Seth Stohs

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.

According to Forbes, the Twins had Revenues of $267 million in 2023... They say that the Twins had $172 million in "Player Expenses." (I'm not sure what the difference is between that and "Payroll" might be... Regardless, but that, the Twins should have been at about $133-140 million in 2023. They were at $152 million or so. They're down about $20 million in TV revenue in 2024... assume all else is equal, that's $247 million in revenues, which would put them at an expected payroll of $123-128 million. They're at $122ish million right now, and likely still looking for a right-handed bat in the $3-5 million range.

Check out our very own John Bonnes rocking Twins Daily swag on TV! They talk about the excitement of spring training, Byron Buxton, Chris Paddack, hair styles, and much more.

Everyone seems to want to talk about the Twins’ payroll. Wait! That’s not true. Is it? I can’t be the only one bored by the topic. Tonight, the Twins will take on the Minnesota Gophers in an exhibition game. On Saturday, they start their official spring schedule. Wouldn't we much rather talk about, read about, or listen to baseball topics? Disclaimer: It is perfectly fine to be a Twins fan who enjoys talking about topics like payroll. It is also perfectly fine to be a Twins fans who doesn't care about such things and wants to watch what should be a very exciting team get their season started. Image courtesy of William Parmeter On Tuesday, Twins owner Joe Pohlad told WCCO radio that the payroll would not increase significantly from its current state other than potentially in a small (inexpensive) move. Would ownership consider signing one of the big four free agents remaining (Bellinger, Chapman, Montgomery, Snell) for $30 million, even for one year? Plainly, Pohlad said, “No.” As expected, Twins Twitter went crazy in response to Pohlad’s candid comments and had many questions. Frankly, I’ve had to stay off of The social media company formerly called Twitter, or at least I muted the term “payroll” from my page. It’s boring. The team was honest about the TV and payroll situations going back to the GM meetings in November. There are no real surprises here. There isn’t new information. We learned that the Twins re-upped with Bally’s for one year and hope to negotiate with other MLB teams next offseason. Yup. Same topic, different day. Twins media gathered around Twins shortstop Carlos Correa on Wednesday in Fort Myers. Two offseasons ago, he and his new agent (at that time), Scott Boras, reached out to the Twins, which led to the two sides agreeing on a three-year, $105 million deal with opt-outs that we all knew he would take. Last offseason, we certainly recall the wildness of the Correa situation. When the Giants and Mets decided to fear Correa’s medical information, the Twins were able to swoop in and sign him to a six-year, $200 million deal that could reach $285 million over 10 years if various options are picked up. Is he disappointed that the Twins have been so public and honest about reducing their payroll? Fortunately, the veteran is media savvy and provided an excellent response. “I think with the team that we have right now, we can compete against anyone, and you know, whatever business stuff they're going to do upstairs, that's their business. They understand the business way more than most players do. And there's a reason why they're doing that, which is way above my pay grade. I'm just getting paid to play baseball, but I do know one thing, and it's that I trust in this group of players. I trust in the young talent that we have. I trust in our farm system, and I trust that the product that we're going to put on the field is prepared to go out there and compete against anyone.” Those are the words of an leader! And I agree with the veteran. And I think most of you agree. There’s no reason to believe that this roster can not only win the AL Central but win in the playoffs again, especially if they add at the trade deadline. Correa added, “So yeah, you always want to have guys with names and pedigrees and guys that have done it before, but at the same time, there’s a lot of young guys out there that can get the job done. And, we obviously trust them, the guys that we have in our farm system.” It took several years, but the work done and the money spent on player development over the past six or seven years is bearing fruit. More coaches. More technology. More coordinators. More video. More individualized plans. More velocity. We have seen successes with position players and pitchers in various roles. There are guys ready to move up, and I like the idea of trusting them. Anyway, here is a list of topics I would prefer to read about or listen to than payroll. Anything. Oh, you were looking for a longer list. Alright, here is a partial list of topics I would prefer to read about or listen to than talk of payroll. What kind of numbers can Royce Lewis produce if he can play in 150 games? (same question for Carlos Correa… and Byron Buxton… and Alex Kirilloff… and Trevor Larnach…) Is it just me, or is Bailey Ober incredibly underrated? Why aren’t we hearing anything about trying to lock him up for the next six or seven years? Will Edouard Julien get an opportunity to hit against more left-handed pitching to see if it’s something he can improve upon? It’s an area that he says he spent a lot of time on in the offseason. How excited can or should Twins fans be about the idea of Byron Buxton playing center field again in 2024? I’ve seen a couple of the Gypsy Rose Blanchard movies, her interviews in jail, and a couple of interviews since her release. I’m tired of it (but I would rather watch more of it than hear more discussion about the Twins payroll). How solid is the Twins roster (on paper) that former top 100 prospects like Trevor Larnach, Jose Miranda, and Josh Winder will likely start the season in St. Paul? Louie Varland and Jorge Alcala could start the season with the Saints. You had me at Pablo! Pablo Lopez is a preseason favorite for the American League Cy Young Award. Can he find another level and a little more consistency? What will the limitations be for Chris Paddack as he returns from his second Tommy John surgery? Seeing him come back in the bullpen last fall was exciting. Can he (or will he be allowed to) reach 150 innings? Listen to Vlad Putin talk about Russia’s history with Ukraine for an hour. Speaking of returning from Tommy John surgery, what can we expect from Matt Canterino in 2024? What can we hope for from Matt Canterino in 2024? Can he be a bullpen option in the playoffs (like Varland in 2023)? While they are unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster, it will be exciting to see how quickly David Festa and Brooks Lee get to the big leagues in 2024 and what role they will play for the Twins down the stretch. Listen to a presentation created for Rhodes Scholars about Real Analysis, Differential Equations, and other mathematical fundamentals. We saw what Carlos Correa can do when the games matter, but what kind of numbers is he capable of putting up playing on healthy feet? The back end of the Twins bullpen could be very good, with Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, and Brock Stewart. They have added several veterans in an attempt to bolster the bullpen. How will Rocco Baldelli and Pete Maki utilize the bullpen in games, and how will Thad Levine and Derek Falvey utilize that depth and player options? Who will be the Brock Stewart of 2023 in 2024? Which player (hitter or pitcher) will come up as a relative unknown, maybe a minor-league signing, and become a key cog on the Twins roster? Can Brock Stewart 2024 be as reliable as healthy Brock Stewart 2023 was? If healthy, he can dominate. The same is true for Jorge Alcala and Josh Staumont. I’d rather read about or listen to shows that talk about the Minnesota Vikings constantly during the offseason than hear more on the Twins payroll situation. Which Max Kepler will we see in 2024? Last July, Twins fans had given up and were entirely ready to move on from the German outfielder. Then his bat came to life, and he hit so well in the final months of the season that not only was it an easy decision for the Twins to pick up his option, but Keith Law wrote that he could have got $20 million a year for several years in free agency had the Twins declined the option. Who is the Twins #4 catcher right now? Last year, Christian Vazquez and Ryan Jeffers stayed healthy all season. That’s unusual. In the offseason, the Twins added Jair Camargo to the 40-man roster. The burly backstop can rake and does a solid job behind the plate. But what if they need a fourth catcher? Would they go with a veteran with a handful of games in the big leagues like Brian O’Keefe, or would they jump directly to their top catching prospect Patrick Winkel? Maybe Chris Williams would finally get a chance. I think I’d rather take a course on colonoscopies. If it comes with labs... that's debatable. I’d rather have a conversation about what happens if Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie stay healthy and Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams progress rather than suffer from sophomore slumps. It’d be great to read more stories about the Twins players or that games start on Friday. I can’t wait to read spring training play-by-play on Twitter. I want to see more video from bullpens. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine’s contracts are allegedly up at the end of 2024. Since they joined the organization, the team hasn’t officially announced their extensions (though news came out after the 2019 season that the two had signed five-year extensions to keep them through 2024). Have the Twins extended them already? Should they? If they’re lame-duck leaders, what does that mean? Will Bobby Witt, Jr. be the top player in the AL Central this year? Earlier this month, the shortstop signed an 11-year, $288.7 million (with opt-outs starting at Year 7 and options that could make it a 14-year deal. In addition, the Royals signed #3/#4 starters such as Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo and traded for Kyle Wright. They bolstered their bullpen with Nick Anderson, Chris Stratton, and Will Smith (who has won three World Series championships in the past three years with three different teams). Have they added enough to compete with Cleveland and Detroit for second in the AL Central in 2024? I could probably keep going, but since it’s 2024, maybe I’ll limit my list of topics I’d much rather be reading about or listening to than the Twins payroll. Sure, payroll is a topic. It has been and it should be. We’ve learned long ago that while payroll is a factor, “Baseball Decisions” are way more important. More important. Do we have to talk about it every day? I like baseball. Let’s talk about baseball. Repeated Disclaimer: It is perfectly fine to be a Twins fan who enjoys talking about topics like payroll. It is also perfectly fine to be a Twins fans who doesn't care about such things and wants to watch what should be a very exciting team get their season started. View full article

Good stuff, Cody! I've always been a Hendriks guy. Enjoyed having him on podcasts when he was in the minor leagues. Fun seeing his success as a reliever and the All Star games he has. Life often finds ways to put baseball back into proper perspective. This article is a good reminder of that as well. Thanks for being vulnerable and putting yourself out there!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11R1j_H0UTPucDjYxbNmAd-4Fzdmx2kHJINQKpEAtiLM/edit?usp=sharing Yes, I went through all of the Division I baseball rosters and found all of the players from Minnesota on the list. I think there are about 160 total. If my count it correct, there are 23 Minnesotans on the Gophers roster and 22 on the Tommies roster, which makes sense. There are 14 on the South Dakota State roster with 12 on the North Dakota State roster. The school with the next-most Minnesotans is Creighton with seven. Take a look. Did I miss anyone? Let's highlight solid performances by these players throughout the college seasons.

Things I've watched lately: - Netflix - iZombie, Big Mouth, Santa Clarita Diet, The Trust, Rael: The Alien Prophet, Fool Me Once , The Greatest Night in Pop is awesome! - Hulu - The Wonder Years (original), Letterkenny, Abbott Elementary, -You Tube TV - shows in my library (Quantum Leap (current and previous), Law & Order SVU, Finding Your Roots, Little House on the Prairie, Celebrity Jeopardy, Catfish, Help! I'm in a Secret Relationship, My daughter wants to watch any of the Gypsy Rose stuff. We've seen the movies, the interviews, everything.