Report From The Fort: Decisions And Divides

All sides say that Molitor and the new front office are getting along very well. “It’s been very comfortable,’ says Molitor. His boss agrees. “[Molitor] and I have had really candid conversations about the roster all the way through spring training,” said Falvey this weekend. “I don’t think it will change. It gets harder as you get to 25, but I think we’ll be in a good place coming out of it.”

The truth is that it gets exponentially harder once you get to 25, because there are players who, if they don’t make the roster, are likely lost to the organization. If there is going to be a disagreement between the front office and the coaching staff, it’s going to happen this week with a few of the last roster spots.

The conflict is that the coach and front office have different priorities. Everyone understands that. “Paul’s job is to focus exclusively on what’s happening now and putting the best team out on the field,” said Falvey. “My job is to think a little more broadly about the long term path of the organization.“

Those diverging responsibilities differ most obviously in the last two spots in the bullpen.

For the last right-handed reliever, Alex Wimmers looks like the coaching staff’s preferred option over Michael Tonkin. Wimmers has been seeing time earlier and earlier and getting his manager’s praise. See how many compliments you can count in this next paragraph.

“He’s had a really good camp,” said Molitor after Wimmers last outing. “He did a nice job last year. I mean, there was a few walks, but it’s not like he misfires all the time. He throws all four pitches out of the bullpen, which make him unique. He doesn’t back down from people; I like that he has good presence. You don’t see a change in body language when a guy gets a hit or a walk or whatever. He just seems to be very steady out there. He’s had a lot of nice innings down here. We’ve seen all his pitches. The changeup has been a really good pitch for him this spring.”

Tonkin, meanwhile, has show the same thing this year that he’s shown the last couple of years. He has a tantalizing mid 90s fastball. It strikes people out, including 10 in the 11 innings he has pitched this spring. He also gives up home runs, including three this spring. Plus, this year he’s added to the debit side of the ledger; he’s walked six guys in those 11 innings.

However, Michael Tonkin is out of options, meaning that if he doesn’t make the 25-man roster, he would need to be offered free-of-charge to all 29 other teams. If anyone can find a place for him on their 25-man roster, they get him. And you can bet that the front office, confronted with an organization that has struggled to find pitching for the last six years, would like to keep that arm around and see if they could have a chance to tap his potential. That’s harder to do when he’s playing for the Pirates.

The same question applies to the last spot in the bullpen, or the “swingman” who is often used to throw several innings when a starter is knocked out of a game early. Nick Tepesch has been getting starts in front of Justin Haley for the last couple games. For that matter, the Twins have had Tyler Duffey, Jose Berrios (already demoted) and Adalberto Mejia competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, and any of them would make a good cleanup option, too.

But Justin Haley is a Rule 5 pick, and if the Twins don’t keep him on the 25-man roster (or disabled list) for the entirety of the 2017 season, he’ll need to be offered back to the Red Sox. Haley hasn’t pitched particularly well in camp, as his 6.08 ERA suggests. But in an organization starved for pitching, adding a 25-year-old who has struck out almost a guy per inning in spring training is a good idea. Especially if his role is mostly to throw strikes in games that are already lost.

There are other possible challenges, though they appear less significant. If ByungHo Park makes the roster as the starting designated hitter and Chris Gimenez makes the roster as the backup catcher, both must be added to the 40-man roster. One of those spots seems straight-forward: Glen Perkins appears to be a likely candidate for the 60 day DL, which opens a spot.

But the other means dropping someone. That doesn’t appear to be a huge issue. “I think we’re fine,” said Molitor regarding finding room on the 40-man.

There surely have been tests outside the public’s view between the front office and their manager this offseason, but cementing a 25-man roster raises the ante.

For his part, Falvey doesn’t anticipate a lot of drama. “I’ve only been around groups that make [these decisions] together. And I’d like to do that with Paul and with Thad and with our group,” he said. “Ultimately, I’m responsible for our baseball operations, so that [decisionmaker] will be me, but I’m confident we’ll all get to a place where we feel good about the outcome with the 25-man [roster] at the end.”

They may all feel good. But the way forward likely involves a little friction.