Seth Stohs

Following their 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday afternoon at Cool Today Field, the Twins announced that four pitchers have been sent to minor-league spring training. Image courtesy of William Parmeter The Twins announced on Monday afternoon that lefty Brent Headrick, and right-handers Matt Canterino and Simeon Woods Richardson have been optioned to St. Paul. In addition, right-hander David Festa was reassigned to Twins minor league camp. Certainly there were no surprises in this group of players sent down. With Opening Day just over three weeks away for both the Twins and the Saints, their starting pitchers need to start being stretched out. All four pitchers that were sent back to minor-league camp should be expected to start the season in the Saints starting rotation. Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and Chris Paddack appear to have four of the Twins starting pitcher spots locked down. Anthony DeSclafani and Louie Varland may be competing for a fifth starter job, a spot the Twins may not need for the first couple of times through the rotation due to early-season off days. The assumption is that Varland will start the season in St. Paul and be called up when there is a need for a starter. Varland, Headrick, Woods Richardson and Festa should comprise four starters for the Saints. Randy Dobnak, who was reassigned last week, should be a regular starter there as well, and there are a couple of veterans, such as Caleb Boushley, who will also make starts in St. Paul. Festa, Twins Daily's #5 prospect heading into the season pitched just one inning in one game for the Twins this spring. The hard-throwing right-hander has a strong three-pitch mix, but now he needs to get ready for his season. Brent Headrick pitched in three games this spring. He gave up just two runs over 6 1/3 innings (2.84 ERA), and both runs came in his second inning of action in today's game. Canterino's stuff is as good as anyone in the organization, but he hasn't pitched much since being the Twins second-round pick in 2019 from Rice. In his two outings, he gave up one run on three hits in three innings. He had five strikeouts. Simeon Woods Richardson had a lot to prove coming into spring training, and I think he opened some eyes. He pitched five innings and gave up no runs on just one hit. He walked two and struck out three batters. But more important, he was sitting between 92 and 94 mph consistently. It was a focus this offseason because late last season, he was topping out at about 90 mph. With his solid second half in St. Paul last year, coupled with some new mechanics and improved fastball, he's put himself back on the map. Along with being the St. Paul Saints starting rotation, they are the depth for the Twins pitching staff in 2024. If Varland starts the season in St. Paul, he's likely the #6 starter. But once the season gets going, each of them will need to work to get ready for the call. With Monday's moves, the Twins now have 46 players in spring training camp. Of those, 10 are non-roster players. They have 22 pitchers (4 none-roster), five catchers (2 non-roster), 10 infielders (3 non-roster), seven outfielders (0 non-roster) and two utility players (1 non-roster). Josh Winder is also on the 60-Day IL. View full article

Drafted out of college. Was hurt a bunch his first couple of seasons in the minors, plus the lost 2020 season. Came on strong in 2022 and more in 2023. But, he's 26ish, almost 27, so age matters in prospect rankings. But that still doesn't mean he can't be a valuable MLB player in a role.

https://www.mlb.com/news/tyler-duffey-diagnosed-and-treated-for-melanoma?partnerID=mlbapp-iOS_article-share Emotional story! Tyler Duffey signed a minor-league deal with the Royals this offseason, but he noticed a freckle that looked a little different. When he met with the Royals doctors upon arrival at spring camp, he got it checked out and was diagnosed with Melanoma. The news was certainly jarring for Duffey who lost both of his parents to cancer. He asked if he could wait 6 months and try to make the Royals roster, but the doctors said he could but that he shouldn't. So, he had surgery. Best wishes to a long-time Twins pitcher...

Oh, and Chris Gimenez is on quite a bit too.

He is really, really good... The Julien interview was really fun. I've just been impressed with Morneau's knowledge of other organizations, and he's just a really good talker. Trevor May is on once in a while too. I only listen in my car, so I don't know if he's on a schedule. I think I've only heard him on weekends.

Following their 7-1 thrashing of the cross-town Boston Red Sox Tuesday at Hammond Stadium, the Twins announced their first round of spring training cuts. That puts their spring roster at 50 players (plus one on the 60-Day Injured List) remaining. They will need to cut down to their 26-man Opening Day roster in about three more weeks. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Patrick Winkel) On Tuesday, the Twins sent the following players to minor-league camp: LHP Jovani Moran, RHPs Randy Dobnak, Ronny Henriquez, and Ryan Jensen, Catchers Alex Isola and Pat Winkel, Infielder Aaron Sabato, and Outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. And as it is spring training for all of us, a quick terminology reminder might be good for all of us, including me. These eight players were "reassigned to minor league camp." That means that they are not on the 40-man roster and were spring training invites. When a player from the 40-man roster is sent down to minor-league camp, they will be "optioned to [an affiliate, likely St. Paul or Wichita]." Typically, the first round of cuts tends to be a group of 40-man roster players who have no chance of making the Opening Day roster. But that isn't the case here. It is also important to remember that when a 40-man roster player is optioned to minor-league spring training, he cannot play in remaining big-league spring training games. However, non-roster players can come over to play in in big-league spring games. They just don't have their own locker at Hammond Stadium anymore. There are no real surprises in this group. For instance, Jovani Moran had Tommy John surgery near the end of the 2023 season and is not expected to pitch at all in 2024. If there is a surprise in the group, it's that Randy Dobnak was sent down with this group already. Not that he had any shot at making the Opening Day roster, but more because he had not even pitched in a spring training game. Ronny Henriquez came off the 40-man roster on the same day as Moran. They were both non-tendered but reached minor-league deals to remain with the Twins quickly. The diminutive righty pitched two innings over two outings. He gave up no runs, two hits and struck out one batter this spring. Dobnak and Henriquez will spend the season in St. Paul again. Dobnak will continue to stretch out and work as a starter. He was healthy again last year for the first time in over two years. He made 26 starts and five relief appearances and went 5-9 with a 5.13 ERA. In 126 1/3 innings, he had 61 walks and 115 strikeouts. He is in the third season of his four-year MLB contract. Ryan Jensen was claimed by the Twins earlier in the offseason. Then the DFAd him and when he cleared waivers, he was invited to spring training. Between the Cubs and Mariners organizations, and between Double-A and Triple-A, Jensen went 2-8 with a 5.32 ERA. In 64 1/3 innings, he had 78 strikeouts to go with 54 walks. Jensen pitched in three games this spring. In two innings, he gave up six runs on eighth hits and four walks. But he did strikeout out a batter per inning. With some pitchers being sent down, and approximately three billion pitchers ready to officially some minor-league spring training, more catchers are needed there. Alex Isola and Pat Winkel were both at Wichita last season. Will be interesting to see where each starts the 2024 season, likely back with the Wind Surge. Isola played in six official games and went 2-for-8. He also had three hits in the exhibition game against the Gophers. Winkel played in five spring games and went 2-for-7 with two doubles. Winkel was the Twins ninth round pick in 2022 out of U-Conn. He has moved up a level per season. In 88 games a year ago in Wichita, he hit .266/.362/.424 (.787) with 16 doubles and 10 home runs. Meanwhile, Isola has absolutely mashed the last two seasons with the Wind Surge. In 168 Double-A games, he has hit .282/.369/.477 (.847) with 31 doubles, 30 homers and 98 RBI. He has primarily played at first base the last couple of seasons though he still catches some. Will he need to endure another year in Wichita (nothing against Wichita, of course, Isola has just earned his way to St. Paul). Aaron Sabato played in six spring games and went 1-for-9 with five strikeouts. He should head back to Wichita where he spent the final month or so of the 2022 season and all of the 2023 season. The burly first baseman played in 77 games for the Wind Surge a year ago (thanks to a broken wrist suffered for the second season in a row). He hit .221/.329/.430 (.759) with 19 doubles and 12 home runs. He went to the Arizona Fall League, and in 18 games tied with fellow Twins prospect Kala'i Rosario for the league lead with seven home runs. DaShawn Keirsey played in the exhibition game against the Gophers but not at all in the rest of the spring training games. Last year, he hit .305./.363/.488 (.850) with 17 doubles, five triples and 13 home runs at Wichita before moving up to St. Paul for the final 39 games of his season. At Triple-A, he hit .264/.375/.364 (.739) with a doubles, three triples, and two homers. Combined, he stole 39 bases. He is arguably the fastest players and the top defensive outfielder in the organization. The Twins have 50 players in big-league camp including 11 non-roster players. Of the 50, 26 of those are pitchers including five non-roster guys. They still have five catchers (2 non-roster) in camp, 10 infielders (3 non-roster), and two utility players (1 non-roster). And Josh Winder was placed on the 60-Day IL about a week ago. View full article

I did the editing on that article this weekend. I missed the Larnach/Wallner thing. I should have gone back to Ted and said, "are you sure you meant Larnach here?" But I didn't. Also, I'm the one who put the wrong picture in. So yes, writers should take a little time to review it before submitting it, but we also have someone edit it, add a photo, and schedule the articles as well.

It's not a big deal, but the writers aren't the ones putting the photos with the articles. This one is one me. I went into the database of photos we get, typed in Manuel Margot in the search, and saw that very cool picture. I didn't zoom in or anything to check that it was Margot. I assumed USA Today would tag the right player to the right pictures. But that's on me, not the writer. Unfortunately, not everyone knows that and so I apologize to Ted for messing that one up.

The Minnesota Twins have been rumored to be searching for a right-handed outfield bat, partially as a backup plan for Byron Buxton. They got it on Monday afternoon, when they agreed to trade minor-league Gold Glove-winning shortstop Noah Miller to the Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Manuel Margot, a prospect, and cash. Image courtesy of © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports The Twins have accumulated a lot of outfield talent over the years, but much of that is left-handed. Byron Buxton is scheduled to play center field, and if he is healthy, he will be in the lineup a lot. According to major-league sources, the Twins have acquired the talented Manuel Margot (and $5.5 million) from the Dodgers. Of course, earlier in the offseason, Margot was traded to the Dodgers (with Tyler Glasnow) from the Rays for two pitching prospects, Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Pepiot. Before the 2023 season, Margot signed a two-year, $19-million deal with the Rays that included a $12 million option for 2025 (with a $2 million buyout). Under the terms of the Glasnow-Margot deal, if the option would have been declined by the Dodgers, the Rays would have sent $2 million to Los Angeles to offset the buyout. Will that portion of the deal be transferred to the Twins? An MLB source says that the Twins will pay about half of Margot's $9.5 million in 2024. Margot, 29, originally signed with the Red Sox in 2011. He was traded to the Padres after the 2015 season in a multi-player deal, for closer Craig Kimbrel. He made his MLB debut with 10 games for the Padres in 2017. He remained with San Diego until right before the first spring training games of 2020, when he and a minor leaguer were traded to the Rays in exchange for Emilio Pagan. In 2023, Margot played in 99 games and hit .264/.310/.376, with 21 doubles and four home runs. His best season was in 2019 with the Padres, when he played in 151 games and hit .234 with 19 doubles and 12 homers. While Margot will be Buxton insurance, he can play all three outfield spots and should get plenty of time even when Buxton is in the lineup. However, any rumors about a Michael A. Taylor return or signing someone like Enrique Hernández end with this deal. The Twins also received minor-league infielder Rayne Doncon in the deal. The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic played in 107 games at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2023. He hit .216/.283/.368 with 21 doubles and 14 home runs. He played 45 games at third base, 37 games at shortstop and 25 games at second base. The Twins have seen a lot of Doncon and are gambling on a powerful bat, albeit one coming off a down year and with more thump than feel to hit. The Twins traded former first-round pick Noah Miller to the Dodgers. While the switch-hitting shortstop has not yet hit with any consistency or much power, there is still belief that he could. However, he is certainly best known in the game for his defense at shortstop. He is smooth, has soft hands, good range and a strong arm. He was named the minor league Gold Glove winner in 2023. If the Dodgers work their developmental magic on Miller, he might have a bright future, but this trade shores up the team's present by rounding out the positional roster. What are your thoughts on this trade? Do you like Margot, or would you have preferred that the Twins pony up for Taylor instead? Join the conversation below. View full article

Probably just depth, but depth with a lot of MLB time, and a guy who can literally play 7 positions. I'd be surprised if he makes it on Opening Day but he certainly has as much of a track record as Castro going into last year.

He'll start at Wichita, probably spend the whole year there. No need to rush him at all. With all those outfielders ahead of him (Wallner, Buxton, Kepler, Castro, Martin, and then Larnach, Keirsey, Helman). Being on the 40-man roster would help him in an emergency situation though.

My guess is Festa is going into spring training quite a ways down the SP depth chart: 1-4: Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Paddack 5-6: DeSclafani, Varland 7: Headrick 8: SWR 9: David Festa Two months into the season, I could see Festa having surpassed a couple of guys and then it all depends on injuries and performance above. If there aren't too many injuries... I think Festa could be a mid-August callup to the bullpen if they want another power arm and depending on where he is at innings-wise too.

And now they're officially out on Bellinger. He's signing a three-year, $80 million deal with the Cubs... with opt-outs after the first two seasons. (Sound familiar?) More here: https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/belly-up-cubs-re-sign-cody-bellinger-to-intriguing-deal-r564/

I'm sure we'll see some of that... Wallner will be in left, so Martin could be a platoon option over there.

How so? That's likely the spots they'll play the most, right?

Gilberto Celestino makes his triumphant return to Hammond Stadium today with the Pirates.

Yes, they played an exhibition game on Friday night, but this can be the first official spring training thread of the year. Louie Varland will make the start for the Twins. Royce is batting third. Julien batting fifth. No Correa yet. No Buxton yet (though Baldelli continues to say he'll be in the lineup soon). Presumably the starters will get two at-bats before players from the minor-league side get some PT. Hopefully we can find it on TV somewhere.

I noticed that too... Clichés are fun... That decision is well below his pay grade, but well above his job title.

I don't disagree, but who are the 'others theoretically ahead of him in the OF pecking order." Presumed starters: Wallner, Buxton, Kepler Bench options: Castro, Others (on 40-man): Larnach, Rodriguez, Martin, Kirilloff (primarily 1B but can play OF still) Others (not on 40-man): Helman, Keirsey, Prato. Helman, of course, also can play all four infield positions well too, so that's an added dimension. Right now, it seems as though the "battle" for the final spot is probably between Larnach, Martin and Miranda... But I think it's fair to suggest that Helman is in that conversation as well. I'd be very surprised if he makes the Opening Day roster (unless a few things happen - injury wise), but he's proving (two years ago and when healthy last year). They know what Helman can bring. He's just not going to pass by Martin or Rodriguez, but he's ahead of Keirsey because he's right-handed and certainly Prato too.

The goal is usually 2 out of 3, and this is 68%, so not too bad.