Seth Stohs

Well, very early in the morning - or late at night - it was reported that Shawn Kelley is going to sign with the Nationals.

It's definitely a balancing act. No matter where the collective bargaining agreement comes up with the free agent line, teams are wise to push it for business purposes. Especially with a starting pitcher early in the season, they can claim to be a 5th starter and not be needed for 2 or 3 weeks. Only need like 2 weeks to get past the date. The Twins have proven in the past that if a player earns it in spring training, they'll have him on the roster.

Day 1 of the Winter Meetings is complete. Well, it's past midnight, so I believe that counts as Tuesday. Monday was a busy day of rumors and a few things happened. Here is Monday's thread. Let's have this thread be the go-to place for rumors from Tuesday. Shortly after midnight, there were several reports of a trade between Atlanta and the Cubs. Javier Baez would go to Atlanta in exchange for Shelby Miller. Less than 10 minutes later, the Cubs said that there was no deal. We shall see. Late on Monday night, there were rumors (I believe started by Chris Cotillo) that the Padres were interested in Ricky Nolasco. Let's keep the Day 2 discussion going.

Another reliever, Ryan Madson, got 3 years and $22 million from Oakland... and he didn't pitch from 2012-2014.

Terry Ryan and a large contingent of Minnesota Twins front office personnel are gathered in Nashville for the Winter Meetings. The goal for Ryan, and for every team, is to make his team better. We have written and discussed the topic ad nauseum in the Twins Daily pages since the end of the season. Some young Twins players will play a role in the Twins bullpen at some point in the near future. Today, I want to discuss two pitchers who I think could be prominent bullpen contributors right from the beginning of the 2016 season. There are going to be some difficult decisions next spring for Manager Paul Molitor in his second season and the helm. There are always tough decisions, but Molitor will have a lot of really quality options. When the team has needs in-season, they will have good options for replacement. You all have heard the names that some choose to joke about as getting starts in the last five years. There were three or four starting pitchers and a couple of bullpen arms at Rochester in 2015 who would have been called up quickly had this been 2012 or 2013. Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson, USA Today Terry Ryan and a large contingent of Minnesota Twins front office personnel are gathered in Nashville for the Winter Meetings. The goal for Ryan, and for every team, is to make his team better. We have written and discussed the topic ad nauseum in the Twins Daily pages since the end of the season. Some young Twins players will play a role in the Twins bullpen at some point in the near future. Today, I want to discuss two pitchers who I think could be prominent bullpen contributors right from the beginning of the 2016 season. There are going to be some difficult decisions next spring for Manager Paul Molitor in his second season and the helm. There are always tough decisions, but Molitor will have a lot of really quality options. When the team has needs in-season, they will have good options for replacement. You all have heard the names that some choose to joke about as getting starts in the last five years. There were three or four starting pitchers and a couple of bullpen arms at Rochester in 2015 who would have been called up quickly had this been 2012 or 2013. This isn’t 2011 through 2014 anymore. In 2015, the Twins won 83 games and were not eliminated until their 161st game. It’s about winning now while at the same time doing what’s best for the players, short-term and long-term. Let’s discuss a couple of the young pitchers and where they should fit in 2016. Trevor May May came up in the second half of 2014 and went through some struggles. In 2015, he was set to start the season in Rochester, but Ervin Santana’s suspension pushed him into the starting rotation. May pitched all right as a starter. In 16 starts (83.1 IP), he went 4-8 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. The Twins made the decision that he would move to the bullpen in the second half when Tommy Milone returned to the team from AAA. In 32 games (31.1 IP) out of the bullpen, he was 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP. His fastball velocity increased noticeably when he knew that he just needed to go an inning or two. When May was moved to the bullpen, Ryan and Molitor said that he would go to spring training in 2016 with an opportunity to start again. They have stood by that as he will go to spring training with a chance. With Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson marked in ink, and May competing with Tommy Milone, Tyler Duffey, JO Berrios and others for two rotation spots, May will have to be really good during spring to be in the rotation. Prediction: He will be in the bullpen. With a back end of the bullpen having Glen Perkins, Kevin Jepsen and May, that portion of the pen should be quite strong. In fact, we saw how strong it could be when Perkins was healthy. Taylor Rogers Rogers has been a starter all his life, in high school in Colorado, in college at Kentucky and all through his minor league career since being drafted in 2012. He was the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2013. He’s been good the last two years as well. He was recently added to the Twins 40-man roster and worked 202 innings this year between Rochester and the Arizona Fall League. As a left-handed pitcher, he has two really good pitches against same-siders. While right-handers hit .326/.374/.457 (.831) with 28 doubles, four triples and nine home runs off him in AAA this year, he dominated left-handers. They hit just .177/.209/.193 (402) off of him. He gave up just three extra-base hits, all doubles. Reports I’ve gathered say that he has a good fastball (low-90s) and a tremendous slider. In fact, some have compared Rogers’ slider to Tyler Duffey’s curve ball. While Duffey has a fastball, curve ball and solid changeup, Rogers has not been able to turn his change into a pitch that can get right-handers off balance. If he could, he might be a mid-rotation starter, but most believe he can be a back-of-the-rotation starter, or even better out of the bullpen. Prediction: The Twins have six of seven starters ahead of Rogers, and we all know that JO Berrios is coming soon. Rogers turns 25 next week and could be a major contributor out of the Twins bullpen. In fact, Terry Ryan said Monday afternoon that Rogers would go to spring training competing for a bullpen job. They could send him back to Rochester and hope that his changeup develops so that he can be a fifth starter, or they could utilize him right away as a solid lefty reliever. Names like Tony Sipp or Antonio Bastardo might (emphasis on might) provide stability from the left side for three years, or at least parts of those three years. They’re the big names of the offseason. I have no problem with ponying up to add one name reliever that the organization feels can hold up. However, rather than bringing back middling lefties like Neal Cotts or Brian Duensing, I would recommend giving Rogers a shot. Maybe they give him a month of two in Rochester to get used to working out of the bullpen and start the season with Ryan O’Rourke or Logan Darnell (who could also work in long relief). But at some point, Rogers should be in the Twins bullpen. What does that leave the Twins with? Closer: Glen Perkins RH RP: Kevin Jepsen, Trevor May, LH RP: Free Agent LHP Two Of: Casey Fien (non-guaranteed contract), Michael Tonkin (out of options), Ryan Pressly, Alex Meyer, Ryan O’Rourke, or a second quality free agent. Long Relief: Logan Darnell And Taylor Rogers should be up soon, if not on the Opening Day roster. By May, we could see Alex Meyer, Nick Burdi and JT Chargois. That’s why I wouldn’t go out and acquire more than one reliever on a multi-year deal. From Nick’s article today, there are three relievers worth focusing on, in my opinion, Antonio Bastardo, Tony Sipp and Shawn Kelley. Don’t waste time on the others. Trust guys like Taylor Rogers, let them take off in their own careers and hopefully help the Twins move up to the next level. How do you think this all unfolds? View full article

Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro to Seattle for Roenis Elias and Carson Smith.

I would agree... but I would still say there are plenty of them out there yet.

Wade Miley heading from Boston to Seattle.

Correct, plus none of them will (most likely) open thehe season with them anyway. At earliest it'd be mid-season (maybe Meyer, and possibly Burdi/Chargois by mid-May), and we don't want the bullpen to be such a mess in the first half and cough up too many late-inning leads that you have to push one of two of those guys to the big leagues too quickly.

100% agree that there is no guarantee on any pitcher or even the top, hard-throwing reliever prospects. My main point of that they may really only need one more reliever, and there are plenty out there that they could get that it's not worth worrying about too much yet.

I enjoy stuff like this because I used to always think like this. First, there are lots of bullpen arms out there if they want to spend money. Also, the Royals lost Greg Holland and Ryan Madson. Also, the Twins have guys like Burdi, Chargois, Rogers, Meyer, Reed coming soon and Michael Tonkin is out of options. I think Trevor May will likely be pushed to the bullpen, so it's not like the Twins are far away from having a potentially dominant bullpen, guys to go with Perkins and Jepsen.

Trevor Cahill staying with the Cubs,, per several reports.

There are rumors that Brett Lawrie is drawing interest from three AL Central teams (Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit, I believe).

Hisashi Iwakuma going to the Dodgers for 3 years, $45 million.

Yeah, that's like them asking the Twins for Buxton and Berrios...

Chris Young has agreed to a two-year deal to stay with the Royals... The Starting Pitcher Chris Young.

There are going to be a ton of rumors all week at the winter meetings. Use this thread to discuss what you're hearing via twitter, etc. You can discuss rumors, or deals from around baseball that are made official. I'll start. (Note - we can include Twins rumors in here as well, but those might be best served in their own threads. Those threads should be started with "Rumor: Twins Talking With..." or something like that.) Last night, it came out that the Tigers and free agent reliever Mark Lowe were nearing an agreement on a two-year contract. I woke up this morning to read that the Royals and Joakim Soria have agreed to a 3 year, $25 million deal. There are some rumors of a Javier Baez to the Rays type of deal being discussed. What else are we hearing?

agreed. I should elaborate. If they don't think that Buxton is ready out of spring training, I have no problem with Rosario in CF. However, I wouldn't move Rosario to accommodate Sano. It's going to be a learning experience (and not easy) for Sano whether he plays LF or RF, so let him learn and let Rosario stay in LF where he makes the most sense, covering all that ground in Target Field.

Today, we are happy to provide another Q&A with another Minnesota Twins minor leaguer and member of the 2015 draft class. Brian Olson was the Twins 34th round pick in June out of Seattle University. The catcher signed quickly and the Twins had him start in the GCL. In 17 games, he hit .273/.414/.327 (.742) with more walks than strikeouts. He was promoted to Elizabethton where he finished by hitting .333/.414/.510 (.924) with three doubles and two homers in 15 games. Image courtesy of Jon Tarr (photo of Brian Olson) Today, we are happy to provide another Q&A with another Minnesota Twins minor leaguer and member of the 2015 draft class. Brian Olson was the Twins 34th round pick in June out of Seattle University. The catcher signed quickly and the Twins had him start in the GCL. In 17 games, he hit .273/.414/.327 (.742) with more walks than strikeouts. He was promoted to Elizabethton where he finished by hitting .333/.414/.510 (.924) with three doubles and two homers in 15 games. Since the offseason began, he got married and is now looking forward to his first full season in 2016. Before we get to the Q&A, I had the chance to talk to his college coach at Seattle University, Donny Harrel. He shared some thoughts about Brian Olson. “Brian was a two-time MVP here. Then his junior year, a pro scout told him he needed to hit with more power. That took away from what type of hitter Brian truly is, at this point, a very solid gap-to-gap hitter who uses all fields. I believe he will continue to hit and power comes with pitch recognition and a ton of at bats. There will be a time you will see the power numbers go up as well.” Harrel continued, “Brian had a tremendous work ethic. He always hustled and never let failure bring him down. His arm defensively drew a lot of pro attention because of its strength and his quick release.” There is a little background on the backstop. Enjoy the following Q&A, getting to know Twins minor league catcher Brian Olson. --------------------------------------- Seth Stohs: Growing up in Washington, can I make an assumption on who your favorite team was to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Brian Olson: I enjoyed watching the Mariners. My favorite players growing up were Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Cameron.Seth Stohs: It sounds like you played on some really good high school teams. What are some of your best memories, baseball or other activities? Brian Olson: My best baseball memory from high school was playing at Safeco Field for the State playoffs. My best personal moment was hitting a walk-off home run on the last game at our home field my senior season. Seth Stohs: You stayed near home and went to Seattle University where you played for four years. What were your best moments on the baseball team, individual or team-wise? Brian Olson: My best team moment from Seattle University baseball was playing in the WAC tournament twice. My best personal moment was hitting a walk-off home run against Utah Valley during my senior season. Seth Stohs: What was your interaction with scouts before the draft? Did you think you might be drafted? Brian Olson: I had high hopes for getting drafted and was talking to quite a few teams. Seth Stohs: The Twins took you in the 34th round. How did you find out you had been drafted? Brian Olson: I was actually hanging out with a friend watching the draft on the computer, and when my name popped up on the screen I missed it because I was busy talking to him. My scout called me and told me to check the computer. It was very exciting. Seth Stohs: What was the biggest adjustment you had to make, going from amateur/college season to the pro game, on or off the field? Brian Olson: The biggest adjustment was handling the pitching staff because many of them don't speak English very well. Seth Stohs: In these very early stages of your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths as a player? Brian Olson: I would say my biggest strength is being able to control my emotions when I have bad games and separate my offense from defense. Seth Stohs: What are the things that you feel you need to improve over the offseason and going forward? Brian Olson: I definitely need to get bigger, stronger, and faster. Those are my main priorities currently. Seth Stohs: What are your plans for the offseason? When do you start preparing for the 2016 season, but also what do you enjoy doing away from the game of baseball? Brian Olson: This offseason I got married and continue to train every day. I really enjoy spending time with my twin brother Kevin. Seth Stohs: Who are some of the coaches and others who have helped you get to this point in your career? Brian Olson: My Dad has been the biggest influence and support in getting me to where I am today. I have a hitting coach and mentor named Brett Jaime who has been a huge part of my career for years. My coaches at Seattle University were awesome and poured a lot into me as well. Most importantly, all the glory goes to God. Seth Stohs: Favorite Baseball Movie? Brian Olson: I love the movie Angels in the Outfield. --------------------------------------- A big Thank You to Brian Olson for taking time to respond to our questions. Please feel free to ask questions in the Comments below. View full article

And Seattle likely wants Danny Hultzen to live up to the bill of a #2 pick. Let's just let Stewart advance as appropriate.

True on all counts, and a lot of his "issues" don't need to be public. I'll leave it at that. That said, Molitor really does believe in him. Rosario had a terrific rookie year. We'll see how he does going forward.

We may want to see that based on having wanted to see an OF of Rosario, Buxton and Hicks. That was 3 CFs. But most MLB outfields don't have 3 CF. Most are happy to have 2 really good defensive outfielders. So, if they go with Rosario, Buxton and Sano, it probably wouldn't be terrible by any means. But, it's not ideal. So, I do still think there is a reasonable chance Plouffe is traded, but I don't think they're wrong in giving Sano a shot in RF. I think he can do it. A lot of people who have seen him play do.

Just like 29 other teams in baseball...