Cody Christie

Cleveland has been at the top of the AL Central for two consecutive seasons and things seem to be trending that way again in 2018. By season's end, the AL Central might end up being the easiest division in baseball. Besides Minnesota and Cleveland, there are a lot of young, rebuilding clubs. This could help both the Indians and the Twins to separate themselves from the pack in the American League. Will Minnesota be able to catch Cleveland, the Kings of the AL Central?I was on 670 The Score out of Chicago last week to help them preview the AL Central. TAKE A LISTEN HERE. Cleveland Indians 2017: 102-60, first place, lost to New York in ALDS Manager: Terry Fancona (sixth season) New Faces: 1B-DH Yonder Alonso, LF Rajai David, RHP Alexi Ogando Key Losses: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Jay Bruce, RHP Bryan Shaw Outlook: Cleveland hasn’t won the World Series since 1948 and they’ve suffered through some postseason heartaches over the last two years. In the 2016 World Series, they blew a 3-1 to the Cubs. Last year, they were up 2-0 on the Yankees before losing in the divisional round. Cleveland might have the best pitching staff in all of baseball, including the reigning AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber. Offensively, Jose Ramirez led the AL in doubles and Francisco Lindor smashed 33 home runs. Veteran players Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley need to stay healthy. It might be World Series or bust for Cleveland this year. Minnesota Twins 2017: 85-77, second place, lost to New York in Wild Card game. Manager: Paul Molitor (fourth season). New Faces: RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Jake Odorizzi, DH-1B Logan Morrison, RHP Fernando Rodney, RHP Addison Reed, LHP Zach Duke, RHP Michael Pineda. Key Losses: C Chris Gimenez, LHP Hector Santiago, LHP Glen Perkins Outlook: Minnesota surprised the baseball world by becoming the first team to finish in the playoffs one year after losing 100 or more games. Now the Twins will need to try to surprise again as they attempt to hunt down the Indians. With a core of players under the age of 25, the Twins seem to rising at the right time. Adding Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn to the rotation helps to address a weakness and there are plenty of other arms populating the Rochester staff. While the American League looks a little top heavy, the Twins should have enough to fight for a Wild Card spot. Thankfully, the Twins are scheduled to play each of the teams listed below 19 times in 2018. Kansas City Royals 2017: 80-82, third place. Manager: Ned Yost (ninth season). New Faces: RHP Jesse Hahn, CF Jon Jay, 1B Lucas Duda, RHP Wily Peralta, RHP Justin Grimm. Key Losses: 1B Eric Hosmer, CF Lorenzo Cain, RHP Joakim Soria, LHP Mike Minor, OF Melky Cabrera, DH Brandon Moss. Outlook: Out with the old and in with the new. Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain are off to greener pastures, which is going to put more pressure on new additions Jon Jay and Lucas Duda. Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar didn’t get great offers on the free agent market so they returned to Kansas City. Even with them back in Royals blue, it could be tough for this club to be around the .500 mark. There are holes in nearly every part of their roster. Look for them to be busy at the trade deadline as they might be forced to go into full rebuilding mode. Chicago White Sox 2017: 67-95, fourth place. Manager: Rick Renteria (second season). New Faces: RHP Miguel Gonzalez, C Welington Castillo. Key Losses: LHP Derek Holland, RHP Mike Pelfrey, RHP Al Alburquerque, C Geovany Soto. Outlook: While the Royals haven’t hit full rebuild mode yet, Chicago traded away plenty of pieces last season. This means the White Sox have a nice young core with players like Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito and Miguel Gonzalez. There are other top prospects on the way but that could mean Chicago is still a year or two away from making a playoff push in the AL. A completely rebuilt bullpen makes it hard to know what to expect in late game situations. Chicago will likely continue to take its bruises this year while the young guns try to figure it all out at the big league level. Detroit Tigers 2017: 64-98, fifth place. Manager: Ron Gardenhire (first season). New Faces: OF Leonys Martin, RHP Mike Fiers, LHP Francisco Liriano, OF Victor Reyes. Key Losses: 2B Ian Kinsler, RHP Anibal Sanchez, INF Andrew Romine, RHP Bruce Rondon. Outlook: Ron Gardenhire’s return to managing doesn’t seem exactly like a dream job. He will have to piece together a roster that traded away Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler over the last calendar year. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez are still part of this roster but no one is sure how much they have left in the tank. Gardy is very familiar with the AL Central but he is going to have his hands full in a division that looks top heavy entering 2018. What are your predictions for the AL Central? What will it take to catch the Indians? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

It’s been a whirlwind week for Mr. Kennys Vargas. After spending his entire career in the Twins organization, Vargas was put on waivers earlier this week and claimed by the Reds. His tenure in a Cincinnati uniform didn’t last long. Now just two days later, he finds himself back with the TwinsVargas was designated for assignment by Cincinnati and Minnesota claimed him back. The Reds seemed like a tough spot for Vargas to fit, with Joey Votto occupying first base and no designated hitter in the National League. Because of his switch-hitting ability, there was some thought that he could serve as a bench bat or the club could try to sneak him through waivers to the minors. That plan didn’t work as he is back in Minnesota. Some Twins fans were a little paranoid about losing Vargas. It’s hard to blame fans for remembering when the club made one of the biggest judgment gaffes in baseball history. Letting David Ortiz go was a mistake. Even former General Manager Terry Ryan has admitted as much. But let’s make one thing clear… Kennys Vargas isn’t David Ortiz. It’s easy to see why fans can see similarities between the two players. Both players fit a similar profile as large men who have little to no defensive value. Even more eerie might be the fact that the Twins let both players go entering their age-27 season. Beyond those surface level similarities, there are some stark differences between these two players. Ortiz broke into the majors as a 21-year old in 1997. He played a little over 100 games through his first three seasons before becoming a regular player in 2000. From 1997-2002, he hit 266/.348/.461 (.809) while averaging 10 home runs and 18 doubles per season. He also had 339 strikeouts compared to 186 walks in 455 games. His best season in Minnesota was his last as he hit .272/.339/.500 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 125 games. He battled injuries throughout his time in a Twins uniform. During the 2002-2003 off-season, Ortiz was due to make roughly $2 million through the arbitration process. Matt LeCroy would take over the designated hitter role with Doug Mientkiewicz penciled in at first base. Justin Morneau was closing in on the big leagues as well. “There wasn’t any one thing,” Terry Ryan told MLB.com. “If you look at his numbers across the board, they were very respectable. And not that it was totally about money, but we were a little bit strapped. That would be a good excuse, but it wasn’t that entirely. It was just a bad error in judgment of a guy’s talent.” Ortiz would sign with the Red Sox for $1.25 million and the rest is history. Vargas is a much different story. He made his debut as a 23-year old in 2014. During his four seasons in Minnesota, he hit .252/.311/.437 (.748) with 35 home runs and a more strikeouts (251) than hits (197). While Ortiz showed flashes of brilliance in the upper minors, Vargas posted a .248 batting average in 630 Triple-A at-bats. Vargas might the definition of a replacement level player. Ortiz became known for his clutch hits to help the Red Sox win multiple championships. Vargas struggled to be successful in high-leverage spots on rebuilding Twins teams. Because both the Twins and Red Sox train in Fort Myers, Vargas and Ortiz have become acquaintances over the years. In fact, a friendship has developed between these Caribbean born players. Vargas also knows it took Ortiz multiple years to make it as a big leaguer. “He was in my spot years and years ago,” Vargas told the Pioneer Press. “He just trusted in himself, and he found a spot and (won) three World Series.” Vargas is still searching for his spot and now he’s back with the organization he’s known for his entire career. Click here to view the article

Yes. I mentioned that in the article as well.

Opening Day is a big deal for fans and players. The anticipation of a new season reverberates throughout the stadium. Gates open early and there are plenty of festivities leading up to the year’s first pitch. For the first time since 2015, Ervin Santana won’t be the first man on the mound for the Minnesota Twins. His offseason surgery will keep him on the sidelines for the season’s first 4-6 weeks. This opened an opportunity for a new pitcher to get the Opening Day honors.Twins manager Paul Molitor announced Jake Odorizzi as the Opening Day starter on Thursday. It will be his first Opening Day start and he seems ready for the opportunity. “You always want to set the tone in Game 1 and put one in the win column,” he told the Pioneer Press. “If the team believes in you enough to give you that Opening Day start, I think that’s just a big vote of confidence of how they view you and what type of player they think you are.” Odorizzi will be followed in the rotation by Kyle Gibson, Jose Berrios, and Lance Lynn. Phil Hughes will start the season in the bullpen but could be used as a fifth starter if he is needed. Gibson is lined up to start the Home Opener at Target Field. Berrios would then get the opportunity to start one of the team’s games in Puerto Rico, his homeland. Here’s how the early weeks are schedule to play out: March 29 @ BAL: Odorizzi March 30: OFF March 31 @ BAL: Gibson April 1 @ BAL: Berrios April 2 @ PIT: Lynn April 3: OFF April 4 @ PIT: Odorizzi April 5 SEA: Gibson April 6: OFF April 7 SEA: Berrios April 8 SEA: Lynn April 9 HOU: Odorizzi April 10 HOU: Gibson April 11 HOU: Possibly Hughes April 12 CHW: Berrios April 13 CHW: Lynn April 14 CHW: Odorizzi April 15 CHW: Gibson April 16: OFF April 17 CLE (in Puerto Rico): Berrios April 18 CLE (in Puerto Rico): Lynn Since Target Field opened in 2010, the Twins will have used seven different Opening Day starters. Ervin Santana and Carl Pavano are the only two pitchers to make multiple starts during that stretch. Other Opening Day starters include Scott Baker (2010), Vance Worley (2013), Ricky Nolasco (2014) and Phil Hughes (2015). Brad Radke holds the team record for Opening Day starts (9) and consecutive Opening Day starts (7, 1999-2005). Click here to view the article

Opening Day is just a few short days away. For many players, the fate of their careers could be on the line. Twins fans have already seen the club make a decision on Kennys Vargas and there will be other player decisions in the days to come. For Tyler Kinley and other Rule 5 Draft picks, the yet to be made decisions will help determine which organizations they will play for in the coming season. Rule 5 picks must stay on the 25-man roster or the disabled list for the entire season or be offered back to their former organization. Kinley will certainly be packing his bags but will his final destination be Minnesota or back to Miami?Miami left Kinley unprotected this offseason following an up and down minor league season. He posted a 1.98 ERA at High-A but struggled to a 5.19 ERA after being bumped up to Double-A. There were some control issues as he averaged 3.7 walks per nine innings but his 12.7 strikeouts per nine was tough to ignore. Over the winter, Kinley pitched in the Dominican Winter League. In 14 appearances, he posted a 0.47 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP and a 32 to 11 strikeout to walk ratio. During one stretch, he had an 18-inning scoreless streak. It’s hard not to be impressed with those numbers even if it is a limited sample size. Kinley knows his time with Minnesota could be fleeting. “I really try not to think about it. I try to just think about preparing myself the best I can and trying to go out and execute the plan,” he told the Associated Press. “Just to establish myself as a reliable bullpen arm, not only to the coaching staff and front office’s eyes, but to the players as well.” Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado likens Kinley to a former Rule 5 pick. “Johan [santana] was willing to work and get better. Kinley reminds me of that. I’m not saying starting-wise, but he wants to learn, works hard, [a] very good person.” Control issues have continued to follow Kinley this spring. In the 10 innings pitched, he has six walks and a hit-by-pitch. According to the Star Tribune, Kinley’s fastball was clocked at 99 miles per hour earlier in the spring. Pair that with his 91 mile per hour slider and he could provide a power arm the Twins need in the bullpen. Minnesota’s addition of Lance Lynn added another wrinkle to fitting Kinley on the roster. The Twins were expected to start the season with a four-man rotation because of additional off-days worked into the schedule. This could allow for an eight man bullpen. Phil Hughes might be pushed to the bullpen to make way for Lynn in the rotation. As far as starters go, the Twins are looking at Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, Jose Berrios and Lance Lynn. Hughes could serve as a fifth starter or a long-man out of the bullpen. Some of the locks in the bullpen are Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed, Tayler Rogers, Zach Duke and Ryan Pressly. Trevor Hildenberger has struggled this spring so he could be sent down to start the year. He was critical to the Twins in the second half of last season so this might be enough to keep him on the roster. Players like Alan Busenitz, John Curtiss, Tyler Duffey and Gabriel Moya all have at least one option remaining. Things might have been made clear on Thursday with multiple bullpen pieces being optioned to Rochester.This could make Kinley the last player to fit into the bullpen. For the Twins and Kinley, the clock is ticking. One way or another a decision needs to be made. Do you think Kinley stays with the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Prediction season is here across the baseball world. Earlier this week, I made some bold predictions about Minnesota’s upcoming season. Truthfully, there’s a chance none of these predictions come true. Jorge Polanco’s suspension earlier this week also put a damper on the optimism that was surrounding the Twins so far this spring. Minnesota is likely going to finish behind Cleveland in the AL Central. The Indians have more depth and have been near the top of the AL over the last two seasons. Let’s take a realistic look at who the Twins might be competing with this season if they are in the Wild Card hunt.Boston Red Sox The Red Sox and the Yankees are setting up for quite the battle in the AL East. FanGraphs is projecting both teams to finish with more than 90 wins. Boston has claimed back-to-back AL East titles but this might be the year for them to fall a little short. David Price might be the team’s biggest question mark after his 2017 campaign was shrouded with elbow issues. Dustin Pedroia is coming off of off-season knee surgery and isn’t expected to be back until the end of May. JD Martinez could add some offensive pop to a lineup that includes young hitters like Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, and Xander Bogaerts. Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout might be the best player of this generation and the Angels have only been to the playoffs one time during his career. The club’s last win in the playoffs was in 2009. Los Angeles added multiple pieces this off-season with the addition of Justin Upton, Ian Kinsler, Zack Cozart, and two-way Japanese star Shohoei Ohtani. Ohtani has struggled this spring but he wasn’t brought in to help the Angles to win pre-season games. Andrelton Simmons and Kinsler make-up the best defensive middle infield in the AL. Some computer models also think the Angels are set-up for failure this season. Houston should run away with the AL West so LA might be forced to fight for a Wild Card spot. Toronto Blue Jays Toronto should be in the playoff hunt but the division might be out of reach with the Yankees and the Red Sox fighting at the top. In 2017, the Blue Jays missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Toronto’s rotation will start the season without their ace, Marcus Stroman, sidelined with shoulder inflammation. Other pitchers like JA Happ, Marco Estrada and Aaron Sanchez help to complete a strong rotation but playing the rest of the AL East could hurt any starting staff. Offensively last season, the Blue Jays scored the fewest runs and Toronto’s lineup isn’t getting any younger. Seattle Mariners Twins fans might think they’ve had it rough but the Mariners haven’t qualified for the playoffs since 2001. Felix Hernandez hasn’t been the King over the last couple of seasons as his fastball dropped to barely over 90 miles an hour. Only three current starters (CC Sabathia, Bartolo Colon, Justin Verlander) have more innings pitched than Hernandez. Adding Dee Gordon should help the top of the lineup but his shift to center field comes with some questions. Some of the key offensive pieces are getting older as well. Robinson Cano will be 35, Nelson Cruz will be 37, and Kyle Seager will be 30. With a top-heavy American League, it looks like the Mariners playoff drought might continue. I was on 670 The Score out of Chicago this week to preview the AL Central. Take a listen here: https://670thescore....central-preview Who is the biggest threat to Minnesota taking a Wild Card spot? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Baseball is almost officially back. I’ll let that comment sink in a minute. No more practice games where the starters are removed early. No more waiting for free agents to sign contracts. After the Twins front-office compiled a sneaky good off-season, the games will actually start to matter. Plenty of national publications will be making predictions in the days ahead. You will read about the likely front-runners for the major awards and how the playoff picture will shake out. Here are three crazy predictions about the 2018 Minnesota Twins (Spoiler alert: all three could come true).2018 American League MVP: Byron Buxton As a 23-year old, Byron Buxton radically changed his swing while playing every day at the big league level. Say good-bye to his leg kick and say hello to a completely different player at the plate. In the second-half, he hit .300/.347/.546 with 11 home runs and 13 other extra-base hits. His speed also makes him a menace on the bases as he was successful in 29 of his 30 stolen base attempts. The only time he was thrown out, he beat the throw and overslid the bag. His defense was also the best in the league as he was at or near the top according to most advance metrics. For Buxton to be in the consideration for MVP, he is going to have to continue to make strides on the offensive side of the ball. He needs to get better at pitch recognition so he can cut down on his high strikeout total. Buxton also needs to avoid injuries with his reckless pursuit of fly balls in the outfield. Minnesota has the opportunity to be in the playoff hunt and Buxton has the chance to be the best overall player on the team. He might be a long shot for the 2018 AL MVP but he could be in the discussion if he makes some small improvements. 2018 American League All-Star: Jose Berrios Minnesota bolstered its starting staff with the likes of Lance Lynn and Jake Odorizzi. Both pitchers helped to add depth to the rotation but neither is considered an ace. Jose Berrios has a chance to be the leader of the pitching staff this season and he could end up as a 2018 All-Star. His walk-rate shrunk from 5.4 BB/9 in 2016 to 3.0 BB/9 last season. He was also able to post a strong 8.6 K/9 strikeout rate because of his devastating sinker. Berrios will need to improve away from Target Field this season. He made 15 road starts last season and scuffled to a 5.17 ERA because of 12 home runs allowed. His change-up was his least used pitch last season but mixing in more breaking pitches could help to increase his strikeout rate. He’s had plenty of success in the minor leagues and this season will be his opportunity to take the next step at baseball’s highest level. It’s going to take a hot start to the season to get Berrios the recognition he will need to head to the Midsummer Classic. 2018 Gold Glove Winners: Byron Buxton, Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier, and Max Kepler Minnesota had multiple Gold Glove winners last season with Buxton and Dozier taking home the honor. Barring injury, Buxton should lead the planet in most defensive metrics. Dozier made quite the defensive turnaround in 2017 as he only trailed Ian Kinsler in SABR’s Defensive Index. With Dustin Pedroia injured to start the year, Dozier’s main competition might come from the 35-year old Kinsler and Jose Altuve, last year’s AL MVP. Joe Mauer was robbed of being a Gold Glove finalist last season. He ranked as one of the top-3 AL first basemen according to SABR’s Defensive Index, while Eric Hosmer, the eventual winner, was ranked as the second worst. Max Kepler is going to have a tougher hill to climb. He ranked as the fifth best right fielder and Mookie Betts lapped the field. For Kepler to steal a Gold Glove, Betts would need to get injured or shift to a different position. There you have some of my crazy predictions. Do you have any crazy predictions for 2018? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

When it comes to Twins prospects, Fernando Romero is a name that has certainly been gaining some steam. Entering last off-season, Twins Daily ranked him as the best prospect in the organization. The only thing stopping him from repeating that honor was the team’s number one overall pick from last year’s draft. Minnesota’s front office has been busy this off-season by adding five pitchers to the bullpen and starting rotation. This means all of the team’s top pitching prospects will start in the minors. That still doesn’t mean that Romero isn’t making it hard for the front office to consider bringing him north. What role will Romero play in 2018? What can fans expect from the team’s top pitching prospect?For the first time in his professional career, Fernando Romero found himself on multiple national prospect rankings. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranked Romero as the 68th best prospect while Baseball Prospectus saw him sneak into the top-100 at number 97. ESPN’s Keith Law has him just inside his top-50. Most of this buzz is coming off of his potential to be a starting pitcher but he’s done very well this spring as a relief pitcher. Entering play on Sunday, Romero had yet to surrender a hit in five innings pitched. He continued that streak and added three more hitless innings to his resume. One of the knocks on Romero has been his command. During his breakout 2016 campaign, he seemed to put it all together. He posted a 0.90 WHIP and a 1.5 BB/9. Last year, his WHIP bumped up to 1.35 and his BB/9 more than doubled (3.2 BB/9). This spring he has been focusing on attacking hitters. Even with that focus he was only successful on getting ahead of three out of the nine batters he faced on Sunday. When Seth interviewed Romero earlier this off-season, he made it clear that fastball command is where it all starts. “That’s all we do. Try to command the fastball and get them out with the slider or change up. Doesn’t matter.” With a fastball in the mid to upper 90s and a devastating slider, one has to wonder if Romero could help the Twins this season in a bullpen role. Former Cy Young winners like Johan Santana and David Price got their starts as relief pitchers. Romero has only pitched over 100 innings once in his career. If the Twins are in the playoff hunt, a shift to the bullpen could be one way he helps the club in 2018. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to have Romero near the top of a rotation. A one-two punch of Jose Berrios and Romero could be quite the homegrown tandem. Twins coaches, including Ivan Arteaga, have been working with Romero to refine his delivery. During the 2017 campaign, Romero was getting into the habit of falling off toward the first base side of the mound. This impacted his control as one can see from the numbers listed above. Coaches like Arteaga have helped him to focus on finishing with his momentum heading toward home plate. “He doesn’t need to overthrow,” Arteaga told the Pioneer Press. “He’s got velo. He’s got power. He just needed to understand that, which I think he did over time. Watching some video and working in the bullpen, he put a lot of effort into following the plan that we have for him.” Romero has impressed this spring and it seems like he could be destined for Target Field this season. Will it be as a starter or as a reliever? Only time will tell… Click here to view the article

For Twins fans, the last couple of weeks have brought one piece of good news after another. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have built on last year’s playoff team by overhauling the pitching staff. Two new starters and multiple relievers have been added to help fix Minnesota’s biggest weakness. Add in the signing of Logan Morrison to bolster the offense and it’s been an almost perfect offseason. That being said, there has been some collateral damage throughout this process. Players who were poised to break camp with the team will be starting in the minors or ending up on another roster. Who has been impacted the most by the current roster’s construction?Starting Pitcher Effect Ervin Santana is going to start the year on the disabled list but there was still other arms vying for a role in the rotation. Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson seemed like locks and both players should still be in the rotation on Opening Day. Beyond those two players, the rest of the rotation has been impacted by the additions of Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn. Adalberto Mejia was penciled into the back-end of the rotation as spring training began. However, he now seems destined for Rochester to join a stacked rotation with many of the team’s top pitching prospects. Phil Hughes also had a chance at a rotation role. With the current roster, it seems like he will be shifted to the bullpen. Anibal Sanchez saw his Twins tenure come to an end on Sunday even if it was a long-shot for him to make the rotation. Pre Off-Season Rotation: Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, Adalberto Mejia, Phil Hughes Current Rotation: Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios, Lance Lynn, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson Relief Pitcher Effect Minnesota’s bullpen had some bright spots last season but there were still some question marks as the offseason began. There was very little late-inning experience and it was hard to know who would be called upon for some of the biggest outs in the game. Adding pieces like Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed and Zach Duke might have shifted the bullpen into one of the team’s strengths. Some less experienced players are going to find themselves in the minors to start the year. Tyler Kinely was selected in the Rule 5 Draft but the bullpen is already crowded. The Twins could work out a deal with Miami to keep him in the minors. Hughes is going to have to take the place of another arm. Names like Alan Busenitz, John Curtiss and Gabriel Moya are going to have to continue to prove themselves in the minors as they wait for their opportunity. Pre Off-Season Bullpen: Trevor Hildenberger, Ryan Pressly, Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Alan Busenitz, John Curtiss, Jake Reed Current Bullpen: Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed, Trevor Hildenberger, Ryan Pressly, Zack Duke, Taylor Rogers, Phil Hughes Designated Hitter Effect Even after having offseason surgery, Miguel Sano will continue to get time on the defensive side of the ball. There may be a time in his career where he is relegated to a designated hitter role. Over the last two seasons, Joe Mauer has averaged 23 starts at DH. Other names like Kennys Vargas and Robbie Grossman entered camp with a chance to earn some time as the designated hitter. Logan Morrison’s signing changed some of those plans. Kennys Vargas seems like the odd-man out in the new DH equation. His lack of defensive position makes him more replaceable than someone like Robbie Grossman. Minnesota can put Grossman on the bench and have him serve in a fourth outfielder role. Vargas seems redundant with more proven hitters like Morrison, Sano and Mauer ahead of him on the DH depth chart. Pre Off-Season DH Options: Robbie Grossman, Kennys Vargas, Miguel Sano, Joe Mauer Current DH Options: Logan Morrison, Robbie Grossman, Miguel Sano, Joe Mauer Who has been impacted the most by the moves of this off-season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are in the midst of a pretty good offseason. They’ve rebuilt the bullpen, added a starting pitcher, and bolstered the line-up with a powerful left-handed bat. In fact last week, I wondered if the addition of Logan Morrison might have fixed Minnesota’s biggest flaw. It’s under three weeks until Opening Day and the Twins might not be done adding pieces. Is the front office pitching to add some more pitching?Change of Heart? When the Twins traded for Jake Odorizzi, the message from the front office was pretty clear. It didn’t sound like the Twins were happy having only Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi leading the rotation. Santana will miss the first month of the following surgery on his finger. This means the rotation would currently be rounded out with the likes of Kyle Gibson, Phil Hughes, and Adalberto Mejia. With extra off-days built into the early schedule, the Twins only need a fifth starter a handful of times while Santana is on the DL. With some of the best free agent pitchers still unemployed, the Twins front office might have had a change of heart in recent weeks. Lowballing Lance Lynn Mike Beradino of the Pioneer Press is reporting the Twins made Lance Lynn a 2-year, $20 million deal. This is seems like a lowball offer from Minnesota as the front office continues to try and be “opportunistic.” Beradino makes it sound like the deal didn’t gain any traction and rightfully so if you’re in Lynn’s shoes. Lynn missed all of 2016 following Tommy John surgery. In his first year back, he had a 3.42 ERA and a 124 ERA+. Those numbers were a little higher than his career 3.38 ERA but that can be expected coming off major elbow surgery. With expected improvements in his second year removed from surgery, Lynn could slide into the back of Minnesota’s rotation and add some depth to the rotation. Show Me The Money Coming off a playoff appearance, the Twins are currently set to open the year with a club-record $118 million payroll. Minnesota lost out on the Yu Darvish sweepstakes but they were rumored to have offered him a contract worth over $100 million. This could mean the team still has money in the bank to put towards adding other pieces. With big contracts from Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier coming off the books, the club has little invested in guaranteed money beyond next season. Phil Hughes, Addison Reed, Michael Pineda and Jason Castro are the only players with guaranteed money for 2019. There is currently no guaranteed money for 2020. Obviously, young players like Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano and Jose Berrios will start to get more expensive. Buxton might already be in the beginnings stages of a long-term deal. Young talent is cheap but it doesn’t stay cheap forever. Do the Twins need to add another starting pitcher? Will Lynn even negotiate with the Twins after they lowballed him? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Brian Dozier has been part of some bad Minnesota Twins teams. However, Dozier has also been part of a rebuild that seems to be headed into a new era of Twins baseball. At season’s end, Dozier seems destined to hit the free agent market. Minnesota hasn’t approached him about a contract extension and Dozier is excited to see what free agency could bring for him and his family. After this year’s free agent period, should Dozier be looking forward to the process? Are the Twins already prepared to move on from the Dozier era?“I’ll Be A Free Agent” Dozier made it clear to the assembled media last week that he is heading into free agency. When the Twins signed Dozier, it was certainly a unique contract. He signed a four-year contract for $20 million that bought out the remainder of his arbitration years. For the Twins, it created some cost certainty. For Dozier, it allowed him some financial stability, he got to avoid the messy arbitration process, and he knew he could enter free agency in his early 30’s. This offseason’s free agency period has been strange to say the least. Yu Darvish, the biggest name on the free agent market, took his time in selecting a new home. Even after his signing, the market has been moving slowly despite spring training being well underway. While the free agent class wasn’t one of the best classes in recent memory, there were some names that should have drawn interest. There were very few second baseman on the free agent market and not many of them were of the same caliber as Dozier. Players like Neil Walker and Brandon Phillips aren’t exactly going to be huge difference makers for a team. Former Twin Eduardo Nunez is the lone second baseman to sign. A year after hitting .313/.341/.460, Nunez was able to sign only a one-year, $4 million deal. According to FanGraphs, Brian Dozier has been worth 14.2 WAR over the last three seasons. That means he’s been worth roughly $113 million over that span. Nunez has been worth 5.9 WAR and $47.4 million during the same time period. Dozier is one of the best offensive players at his position and he won his first Gold Glove last season. Since 2006, there have been few second basemen who have been able to score big free agent contracts. Baseball Prospectus found five second basemen to get more than $25 million as free agents. Only Ben Zobrist (4 years, $56 million) and Robinson Cano (10 years, $240 million) brought in over $40 million. It’s clear to see Dozier’s value but his age going to start playing a factor. Better With Age? Dozier fits the definition of a late-bloomer. His breakout season came at Double-A when he was 24 years old. He wouldn’t make his big league debut until age 25 and he wouldn’t play a full big league season until he was 26. He hit under .245 in each of his first three big league seasons and never had an OPS higher than .762. Over the last two seasons, his OPS has jumped to .886 (2016) and .856 (2017) while averaging 38 home runs per year. I’ve been critical of Dozier’s defense in the past but his defense made remarkable strides last season. According to SABR’s Defensive Index, only Ian Kinsler ranked better than Dozier among AL second basemen. Moving On Many of Minnesota’s top prospects currently play shortstop and Jorge Polanco is coming off a strong second half. Royce Lewis, Nick Gordon and Wander Javier all could shift to second base if Dozier finds another home for 2019. If Polanco can continue to play well this year, a starting middle infield of Nick Gordon and Jorge Polanco seems a likely scenario for next season. Considering Dozier’s age, and other options in the system, it seems likely for the Twins to say goodbye to Mr. Dozier. Younger players are going to be ready for the big league level. I believe Dozier’s veteran presence is something that also can’t be overlooked. A team trying to contend can’t be made of all young and unproven players. However, the front-office still has a difficult Dozier decision. Do you think it’s time for the Twins to say bye-bye to Brian Dozier? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Questions have circled Miguel Sano throughout most of the off-season. Will he be suspended following assault allegations? Will he start the year on the DL after off-season surgery on his leg? Can he be an All-Star caliber slugger like fans saw in the first half of 2018? Many of those questions remain unanswered. With a less than a month until Opening Day, Sano and the Twins are still uncertain about what the future will bring.Last week, Miguel Sano spent four hours being interviewed by investigators from Major League Baseball. This comes two months after Sano was accused of unwanted advances by photographer Betsy Bissen. The incident in question allegedly occurred after an autograph signing back in 2015. Sano has denied the allegations from the beginning and there’s still little known about when MLB will make any final decision about a possible punishment for Sano. Many believe Sano’s interview was the final step in the investigation process. This may indicate that the commissioner’s office is ready to make a decision in the coming days. The two-year-old policy covers domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Previous punishments under this policy have included suspension, fines and/or sensitivity training. However, police reports have usually been included in those previous cases. For example, Yankees closer Arolids Chapman was suspended 30 games in 2016 after he allegedly choked his girlfriend and fired eight shots in the garage of his home. He was never prosecuted because there were conflicting accounts of the events and not enough evidence. Other questions have also followed Sano this off-season. He had a roughly 18-inch titanium rod placed in his left-leg back in the middle of November. This meant there was part of the off-season where he was immobilized and this could have led him to packing on a few more pounds than the team wanted to see from their budding slugger. Sano’s play on the field so far this spring has continued the trend of uncertainty. He’s started two games at third base but he has yet to record a hit. He is 0-for-8 with 3 Ks including a pair of three-pitch strikeouts on Sunday afternoon. On the defensive side of the ball, there have been limited chances for Sano. In his first play at third base, he was slow to field a chopper and then missed a throw to Joe Mauer. The play was ruled an infield hit. Later in that first game, he had to charge a ball and make a barehanded play. In Sunday’s game, his only defensive opportunity came on a pop-out to third. It's hard to read a lot into two spring training starts for Sano. He’s working his way back from injury and there is still a month for him to get his bat back into shape for the 2018 season. With that being said, uncertainty continues to follow Sano. The organization and Sano have no idea when Commissioner Rob Manfred will make the final ruling in his assault case. Until that time, Sano is going to continue to try to figure things out on the field. Are you worried about Sano’s start so far this spring? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Pitching, pitching, and more pitching had been the story of Minnesota’s offseason. The bullpen was bolstered with multiple pieces including closer Fernando Rodney and set-up men Addison Reed and Zack Duke. Minnesota traded for Jake Odorizzi last week to help solidify the starting rotation. There have also been rumors of the Twins adding another pitching piece before Opening Day. Logan Morrison signed over the weekend to help solidify Minnesota on the offensive side of the ball. Even with his signing, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the Twins and their offensive players.Infield Veterans Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier have plenty to prove as they both are set to hit free agency at season’s end. Dozier is coming off some of the best seasons of his career and he seems to be hitting free agency at a good point in his career. Mauer has admitted this spring that he would like to finish out his career in a Twins uniform. Both of them still need to help lead the offense in 2018. Dozier’s strikeout rate stayed steady last season at 20 percent but he improved his walk rate from 8.8 percent in 2016 to 11.1 in 2017. He posted a career-high .271 average that was boosted there because of a .300 BABIP. He’s averaged 38 home runs over the last two seasons and he’s continued to improve his batted-ball profile. Mauer’s offensive output struggled after suffering multiple concussions. Last season, Mauer started to look more like the pre-concussion Mauer. He hit over .300 for the first time since 2013, the year his concussion occurred. His strikeout rate had been increasing at an alarming rate as he averaged over 100 strikeouts from 2014-2016. Mauer was also one of the best players in the American League at avoiding pitches out of the zone. Newly signed designated hitter Logan Morrison is coming off a breakout season. His 38 home runs helped him to finish in the top-10. He also changed his swing mechanics as he increased his launch angle from 12.1 degrees in 2016 to 17.4 degrees in 2017. As a lefty, left-handed pitchers held him to a .233 average and only six of his homers came against lefties. Morrison is going to need to prove that 2017 wasn’t a fluke. Dozier, Morrison and Mauer will need to continue these recent trends to help the Twins offense. Inexperienced Infield Jorge Polanco showed his inexperience during the first half of last season. He struggled by hitting .224 with a .596 OPS. He was benched near the end of July and this seemed to wake him up. From August 1 to season’s end, he hit .316 with a .931 OPS and 10 home runs. He’s shown the ability to limit strikeouts. Sano’s power tool has been touted throughout his professional career. Last season, he seemed to put it all together before a shin injury forced him to miss the season’s last two months. He was elected to the All-Star Game in Miami after slugging 21 homers and compiling a .906 OPS in the first half. As a big swinger, he strikes out in over a third of his plate appearances but he has a 12.3 percent walk rate. There are also reports of Sano showing up to camp out of shape. He’s always been a bigger player but this season is important to show he can be an elite power-hitting threat. So which versions of Polanco and Sano will surface in 2018? Inexperienced Outfield Buxton’s poor start to 2017 was well documented. Through the season’s first month, he was striking out at an alarming rate (37% of his plate appearances). May turned into a transition time for Buxton as he got rid of his leg kick and rebuilt his swing. In the season’s second half, he hit .300 with an .893 OPS and 11 home runs. This was a great finish but Buxton’s pitch recognition needs to improve to cut back on his strikeouts and draw more walks. In his sophomore season, Max Kepler struggled mightily against lefties with a .453 OPS. Paul Molitor even went so far as to bench Kepler against some left-handed pitchers. He showed the ability to hit off of lefties during his minor league career so he needs to figure it out at the big league level in 2018. He could continue to grow in multiple areas including his power hitting. Over the last two seasons, Eddie Rosario has cut his strikeout rate from 25.7 to 18 percent. His career-high .289 batting average allowed him to get on base almost 31% of the time. Rosario has a career .325 BABIP but he only posted a .312 BABIP last season. This could be a sign that he was unlucky last year. This outfield trio might let only raindrops fall on the defensive side of the ball but there are plenty of questions about their contributions on the offensive side of the ball. Which offensive player has the most to prove in 2018? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article