Seth Stohs

I don't think it is even a barometer for how ready they are. The stats themselves don't matter. Someone could have 3 bloops singles and a .452 batting average, or they could have four rockets that have been caught and have a .083 batting average. Some players, obviously veterans who will make the roster, For veteran pitchers, they may just be working on certain things in these early games. For the rookies, they're likely getting their first 'big-league' innings in and may be nervous, but also just trying to make a good impression. Sammons has looked solid. Austin Schulfer has a couple of really nice appearances. But Cole Sands having two rough spring appearances before being optioned doesn't mean he hasn't made good progress in the offseason or isn't making a good impression in bullpens and such. Winder looked good today. He could be considered well ahead of the other 40-man roster pitching prospects, and it's possible that he is competing with Ryan and Ober and others for rotation spots, or could stick with the 28 man roster for the first month. But again, it won't be their stats that determine. It will be things like sharpness and velo and command and such.

I thought Scott Boras had a nice quote too about Correa and Royce Lewis. We all assume that Correa is a one-year guy, but you never know, and Royce can play anywhere he's asked, I'm sure.

Spring training numbers/stats don't really matter, with the exception of some back-roster role players or pitchers. And then those stats mean absolutely nothing as it relates to regular season performance.

Everything is happening more quickly than normal in spring training, and roster decisions is a part of that. Allowing for them to be able to get more innings and get stretched out to start the minor league season, six pitchers have been optioned. The Twins have optioned pitchers Jordan Balazovic, Ronny Henriquez, Cole Sands, and Drew Strotman to Triple-A St. Paul. Chris Vallimont and Blayne Enlow were also optioned, but he was optioned to Double-A Wichita. It is the second options for Balazovic and Strotman. It is the first options for the others. The spring training roster currently has 53 players on it, including 19 non-roster players. There are still 24 pitchers (7 non-roster), five catchers (2 non-roster), 15 infielders (7 non-roster), and nine outfielders (3 non-roster). The regular-season big-league roster will include 26 players, although it is likely that there will be expanded rosters for a little while when the season begins due to the shortened spring training. It is normal for players on the 40-man roster who will not start the season in the big leagues to be optioned with the first cuts. There are several reasons for that. One might be that if a player gets hurt in big-league spring training, they would go on the big-league Injured List. In this case, these pitchers are likely to be starters in the minor leagues, and they need to be stretched out. They simply won't get the innings in big-league camp to do that. Enlow will start the season on the Wind Surge Injured List, but don't be surprised if he's back to pitching in games by May. He had Tommy John surgery last May. Josh Winder is on the mound today for the Twins in their spring game against the Red Sox. It is possible he is optioned either after the game or in the coming days. If he is not, that tells us he is being considered for an Opening Day job. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY Latest Twins coverage from our writers Recent Twins discussion in our forums Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

I'd guess there's a pretty good chance that they DFA Romero when the Correa signing becomes official. Would be nice to get him through waivers. Always nice to do that.

The Minnesota Twins announced that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Jhon Romero from the Washington Nationals. To make room, righty Randy Dobnak has been placed on the 60-Day Injured List. Over the weekend, we learned that Randy Dobnak has continued to experience pain in his finger this spring. The injury cut his 2021 season in half. The right-middle finger has been an issue for him since last season. Jhon Romero is 27-years-old from Colombia. A late-bloomer, he debuted with the Nationals on September 24, 2021, and posted a 4.50 ERA in five games, four innings. He split the 2021 season between Double-A Harrisburg (33 G) and the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings (5 G). He went 2-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 38 games out of the bullpen. In 55 innings, he walked 11 and struck out 69 batters. Romero had originally signed in May of 2015 with the Cubs. He was already 20-years-old. He joined the Nationals organization during the 2018 season. Romero has a good fastball that averaged 94.5 mph in his big-league stint. He has a mid-80s slider and a changeup that can be a plus pitch. He also can do these things really well. View full article

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Minnesota Twins have signed right-handed relief pitcher Joe Smith. Joe Smith. Plain in name, but not in game. The Minnesota Twins have signed veteran reliever Joe Smith to a contract for 2022. This will mark his 15th season in the big leagues. He debuted with the Mets way back in 2007, and he has pitched in 832 games since then with the Mets, Cleveland, the Angels, Cubs, Blue Jays, Cleveland again, the Astros and most recently, the Mariners. After pitching in Houston in 2018 and 2019, he opted out of the 2020 COVID-19 season. Through 27 games with the Astros, he struggled to a 7.48 ERA. In late July, he was traded to the Mariners and posted a 3-3 record with a 2.00 ERA in 23 games and 18 innings. Smith joins a Twins bullpen that has some talent but still some questions marks. Taylor Rogers is the best late-inning guy. He earned his first All Star appearance last year. However, a late-July finger injury ended his season prematurely. Tyler Duffey and Caleb Thielbar provide some veterans toward the back end of the bullpen. Jorge Alcala really came on strong late in the year and hopes to take a step forward in 2022. There are other options for the Twins bullpen: Jharel Cotton is a veteran that the Twins claimed from the Rangers early in the offseason. He was a solid prospect with the A's, but he struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery. He found some success last year with the Rangers and has a chance to pitch in a middle inning role with the Twins. Cody Stashak - He struggled last year and it was clear from watching him that his back was not right. When healthy, Stashak exhibits great control and command and experienced a lot of success his first two seasons. Lewis Thorpe - He is officially out of options this year. So, he has to make the Twins roster and cannot be optioned without being put through waivers. The Twins have officially told him that they will be moving him to the bullpen. Griffin Jax - He debuted in 2021 and found some struggles, and yet he held his own. He was also told that he will work out of the Twins bullpen from this point forward. He has two option years remaining. He can throw fairly hard out of the bullpen and has a very good slider. Ralph Garza, Jr. - The Twins claimed him from the Astros last summer. He pitched pretty well for the Twins late in the season and has two options remaining. Jovani Moran - another lefty, Moran has some of the best stuff in the bullpen. A good fastball. A sharp slider, and a changeup that many want to compare to Johan Santana's. He's got three options remaining after getting called up in September last year. Beyond this group, it's possible to see lefties Devin Smeltzer and Danny Coulombe who have both had good success at times in the big leagues. Juan Minaya really pitched well for the Twins the final two months of the season, and he came back to the Twins on a minor-league deal. Jake Faria has big-league time with some success. Trevor Megill was claimed, then DFAd and brought back on a minor league deal, but he has intriguing stuff. Last year, the Twins claimed Ian Hamilton off of waivers and were able to sneak him through waivers. He is out of options, but he is not on the 40-man roster. In addition, Ryan Mason and Yennier Cano are two arms in St. Paul that should be given an opportunity at some point. Joe Smith has had a lot of great moments in the game. The side-winding righty fits into the same type of category as the Tyler Clippard and Sergio Romo types signed in recent years. They can still get guys out, and hopefully they can work with the other bullpen arms. What are your thoughts on the Twins signing their first relief pitcher? (More to come) View full article

Shortly after midnight, news broke that the Minnesota Twins have signed shortstop Carlos Correa to a three-year, $105.3 million contract. Seth and Matt provide some 2:30 am instant reaction. What does the signing mean? Who else is affected? What is next? View full video

No, this is not a RandBalls Stu article. No satire here! According to Mark Berman, the Twins and All Star shortstop Carlos Correa have agreed to a three-year deal worth $103.5 million. The deal is believed to have opt-outs after the first two years. Also, Holy Wow! Mark Berman is the sports director at Fox 26 in Houston is the one breaking the news after contact from an "MLB source." Carlos Correa will be the Minnesota Twins shortstop in 2022. There were never any rumors about the Twins having interest in the former Astros' All Star shortstop. Then as the clock passed 12:30 am in Minnesota, news broke that the Twins were the team. It is a three-year deal for $105.3 million, which is just over $35 million per year. However, he will be able to opt out of his contract following the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The agreement has now been placed on twitter by Jeff Passan from ESPN. Yes, we needed to see the rumors from a second source, and then a third. Carlos Correa was the first overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Houston Astros. He made his big league debut in 2015 with the Astros and was named the American League Rookie of the Year. Over his seven seasons with the Astros, he played in 752 games. He has hit .277/.356/.481 (.837) with 162 doubles, 133 home runs and 489 RBI. He has twice been an All Star. In 2021, he finished fifth in the American League in MVP voting after hitting .279/.366/.485 (.850) with 34 doubles and a career-high 26 homers and 92 RBI. In addition, he won the Gold Glove, his first. Over his seven seasons, the Astros have made the playoffs six times including winning the (now-controversial) 2017 World Series championship. Correa has played in 79 post-season games and hit .272/.344/.505 (.849) with 16 doubles and 18 home runs. It has been a great year for players taken in that 2012 MLB draft: #1 pick Carlos Correa received a three-year, $105.3 million contract from the Twins with two opt-outs. #2 pick Byron Buxton signed a seven-year, $100 million contract to remain with the Twins. #4 pick Kevin Gausman signed a five-year, $110 million contract with the Blue Jays. #18 pick Corey Seager signed a ten-year, $325 million contract with the Rangers. #32 pick Jose Berrios signed a seven-year, $131 million contract with the Blue Jays. Correa was the #1 ranked free agent this offseason, just ahead of Seager. Maybe following the lockout, he wasn't getting ten-year offers (like Seager) and the Twins gave him a shorter deal for a higher Average Annual salary (at $35.1 million). He will not turn 28 until September, so he could enter the free agent market next year, still very young for a free agent, and get a ten year contract, or more. Same if he plays for the Twins in 2023. And, if he plays all three seasons with the Twins, he becomes a free agent at 30 years old, still young for a free agent. In addition, the Twins may only be locked into this contract for one year. If Correa is great, the Twins likely do well, and he opts out. If he does well and the Twins struggle, they could trade him (unless we hear of a no-trade clause) and get quite the haul. That means that the team doesn't have to feel rushed to push Royce Lewis to the big leagues. After missing the last two seasons, Lewis simply needs a lot of at-bats. He can get those in Wichita and St. Paul this year, and he can get himself ready if he is needed. The Twins were believed to be in on Trevor Story, who may also accept a short-term deal after expecting a nine-digit deal. On Friday, news broke that the Red Sox and Giants, and other teams were starting to contact him too. The Twins quickly turned their intention to the top guy. Even if this is a one-year deal, it is great for the Twins. The shortstop position is covered for 2022 (and likely just the one year) by Correa. They added Sonny Gray. They are still believed to be in on the A's top starting pitchers (Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea). Earlier on Friday night, many Twins fans were disappointed to have heard that Michael Pineda had signed with the Detroit Tigers. Twins Twitter got a little heated. Hopefully when Twins fans wake up on Saturday morning, they are very happy! Finally, can we stop worrying about the Twins not spending available funds? Each year, this has been a concern, but they use up the budget. In addition, can the #CheapPohlads narrative finally go away!? What are your thoughts, Twins fans?! View full article

He's a good mix of good defense, good plate approach and some power.

Seth chats with Twins minor-league free agent 1B Curtis Terry. He's in big-league camp hoping to make an impression. Just 25, he made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers in 2021. He'll spend much of the season with the St. Paul Saints and hopes to contribute to the Twins at some point. View full video

I have "Liked" the comments by those who have supported, but that feels like not enough. Thank you all for your support, and taking this step is very kind. As some have noted, we definitely did not want to do any sort of paywall. That was key. This kind of support just makes me want to keep working even more...

Not sure what happened there. Yes, three outfielders: Jake Cave, Derek Fisher and Kyle Garlick.

The Minnesota Twins have announced that they have acquired RHP Sonny Gray from the Cincinnati Reds, along with RHP Francis Peguero, in exchange for 2021 top pick Chase Petty. Why would you trade your 19-year-old first-round pick from 2021? Well, it is to acquire your Opening Day starter. No, we don't know that officially yet, but Sonny Gray has an excellent track record of success. Gray is a 32-year-old right-hander. Last year with the Reds, he went 7-9 with a 4.19 ERA. In 135 1/3 innings, he had 155 strikeouts. He pitched for the Oakland A's from 2013-2017 before heading to the Yankees at the 2017 trade deadline. He remained in New York through the 2018 season. He signed with the Reds before the 2019 season. Overall, he his 82-72 with a 3.61 ERA over 1,267 1/3 innings in his career. Gray was the 18th overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Vanderbilt University. Francis Peguero is a 24-year-old who signed with the Reds from the Dominican Republic back in 2017. He has worked out of the bullpen throughout his career. In 103 innings in his career, he has struck out 116 batters while walking just 21 batters. He spent the full 2021 season at High-A Dayton. To get something, you have to give up someone, right? Well, the Twins traded their top pick from last year's draft, Chase Petty, to the Reds. He pitched in just two games after being drafted last year. He was touted for his triple-digit fastball, and he's got some really good secondary pitches to go with it. The sky is certainly the limit, but that's the price for a quality, top-of-the-rotation arm. For those who say that this is unlike the Twins to trade a top pitching prospect. Recall just a couple of years ago when the team traded a top 5 prospect in Brusdar Graterol to the Dodgers in the deal for Kenta Maeda. In addition, Gray's contract was for $30.5 million over three years. However, there is also an option for the 2023 season at $12 million. It would seem a pretty easy decision unless things unravel for a pitcher with a great track record. A quick search of how often Sonny Gray has been tagged in Twins Daily articles shows that he has been on fans' radars for awhile. Share your thoughts on this trade in the COMMENTS below. View full article

On Sunday, the Minnesota Twins announced their non-roster invitations to spring training, and their top prospect is on the list. The number, 18, is less than normal, but spring training, in general, is going to be different this year. Several players had to switch their lockers from the minor league clubhouse to the clubhouse at Hammond Stadium. That is certainly not a 'normal' thing to happen. Normally big league camp starts several weeks before minor league spring training begin, but due to the lockout things are different. Twelve of the 18 non-roster invites have spent time in the big leagues previously. Here is a look at the players invited to camp. Pitchers LHP Danny Coulombe LHP Devin Smeltzer RHP Jake Faria RHP Ian Hamilton RHP Trevor Megill RHP Juan Minaya Catchers David Banuelos Caleb Hamilton Infielders Tim Beckham Austin Martin Jermaine Palacios Daniel Robertson Aaron Sabato Spencer Steer Curtis Terry Outfielder Jake Cave Derek Fisher Kyle Garlick There are a lot of familiar names among these players. With so many free agents remaining still, it is very possible that the Twins add players to this list. This means 58 players are in Twins major-league spring training. The depth will be helpful, especially once games start, but also remember that the Twins will be able to bring more players from minor-league camp to play in spring games too. Maeda Arrives Sunday was mandatory report day for spring training. Among those reporting was Kenta Maeda who told media that things are going fine in his rehab, but he isn't ready to say when he will be able to return. Feel free to discuss the non-roster invites. Which of them do you think have a legitimate opportunity to make the Twins Opening Day roster? Leave your Comments below. View full article

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Twins have an agreement with the Texas Rangers to acquire shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa. According to Jeff Passan, the Twins may have found their shortstop, Isiah Kiner-Falefa. As excited as I was to hear about Kiner-Falefa, that positive feeling went out the door when learning that the Twins were dealing Mitch Garver to the Rangers in the deal. Garver is a Silver Slugging catcher who, after an injury-plagued 2020 season, And despite some freak injuries in 2021, he hit .256/.358/.517 (.875) with 15 doubles and 13 homers in 68 games. Defensively, he wasn't going to be a Gold Glover, but as one former coach told me, he went from being perhaps the worst pitch framer in the league to an average, or even above average, pitch framer in a league that had shown improvements across the board. The move certainly puts the pressure on Ryan Jeffers and Ben Rortvedt, likely the Twins catchers on Opening Day. Before the lockout, the Rangers made a big splash with signing both Marcus Semien and Corey Seager in free agency. That made Kiner-Falefa available. The 27-year-old played in 158 games for the Rangers in 2021, starting 155 of them at shortstop. In 2020, he won the AL Gold Glove at third base. He is really good defensively. Will he hit? In 2021, he hit .271/.312/.357 (.670) with 25 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. Henriquez split the 2021 season between High-A Hickory, where he was 1-3 with a 3.75 ERA in five starts. The 21-year-old then moved up to Double-A Frisco where he went 4-4 with a 5.04 ERA in 16 games (11 starts). In 93 2/3 combined innings, he struck out 105 batters and walked just 25. He also gave up an alarming 17 home runs. Henriquez is small. He's listed at 5-10 and just 155 pounds. Still plenty of room to gain strength. He has a mid-90s fastball that touches 97 and a good slider. He also throws a changeup that is inconsistent. He has thrown a lot of strikes and shown good control and decent command. Most see him as a long-reliever in the big leagues someday, maybe as early as 2022. He was the Rangers #29-ranked prospect according to Baseball America coming into this season. Mitch Garver ends his Twins tenure having spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues. He was a senior sign as the Twins ninth-round draft pick in 2013 out of the University of New Mexico. In 310 games with the Twins, he hit .256 with 52 doubles, six triples, and 53 home runs. He won that Silver Slugger Award in 2019. In addition, Garver was twice a Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year (2014, Cedar Rapids, 2017, Rochester), and he even came to a Twins Daily Winter Meltdown for awhile. View full article