Matthew Lenz

Roster sizes for all MLB teams will be shrinking by two spots on May 2nd, limiting teams to 26 players until September. Yesterday, Theodore Tollefson looked at which hitters may be on the chopping block, and now I will look at a few pitchers on the fringe. The Twins took advantage of the 28-man rosters by supplementing their bullpen with extra arms. Especially with a lockout-shortened Spring Training, this was crucial as it allowed for Twins starting pitchers to have a reasonable ramp-up period. Now that we are three weeks into the season and starters are beginning to reach their “Opening Day form,” I think we will see at least one bullpen pitcher be sent down to St. Paul and possibly two. With that said, let's look at the pitchers who might be on the outside looking in. Josh Winder I think this is the most obvious choice and would go as far as issuing a guarantee that he makes his way down to St. Paul. Winder is a promising 25-year-old prospect who has found success as a starter at every level, not to mention providing the Twins with some effective relief innings so far in 2022. The long-term picture for Winder is that of a mid-rotation arm, not a long reliever out of the pen, whose only “red flag” is being shut down in July last year due to a shoulder injury. While he should be the first to be sent down to St. Paul, he’s likely also the first to earn a spot start when the Twins have a need in the big league rotation. Griffin Jax Although he’s older than Winder, Jax is another one who needs to get innings, and I think it’s time to groom him as a reliever. In the last year or so, Jax has developed a slider that is now his best pitch and mixes that with a mid-90s fastball that seems to add a couple of ticks when he comes out of the pen. As noted by Nick, it’s a small sample, but the Twins have starting depth in their minors which provides them the flexibility to give Jax some run as a reliever. If the long-term plan is a reliever role, I could see him sticking in Minneapolis as he’s been one of the few non-starter bright spots in 2022. Cody Stashak He seems older than 27 because he’s pitched parts of four seasons at the Major League level. I’m conflicted with Stashak as I don’t see any upside to him taking a spot in St. Paul, but I don’t know how effective he can be in Minneapolis. He showed promise over 40 relief innings in 2019 and 2020, but the road has been rocky for Stashak since dealing with ineffective pitching and, of course, a strained bicep that cost him most of last season. So far, 2022 hasn’t been kind to Stashak, but I’d instead give him some time in Minneapolis in low leverage spots than any role across town with the Saints. If you are the Twins, who would your two roster cuts be next week? View full article

Carlos Correa has started the year with a sub .600 OPS which is about 250 points below his career norm. What is going on with the Twins biggest free agent acquisition since Ricky Nolasco? Can it really just be cold weather or are the Twins forever doomed at shortstop after trading away JJ Hardy? View full video

PitchCom is a new tech-based, pitching calling system that will be used widely across MLB in 2022. The goal of the system is twofold: prevent sign stealing and increase pace of play. The complete impact of the PitchCom system on the game remains to be seen but undoubtedly will help move the game forward. View full video

Three pitchers. Three different contracts. How do they all figure into the Twins future beyond this year? View full video

Do you have a source regarding your comments on Boras/Correa? Are you telling me that Boras called the Twins out of the blue?

And really that’s my biggest issue with the FO/coaching staff…IDK who is more to blame. Last year specifically I kind of liked the Happ and Shoemaker signings, but then they hung on way too long when it was clear it just wasn’t working out. Also, these are relievers. I don’t think they’ll be blocking any prospects from relieving in AAA.

With the bullpen still in flux a week out from Opening Day, the Twins were busy on Thursday adding much-needed bullpen depth to the organization. The Twins signed veteran right-handed relievers Tyler Bashlor, JC Ramirez and Jake Petricka to minor-league deals. Each of the names mentioned above has varying amounts of Major League experience, although that comes with a considerable amount of time missed. Since the 2018 season, JC Ramirez and Jake Petricka have combined for just 84 1/3 innings, of which Petricka provided 45 2/3 in 2018. On the other hand, Bashlor has gone up and down between Triple-A and the big leagues since 2018, but he spent the entire 2021 season with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate. These signings are of the same ilk as Chi-Chi González. The Twins are taking a low-risk flier on guys with experience but aren’t fully committing to them past a minor-league deal. In other words, these signings are not in the same realm as “low-risk” signings from previous offseasons. As it stands now, the three will likely start in St. Paul and will need to earn their trip West on 94. Let’s look at what the three veterans could provide to one or both teams in the Twin Cities metro. Tyler Bashlor was drafted by the Mets in 2013 and was traded to the Pirates in the middle of the 2020 season but was sent to Pittsburgh’s alternate site before throwing 8 1/3 innings for the Pirates towards the end of the season. Although it was with their AAA affiliate, Bashlor had a successful 2021 season throwing 37 2/3 innings over 37 relief appearances and struck out 10.8 K/9 with a 2.39 ERA but also carried a 4.5 BB/9 which has been his Achilles heel throughout his career. His most recent Savant profile from those eight innings in 2021 shows a mid-90s fastball and slider mix with the occasional changeup. (Look at the curveballs in the below video and try not to think about Matt Wisler.) JC Ramirez has only thrown 14 2/3 relief innings since 2018 due to a combination of Tommy John Surgery, costing most of 2018 and 2019, and the cancellation of 2020 spring training due to COVID. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Ramirez has pitched in Mexico and China with some success over the last two seasons. However, the level of competition isn’t nearly what he faced stateside. His Savant profile from 2019 tells us he has a fastball that sits in the low-90s, although it’s worth noting it averaged 96 miles per hour in 2017, and a slider and curveball. Before his injury in 2018, he was just a passable back end of the rotation option, but sometimes those guys can reinvent themselves as effective relievers. I wouldn’t hold my breath but benefit from a minor league deal. A Northfield (MN) native, Jake Petricka might sound familiar as he was a good reliever for the Chicago White Sox from 2013 through 2015. He was with the White Sox until 2017 but has since bounced around the league with the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He’s avoided Tommy John Surgery, but he also has a history of elbow and forearm injuries which could explain why his career has gone south since that three-year run ending in 2015. Most recently, he provided the Angels organization with some depth with their AAA affiliate so he isn’t as far removed from Major League Baseball as Ramirez and profiles similarly. He throws a low to mid 90’s fastball with a slider and changeup. These three moves won’t move the needle, and to be frank, minor-league deals shouldn’t especially those signed a week before the season starts. Last year, the Twins used a total of 35 pitchers. Depth is good. These pitchers can provide the organization with some relief depth, and, who knows, maybe one will rediscover himself and provide some effective innings in Minneapolis before the season is over. View full article

Yea, considering all the “graduates” from last year, it’s impressive to see our farm system with so much talent that could be ready to contribute within the next year or two. I agree on Miller, but would take it as a bad thing if Palacios is our shortstop next year…does that mean Correa left and neither Royce Lewis or Austin Martin are ready? I guess a positive could be they were traded for a starter, but I think Palacios is realistically a solid utility depth piece.

Yea, always hard to say how these guys will turn out…even when it’s an “expert” making the list.

Last week, I looked at the Twins who cracked MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects, and now they have released their Top 30 Prospects for the Minnesota Twins. This article will examine that list and make some notable observations from the rankings. MLB Pipeline featured four Twins in their top-100 and an additional player who "just missed" the cut. You can review last week's article to get some additional insight on those prospects. This article will note observations of the remaining Twins in their top-30, including the risers, fallers, and especially those who are new to the list compared to the final rankings from the end of the 2021 season. Those rankings were updated at the end of August, and between then and now no Twins reached their rookie minimums meaning that there are no “graduates” to note. The Twins have seen a lot of positive movement from their prospects over the offseason, so let’s dive into the rankings! Risers Spencer Steer (2B/3B) rose from 23rd to 11th over the offseason, which is tied for the biggest jump for any Twins prospect with the player you’ll read about next. What’s interesting is that after the rankings were published, Steer had one of the worst months of his season at AA-Wichita although it would be short-sighted to think that recent performance is all that goes into the rankings. As noted in his MLB Pipeline scouting report, Steer was able to add power in 2021 without sacrificing much of his OBP as shown by his season-long .348/.484 OBP/SLG and had a pretty successful run after being promoted in late June. We won’t be seeing him in 2022 (probably) and there are a lot of guys ahead of him who play (or can play) similar positions, so his route to Minneapolis is going to be a challenging one. That said, if he proves that his combination of power and OBP are here to stay, he’ll put himself in a position to get to the Major Leagues sooner rather than later. As noted before, Louie Varland (RHP) also jumped 12 spots over the offseason and finds himself as the Twins 15th-ranked prospect headed into the 2022 season. Varland had an impressive four starts following the release of the rankings last August in which he posted a 2.86 ERA and 31:4 K:BB over 22 innings which punctuated an impressive 2021 campaign between Low A Fort Myers and High A Cedar Rapids. Over 20 starts (10 at each level) and 103 innings pitched, Varland boasted a 4.73 K/BB, 2.10 ERA, and 1.09 WHIP which earned him Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors. Not yet reaching AA Wichita means that a 2022 debut is unlikely for Varland but if he has another year like 2021 then he’ll absolutely compete for a rotation spot in 2023 Spring Training. Fallers Former 13th overall pick, Keoni Cavaco, dropped 13 spots over the offseason after spending a majority of the season at Low A Fort Myers. In just his first full season as a pro, it’s way too early to call Cavaco a bust considering he was drafted out of high school and missed the 2020 season, but he didn’t help his cause with a sub .600 OPS and a 34.2% strikeout rate. Can’t emphasize enough that, especially with all factors considered, it’s way too early to judge Cavaco (although he was picked ahead of bigger name shortstop prospects like Bryson Stott and Anthony Volpe). Signed as an International Free Agent in 2018, Yunior Severino, who was ranked 30th last August, has fallen off the most recent version of the list. He actually posted his best season as a pro with an .802 OPS, but the addition of five players you’ll read about below made him the odd-man-out of MLB Pipelines top 30 Twins prospects. Even the most recent Fangraphs rankings put the switch-hitting second baseman outside of their top 40 prospects for the organization. Newcomers Ronny Henriquez, acquired in the Mitch Garver trade, comes in as the Twins' 14th-best prospect. MLB Pipeline retroactively added him to the 2021 list where he was ranked the 19th-best prospect in the system, and I’ll direct you to Lucas Seehafer’s article for more information on the right-handed pitching prospect. Cade Povich, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Jermaine Palacios are all guys who have been with the organization but are new to MLB Pipelines top 30 sitting at 27, 29, and 30, respectively. Povich is a left-handed pitcher drafted in the 3rd round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Nebraska. In 10 innings in 2021, he had a 19:2 K:BB ratio, allowed nine baserunners, and four earned runs. The Twins added corner infielder Encarnacion-Strand in the 34th round of the 2021 draft out of Oklahoma State. In 87 at-bats, he posted a 1.022 OPS with four home runs and a strikeout rate of 29.9% Palacios is a veteran of the Twins minor-league system at this point. He originally signed back in 2013 at just 16-years-old. He was traded to the Rays in the Jake Odorizzi acquisition, and he came back to the Twins on a minor-league deal ahead of the 2021 season. The Venezuelan is a glove-first utility infielder who posts passable numbers at the plate with a career OPS of .715 over 2,456 minor league at-bats. It remains to be seen where the Twins farm system will rank as a whole, but even after the graduation of so many top prospects last season, they ended as MLB Pipelines 15th-ranked system. Since then they’ve added a prospect to the top 100 and have had a lot of positive movement in their system. How do you feel about the Twins system as we enter a competitive window? Are you in the boat of trading some of these prospects for Major League talent or letting the prospects develop their way to Minneapolis? Let us know in the comments! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Lol! I wouldn’t mind seeing Rogers extended for a couple years. Relievers can be so volatile and unpredictable though so nothing long-term.

They need to acquire him first.

Totally agree!

The arbitration deadline for players and their teams to exchange offers is Tuesday, and the Twins have a handful of players who are arbitration eligible. This article will review this process and the Twins who are eligible for arbitration. Nick Nelson broached this topic months ago in the Offseason Handbook but much has changed since then. At the start of the offseason, the Twins had 12 players who were arbitration and added a thirteenth and fourteenth via a couple of offseason transactions we'll review later in the article. So when it’s all said and done, the Twins are down to just three eligible players who are set to enter arbitration ahead of Tuesday's deadline. As a reminder, the arbitration process gives the ability for players who have reached three years of service time to negotiate their salary. The exception to this, known as “Super Two”, is for the players who are in the top 22-percent of service time but below three years. This came into play for Twins utility, Luis Arraez, who just barely eclipsed the super two threshold. Finally, there are three ways to avoid arbitration: The player and team come to an agreement in terms (these are the offers due on Tuesday) The player and team agree to a contract extension to “buy out” the arbitration years. Most recently, the Byron Buxton contract extension did this. The player is designated for assignment (DFA) or outright released by the team. Before diving into the three eligible, let’s review the other eleven who are no longer arbitration eligible for the 2022 season. Byron Buxton signed a seven year, $100MM contract extension at the end of November effectively buying out is final year of arbitration. Jharel Cotton, Caleb Thielbar, and Tyler Duffey avoided arbitration in 2022 by agreeing to one-year deals. Cotton was claimed off waivers from the Rangers while Thielbar and Duffey were significant contributors to the Twins bullpen in 2022. Mitch Garver is still arbitration eligible but it’s just not for the Twins after being traded to the Texas Rangers for (former Twins great) shortstop Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and right-handed pitcher Ronny Henriquez. Jake Cave signed a one year, $800K deal but then was DFA’d and outrighted to AAA-St. Paul a week later. Danny Coulombe and Juan Minaya were DFA’d and re-signed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Willians Astudillo, Rob Refsnyder, and John Gant were all DFA’d and released by the Twins. Astudillo and Refsnyder ended up getting Minor League pacts from the Miami Marlins and Boston Red Sox, respectively. Gant ended up signing a deal overseas with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan. This leaves us with the three Twins remaining who are arbitration eligible, one of which was acquired on the flurry of post lockout moves made by the club. Luis Arraez Our Offseason Handbook has him projected to make $1.5MM this year if the two sides cannot come to an agreement by the Tuesday deadline. Taylor Rogers The Twins lefty closer is projected to earn $7MM, per our Offseason Handbook. Another nuance of the arbitration process is that a super two player, which Rogers was post-2018, can then be eligible for a fourth year of arbitration. This is the case for Rogers in 2022 and, unless a contract extension buys him out, will be the case for Arraez in 2025. Gary Sanchez The newly acquired Sanchez is projected to make $7.9 MM by MLBTR and $7.5MM by Spotrac, and is in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Also worth noting is that Gio Urshela agreed to a $6.55MM pact with the Yankees prior to being traded and still has one year of arbitration remaining in 2023. Of the three arbitration eligible players, would you like to see any of them extended to buy out their remaining years? Let us know in the comments! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

If the Twins can get Montas using Balazovic and Arraez as the headliners, I will be ecstatic. Arraez might be the perfect fit for the OBP/moneyball ways of Billy Beane, but I personally don’t know if he’s viewed as the same caliber as the three hitters above.

The MLB Pipeline team released their preseason 2022 Top 100 that featured four Twins prospects. Two of the Twins are new to the list while a fifth Twins prospect, who made the cut in 2021, “just missed” in 2022. Let’s take a quick look at the Twins top 5 prospect. The last list from 2021 featured just three Twins after multiple players reached their rookie limits and “graduated” from the list during the 2021 season. The three players from the last installment of their rankings were shortstop Royce Lewis (#35), shortstop/center fielder Austin Martin (#36), and right-handed pitcher Jordan Balazovic (#81). Despite the various “graduates”, they were able to rebuild their farm systems a bit with the José Berríos and Nelson Cruz trades for an overall farm system ranking 15th out of the 30 MLB teams. It remains to be seen where they rank the farm system ahead of the 2022 season, so here’s what we know they think of the Twins top prospects. #46 Royce Lewis, Shortstop The former first overall pick has had a long, windy road since being drafted in 2017. Despite all of those challenges, the one thing that has remained consistent is his placement as a consensus top 100 prospect. The talent and the ceiling are there and now we hope that the various challenges he has overcome are behind him. He’ll likely spend all of the 2022 season between AA-Wichita and AAA-St. Paul, especially with the recent additions of Gio Urshela and Carlos Correa. Big picture I think this is a good thing as it allows him to focus on getting back into the game without the pressures of performing to get back to the big league club ASAP. #52 Austin Martin, Super Utility Martin has been another staple in the top 100 since being drafted 5th overall in 2020. Of course, that was always with the Toronto Blue Jays before being the headliner of the Berríos trade and immediately becoming the Twins second-best prospect. Even before Correa and a healthy Royce Lewis, he was already getting run as a center fielder instead of a shortstop. He’s good enough to be passable at any position aside from catcher, so he’ll eventually find his way to the Twins because of his bat…whether that’s in the infield, outfield, or all over is anyone's best guess. #95 Jose Miranda, Utility IF The only surprise here is that he barely cracked the top 100 after his spectacular 2021 season where he won Twins Minor Leaguer of the Year. Of course, there’s nothing from prior years that indicated this was coming or that it’s even repeatable so it’s probably fair he was ranked in the 90’s. Like the two before him, the offseason additions give him the time to prove 2021 was no fluke without the added pressure of needing to contribute to the big leagues right away in 2022. That said, if he starts to show that 2021 was not a flash in the pan, then I don’t know how they don’t give him an opportunity in Minneapolis. #97 Joe Ryan, Starting Pitcher Despite ending the season giving up six earned runs to the Detroit Tigers, Joe Ryan quickly established himself as the headliner of the Nelson Cruz trade and was penned in for the 2022 rotation. In his four other starts in 2021 he gave up six earned runs TOTAL while posting a 29:3 K:BB in 22 innings pitched despite throwing a fastball that averaged just 91 miles-per-hour. Despite the lack of velocity, Ryan is projected to be a mid-rotation starter due to the movement of that fastball up in the zone. If he can improve his offspeed pitches to counteract that high fastball, he’ll be a more than passable starter for years to come. #103 Jordan Balazovic, Right-Handed Pitcher Shortly after the top 100 was released, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline released the prospect who “just missed the top 100.” I’m guessing it was in order and Balazovic was third on the list which would make him prospect number 103 as he continues his dance as a top-100 / almost top-100 prospect since 2019. The last rendition of the rankings had him at #81, but part of the reason for the drop was hinted at in the article…his K rate dropped about 10 points in AA-Wichita compared to his previous four seasons in A-ball and below. I wouldn’t be surprised if Balazovic starts the year in AA-Wichita again, but eventually works up the chain to Minneapolis before the season is over. What’s ironic about all of this is that it very well could take two of these prospects (and more) to net Frankie Montas who the Twins are reportedly looking to acquire from the A’s. The good news in the short-term is that aside from Joe Ryan, the Twins aren’t counting on any of these guys to be contributors in 2022. Would you be okay trading two of these guys for Frankie Montas or should we hold and see how they develop this year? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

The Minnesota Twins have signed Chi Chi Gonzalez to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. This article will give you a look at Gonzalez’s background and what impact he might have on the team in 2022. Chi Chi Gonzalez is a 30-year-old, right-handed starting pitcher who has pitched over 260 innings as a starter (47 starts) and reliever (14 appearances) in the big leagues. He actually has ties to Twins General Manager, Thad Levine, who drafted him 23rd overall with the Texas Rangers in 2013, and made his major-league debut in 2015 with the club. He basically missed all of 2017 and 2018 recovering from Tommy John surgery but has 44 appearances (34 starts) over the last three years with the Colorado Rockies. Over 184 1/3 innings since 2019, Gonzalez had an uninspiring 6.10/5.48 ERA/FIP and a 1.66 K/BB ratio, but this signing isn’t of the same ilk as some others that Twins fans may be used to from the last couple of offseasons. Gonzalez’s arsenal (if you want to call it that) consists of primarily three pitches: a 92 mile per hour fastball, an 86 mile per hour slider with below-average movement, and an effective 84 mile-per-hour changeup that drops off better than most. Completely speculating here, but I wonder if the Twins think they can tinker that slider to be more effective which is a huge project to take on based on his Baseball Savant profile shown below. Over the last two offseasons, fans have grown frustrated by the one-year “show me something” type deals that have been handed out to the likes of Homer Bailey, JA Happ, Matt Shoemaker, etc. This deal quite literally has no risk or obligation to the Twins being that it’s a minor league deal. While the Twins are rumored to be involved in talks with higher impact teams and players, the fact is that right now the Twins rotation and bullpen are MAJOR works in progress. While Gonzalez might not make the big league club, he provides added competition to various young guys we have in camp. And ultimately, he becomes a depth piece should our prospects show that they need some additional seasoning in the minor leagues. It’s not an exciting move in the least, but you shouldn’t be viewing this deal as some of the others. Realistically, this acquisition will have little to no impact on the season and the offseason should be defined by whether the Twins are able to close on any of those rumored deals. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

Those rankings are Langenhagens from pre-2021. At the time Gordon was 25 years old, spent 7 years in minor league ball not including an 8th year at the alternate site. I’m not educated enough on the Twins system to know if there are 36 better guys, but it didn’t take me by surprise that he was 37 everything considered.