Seth Stohs

I think that the White Sox have definitely put themselves on pace with, and if the Tigers don't sign Scherzer, they should be the favorite... Yeah, the Twins are back to being the little engine that could... and as I said coming into the Winter Meetings, that's probably OK. I think they need to let young guys play... I'd just like to see them be competitive in 2015. I'm tired of all the losses.

The Winter Meetings are always a fun time for baseball fans. If you follow twitter or MLB Trade Rumors, there are constantly updates throughout the week, at all hours of the day. There is no question that the Chicago White Sox won Day 1 of the Winter Meetings. Here is a look at what happened on Day 1 in terms of Twins news. (No, it will not be empty below.)OVERVIEW The Winter Meetings were originally set up as a meeting for all minor league teams. Then major league teams started crashing the party and since then, it has become a media Mecca. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just a place where GMs meet with agents and other GMs. Front offices of the teams go to have meetings. That said, of course, all the teams are there. All the GMs are there. All the agents are there. There are meetings. However, how many of the rumors will turn into actual transactions during this week? A few will, and we’ll try to stay on top of everything here at Twins Daily. WHITE SOX ARE BUSY Earlier in the offseason, the White Sox signed 1B Adam LaRoche, and then they signed lefty reliever Zach Duke. Rumors throughout the night were that the White Sox and A’s were in serious discussions about Jeff Samardzija. Sox infielder Marcus Simien, who was a top 100 prospect in Baseball America a year ago, was one name mentioned. It’s hard for me to believe he would be the key piece to such a trade. I think the White Sox would need to give up a higher-ranking prospect to get Samardzija. Then as midnight approached, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted that the White Sox signed closer David Robertson for four years and $46 million. The long-time set- up man for Mariano Rivera finally got the opportunity to close last year. He turned in a solid season and got his big pay day. There are rumors that the White Sox still could be a player for third baseman Chase Headley. Teaming “Shark” with lefties Chris Sale and Jose Quintana certainly gives the South Siders some quality pitching. COLABELLO CLAIMED BY THE BLUE JAYS Late this morning, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that they had claimed first baseman Chris Colabello. He comes off the Twins 40-man roster, putting the roster at 39. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of days. Were the Twins just trying to clear up a spot for a potential free agent signing? Were they just opening up a roster spot so that they can make a Rule 5 selection on Thursday? Could other players currently be on the waiver wire to create more roster spots so that the Twins could do both? Colabello’s story was (and remains) remarkable. The Twins signed him before the 2012 season out of independent baseball where he spent eight seasons. He made the New Britain roster and raked that whole season. In 2013, he was invited to big league spring training and became a hero for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He was named the International League Rookie of the Year and MVP for his great play in AAA Rochester. In May, all that time spent culminated with his big league debut. And, of course, he made the Twins opening day roster. He was named the American League co-Player of the Month in April. Unfortunately, he was jammed on a pitch late in the month and had thumb problems that affected him the rest of the season. Even recently, he learned from an MRI that there was still inflammation. It’s a savvy move for the Blue Jays. The powerful Colabello showed that when healthy he can hit and be quite productive in the big leagues. The Blue Jays traded Adam Lind in the offseason to Milwaukee, but then they acquired first baseman Justin Smoak. Colabello could compete with another former Twins player, Danny Valencia, for right-handed platoon at-bats. The other thing is that Colabello still has an option year remaining so he can provide the Jays with powerful depth. Of course, seeing how Toronto has operated the last couple of seasons, it’s also possible that they could now try to sneak Colabello through waivers, too. OLIVA, KAAT FALL SHY OF COOPERSTOWN At 1:00 central time on Monday, the Hall of Fame gathered the media together in San Diego to tell them that the Veteran’s Committee had elected no one to the Hall of Fame. I think a press release might have done the job. For enshrinement, a player would have needed 12 of the 16 Veteran’s Committee members to vote for them. Tony Oliva and Dick Allen both received 11 votes. Jim Kaat received 10 votes. Can you imagine being one vote away from receiving baseball’s ultimate honor? One vote! Now, I have said many times in the past that I don’t think that Oliva or Kaat should be in the Hall of Fame, but whenever they are up for election again, I will hope like crazy that they make it. MASTERSON UPDATE 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson posted several tweets yesterday indicating that the Twins have been unable to meet with free agent starter Justin Masterson. It may be that his agent hasn’t been able to work out a time to talk to Terry Ryan. It’s also possible that Masterson just isn’t interested in the Twins. Listen, the reason that Masterson is appealing to many as a potential free agent acquisition is that he was coming off his age-29 season in which he posted a 7-9 record with a 5.88 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP between Cleveland and St. Louis. The thought was that he might want to sign a cheap, one-year deal with someone to regain market value, so why not the Twins? Part of the allure was that he has some upside and typically has eaten a lot of innings. However, since the hot stove league began, it’s been suggested by many that there are a lot of teams, likely well into double-digit teams, who are interested. That creates a bit of a bidding war. Frankly, it’s not a bidding war I would want to get into. His ERA+ in 2013 was 110, in 2012 it was 79, in 2011, it was 122, in 2010 it was 84 and in 2009 it was 94. That’s not the kind of guy you get into a bidding war over. OTHER FREE AGENTS OF NOTE LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune posted throughout the day that the Twins have been quite active talking to agents for some free agent pitchers. That sounds good, but the four pitchers that he is linking the Twins with are Logan Ondrusek, Dustin McGowan, John Axford and Alexi Ogando. All four would be relief pitchers. None of those names are terribly exciting on a major league contract. I realize that the Twins can improve their bullpen. I just personally prefer going the minor league signing route or using starting pitchers who are not in the starting rotation. Then again, I’m good with anyone on a minor league contract. TERRY RYAN NOTES In his Monday media discussions, Terry Ryan indicated that he had no interest in the Toronto Blue Jays CEO/President position. He said he is from Minnesota, it’s where his family is and will remain. This is no surprise, of course, since Ryan had the opportunity to be the Blue Jays general manager in 2001 when the Twins were on the contraction chopping block. He could have left then but decided that he was staying. He also said that Ron Gardenhire is likely to take the 2015 year off and then determine what he wants to do in 2016. He will continue to have a standing job offer with the Twins. COMING SOON: MINNESOTA TWINS PROSPECT HANDBOOK 2015 Much more will be coming throughout this week, but this year’s Twins Prospect Handbook will be available within a week, possibly even as early as Friday. Co-Authors Jeremy Nygaard, Cody Christie and I are waiting until after the Rule 5 draft to release the book so that we can add (or subtract) any players affected that day. This year’s Prospect Handbook (my seventh) is huge, and it’s packed with Twins minor league information. There are prospect profiles on approximately 150 Twins minor leaguers. Anyone from the Gulf Coast League through guys whose Rookie of the Year status remain. You’ll find stories on our choices for Starting Pitcher (JO Berrios), Relief Pitcher (Brandon Peterson), Hitter (Mitch Garver) and Manager (Doug Mientkiewicz) of the Year. Jeremy takes a look at the Twins draft in 2014 and looks ahead to the 2015 draft when the Twins have the sixth selection. Cody took a look at the injuries. We also had articles from Steve Buhr, Eric Pleiss and former Twins minor leaguer AJ Pettersen. I’m also excited to say that St. Paul Pioneer Press’s Mike Berardino wrote a terrific foreword for the book. We also want to thank Linwood Ferguson for his pictures of the Ft. Myers players and Steve Buhr for pictures from Cedar Rapids. As I mentioned, there will be much more information coming in the next few days. If you’re looking for a Christmas gift or stocking stuffer, consider getting a copy of the 2015 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON DAY 2? The White Sox won Day 1 of the Winter Meetings in San Diego. What will happen on Day 2? Will the Twins make any news? Click here to view the article

Yeah, that old thought that the Twins move people around slow is kind of silly at this point, isn't it? I get that we all think Meyer should have been up during the middle of the 2014 season. However when you look at the advancement of Thorpe and Fernando Romero, who were both called up in early June last year. Consider Engelb Vielma spent the whole season in Cedar Rapids. Arcia was in the big leagues by 21. Jorge Polanco got a couple of cups of coffee at 20. Look at Byron Buxton his first full season, moving up to Ft. Myers as a 19 year old. Sano flew up the ladder. JO Berrios is moving very fast. Nick Gordon starting in Elizabethton. On the other side, guys that were breakout guys, in my opinion, including Tyler Duffey and Jason Wheeler started 2014 where they pitched much of 2013, in Ft. Myers. And yet, for both of them, it proved to be the right move. I guess that's why I don't mind them waiting a bit on Meyer. They push when they need to push, and they wait when they need to wait. No one is perfect, but I do like seeing guys moving up when it's time.

This is my thought too... I want to see May and Meyer. My consistent line all year is that if they 're going to get a starting pitcher, make sure he's at least capable of being a #2 (like Nolasco and Hughes a year ago.

He came up in 2012 and surprised a lot of people. He definitely deserved the opportunity and I think he made the most of it. He did have the two really poor games that Parker mentioned, but I was very surprised how well he threw. Had decent control and a pretty good, sharp 12-6 curveball. He's always been willing to speak his mind, which is cool.

On Wednesday, the Torii Hunter signing became official. The Winter Meetings are next week and more moves, or at least discussions that could lead to more transactions, are likely. We’ll take a look at where the Twins are right now and what they should be addressing the rest of this offseason.With the addition of Hunter along with the six arbitration-eligible players being tendered contracts, let’s take a look at what the current 25 man roster could look like. POTENTIAL LINEUP: SS – Danny Santana 1B – Joe Mauer 2B – Brian Dozier DH – Kennys Vargas RF – Torii Hunter LF – Oswaldo Arcia 3B – Trevor Plouffe C – Kurt Suzuki CF – Aaron Hicks BENCH: Backup C – Eric Fryer or Josmil Pinto Backup Infielder – Eduardo Escobar Backup Outfielder – Jordan Schafer Utility Player – Eduardo Nunez, Chris Herrmann, Chris Colabello, Chris Parmelee SUMMARY: The Minnesota Twins offense was very good in 2013. The addition of Hunter should make it even better. That said, guys like Vargas and Santana will have to fight off a sophomore slump. I put Aaron Hicks in centerfield again, though that isn’t a given by any means. He could platoon with Schafer, the other being the fourth outfielder on any given day. The bench as of today would contain Eduardo Escobar who showed in 2014 that he can be an everyday player. Josmil Pinto didn’t take necessary strides behind the plate, but he could compete with Eric Fryer for the backup catcher spot. He could also get some time at DH should Vargas falter or get a day at first base. I left Eduardo Nunez as their the 25th man, a guy who could play anywhere in an emergency. A healthy Chris Colabello would be a better offensive option. WHO IS CLOSE? First, we also have to take a look at who could be coming. Miguel Sano's and Byron Buxton’s debuts were delayed by injury in 2014 and their timetables for arrival at this point are completely up in the air. Eddie Rosario came back from a terrible year to play quite well for six weeks in the Arizona Fall League. He’s not ready, but he’s fairly close. Who knows? Maybe he could even compete for the centerfield job out of spring training. Jorge Polanco is further away, but he could be a candidate by later in the season to help in the middle infield. WHO COULD BE ADDED? If the Twins want Aaron Hicks, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario to spend most of the year developing in the minor leagues, which could be beneficial, maybe someone like Eric Young, who was non-tendered by the Mets, would be a good option for platooning in centerfield with Jordan Schafer. The acquisition of Peter Bourjos has not been completely ruled out. Could they be interested in a veteran backup catcher like Jose Molina? How about bringing back AJ Pierzynski to be the backup backstop? STARTING ROTATION RHP Phil Hughes RHP Ricky Nolasco RHP Kyle Gibson RHP Trevor May LHP Tommy Milone (or Mike Pelfrey, Alex Meyer, Logan Darnell) SUMMARY: Hughes and Nolasco were last year’s big acquisitions. Hughes turned out golden. Nolasco struggled mightily. Kyle Gibson got through his first full season and showed he can be a solid middle-of-the-rotation. Should Trevor May be handed a spot on the opening day starting staff based on how well he finished the season, or should he compete with several others for two rotations spots? WHO IS CLOSE? Logan Darnell, Trevor May and Alex Meyer were all good at Rochester last year. All three should compete for a starter job or a bullpen spot early in the season, if not opening day. Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey and Jason Wheeler all pitched well in AA in 2013 and could be ready later in the season. Sean Gilmartin could be a back-end starter late in the season, if he isn’t lost in the Rule 5 draft. WHO COULD BE ADDED? Justin Masterson’s name continues to come up, but all of the AL Central teams and many other teams are also interested. Max Scherzer and Jon Lester aren’t coming here. We know that. James Shields is in the next tier, and I don’t think he would come here. So, who else is in that next tier of pitchers? Masterson is one name, but what about a guy like Brandon McCarthy? The Twins had interest in Ervin Santana last year. Should the Twins be interested in two-time Tommy John guys like Kris Medlin and Brandon Beachy (who were both non-tendered by the Braves this week)? Or should they consider dealing top prospects (not named Buxton or Sano) to try to acquire a Jeff Samardzija or a Mat Latos? Or, do they simply go with Trevor May and Alex Meyer and count on the minor league system that they have been building the last two or three years? BULLPEN Closer – Glen Perkins RHP – Casey Fien LHP – Brian Duensing RHP – Michael Tonkin LHP Caleb Thielbar RP – Mike Pelfrey LR – Tommy Milone, Logan Darnell, Ryan Pressly, Lester Oliveros, AJ Achter, Aaron Thompson, Alex Meyer. SUMMARY Having Glen Perkins at the end of a very good thing. Casey Fien was terrific through August. Brian Duensing was good through July. Thielbar just continues to get the job done. After that, there are some question marks. Is Michael Tonkin ready to take on a spot for the full season? If Mike Pelfrey is healthy and able to regain his velocity, he could certainly be an asset out of the bullpen. And then there is a log jam of options for the long relief role, including some players already mentioned as back end of the starting rotation options. WHO IS CLOSE? Several of the options already mentioned are guys who are close to ready to contribute out of the Twins bullpen, if they aren’t already. In addition, the Twins have other hard-throwing options who could be ready by midseason. Zack Jones missed most of the 2014 season due to an aneurysm and a blood clot, but he can touch 97. 2014 second-round draft pick Nick Burdi and his triple-digit fastball and 90+ mph slider could be up very quickly. 2014 fifth-round draft pick Jake Reed was so impressive that he could be on the fast track. And don't forget JT Chargois. Despite missing the last two years, he was throwing 99 at Instructs and could move quickly. WHAT COULD BE ADDED? We’re read reports that the Twins were in on Jason Frasor before he re-signed with the Royals. To be honest, I don’t see a need for adding any major bullpen arms. In recent years they acquired Fien and Jared Burton and others as minor league free agents. I’d much prefer the Twins go that route than spend any extra funds on bullpen options. They need to replace Burton and Anthony Swarzak, but as you can see above, there are plenty of internal options. ===== So there you have it, a quick preview of what could be going through the minds of the Twins as the winter meetings approach. They can continue to look at adding free agents and have several options who can still be removed from the current 40-man roster. They certainly have a lot of good trade chips if they are able to incrementally improve their starting rotation. The Twins can also still add a player in the Rule 5 draft if they were to DFA a player. Torii Hunter was move number one for the Twins this offseason. If it’s the only one, Twins fans should be disappointed. However, there is little reason to believe that it will be. It is clear that the ownership is just fine with spending money if it will improve the team. Having Molitor, and now having Hunter, will give them credibility with free agents. Will they make moves during the winter meetings? Maybe. If so, I think it would be more likely on the minor league free agent or on the trade front. I think they’ll also make a Rule 5 pick next Thursday. But my opinion is that they should wait out the pitching market at this point and see which quality candidates are interested in playing for the Twins. What do you think? Click here to view the article

Torii being Torii.

I've never "endorsed" the deal... I've said over and over during the past 2 months that I didn't want the Twins to sign Hunter... Now they have. I've repeated several times on twitter and on this site that I woudln't like it. But, now it's reality. I still don't like it, but we all knew/assumed it was coming. He can still do some things and we have to just hope that he'll be worth something.

Fun list. I had this discussion with someone fairly knowlegeable... This is a great list. That person put together a very interesting list. There are so many options because the Twins are deep. OF course, some of them have a long way to go and need to stay healthy too.

I love the complete overreaction here. It's fun to read. I've been against the Twins signing Hunter all offseason too. I do think the Leadership angle, which will be a mantra, is overrated. We know his defense isn't great. The biggest thing that bugs me is that it's moving Arcia to left field. That said, it's not the end of the world. He's been very good for a long time. Is he going to be work $10 million again? Maybe not, though he certainly could be. I know his range is down, but he'll make the plays he gets to, and he'll certainly get to more than some of their outfielders got last year. I like the one-year aspect of it. $10.5M is, well, who cares? It's not like it'll stop them from signing anyone else that might come here. Rasmus probably would be signed for 3-4 years. Rosario isn't ready. He had a nice showing in the AFL that is encouraging, but he's likely not going to be up before July. Who knows? If he plays half-way well, he could be traded for something. Definitely not the end of the world, the sky isn't falling or anything like that.

It's in the article, but Doogie reported that if the Twins signed Hunter, he would play RF with Arcia moving to LF. This part of the deal, I don't like.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Minnesota Twins have won the Torii Hunter sweepstakes. The long-time Twins outfielder will return to the Twins on a one-year contract. Further reports indicate it is worth $10.5 million. (More details to come, but feel free to discuss.)The Minnesota Twins have apparently agreed to terms with 39-year-old outfielder Torii Hunter on a one-year contract. The outfielder was the Twins #1 draft pick in 1993 and made his debut with the Twins in 1997. He stayed with the Twins until he became a free agent after the 2007 season. He signed a five year, $90 million deal with the Angels. After that contract, the Tigers signed him for the past two years. Last week in a 1500 ESPN interview with Patrick Reusse, new Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado acknowledged that he and his family was in Texas and had dinner a couple of nights in a row with Hunter and his family. He said at that time, "I'm trying!" Hunter is likely being brought in for veteran leadership, or at least that's what will be the mantra we are likely to hear. Though he has been arguably the worst defensive right fielder in baseball (statistically) the last two seasons, he has hit well. In fact, in 2013, he won a Silver Slugger Award. Darren Wolfson pointed out last week that he heard that if the Twins signed Hunter, he would play right field with Oswaldo Arcia moving back over to left field. Click here to view the article

Yup, I actually did some comp stuff like this as well between Kaat and other Twins greats, and Blyleven is well above him... In fact, Radke finishes above him. So, the retired number thing probably isn't the right thing to do. I do wish that the Twins would recognize him more... and I don't know how...

Of course.

Correct. He was a strikeout pitcher for that era, but it's a different era in that he averaged just 6.7 K/9... that's not exactly "strikeout pitcher" in today's terms.

Kaat's 1966 season is right up there with anyone, especially if you consider innings. Kaat wasn't dominating like Johan, and Mudcat and Jim Perry and Dean Chance all had nice years/stretches, but Kaat was very good for a very long time, so that's where my argument that he's the best Twins pitcher in their history comes from. Blyleven's number is retired and he's a HOFer now, but if you just look at Twins years, Kaat was better. People forget that Blyleven didn't strike out very many batters either. The game was different back then.

that is correct, it will happen in January.

The Twins should absolutely retire his number. I have no idea why they haven't. Very good point!

Last Tuesday, Twins Daily had two articles touting the possible Hall of Fame credentials of outfielder Tony Oliva. The Baseball Hall of Fame announced that Oliva was one of ten players from the “Golden Era” on a special ballot that a 16-person Veteran’s Committee would vote on for induction. A second long-time Minnesota Twins player is also on that ballot and deserves consideration, Jim Kaat.Kaat signed with the Washington Senators as an 18-year-old in 1957. He made his big league debut late in the 1959 season as a 20-year-old. His first full season in the big leagues was 1961, when the Senators moved north and west to Minnesota and became the Twins. He pitched for the Twins until the 1972 season when the Twins brass thought he was done. In his time as a Minnesota Twins pitcher, he was one of the most respected pitchers in baseball. He struggled in his two brief stints with the Senators, but if you count those numbers into his Minnesota Twins numbers, he went 190-159 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. That accounts for an adjusted-ERA+ of 110, which is 10% better than average. He gave up just 0.8 HR/9. He walked just 2.1 per nine. His 5.6 K/9 rate sounds miniscule in today’s world, but at the time, it was above average. Remember, players in his era were embarrassed to strike out. He represented the Twins in two All-Star Games. “Kitty” was a big part of the 1965 World Series team. In that Series, he started three games, all three against Sandy Koufax. He did win game two of that series, but as we know, Koufax became legendary in that Series. He was named the 1966 American League Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News. He went 25-13 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP. The Cy Young Award was started in 1956, but the first time there were separate awards for each league was 1967. Names like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Whitey Ford won MLB Cy Youngs before 1967. After being traded to the White Sox later in the 1973 season, he spent two more years there. He pitched great in 1975 and earned his third trip to the All-Star Game. He spent 1976 through 1979 with the Phillies. He was traded to the Yankees in 1979 and also pitched for them to start the 1980 season. 1979 was the first season in which he primarily pitched out of the bullpen. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals as a 40-year-old in 1980. He stayed with the Cardinals until he was released in July, 1983. His first World Series was with the Twins in 1965. His second World Series was in 1982, and this time he earned the ring. He pitched in four games for the Cardinals in the Series. Kaat was known for his defense. He won 16 Gold Gloves, which was a record until Greg Maddux won 18 of them in his Hall of Fame career. Kaat won the award each year from 1962 through 1973, and then 1974 through 1977. In his 25 years as a big leaguer, Kaat went 283-237 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He had an adjusted ERA+ of 108. He became more crafty as he aged, and his career strikeout rate was just 4.9 per nine. From 1961 through 1976 (16 seasons), he went over 200 innings 14 times and over 300 innings twice. He was on his way to 200+ innings again in 1972. He was 10-2 with a 2.06 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 15 starts and 113.1 innings. Unfortunately, he had major elbow pain and didn’t pitch the rest of the season. Later, he would find out that the injury and pain he had at the time would now require Tommy John surgery. He didn’t have any surgery, but he did change several things to allow him to pitch, and he pitched for another decade. After retirement, he did join former teammate Pete Rose’s Cincinnati Reds coaching staff. Rose was so impressed by Kaat’s knowledge of pitching that he said if he was ever manager and Kaat was interested, he could be his pitching coach. He did have one twenty-game winner in his full season as pitching coach. However, Kaat has stayed in the game since then as an analyst of the game, and frankly, one of the best. He was a full time analyst somewhere from 1986 through 2006 when he allegedly retired. He was the Twins color analyst from 1988 through 1993. However, after some time off, he has called games in the World Baseball Classic, done work for MLB Network and more since then. In his time, he won seven NY Emmy’s for on-air sports coverage. We all know that “wins” are not a great indicator of great pitching. However, 283 wins means that he was very, very good for a very long time. He is one of just 29 men who played in four decades. There are 30 pitchers in baseball history with more wins than Kaat. Just five of them are not in the Hall of Fame. Bobby Matthews won 297 games between 1871 and 1888. Tony Mullane won 284 games between 1881 and 1894. Tommy John won 288 games between 1963 and 1989. Randy Johnson should get into the Hall of Fame this year on his first ballot, and Roger Clemens who should be in the Hall of Fame. In his 15 years on the ballot, Kaat never received more than 29.7% of the vote by the writers. In his excellent autobiography, Still Pitching, Kaat actually acknowledges that his was probably not a Hall of Fame career and he outlines some of the reasons. However, the Hall of Fame is also about character and integrity. There is also room for players who are great ambassadors of the game. Jim Kaat is certainly that. I once heard Kaat give a speech, probably four or five years ago. First, it was excellent. He told story after story after story of his days with the Twins. He had the crowd laughing and crying, and nodding their heads with memories. He spoke for 45 minutes, and not once did he use his notes. He has given to many charities and been a spokesman for baseball. He has represented the game very well for over 55 years now. When you combine his excellent playing career with his post-career baseball history, a strong case should be made in support of Kaat’s Hall of Fame candidacy. The Veteran’s Committee will be voting one week from today, December 8. Will Tony Oliva or Jim Kaat get the opportunity to call themselves Hall of Famers? I guess we’ll find out then. His long career speaks to the changes in the game. When he first came up, pitchers hit and starters threw 250 to 300 innings. By the time he retired, the DH era had begun and bullpens became much more important. It’s never a bad thing to take a look back at the great history of baseball and of the Minnesota Twins. Kaat is arguably (though there’s little question in my mind) the best pitcher in Twins history. It’s fun to look back, and for those of us who didn’t see him pitch, a reminder of how good he was. If you want to send a last-minute letter of support for Jim Kaat, you can do so by mailing a letter to the Veteran’s Committee at: Baseball Hall of Fame Attn: Golden Era Committee 25 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 Click here to view the article

I definitely think that's the future role for Darnell. But what's $2 million to the Twins. It's nothing they'd get concerned about. Why lose a guy for nothing? I'd let Darnell start in Rochester and pitch in that lefty reliever role and get a few innings in. He can be called up if Duensing or Thielbar get hurt. He could be a long man. Hopefully the Twins would be able to trade Duensing at some point in June or July this year for anything, and then hand it over to Darnell. It's always nice to have a guy ready in Rochester. If you lose Duensing and hand the job to Darnell, then you've lost some depth. I'm not pretending Duensing isn't replaceable, he certainly is. I'd just rather try to get something from him while keeping depth.

They don't have contracts, but they're also under team control. The Twins could DFA them to make room on the 40 man roster, but if they don't, the Twins will likely sign them (to barely over league minimum) about the time spring training starts. What has to be determined tomorrow is the status of their arbitration-eligible players. Those three have too little MLB service time to qualify.