Cleaning Up the Twins’ 40-Man Roster: Who Stays? Who Goes?

[killercarewoliva]

5 minutes ago, MapleGroveTwinsFan said:

How would that even have been possible with a 40 man roster without losing all the other guys that needed to be on the roster? 

I don't think they all got moved at once. Maybe not sure but not even in the same season?

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 hour ago, killercarewoliva said:

96 rbi. Tony Oliva was too hurt to play outfield but no way he would be released due to offense value. 

If Josh Bell were Tony Oliva instead I would agree with you

[jmlease1]

It's not going to be hard to get down to the 40-man limit. There's 10-11 fairly easy calls, so if all you need is to get down to 40 no one is going to lose any sleep.

None of the pending FA's will end up on the 40-man: they're free agents. While I'd like to keep Jeffers and Minter, Bell and Rogers are for sure gone. Banda, Acton, Anderson, Orze, Larnach, Wallner, and Gray...pick 4 more if you want to assume that we're re-signing 2 of the FA's?

Should be pretty easy to get down to 37, protect a couple of Rule 5 candidates (assuming there even is a Rule 5) and/or open a couple of spaces for FA. 

They'll probably keep Larnach and Wallner for a while and hope they can make a trade with either of them, but they'll get down to the early limit easily with FA and some of the chaff. (I'd designate Banda early; doubt anyone picks him off waivers if he's not going to pitch until June. Toss in Orze and we're there until we hopefully move on from Wallner, Larnach, and Gray after finding no takers in trade)

[DannySD]

There isn't really anyone who needs to be protected from the Rule 5, and I doubt FA will happen until after a lockout, so I'd guess most of the fringe pitchers will stick around for now. 

[Whammy]

I feel like I know most of what there is to know about rosters, options, arbitration, etc.... but I don't know the answer to this...

Could we sign Banda. right now, to a $2.0M minor league deal? With the goal being, keep him off the 40-man roster until he's healthy in the middle of next season?

If not, what rule prevents it?

[Nashvilletwin]

The single most important criteria to be on the 40 man roster is simply: by being on the 40 does that player help build a more competitive roster for ‘28-‘30.

Players on the 40 this off season should fall into one of three categories:

1. They are slotted to be contributors starting in ‘28.

2. They could be contributors in ‘28-‘30.

3. They can be traded for players who would fall into one of the two above categories.

Everyone else can be jettisoned.

[Whammy]

Keep on 40-man (34):
--- Bold players are the next wave I'm willing to part with if needed ---
Mick Abel
Travis Adams
Jack Anderson
Anthony Banda
Taj Bradley
David Festa
Kody Funderburk
Yoendrys Gómez
Jeff Hoffman
Dean Kremer
Pablo López
Zebby Matthews
Andrew Morris
Tommy Nance
Mike Paredes
Connor Prielipp
Marco Raya
Kendry Rojas
Joe Ryan
Cole Sands
Victor Caratini
Kody Clemens
Kaelen Culpepper
Luke Keaschall
Ryan Kreidler
Brooks Lee
Ben Ross
Byron Buxton
Gabriel Gonzalez
Walker Jenkins
Austin Martin
Hendry Mendez
Alan Roden
Emmanuel Rodriguez

Attempt to trade but keep on 40 man if you can't (1):
Royce Lewis

Attempt to trade and remove from 40 man if you can't (3):
Bailey Ober
Trevor Larnach
Matt Wallner

Free Agents, some of whom I'd have back, but for now are off the 40-man (4):
AJ Minter
Taylor Rogers
Ryan Jeffers
Josh Bell

Remove from 40-man (4):
Garrett Acton
Eric Orze
Tristan Gray
Aaron Sabato

[killercarewoliva]

5 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

If Josh Bell were Tony Oliva instead I would agree with you

it seems like everybody but me does not like Josh Bell in his 96 runs batted in. neither one of these people could play the field. I remember the night listening on the radio telling you leave a dive for the ball and couldn't get up. he had torn his knee. never the same after that so he hit the first home run of the designated hitter age.

[Cory Engelhardt]

15 minutes ago, killercarewoliva said:

it seems like everybody but me does not like Josh Bell in his 96 runs batted in. neither one of these people could play the field. I remember the night listening on the radio telling you leave a dive for the ball and couldn't get up. he had torn his knee. never the same after that so he hit the first home run of the designated hitter age.

Please know I like Josh Bell the player and the person. For the 2027 roster and how the team is set up now, I just don’t see a fit. IF we knew Buxton were to be healthy and play 130+ games in the field, I MIGHT feel different. But I can very much see Buxton playing some cf and a lot of DH next year. 
If anything, Buxton is the Oliva of this team no? I certainly wouldn’t want Josh Bell to be in the lineup over a healthy Buxton. You agree with that, right?

[killercarewoliva]

4 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Please know I like Josh Bell the player and the person. For the 2027 roster and how the team is set up now, I just don’t see a fit. IF we knew Buxton were to be healthy and play 130+ games in the field, I MIGHT feel different. But I can very much see Buxton playing some cf and a lot of DH next year. 
If anything, Buxton is the Oliva of this team no? I certainly wouldn’t want Josh Bell to be in the lineup over a healthy Buxton. You agree with that, right?

so you were saying that? Josh Bell is going to lose his position on the team so Baron Buxton can have a place to play due to his lack of health to play the field which happens all the time. Buxton played an entire season at DH and he hated it. but like you say, he will go to DH if necessary to be a part of the team. the season before last. the one just passed. he got 83 runs batted in. so putting him in the same position as Bell. he was 13 runs batted in less valuable to the team than Bell. we saw Buxton have a terrible. was it final month of the season? something like that. he's striking out constantly and we you know attribute that to his hip issue. the guy is super tough and super loyal to the Minnesota twins, but what is best for Minnesota is for Buxton to alarm self to be traded for the good of the team. he is coddled every single season. no exceptions to that. as a huge fan of this organization since 1965 and he does all he can to stay on the field, but he doesn't stay on the field very well. with this in mind, we don't want to not think of the significance that Mr. Bell gives the team. I think it might be a matter of seeing how things are around the middle of March.

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 hour ago, killercarewoliva said:

so you were saying that? Josh Bell is going to lose his position on the team so Baron Buxton can have a place to play due to his lack of health to play the field which happens all the time. Buxton played an entire season at DH and he hated it. but like you say, he will go to DH if necessary to be a part of the team. the season before last. the one just passed. he got 83 runs batted in. so putting him in the same position as Bell. he was 13 runs batted in less valuable to the team than Bell. we saw Buxton have a terrible. was it final month of the season? something like that. he's striking out constantly and we you know attribute that to his hip issue. the guy is super tough and super loyal to the Minnesota twins, but what is best for Minnesota is for Buxton to alarm self to be traded for the good of the team. he is coddled every single season. no exceptions to that. as a huge fan of this organization since 1965 and he does all he can to stay on the field, but he doesn't stay on the field very well. with this in mind, we don't want to not think of the significance that Mr. Bell gives the team. I think it might be a matter of seeing how things are around the middle of March.

Yeah, a healthy Buxton is 10 times the player Bell is. Hopefully his hip is recovered and he can play. But I do think he will get a good amount of DH at bats in 2027, along with hopefully helping in the field. 
Josh Bell had a fine 2026. Below what I would expect from a DH only, but players liked him for sure. Not good enough to get his number retired, like I would imagine Buxton would after he retires