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The Twins lost to the Braves (again), but Randy Dobnak was excellent (again). Plus, Jorge Polanco is back on the diamond and two Twins pitchers get sent down.Final: Braves 4, Twins 2 Box Score Twins Takeaways Standout Pitcher: Randy Dobnak (3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 K) Standout Hitter: Brent Rooker (1-2, 2B, RBI) Dobnak Remains Impressive Randy Dobnak added to his impressive spring tonight, allowing a run on only one hit in 3 1/3 innings of work. He struck out five Braves including Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Travis d’Arnaud. Dobnak, formerly a pitch to contact guy, has been on a strikeout tear this spring thanks to a retooled slider that he hopes will turn at least one head: Continued dominance from the Twins’ funniest starting pitcher, mixed with Matt Shoemaker’s recent poor performance, gives Wes Johnson and Rocco Baldelli a lot to think about regarding the fifth rotation spot. Dobnak has seemingly pitched himself into at least a spot on the major league roster and could be a valuable member of the Twins’ starting staff in 2021. Brent Rooker Adds to LF Case The battle for the Twins’ starting left field spot has been well-documented, and Brent Rooker made his case stronger tonight with a ringing RBI double off the very top of the left field wall in the fifth inning. Statcast data isn’t available in the Braves spring home but if it was, Rooker’s near-homer would’ve likely lit up the exit velocity radar gun. Rooker is now slashing .400/.409/.700 with a homer and three RBI this spring, which would make him an obvious choice to make the big club, except for the fact that Kyle Garlick is slashing .368/.409/.895 with three bombs and eight driven in. As with the fifth starter battle, the Twins don’t seem to have any bad options for the left field spot, with Rooker, Garlick, and Alex Kirilloff all presenting a strong case. Canterino Makes Second Spring Appearance The Twins’ young flamethrower got his second crack at the Spring Training mound tonight and his outing was nothing if not interesting. On the plus side, Canterino struck out two (Albies and Acuña) and his fastball lived in the upper nineties. On the negative side, he walked three and those strikeouts were the only two outs he got. Nobody’s expecting Canterino to be polished at this point, so the walks are going to happen. Plus, it was good to see his immense stuff on display against big-time major league hitters. Tomorrow: Rays at Twins, 5:05 CST, Wacha vs. Maeda Polanco Gets Work In Jorge Polanco left Tuesday’s Grapefruit League game with a left adductor injury after landing on a baseball while diving. The injury wasn’t believed to be serious at the time, and that still seems to be the case, as Polanco was back on the practice field today. With the obvious exception of Royce Lewis’s ACL (and the hilarious exception of Buxton’s steak-induced chipped tooth), the Twins have been relatively injury-free through three weeks of Spring Training games. Now, it looks like Polanco will rejoin the team soon, too. Anderson, Smeltzer Optioned The Twins optioned starting pitchers Shaun Anderson and Devin Smeltzer to the alternate training site today. Anderson pitched to a 13.50 ERA in 3 1/3 innings this spring and Smeltzer was even worse with a 15.75 mark over four innings. With each players’ struggles this spring, neither move comes as much of a surprise. However, it is worth noting who didn’t get optioned today. Just a few weeks ago, Lewis Thorpe was considered to be in a similar situation as Anderson and Smeltzer. Five scoreless (and high velocity) spring innings later, and it’s clear that Thorpe has elevated himself to a much better position. Travis Blankenhorn and Twins’ Photographer Clash Over FIFA Infielder Travis Blankenhorn and Twins’ photographer Brace Hemmelgarn got into some Twitter banter regarding their FIFA 21 skills. As an avid FIFA player myself, this is headline news. Also, I hearby challenge Travis and Brace. Let me know when and where, guys. MLB Still Virtually COVID-Free This is getting to the point where it’s not news, but that’s a good thing. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Minnesota becomes the Land of 10,000 Fans, and what to take from today’s Spring Training contest.Final: Twins 5, Braves 8 Box Score ǀ Savant Twins Takeaways Standout Pitcher: Taylor Rogers (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 K) Standout Hitter: Luis Arraez (2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI) Fastest Pitch: Glenn Sparkman (96.2 MPH) Max Exit Velocity: Nelson Cruz (107.6 MPH) Arraez, Cruz Impress at the Plate It should come as no surprise to see Luis Arraez and Nelson Cruz raking against Spring Training pitching, but they certainly did that today. Arraez had two doubles to right field in his three at-bats: the first was a borderline single that Luis hustled into a double and the second was a shot down the foul line that drove in two. Arraez gets the nod for standout hitter of the day, but if we were to go off exit velocity, Nelson Cruz was the best hitter on the field. Cruz’s two hits were just singles, but they were both mashed, leaving the bat at 104.7 MPH and 107.6 MPH respectively. Cruz has already shown Twins fans enough this spring, with his homer on his debut and a massive foul ball a few days ago, but two more rockets off the 40-year-old’s bat are certainly encouraging. Duffey Struggles Again Tyler Duffey allowed three earned runs on four hits in his only inning of work. The runs came in on a three-run Sean Kazmar Jr. homerun. Duffey has now allowed 11 hits, six earned runs, and three homers in 3 2/3 innings this spring and opponents are now hitting a whopping .524 against him. Stats with this small of a sample size can be easily dismissed, but a 3-4 MPH drop in velocity is cause for at least some concern. If Duffey’s fastball is just a few ticks slower on the radar gun moving forward, his curveball – his out pitch – may become much less effective. I’m still not sure it’s wise to start worrying about 3+ Grapefruit League innings, but watch this space. Other pitchers fared better; Taylor Rogers, Alex Colomé, and Lewis Thorpe were all effective in their outings. Michael Pineda got hit hard in his 2 2/3 innings, but limited the damage to only one earned run on his record. Six strikeouts from Big Mike certainly helped. Glenn Sparkman and Andrew Vasquez struggled, allowing three earned runs (and an inherited run) in their combined 1 1/3 innings. Simmons Makes His Spring Debut Andrelton Simmons, whose arrival in spring camp was delayed due to visa issues, started at shortstop and batted second in the Twins lineup against the Braves. Simmons was hitless in three at-bats, but, predictably, looked more comfortable in the hole than any Twin in recent memory. Tomorrow: Twins at Rays, 12:05 CST, Dobnak vs. Hill State of Minnesota Allows 10,000 Fans at Twins Home Games Today, Minnesota governor Tim Walz announced that fans will be allowed to attend games at Target Field in a limited, socially distanced capacity. Ten thousand fans, or around 25% of full capacity, will be allowed at each game to start the season. Team president Dave St. Peter said on today’s TV and radio broadcast that tickets for Twins games will be sold a month at a time to allow for flexibility as guidelines and protocols inevitably shift throughout the season. The St. Paul Saints will also welcome fans, with 2,100 able to attend each game at CHS Field. For more on this announcement – including an offering from Twins Daily’s latest (and only) TikTok star – check out John Bonnes’s article here. Nick Markakis Retires Nick Markakis announced today, via The Athletic, that he is retiring from baseball. The 15-year Orioles and Braves veteran amassed 2,388 hits in his career and retires with a .288 batting average. MLB COVID-19 Cases Remain Low Your weekly MLB testing update is as follows: there are two new cases out of 14,704 tests. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Twins lost their fourth spring training game in a row today, but keep your hand off the panic button. Also, Andrelton Simmons made it to Florida.Final: Braves 4, Twins 0 (7 innings) Box Score ǀ Savant Twins Takeaways Standout Pitcher: Matt Shoemaker (2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) Standout Hitter: Keon Broxton (2-2 2B) Twins’ Spring Training Skid Continues After two one-run victories in their first two Grapefruit League games, the Twins have hit a cold spell, dropping the last four contests. A common thread through their defeats has been a lack of offense, as the team has put up 0, 6, 2, and 0 runs in their last four games respectively Today, they had fewer hits (3) than the Braves had runs (4). Worry not though, because a lot at-bats have been going to minor league players and the guys who are expected to big bats in the major league lineup have shown mostly good signs at the plate (such as Cruz and Garver’s bombs). In fact, only Arraez and Cave represented the big club in the lineup for today’s game. Still, it’s easier to get excited about prospects when you get to see them succeed. Shoemaker and Dobnak Impress There’s a Spring Training battle brewing for the fifth rotation spot, and both combatants pitched well today. Matt Shoemaker started the game and crafted 2 1/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts. It’s hard to imagine a better start for the new Twin; he retired the centerpieces of the Braves franchise in order, getting guys like Albies, Acuña, Freeman, and Ozuna to strikeout or create weak contact. If Shoemaker gets an A for the day (which he does), then Randy Dobnak gets an A-. The Uber Driver started the fourth and also hurled 2 1/3 scoreless but allowed three hits, including a double to Johan Camargo in the fifth inning to put men on second and third. Dobnak struck out Guillermo Heredia to get out of the inning unscathed. Shaun Anderson and Luke Farrell also had scoreless outings, but Brandon Waddell didn’t fare as well. Waddell came in with one out in the sixth and faced six batters, allowed three hits (two for extra bases), walked two, and threw a wild pitch. Waddell never got the third out as the Twins called for an end to the inning with two outs and a man on second. Keon Broxton Stays Hot Broxton was by far the best Twins hitter today on a day where that’s not much of an accomplishment. The recent minor league signee had a single to left and a double to deep right in his only two at-bats. His knocks were two of the three Twins hits and two of only five instances where the Twins got a man on base. Broxton is now 4-for-7 this spring. Last week, Tom Froemming wrote in his Sire of Fort Myers Preview that Broxton was a front-runner for the prestigious award, and his prediction is looking good so far. Might have to start calling him Nostra-Tom-us. Tomorrow: Twins at Red Sox, 12:05 CST, Pineda vs. Eovaldi, game is scheduled for 5 innings Simmons Reports to Camp Andrelton Simmons’ visa debacle has reached a conclusion. The new Twins shortstop reported to camp today and will enter the COVID-19 protocols to join the team on the field. The Twins seem to think he can get playing relatively soon. Simmons, who is a native of Curaҫao, has been missing from Twins camp with visa issues for the past two weeks. For a detailed explanation of the visa process for big-league ballplayers, check out Cory Caouette’s article here. Astros, Jays Looking at Odorizzi The Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly among teams looking into signing former Twin Jake Odorizzi. The Astros interest comes after news broke that starter Framber Valdez may be sidelined as much as a whole season with a fractured finger on his throwing hand. Odorizzi has been sitting on the market all offseason, waiting for a big multi-year contract. Whether Houston offers him that remains to be seen (and seems unlikely), but injuries like the one to Valdez will help Odo find a deal that satisfies him, even if it is on a short-term contract. Odorizzi looks like he may find a home soon. Former Twin Dyson Suspended Former Twins reliever Sam Dyson was suspended today for the entire 2021 season after breaking MLB’s domestic violence policy. More Good COVID-19 Testing News It seems the first week of games went safely – let’s hope this continues. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

With the first Spring Training game now just two days away, the Twins have set more probables, and Lewis Thorpe has a hot start to his spring.Twins Set Pitchers for First Two Spring Training Games Yesterday, we learned that Devin Smeltzer has been pegged as the probable starter for spring training game one. Today, two days away from the first pitch against the Red Sox, we learned who else will take the mound to start the preseason. It should come as no surprise that the more established major league pitchers will be pitching in the home game against the Red Sox, rather than the game against Tampa Bay 45 minutes away, but it’s interesting to note that Devin Smeltzer and Ian Hamilton are set for that game as well. This almost surely means nothing, but a little unnecessary speculation never hurt anybody. In Monday’s game, Lewis Thorpe, one of the Twins more interesting young arms (and not always in a good way), will get the start. This will be Thorpe’s first chance this season to prove that he’s got the ability to be a major league pitcher. Speaking of... Lewis Thorpe Hype Train! After last year’s disappointing spring, the Twins were looking for two things from Thorpe: a stronger commitment to the game, and the return of velocity on his fastball. It seems, based on early indications from Fort Myers, that Thorpe listened. While everyone always says they’re in great shape at camp, Thorpe has the weight room numbers and the velocity to back it up. It probably won’t be enough to get the Australian lefty on the MLB roster out of camp because he’s been given a fourth option year, but it’s a good sign nonetheless. Even with the addition of that fourth option, at 25, Thorpe needs to capitalize on his talent soon. Hopefully, this is the start of his career heading back in the right direction. Royce Lewis Has Surgery The Twins revealed Wednesday that their #2 prospect, Royce Lewis, had a torn ACL in his right knee. Lewis underwent reconstructive knee surgery today in the Twin Cities. He is expected to miss nine to twelve months. You can read more on Lewis from Twins Daily here. We at Twins Daily send him our best wishes. MLB Posts Impressive COVID-19 Test Results Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association announced the results from their second round of COVID-19 testing today. And there’s good news: out of 20,742 tests since the start of spring training, only 20 have come back positive. This is undeniably good news as it means that, for the time being, baseball activities can continue as scheduled. Unfortunately for the Twins, one of those 20 (or 0.1% of all tests) was J.A. Happ, who has been away from workouts after testing positive last week. Picture Day! SEE ALSO Twins Daily 2021 Top Prospects: Recap A Good Comp for Jhoan Duran and His Splinker Projecting the Saints' Opening Day Roster Click here to view the article

Hammond Stadium officially opened its doors to Twins players and staff today and there’s plenty to talk about as the 2021 preseason officially gets underway.Twins Pitchers and Catchers Officially Report The moment we’ve waited all offseason for is here. Twins players were on the field today in sunny Fort Myers, Florida doing team activities in an official capacity. Pitchers got their first bullpens in, hitters took their first hacks, and Kenta Maeda jumped on some boxes. The first full-team workout isn’t until Tuesday and the Twins’ first Grapefruit League action is over a week away, but for many fans, this day marks the start of baseball for the year. Over the last week, we’ve been treated to some excellent visuals from the Twins and communications director Dustin Morse, and there was more to swoon over today: If you’re interested in the day-to-day goings-on around Hammond Stadium, there’s a lot of good stuff to explore on Morse’s Twitter. Regarding the players, the early news on the pitching staff is good. Kenta Maeda is learning a new pitch, and Cody Stashak has acquired some new muscle. But, it’s worth noting that 13 pitchers and catchers were not able to join the team for workouts today. The missing players, per the Star Tribune, are Andrew Albers, Jorge Alcala, Danny Coulombe, Tyler Duffey, Jhoan Duran, J.A. Happ, Derek Law, Juan Minaya, Matt Shoemaker, Glenn Sparkman, Ian Gibaut, Robinson Layer, and Tomás Telis. With COVID-19 protocols, weather and visa-related travel delays, some late arrivals were to be expected and we’ve known of potential issues for some players, like Tyler Duffey, Danny Coulombe, and Andrew Albers, for most of the week. It’s also not a massive surprise that newly-signed Matt Shoemaker and Ian Gibaut, the guy he forced to the waiver wire, haven’t gotten on the field yet. Still, it’s worth monitoring this situation as workouts continue into next week. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the Twins are dealing with a large COVID-19 outbreak as only nine players from across all of Major League baseball tested positive in the first round of official MLB virus testing. José Berríos in Contract Talks The Minnesota Twins have reportedly engaged in contract extension talks with their ace, José Berríos. The 26-year-old righthander has pitched to a 3.82 ERA for the Twins over the past four years and will be looking to cash in on that performance. Berríos and the Twins were able to avoid arbitration this winter to settle on a $6.1 million deal for 2021, so there’s at least some history of good-feelings business between the two sides. Berríos would be eligible for free agency after the 2022 season, but these talks, though they are in the early stages, indicate both sides’ desires to avoid that – if the money is right. Ian Gibaut Clears Waivers The Twins extended their streak of waivers luck by getting pitcher Ian Gibaut through today. Gibaut, whose forty-man spot was taken by Matt Shoemaker, is the third pitcher the Twins have successfully outrighted to the minors since filling their forty-man roster this offseason. Unlike some of their recent forty-man moves, this one sparked little speculation as Gibaut always seemed most likely to be at risk. The 27-year-old righty received an invite to Spring Training and will join the club in Fort Myers, though – as mentioned above – he hasn’t gotten on the field yet. College Baseball Season Gets Underway If the start of Twins Spring Training wasn’t enough to convince you that it’s baseball season, what about actual baseball? Well, Division 1 college baseball got started all across the country today, with the most exciting game being the matchup between #1 Florida and #21 Miami. For more on college baseball, check out Andrew Thares’ article on players to keep an eye on this season. Today’s Notable Free Agent Signings The New York Mets have signed Taijuan Walker and the Detroit Tigers have signed Julio Teheran. Prior to the Matt Shoemaker signing, both pitchers were cheap starting pitcher depth possibilities for the Twins. The New York Yankees have re-signed longtime Yankee Brett Gardner. The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed Todd Frazier to a minor league deal. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I think the Twins have reason to believe he will clear waivers this time and, given that Colome was signed before they claimed Hamilton, they might have known this was coming too

With the start of Spring Training now just a week away, key waiver situations are affecting who will make the trip to Hammond Stadium, and more details were announced regarding minor league realignment and Spring Training scheduling.The Forty-Man Roster Move Heard ‘Round Twins Territory The Twins officially announced their signing of righty reliever Alex Colomé this afternoon. The move has been confirmed for over a week and the Twins have had a full 40-man roster for much of that time, so we’ve known a move was coming. There’s been ample speculation over who would give way to Colomé, and today we learned it was Ian Hamilton. Hamilton, who has been on four teams in the past year, finds himself on a waivers whirlwind again after being claimed by the Twins just one week ago. The Twins will be hoping Hamilton can pass through waivers this time because, with his high-velocity fastball, effective slider, and wild injury history, he’s just the type of cheap asset that can gain tremendous value with the Twins’ help. Twins fans should also hope he stays with the club because, after a car accident and a liner to the face pushed back Hamilton’s development, there’s no easier guy to root for. Brandon Waddell Clears Waivers With Thursday’s addition of outfielder Kyle Garlick to the 40-man roster, left-handed reliever Brandon Waddell saw his 40-man spot evaporate from under him. Today, Waddell cleared waivers and accepted his invitation to Spring Training. Despite their willingness to risk losing him, the Twins ought to be pleased to keep Waddell in the organization as he’s one of only a few lefty relievers with big league experience on the team. If things go sideways with Lewis Thorpe or Devin Smeltzer (as they have before), Waddell may become more necessary than he is now. MiLB Leagues and Divisions Announced Minor League Baseball has finalized its restructured leagues and divisions. There are now four levels (Low A, High A, AA, AAA) and 11 directionally-name leagues (two for AAA and three for the other levels). From there, each league has two or three also directionally-named divisions. For example, the St. Paul Saints will be playing in the Midwest division of the AAA East league. It’s worth noting that the Saints are in the same division as the affiliates of three of the four other AL Central clubs, so the Twins’ prospects will be familiar with their divisional rivals at multiple levels. And, they’ll face former Twins affiliate Rochester Red Wings as an opponent in the AAA East league. As far as the Twins’ other affiliates are concerned, the Wichita Wind Surge will be playing in the North division of AA Central, the Cedar Rapids Kernels are in the West division of High A Central, and the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels find themselves in the West division Low A Southeast. Confusing enough for you? Twins Announce Spring Training Schedule With the anticipation of spring baseball ramping up, we now have a Grapefruit League schedule to anxiously anticipate. The Twins are scheduled for 29 games in 31 days starting Feb. 28 and ending March 30. With the schedule regionalized to mitigate COVID-19 exposure, the Twins’ Spring Training invitees will see a lot of the Braves, Red Sox, and Rays squads. For more info on Spring Training including ticket information, the check out the Twins website. 2021 Hall of Fame Induction Moved to TV Due to COVID-19, the Baseball Hall of Fame will not be welcoming fans to Cooperstown for the second year in a row. Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Marvin Miller, and Ted Simmons will be inducted through a television broadcast on July 25. Arrieta to Return to Cubs Jake Arrieta, a free-agent starter who seemed like a possible Twins addition at times this offseason, is headed back to Cubs. Arrieta won a Cy Young and a World Series in Chicago before taking big money in Philadelphia. He has since declined rapidly and will be hoping to rebound at the organization for whom he pitched his best. Today’s Other Free Agent Signings Angels sign Jon Jay to MiLB deal with Spring Training invite Blue Jays sign David Phelps Blue Jays sign Joe Panik to MiLB deal with Spring Training Invite Diamondbacks sign Asdrubal Cabrera Padres sign Mark Melancon Phillies sign Brad Miller Rockies sign Greg Bird to MiLB deal with Spring Training invite MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have landed two more big free agency punches. The intrepid front office duo ended their extended standoff with Nelson Cruz Tuesday night, signing the beloved DH a one-year $13 million deal. Then, they bolstered the bullpen Wednesday afternoon by adding Alex Colomé to an affordable one-year contract with a mutual option for a second season. In Cruz, we know what we’re getting – or at least we hope we do. The 40-year-old slugger has hit for power as well as anybody in the game in his two seasons in a Twins jersey, but he’s just that – a 40-year-old slugger. Father Time – with a 43-year-old Tom Brady in another Superbowl – has been taking a beating recently, but he’s still undefeated. And though Cruz has been remarkably resistant to decline, he will give way to the inevitability of age soon. The Twins just hope it’s not this year. If Cruz is the same guy he has been, then Nelly will be the lead slugger in a lineup full of them and his $13 million price tag will be money well spent. Colomé will be pretty familiar with the Twins as well. After all, he’s limited Twins hitters to a .214 average in 22 appearances against the club. Colomé primarily uses a four-seam and cutter to get his outs and, though he has a power arm, he isn’t the strikeout guy some of the rest of the Twins’ relievers are. Instead, he relies on the cutter to create ground balls and soft contact. Colomé’s career ERA is under three and, in his shortened 2020 season, it was 0.81 in 21 appearances. There’s no reason to believe he can’t be that dominant again with the Twins, especially because Minnesota’s revamped infield defense ought to serve a contact pitcher like Colomé very well. Alex Colomé will be a valuable piece in the Twins' bullpen It seems then that, at long last, the Twins have crossed off all the items on their offseason shopping list. After these two moves, the Twins have filled holes in the rotation and the bullpen, and at shortstop and DH. And, though the wait for substantial free agent activity was at times excruciating, the team is better today that it was at the start of the offseason. With one or two more signings for a cheap arm or utility depth, the Twins will be clear AL Central favorites again, if they aren’t already. Today, at the end of this free agency rush, the worries we as Twins fans had during the dry spell seem silly, and really, they always were. Falvey and Levine haven’t failed us yet, but, like someone fresh out of a toxic relationship, we were expecting to get hurt, even though the person we’re with now has done nothing wrong. Terry Ryan scarred us by sticking to old school baseball well into the 21st century and by paying Ervin Santana, but “Falvine” aren’t like that. They are calculated and competent, patient but opportunistic. They are the perfect duo to have making personnel decisions in the modern-day MLB. Yeah, it took a while, but they were always in control. The Cruz deal moved at a snail’s pace because that’s what was needed to get him on a team-friendly deal. They moved on Simmons almost immediately after Semien signed elsewhere. These guys don’t miss the boat. They don’t hurt the team like Terry Ryan did. They know what they’re doing. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have the Twins in a great spot again It’ll take time before we get used to the fact that the Twins are a competent, forward-thinking MLB organization. Even now, I’m worried – against my better judgement – that, with a bunch of one-year deals, we’ll have to go through all of this again next offseason. Though that’s probably the case, if getting a better baseball team in exchange for a few months of waiting is all we have to “go through,” then that’s fine by me. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine haven’t “lost” an offseason yet; they just take a while to win them. So, next year, when we do this again, remember who’s in charge and be patient for a few weeks. You’ll probably like where the team ends up. Update: Minutes after this went up, the Twins dealt for a cheap arm like I mentioned above in Shaun Anderson from the Giants.

Thad Levine and Derek Falvey finally popped the champagne to start the Twins free agency party by signing shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a one-year $10.5 million deal Wednesday evening. It was the type of deal myself and many others were waiting for. Simmons is a defensive genius and a solid hitter to boot, so, as long as he stays healthy, he’ll be a huge upgrade as the Twins’ everyday shortstop. Two weeks ago, I wrote an article that ranked a few of the Twins’ offseason targets on the “Fun Meter” and I didn’t talk about Simmons, but, if I had, he would’ve fared rather well. “Simba” is a defensive highlight machine. He’s got quick feet and a long, lanky frame that give him nearly boundless range. And, his immensely skilled hands and cannon for an arm mean that no bad hop is really all that bad and no throw is too hard to make. Even beyond the physical stuff, though, Simmons’ instincts and hustle allow him to confuse and confound baserunners and make plays that no other shortstop even considers. Just watch. As you can probably tell, I’m fairly excited about what Andrelton Simmons in a Twins jersey will look like, but this move wasn’t just made to increase the Twins’ representation on SportsCenter’s Top 10; it makes baseball and money sense, too. Simmons’ one-year $10.5 million deal is perfect for this mid-pandemic free agency period. In a time when money is a bit of a concern across professional sports, the Twins got a top-quality shortstop without making any long-term commitment. If Simmons is the player we all hope and expect him to be, the front office can work on bringing him back for 2022, but if he’s not, they can move on and he’s off the books after only a year. There’s no long-term money risk. The Twins have had success with this low-risk approach before, with Nelson Cruz being a guy that worked out and Logan Morrison being a guy they were glad to move on from. The Simmons move is interesting for another reason, though – Simmons is a very different player than the free agents this front office regime has signed so far. In their time leading the club, Levine and Falvey’s big non-pitcher signings have been Morrison, Cruz, and, of course, Josh Donaldson. Those guys – all big, burly sluggers – show the commitment this front office duo has to playing modern-day baseball, where launch angle, exit velocity, and ultimately homerun hitting is put at a premium. That effort has paid off, as the Twins are now a power-hitting team, and a record-breaking one at that. But Simmons is a different type of player with a completely different skill set. Those guys bring brawn and brute force. Simmons brings dynamism and nuance. Those guys create runs (well Morrison didn’t), Simmons saves them. Players like Simmons still have a place in modern baseball – and there are stats to prove it – but this signing marks a break in the trend from the Twins’ front-office shot callers. The Twins shifted their focus from power hitting to defense by signing Simmons And that, in itself, is kind of fun. Not too long ago, the Twins were anything but a power team and, with very few long balls to get excited about, Twins fans learned to appreciate the little things. Defense, hustle, and contact hitting were the Twins’ bread and butter and guys like Jason Bartlett, Alexi Casilla, and even Darin Mastroianni were some of the most likable players on their teams (What’s that? I was the only guy who liked Mastroianni? Oh, okay.). By no means do I want to go back to those days, but to have Simmons, a guy who does all the “little piranha” things, but at a superstar level, is going to be great to watch. Homerun hitters are good fun, but baseball needs action in the field and on the basepaths. Those Twins teams of yesteryear, even when they weren’t good, always had that. Now, Simmons, who can make a special play out of nothing, is bringing it back to Minnesota.

Think back to October 2019 – the Twins had just gotten pantsed in the playoffs. Again. A really fun season had ended in disappointment. Again. But there was still ample reason for hope. One such reason for optimism was the emergence of Luis Arraez, a rookie contact-hitting savant. Now, one (odd) season later, and we’re in about the same place. The Twins are fresh off another fun season that ended in postseason embarrassment, but this year, we’re much less excited about the 23-year-old second baseman. And for what? All Arraez did in 2020 was fight through injury to hit for a .321 batting average (best on the team) and a .364 on-base percentage (second best) while playing a decent second base. So why are some Twins fans throwing his name into every possible trade deal or into a platoon with whoever ends up as Minnesota’s utility man? Hasn’t Arraez earned himself a spot in the Twins future? 2020 Season Okay, obviously saying that Arraez “fought through injury” to bat .321 is a fairly rose-tinted way of looking at what Luis brought to the Twins last year. To put it a different way, “Arraez was an injury liability and, when he was in the lineup, he regressed in all major stat categories and offered very little in the way of power.” The truth about Arraez is somewhere in between these two takes, but I’ve heard a lot more extreme pessimism than optimism. Yes, he regressed last year and no, he doesn’t help the team when he’s injured, but we’ve found ways to excuse nearly every other Twin for those same exact problems without casting them off as trade bait (I’m looking at you, Garver and Buxton). Also, Arraez’s “regression” brought him down to a .321 average that would’ve been good for third-best in the American League if he had enough at-bats to qualify. As far as I’m concerned, that’s still a pretty good season. Arraez's 2020 campaign was disappointing, but there's reason for hope going forward Advanced Stats I understand that, nowadays, you often have to do more than just hit at a high average to be a solid MLB player, but worry not, because Arraez actually improved slightly in a number of more telling advanced statistics last season. His 2020 campaign saw him improve in average exit velocity, sweet spot percentage and hard hit percentage, per Baseball Savant. None of these improvements was particularly significant and he’s by no means excelling in any of these categories, but it’s clear by looking at the advanced metrics that Arraez is not getting worse at the plate. In fact, it seems that his 2020 season should have been even better than his breakout rookie year. So why did it feel disappointing? Because we were hoping for that second-year leap and we got a regression to the mean instead. Arraez’s improvement in advanced hitting metrics and regression in average and OBP show us that his rookie year was a statistical outlier more than it was a stepping stone to even greater success in the future. Still, if .321 is the mean he regressed towards, Twins fans ought to be excited, especially considering that he was injured and is still only 23. We’ve written off much worse pandemic performances from healthier and more experienced guys, so let’s afford Arraez some of that forgiveness. 2021 Projections Unfortunately, ZiPS (and every other projection service) doesn’t seem to be helping me make my case. They predict a slash line of .313/.371/.406 for his third year in the bigs. On the surface, this looks worse than it is because Arraez’s average is projected to take another hit, but ZiPS actually projects that .313 mark to lead the majors. They have his on-base and slugging numbers improving, too, so, really, they’re not down on Arraez at all. Even if Arraez does level out as a .313 hitter – and I think he’ll be better than that long-term – adding some power and taking more walks would be a massive improvement for his career and for the Twins lineup. And I believe he can make those improvements because, again, he’s only 23. ZiPS projects a .313/.371/.406 slash line for Arraez in 2021 So, where does that leave us? I saw the regression from his rookie year (we all did) and no, his 2020 year wasn’t what we hoped for, but Arraez is still a great asset for the Twins moving forward. I believe in his contact hitting that has been the best on the team and I believe in the advanced metrics that show his improvements in other areas. Most of all, though, I believe in the player. Arraez has hit .300 at every level of professional baseball, and is the same age or younger than some of the Twins’ top minor-league prospects. He’s already a great hitter and he has a lot of opportunity for growth ahead of him. Luis Arraez may very well win a batting title soon, and the Twins better make sure he does it in a Minnesota jersey.

TopGunn, I agree that Ozuna would look good and be pretty fun to have, but I worry about the long-term commitment he'll probably require, because some of the guys you mentioned can fill that DH role soon. I'd probably prefer to go in big on a SS, but I don't love any of the free agent options and you'd be giving up a lot more than salary to on the trade market. It'll be interesting to see how it shakes out either way. Also, I am wary of Sano too.

The Twins signed veteran starter J.A. Happ to a one-year, $8 million deal this afternoon. Happ is 38 years old and pitched to a 3.47 ERA and a 1.054 WHIP in nine starts with the Yankees in 2020. At first glance, Happ’s addition feels like the kind of boring move that is necessary for contending teams to make. He’s not making national headlines, but he’ll slide right into the fourth spot in the rotation and he’ll get a lot of important outs throughout the year as long as he stays healthy. With the addition, the rotation looks as follows: Maeda/Berrios The other of Maeda/Berrios Pineda Happ Dobnak That’s all well and good. That’s a high-level American League rotation. The eight million feels a little steep and Happ wasn’t on many of our radars, but you can’t be too mad at a hole getting filled. Happ pitched well in 2020 and hopes to keep fans smiling in Minnesota It’s certainly still possible that the Twins still spend on another starter to get closer to a 2011 Phillies-esque “Four Aces” roster construction, but I just don’t see it. The rotation is seemingly set and there are bigger holes elsewhere. While Trevor Bauer was probably always going to be too spendy, guys like Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton no longer seem like possibilities for the Twins. Of course, Jake Odorizzi could come back into the fold and push Pineda and Happ down to the four and five slots respectively. But I think Dobnak and a number of capable arms in the Twins system would hold down that five spot pretty well, so I would argue that there’s more upside in leaving Odo on the market and spending money elsewhere. So, now that starting pitching is no longer much of a target position, the Twins’ intentions for the rest of the free agency period become a little bit clearer. We’ve been hearing about and hoping for the possibility of big moves in the coming weeks and months, and now we know better where the money will be spent. Before today, the holes in the roster were primarily at shortstop (or utility), DH, the four spot in the rotation, and in the bullpen. Falvey and Levine just filled the hole in the rotation with a somewhat cheap one-year deal. This limited commitment to the starting rotation suggests that the front office is saving money for big moves elsewhere. And it seems that any big commitments from the Twins’ will be made at short, DH or in the bullpen. Happ's low-commitment deal allows the Twins flexibility to acquire top talent At DH, the Twins are in position to bring back Nelson Cruz for one more ride or for a big multi-year investment in Marcell Ozuna. There are options at short too, such as Marcus Semien, Didi Gregorius, Andrelton Simmons, or blue-chip trade options Trevor Story or Javier Báez. They could also go out and get top relievers like Trevor Rosenthal and Brad Hand, but filling out the pen with cheap signings and homegrown talent is more Minnesota’s style. We could also see the club sprinkle money in a lot of places at once, signing a bunch of mid-level guys instead of one big-ticket player. There is, of course, a chance that the Twins remain pretty inactive, and rely on guys currently in the organization to make another playoff run. For most Twins fans, this would be a worst-case scenario and, as the days go on, our collective worries grow. For the most pessimistic fans, this signing will provide little comfort. J.A. Happ isn’t a big signing. But for me, he fills a hole that allows the Twins more flexibility to pursue the bigger fish in the free agency sea. And, they will make those big signings eventually…we hope.

I don't blame you, it's hard to pass up that production

And a Cy Young winner too! If I do this again, he'll make the list

Let’s forget for a second about WAR, launch angle, and exit velocity. Push your thoughts of FIP, xFIP, and BABIP to the side, and remember why we all got into baseball in the first place. It’s fun. So, I’ve compiled a short list of potential future Twins, and rated how fun they’d be in Minnesota from Boring to Very Fun. Enjoy. Javier Báez – Very Fun The Twins are in the market for a new shortstop and the Cubs seem to be in fire sale mode, so a move that sends Báez to Minnesota might be in both clubs’ best interests. And, simply put, Báez maxes out the fun meter. He’s a still relatively young, swagger-filled middle infielder that does amazing things in the field and sports a good amount of pop in his bat. Forget about his mediocre 2020 stats for a second – watching Báez play is fun because he has the look and the confidence of the best player on the field even if he really isn’t anymore. He’s been on the cover of The Show, something nobody else on this list can claim. And, I’ve kind of buried the lede here – the coolest part about El Mago (cool nickname too) are his tags. Trevor Story – Kinda Fun Trevor Story, another shortstop trade possibility, gets a Kinda Fun designation because, though he may be the best available option at short, he doesn’t boast the star power and flair of Báez and others. Don’t get me wrong – Story is a star; he’s great in the field and at the plate, but looking at his stats on baseball reference is almost more exciting that watching him play. It doesn’t help that he’s been marooned off in Colorado, but Story just doesn’t have that “it factor” or special skill that sets him above the other great shortstops in the league, at least in terms of fun-ness. He does have a pretty mean bat flip, but there’s no crazy tag compilation out there on YouTube, for example. He’ll be a very welcome addition to the Twins if he comes, but a middle-of-the-road rating on the fun meter feels right. Marcus Semien – Boring Marcus Semien is probably the best shortstop available on the free agency market, but there’s a reason a lot of Twins fans would rather give up young talent in a Báez or Story trade than simply sign the former Oakland shortstop. Signing Semien would just give off the feeling that they needed a shortstop and signed a shortstop, not the shortstop that anybody really wants. Semien has been a top-tier player in the past, but a pretty dismal 2020 makes him feel like a more expensive Jorge Polanco rather than a Polanco replacement, and spending on a player that does little to change the status quo is the opposite of fun. Perhaps if I allowed myself to make a joke about his last name, I could bump him up a few levels, but I’m not going to do that so he’s stays at Boring. Nelson Cruz – Fun Perhaps the Twins’ biggest question of the offseason is whether to bring Nelson Cruz back or not and, while our opinions may vary widely on whether it’s wise to spend on a 40-year-old DH, that’s not what I’m here to talk about. Nelson Cruz is fun. With Cruz, there’s no “shiny new car” feeling because he’s been in Minnesota for two years, but there’s a reason he’s been your dad’s favorite Twins player those two years. He’s been a star in the league for the better part of a decade and we love when stars come to Minnesota, especially when they lead the team to an MLB record for home runs. Even better, Cruz’s locker room personality is the driving force behind the “Bomba Squad” moniker and the team identity that’s the Twins last few years on of the most fun teams in the league. Marcell Ozuna – Fun Should the Twins decide against bringing back Cruz, Marcell Ozuna could serve as a long-term high-end option at DH. Though losing Cruz might be sad for many Twins fans, they’d be getting no downgrade in the fun department with Ozuna. He’s a big, muscular dude who wears a bright chartreuse arm sleeve and hits bombs. Massive bombs. In large quantities. Last year, Ozuna led the league in home runs and runs batted in and, though there are certainly more intelligent stats, big homer and RBI guys are very fun to have in the lineup. Advanced stats fans should like him too, as his exit velocity numbers and hard hit percentage were among the best in the league last year. The only thing keeping Ozuna from rising into the Very Fun tier is the possibility of a regression that could make him a Sanó-esque strikeout frustration. Trevor Bauer – Very Fun Now, the Twins odds acquiring the free agent ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner aren’t that great, but he falls into the Very Fun category, so it’s fun to imagine. Bauer is and always has been controversial, so he may not be every Twins fan’s cup of tea, but that’s exactly why I would love to have him so much. The guy who talks the most and angers the most people is exactly the type of guy you want on your team, as long as he’s playing well. And fresh off a Cy Young year, he’s certainly doing that. Above all else though, Bauer has a curious and innovative baseball mind that, as a fan, is fun to see on your favorite team. His appreciation for the craft of pitching is something that every Twins fan ought to be able to appreciate, even if some don’t like his attitude. Also – He’s a fun follow on YouTube. Sonny Gray – Not That Fun Gray, who was Bauer’s teammate last year in Cincinnati, would also be a good addition to the Twins rotation, but he’s not nearly as exciting. With a career ERA in the threes and a WHIP in the 1.2 range, Minnesota fans would probably be happy to have him, but we also managed to make Carl Pavano seem exciting. The fact is that, since he burst into the bigs as a rookie, nobody has ever called you excitedly to say “Hey, did you see what Sonny Gray did last night?!?!” unless they were a Yankees fan complaining about his poor performance in pinstripes. Gray seems like a fun guy to know and have in the locker room, but that doesn’t make him a fun player to watch. If he signs with Minnesota, he’ll be a mid-rotation out-getter more than a jersey-seller. Trevor Rosenthal – Kinda Fun The Twins haven’t had a true flamethrower in the bullpen (other than Brusdar Graterol’s 10 games) in a long while, but that’s what they would get by bringing in free agent reliever Trevor Rosenthal. Rosenthal looked on the brink of exiting the league not too long ago but was dominant down the stretch for the Padres last year, and he regularly touched triple-digit velocity. A dominant hard-throwing reliever is one of most exciting players to watch and have on your team, so Rosenthal, should he sign, would be a very entertaining player to have around. However, he’s only a year removed from being an out of control , and those guys are torturous to watch. I’ll hedge my bets and put him at Kinda Fun.

As we turn the calendar page over on a new year (or actually replace the calendar I guess), it’s fair to say that we’re all a little bit anxious. We may be anxious about any number of things, but, specifically regarding the Twins, we see holes in the roster, unsigned free agents capable of filling those holes, and a whole lot of nothing in terms of new signings. Everybody has their favorite potential signing and their own opinion on whether Nelson Cruz should come back, but, save for the Minnesota contingent of the Hansel Robles fan club, nobody’s ideal plan has even started to take shape. We’re just waiting, hoping that the holes get filled soon, and guessing at who they’ll be filled by. Though it’s been worse this year due to uncertainty about game schedules and a potential National League DH, this anxious waiting-for-things-to-happen period has become a staple of the Major League Baseball offseason because the league’s free agency rules have one pretty major flaw. Every year, fans have to sit and wait while signings trickle in slowly and the top free agents – some of the best players in the league – can go months without a team. And it’s due in large part to the league’s rules about service time. Under MLB’s free agency rules, a player does not qualify for free agency until they have six years of major-league service time or if they’re not offered a contract by the team that owns their rights (non-tender free agents). This means that almost all successful major-league players won’t see free agency until they’ve been in the league for six years. And, taking into account the significant time players spend in the minors, it means that most are pushing thirty by the time they get to choose where to play (as you can see here). Ok, so what? The issue is that, at 30, most players are at their career peak or just past it, and there’s often no telling how fast a player’s decline will come. There are just as many immediate disappointments like Lance Lynn as there are ageless wonders like Nelson Cruz. There are very few “sure things.” Lynn's failures as a Twin show the unpredictability of signing most veteran free agents And, because baseball doesn’t have a salary cap, the guys that are closest to “sure things” (Realmuto, Ozuna, Springer and Bauer this year) can demand massive, $25+ million per year deals as the price for their services. Understandably, teams are wary of spending this kind of money, but they still want those blue-chip players. As a result, we get long drawn-out negotiations that cause fans to wait while players and teams are stuck in stalemates. And, because many teams are holding their money for the star free agents, the markets for the lesser free agents don’t really start until the big fish find new homes. The result of all of this is a lot of waiting for the upper- and mid-level free agents to sign, and when they do, the best players will cost a scary amount of money and the others may or may not ever significantly help the team that signs them. Major League Baseball could fix this by peeling back the service time requirements (creating younger, deeper free agent classes) or by instituting a salary cap and max contract system (keeping players from demanding such huge contracts), but neither is likely to happen, so it seems that we’ll be stuck with baseball’s inefficient free agency system going forward. Fortunately, this inefficiency actually helps the Twins. You see, if baseball had less stringent service time rules and free agency was more efficient, the wealthy teams that already dominate free agency would become that much more dominant. The better free agency gets, the better rich teams get. Imagine for a second if baseball had free agency rules like the NHL, where players are eligible for free agency at age 27 at the latest (NBA and NFL players see free agency even earlier) – Miguel Sanó and Max Kepler may already be in Yankee pinstripes or Dodger blue and José Berríos would be a year away from heading to Boston. That’s not good. Flashback to reality and the Twins can feature these players for years to come and have time and security to work out long-term deals without having to bid against richer teams. That is good. Major League Baseball’s free agency rules value team control more than any other major sports league in America and team control of young talent is exactly what the Twins have been successful with throughout their history. Sanó and Kepler are players the Twins are glad to have long-term Sure, the new front office group has been able to spend more in recent years and they deserve real credit for turning Target Field into a free agent destination worthy of bringing in players like Josh Donaldson and Nelson Cruz. But, even so, it’s naïve to think that the Twins could compete with the top spenders in the league if free agency were expanded. The team is still built on developed talent, and that’s okay because they’re damn good at it. “Fixing” free agency would only allow other teams to steal the Twins’ homegrown talent away earlier in their careers. So, the next time you find yourself getting frustrated at the lack of Twins signings or at the fact that Jorge Polanco is still the best shortstop on the roster, remind yourself to be thankful that Jorge Polanco and others are still on the roster at all. Yes, I’d like a more exciting free agency period, too. But, in this case, we should be careful what we wish for.