Seth Stohs

Could they also find a way to get a third team involved to add another prospect. What if they were able to trade a veteran (not a core type) for a package of 2-3 B-/C+ prospects and spin them to the Twins (obviously knowing the specifics of such a deal). Those sanctions on the Dodgers (not being able to spend more than $300K on any signing) is a HUGE thing. Makes me very glad that the Twins were wise enough not to do that. I like the idea of including some IFA dollars.

As 2015 came to an end, optimism reigned among Twins fans. The team was coming off of an 83-win season, their first winning season since 2010. Miguel Sano had come up and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. Paul Molitor was considered a Manager of the Year candidate. Things were looking positive. The playoffs seemed a realistic hope. As we head into 2017, the feeling among Twins fans is much different. The team won just 59 games in 2016. The playoffs appear far off again.As we take a look back at the 2016 season there are a lot of memories and storylines, both positive and negative. Today we reflect on the Minnesota Twins of 2016. At the end of 2015, the Twins won the rights to acquire Byungho Park. He was going to help provide additional power to the lineup maybe even making up for some of the offense the team might be losing with Torii Hunter's retirement. Park hit some homers, but by July 1st, he was sent to Rochester where he hit more homers, until he needed surgery for his wrist. Spring taining was deemed successful. The team generally played well, and they went into the season relatively healthy. (Here are the Twins Daily Reports from the Fort.) And then… they started the season by losing their first nine games. On May 13, the team was 8-26. On May 24, they were 11-34. On August 17, the team was 49-71. However bad that record still is, there was a 75-game stretch where they went 38-37. That was the team that we all expected, a .500 team or slightly better. Unfortunately, they ended the season by going 10-32 over their final 42 games. 59-103. The worst record in Minnesota Twins history, “besting” the 1982 Twins team that went 60-102. And because of it Terry Ryan was fired in mid-July, after 30 years in the organization. Rob Antony was appointed the interim GM and left in charge with an important trade deadline looming. Eduardo Nunez came into the season expected to be the team’s utility player, able to play four to six positions. When Eduardo Escobar was injured in the season’s first few weeks, Nunez took over at shortstop and played tremendously. He didn’t give up the job. In 91 games for the Twins, he hit .296/.325/.439 (.764) with 15 doubles and 12 home runs. He also had 27 stolen bases which led the league at the time of his trade. Nunez earned his spot on the American League All-Star team. Rob Antony turned the veteran utility infielder into left-hander Adalberto Mejia who had just been ranked #91 in Baseball America’s Midseason Top 100 prospects. On August 1, Antony traded veteran lefty Fernando Abad - who had been signed to a minor league contract and pitched well for the Twins - to the Red Sox in exchange for hard-throwing 25-year-old Pat Light. Light was awful in his brief big league time, but he has the velocity to make him intriguing, a nice lottery ticket. Later that day, Antony surprised many by dealing Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Hector Santiago and Alan Busenitz. Twins fans were shocked that he was able to find a taker for Nolasco, sending him home to California,where he pitched OK for the Angels. Santiago struggled through his first four starts with the Twins, but settled in after that. DEBUTS Several Twins players made their Major league debuts in 2016: Byungho Park - April 4thTaylor Rogers - April 11thJose Berrios - April 27thPat Dean - May 11thJT Chargois - June 11thAdalberto Mejia - August 20thAlex Wimmers - August 26thJames Beresford - September 10thTHE GOODEven in a 103-loss season, there were some positives. Brian Dozier’s season was remarkable, one of the best in Twins history. His 42 homers were the most by any Twins player not named Harmon Killebrew. He set the record for most homers for an American League second baseman. Despite hitting just .185 in late May, he was amazing the remainder of the season. It was a remarkable turnaround.Ervin Santana had a good season.Minor League SigningsBrandon Kintzler came up at the end of April and pitched very well. With the injuries, especially Perkins', he became the team’s closer and saved 17 games.While most fans wanted the Twins to pony up for lefties like Tony Sipp or Antonio Bastardo, the Twins signed Fernando Abad to a minor league deal and during his time with the Twins, he pitched very well.When the Twins signed Buddy Boshers, we assumed there was little chance he would surface with the Twins. He ended up spending about half the season with the Twins and pitched well, with about two exceptions.Juan Centeno was brought in for catcher depth, but when John Ryan Murphy tanked early in the season, Centeno came up and hit pretty well. He's not a good defensive catcher, but he did provide some offense.Robbie Grossman was signed the day after he opted out of his minor league deal with Cleveland. He spent one day in Rochester before coming up. His approach at the plate, patience and ability to crush left-handed pitching made him a valuable piece for the Twins. His defense… not so good.Max Kepler and Brian Dozier each had a three-homer game.The Twins added OF Torii Hunter and broadcaster John Gordon to the Twins Hall of Fame. The ceremonies were in August.THE BADLet’s be honest, there was a lot of bad, and I’m sure I’m only catching a small part of it. Kevin Jepsen was so good for the Twins after they acquired him at the July 2015 trade deadline from Tampa. He pretty much couldn’t get anyone out in 2016 for the Twins. He was DFAd by July. Chih-Wei Hu, the pitcher the Twins sent to Tampa in the deal, has become one of the Rays top prospects.Casey Fien came back and was DFAd by the end of April. The Dodgers claimed him. He spent time in their bullpen. He recently signed an MLB contract with the Mariners.The Twins 2014 Rule 5 pick, JR Graham, came to spring training 2016 down about 40 pounds, but it didn’t help him on the mound. He struggled in AAA and came up out of desperation. He made one appearance and the Twins DFAd him. He was claimed by the Yankees.Kyle Gibson posted a 5.07 ERA on the season. That was second-best among Twins starters with more than 58 innings.Miguel Sano in right field. I don’t blame the Twins for trying it, for asking Sano to work at it. It wasn’t an unrealistic hope. It went badly, and hopefully has come to an end. In addition, his injuries cost him the opportunity to show whether or not he can play third base.Remember the David Murphy situation? The Twins signed him in mid-April and asked him to spend two weeks in Rochester at which point they would call him up. They made room for him by designating catcher John Hicks. Hicks was claimed by the Tigers, which (of course) isn’t a big deal at all. But when Murphy decided that he didn’t want to play anymore and went home to his family, it didn’t look good.THE INJURIESThere certainly were some injuries throughout the season. Yes, every team deals with injuries through the season, but the Twins were hit hard. Less than a week into the season, Danny Santana went on the DL. It was his first of three trips to the DL.Ten days - and two blown saves - into the season, Glen Perkins went on the DL. He stayed on it the whole year and ended up having major shoulder surgery.Trevor Plouffe went on the DL on April 19, July 4 and September 10th.On April 26, Kyle Gibson and Ervin Santana both went on the DL. Santana missed just two weeks. Gibson missed six weeks.Eduardo Escobar went on the DL on May 8th.Miguel Sano went to the DL on June 1st for about a month.Phil Hughes and Trevor May went on the DL on June 10th. Hughes didn’t pitch again during the season and ended up having thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. For May, it was his first of three trips to the DL.There were more DL trips, like Darin Mastroianni and Tommy Milone. TWINS DAILY AWARDS Minor League Hitter of the Year - Daniel Palka Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year - Stephen Gonsalves Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year - Trevor Hildenberger Short-Season Hitter of the Year - Lewin Diaz Short-Season Pitcher of the Year - Huascar Ynoa Twins Most Improved - Brian Dozier Twins Best Rookie - Max Kepler Twins Pitcher of the Year - Ervin Santana Twins Most Valuable Player - Brian Dozier NEW REGIME On October 3rd, the Twins were given the OK to announce that they had hired Derek Falvey as the Chief Baseball Officer of the Twins. He would not report to duty for his job until Cleveland’s playoff run came to an end, which it didn’t until after Game 7 of the World Series. On November 3rd, the Twins announced that Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine was taking over as the Twins General Manager. The two have said all the right things but they know they have their work cut out for them. Rob Antony remains as the Twins assistant GM. Most of the rest of the current front office also remains and will likely be evaluated by Falvey over the next nine or ten months. How will they handle the expectations that are changing? How will they adapt to the thinking of Falvey? It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Terry Ryan joined the Phillies as a special assignments scout. Bill Smith was also told he will not be back with the organization. The organization also announced that Deron Johnson had been promoted to Senior Adviser of the Scouting Department. Also, Sean Johnson was promoted to Director of Scouting. In late November, the Twins announced the former players, Michael Cuddyer, LaTroy Hawkins and Torii Hunter were coming back as special assistants in the Baseball Operations department. They will be involved in all aspects of the organization, on field and off the field. SINCE THEN… The Twins front office has stayed busy since the new guys took over. They immediately went to the GM meetings and have taken a lot of time to learn the way things have worked for the Twins in the past, as well as everything they can learn about every player in the organization. They added six players to their 40-man roster. That was after non-tendering Trevor Plouffe, DFAing Adam Brett Walker, and releasing Yorman Landa. The six players added to the roster were pitchers Fernando Romero and Felix Jorge, catcher Mitch Garver, infielder Engelb Vielma and outfielders Daniel Palka and Zack Granite. The Twins targeted former Astros catcher Jason Castro, and they got him. They signed the defensive-minded backstop to a three year, $24.5 million contract. While he won’t hit, the theory behind the signing is that his pitch-framing efforts will directly help improve the team’s pitching. We woke up on December 10th to the news that Yorman Landa had passed away in an auto accident in Venezuela. Last week, Bravos de Margarita honored him by retiring his number. In November, it was announced that hitting coach Tom Brunansky and first base Coach Butch Davis would not be back in 2017. The rest of the coaching staff remained. In early December, it was announced that James Rowson would be the new hitting coach. Then in late December, it was announced that Miracle manager Jeff Smith would become the Twins new first base coach. Jeff Pickler was also added to the MLB coaching staff. He will also be the team’s coordinator for MLB development. So there is your way-too-long 2016 Minnesota Twins Year in Review. Is it possible I left anything out? 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I would love to see the Braves get involved since they have so much high-end pitching prospect talent.

If you're on twitter, be sure to take this poll:

How about "feel-good" story of the year?

Yes, 2016 was a year that included 103 losses, but it wasn’t all bad. There were a lot of positives during the season as well. As the year comes to an end, and we are fully thinking about 2017 and beyond, today we take one more look back at the 2016 Minnesota Twins season. There were debuts, and there were milestones, plenty of them. Today we’ll take a look back and remember some of them.As you watch, review and remember these great Twins moments (and individuals' moments), consider your favorite Twins moments in 2016 on the field. Share yours in the comments below. BRIAN DOZIER What a season 2016 was for the Twins second baseman. After struggling mightily through the season’s first two months, Dozier was baseball’s best hitter the final four months of the season. On September 5th, he had his first three-home run game of his career. Against the Royals, he hit a home run into the first deck, the second deck and the third deck to become the first Twins player not named Harmon Killebrew to surpass 35 home runs in a season. One week later, Dozier took a high fastball in Detroit and launched a home run to left field, just beyond a leaping Justin Upton to join the 40-home run club. MAX KEPLER On the final day of the 2015 season, Max Kepler singled off of Johnny Cueto to record his first major league hit. He began 2016 in Rochester, but he wasn’t there for long. He was called up within a week of the start of the 2016 season. He played rarely for three weeks before being sent back to Rochester. When he came back up, he took off. On June 12 at Target Field, Kepler came up with runners on second and third and nobody out in the 10th inning of a tie game against the Red Sox. On an 0-2 pitch, he crushed a 98-mph fastball to dead center for his first home run in the big leagues. What a moment, as the blast also was his first walk-off for the Twins. It was on August 1st that Kepler really had his coming out party. In Cleveland, he had his first three-home run game. The first two came off of Danny Salazar. He had six RBIs in the game. JORGE POLANCO Polanco had a couple of cups of coffee in 2014 and 2015. In 2016, he finally got more opportunities to get consistent playing time. He responded well. On May 15 in Cleveland, Polanco came to the plate to face righty Trevor Bauer. On a 2-2 pitch, Polanco knocked his first major league home run to give the Twins a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning. JUAN CENTENO Like Polanco, Centeno had been up to the big leagues a couple of times the previous two seasons. On May 14 in Cleveland, the Twins were down 1-0 to Corey Kluber. With a runner on base Centeno launched his first MLB homer to put the Twins into the lead. Centeno went on to hit three more homers the rest of the season. JAMES BERESFORD It was the story of the year for the Minnesota Twins. Beresford, who had signed with the Twins in 2005, was called up to the Twins for September. Just a couple of days later, his parents flew in to Minneapolis from Australia to surprise their son. It was 24-hours worth of travel, and with the help of long-time friend Brian Dozier, the Twins were able to surprise Beresford before the game. Little did they know that the next night, their son made their MLB debut, at third base for the Twins. He made a couple of nice defensive plays, and later in the game, he came through with his first MLB hit. JOSE BERRIOS There is one more first major league hit that we’ll bring to you today. In mid-September, the Twins made a trip to New York to play the Mets. It was an interesting pitching matchup with Berrios facing 42-year-old Bartolo Colon. In his first at-bat as a big leaguer, Berrios singled to right field. It was also the Twins first hit of the game. However, it wasn’t the hitting of Berrios that had Twins fans most excited. His debut was anticipated and many hoped it would have happened a year earlier, but Berrios was up before May. Just 21 at the time, Berrios struck out five in his MLB debut, though he didn’t complete five innings. His first strikeout was Jason Kipnis, the second batter he faced. TAYLOR ROGERS Within the first week of the season, Glen Perkins went on the disabled list and Rogers was called up. On April 14, Rogers made his major league debut. He faced three White Sox batters and got two of them out. A couple of days later, he pitched two innings in relief of Ricky Nolasco. He gave up a couple of runs, but he also recorded his first two strikeouts. The first was JP Martinez. Rogers was a key part of the Twins bullpen as the season went on. He’ll be an even more important piece as we move forward. He has the ability to be really dominant against left-handed batters as he showed in this early July game against the Rangers when he struck out the side, facing three left-handers. PAT DEAN Many were surprised when the Twins added Pat Dean to the 40-man roster in November of 2015. In early May, the Twins needed another pitcher and Dean was summoned from Rochester. He made his debut in Baltimore against the Orioles, coming in to the game to replace Phil Hughes in a big deficit. He struck out three in 2.2 innings, including Joey Rickard for his first strikeout. JT CHARGOIS JT Chargois’ MLB debut in June didn’t go as he would have hoped (5 ER in ⅔ of an inning), but by September, he was showing his potential to dominate hitters in the late innings. Check out his slider on this big strikeout in the 12th inning of a September 10th game against Cleveland. Chargois’ first strikeout came in his first game back from Rochester. It was Tony Kemp. ADALBERTO MEJIA Mejia came to the Twins organization in the Eduardo Nunez trade in late June. The left-hander was in Baseball America’s Top 100 midseason prospects. On August 10th, the Twins were desperate for arms. Mejia was called up to work in relief. He replaced Hector Santiago with the Twins already down 8-0 in the 5th inning against the Royals. Mejia gave up two runs on five hits and a walk in 2.2 innings. He didn’t record a strikeout, but he did make this play on a hard-hit ball back at him. ALEX WIMMERS As good as the story was when James Beresford was called up for September, the Alex Wimmers story was very good too. Wimmers was the top pick of the Twins in 2010 out of Ohio State. He overcame the yips and Tommy John surgery, and in late August, he earned the promotion to the big leagues. On August 26th, he came in for his MLB debut against the Blue Jays with the Twins down 15-7. He got a ground out which was followed by strikeouts of Justin Smoak and Ezequiel Carrera. In a season full of disappointments and losses, what were some of your favorite moments? Click here to view the article

He's as good as it goes. No one has more sources in the Twin Cities. There's zero reason to believe he isn't correct on this one.

Especially a guy with a 15-season career with nearly an .800 OPS, nearly 200 home runs, nearly 400 doubles...

Yeah, at this point, I don't really care about the specifics... I just know that there is at least a second team to drive up the asking price. The Twins are going to get a huge haul!!

This afternoon, KSTP and 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson provided a very interesting update on the Brian Dozier trade discussions. The Dodgers are still in, but now we hear that the St. Louis Cardinals are 'very much in' on Dozier too. What could it mean? While it's no surprise that the Dodgers are still in it heavily, the Cardinals being 'very in it" is new information. So immediately the thoughts jump to... Who do the Cardinals have that might entice the Twins? A quick look at the Baseball America Top 100 Midseason Prospects list provides some insight. For a little background information, in that midseason ranking, Jose Berrios ranked #20 and Jose De Leon ranked #25. Here are the Cardinals prospects who are among the Top 100: #2 - RHP Anthony Reyes #75 - RHP Luke Weaver #88 - RHP Jack Flaherty #89 - OF Harrison Bader Alex Reyes and Luke Weaver were called up to the Cardinals on the same day. Reyes went 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 12 games (including five starts). In 46 innings, he walked 23 and struck out 52. In 14 starts at AAA Memphis, he went 2-3 with a 4.96 ERA (ah the joys of the International League). In 65.1 innings, he walked 32, but he struck out a remarkable 93! (Note - my assumption is that Reyes is in about the same category as Julio Urias, likely unavailable.) Luke Weaver came up and made nine appearances (8 starts). He went 1-4 with a 5.70 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. In 36 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 45. He went 6-3 with a 1.70 ERA in 12 starts in AA before making just one start at AAA before his big league promotion. Reyes is 22-years-old and signed with St. Louis in 2012 as an 17-year-old. Reyes throws really, really hard (upper-90s) and has a sharp slider. The 23-year-old Weaver was the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2014 (27th overall) out of Florida State. Weaver is the more polished pitcher, which means he has more control. His upside obviously isn't quite as high but he will almost certainly be a mid-rotation starter with a chance to be something more. Jack Flaherty was the Cardinals' supplemental first-round pick in 2014 (34th overall) out of high school in California. He went 5-9 for Palm Beach as a 20-year-old this past year. Obviously he's a little further out, but the upside is there. Harrison Bader is a right-handed hitting outfielder who was the Cardinals' third-round pick in 2015 out of Florida. He split the 2016 season between AA and AAA. In 82 AA games, he hit .283/.354/.497 (.851) with 12 doubles, four triples and 16 home runs. He moved up to AAA and played in 49 games. He hit .231/.298/.354 (.652) with seven doubles, a triple and three home runs. He's likely a year away, but there is some power potential there. There would certainly be more to any such deal that just one (or maybe two?) of the above, but these would be the headliners. The Cardinals have second baseman Kolton Wong - who the Twins drafted in the 16th round in 2008 out of high school - signed for four years and $24.25 million with an option for 2021). Maybe he is part of the return as well. The Cardinals acquired Jedd Gyorko from the Padres a year ago. He had been pretty much awful for a couple of years. He went to St. Louis and hit 30 home runs. He's signed for the next three years at $29 million. He played in 128 games, but no more than 46 games at any one of the four infield positions. So, they could still have both on a roster. The Giants have Joe Panik (a 2015 All-Star) as their second baseman, so either Panik or Dozier would likely move to third base. Eduardo Nunez is probably the incumbent at third base. The Nationals have Daniel Murphy at second base. Now, he could move to first base, but Ryan Zimmerman still has a lot of money owed and that's about the only position he can play. It is certainly good to hear some more specifics on teams that might have interest in Dozier. Hearing that the Cardinals might be one of those teams is very intriguing because they have Reyes and Weaver, two very good pitching prospects, which would push the Dodgers - possibly - to offer more. What are your thoughts on the rumors? Click here to view the article

The Bravos de Margarita retired Yorman Landa's number a couple of nights ago...

The Twins used their 10th-round pick in June on Brandon Lopez, a shortstop from the University of Miami. He wasn't able to sign for a couple of weeks because he helped lead the Hurricanes to the College World Series in Omaha. After signing, he was sent to Elizabethton where he spent about a month. In 27 games, he hit .337/.470/.413 (.883) with five doubles and a triple. He was promoted to Cedar Rapids. He played in 18 games and hit .286/.393/.329 (.721) with three doubles. It was a strong first impression in the organization, especially the defense he played and his ability to get on base.Today, we catch up to the talented shortstop. We thank Brandon Lopez for taking time to answer our questions. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in south Florida, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Brandon Lopez (BL):I've always been a Marlins fan growing up in South Florida. My favorite players growing up are Derek Jeter and Troy Tulowitzki. I would always make sure to watch them play and try to pick out certain things they did to better my game. SS: What were some of the better memories of your high school baseball career? Did you play other sports or were you involved in other activities? BL:The best memory of my high school career has to be winning states my senior year. I also played basketball in high school for two years. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and was there any question that you wanted to go to Miami? BL:Growing up in South Florida, it was a childhood dream of mine to go to Miami. When I was offered a scholarship there sophomore year of high school, it was a no-brainer for me and my family. SS: What were a couple of your highlights from your two college years at Miami? How great was the College World Series experience? BL: Hitting a go ahead home run in the ACC tournament was one of my most memorable highlights. Playing in Omaha was definitely one of the best experiences in my career. Playing in front of 30,000 fans is a feeling that words cannot explain how incredible the feeling is. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? What was your interaction with the Twins scout? BL:I did speak with a lot of scouts before, including the Twins. Once I got the call from the Twins, I knew this was the perfect team for me. SS: The Twins took you in the 10th round. How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy was your phone at that moment? BL: Well, at the moment we were getting ready to play a super regional game against Boston College. I had given my phone to my trainer in case my agent called with any news. My trainer came out during our stretch and told me the news. and all my teammates congratulated me t was awesome. SS: What has the adjustment like for you, from the college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? BL: There isn't the biggest adjustment because Miami did a great job preparing us for the next level. The biggest adjustment is playing everyday as to college just the weekend series. SS: You put up great numbers in Elizabethton, and now have been very good in Cedar Rapids. Are you at all surprised to have experienced such success already, and what do you think has been the biggest reason for the success? BL: I'd say the whole college experience and playing four years helped me develop my game every year. Also that baseball is a game of failure and it doesn't matter who you are, you're going to have bad days. The key is to stay confident in your game and abilities throughout the year. SS: At this very early stage in your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths? BL:My biggest strengths are my defense and my ability to get on base. SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve? BL: Driving the ball in the gaps for power more often. SS: What do you have planned for the offseason? What was your major in school? BL: Hanging out with my family and friends back home and also heading to New York City for New Years. My major was sociology. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? BL: My mom and dad are my role models. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today. SS: Favorite Baseball movie? BL:Major League Thank you again to Brandon Lopez for taking to to let us get to know him. Please feel free to discuss and ask questions in the comments below. Click here to view the article

Probably not the team of the furthest future...

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. News came out on Thursday evening that Edwin Encarnacion has signed a three year, $60 million contract with Cleveland. Encarnacion's season came to an end at the hand of Cleveland in the playoffs this year. After pushing their way into the World Series and coming up short in a Game 7 against the Cubs, Cleveland is adding a major impact bat, arguably the best bat on the free agent market.Things have been interesting this offseason in the American League Central. Let’s check out where the four teams are and what more they might want to do. Might as well start with the defending AL Central and American League champions. CLEVELAND Signing Edwin Encarnacion is a big deal. Mike Napoli is a nice player and continues to show great power but Encarnacion is one of the best hitters in baseball. He has a tremendous eye. He puts the ball in play, and he can hit the ball a mile. You have to wonder if Chris Colabello knew about this signing when he agreed to a minor league deal with the team earlier in the week. Cleveland had been pretty quiet this offseason to this point, but they should have been. They have terrific starting pitching. Their bullpen is stacked. They have a terrific lineup that will now only be enhanced in the middle. Not only is Cleveland trying to defend their AL Central crown, but this is the kind of move that makes them a legit World Series contender again. DETROIT The Tigers are that team that could go in either direction. In the last couple of offseasons they have lost the two 2016 Cy Young Award winners (Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello). Justin Verlander may have deserved the American League Cy Young Award in 2016, and Jordan Zimmerman missed a lot of time in the first season of his huge contract. But Miguel Cabrera is still there. Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez aren’t getting younger. They did trade Cameron Maybin right after the conclusion of the season, but they have been quiet. There were rumors of them dealing JD Martinez, but at least to this point it hasn’t happened. Unless they are surprisingly able to keep all of their pitching healthy, it’s hard to think they can compete with Cleveland. Are they good enough right now to be a Wild Card contender? Maybe. KANSAS CITY The Royals added outfielder Jorge Soler from the Cubs, but to do so, they traded Wade Davis, one of baseball’s best closers. The Royals, after representing the American League in the World Series the two previous years, went backwards in 2016, finishing 81-81. During the Winter Meetings, there were a lot of rumors about the Royals looking to make some trades involving some of their talented players that are about to get expensive.To this point, Davis is the only player they have traded. They haven’t done much in free agency either. They brought back Drew Butera. Rumors have seemed to quiet in Kansas City. Maybe they are going to spend to keep their talent. I doubt it. They’re going to have to make some tough decisions on players such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakus, Lorenzo Cain and others. They do still have a strong bullpen, even with the loss of Davis. CHICAGO The White Sox were one of the biggest winners at the Winter Meetings. They were able to trade Chris Sale to Boston in exchange for baseball’s top prospect Yoan Moncada, a triple-digit throwing phenom in Michael Kopech, and two more solid prospects. The next day they traded outfielder Adam Eaton to the Nationals in exchange for their three top pitching prospects (Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning). There continue to be rumors that they are making every attempt to trade Jose Quintana (for another king’s ransom, and understandably so). Could they also trade third baseman Todd Frazier? And I’m a little surprised that they haven’t already traded closer David Robertson. Clearly they are not looking to compete for division titles the next couple of years, so there really is no reason for a top closer. With the closer market as it has been this offseason, Robertson should be able to bring back another nice prospect haul. The White Sox are punting the next couple of seasons to take a run with a new core in a couple of years. They went from one of baseball’s worst minor league systems to having one of the top ten systems in baseball. They also signed lefty Derek Holland to take Sale’s spot in the rotation (no, he’s obviously not replacing the production of Sale, but he can be a solid contributor. MINNESOTA So, what have the Twins done, coming off of their 103-loss season in 2016? Well, first they hired Cleveland’s assistant GM Derek Falvey to change the direction and lead the organization. Then he hired Thad Levine - previously the long-time assistant GM in Texas - to be the team’s new General Manager. The new regime went into the offseason aggressively. They targeted Jason Castro and were able to sign him. It was a clear sign that things will be different in the Twins front office. Castro hasn’t hit well the last three years, but he’s consistently been a top pitch-framer. The thought is that what he does with the bat is a bonus. However, if he can convince the home plate ump that borderline pitches are strikes instead of balls, he will help his pitching staff. There have been Brian Dozier trade rumors since the season came to a merciful ending, maybe even earlier. Things are pretty quiet right now. It could mean that talks have backed off. It could be that the Twins and Dodgers are giving each other the Christmas weekend to collect their thoughts. Who knows? It could be the calm before the sto… trade. The Twins are a few years ahead of where the White Sox are trying to get. Their high-level prospects are here. They took their lumps in 2016. You’ve heard it before, but the Twins have the talent to win ten more games in 2017 than they did in 2016 just by the progression of the likes of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Jose Berrios, Ryan Pressly, JT Chargois. Over the next couple of seasons, the Twins will likely also get contributions from several of the following: Mitch Garver, Stephen Gonsalves, Tyler Jay, Nick Gordon, Fernando Romero, Felix Jorge, Kohl Stewart, Jake Reed, Nick Burdi, Trevor Hildenberger and more. Will they all pan out? Of course not. That’s not how it works. Surprisingly, there has been little talk about Ervin Santana this offseason. Teams know what they are getting in him, and the fact that Jason Hammel is currently the best free agent starting pitcher on the market, you would think there would be more interest in a quality pitcher at a reasonable rate for just two years. Do the Twins need to trade Brian Dozier this offseason? Absolutely not. If they don’t get a package that Falvey/Levine are thrilled with, they should hold on to him. As much as it might be fun to see a 2018 rotation including Berrios, De Leon, Romero and Gonsalves, the Twins should absolutely expect to get more than just one pitcher with four MLB games under his belt for a guy like Dozier. The Twins won’t compete with Cleveland in 2017, but they should be greatly improved. Short-term, it’d be far better to keep Dozier and Santana. Long-term, which is clearly the more wise, logical view that the front office should be looking at, most would say that adding a couple of top prospects to help them in 2019 and beyond is the more important goal. The other thing to remember for Twins fans (and for the other teams), there is still a lot of offseason to go. The White Sox are likely to trade at least one more start (Quintana, Roberton, Frazier). The Twins are still quite likely to make a trade involving established veterans for near-MLB ready talent. Detroit? They probably should start selling off ,but maybe they won’t. Kansas City could also trade some of their stars. Cleveland might be done, but they are also in the catbird seat. The Encarnacion signing certainly indicates to their fans that they’re looking to be even better than they were in 2016. It just feels like there is still a lot more to happen, transaction-wise, in the American League Central following the holidays. Who knows, maybe even during the holidays! Click here to view the article

We continue to get to know more and more of the Minnesota Twins minor leaguers and recent draft picks today. Tyler Beardsley was the Twins 16th round pick this past June out of California State - Sacramento. After signing, Beardsley was sent to Elizabethton. He pitched 34 innings in seven games (five starts) and went 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA. He walked six and struck out 33. He was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he made five more starts before being shut down for the year. He went 1-2 but had a 3.86 ERA. He will likely begin the 2017 season back with the Kernels but should have an opportunity to pitch in Ft. Myers if things go well.Take a few minutes to get to know right-handed pitcher, Tyler Beardsley, the player and the person. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in southern California, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Tyler Beardsley (TB): Being a southern California guy, I have always been a big fan of the Angels and still am to this day. As a kid I would always go to their games with my friends and family. Some of my favorite baseball players I enjoyed/enjoy watching were Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, Mike Trout, Garrett Richards, and Kris Bryant. SS: What were some of the better memories of your high school baseball career? Did you play other sports or were you involved in other activities? TB: My favorite memories about playing high school baseball were creating lifelong friendships with every one of my teammates. My freshman year of baseball, I was a part of a league championship team. Going into my senior year I decided to play basketball and also won a league championship that year. Little things like this I will cherish forever. Always nice to hang out with your former teammates and talk about those memories. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and what was it about Cal State-Sacramento that made you want to pitch there? TB: Coming out of high school I believe I had two junior colleges who were interested in me. Honestly, I didn't pitch very much in high school but happened to start one game in Wasco and had a coach who took interest in my pitching ability. I spoke with him after the game, and he had great things to say about me. I took a visit up to the college and loved everything about it. After that, I decided to go to College of Sequoias for two years. During my sophomore year, I was recruited by Sacramento State and believed it would be a perfect fit. I loved everything they had to offer me. Incredible coaching staff and a great program that is continuing to grow to be a top Division 1 baseball program. SS: What was the experience for your at Cal State-Sacramento? What were some of your highlights and favorite moments in your four years there? TB: I had an incredible experience at Sacramento State. Not only was I given the opportunity to play baseball, but I was able to work on my degree at the same time. One of these days, baseball will come to end, so it was important for me to study something that I was interested in. Criminal Justice was my major and I'm hoping to become a California Highway Patrol in the future. My two years at COS I was a part of a championship team in 2014 and made it all the way to the state finals. The two years I was at Sacramento State, my favorite moment was getting the win in the final two innings when playing fifth-ranked LSU in Baton Rouge in front of about 13,000 fans and about 30 Hornet fans along the left field foul line. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? Where did you think that you might be drafted? What was your interaction with Twins scouts before the draft? TB: Before the draft I spoke with quite a few scouts. At the time, I wasn't really worried about where I was going to be drafted. I was just looking for an opportunity to continue to play the game that I love and just make the best of it. My interaction with the Twins was slim, but I knew they were interested in me. I was very excited that the Twins picked me in the 16th round. Great organization and I hope to be a part of it as long as possible. SS: When you did hear your name in the 16th round, where were you? What your reaction and the reaction of those close to you? TB: When I heard my named called in the 16th round, I was with my family here in my hometown Tehachapi. It was the best day of my life. This is something I have been dreaming about since I was a little kid. Friends, family, and coaches were blowing up my phone congratulating me for a couple days. I will never forget that day for as long as I live. SS: What has the adjustment like for you, from the amateur/college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? TB: I would have to say it was a little bit of an adjustment coming into the minor leagues. One thing that was new to me was playing almost every single day. In college I was about four times a week. I believe I had four days off in about four months. That was one major adjustment but another would be the competition is a lot better. I was pleased the way everything turned out in my first short season. Learned a lot and I’ll be ready to go next year. SS: To what do you attribute your success in the Elizabethton and in Cedar Rapids? TB: What made me successful while playing in Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids was just playing the game the right way. I wasn't trying to do too much. Whether it's making sure I'm throwing strikes each start or getting outs any way I could or just showing up to the field on time. Little things like this are noticed throughout the organization and can go a long way. I just tried to do the little things the right way for the time I was there. Another thing I wanted to do was try to be consistent with each start. This is something that is tough to do, but that is the game of baseball and that's why I love it so much. SS: What was it like pitching in Cedar Rapids in the playoff hunt and in the playoffs? What was the atmosphere like there? TB: During our playoff hunt, it was important for us to put together wins late in the year. I was called up around August, and when I got there I knew we were in a spot where we needed to win a few games so that we could clinch a playoff spot. I made about five starts while I was in Cedar Rapids and each one of those starts I did my best to put us in a position to win each game. I was put on the DL for playoffs but got a great look on what it's like to pitch in the playoffs. Atmosphere was great at each game we played. SS: What pitches do you throw, and what would you consider your out pitch? TB: Fastball, Slider, curveball, and change-up are the pitches I throw. I would have to say my slider can definitely be my out pitch. Still working on it because I just started to throw a slider about a year ago. SS: At this very early stage in your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths? TB: Being 22, i feel like I have so much more to learn about the game of baseball whether it's the mental, or physical part of the game. I believe I've got much more room to grow so that i can become a better baseball player. SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve in the offseason and going forward? TB: I'm focused on getting as strong as possible this offseason and really getting my body right for this long upcoming season. I need to be absolutely ready to go for spring training and getting on a full season team. SS: Are you be going back to school in the offseason? What is your major in school? TB: I will not be going back to school this off season.Hoping to go back to school this next off-season but for now I'm enjoying the time off with my family and friends. While in college I was studying Criminal Justice. I want to become a CHP in the future. SS: What are some of the things you enjoy doing away from the game of baseball? TB: When I'm not playing baseball, I like to be outdoors for the most part. I love fishing, shooting guns, riding motorcycles, camping, etc. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? TB: Each and every one of my coaches, family members, teammates, and trainers that I had throughout college have helped me get to where I am today. Can’t thank them enough for their support throughout my college career. SS: Favorite baseball movie? TB: The Sandlot would have to be my all-time favorite baseball movie. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Again, thank you to Tyler Beardsley for taking time to respond to our questions. Please leave a comment or ask questions down below! Click here to view the article

It is likely that it was a more memorable evening for Twins fans who interacted with Erickson that night than it was for Erickson himself. He made quite an impression! HA!

Zach Strecker pitched at the University of Kentucky. The Twins have quite the pipeline through the college. In recent years, pitchers like Taylor Rogers, Alex Meyer, Logan Darnell and Andrew Albers all came to the Twins after spending time at Kentucky. Strecker made 81 appearances over the last four years for the Wildcats. All of them came in relief. In the summer of 2015, he pitched for Willmar in the Northwoods League and pitched 57 innings over 10 games. Nine were starts. But in college, he was a reliever. Following the draft, the Twins needed a couple more arms in the GCL, so they called on Strecker. He came in and pitched well in whatever role he was asked, usually working multiple innings out of the bullpen. Sometimes coming in to close out a game.Recently, Twins Daily had the opportunity to catch up with right-hander Zach Strecker. Take a few minutes below to get to know another member of the Minnesota Twins organization. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Louisville, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Zach Strecker (ZS): Louisville is a huge Reds fan base, but my dad grew up in St. Louis so I was always a diehard Cards fan. Some of my favorite players were Scott Rolen and current player is Adam Wainwright. SS: What were some of the better memories of your high school baseball career? Did you play other sports or were you involved in other activities? ZS: High school memories I had were all hitting. I miss that the most and think I can still hit to this day. But my favorite memory was probably a home run I hit in a wood bat tourney, a feeling I won't forget. But baseball was all I was ever good at. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and what was it about Kentucky that made you want to go there? ZS: I was never recruited out of high school. I didn't want to play ball in college because I was hurt so much. And it wasn't until May of my senior year that I wanted to play, and it was too late to be recruited. My coach thought I could play at a JUCO or a small D3 school in Kentucky, but I always wanted to go to school at UK because I grew up a 'Cats fan. So the decision to walk on and show up unknown was a challenge. SS: What was the experience for you at Kentucky? What were some of your highlights and favorite moments in your four years there? ZS: I redshirted my freshman year and spent all year working out and gained 40 pounds which wasn't easy. But the experience there was like none other, and I have a group of guys that are now brothers for life. My favorite moment was probably the regional game against rival U of L or the extra-inning game against LSU where the baseball gods were looking after me. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? Was there any thought that you might be drafted? What was your interaction with Twins scouts before the draft? ZS: I spoke to zero scouts before the draft. Had zero expectations of even playing pro ball at all. I've always been a dark horse and flown under the radar. SS: How about after the draft. You didn’t hear your name. What was the timeline and conversation like from the end of the draft to signing with the Twins? ZS: I had just gotten back from a golf trip with my older brother and one of UK's old assistants, Brad Bohannon, texted me five minutes after the draft ended asking if I wanted to play pro ball. I said no doubt I do and he said he had me a job and that was it until I got a call from a Twins representative. SS: What has the adjustment like for you, from the amateur/college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? ZS: Not a lot has changed on the field. You try to stay with your strengths and what got you there in the first place. But off the field it's all about taking care of your body and doing the right things. Hydrating was the biggest change being in Florida in the middle of the summer. SS: To what do you attribute your success in the GCL? ZS: A lot of my success has to go to our pitching coaches Virgil (Vasquez) and (Cibney) Bello because they got me over my fear of throwing the inside pitch or the high pitch. It opened up a whole new way to pitch. SS: What pitches do you throw, and what would you consider your out pitch? ZS: I throw both a two-seam and four-seam fastball. I also throw a changeup, slider and splitter and would say the splitter is the out pitch. SS: At this very early stage in your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths? ZS: Throwing strikes and changing speeds and movement on my pitches. SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve in the offseason and going forward? ZS: I'd like to work on consistency in the slider and to continue to attack the inside part of the plate. Also I've been working on shoulder strength to help recovery time and velocity. SS: Are you be going back to school in the offseason? What was your major in school? ZS: I graduated last May after five years and I got two degrees, in finance and accounting. SS: What are some of the things you enjoy doing outside of the world of baseball? ZS: I like to spend time with family, especially my baby nephew. And I like golfing with my older brother. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? ZS: My parents have always been the biggest supporters, along with my older sister and brother. My brother helped me a lot at a young age when it came to baseball. Also gotta thank the coaching staff at UK for developing me into who I am as a player. Also I'd like to thank Brad Bohannon for always believing in me and getting me here with the Twins. SS: Favorite baseball movie? ZS: The Sandlot. Hands down the best there is. Rookie of the Year is good as well. A big Thank You to Zack Strecker for taking the time to respond thoughtfully to our questions. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. Click here to view the article

Just a note... in the article I said this is 'probably' how it would look IF the season started today. It wasn't a look at how it will look on Opening Day. Until there's a Dozier trade - and we all know that there is like a 90% chance there will be - and other moves, this is probably how it would look. But yeah, Dozier will get traded for at least one MLB ready pitcher and more, maybe an OF. Those other moves will also obviously affect others. No, I don't think Danny Santana should be on the roster. No, I dont think Robbie Grossman is a great player, but I do think he'd be OK as a platoon player. Ideally, they make a move so both aren't in it. I would have Berrios in the starting rotation. That said, I also don't believe in putting guys in position to fail. I think he's ready, but it was clear last year that he still had work to do, and that wasn't better by the end of the year. I'd like to see him up, but i won't in any way be offended if they decide that it is best for his career to spend a couple more months in the minor leagues. Same thing with DeLeon, Mejia and others. I don't think Kintzler will be the closer going into the season. I think he's a nice value as a 7th inning guy who can also get guys out in the 8th and 9th innings, but it's an area we can all be disappointed if on March 1st we still think he'll be the closer. This article wasn't about some sort of finished product. It's about looking and seeing where the needs are short-term, what is coming down the pipeline in the next 12 months, and where some longer-term needs are. C - they're fine now. 1B - plenty of decent options 2B - right now they're fine. IF Dozier's traded, Polanco goes there. SS - Stick with Polanco, but if Dozier's traded, have to consider adding someone. 3B - Sano needs to get a legit shot. LF - Rosario is fine, but a platoon candidate might be good. CF - They're set. RF - They're set. DH - plenty of options, but if they want to add Napoli, OK. SP - There are a lot of options right now, Berrios and Santana the ones that have potential to be very good. Gibson and Santiago could have comeback years. Mejia, Berrios, potentially DeLeon and someone like Stewart... May could be a starter, but he'd be better as a reliever, unless people think that his injuries are solely based on him being a reliever. He can be a decent #3 starter, maybe, or a potential closer. RP - Closer is an area where they could add someone... One year deals might be OK for a reliever or two, but there are several options very close. To read comments like This is anothe r100 loss team with that roster... well, first, that assumes zero improvement from the young guys (which would be very disappointing) and zero improvement from the guys who were injures last year. It also just isn't the roster that will likely be there Opening Day, so it's not worth even going to that thought yet.