Brandon

I like how our team has quality options all over the diamond throughout the season available if need be. 1B Mauer, Park, Sano, Kepler 2B Dozier, Polanco SS Escobar (ok maybe not great options here) Santana and Polanco 3b Plouffe, Sano, Polanco C Suzuki, Murphy, Hicks (ok as a back up) OF Buxton, Sano, Rosario,Arcia Kepler we even have solidback up options to be a 5th of in Mastoianni DH Park, then just about anyone SP Hughes, Santana, Nolasco, Millone, Gibson, then Berrios, Duffy, and May RP we have a small army of relievers on the horizon almost ready. So we have flexibility and options and trade fuel should we need to exercise any of it over the next season. after this season lots of decisions get made so we will likely loose some of our depth. Also we have time. What if Mauer struggles this year ....we can sign Plouffe to an extension and move Sano to 1rst.....If Nolasco is winning games we can keep him till July and trade or trade this next offseason for some value. If that happens we still have Berrios and Duffy available to pitch in the rotation next year.

Both Arcia and Quinten can make the team if they carry 12 pitchers to start the season I do see Quinten as DH insurance. Kind of like a Jim Thome when he was here (the second season he was here) . but when I made my comments earlier I was looking at each one on their own merits. meaning Quinten hasn't done anything to not deserve to make the team at this point. and Arcia wasn't showing the results needed to make the team either. so either could make the team and is justified or both.

Also the Twins usually have 2 or 3 off days in February making me think the Twins will start the season with 7 relievers instead of 8

I think if Carlos Quinten doesn't slow down the last week of camp he could be on the team as a ph 5th of/ 1b type. unfortunately if Buxton is starting in CF they may want someone to pinch hit for him or Suzuki in late innings in the early going. I think Nolasco is 5th starter because they have Duffy as a 6th starter and he has something to work on in the minors. I'm not sold on Tonkin making the team because we have such a wave of relievers coming it not a big loss to loose him. I do think he is a potentially solid reliever though. I think Buxton starts in the majors. his results have been better. I think Arcia makes the team after the 2 HR game, especially if he keeps hitting till the end of camp.

I can see Nolasco making the rotation if he puts up a good spring or is equal to Duffey. The Twins are always prone to prefer to have more options ready just in case. The will look to trade Nolasco as soon as he has rebuilt enough value to trade him. If he doesn't pitch well he could be out of the rotation quickly though. I don't see the Twins releasing him with 2 full years left on his contract unless he is just terrible in spring. In that case he may be willing to go to AAA to work his way back up but I think he starts out the season over Duffey. Duffey would have to be lights out better than Nolasco and Millone to make the rotation out of spring in my opinion. Nolasco to the pen is only going to happen if he pitches well enough to be in the majors and Duffey pitches way better in spring training. Now come May......

1. Hughes 2. Santana 3. Gibson 4. May 5. Nolasco/ Millone I think this would be the best because it gives us the most available depth in case of emergency thus keeping the rotation a constant average. In regards to Nolasco he did pitch solid last year in between injuries and he is pitching for his career at this point if he plans on signing another contract he needs to rebound vs I doubt anyone would claim him if we took him off the 40 man and assigned him to AAA. Also since we already have the costs on the books it may as well go towards keeping the other pitchers costs down a little longer. I prefer May in the rotation to give him the opportunity over duffey out the gate. (I would like to see the Twins sign someone like Stammen to make this a more realistic possibility)

I keep seeing lots of comments for the maximum rotation. and I agree for a maximum rotation There are lots of good comments and alignments. But we are talking about a rotation built for 162 games. we had 7 starters with 10 starts and an 8th starter with 8 starts last year. We should be building our rotation with that in mind and not in banking on having the top 5 starters start every game or only needing a 6th starter. to have maximum depth the best alignment is to start the season with the veterans. Hughes Santana Gibson Nolasco Millone If Nolasco doesn't pitch well in spring then he should be outrighted off the 40 man and sent to AAA. he wont be claimed and will accept the assignment because he wont want to forfeit the money on his contract. He will be pitching for his career though as it is now on the line. If he is solid he should be given a chance to rebuild some value and traded of course. Now who should the 6th starter be if someone gets hurt? May, Duffey, or Berrios? I would go with Duffey at this point and is why the Twins are deciding if they should just keep May in the pen. Spring May be different that is why TR is telling him to be ready to start. So the Twins will have the best starter ready or in the rotation due to contingencies. As far as the bullpen goes, The Twins are closing in on a large number of relievers being ready to come up. So instead of committing to a long term reliever contract the Twins are looking for short term gaps such as Rodney, Cotts, Thorton, or even May. I wouldn't even mind if Boyer was invited back to spring as a minor league free agent. While Millone or Nolasco could be with the Twins in 2017 I kind of doubt it and May can compete for a rotation spot then too if he isn't our closer then.

Last season I think 8 starting pitchers had 8 or more starts.

If you read the rumors the Twins are looking to sign a reliever as a bridge with a 1 year contract.

Mike several of those guys played multiple seasons 7 8 9 and 10 years ago and deunsing was here the last 7.

I'm only bummed about losing Jones cause I followed him longer than the other 8 reliever prospects we have that are almost ready to come up which is why TR is looking at reliever on a 1 year deal instead of 1 on a 3 year deal. He could have signed a reliever long term but we don't need one cause of all the prospects comming up.

The first 4 were pitching 4 the Twins through 2009 2010 so that shortens the 10 years quite a bit. Plus deunsing has been with the team the last 7.

Failed starters turned reliever 1. Guerrier, 2. Deunsing, 3. Rincon 4.Joe Nathan 5. LaTroy Hawkins 6. Eddie Guardado not counting Perkins so the above comment about not transitioning failed starters is void.

I'm kinda bummed cause of how this week was played out bit were looking for a reliever or 2 and a backup OF. I noticed TR is focused on a bridge gap type of reliever on a short term commitment as I think he is planning on our younger relievers comming up in short order. That is why I think he avoided the long term contracts cause we can obviously afford one. Vs it's frustrating cause we can obviously afford a reliever contract and didn't get obligated on one and block the reliever comming up.

Craig Stemmons looks like the buy low candidate opportunity we should jump on.

Our bullpen is not that bad. It was almost fixed Las t season on the fly. Cotts and Rodney would do the trick cause they won't block anyone comming up. We still have Jepsen, Perkins, Fien, and likely May. that's a good enough bullpen IMO.

I'd be happy if the Twins sign a reliever and back up OF.

I think it makes sense to keep Plouffe until 1. Park shows he can hit in MLB and 2. Mauer returns to form. You can never have too much offense.

How so you know if they tried to trade deunsing. They were trying to upgrade the pen last year. No one was graduatin to the majors and Fien is better.

Keep in mind this is a 1 year contract if the young guys bump him from the pen. Easy to move in a trade.

If he is the 2nd reliever that is not on Fien. That would be on TR for not upgrading the pen. His value is a middle reliever who is ultimately worth 3 to 4 million on the open market IMO. Fiend production is solid so he is easily worth th investment.

I think Sano in the OF is until we can move Mauer to the bench the last year or two of his contract if he doesn't produce closer to .300/.380/.400.

Fien has value and we can trade him when the better arms are ready and warrant a trade. We're not there yet.

Park should have tried to negotiate incentives into that deal. I would be fine with 2 or 3 million in incentives per season.

2 million is not too much for fien. 3.5 to 4 million is where I cut the cord with him.