Is James Outman Playing His Way Onto the Twins’ Opening Day Roster?

[Doctor Wu]

Sure, Outman is having a good spring, but you could argue that Gonzalez and Rodriguez are having even better camps. Sure, those two players have options remaining and are no doubt slated for AAA, but I would love for the Twins to show some imagination and courage and keep one of those kids on the team and find a way to jettison the likes of Larnach and/or Wallner. Time to shake some action. 

[JD-TWINS]

19 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I’m not saying he should be around for the long haul. But defensively I certainly like him out there more than either Larnach or Wallner. He does have some speed and some pop, both things that they could use. We will see how the rest of spring goes, but no one currently in the outfield mix other than Buxton has sniffed anywhere close to the success he showed in 2023. 

Clear thinking!

Can DFA Outman whenever the feeling strikes so certainly no reason not to let him try to re-invent himself this year IF his Spring Training turns out respectable. He may be gone May 20th or maybe March 25th, depending upon his play. It’s like fans here want him to suck so they can justify complaining!?!?…….. In July TWINS took a flier on him and let Stewart go (who pitched 3 1/3 mediocre innings for Dodgers & then was, shockingly, out for the balance of the season, hurt) to see if Outman may pay some dividend.

I do not understand the angst shown - nobody is “blocked” ………without some sense of significant $$ outlays to players, nobody blocks anyone. If Rodriguez or Gonzalez play their way in to the Roster, great. If Outman or Roden play their way in to the Roster, great.

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I don't believe spring training box scores influences roster decisions. I think they already have a pretty good idea who will be on the 26 man. I think they had a good idea before players arrived to camp. 

I don't know what Brock Stewarts trade value was at the time if the trade. I understand that Brock's fragility will probably lower his trade value. 

I don't care what his trade value was or is. The Twins didn't need to give him away. Look at our current bullpen. If he was healthy... Brock Stewart would be our closer right now. 

He made 870K last year. This wasn't a budget decision. The Dodgers and Stewart avoided arbitration with a 1.3 million deal. He is under team control for the next two seasons.

Brock Stewart is still on the Dodgers 40 man. Anthony Banda is not. Brock Stewart still has value to the Dodgers. 

Why would the Twins give him away? 

They wouldn't give him away. This means that they like Outman. They decided they would rather have Outman over Stewart. They chose Outman over Stewart.. They liked Outman over Stewart enough to add him to a crowded outfield at the expense of a depleted bullpen.

Stewart if healthy would be our closer right now. 

If the Twins DFA Outman... they will have given Stewart away for nothing.

If the Twins DFA Outman... would he be claimed?

I don't know but its possible that he will be claimed for the same reasons that the Twins traded for him. I don't believe the Twins have proprietary scouting methods that the 29 other teams don't have. 

Brock Stewart didn't need to be given away. The Twins didn't take Outman back in the trade to be a two month rental in a lost season. They like him. 

Stewart didn’t pitch from ‘20-‘22.

In ‘23 he threw 27 2/3 - in ‘24 he threw 15 2/3 - in ‘25 he threw 37 2/3 and didn’t make it past early August with injury for Dodgers after 4 appearances, going 0-1, with a 4.91 ERA.

That’s Brock Stewart - flashes of great around prolonged stints of zero availability. I believe you are defending the Team’s right to like something in Outman, enough to make a trade. If they would have been reduced to having/relying on Stewart for the Closer role, disappointment would have been only a few innings away!

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I don't believe spring training box scores influences roster decisions. I think they already have a pretty good idea who will be on the 26 man. I think they had a good idea before players arrived to camp. 

I don't know what Brock Stewarts trade value was at the time if the trade. I understand that Brock's fragility will probably lower his trade value. 

I don't care what his trade value was or is. The Twins didn't need to give him away. Look at our current bullpen. If he was healthy... Brock Stewart would be our closer right now. 

He made 870K last year. This wasn't a budget decision. The Dodgers and Stewart avoided arbitration with a 1.3 million deal. He is under team control for the next two seasons.

Brock Stewart is still on the Dodgers 40 man. Anthony Banda is not. Brock Stewart still has value to the Dodgers. 

Why would the Twins give him away? 

They wouldn't give him away. This means that they like Outman. They decided they would rather have Outman over Stewart. They chose Outman over Stewart.. They liked Outman over Stewart enough to add him to a crowded outfield at the expense of a depleted bullpen.

Stewart if healthy would be our closer right now. 

If the Twins DFA Outman... they will have given Stewart away for nothing.

If the Twins DFA Outman... would he be claimed?

I don't know but its possible that he will be claimed for the same reasons that the Twins traded for him. I don't believe the Twins have proprietary scouting methods that the 29 other teams don't have. 

Brock Stewart didn't need to be given away. The Twins didn't take Outman back in the trade to be a two month rental in a lost season. They like him. 

Handing James Outman a scholarship simply to avoid losing him, a guy who racked up -1 WAR last year in 1/3 of a season, "for nothing" is the kind of stubborn, counterproductive thinking that has plagued this organization for a decade.  

[IndianaTwin]

4 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

...Can DFA Outman whenever the feeling strikes so certainly no reason not to let him try to re-invent himself this year IF his Spring Training turns out respectable. He may be gone May 20th or maybe March 25th, depending upon his play. It’s like fans here want him to suck so they can justify complaining!?!?…….. In July TWINS took a flier on him and let Stewart go (who pitched 3 1/3 mediocre innings for Dodgers & then was, shockingly, out for the balance of the season, hurt) to see if Outman may pay some dividend.

I do not understand the angst shown - nobody is “blocked” ………without some sense of significant $$ outlays to players, nobody blocks anyone. If Rodriguez or Gonzalez play their way in to the Roster, great. If Outman or Roden play their way in to the Roster, great.

It seems like plenty on TD claim to be smarter than the Twins in their analysis of Outman. I'm not ready to make that claim about myself. 

He may or may not provide anything, but I have wondered whether he will even be allowed to succeed in the minds of those here. To those who have already decided that he's a flop, what level of success does he need to demonstrate to justify his worth?

[bean5302]

Outman needs an approach change similar to what Trevor Larnach followed. Can he do it is a big question.

Larnach had a crazy high K rate with terrible O-contact rates before making some adjustments to lower his strikeout rate. Maybe Outman can do it, but he probably can't.

In his rookie season, a lot of the performance appeared to be luck based on expected metrics.

[amjgt]

Quote

Stewart had been one of the most reliable arms in the Twins bullpen

What?!?!?!

I know isn't the point of the article, but when you write things like this at the start of an article, I can't help but think about it the rest of the way.

[RpR]

4 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Sure, Outman is having a good spring, but you could argue that Gonzalez and Rodriguez are having even better camps. Sure, those two players have options remaining and are no doubt slated for AAA, but I would love for the Twins to show some imagination and courage and keep one of those kids on the team and find a way to jettison the likes of Larnach and/or Wallner. Time to shake some action. 

Sure bring them up before whom ever is the decider for the Twins thinks they are ready; heck, they could become the next Larnach or Wallner!

They will be here, when the time is right; Gonzalez could be the next Keaschall when he hits the bigs.

[bunsen82]

17 hours ago, Nshore said:

If it comes down to Outman or E-Rod, I'd take E-Rod any day.  E-Rod could take off like a rocket and be just the shot in the arm this franchise needs.  They have to take a chance.  If E-Rod falls flat and starts to strike out every other at bat, then he's another Outman.  If he gets hurt, they have Kreidler or Roden for CF back-up. Pretty easy choice IMO.

Erod isn't taking Outman spot (a backup)   It would be Wallners or Larnachs.  

[MGX]

Outman's Spring training stats look nice - .318/.407/.591 with about 33% K rate - the problem is who has he been facing. If you use the Opponent quality metric on BBRef it looks like the opposing pitchers are slightly above AA level.

We already knew Outman could hit AA pitching - his career AA slash - .293/.385/.539 with about a 33% K rate. I'm not sure how much has changed. I follow the Dodgers closely like the Twins & when he first came up in '23 he had a nice season, but the K rate was worrisome even back then. Since then when facing MLB pitching it's only gone up ('24 - 35.3 & in '25 - 42.6). Maybe he made some adjustments that can help, but I'm not sure to this point facing AA level pitching is offering much proof that has happened.

I'd like to see him do well, but have a tough time buying it at this point. Combine that with a very crowded OF picture thanks to poor roster management & he seems like a very odd fit for this team.

[Riverbrian]

12 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Stewart didn’t pitch from ‘20-‘22.

In ‘23 he threw 27 2/3 - in ‘24 he threw 15 2/3 - in ‘25 he threw 37 2/3 and didn’t make it past early August with injury for Dodgers after 4 appearances, going 0-1, with a 4.91 ERA.

That’s Brock Stewart - flashes of great around prolonged stints of zero availability. I believe you are defending the Team’s right to like something in Outman, enough to make a trade. If they would have been reduced to having/relying on Stewart for the Closer role, disappointment would have been only a few innings away!

I'm really not defending anything. I don't need to agree or disagree with the Outman deal. I just don't know how else to look at it. Yes Stewart has had injury issues. There is no denying that and the injury issues has to lower his trade value. I get all of that. 

However... 

Brock Stewart is still on the Dodgers 40 man. They wanted him and they still want him. They DFA Banda and Kept Stewart. Banda is now pitching for the Twins. The Dodgers chose Stewart over Banda. The Twins claimed Banda and they no longer have Stewart. How else can anybody look at it? 

If Stewart was healthy and still with the Twins... he would be our closer. Yes I understand that he will be injured 5 seconds later based on his track record. Stewart can spend time on our injured list just as well as sitting on the Dodgers injured list. Our current bullpen... is Rogers, Funderburk, Sands, Banda, Topa, Orze and whoever else. Chafin? Stewart when healthy is the best reliever of that bunch. 

He wasn't on an expiring contract. The Twins did not have to give him away. The only justification for sending him over to the Dodgers at the trade deadline is....

They like Outman.

It doesn't mean I like Outman... It doesn't mean that you like Outman. It means that they like Outman. 

It means they agreed to the trade because they liked Outman. They could have asked for a 19 year in return that they don't have to make a roster decision for 3 years. They didn't... They agreed to Outman. They agreed to Outman knowing that he was out of options and 75 years old. They agreed to Outman knowing he gets a roster spot in 2026 or they traded for a two month rental 

The Dodgers could have DFA'd Outman at any time during 2024 and 2025. They didn't and they have 40 man roster pressure that goes beyond what the Twins have to deal with. They didn't DFA him despite his struggles because I assume that they also like Outman. If none of the other 29 teams wanted Outman... They can DFA him with no worries. No one would claim him. They DFA'd multiple players instead of Outman in 2025, they traded players during the 2025 season trying to manage the 40 man roster and through it all Outman survived the 40 man. That is until the Twins agreed to acquire him for a relief pitcher that the Dodgers wanted and still want today with injury issues full known to all involved.   

The narrative that two teams just exchanged unwanted crap can't be the case. It doesn't add up. These teams wanted the players involved in the Deal. 

If they DFA Outman... I get that many of us will be OK with that. But if they DFA Outman. He will probably get claimed. And if he gets claimed. We will have traded a reliever who would potentially be our closer for a two month rental in a lost season. 

I don't know how else to look at it. 

 

[Riverbrian]

5 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Handing James Outman a scholarship simply to avoid losing him, a guy who racked up -1 WAR last year in 1/3 of a season, "for nothing" is the kind of stubborn, counterproductive thinking that has plagued this organization for a decade.  

I'm not going to bet on Outman... But... 2024 was 134 AB and 2026 was 135 AB's. These MLB AB's were collected in drips and drabs. Fill in work on a loaded roster when someone got hurt. Called up Sent Down. Called up... Sent down.  The majority of his time was spent in Oklahoma City where he was a consistent .900 plus OPS. 

I don't plan on spending my time defending Outman.

I'm just here to say. It seems obvious that the Twins like Outman... that's why he is here. And I believe the Dodgers also liked Outman and I believe that other teams liked Outman. That's why he wasn't DFA'd by the Dodgers during his two years of struggles in sporadic playing time. . They knew that teams would claim him so they DFA'd other people instead. Eventually they traded him and got something for him and what they got for him was something that they wanted.  

[TheLeviathan]

I'll add to the contrarians: I'd like to see us take a chance on his upside.  

This team has a lack of athletes in the OF...if they can recapture some of what made him special it would be a useful asset to move this summer.  

[JD-TWINS]

3 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Outman needs an approach change similar to what Trevor Larnach followed. Can he do it is a big question.

Larnach had a crazy high K rate with terrible O-contact rates before making some adjustments to lower his strikeout rate. Maybe Outman can do it, but he probably can't.

In his rookie season, a lot of the performance appeared to be luck based on expected metrics.

Sounds like a path Matt Wallner could/should follow.

[LA Vikes Fan]

21 hours ago, rv78 said:

Based on their major league careers, especially the last 2 months of the 2025 season, I find it hard to believe that Roden is considered the 3rd outfielder over Martin. The author of this article appears to be drawing straws.

Agreed, but I would change the order another way. Wallner is a DH/4th or 5th OF, not a starting OF. My view is that the starting OF should be Buxton, Martin, and Roden, with Wallner and maybe Outman behind them. Larnach should be elsewhere.   

[Vanimal46]

Was there really any doubt Outman won’t be on the opening day roster? He’s the only backup CF we have realistically. 

[bean5302]

6 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Sounds like a path Matt Wallner could/should follow.

If Matt Wallner followed that path he'd be a potential MVP this year. 6th highest wRC+ among outfielders with 600+ PA in MLB over the past 3 years. Guy gets absolutely trashed around here, though.

[USAFChief]

53 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

If Matt Wallner followed that path he'd be a potential MVP this year. 6th highest wRC+ among outfielders with 600+ PA in MLB over the past 3 years. Guy gets absolutely trashed around here, though.

If only they added up wRC+ at the end of 9 innings.