Seth Stohs

So far this offseason the Twins have been unable to bring in an impact starting pitcher. But there might be an impact pitcher ready to begin his career with the Twins. Could the Twins become creative to get Brusdar Graterol some impact innings?Gerrit Cole. He was always going to the Yankees. Stephen Strasburg. He was always going to stay with the Nationals. Zack Wheeler. The Twins wanted to give him $100 million, but he wanted to stay in the east. Madison Bumgarner. He wanted to hang out in Phoenix with his horses. Hyun-Jin Ryu. He wanted a fourth year. So now the Twins option for acquiring a proven impact pitcher comes down to the trade market, and there are options available. If the season opened today (and it doesn’t until late March…), the Twins starting rotation would include Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Michael Pineda (after 40 games), and two open spots. Randy Dobnak should definitely get an opportunity to earn one of them. Lewis Thorpe and Devin Smeltzer deserve to be in the conversation for a rotation spot in 2020. But if you’re looking for “impact,” then Brusdar Graterol has to be a consideration. We saw him hit triple digits often. He made throwing 98 and 99 mph look almost effortless. As he relaxed, the velocity increased, and his slider got sharper. He also has a changeup that he can be effective with. Those are the pieces that give teams and their fans hope of developing a true ace, a potential impact starter. However, we have to acknowledge Graterol’s injury history. He missed nearly two seasons after Tommy John surgery. He missed about three months in 2019 with a shoulder injury. He ended up just over 70 innings pitched in 2019 after reaching 102 innings in 2018. With such a high-potential arm, the Twins would be wise to take care of him. They need to. It’s possible he could be limited to maybe 120 or 130 innings in 2020. Do the Twins want to have him eat a bunch of those innings in Rochester? Or could they be creative in getting him those innings and that development in the big leagues? Here is an idea that I would present. It’s probably a little outside the box, and yet, the Twins front office speaks often about how they like their staff (front office and on-field) to ask questions, to challenge norms. What if the Twins went with an opener and then use Graterol has the primary pitcher? The Opener concept was a huge conversation piece in baseball two years ago when Tampa utilized it. They had two pitchers that they planned on being in their rotation get hurt and really did it out of necessity. The Twins utilized the strategy that September when they were out of playoff contention and got a chance to get innings from several young starters. It nearly disappeared in 2019. It’s not ideal. Teams would much prefer to have five starting pitchers who make 32 starts a season and reach 200 innings. But sometimes a strategy might necessitate creative thinking in this light. So why might this strategy work, in my mind, for Brusdar Graterol in 2020? Stratify a plan for keeping Graterol at a certain pitch count and inning count in an attempt to a.) keep him healthy and b.) make sure he’s strong in September and hopefully through October.Why not just have him start? Well, if you’re limiting him to three or four innings per outing, at least early in the year, he can only be the losing pitcher. He can’t get wins. And while we all now know that pitcher wins and losses are immensely overrated as stats, it is something that a player can't help but notice. No need to put the extra stress on the young pitcher.Have him start the season by throwing 50 pitches per outing, whether that’s three innings or four innings. Gradually increase that number. Maybe it’s 65 pitches once the calendar turns to May. Maybe it’s 75 when the calendar turns to June, and 85 in July. Ideally, that would give him 30 to 32 appearances and he should be reaching around 120 innings.The Twins developed a bullpen that became a strength late in the 2019 season. They brought back Sergio Romo and added underrated Tyler Clippard. Taylor Rogers became one of the best relievers in baseball. Tyler Duffey and Trevor May dominated late in the season. Young guys like Zack Littell and Cody Stashak showed what they can be already and there is room for both of them to grow. Thorpe, Smeltzer and others could be the guys who move up and down as arms are needed. The Twins bullpen should be a strength in 2020, deep with reliable guys. Sergio Romo made a lot of “starts” (opener appearances) for the Rays in 2018, when Rocco Baldelli was one of their coaches. They are certainly both very familiar with the concept. Zack Littell could be a two-inning opener if needed. There are options for opener opportunities and there is enough depth to make it work. We don't yet know, at least in practice, how Wes Johnson might feel about using an opener, or if he has another philosophy on preventative care. In 2019, we did see the Twins put Michael Pineda on the injured list a couple of times to keep him fresh throughout the season. Maybe that's a better strategy? Would it be a long-term plan? No. In 2021, the hope would be that Graterol could make 32 starts and hit 160 or more impact innings. But 160 or more innings is likely not be the plan for Graterol in 2020. And Twins fans shouldn’t want to see him using up too many of his (probably) predetermined innings in Rochester. And, with Graterol being a league-minimum arm for the next three-plus years, they could use “impact starter allocated money” on a big bat (like Josh Donaldson). It also wouldn’t stop them from pursuing other ‘impact” starters in trades. Again, please note that this is just me thinking out loud. There is no inside information in this article or in the development of this plan. But I think we are all aware of how detail-oriented and analytical this front office is. “What to do with Brusdar Graterol?” has to have been a highlighted discussion topic in the Twins offseason planning. So what would you do? How would you plan out the 2020 season for Brusdar Graterol? These would seem to be the options: Starter, developing in RochesterStarter, developing in Minnesota“Primary” pitcher in MinnesotaBullpen arm in MinnesotaBullpen arm in Rochester (likely not a preferred method)Let the discussion begin. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY -- Twins Daily 2019 Top Prospects: #3 Brusdar Graterol -- Brusdar Graterol Hits 103+, Promoted to AAA — 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 Star-Tribune has named Twins DH Nelson Cruz its 2019 Sportsperson of the Year. http://www.startribune.com/sportsperson-of-the-year-man-of-la-bomba/566458482/ The article is by LaVelle Neal. It's an in-depth story on "The Man of LaBomba."

https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/dobnaks-give-back-to-st-jude-children-hospital As you recall, Randy Dobnak got married on the final weekend of Twins games. He's gone on his honeymoon. All that good stuff. Remember that when lots of fans learned of the wedding registry. Instead of gifts, Randy and his wife Aerial asked fans to donate money to St. Jude's. And they earned over $4000. And next month, the couple will head to Memphis to visit St. Jude's and bring them the money. Pretty great story!

Saturday morning, the Tigers signed the right side of the Twins Opening Day infield. Jonathan Schooop signed for $6.1 million. CJ Cron signed for $6.1 million.

This is 100% true...

I don't think that anyone would claim that, including them... He signed for less than Romo, who is not a bullpen ace... But they're both good.

I like Blankenhorn a lot, for a lot of reasons... I've asked myself this questions at various times this offseason. Like Arraez, Blankenhorn wasn't a given to be added to the 40-man, but close to it... Going into 2019, I don't think there was a natural fit for where Arraez would play... I think that's the same with Blankenhorn in 2020. Maybe if Arraez got hurt, he'd get a shot... I like the Colina idea in this topic too.

The Twins continued to address their bullpen on Friday with the announcement that they have signed veteran right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard to a one-year deal. In addition, the Sergio Romo signing was confirmed.While we all wait for the big, "impact" move, the Twins announced a couple of moves that will hopefully solidify their 2020 bullpen. 34-year-old Tyler Clippard was signed to a one-year deal. He pitched in 53 games for Cleveland in 2019 and went 1-0 with a 2.90 ERA in 62 innings. He has been in pro ball for 17 years, starting in 2003 when he was a ninth-round pick of the Yankees. Since then, he has played in 13 big-league seasons and played in two All-Star Games. He has spent time with the Yankees, Nationals, A's, Mets, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Astros, Blue Jays and Indians. The team also confirmed the signing of Sergio Romo to a one-year contract with a 2021 option. The Twins 40-man roster is now at 38. And no, a $2.75 million contract for a reliever has no effect on their pursuit of the likes of Josh Donaldson or Hyun-Jin Ryu. A potential Twins bullpen could now include: Taylor Rogers Tyler Duffey Trevor May Sergio Romo Tyler Clippard Zack Littell Cody Stashak Fernando Romero Matt Wisler Jorge Alcala (and guys like Dobnak, Smeltzer, Thorpe, Graterol) Click here to view the article

The next tier up from these guys probably want to go to places that don't have Sano, Polanco, Arraez, Adrianza and probably either a 1B or 3B coming. Lewis and Blankenhorn probably both spend a 1/2 season or so in AA before moving up. So, it kind of is what it is. They all can be solid in a pinch.

The Twins officially announced 6 minor league signings.

Wesley Wright spent 15 years as a pitcher in professional baseball including parts of eight seasons in the big leagues. Upon his retirement, he stayed in the game and was given an opportunity with the Minnesota Twins pro scouting department. Get to know him.Wesley Wright grew up in Alabama. He was the 7th round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003. He signed and spent five years in that organization. In December 2007, he was a Rule 5 pick by the Houston Astros. He made the team's opening-day roster and spent parts of the next six seasons with the team. He was traded to the Rays in August 2013 and pitched well down the stretch and into the playoffs. He also spent time with the Cubs, Orioles and Angels in the big leagues. After some injuries, he retired in 2017. Later that year, he became a pro scout for the Twins and has been on that job for the past two years. In this week's podcast, we talk about his early baseball days, getting drafted and developing in the minor leagues. He talked about being a Rule 5 draft and joining his first big-league spring training, in a clubhouse that included the likes of Lance Berkman, Aaron Boone, Darin Erstad and LaTroy Hawkins. We also talked about how analytics have come into the game and how its usage has continued to evolve. Following his career, he transitioned into the world of pro scouting. We talked about his day-to-day work, and how analytics have altered what he does. It was interested to hear what the most difficult part of scouting is, and why he enjoys it so much. Tune in and get to know Twins pro scout Wesley Wright. You can subscribe to the Get to Know 'Em podcast on iTunes. or follow Libsyn for new episodes here as well. Please leave ratings or feedback. And did you know that you can listen to the Get To Know 'Em podcast by asking Alexa to "Listen to the Get To Know 'Em Podcast." PAST EPISODES Episode 1: Get to know Niko Guardado (Actor and son of Eddie Guardado) Episode 2: Get to know Pat Dean, Brent Rooker Episode 3: Get to know Royce Lewis, AJ Achter Episode 4: Get to know Devin Smeltzer Episode 5: Get to know Jaylin Davis, Tyler Wells Episode 6: Get to know: Travis Blankenhorn, LaMonte Wade Episode 7: Get to know: Matt Wallner (and Ten Minutes with Tyler Wells) Episode 8: Get to know: Caleb Hamilton, Austin Schulfer, Nick Anderson Episode 9: Get to know: Andy Young, Billy Boyer (and Ten Minutes with Tyler) Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Not registered? Click here to create an account. To stay up to date, follow Twins Daily on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to view the article

Yes, I will add him.

According to Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic, the Minnesota Twins have filled one of their remaining coaching jobs on Tuesday, hiring Mike Bell as their bench coach. He replaces the recently-departed Derek Shelton who was named the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.Mike Bell has been in professional baseball for the past 27 years, but it’s fair to say that he has spent all 45 years of his life around the big leagues.On Tuesday, he is expected to be named the Twins new Bench Coach. His brother David Bell played for and is now the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. His father Buddy Bell spent 18 seasons in the big leagues and managed for nine seasons. His grandfather Gus Bell spent 15 seasons in the big leagues in the 1950s and 1960s. Mike Bell was the 30th overall pick in the 1993 by the Rangers out of nationally-renowned Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati. It took some time, but Bell eventually got to the big leagues too. He played in 19 games for the Reds in 2000. He had six hits over 31 plate appearances, but he did hit big-league homers off of Curt Leskanic and Steve Kline. Following his retirement as a player in 2005, he began a career in coaching and managing. He has spent the past eight seasons as the Vice President of Player Development for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the role, according to the Diamondbacks website, he oversaw and maintained relationships with affiliates, managed the coordinators and coaching staffs and handled player acquisitions and transactions. He now joins Manager of the Year Rocco Baldelli’s coaching staff which is still missing one coach. The team has yet to hire an assistant pitching coach (and bullpen coach) to replace Jeremy Hefner, who left to become the Mets pitching coach. The Twins have now made the news official. Twins Current Coaching Staff Rocco Baldelli - Manager Mike Bell - Bench Coach Edgar Varela - Hitting Coach Wes Johnson - Pitching Coach Rudy Hernandez - Assistant Hitting Coach Tony Diaz - 3B Coach and Infield Coach Tommy Watkins - 1B Coach and Outfield Coach Bill Evers - Catchers Coach Assistant Pitching Coach - To Be Named Later Click here to view the article

.Looks like the Twins have found their new Minor League Hitting Coordinator...

Updated with contract details...

Multiple reports say that Madison Bumgarner is nearing a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a 5 year deal. Initial reports say it's between $80-90 million. He must have really wanted to hit! Update:

I have no problem with this... Pitched in the Premier12 last month. He was throwing pretty hard this year. I thought he had started coaching, but maybe he was just working with college players. Twins need a second lefty reliever. Blaine Hardy is an option. Thielbar thrown into the mix. Definitely not a spot I would spend a lot of money, so I am good with this.

Another minor league hitting coach hired. This one from Concordia University. It's in Seward, Nebraska, and I only know that because that's where my dad went to college a long time ago.

The Twins took no one in the AAA portion of the Rule 5 draft. They lost 3B Brian Schales and RHP Andriu Marin.