor league deal and assigned him to Fort Myers.

As far as I can tell, he played college ball at the University of Nevada Reno, and played in the independent Pioneer league this past season. His numbers in his senior year and during the independent season do look impressive, but I can't find much else about him.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=clayto000mat

[stringer bell]

mlbtraderumors.com has an item that the Twins have signed 30-year-old right hander Hobie Harris to a minor league deal. Harris got 50-some days on the Nationals roster in 2023, his first major league action. Harris’ stats were pretty poor, but he does have a minor league history with some good results. 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/twins-hobie-harris-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html