Can the Twins Carry Three Catchers on the Opening Day Roster?

[bean5302]

It's probably a pitch count thing. Skubal at 80 pitches can get through 5 no problem. In fact, he averaged 14.5 pitches per inning last year. 84 pitches gets him through 6. 5 innings 41 starts a year in a full season gets him to 205.

It's just not viable to have a 4 man because the bullpen is too short.

[AceWrigley]

3 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

It's probably a pitch count thing. Skubal at 80 pitches can get through 5 no problem. In fact, he averaged 14.5 pitches per inning last year. 84 pitches gets him through 6. 5 innings 41 starts a year in a full season gets him to 205.

It's just not viable to have a 4 man because the bullpen is too short.

If you're thinking one inning at a time after your starter then sure, but not if your "next up" guys can give you 3-4 innings.

[bean5302]

6 minutes ago, AceWrigley said:

If you're thinking one inning at a time after your starter then sure, but not if your "next up" guys can give you 3-4 innings.

I heard Leeroy Hoard will getcha 3.

[USAFChief]

13 minutes ago, AceWrigley said:

If you're thinking one inning at a time after your starter then sure, but not if your "next up" guys can give you 3-4 innings.

Nobody has even 5 starters now that can give you 3-4 innings, where do you find another half dozen?

[AceWrigley]

26 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Nobody has even 5 starters now that can give you 3-4 innings, where do you find another half dozen?

I thought the Twins have been developing 3-4 innings guys for years.

[Danchat]

There's no need to keep a third catcher, and I think he can get through waivers with other teams not wanting to pay him that salary. He should be our top catcher in AAA.

[Parfigliano]

3 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

In a serious organization Outman would be out of the organization.

I stand by this fully aware of his HR today.

[AceWrigley]

19 minutes ago, Danchat said:

There's no need to keep a third catcher, and I think he can get through waivers with other teams not wanting to pay him that salary. He should be our top catcher in AAA.

It's been the Dodger's strategy for a few years now, pay em to keep em. Backfires occasionally, but not a bad strategy. Now watch, when the Twin's want to pass him through waivers, some team will get a catcher injury and scoop him up. Who is the Twins 4th catcher, Noah Cardenas?

[Pat]

What  is it with this analytic love affair with Outman?  The eye test says that he can't hit. He is completely and totally redundant.

[Over The Hill Again]

4 hours ago, bean5302 said:

I heard Leeroy Hoard will getcha 3.

If we needed 2, he got us 3. If we needed 4, his got us 3. 

[PatPfund]

Sweating "no options" for bad players is like the annual agonizing which position players to protect from Rule 5 (where almost everyone claimed is a pitcher).

Outman is about to turn 29; exactly WHEN is this supposed improvement supposed to happen? How are Emma and/or Roden not better options at this point? Who really cares if Outman is lost? If Jeffers is doing most of the catching and Caratini is C2 (and you have other slo-mo bats like Larnach and Wallner to help DH), why on earth do we need a terrible bat whose only value is catching. Who really cares if Jackson is claimed? I don't want to see either Outman or Jackson go north with the team unless 3 OFs get hurt and/or the team trades Jeffers in ST.

[jmlease1]

7 hours ago, bean5302 said:

At this point in the season, I think Jackson would likely sneak through waivers. While his contract his fully guaranteed, it's only fully guaranteed so long as he does what the team says. Jackson doesn't have 5+ years of service time so a refusal to accept an assignment means he would forefit an enormous amount of money for a guy like him. He would go from $1.35MM guaranteed to likely a non-guaranteed $50k if signed to a MiLB contract.

It's a very abusive system to which the Dodgers organization has brought public scrutiny to this year. I don't expect this system to remain in place in 2027+, but we're not there yet.

It's not particularly abusive to the players, really: they're getting paid a MLB salary instead of a minor league one. And in the Twins case, the player wouldn't have to move or disrupt anything if they get bounced up and down from AAA to MLB (a small competitive advantage for the Twins having their AAA affiliate in Saint Paul and the MLB club in Minneapolis). It makes it attractive for the Twins to sign players to a kind of "Quad A" deal, because it doesn't result in an rotten season of travel and multiple moves: you can just live in the same place.

Passing Jackson to AAA would be ideal. Keep him on the 26-man as a 3rd catcher is borderline insane.

[old nurse]

13 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

How many of the pitchers who gave up a run in that game will be on the major league roster?  The answer is one, Cole Sands.

Also, maybe only one of those who gave up a run will. Be in St Paul

[Coach Wheels]

23 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

How many of the pitchers who gave up a run in that game will be on the major league roster?  The answer is one, Cole Sands.

How about the 14 we gave up on Sunday? Any rostered pitchers yesterday?

[stringer bell]

23 hours ago, DJL44 said:

The first paragraph spells out why they shouldn't - they want Jeffers to catch 110 games. That means there are only 50 games left for the backup catcher. Do you need two backup catchers to cover 50 games? Does Jackson even catch 15 games in that scenario? Is that a good use of a limited roster?

I believe Jeffers turns 29 this year. It’s his sixth full season and he’s capped out at just over 80 games caught in his career. If Jackson is lost, the Twins have zero experienced depth in the minors in the event either Caratini or Jeffers is injured. Saying that he wants a full-time work load doesn’t mean he’s going to get it in Jeffers’ case. Both Caratini and Jeffers have been relatively durable, but catcher injuries are close to inevitable The Twins need a third catcher. The question is, should it be Jackson or can they find a better, safer fit for next to $0? Ideally, the guy should be experienced, able to be sent up and down and better defensively than their two major league options. Jackson is two out of three and that is the sticking point. With even less experienced catching on the horizon, it is important to find someone with Caratini in 2027. 

[DJL44]

38 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I believe Jeffers turns 29 this year. It’s his sixth full season and he’s capped out at just over 80 games caught in his career. If Jackson is lost, the Twins have zero experienced depth in the minors in the event either Caratini or Jeffers is injured. Saying that he wants a full-time work load doesn’t mean he’s going to get it in Jeffers’ case. Both Caratini and Jeffers have been relatively durable, but catcher injuries are close to inevitable The Twins need a third catcher. The question is, should it be Jackson or can they find a better, safer fit for next to $0? Ideally, the guy should be experienced, able to be sent up and down and better defensively than their two major league options. Jackson is two out of three and that is the sticking point. With even less experienced catching on the horizon, it is important to find someone with Caratini in 2027. 

If the Twins really want Jackson in 2027 they should be able to sign him after he's non-tendered.

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

If the Twins really want Jackson in 2027 they should be able to sign him after he's non-tendered.

He’s got to hit along the lines of his 2025 season to be viable as a major leaguer IMHO. It’s a question whether he will get an opportunity with the Twins or another team and a bigger question of whether he will hit at an acceptable level.

Most likely, Jackson will barely be a footnote in the ‘26 season and the Twins will roll the dice for a third catcher and worry about ‘27 later. I like the idea of having a guy with good defensive tools as the backup and I don’t see anyone in the high minors  who would be close to acceptable. 

[DJL44]

48 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

He’s got to hit along the lines of his 2025 season to be viable as a major leaguer IMHO. It’s a question whether he will get an opportunity with the Twins or another team and a bigger question of whether he will hit at an acceptable level.

Most likely, Jackson will barely be a footnote in the ‘26 season and the Twins will roll the dice for a third catcher and worry about ‘27 later. I like the idea of having a guy with good defensive tools as the backup and I don’t see anyone in the high minors  who would be close to acceptable. 

Christian Vazquez is sitting at home if there is an emergency.

[bean5302]

On 2/28/2026 at 7:58 PM, jmlease1 said:

It's not particularly abusive to the players, really: they're getting paid a MLB salary instead of a minor league one...

It "used" to be not abusive at all. The Randy Dobnaks of the world operating on $2MM / year contracts weren't going to get another MLB contract, that's why they didn't refuse the assignment. The Dodgers are using it different. They're signing guys, hanging on to them until the market dries up, then outrighting them or DFA'ing them which puts the player into a really tough spot. It forces players who WOULD get an MLB contract someplace else under normal competitive scenarios into the minors because the market has dried up. That's abusive.

Jackson is different. He wasn't going to get $1.35MM anywhere so he's honestly in good shape. Falzoll doesn't understand the "budget" concept thing so they don't understand how to employ the strategy.