stringer bell

As with the transactions thread, it is time to usher in a new year. The 2024 thread went about 15 pages. I wonder how long this one will be.

Martín Pérez returns to the AL Central. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/white-sox-to-sign-martin-perez.html

Hey, it is a new year, so I suppose we can start a new thread with roster moves. The Twins currently have 39 spots filled on their 40-man roster. There is room to add one player before anyone is designated for assignment. As far as I know, all players on the 40-man are healthy, so there won't be someone immediately sent to the 60-day IL when Spring Training starts. The current roster has 22 pitchers--Adams, Alcalá, Canterino, Castellano (Rule V), Duran, Festa, Funderburk, Headrick, Henriquez, Jax, López, Matthews, Ober, Paddack, Raya, Ryan, Sands, Stewart, Tonkin, Topa, Varland and Woods Richardson. The catchers (3) are listed as Camargo, Jeffers and Vázquez. Infielders (7)--Castro, Correa, Gasper, Julien, Lee, Lewis and Miranda. Outfielders (7)--Buxton, Helman, Keirsey Jr., Larnach, Martin, Rodriguez and Wallner.

I think the key is health, most specifically the health of Correa, Buxton, Lewis and the top pitchers. The Twins played their best when all but Lewis were healthy from late April to sometime in June.

I don't think the Twins have "plenty of catching depth". They have Jeffers entering his expensive years and Vázquez on the last year of an inflated contract. They've stayed healthy for two consecutive years, which I consider pretty fortunate and also feel like the law of averages is about ready to smack them. Camargo is suspect offensively and defensively IMHO and after that--bupkus. It appears this guy is a good defender who two years ago forgot how to hit. Maybe the shock of a DFA and new scenery will help, maybe not. I'd be willing to part with any position player not rated in the top ten prospects, probably starting with Rosario. Several teams will want to take a chance on this guy. I expect the price will be steeper than it should be.

I don’t get the Larnach to 1B stuff. He’s never played there and they have brought in two first basemen. Someone will have to DH and I think it will quite often be Larnach. Castro figures to be in left quite a bit if either Julien or Lee claim a regular role (I’m betting on Lee). I’m guessing one of Ford or Gasper makes the team, more likely Gasper because he’s versatile and a switch hitter.

Maybe being closer to 100% healthy will help Royce to flourish. He hasn't played close to a full season, but he's only 25 years old. I don't think he should be written off as a poor fielder and as I stated earlier, even appearing gimpy, his defensive stats weren't that bad (FWIW). He didn't look right at the end of the season and maybe he'll learn from the experience or be healthier next September. Either he should be a better player in crunch time.

I didn’t say he stunk. I believe his zone rating and DRS was about average and that he could be better than that if he is closer to 100%. The throwing from second would be easier and throwing appeared to me to be Lewis’ biggest issue at third base.

The Lewis I saw at the end of 2024 didn’t look athletic and the throwing from third was sketchy. The articles posted here give me hope that he’ll be a bit of a different player. I do think Lee is a better fit at third base if he can hit at a major league level and if Royce is willing to give second a chance before moving him all the way down the spectrum to first base. First base is probably Miranda’s for now with precious little behind him.

Perhaps off-topic, but concerning catching, Diego Cartaya was DFA'd by the Dodgers today. He was their minor league player of the year a couple of years ago, but has struggled hitting in the high minors. Cartaya has a good defensive rep and strong arm and also importantly has an option year remaining. If I am correct about how the Twins feel about Camargo, I think they should be all over this and claim Cartaya.

Not a non-tender. He was a minor league free agent and chose the Mets after being in the Twins organization since he was drafted.

Two thoughts here to cap my involvement in this thread: 1) It seems that the feeling is that most left handed hitters just aren’t able to handle left handed pitching much more so than right handed hitters facing same sided pitching. 2) “Lefty killers” really don’t exist, so if you are a short side platoon hitter, you’re really a backup that makes starts against left handed pitching. Another factor in the platoon play at least at the start of last year was that the right handed hitters were thought to be the superior fielders, so exchanging Santana for Kirilloff, Margot for Wallner and Farmer for Julien made a bit more sense if the Twins were trying to hold a lead.

It has been pointed out that Max Kepler was brutal against left handed pitching and in the aggregate that is certainly true. However, in Kep’s two best seasons, he was actually held his own against left handed pitching. 2019– Kepler vs LH had an OPS of .885 vs lefties, better than against right handers. In 2023, Max posted an above-average .751 OPS against left handers. The rest of his Twins’ career, he was considerably worse facing left handed pitching. I concur that pinch hitting and allowing weaker hitters to get key PAs is the biggest flaw in Rocco’s platoon setup. Better usage and better players are needed. Perhaps Baldelli will be forced to ride with Larnach/Mianda/Wallner more often in 2025. It would seem to be a decision season for all three anyway

Wallner isn’t slow. His sprint speed last year was greater than Kepler. Both Larnach and Wallner are satisfactory defenders, but without great range. If they hit like last year, their defensive flaws won’t stand out.

It isn’t the “protection”, it’s the degree of projection IMHO. It is smart to not start Larnach, Wallner and (2023) Julien against left handed pitchers, It isn’t optimum to take all those guys out in the 3-5th inning because a left handed reliever has entered the game, especially when the alternatives are worse hitters on balance. If the guys mentioned are going to be better than platoon players they need to be able to handle same-sided pitching and facing middle relievers would be a good way to ease them in. @Riverbrian has advocated having at least five players who start and stay in the game no matter what hand the pitcher throws with Let’s hope that progress is made towards that goal in 2025 I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it here—the Twins’ top two prospects are left handed hitters and turning them into platoon players in their early 20s would be managerial malfeasance.

I think it’s all TBD as far as his defense and hitting. I think there’s a place available for him if he can hit and can be trusted behind the plate and at first base.

I enjoyed all of the quizzes. As an avid fan, I knew most, but not all of the answers.

There is a path for someone with Gasper’s skill set to make the Twins’ major league roster. So far, he has shown himself to be a good on-base guy in the minors. We don’t know if he is a good enough behind the plate to be considered as more than an emergency catcher. He didn’t hit in his cup of coffee with the Red Sox. He might also be the Twins’ best option at first base, a sobering thought.

Did he have more relative to Vázquez in your opinion? As far as I'm concerned, official scorers are consistent but usually lenient when it comes to assessing errors and passed balls. Saying Jeffers (and only Jeffers) has more passed balls isn't fair IMHO.

TDers love to talk catching and defense. I remain skeptical of most defensive metrics and very skeptical of Officially Scored stats (WP/PB and H/E). Given my skepticism on the numbers bandied about, I'll just give my opinions. Vázquez seems to have lost the ability to hit at any early age (32) and his defense isn't enough to justify the contract he has. As @Riverbrian has pointed out, getting rid of him as a salary dump isn't easy and clean since there is no one in the Twins organization to be the backup or alternate catcher in 2025. Adding another flawed vet makes no real sense. Ryan Jeffers isn't a great defensive catcher, but for about a season and a third of half-time work, he was at least in the top third of catchers. He throws okay and seems to call a good game, but he may be well served by the 50-50 split his manager has used in the past two years. The Twins collection of pitchers is ill-served in stopping the running game. The best way for them to hold it down is not letting runners on and secondly being far enough ahead that stealing a base isn't worth the risk. There seems to be no real belief that Camargo can be anything but a stopgap in the event of injury to one of the Twins' primary catchers. That said, there isn't anything about Gasper's resumé that indicates he's a better option as a catcher. I still won't be surprised if Gasper is on the major league roster for some pretty long stretches this year, especially if he can hit in line with his minor league production (I mean deduct maybe 100 OPS points from his Triple A numbers). Gasper is a switch hitter with quite a bit of first base experience and we know Rocco loves his switch hitters and flexible defenders. What he shows this spring might determine his role (if any). He might be a true third catcher who can also play first and second base or he might be a third catcher in the Kyle Farmer role (only in an absolute emergency). I don't want to hold out any false hope in his future, but he is on the 40-man roster, so we'll probably see him sometime in the 2025 season.

Two ex-Twins found homes on the last day of the year--Caleb Thielbar signed a major league deal with the Cubs and Nick Gordon agreed to a minor league deal with Baltimore. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/cubs-sign-caleb-thielbar.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/orioles-sign-nick-gordon-to-minors-contract.html

Agree. Julien has played a handful of games at first base (5 games and 19 innings) while Miranda has about 700 innings at first. That is the extent of experience at first base on the 40-man roster. I will be curious to see how much Gasper is used in Spring Training and where he is deployed. Given the current roster of position players, it is possible that he even makes the Opening Day roster if he is thought to be a capable backup catcher and first baseman

As we prepare to turn the page to 2025, I am looking at the future of the Twins. 2025 is quite likely a transition year for the franchise, especially if the Pohlads manage to sell. So far the front office is sending the message that they will contend and try to win with a static payroll. I'm too old for a full rebuild so I back their efforts. There are several issues to be answered and I will take a stab in this space to start a conversation about key questions going into next season. 1) What can the ownership and front office do to increase attendance? The Twins finished in the middle of the pack in the American League when they won their division in 2023 and fell back in a season where they were in position to make the playoffs until the final week or two. Ownership has taken a beating for reducing payroll after winning their first postseason series in decades.do they need different players, different owners or different front office personnel? 2) On the field, can the Twins improve without adding significant talent from outside the organization? They have a full-time vacancy at first base, plus they have lost depth both in the infield and outfield. José Miranda is currently the favorite to become the full-time first baseman and he hasn't been able to put together a full productive season in his first three years in the majors. 3) Will minor leaguers step up to be ready to contribute in the coming year? Will someone move in to be the next major league catcher? Will the Twins top outfield prospects show their readiness? 4) Related to #3, will young players (Lewis, Lee, Julien, Wallner) make the step forward to become established regulars? 5) Will there be enough pitching from within the organization? 6) Will the Twins get any significant contribution from a left handed pitcher?

Another obscure ex-Twin has agreed to a minor league deal with the Tigers. Dietrich Enns made two appearances with the Twins in 2017, disappeared into the minors, resurfaced with the Rays and then went overseas. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/tigers-dietrich-enns-agree-to-minor-league-contract.html

Torkelson finished 2023 red hot, but has otherwise been very disappointing. If the price is right, it’s worth taking a chance on him, particularly because he would fill an area of need.