Seth Stohs

On X/Twitter, Danny Gallagher describes himself as an Expos historian with 11 books about the franchise. On Friday morning, he posted a tweet about former Twins closer Jeff Reardon. The tweet shows a picture of the 70-year-old following the surgery. He's still got his signature beard. He has his blanket or robe on but his chest. You can see the large incision down the center of his chest and electrodes stuck in various places around his chest. I won't show that photo here as I would imagine not everyone would want to see it. (Gallagher notes in a subsequent tweet that the photo came from Reardon's Facebook page). Reardon spent three of his 16 major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He joined the team right before the start of the 1987 season. Six weeks into his Twins career, he had a 10.80 ERA. However, over the remainder of the season, he had a 3.03 ERA. Overall, he went 8-8 with a 4.48 ERA and 31 saves. He pitched in four World Series games that season and gave up no runs over 5 2/3 innings. In Game 7, Frank Viola gave up two runs in the second inning. That was it. He gave up two runs on six hits over eight innings. But when the Twins had a 4-2 lead over the Cardinals after eight innings Viola had thrown 95 pitches, and a case could be made for him to go out for the ninth. However, Tom Kelly later said that they were going to do what they did all year which was go to Reardon in that situation. Reardon got Tom Herr to fly out to centerfield. Curt Ford pinch hit and popped up to third base. And we all love seeing Willie McGee grounding to Gary Gaetti at third base. The Gold Glove winner threw across the diamond to Kent Hrbek. The Twins were World Champions. The image of Hrbek leaping into the air, and the bench racing out to the middle of the diamond where teammates embraced in celebration. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Reardon spent two more seasons with the Twins. In 1988, he was at his best and made an All-Star appearance. He went 2-4 with a 2.47 ERA and had 42 saves. In 1989, he went 5-4 with a 4.07 ERA and 31 saves. The Terminator, as he was affectionately nicknamed, made his big-league debut with the Mets in 1979. He was traded to the Expos during the shortened 1981 season. He was an All Star for Montreal in 1985 and 1986. In February of 1987, he came to the Twins with catcher Tom Nieto in exchange for LHPs Neal Heaton and Yorkis Perez, RHP Al Cardwood, and former first-round pick catcher Jeff Reed. Following the 1989 season, he became a free agent and signed a four-year contract with the Red Sox and made one All-Star appearance for Boston. In August of 1992, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves. Then things got weird for The Bearded One. In 1993, he signed with the Reds. In 1994, he signed with the New York Yankees. Both teams did not allow players to have beards, so Reardon shaved and was left with only his mustache. When he retired in 1994, Reardon was the All-Time leader with 367 Saves. Join us in wishing Jeff Reardon good health following his quadruple bypass surgery. © RVR Photos-Imagn Images (photo of Reardon) View full rumor

I assume that Larnach will come off of the list at some point. If not, then I think Kreidler and Julien would be at risk. Hope all is well with you, Roger!

Image courtesy of © Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images The baseball offseason lasts forever, especially for those of us who look out our windows in Minnesota with a Blizzard on the other side of the window. The Twins season ended before October, so it has been nearly two months since we have watched them play. The Twins haven’t been terribly active this offseason, adding just one free agent to a big-league contract. The team did make a Rule 5 draft pick, catcher Daniel Susac, but subsequently traded him before the draft was even completed. They have added a few pitchers as minor-league free agents. But as the calendar soon changes from 2025 to 2026, the Minnesota Twins still have work to do to complete their 2026 spring training roster. And while Derek Falvey has been known to make moves, even significant moves, well into spring training, time will move quickly over the next two months. By next week, the dorms at the Twins complex in Fort Myers will start filling up. Minor Leaguers will start arriving to prepare for their seasons. Some big leaguers will be in Fort Myers, but they will really start amping up the intensity of their workouts. Pitchers will start doing more throwing, and more throwing with purpose now. Twins Fest will take place in one month, and because of the WBC, spring training starts early, in mid-February. With that, if the season was to start today, what might the roster look like? The Catchers (2): Ryan Jeffers, Alex Jackson. There was some thought that the Twins would attempt to trade Jeffers at the trade deadline, and then possibly this offseason. Technically it could still happen, but I would hope not. Jeffers is solid behind the plate. He won’t be winning a Gold Glove, but he does a nice job working with pitchers, calling a game. He also spent most of 2025 hitting in the top half of the Twins lineup. Jackson came to the Twins in November in exchange for infielder Payton Eeles. The sixth-overall pick in the 2014 draft hasn’t hit much in his career, but he can provide a little power from time to time. His defense is what has kept him employed with a variety of teams over the years. Catcher Depth 40-Man Roster: Johnny Pereda, Mickey Gasper Triple-A: Noah Cardenas, Patrick Winkel Double-A: Ricardo Olivar, Andrew Cossetti, Nate Baez, Khadim Diaw (#20 Prospect) High-A: Eduardo Tait (#3 Prospect), Poncho Ruiz, Daniel Pena, Luis Hernandez Low-A: Enrique Jimenez, Irvin Nunez, Ryan Sprock, Ian Daugherty, FCL/Extended Spring Training: Ricardo Pena, Carlos Silva, Miguel Caraballo. The Twins have clearly made catching a priority this offseason. They lost veteran Christian Vazquez and traded for veteran Alex Jackson. Gasper showed again in 2025 that he is a terrific Triple-A hitter who is fine as a team’s third or fourth backstop. Pereda joined the Twins organization late in the season and got to spend some time in the big leagues. He looks the part of a AAAA catcher. I am fine with him being the #2 guy if needed. The exciting “prospects” are a lot of the recently acquired players. Eduardo Tait came to the team in the Jhoan Duran deal. Enrique Jimenez came from Detroit in the Chris Paddack deal. When the Twins took Daniel Susac in the Rule 5 draft, they traded him immediately to the Giants for Miguel Caraballo. All three are high ceiling, low floor types with plenty of development in front of them. But they are exciting. I believe the Twins would be confident calling up Cardenas and Winkel as needed just because they are strong defensively. Khadim Diaw is very exciting as an athlete. He is a solid catcher, but he can also play center field. Likewise, Olivar is a decent backstop who can also play left field in a pinch. The Infielders (7): Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Ryan Kreidler, Edouard Julien (Out of Options) The Twins added veteran slugger Josh Bell to the roster, and likely to the middle of their lineup, recently. He will get some time at first base, but it’s just as likely that Clemens will get just as much time there. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind the Twins giving Keaschall some time there. After a solid, though injury-plagued rookie campaign, Keaschall certainly would like to stay on the field as much as possible. Getting him time at first base in the right matchup could allow Julien to get some playing time. Out of options, he had newcomer Kreidler will need to make the roster first and then let Derek Shelton figure out how he wants to get them into games. While both former top picks struggled much during the 2025 season, I’d put them both in the lineup almost every day and hope that the talent that made them first-rounders shined through and they put up numbers to impress. I include Kreidler because he is out of options. I much prefer Ryan Fitzgerald in a utility role because he is terrific defensively no matter where he is put in the infield. Infielder Depth 40-Man Roster: Ryan Fitzgerald, Triple-A: Aaron Sabato, Ben Ross, Tanner Schobel, Kaelen Culpepper (#2 Prospect), Jake Rucker Double-A: Nate Baez, Kyle DeBarge (#16 Prospect), Brandon Winokur (#12 Prospect), Danny De Andrade, Andy Lugo, Jose Salas, Jorel Ortega, Miguel Briceno, High-A: Billy Amick, Dameury Pena, Rayne Doncon, Marek Houston (#11 Prospect), JP Smith, Shai Robinson, Jay Thomason, Harry Genth, Low-A: Jayson Bass, Bruin Agbayani, Bryan Acuna, Quentin Young (#17 Prospect), Ramiro Domingues, Ryan Daniels, Yilber Herrera, Ryan Sprock. FCL/Extended Spring Training: Victor Leal, Santiago Leon, Daiber De Los Santos Certainly Kaelen Culpepper, the top pick in the 2024 draft, is the name to watch early in the season. He had a very strong season between High-A and Double-A in 2025 and could be ready for the big leagues sometime in 2026. I’m sure the Twins hope that he gives them some difficult decisions to make. Fellow former first-round pick Aaron Sabato has done alright in his time with the Saints, and he has shown good power. I could see him debuting if needed. I believe Ben Ross can play defense in the big leagues, anywhere in the infield, and maybe a little outfield too. High draft picks like DeBarge and Winokur showed promise in 2025, but they’re likely at least a year out. 2026 top pick Marek Houston is known more for defense at shortstop as well. I don’t expect him to advance as quickly as Culpepper, but that will depend on if he hits. And at the lower levels, there are some very intriguing, talented player including 2025 prep picks Bruin Agbayani and Quentin Young. The Outfielders (5): Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton, Austin Martin, James Outman (out of options), Matt Wallner. This group is certainly up for grabs. Byron Buxton is the lone true “Given” in the group. He is coming off of a season in which he generally stayed healthy and put up terrific numbers, earning his first career Silver Slugger Award. Wallner should be a given too. He struggled, striking out a ton, and getting on base less than 30% of the time. However, he is a power threat in the lineup who can turn a game around on any pitch. Defensively, he’s decent out in right field and has one of baseball’s strongest outfield arms. Larnach is another former top pick who had a relatively disappointing 2025 season. Some were surprised that the Twins tendered him a contract in November, but that was an easy decision. He is perfectly adequate, can get on runs offensively, and he hits around 20 homers each season. He could still be traded. He struggles defensively (more in left than in right field, at least in my mind’s eye). He likely DHs when Bell is in the field. Austin Martin was hurt and in St. Paul most of the year. But when he finally got an opportunity late in the season, he took advantage. He got on base. He ran. He looked solid defensively in left field. And finally, I went with James Outman as a fifth outfielder, and again, primarily because he is out of options. He looked so good in his first seasons with the Dodgers, hitting a lot of homers. He’s put up big Triple-A numbers, but he really struggled to make contact in the big leagues, Alan Roden is certainly a candidate for a spot on the roster. In addition, Clemens can play in the outfield as needed. Outfield Depth 40-Man Roster: Emmanuel Rodriguez (#4 Prospect). Alan Roden, Gabriel Gonzalez (#9 Prospect), Hendry Mendez Triple-A: Walker Jenkins (#1 Prospect), Kyler Fedko (#18 Prospect), Kala’i Rosario, Double-A: Garrett Spain (MILB Rule 5), Caden Kendle, Ricardo Olivar, Maddux Houghton, Brandon Winokur, Jose Salas, Kyle Hess, High-A: Jacob McCombs, Yasser Mercedes, Jaime Ferrer, Miguel Briceno, Low-A: Jayson Bass, Byron Chourio, Eduardo Beltre, Yandro Hernandez, FCL/Extended Spring Training: Luis Fragoza, Yovanny Duran, Carlos Tavares, Murphy Hernandez, Jhomnardo Reyes There are certainly intriguing players that are nearly ready for the big leagues in the Twins outfield. Emmanuel Rodriguez has fought injuries and missed a lot of time the last two seasons, but when healthy, he splashes potential. Gabriel Gonzalez had a breakout season, impressing with his bat at the three highest levels, and all while still being just 20 years old. Roden appeared in some Top 100 lists. He came to the organization in the trade with the Blue Jays. Mendez is also intriguing. He’s a big, long, strong kid who needs to work on driving the ball for more power, but he has a fantastic approach at the plate. He came to the Twins in the Harrison Bader deal. Not on the 40-man roster but potentially closing in on the big leagues are Kyler Fedko and Kala’i Rosario. Both provided power and speed in 2025. But clearly the top prospect in the organization remains Walker Jenkins, the Twins top pick in 2023. Despite missing a little time early in the season, Jenkins reached Triple-A for about a month at the end of the season and held his own. Questions to Consider 1) How would you fill out the 26-man roster if you had to today? (Since we just looked at hitters today, assume that 13 hitters and 13 pitchers will be on the roster. Tomorrow, I’ll give my thoughts on the opening day pitching staff.) 2) When looking at the offense only, what do you think could be considered “positions of strength?” In other words, if the Twins are talking trade, which positions could the Twins feel OK about trading from? 3) Then, what are the Twins positions of need? What do they need at the big-league level? What positions could they use more MLB-ready depth at? View full article

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images It is always interesting to see how Minnesota Twins fans react to Minnesotans who play for the Twins. The best example of this just might be Joe Mauer. He was such a great athlete at Cretin-Derham Hall. He was named Mr. Baseball and Mr. Football as a senior. He was all-state in basketball. He signed to play quarterback at Florida State, but then his hometown Minnesota Twins made him the #1 overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft. He signed, debuted in less than three years and embarked on a career that made him a first-ballot Hall of Fame catcher. Along the way, and with the advent of social media (specifically Twitter), there was a vocal minority who seemed to believe he could do no right. The Twins signed St. Paul native Dave Winfield late in his career, and he notched his 3,000th career hit in a Twins uniform. Paul Molitor, also from St. Paul, came to the Twins and spent the final three seasons of his big-league career as the team's Designated Hitter. Minnesotans of a certain age will never forget Game 7 of the 1991 World Series and the job that St. Paul's Jack Morris did in shutting out the Atlanta Braves for 10 innings. Each spent time late in their Hall of Fame careers with their hometown team. Twins fans also loved when they brought back New Ulm native Terry Steinbach. Another former Gopher and Twins first-round pick is Glen Perkins, a native of Stillwater. Caleb Thielbar went from a tremendous human-interest story when the Randolph native signed and then debuted with the Twins and became a reliable southpaw in the bullpen. Then, he became an even more interesting story when he was called out of retirement by the Twins to come back in 2020. He made the team and remained with the Twins through the 2024 season. The final example I'll mention is Louis Varland. Born in St. Paul, he went from North High school to Concordia University, in St. Paul. Three years later, the Twins drafted him in the 15th round in 2019. He was fantastic in the lower levels of the minor leagues in 2021, and in the upper levels in 2022. After getting time as a starter, Varland moved to the bullpen full time in 2025. He was hitting 100 mph, and becoming a reliable, high-leverage option for Rocco Baldelli. But then at the trade deadline, with four more years of team control, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He set a record for most appearances in a single playoff run. Twins fans were understandably irate about the trade, and not just because of the remaining service time and a great reliever being lost. Even with getting a couple of players with solid potential, Minnesota fans hurt for Varland who wasn't afraid to tell people how much he loved getting to play in his own backyard. Maybe to appease the Minnesota fans of Minnesotans, the Twins added right-hander John Klein to their 40-man roster. He graduated from Osseo High School in 2020, went to Iowa Central Community College and then signed with the Twins in August of 2022. He ended the 2025 season with the Saints and will head to Fort Myers for big league spring training in February. There are several pitchers who grew up in Minnesota that I would be excited for if the Twins brought them in on a minor-league deal. How about lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath, a former Gopher. How about Minnesota State-Mankato alumni RHP Dalton Roach and LHP Brody Rodning. The southpaw played with Simeon Woods Richardson and Austin Martin in the Blue Jays organization. In any case, if the player discussed below signed and reached the big leagues with the Twins, it would be a great story. And there's never anything wrong with a good story. However, I also feel like there could be a role for him on a big-league roster at some point in 2026. RHP Sam Carlson The Burnsville native was a heavily discussed name here at Twins Daily throughout the spring of 2017. Reports early in the year had him being selected sometime in the late first round or in the second round. We posted several Q&As and interviews with him during his high school senior. When the draft came in June, he was not taken in the first round. However, reports told us that he and his representatives began getting calls from teams late in the first round. Carlson made it known that he was looking for a certain signing bonus to keep him from going to college. Did the Twins call him and try to get him to sign for maybe $1.5 million? We may never know for certain, but I believe they did, or they should have. Either way, he didn't settle and signed for $2 million with the Mariners after they made him their second-round pick. That summer, Carlson pitched in two games for the Mariners Arizona League team. He threw 21 pitches and looked good. He was the Mariners #3 prospect at that time. Unfortunately, he didn't pitch in 2018. Instead, he had Tommy John surgery. The recovery was rough, and he missed the entire 2019 season as well. Like other minor leaguers, Covid meant that he didn't pitch in games in 2020 either. He returned to the mound in 2021 at Low A Modesto. He made 19 starts and reached 100 innings. He was 6-4 with a 4.77 ERA, but he impressively had 112 strikeouts. He stayed in Modesto in 2022. He made 11 starts and five relief appearances. He had 60 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. He moved up to High-A Everett in 2023 and made the transition to the bullpen. He pitched in 39 games and made just one start. In 48 innings, he had 60 strikeouts. At season's end, he became a six-year minor league free agent. Early in the offseason, he signed a minor-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. They had him pitch at Double-A Biloxi. In 44 games and 48 1/3 innings, he posted a 4.25 ERA and had 51 strikeouts. He again became a free agent. Last offseason, he quickly was signed to a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and spent the season in the Triple-A Oklahoma City bullpen. He worked in a career-high 45 games and posted a 4.22. He had 78 strikeouts (11.8 K/9), but he also walked 36 batters (5.4 BB/9). It was uncharacteristic as Carlson had never walked more than 4.0 batters per nine innings. Carlson is no longer a top prospect. He will spend the full 2026 season at 27 years old. He typically throws four pitches, a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a cutter, and a slider. In 2025, he threw his cutter about 45% of the time. He threw his sjnker about 30% of the time. It was an average of 93.3%, and it appears to that he topped out at 95 mph. He threw a slider that averaged about 80 mph. He threw just six percent four-seam fastballs. So what role could Carlson play in the Twins organization? Carlson is intriguing as a one-inning guy (at least primarily). After years of injury, Carlson has remained healthy the past three years. First and foremost, he can be a veteran pitcher in the Saints bullpen. While he doesn't have the big velocity, I am intrigued by his pitch mix, and I'd love to see him work with Pete Maki, Jonas Lovin, Nat Ballenberg, and the rest of Twins pitcher development staff to see what they can do with him. If the Twins were to sign Sam Carlson to a minor-league contract, there will be that segment of Twins fandom that will mock the moves, sarcastically regurgitating phrases like, "Cheep Polands," or "We're going to the 'ship!" However, both pitchers can certainly fill a role with the Saints in 2026, and there could potentially be a big-league role that each could fill. And that's the goal with most minor league signings. Depth for the big-league club waiting 10-miles away in St. Paul. And hey, it's Christmas... There's nothing wrong with a feel-good story! View full article

Image courtesy of John Bonnes, Twins Daily/DiamondCentric Daniel Susac, we hardly knew ye! Every year, baseball fans from every organization get excited for the Rule 5 draft, excited about the opportunity to add a young player or fearing the possibility of losing prospects that we have grown to like to other organizations. So, how did the 2025 Rule 5 draft affect the Twins? The Twins had the #4 selection in the draft and had released Carson McCusker to make room on the 40-man roster in order to be eligible to make a pick. The top pick went to the Colorado Rockies. Last year the Chicago White Sox had the top pick and used the top pick and used it to take right-hander Shane Smith from the Brewers. He became an All Star as a rookie. With the top pick in 2025’s Rule 5 draft, the Rockies selected 6-8, 300+ pound right-hander RJ Petit from the Tigers. The White Sox picked second and took Jedixson Paez from the Red Sox The Washington Nationals picked third and chose Griff McGarry from the Phillies. With the fourth pick, the Twins selected catcher Daniel Susac from the Athletics organization. He was the first-round pick (19th overall) of the A's in 2022 out of the University of Arizona. Can he stick with the Twins? The Twins do need competition behind Alex Jackson for the job of Ryan Jeffers' backup. Susac spent the 2025 season at Triple-A Las Vegas where in 97 games, he hit .275/.349/.483 (.832) with 19 doubles and 18 home runs. Oh, but then as often happens in the Rule 5 draft, moments after the selection, the Twins traded Susac to the San Francisco Giants. The Giants front office, led by Buster Posey, reached out to the Twins and the two sides came together on a deal. Miguel Caraballo signed with the Giants last January out of Venezuela for $172,500. In 41 DSL games, he hit .264/.432/.442 (.874) with four doubles, two triples and five home runs. He also was 8-for-10 in stolen base attempts. He got on base the hard way, hit by 11 pitches, but he's got some idea of the strike zone with 28 walks to go with 38 strikeouts. He's very young. In fact, had he been born one week later, he would not have been eligible to be signed until this coming January. He's 6-0, 190 pounds, and built really strong for such a young age. He is a switch-hitter. He has a strong arm but is obviously still developing behind the plate. At the trade deadline, the Twins added Eduardo Tait and Enrique Jimenez, both teenage backstops. It is clearly indicative of a Twins need in the organization. Regarding the maneuvering of the day, General Manager Jeremy Zoll noted, "We looked at all the available guys, worked through some different options, had some really good conversations on how it might all fit together. As we evaluated different opportunities, the ability to make a trade here and acquire someone you know at the lower levels that we think could really grow into something felt like a more appealing opportunity," The other side of the Rule 5 draft is the possibility of losing players to other organizations. The last time the Twins lost a player in the major-league portion of the Rule 5 draft was in 2020 when they lost both RHP Tyler Wells (Orioles) and outfielder Akil Baddoo (Tigers). The Twins lost no one in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft, despite our concerns. In the first round of the minor league Rule 5, the Twins selected RHP Sam Ryan from the Angels organization. The 27-year-old has missed quite a bit of time in his career with injury. In 2025, he pitched in 44 games (2 starts) between High-A and Double-A. Combined, he went 3-6 with a 4.20 ERA. In 70 2/3 innings, he had 76 strikeouts and 33 walks. He pitched in the independent Frontier League in 2024. Before that, he spent five seasons with the Blue Jays organization. The Angels had signed him to a multi-year development deal. In the second round, the Twins took outfielder Garrett Spain from the Brewers roster. A 25-year-old, he was the 15th round pick of the Blue Jays in 2021 from Austin Peay State. He joined the Brewers organization in 2025. In 120 games for Double-A Biloxi, he hit .207/.282/.377 (.659) with 17 doubles, four triples and 16 home runs. He finished the season with 11 games for Triple-A Nashville, he hit just .162 (.472) with two doubles. In the second round, the New York Mets selected LHP Aaron Rozek, a LHP from Burnsville, Minnesota. He pitched at Minnesota State in Mankato. He joined the Twins out of the independent leagues in 2021. He's spent the past two seasons splitting time between the Wind Surge and the Saints. In the third round of the minor-league Rule 5, the Twins lost RHP John Stankiewicz to the Tigers organization. The 27-year-old from Fordham also split the last two seasons between the Wind Surge and Saints. Summary: Well, for our annual Rule 5 scare and concerns, there were just 13 players taken in the MLB Rule 5 and 55 players taken in the MILB Rule 5. The Twins lost no one in the MLB portion of the draft. They pitched Daniel Susac, a former first-round pick with a full season in Triple-A, for a 17-year-old catcher from the Dominican Summer League. They took a pitcher and an outfielder in the minor-league portion, and they lost two pitchers who spent time in the Twins upper levels in 2025. One other note, and it's really just more of a question. I do believe that the Twins organization is fairly strong in terms of high-level prospects, especially following the trade deadline. However, as much as I think there are a lot of players who could be big leaguers, the Twins haven't lost a lot of players in recent Rule 5 drafts. In comparison, the Brewers lost a bunch of players in the minor-league Rule 5 draft including Twins pick Spain and Minnesota native Nate Peterson. Does the lack of Rule 5 picks lost in both the MLB and MILB portions of the Rule 5 draft mean that the Twins don't have as much depth as we think? Or, is it just that they do a really good job of player evaluation and have a good idea of which guys truly have to be protected. The MLB roster has 40 members. The Triple-A roster can have up to 36 on it, and I believe they should be at 34 after this afternoon. That's a lot of players protected, and there are a ton of players that aren't eligible for either draft. My sense is it doesn't indicate anything to be concerned about, but it is notable and worth asking. Now we just need lots of comments about how we worry so much every year and ultimately, it's pretty uneventful. View full article

I had hoped the Twins brass would chat with McCusker and have him get ground balls and throws at first base, just to develop. He had two options left. There is still 35 HR potential with opportunity. However, can't blame McCusker for wanting to make some money. He's reached the MLB, a huge goal. Now he needs to make some money. Sure, he can make $780K with the Twins if he's in the big leagues all season, but if he's in the minors, he'd probably "only" make up to $200K... He can got to Asia and presumably get $1million guaranteed.

It'll be interesting to see what happens. I find it interesting that MLBs investigation showed that he didn't gamble. I don't think that was ever the concern. It was never about him making some money. It was just about tipping pitches.

Reports came out on Wednesday that the Twins have the inside track on signing Dominican shortstop Angel Ozuna for around $500,000 when the 2026 international signing period begins on January 15, 2026. Normally this wouldn't be huge news. Last year the Twins signed several high-profile international free agents for more than $500,000. But this situation is different than others, and it will be interesting to follow over the coming months. Shortstop Angel Ozuna was expected to be one of the top international signings in the Class of 2027, when he turned 16. The Yankees were believed to have an agreement with Ozuna, a product of Los Bauti Baseball Academy, to a signing bonus of at least $5 million. However, last year it came out that he had falsified his age and got busted for it. He was three years older than he was claiming. Instead of being a 13-year-old dominating other 13- and 14-year-olds, he was actually a 16-year-old dominating 13-year-olds. He should have been a part of the 2024 international signing class, but with this new information, Ozuna was suspended for one year. However, it is now being reported, also by Wilber Sanchez, that he has a pre-arranged deal with the Twins to sign for around $500,000. What does that mean? Once Ozuna serves his time, he can be signed. However, since he is signing as an 18-year-old rather than a top 16-year-old, he isn't going to get the $5 million. But, he is still a very talented player, he's just not as young as believed. And there is the whole concern about a person who was willing to falsify his age. View full rumor

Yeah, I have an article but waiting confirmation that likely won't come from the Twins.

Good one! But something I should have mentioned in the article is that all teams pay equally into this $50 million pool. So in theory, they would probably want more of that money going to Twins players.

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images When the Collective Bargaining Agreement between players and owners made their most-recent agreement in 2022, one of the better policy changes was giving more money to players who are unable to make the big money yet. Each season, the league sets aside $50 million. Specific amounts are earned for receiving Rookie of the Year, MVP or Cy Young votes, or finishing first or second team All-MLB. For instance, Paul Skenes won the Cy Young this season, so he got $2.5 million for that. Hunter Brown finished third place in NL voting, and for that, he received $1.5 million. A player can only receive a bonus for one award per year, the higher amount. The remaining money is then allocated to several players based on a special formula using a couple of WAR stats. The top of the 2025 pre-arbitration bonuses looks a lot like the top of the NL Cy Young vote. Paul Skenes led the way at $3,436,343. Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez earned $2,678,437, and Brown earned $2,206,538. Others to earn a bonus over $1 million include Mariners Bryan Woo ($1.54M), Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll ($1.34M), A's 1B Nick Kurtz ($1.30M), Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong ($1.21M), Braves catcher Drake Baldwin ($1.18M), Brewers 2B Brice Turang ($1.16M), and Rays 3B Junior Caminero ($1.07M). A 23-year-old former 2nd round pick, Keaschall made his big-league debut in April and earned 164 days of service time during the 2025 season. He hit .302/.382/.445 (.827) with 14 doubles, four home runs and 28 RBI. He had 14 steals in 17 attempts. He received a couple of Rookie of the Year votes. Per Baseball-Reference, his season was worth 2.0 WAR. Per FanGraphs, his season was valued at 1.6 WAR. Keaschall,'s 2025 salary for his big-league time would have been the major-league minimum salary of $760,000. Since he was on the roster 164 days, his MLB salary was somewhere around $690,000. On Tuesday, he earned his bonus of $209,217, an extra 30% for him. Just two players, Reds infielder Matt McLain ($206,056) and Nationals OF Daylen Lile ($150,000), earned a smaller bonus. Frankly, the Twins didn't have a lot of pre-arbitration players on the roster who played enough for consideration. Others include Matt Wallner, Brooks Lee, Edouard Julien each had more plate appearances than Keaschall's 207. Frankly I'm surprised that Simeon Woods Richardson didn't get a bonus in 2025. He went 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA over 111 1/3 innings and 22 games started. It was worth 2.2 bWAR and 1.2 fWAR, so he had to be close. Louie Varland had to be close as well. Following the 2023 season, the Twins had six players earn the bonus: Bailey Ober ($432,752), Edouard Julien ($397,629), Joe Ryan ($341,931), Royce Lewis ($341,190), Ryan Jeffers ($300,304), and Jhoan Duran ($271,789). After the 2024 season, the Twins had five players earn this bonus: Bailey Ober ($381,085), Griffin Jax ($352,852), Joe Ryan ($331,054), Matt Wallner ($256,296), and Simeon Woods Richardson ($243,471). View full article

He came out on fire to start the season. In fact, before the end of April we were all wondering how long he'd be in Cedar Rapids... but then came the oblique injury, and that cost him a couple of months, and then he did it again and lost more time. No surprise that he'd have been a bit hesitant to swing too hard with that injury. So, I wanna see where he's at next spring, after hopefully not swinging too much for a couple of months.

This is my bad... I've seen multiple times for the deadline. I guess it was actually 4:00 central time. News is starting to trickle in around the league. Nothing more with the Twins yet.

I think Steer would make more. He missed some time with injury this year, but he is a Gold Glove finalist at first base... I actually think there's an interesting trade to be had there... Not that I'd expect it, but that could help both teams. Larnach would hit 30 homers in Cincinnati.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Heading into Tuesday, some Twins fans (at least those of us who care about prospects) were anxious to find out who the Twins would protect. The assumption was that it would be a sizable group of players, but due to limits, they would still leave several players vulnerable to the Rule 5 draft in a couple of weeks. The Twins chose to protect six players. They added two right-handed pitchers (John Klein, Andrew Morris), two left-handers (Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas), and two outfielders (Gabriel Gonzalez, Hendry Mendez). None of the names are terribly surprising. If you read our article previewing and somewhat predicting the Twins roster additions, the first five that were assumed Givens were all added. The one surprise, and a minimal surprise at that, is arguably the closest to Target Field. Sure, John Klein ended the 2025 season pitching in St. Paul, but he spends his offseason in the Twin Cities. He is a 2020 graduate of Osseo High School and grew up in Brooklyn Park. At the time, he was a catcher. He went to Iowa Central Community College, and while there, he became a pitcher. One of his coaches was Jonas Lovin who was the pitching coach for the Saints in 2025. He was going to go play baseball at Minnesota State in Mankato, but a Twins scout saw him and signed him in August of 2022 as a non-drafted free agent. Just three years later, he finds himself on the Minnesota Twins 40-man roster. He really impressed at Wichita in 2025. He was throwing harder, touching 96 with a couple of fastballs. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, he's got a chance to pitch for his hometown team as early as the second half of next season. Tomah, Wisconsin, is about two-and-a-half hours east of Target Field on I-94. That's where Connor Prielipp grew up and went to high school before heading south to Alabama. The southpaw hasn't pitched a lot of innings as a pro, but he was able to remain healthy throughout the season. He ended the year at Triple-A St. Paul and tossed six innings in his final start. Blessed with size and a big fastball, Prielipp also has a tremendous slider and a good changeup too. It will be interesting to see whether he continues to build as a starter or come to the big leagues in the bullpen. We should see that happen, maybe even fairly early in the 2026 season. Kendry Rojas presumably has the most interesting story of the bunch. It started in Cuba. He came to the States and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. He missed time early in 2025, but he was pitching very well before the trade deadline, absolutely dominating Double-A hitters. He made one Triple-A start for the Jays before being included with outfielder Alan Roden in a last-second deadline deal with the Blue Jays. He really struggled in St. Paul, getting hit and issuing too many walks, but his stuff is electric. He's a guy they will likely want to keep starting as long as that is realistic. The fourth pitchers added to the Twins roster is right-hander Andrew Morris. He was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2022 out of Texas Tech. He pitched at three levels in 2024, ending the season with the Saints. That's where he spent the entire 2025 season, though he missed almost two months on the IL. Morris looks the part of starter. He sits 94-95 mph with the fastball, and yet he has touched 97. He also throws three breaking balls with three different paths to the plate and three different velocities. While the bullpen is always possible, Morris's stuff most shouts starting pitcher. The Twins also added two hitters, both outfielders, to the 40-man roster. Like Rojas, Hendry Mendez came to the Twins at the trade deadline from the Phillies in the Harrison Bader trade. At 6-4 and about 220 pounds, he looks like a power hitter, and he has that potential. To this point in his career, however, he has been a batting average, doubles type of hitter. He puts the ball in play, even walking more than striking out at several stops, including his two-month stint with the Wind Surge. With his size, it is likely that he will get some work in at first base this offseason and moving forward. However valuable his becomes will likely depend on how much game power he is able to develop. Finally, Gabriel Gonzalez was an easy addition to the roster. The 21-year-old came to the Twins from the Mariners in a February 2024 trade for Jorge Polanco. He struggled in Cedar Rapids last year and missed half the season with injury. But he returned to form in 2026. he played at three levels and hit over .315 at each spot. He combined to hit 38 doubles and 15 homers. He hit the ball hard. Defensively, he's got work to do on reads and routes and such, but he does have a strong arm. For more Twins Daily content on these six new Twins 40-man roster members, click their links here: John Klein, Andrew Morris, Connor Prielipp, Kendry Rojas, Gabriel Gonzalez, Hendry Mendez. At Risk: The Other Side of the Proverbial Coin With their six new additions to the 40-man roster, other minor leaguers (several legitimately called prospects) are now at risk of being lost in the Rule 5 draft in two weeks at the Winter Meetings. C.J. Culpepper has to be intriguing to teams. While he was hurt early in the 2025 season and eased very cautiously the rest of the season, he also looks like a starting pitcher. He sits 94-96 with the fastball, but he also has a sinker, a slider, a cutter, a curveball, and a changeup, and probably a couple of variations of each. Jose Olivares is the high-upside, hard-throwing pitchers who at 22 is incredibly intriguing to Twins coaches, front office, fans and more. Likely scouts and coaches from other organizations have noticed as well. While he's got some really good stuff and an ability to miss bats, he has a lot of walks. But, with his question marks, would he last with another organization all season? For the second straight season, the Twins are exposing Kala'i Rosario to the Rule 5 draft. He's coming off of a 2025 season that started slow and ended with him hitting .256/.358/487 with 30 doubles, five triples, 25 homer runs, and a shocking 32 stolen bases. Could the increased athleticism shown make him intriguing to another organization this year? Kyler Fedko broke out in 2025. At glance at the raw numbers is impressive. In 130 games, he had 25 doubles, 28 homers, and 38 stolen bases. Combined with speed, defense, and versatility, he does profile as a guy who some team will like as their fourth or fifth outfielder. And there are others who could be selected as well. Cory Lewis had a rough 2025 season, but maybe a team believes in that knuckleball. Catchers are very valuable, and at season's end, Patrick Winkel, Noah Cardenas, Ricardo Olivar, Andrew Cossetti and Nate Baez were all in Double-A or Triple-A. That group shows a mix of great defensive catchers and not-so great defensive catchers. There are a couple of guys that will have to hit their way to remain a backup in the big leagues, but that's possible. Other prospects who have ranked in the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins prospects who are eligible are infielders Danny De Andrade, Tanner Schobel, and Rayne Doncon. Former first-round pick Aaron Sabato was left unprotected. Lefty relievers like Christian MacLeod and Jaylen Nowlin could intrigue a team. Miguelangel Boadas just completed a nice showing in the Arizona Fall League. Again, most years we worry about how many players the Twins will lose in the Rule 5 draft. It is possible the Twins lose their first players since Tyler Wells and Akil Baddoo were lost in the 2020 Rule 5 draft. Most won't. Generally, somewhere between 15 and 20 MLB Rule 5 picks are made. Roster spaces are limited. But it truly does take just one organization who had a coach or scout see the right player on the right day and will vouch for that player. Even then, he'd have to stick with the organization all season. Twins Acquire Reliever From Rays The Twins sent right-handed pitcher Jacob Kisting, their 14th round pick in the 2024 draft out of Bradley to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for reliever Eric Orze. For much more on this trade, click here. The trade also puts the Twins 40-man roster at 40. Will the Twins non-tender some players later this week? We shall see. What are your thoughts on the Twins additions? Who might they lose? Share your thoughts below. View full article

On Thursday night, the Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale announced that the Minnesota Twins will be hiring their third lead hitting coach in the past three seasons. Keith Beauregard, who has been with the Detroit Tigers hitting coach staff the past four seasons, will head to the Twins. Beauregard has been with the Tigers since 2022, but it was announced that he decided not to return to Motown for the 2026 season. He worked with the likes of All-Star Riley Greene and Matt Carpenter. He oversaw the turn around seasons of Javy Baez and Spencer Torkelson. He worked with James Rowson on the Tigers 2023 staff. Matt Borgschulte returned to the Twins organization to become their lead hitting coach in 2024. He will not be returning to the Twins for 2025. "Borgs" replaced David Popkins who was the team's lead hitting coach in 2022 and 2023. Shortly after the Twins let him go last offseason, he was hired by the Blue Jays and led the best offense in the league to the World Series. Nightengale also noted that Trevor Amicone and Rayden Sierra will return as the team's assistant coaches in 2026. Catching up on the Twins coaching situation: Manager: Derek Shelton (replaces Rocco Baldelli) Bench Coach: Open (replacing Jayce Tinger) Asst Bench Coach: Open: (replacing Hank Conger) Pitching Coach: Pete Maki (returns) Asst Pitching Coach: Luis Ramirez (returns) Bullpen Coach: LaTroy Hawkins (replaces Colby Suggs, who is with the Rangers now) Hitting Coach: Keith Beauregard (replaces Matt Borgschulte) Asst Hitting Coach: Trevor Amicone (returns) Asst Hitting Coach: Rayden Sierra (returns) 1B Coach/Outfield/Baserunner: Grady Sizemore (replacing Tommy Watkins, now with the Braves) 3B Coach/Infield Coach: Ramon Borrego (shift from 1B coach to 3B coach) Quality Control Coach: Open (replacing Nate Dahmann) View full rumor

Correct... if a 3B coach isn't getting a few guys thrown out at home, he's not being aggressive enough. Tommy is a big loss in the clubhouse and on the field.