Seth Stohs

Per Jon Heyman, the Yankees have checked in on Dozier:

More from the Twins Scouting Department... Congratulations Larry Corrigan!

Definitely a well-earned promotion for Sean Johnson, but I echo the thought that it isn't really a promotion for Deron Johnson, though he'll still be involved, and scouting some of the top talent around. He's certainly a good talent evaluator....

Looks like Mark Melancon is signing with the Giants.

Left without comment:

Also, Neil Ramirez signed with the Giants.

We saw last week that Pat Dean signed to play in Korea. Per Baseball America's minor league transactions, Alex Wimmers has re-signed with the Twins.

From Dustin Morse: Here is the full press release (BOLD is done by me to highlight their roles and responsibilities): MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that Deron Johnson has been promoted to Senior Advisor of the Scouting department and Sean Johnson has been promoted to Director of Scouting. “These promotions reflect the evolution of our scouting department and shape our scouting philosophies moving forward,” said Twins Senior Vice President/General Manager Thad Levine. “Deron and Sean are exceptional people, and we have the utmost confidence that both Deron and Sean will establish the right vision through experience, leadership and their commitment to the Minnesota Twins.” Deron Johnson, 50, has been a member of the Twins organization since January of 1994. While working as the Northern California Area Scout, Johnson was promoted to West Coast Supervisor in October of 1998 and September 13, 2007 he was promoted to Director of Scouting for the Twins. In his new position, Deron will scout the best talent in the domestic and international, amateur markets. In addition, he will assist the Professional Scouting Department by undertaking targeted Minor and Major League scouting assignments. Deron was born and raised in Vallejo, CA, and graduated from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA, with a BA in Liberal Arts in 1991. Prior to joining the Twins, Johnson played three minor league seasons as an outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from 1988-1990. He served as the assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of San Francisco from 1992-1993. Deron and his wife, Alecia, have four children, Ashley, Alexis, Deron Jr. and Dominique, and reside in Sacramento, CA. Sean Johnson, 41, joined the Twins as an area scout in 2002, originally scouting Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. In 2008, Sean was promoted to West Coast Supervisor, overseeing the amateur scouts on the west coast for the June First-Year Player Draft. In his new role, Sean will establish the Minnesota Twins Amateur Scouting philosophies. Sean will be responsible for the strategic preparation of the Amateur Draft, and he will be charged with developing the 27-man amateur scouting staff. A catcher at Wichita State from 1996-98, Sean began his professional career as the Shockers director of baseball operations. He was hired by the Marlins as the Midwest area scout in 2001 before joining the Twins in 2002.

Derek Falvey on MLB Radio this morning:

Today, the Winter Meetings officially begin. There was an awards banquet on Sunday night, but the full slate of meetings begin today. Use this thread as the official Twins Daily rumor mill. If you read or hear some Twins-related rumors, post them in the comments. If you are hearing big player movement, post them here. Obviously if the Twins make any major league moves, we'll post that in its own article, but let's let the discussions begain. Image courtesy of David Banks, USA Today Today, the Winter Meetings officially begin. There was an awards banquet on Sunday night, but the full slate of meetings begin today. Use this thread as the official Twins Daily rumor mill. If you read or hear some Twins-related rumors, post them in the comments. If you are hearing big player movement, post them here. Obviously if the Twins make any major league moves, we'll post that in its own article, but let's let the discussions begain. The best thing about the Winter Meetings is all the rumors. The worst thing about the Winter Meetings is all the rumors. We're going to hear a lot of conversation, a lot of rumors. Again, GMs will be talking to GMs. GMs will be talking to Agents. GMs and other baseball executives will have media sessions, and fans everywhere will cling onto every single word. It's fun to read all the rumors. First, it's fun to contemplate what it would take for the Twins to get Player X. Second, it is then fun to think about how that player will look in the lineup. Third, the reality is that the teams each will likely make just a few transactions, so there will be many more rumors than there are actual transactions. Here is a tremendous interaction/discussion from MLB Network between Greg Amsinger, Dan O'Dowd, Ken Rosenthal, and Peter Gammons, discussing how teams try to use the media and how media tries to decipher all the information they're being given. That said, there are a lot of free agents on the market looking to sign somewhere. The key free agents will set the market for the others. Teams like to be aggressive early, as the Twins were with the signing of Jason Castro, but agents who have their clients wait will either find more dollars as they wait, or if they wait too long, they may run out of suitors. And then there will be a bunch of minor league signings. Teams need to fill out their AA and AAA rosters and they'll want to do so with guys that can do something at the big leagues if they were needed. On that front, Darren Wolfson of KSTP-TV and 1500 ESPN radio, tweeted the following: https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP/status/805588149720256512 Paulsen has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Colorado Rockies. He was removed from the 40-man roster and became a free agent. He has played the corner outfield positions and some first base. My initial thought was Meh. And my second thought and any subsequent thoughts were Meh. I mean, no minor league signing is going to create a lot of excitement. But it certainly can get some thoughts going. I mean, The Twins have corner outfielders in Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler and Robbie Grossman in the big leagues. Eddie Rosario and Robbie Grossman could be a pretty solid platoon. At 1B/DH, the Twins have Joe Mauer, Kennys Vargas, Byungho Park all in contention for a couple of big league spot. But maybe the Falvey/Levine combo might be willing to trade Eddie Rosario or Kennys Vargas or Byungho Park. Kennys Vargas gets the extra option season, which is valuable to the Twins, but it's valuable to other teams as well. Then consider the AAA roster. Adam Brett Walker was lost. Daniel Palka will be in Rochester. Zack Granite will be in Rochester. Will Travis Harrison and/or Dalton Hicks make the jump to AAA? There is no harm in signing a guy like Paulsen who will likely spend most of the season in Rochester, but has had success in the big leagues. Enough about Ben Paulsen. Let's talk Brian Dozier. Yesterday's thread was led by the Bob Nightengale tweet yesterday morning about the Dodgers being the leader in the Dozier sweepstakes, and that they have now piqued the Twins interest. Later in the day, Jon Heyman tweeted the following: https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/805602919403884544 Again, the Dodgers remain the leaders, but wouldn't it be fun to have an idea of who those other four or five teams might be? Adding some fun to the discussion, Brian Dozier is scheduled to be at the Winter Meetings on Monday. He is there for a marketing commitment for Under Armour, but the timing is still interesting, of course. Maybe he can finally get some time and meet Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. We'll see what comes of it, if anything. It will also be fun to see what happens around the AL Central. Cleveland is obviously going to be good for awhile. Will they do much? The Royals were up to $135 million last year, and they're projected to be at $148 million. Sources told Ken Rosenthal that their break-even point is between $115-120 million, so they will likely be looking to deal some of their key players. They've got a lot of players in that group that are just starting to make some really good money. So, which will they keep and which will they trade? The Tigers are rumored to be shopping JD Martinez and Ian Kinsler. Miguel Cabrera said he's willing to be traded, but that is unlikely. The White Sox are clearly shopping Chris Sale. Atlanta and Washington are the two teams most mentioned. Dealing Sale would certainly hurt the White Sox short-term, but they could get a huge return for him as he is easily one of the top 10 starting pitchers in baseball. The White Sox have one of the worst farm systems in baseball, so they would add some talent. A few more notes: Yesterday we wondered about Andrew McCutchen going to the Nationals. We just mentioned that Chris Sale has been mentioned with the Nationals. For what it's worth, the Nationals said on Sunday that they feel they have the players to get both. Matt Holliday, who missed most of the 2016 season with injury, signed a one year, $13 million deal with the New York Yankees. Obviously he can hit when healthy. More important, the one year deal isn't prohibitive to the Yankees, who don't want to be paying into the luxury tax. Joe Nathan, who is 42, says that he wants to pitch again in 2017. He pitched just one game in April of 2015 (against the Twins) and needed Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Cubs and pitched in three games for them before they let him go. He signed with the Giants and pitched in seven games for them. Where will Edwin Encarnacion and his stupid imaginary parrot wind up? Which of the Big Three closers will sign first? Mark Melancon, Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen? So there is some stuff to discuss to get things started this morning. Discuss any of these topics and keep checking back as more rumors come and go throughout the day. View full article

Rodriguez is a free agent. Hicks might get to AAA This year. The Twins were able to get Vargas an extra option. Park has two left. Grossman isn't a guarantee to make the big league club. Rosario could be a trade option. The Twins lost Adam Brett Walker. Travis Harrison may move up to Rochester to play RF. Granite will be in CF. Paulsen can play LF presumably. Gotta fill out the minor league rosters.

Per Heyman:

According to Darren Wolfson, the Twins have signed OF/1B Ben Paulsen to a minor league deal with a spring training invitation. Paulsen spent parts of the last three seasons with the Rockies. He's 4th OF material. Insurance should they trade or get rid of Kennys Vargas or Byungho Park. Most likely intended as AAA depth.

I don't want it to be watered down, but this isn't the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's the Twins Hall of Fame. (It's not retired numbers either) There are like 55+ years of time and there have been a lot of really, really good players. I don't know what the right number is as far as number, or guys who are in the Top 10 or 15 of certain things, and there should be some team-first kind of stuff... I don't think it's watered down if guys like Smalley (easily the best hitting shortstop in Twins history), Mack (5 terrific seasons), Koskie (OBP and a couple of really great years)... Tovar was really good, very versatile, very valuable to some great teams in the late 60s. Putting Reardon in would be silly. He wasn't very good, but he was the closer on the 87 team. Gladden wasn't very good as a leadoff hitter in his five years, but he had the hair and the hustle.

Puig wouldn't be the target. He would have to be included WITH a top pitching prospect, and maybe more. The thinking that I've read on that would be that he's a buy-low candidate. He could come to Minnesota, rebuild his value and then Falvey/Levine can shop him in July or next offseason, for more pitching. I think Kepler can move back to LF which is probably his best position. Puig can play RF. Rosario can be the 4th outfielder and try to maximize his positives and minimize his weaknesses. He's owed like $30 million yet, so the money side doesn't make sense. I definitely don't see enough pro in it to overcome the potential negatives of having him on the roster. I think I'd take my shot with Garver over Barnes. Murphy is OK as a backup. Garver is a better hitter and defensive catcher from the various reports I've seen and people I've talked to.

Bo Hellquist grew up in Savage and went to Burnsville High School where he helped his team to a state championship. The left-hander went to the University of Minnesota, in Duluth, where he was a two-way player until he began to focus solely on pitching. He was the Opening Night starter for the Duluth Huskies of the summer, college Northwoods League. UMD had an incredible 2016 season, and Bo Hellquist was a big part of it, posting a 7-2 record. However, he went undrafted. It wasn’t long after the draft the Hellquist got a call from the Twins. He spent the summer in Ft. Myers, pitching about once a week for the GCL Twins. Today, we are pleased that Hellquist was willing to take time to answer some questions for Twins Daily on his path to the Twins organization. It gives us an opportunity to Get to Know the left-hander. Feel free to ask questions and comments below. Image courtesy of Jon Tarr Bo Hellquist grew up in Savage and went to Burnsville High School where he helped his team to a state championship. The left-hander went to the University of Minnesota, in Duluth, where he was a two-way player until he began to focus solely on pitching. He was the Opening Night starter for the Duluth Huskies of the summer, college Northwoods League. UMD had an incredible 2016 season, and Bo Hellquist was a big part of it, posting a 7-2 record. However, he went undrafted. It wasn’t long after the draft the Hellquist got a call from the Twins. He spent the summer in Ft. Myers, pitching about once a week for the GCL Twins. Today, we are pleased that Hellquist was willing to take time to answer some questions for Twins Daily on his path to the Twins organization. It gives us an opportunity to Get to Know the left-hander. Feel free to ask questions and comments below. Get to know more about Minnesota, UMD pitcher, Twins signing and LHP Bo Hellquist. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in the Savage/Burnsville area, were you a big Twins fan? Did you get to a lot of games? Bo Hellquist (BH): Of course. Growing up just thirty minutes from the park, I always rooted for the Twins growing up. I got to my fair share of games over the years, but not nearly as many as I wanted to.SS: What were some of the better memories of your high school baseball career (like a state championship)? Did you play other sports or were you involved in other activities? BH: One of the better high school baseball memories that I have is when we won the state championship my junior season. It wasn’t only special just because we won it all, but it was the fashion in which we did. We were down five runs heading into the bottom half of the last inning and had been unable to get anything going those first six innings. Before I knew it, we were down only one run, bases loaded, two outs, and I was up to bat. I ended up hitting a single down the first base line, scoring two, and helped our team earn its first state title. It was a pretty unforgettable moment in my career and something that l will hold on to for a lifetime. Along with baseball, I was also a two-time intramural basketball champ at Burnsville high school.SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and what was it about Minnesota-Duluth that made it the right choice for you? BH: Out of high school, I was getting looked at from a few Division II programs from around the MN and SD area along with some local DIII schools. I was eventually drawn towards the University of Minnesota-Duluth because not only was there a chance for me to see some time on the field my freshman year, but they were also willing to give me opportunities as both a pitcher and position player. Having the opportunity to be a two-way player was really something that I wanted to pursue heavily at the college level. Along with the baseball side of things, Duluth, as a city and college town was something that also drew me in.SS: You had some very strong teams at Duluth, particularly the last couple of years. What was the experience like, doing well as a team, watching your hitters launch homers all over the field and getting to pitch in such big games? BH: After starting off our freshman season 0-14 and not being able to play a home game until our junior season, it was a blast to finally have some success as a team. With one of the most powerful offenses in the nation it made it easy to go out there and compete knowing that no matter what happened out there on the mound, the offense was bound to put up some runs. Watching them hit 102 dingers in 55 games seemed surreal to me and anyone who was able to witness it. As for those big games, that’s where you want to be if you’re a pitcher. In my belief, there is no bigger thrill than having the ball in your hand with an opportunity to keep your championship hopes alive.SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the 2015 or 2016 drafts? Was there any thought that you might be drafted? What was your interaction with Twins scout? BH: Not really. The only scout that I was really in contact with prior to the 2016 draft was the Twins area scout, Mark Wilson. After attending a workout at Target field a week prior to the draft, I thought there was a possibility of hearing my name called, but things didn’t work out that way. All I was looking for was an opportunity to play and that’s exactly what I got.SS: Following the draft, what was the process and what communication did you have before deciding to sign with the Twins? BH: . Following the draft, within minutes of it ending, I received a phone call from the scout who offered me a chance to sign a free agent contract with the Minnesota Twins, if I was willing. Considering that it had been a lifelong dream to play baseball at the next level, this was not an opportunity that I was going to pass up.SS: What has the adjustment like for you, from the amateur/college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? BH: One of the biggest adjustments that I had to make going to the professional game was learning to stay focused and attack every batter throughout the lineup. In the college game, I was able to get away with a few missed spots towards the bottom half of the order, but as the summer went on I realized that anybody on a given team has the ability to do damage to you in the box.SS: What pitches do you throw? When you’re pitching well, what are the keys to your success? What would you say are your biggest strengths? BH: Fastball, change up, slider. One of the keys to having success out there on the mound for me is being able to locate all three pitches when I want and working at my own pace throughout the inning. The pace thing is big for me. If I can work quickly while maintaining control of everything, I see it as an advantage in my favor. Some of my biggest strengths would be the movement that all my pitches have along with my competitive attitude.SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve in the offseason and going forward? BH: Some areas of my game that I would like to improve on would be my overall strength and the continuous development of my pitches.SS: Are you back at school in the offseason? What was your major in school? BH: I am not back at school this off season, but am still in pursuit of my major in Marketing.SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? BH: First off, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the continuous support from my family over the many years of playing ball. Along with my family, a lot of credit is due to the coaches I have had over the years who have helped guide me to this point in my career.SS: Favorite Baseball movie? BH: Rookie of the Year. Instant classic.Thanks again to Bo Hellquist for taking time to answer our questions. Feel free to discuss and ask questions. View full article

Would people be willing to take on Yasiel Puig in any Brian Dozier deal? Puig plus a top prospect, something like that. Otherwise, I think DeLeon, Buehler and Lux might be a nice return...

The Twins have announced that you can again vote for the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. Last year, Torii Hunter and John Gordon were added to the Twins Hall of Fame in 2016. I'm guessing fans will vote in Dan Gladden, and there's some reason. I mean, he was part of two World Series championship teams. Moreso, he's now been on the Twins radio broadcast for a decade or more now. Of course, in his five seasons with the Twins ,he hit .268/.318/.382 (.700). In the two World Series season, his on-base percentages were .312 and .306. But there are some really good, deserving candidates. Ahead of Gladden, I would certainly vote for Shane Mack, Cesar Tovar, Corey Koskie and Roy Smalley... and we could make better cases for Tom Brunansky and Jacque Jones too. Be sure to give it some thought and place your vote.

The Winter Meetings are set to begin later today in Washington D.C. No time during the year, with the exception (maybe) of the July trade deadline, are there more rumors. Some are real. Some are baseless. But it is a fun time of the year for baseball fans. Each day, we'll have an official thread for the day. Use this as an area to discuss any rumors you hear or read, or a place to mention transactions as they happen. Obviously if (or when) the Twins make any transactions, we'll have a full article on it, but this is a good place to discuss moves and rumors from around the league. Be sure to check back frequently. Let's get to the rumors: Image courtesy of David Richard, USA Today The Winter Meetings are set to begin later today in Washington D.C. No time during the year, with the exception (maybe) of the July trade deadline, are there more rumors. Some are real. Some are baseless. But it is a fun time of the year for baseball fans. Each day, we'll have an official thread for the day. Use this as an area to discuss any rumors you hear or read, or a place to mention transactions as they happen. Obviously if (or when) the Twins make any transactions, we'll have a full article on it, but this is a good place to discuss moves and rumors from around the league. Be sure to check back frequently. Let's get to the rumors: Right away this morning, we had the following tweet from USA Today's Bob Nightengale: Now as you know, the Dodgers are in major debt from MLB, but that may actually make Dozier make more sense. As Nightengale followed up: So, let the rumors begin... Julio Urias? We can wish. Jose Deleon? Should be the minimum as a starting point. Cody Bellinger is their top prospect, a left-handed hitting outfielder who can also play first base. But the Twins need pitching, so names like Yadier Alvarez, Walker Buehler and Jordan Sheffield should be in discussions as well. And maybe a shortstop too, like Gavin Lux. Mike Berardino wrote yesterday that Thad LeVine is saying that the team would have to be "inspired" to deal Dozier. In my mind, that means at least two of the names mentioned above, and one of them being Urias or DeLeon. Dozier is obviously the big talker, but the Twins have far more to do than just consider dealing the second baseman. Adding pitching will be the key. Derek Falvey and Thad LeVine, along with a full contingent of Twins front office types, will make the trek to DC today. In case you missed it, LaVelle Neal wrote a really nice piece on Falvey that you should read. In Case You Missed It: Brian Duensing signed a one-year deal with the Cubs. Casey Fien signed a one-year, split contract with the Mariners. In the big leagues, he would make $1.1 million with more available in incentives. Since he has an option remaining, he would make a different amount in AAA. Is Andrew McCutchen going to the Nationals and teaming with Bryce Harper in the outfield? Will Mark Melancon go to the Giants or Nationals? Houston has been very active early. Will that continue? Again, keep tabs of rumors here, and if there is a Twins transaction, we'll soon have an article ready to discuss that too. If you hear a rumor, come back here and post it in the comments! View full article

http://www.startribune.com/new-boss-derek-falvey-looks-to-make-an-imprint-with-twins/404525136/ LaVelle Neal, Star-Tribune, wrote a nice article on new Twins Chief Baseball Operator. It talks about the initiative he took after college in an attempt to get his start in baseball. Very interesting. It's a nice story on Falvey's background and his success. Quotes from his former boss, Mark Shapiro. Well worth the read.

problem is that if someone takes Thorpe and tries to get him through the season mostly on the DL, he'll go into the following year with basically three missed seasons.

And likely a lot of MLB teams!!