Seth Stohs

Cubs expected to receive catcher Miguel Montero from the Diamondbacks for prospects, according to Bob Nightengale (USA Today).

At least two of them are guaranteed to be there for spring training. To think they would DFA Darnell or Thielbar... it's just not going to happen. Only way they're not there is if they're traded.

The White Sox certainly won the headlines for Day 1 of the winter meetings. Obviously we'll see what happens. I do like their pitching staff. 4 very good starters and 4 really good relievers is a good start. We'll see what happens on the field. Will still depend a lot on the development of players like Tyler Flowers and Avisail Garcia.

Day 1 belonged to the Chicago White Sox with their reported acquisitions of David Robertson and Jeff Samardzija. The Cubs signed Jason Hammel to a two year deal worth $20 million (with a 3rd year option). Who will win Day 2? Will it be John Lester? He could sign as early as today? Darren Wolfson tweeted yesterday that the Twins will be meeting with the Wasserman group. They are the agents for players such as Edinson Volquez, Kris Medlen, Brandon Morrow and others. Do you think that the Twins could have additional players currently on waivers? Use this thread to report any rumors we are hearing about the Twins or other clubs throughout the day. Obviously if there is a strong Twins rumor, it will get it's own thread as well. But use this one to discuss the activities and rumors at the Winter Meetings around baseball.

I love stories like this. I remember listening to Miracle broadcaster Brice Zimmerman calling this game. It was intense, and it was awesome! Hearing these types of stories from a guy like AJ, who played (as he wrote) over 250 games with Sano, is so much fun! I hope he continues this series with many other stories of Monster Miguel!

My assumption is that the White Sox will lock up Samardzija after the trade, or the trade may even be contingent upon letting the Sox and Shark work out a long-term agreement.

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

I hope this is right, and they did trade Adam Lind. Edwin Encarnacion is at 1B, but CC could contribute at DH. He's got an option year left too. This one kind of stinks. I remember the first Q&A I did with him Jan 1, 2013, after his season in New Britain. I was struck by how much time he put into answers and such. Having met him in the clubhouse in Sept 2013 and again last spring in Ft. Myers, he's such a tremendous, deep-thinking guy. He just gets it. He's so appreciative of all the opportunities he's been given. Getting a chance with the Rock Cats, getting the spring training invite, the WBC, the big league call up, the April Player of the Month. Unfortunately, he had the thumb injury. When I talked to him a few weeks ago, there was still inflamation. I do believe he is capable of being a solid major league contributor for several more years. Maybe I'm biased, but I hope he is!

Yeah, I don't think Oliva or Kaat should be in the Hall of Fame (even if I tried to make the case for both in the last couple of weeks), but every time they're up for election, I will hope like crazy that they get in.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced today that NO "Golden Era" players were elected into the Hall of Fame by the 16-person Veteran's Committee. Tony Oliva received 11 votes. Jim Kaat received 10 votes. A player needed 12 votes for induction. Dick Allen also received 11 votes. Here is the link to the Baseball Hall of Fame site for the details of the vote.

The Australian Baseball League announced its All Star game participants today. Current Twins farmhand Sam Gibbons made the team. Former Twins (and/or Twins farmhands) Luke Hughes, Justin Huber, Markus Solbach and Trent Oeltjen are also going to play in the game.

If he wanted to leave, he would have gone to Toronto 13 years ago. He's not going anywhere, nor should he, or at least I would be shocked if he did. Next GM? In my opinion, the favorite would be Mike Radcliff, but Rob Antony would be just fine too.

Right, the Winter Meetings are all about talk and rumors and maybe a handful of deals or signings. In reality, the Winter Meetings originated as a meeting of minor league teams but the Major League people kind of took it over. So, in reality, there will be a whole bunch of meetings that the various people have to go to... and hopefully lots of talk with GMs and agents.

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.

I just posted the forum topic, but then I went and took a look at his defensive numbers. In the two seasons that he spent a lot of time playing the outfield for the St. Louis Cardinals, he was very good defensively, at least according to dWAR. If they don't want to go with Hicks at the start of the season, then Robinson and Schafer could be a pretty nice platoon defensively in CF. Guys that can make up a little bit for the range in the corners.

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.

Vogelsong is solid and would do alright with the Twins, I'm sure. I don't care about the age. But my comment all along has been that if they're going to sign a starting pitcher, make it a difference maker, a guy who if things go well could be a #2... otherwise, go with guys like Meyer and May. I don't have a problem with them talking to Vogelsong though. He wouldn't be the end of the world at all. Solid starter. Pitching depth is good. He's pitched a lot of games/innings. He's someone they should have conversations with.

Or platoon with Schafer...

The Minnesota Twins signed outfielder Shane Robinson to a minor league contract with a spring training invite. He is a 30-year-old who has spent time with the St. Louis Cardinals in 5 of the last 6 years. He's a speed guy, a 4th or 5th outfielder type.

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.

But to be fair, we don't know how he would react as a teammate. We don't know how any of the players would. It's uncharted territory. No one knows in baseball. My guess, and my hope, is that players, including Torii, would accept them if that case were to come to fruition. My sense is if they wanted to win, they'd all come together.

I hate this topic and 99% of me wants to stay away from it and not comment, but I think it's a fair topic. Berardino is the best, and when he asked about the Defensive Metrics, I loved it. When he asked about his political and religious views, I sat in my chair feeling gross, just icky. I didn't want to hear that question and I didn't want to hear the response. As you could tell, and Torii said as he stepped away from the mic, "That guy just ruined it." I don't mind the question. I just hated the timing. It would have been a fair question in a one-on-one forum. Do I agree with Hunter's original comments? Not really, and yet I understand them. I can't help but wonder, if reporters went player-by-player throughout every big league clubhouse, and the players were to answer truthfully, I can't help but guess that 90+% would have very similar thoughts to Torii on the topic. And, I don't have a problem with a player saying, "I don't know how I'd feel. I haven't experienced that, so I just don't know." The problem is Hunter isn't afraid to express his opinions, and he's enough of a star that everyone cares. I know a lot of people who have the same or similar beliefs as Torii voiced. They're not bad people. And I know it doesn't affect their jobs or their ability to lead or any of that. So, I think, and this is just my current opinion, that we need to try to separate his comments on this topic with the baseball stuff, with his ability to lead this clubhouse or be a good mentor for young players. that said, I wish he would have handled the situation better. No question, he could have.

I think Mauer has a bounce-back year. I think that Hunter will put up a very similar year offensively to what he did this year.