Chembry

The game wasn't on TV. Whiffs = swing and miss...He got three swing and misses but didn't record a strikeout.

Agreed, but that’s what he stated. He noted that he doesn’t want to pitch for a losing team and is pushing to be part of a playoff roster. He may back down if teams don’t come calling. But to me it sounds as if he would rather sit on the couch than pitch for 2/3 the MLB teams.

Kopech only wants to pitch for a playoff team and that’s his focus. He stated that on a podcast.

His defensive shortcomings in 2025 were mostly due to his arm, from which he was recovering from TJ surgery. He was only 12 months removed in August 2025 and his arm strength hadn’t recovered yet, which is the only reason he didn’t play OF. He grades as average defensively which is similar to what his defensive metrics showed in 2025 (+1 DRS, -2 OAA). There are many within the Twins organization and scouts that believe Keaschall is a much better outfielder than 2B. Even with that, Gleeman stated that Keaschall is currently viewed as an emergency backup and won’t spend much time in the OF unless something absolutely terrible goes wrong. In my opinion, any backup OF option that pushes Outman off the roster is a win

Watched it live. Buxton was clearly in a lot of pain. Ken Rosenthal just gave an update and said Buxton is fine and was only removed for precautionary reasons.

You are correct in your assumptions, Lopez's contract isn't insured for all the reasons you stated. This has been confirmed, see the link to the Athletic article below. The insurance issue played a key role in several of the Puerto Rican players not being available for the WBC (Correa, Lindor, Caratini, Berrios, Pagan, and others). Article also linked below. Lindor would have missed the tournament anyway with the hamate injury, but insurers have taken more of a hard line stance on contract insurance. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7076530/2026/03/02/twins-camp-notes-pitching-defense-pohlad/ https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/02/team-puerto-rico-considering-withdrawal-from-world-baseball-classic-amid-insurance-issues.html

I have watched/listened to most games and this is the first I can recall a SP going 4 IP this spring. Zebby pitched well. Gave up a few soft contact hits. Some mis communication between Gray and Clemens led to one of those hits and he was the runner that scored. Ball was hit softly on the 1B side of 2B. Clemens (playing 2B) cut in front to Gray (playing SS) to field the ball and had to throw against his body. Should have been Gray's ball as his momentum is carrying him towards 1B. Attebury just said Zebby only threw 56 pitches and is now getting more work in throwing a BP session.

I don't think the Twins feel that Outman is the only viable backup. Gleeman has stated many times that the Twins believe Martin and Roden can cover on a short term basis if Buxton needs a day or two off. But if Buxton goes down for an extended period, Outman is probably viewed as the best option along with Kreidler, maybe even Keaschall. Right now, I think they are trying to give Outman an extended look. Attebury said on the broadcast today that Martin, Roden, and Kreidler will also get looks in CF. Keaschall will get looks in LF for sure, but don't know about CF. In my viewpoint, Outman shouldn't be given a roster spot just because we traded for him. I believe Martin and Roden should be given every opportunity to make the roster over Outman. Additionally, we also have Emma and Jenkins that can cover if Buxton goes down for an extended period of time. I know Jenkins is hurt right now, but doesn't sound like it's too serious.

Agree with you and everyone on Outman. MLBTR reported for front office subscribers that Kopech was on Baseball Isn't Boring Podcast in January. He stated he is focusing on pitching for a playoff team and doesn't want to pitch for a losing team. Based on that, the odds of 2/3 of MLB teams signing Kopech is really low. As of February 25th when this article was published, he didn't have a showcase scheduled for any team. There are only a few RPs available listed in order of projected WAR: Justin Wilson (LHP), Danny Coulombe (LHP), Dauri Moreta (RHP), Jalen Beeks (LHP), Jose Leclerc (RHP), Joey Lucchesi (LHP) Those are all the RP left in free agency that have a projected WAR > 0.0.

Here is a good article talking about velocity and UCL injuries: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/is-velocity-really-the-culprit-behind-rising-baseball-injuries/

Lewis sought out an external hitting coach, Jeremy Eisenhower, recommended by Jorge Polanco and Bobby Witt Jr. The changes he has made were obvious right away from the first ST at bat. He is much quieter in the box and has a more traditional load and stride, similar to what he looked like in 2023. Let’s hope the changes he made pan out.

Definitely not an ideal update for Festa. I know there are varying degrees of shoulder impingements, but that's what kept Roki Sasaki off the mound for 4 months with the Dodgers. We have all been wondering and thinking that a bullpen role for Festa is probably best to keep him healthy. This seems to add to that.

In the BAL game, Morris didn't have a good start. gave up 4R in 1.1 IP. In the TB game, MacLeod gave up 1R, 0H, 1K, 2BB over 1.2IP, so by the looks of it pitched ok. Merryweather was pulled after 0.1IP due to injury and Darren Bowen came in, who is a AA pitcher. He was facing TBs MLB lineup and got shelled. Gave up 5R over 1.1 IP.

It's still really early in spring and I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves. Two of his ABs were against Tolle and Skubal. Tough ABs for a left handed hitter, but still something to note that he has only put 1 ball in play. AJ Hinch gave Abel some high praise after the game yesterday. He said "it's pretty electric stuff" and "it looks like he is going to be a problem to deal with"

That was a nasty changeup! It's the first pitch in the highlight reel above. As you said, the stuff is real. Still have to temper expectations, but yesterday was a step in the right direction.

My guess is pitch count. He was already up to about 40 pitches.

Abel pitched well from the sounds of it. 3IP, 2H, 5K, 0BB. ERod hit his 2nd HR of the spring (in 2g), while Wallner is 0/4 with 4Ks. I know it's early, but ERod may push Wallner out of a job.

Repetitive motions typically cause these type of injuries/flare ups. Who knows what caused this flare up, but little twist or turn at the wrong time can lead to inflammation. That's why routines are so important. Good news is the MRI revealed no structural damage.

A few things that I have noted from what I have seen: Keaschall: He went 1/2 on Saturday and hit both balls pretty hard. He faced Peyton Tolle in his first at bat and lined out to deep RC. Hit a triple that short hopped the wall in LC in his 2nd AB. Royce: Went 2/2 on Saturday with 2 RBI. He tweaked his stance and not pre-striding anymore. Looks more like 2023 with a traditional load and step. Turned on a 96mph fastball from Tolle and deposited it on the "boardwalk" in left field. Distance 413ft with an exit velo of 108.2 mph. Roden: Went 2/3 on Sunday and hit a grand slam. Both his hits were hit pretty hard. Taj Bradley: 3IP, 5H, 5K, 0BB, 1R. Bradley looked decent. Gave up a few hard hits to Acuna, Matt Olson, and a HR to Drake Baldwin. The encouraging news is split looked good and he didn't walk anyone. Kendry Rojas: I was quite impressed by Rojas. 2IP, 1H, 0R, 3K, 0BB. His fastball hit 98 on multiple occasions and his secondary pitches were moving all over the place. His changeup was nasty! Faced mostly MLB hitters Struck out Austin Riley and Acuna. I saw him pitch last year and his command was all over the place. Obviously this is one game and expectations need to be tempered, but a step in the right direction. Orze: His splitter looked nasty. 1IP, 0H, 2K. Lodise lost his bat swinging at a splitter he was way out in front of. Funderburk: Looked like the Funderburk from the first half of 2025. 1IP, 3H, 0R, 1K 0BB. Just didn't look all that sharp.

Bobby Nightengale just reported that Ryan is dealing with inflammation. Should be fine in a few days after some rest.

Raya is converting to a full time bullpen role. I have heard this many times now from spring training reports. It's also been stated that Prielipp is preparing and stretching out as a starter.

I understand what you are trying to say, but I don't agree with that mindset in general. I work in Pharma. Just like most other industries, it's a small community of people who all know each other, or at least know someone who knows that person. When a small company goes under or is acquired, many people are let go and looking for jobs. I was in that situation several years ago. Long story short, I interviewed for about 4 positions and in the end got 3 offers. Obviously, I chose one offer and turned down the other 2. Does that mean that the other companies weren't in? No, each opportunity was weighed individually. Were the offers a publicity stunt on their behalf? No, each had their own merit, because each offer was different, not only in salary, but other benefits (PTO, bonuses, deferred compensation (stocks), working equipment, incentives, etc...). In the end I chose the opportunity that was best for me, my family, and my career goals. That isn't dissimilar to the MLB free agent market. When a team makes an offer, it's an offer of employment and a team wouldn't make an offer if they weren't ready to accept that salary. In my opinion, they don't do it as a publicity stunt to potentially upset a potential employee. If they do that, they erode reputation with agents, players, etc...which hurts their chances for other MLB free agents that are represented by the same agency or other players. Coming full circle, I know what companies in Pharma treat their employees well, pay well, have a positive work environment, etc...I know that because as I said, Pharma is a small world many of us keep in contact. Same logic can be applied here. MLB players/agents talk and know quite a bit about each organization, each GM, each POBO, how they treat players, etc... In most of these cases, it's a catch 22 situation. If a free agent signs elsewhere and the team or reporters say nothing, their fans get upset saying they aren't trying, why aren't they trying to improve... If a free agent signs elsewhere and the team/reporters say team XX was "in" on said free agent, now fans get upset and say it's a publicity stunt to improve fan morale, the offer was terrible...What would you do in that situation?

I heard the same thing. From Gleeman, the offer was competitive enough that the Twins thought they had ~20% chance at landing Framber. That’s not just “checking in”.

Pablo had a MRI last September after his forearm strain. It came back clean, i.e. no tear in the UCL…this was stated last September and reiterated today.

It’s pure speculation and blatantly untrue that any of last years injuries were a precursor to the UCL tear. Gleeman reiterated on his podcast that Lopez had a full MRI after the forearm injury. That MRI showed no tear in his UCL. This is a new injury.