DocBauer

It's not like a Dozier extension suddenly makes him a $10M man overnight. And with even a small amount of improvement he could be considered in the upper echelon of ML 2B. (If he's not there already) He would still be very tradeable in the next year or two should Polanco step it up.

Not that I want to make anyone feel worse, but we also added Nivens in the JC portion of the draft. And those three were added to a group of Wllie a Banks, Alan Sontag, Alan Newman and Park Pittman. If we got even a single win out of that group it had to be from Banks. Too depressing to even bother looking up the information.

A second for Berrios here. His stuff, his hard work and seeming bulldog mentality are just awesome. It's funny, and a bit tragic, but when I reflect back over the years, the names that stick out to me are the ones that didn't make it. I was absolutely convinced that Steve Gasser was going to be an outstanding, stud SP for us. And in the OF, Davidson...I want to Mark?...was a quality defensive OF who could play all 3 spots, hit, and had a nice blend of power and speed. I thought he was one of those guys who might win a gold glove one day, but would just be solid in every offensive category. He got a shot, but just couldn't seem to put it all together.

Yep. Exactly this. At this point, blaming Gardy who marched out there is unnecessary. Just the simple fact playing real OF's in the OF will make a marked difference. Forget Hunter's loss of range over the past few seasons. At least he knows how to position himself and track a ball and take proper angels. He even knows what base to throw to! That being said, a move for a defensive CF can still make a huge difference to the team defense overall. Perhaps I'm being a big naïve or overly optimistic about this, but isn't our pitching staff moving more and more toward ground balls and SO's than in previous years as well? Also, eye test means a lot to me as well. I can watch a gold glover all-star like Cal Ripken position himself well, show good hands and a good arm, and play sound defense and make few errors, but he still doesn't compare to the flash and range of an Ozzie Smith playing the same position, getting to balls and making plays Ripken couldn't dream of.

This. Barring injury, it would seem the Twins top 4 SP spots are filled. I'm not saying anyone wants to, or should, "give games away", but, isn't this the perfect time to place a talented youngster in the #5 spot and let it rip? I believe the younger and more talented May and Meyer, probably in that order initially based on last year, are the early favorites for the spot. Milone gets it if these two trip and stub their big toes, otherwise is a versatile swing man in the pen. Pelfrey wins the job if the other three trip, fall down, break a few appendages, and MLB won't allow wheelchair access ramps to the pitchers mound.

My gut feeling is Pinto is the backup catcher and gets a more legitimate shot at actual playing time behind the dish this year. There is real talent there, some potential to grow and polish, but he needs some playing time and trust.

When the dust settles and the smoke clears, the home plate umpire dusts the snow off home plate and the SP blows steam off his pitching hand, I believe a couple things will happen. 1) another OF will be acquired 2) Pe lfrey will be in the bullpen or gone-probably released-small chance for trade value 3) Really good probability that either Milone or Duensing will be gone. No need or room for both, and the one gone could be in the OF trade scenario.

I hope soon the Twins will be and feel comfortable enough with the rotation to drop back to an 11 man staff. I much prefer a 14 man player roster. But regardless,the function of that "last man" spot is debateable, which was the whole point here. I'm not saying we shouldn't or couldn't look at other options than I listed initially. (Unfortunately, DeRosa is not returning phone calls). I still like Nunez...for now...not because he's great at anything or a projected starter. The reason I like him is he can run a little, he can hit a little with some pop, and is just versatile enough to allow for some lineup shuffling.

I just don't see any way Pelfrey isn't the 4th option here, and probably headed to the pen where I agree he has a chance. He throws hard, would throw a little harder in the pen. He wouldn't have to worry about facing batters twice, more than likely. And after missing last year, and the end of '13, I sure don't know that anyone could have high expectations for him in the rotation. And this time, no extension in Pelfrey's future unless he is lights out in the bullpen. There is too much talent, too many available arms to place bets on his return. In fact, nothing personal, he might not even finish or make the season unless he is absolutely 100%.

I have a little difficulty in adding an "age 32 SP" to the roster as a bad thing. His contract is not only fair, it's borderline outstanding when you look at the Peavey contract and others like it. It's not only fair, but 4 years, and you can probably figure he's in top form at least 2 if not 3 of those seasons. No he's not an ACE, buts he's good and a known, proven quantity. But spending $25M per for 7 years on another 32 yo would be OK? Because you'd have your ACE for a couple years on a still rebuilding team, (getting closer I admit) only to see him begin to decline while still owed a heft sum for several more years just as the team is rounding in to form? Naw...I'm more than OK with THIS 32 yo signing and making my team better. And I don't dislike Santana, or the move, just because he isn't 26.

The kind of move I fully expected and have mentioned repeatedly since last season ended. Just not a guy I had thought about. I know he's a NL pitcher, but if he can keep his K rate even close it could be a smart move. It's only 1 year. And the investment is small enough a demotion to AAA or outright release would remain an option.

Let me make this abundantly clear......I LOVE ME SOME MINNESOTA TWINS! I recently turned 49, have been following the Twins since my father introduced them to me at age 5, taught me the ways of baseball to a transistor radio, and loved, hated, lived and died by my Twins on cable TV, radio, paper and internet feeds and news information ever since. I am a TEAM junkie, my Twins, my Vikings and my Huskers. I follow recruiting and drafts with a fervor. (even though, honestly, the ML draft to this day is a mystery and a crapshoot) I follow all of the Twins milb information and scouting reports like a second religion. (boy do I need help. Hello...my name is Byron....) And I find myself, especially the past few seasons with all the tremendous "prospects" on their way in the Twins system, borderline obsessed with all of the "what could be" scenarios. Do you, like me, grab pieces of paper and napkins and write out lineup cards? I thought so. But here's the thing....are we so wrapped up in young prospects...the BEAUTY...that we can't see what might be happening right before us? The AGE. Indulge me for a moment here. Many, many articles on this wonderful site have us giddy with anticipation for the arrival of top prospects to make their mark with and for our beloved Twins. We hope, anticipate and speculate, though not all will make it. But a few key ones WILL. But in the meantime, are we missing something? Are we so obsessed with the "next big thing" that we can't see and enjoy what is happening before us? We have a new HOF manager with an intriguing staff. We have the best and deepest SP staff in years, with some potential there. Will you really not enjoy Hughes, Santana, Gibson, Nolasco and whoever if they are healthy and account for 68-70wins? It's very possible you know. And what if Arcia and Hunter don't spike themselves, play at least decent in the OF and produce at the plate and Plouffe and whoever holds off Sano and Buxton for at least a season. Will any of this diminish your enthusiasm? A can of worms potentially. Some debate required. If the Twins actually perform well enough to enjoy a winning record and a playoff run...something I don't think is out of the realm of possibility at this point...will you enjoy it? Or is it an aberration, a smoke screen while you wait for the prospects to rectify?

OK....we're all still waiting for that ONE MORE MOVE that we JUST KNOW TR is going to make. And we all think and hope it's going to be for a CF option to help the defense, and give Hicks some AAA time. (OK.....I'm generalizing to be sure....but I think at least somewhat accurately) Remember all the controversy of last ST when comments were made regarding the last man on the roster, how it was "only" the 25th man on the roster so why was everyone so invested and concerned? For those of you who forgot, sorry to bring up such a painful memory. (as if you'd really forgotten) And for any of you who might have been ruffied somewhere along the line in 2014, a quick refresher: Two year injured and pretty much out of baseball, former ML SS Jason Bartlett was initially pegged to be the Twins 25th man, or 13th position player, despite advanced age and injury, despite lack of AB's and actual ML playing time the past two seasons, and with little to no OF/CF experience, he was kept on the roster. Mercifully, and with no intended to Bartlett who was a nice player with a nice career, the experiment ended quickly. Far more quickly than the memory of the fans, who seemed more interested and invested than the FO at the time! So here we are...LESS THAN TWO MONTHS FROM THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE THAT IS SPRING TRAINING...and I thought it a fun topic to bring up. Accounting for a 12 man pitching staff, for at least one more season, I suspect, that leaves 13 position players yet to fill out the roster. (hence my earlier comments about an expected move yet to come for some CF help) We can all figure out most of the complete position roster right now with little debate: backup C though Pinto would appear to be the guy, OF with a possible move coming, entire INF and the DH in Vargas probably set. This leaves the 13th and final position to be discussed and debated. 1) Do you keep a 3rd C to allow Pinto more time to PH and DH? Does that mean Fryer or the more positional flexible Herrmann, who can help all over, but probably deserves a chance to play AAA for all of, or most of, a full season. 2) Do you keep an extra, 5th OF? Who? I've been waiting 2 years now for Parmelee to be the next Randy Bush. But all he does is defy death and hit LH pitching. 3) My personal favorite at this time; Nunez. I play him every single day in ST, A games, B games, SS games, every single INF position and both corner OF positions and I find out once and for all if I have someone with at least a half-assed glove who can hit and help a little. 4) Is there something, or someone, that I or the Twins are missing in this scenario that you think makes a difference? Let us all know!

I'm going to be as brutally honest as I can be. I want Meyer in the rotation. I want to see him develop, and become the pitcher I think he has the potential to be. But I just don't get all the angst! It's hard enough to control a young player's development and readiness, much less consistency from that player, pitcher or otherwise. And yes, even for the best prospects, there is often a sort of learning curve. Sometimes, you get lucky and they just pretty much fit in, get it right away, and succeed almost from the start. Most of the time, even with excellent players/pitchers, there are some early struggles. A long time ago, in a ML galaxy far, far way, the Twins did promote early with guys like Viola, and Erickson, and Radke, to name a few success stories. But for each of them, there are Terry Feltons and Bryan Oelkers, just to name a couple others who didn't cut it. Why does anyone think the Twins made a major trade for a potential big-time stud prospect with a deliberate sense to punish him, or themselves, by holding him back? Everyone wanted Gibson promoted early, but it didn't happen. Then he got his shot, and kind of stunk up the place. But it was valuable experience and he learned and built on it to a very solid/successful "rookie" season in 2014. The Twins followed almost the exact same pattern with May last season. And he actually out-performed what we saw of Gibson's early work. Now...we wait and see what was sown in '14. I still believe Meyer should have received some sort of late promotion to get a few innings under his belt to help him along. I still believe not doing so was a mistake. But I still have a hard time faulting the Twins for being careful with a top, potential stud pitching prospect coming off an injury, trying to build his arm up, his confidence, his experience, and his consistency with his 3rd pitch in particular. Initially, I felt strongly about Meyer in the bullpen to earn experience early on. I believe May and Milone and Meyer are the top candidates for the #5 rotation spot, with May, based on youth, stuff and potential being #1 on the list, and a toss up of experienced LH Milone vs super talented RH Meyer a pair of close second options. (sorry Pelfrey fans, but the ship has sailed. If he isn't traded or dumped, his spot is in the pen) I now wonder, especially with as many RP candidates as we have, if Meyer isn't better served still by going to Rochester if he doesn't win the 5 spot, to continue to work on a regular basis, keep himself stretched out, and be ready to come up and slot in when opportunity arises.

The kid's drive and work ethic is outstanding! I think he just might be that 1 in a 100, or in a 1,000 you look, scout and hope for. Not only the talent, but the drive, desire and even intelligence to make it happen. I have often compared him to Pedro Martinez, and really, not due to any Latino connection. But simply because Pedro had an amazing desire to compete. And despite his smaller stature, he simply BROUGHT IT to the opposition.

Personally, while a profound proponent for Plouffe, I believe the preferred and prudent move would be to see him perform in 2015 as he has this past season, since his price is still partially to pretty much controlled by the Twins for the next few seasons. No need to pull open the purse strings posthaste. A small parcel of patience. Sano, you know, could complicate or simplify this scenario by the nature of his success this coming season. With sudden and great success he could force his way to immediate succession of the 3B position. Point of fact, should this performance push Plouffe off the hot corner, the Twins could still profit, without trade price proffered, simply by placing Plouffe in another potential position, such as a corner OF spot, which has already been proposed. Dozier is a darling, and a dandy of a 2B and has proven not to be some dark horse candidate. There is no dilemma, I have no druthers, of extending him as I don't believe he is a candidate for digression. I dare say he hasn't even developed his full game yet. Waiting too long will only cause the Twins to delve deeper toward the bottom of their only so deep well to satisfy a decent and fair demand. There are damn few 2B like Dozier, and I think it would be dumb to wait too long to deal him in long term. Santana was a singular, stealthy and shrewd signing of great significance for the upcoming seasons. Proving once again that our often subjugated and dismissed GM remains sly and sharp still. Compared to other market signing, he not only saved money, but practically stole Santana. And we still want to call the FO stingy? Now, the Hughes happening today was not only the highlight of my hectic day but also a heady move by the Twins that didn't come by happenstance. Whatever heavy burden or hefty horrors Hughes had a hard time dealing with in NY, he has handled himself handsomely and seems to finally have a full handle on his potential, no longer hidden. Now, if only Nolasco, who I have nothing against, can avoid nagging nuisance injury, and just nail his normal career numbers, the Twins could have a nice trade chip for a team in need to net them at least a nominal return, while reducing payroll net for further investment. This preferred option would open up a place in the rotation for one of the Twins proud prospect phenoms, May or Meyer, whoever is not currently performing already. One more bright and beneficial move to acquire Bourjes from the Cardinals would banish the bungling of the CF position the past few seasons. That's about as crystal clear on my convictions as I can be.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Bourjos is younger, much, much cheaper, probably better defensively, and a much betterfit. I mean, since the multi-talented, multi-faceted DeRosa remains retired.

I should have been more clear on this. I don't count Perkins as a LH in the pen, he is simply Da Closer. I was referencing three additional LH in the pen vs the two we have normally kept.

What oh what would the Twins do with a PAIR of elite caliber 3B prospects? Oh yeah...move one to 1B or a corner OF spot and reap the rewards. However, I still have a hard time spending that kind of money on an unknown quality. Just when you think salaries in baseball couldn't get any more out of control, along comes this year. Also, after reading all the financial parameters and penalties listed above... ...."I'm so confused!"--Vinnie Barbarino

A few thoughts: Hamburger still throws hard, and has some actual ML experience. There is a LOT of RHRP competition for the pen this spring, and we never talk about him. He just might be a surprise. Speaking of surprises, if O'Rourke is as good against LHers as we hear, he might also surprise, though I think it would require the Twins keeping 3 lefties instead of two. Ortiz is a guy who has flown under the radar most of his career thus far, and yet, he seems to always put of OK numbers and work his way up the ladder. Though not a prospect close to their league, I wonder if he might see the majors before either Rosario or Buxton. Does anyone have a solid scouting report on Farris? I know he's nothing special, but he can play 2B, was suddenly transformed in to a CF last season, and actually seemed to perform reasonably well. Is there any chance he could be a versatile, 25th man type?

I don't think Walker is being disrespected at all. The whole purpose, generally speaking, of bringing someone to camp on an invite basis, is you expect that individual to have a legitimate shot at playing time some point during that year: AAA call up, AA up to AAA and then a call up or September promotion, etc. No matter how talented and productive Walker has been thus far...and I'm a fan...he has holes in his swing to work on, and the odds are pretty doubtful he sees the majors at any point this season. And besides, a lot of kids not actually "invited" still make appearances in the big games at the behest of staff, or to fill up a roster for SS games, or both.

Excellent post! Still talented, filled with a lot of potential, having shown at least some of that potential off previously in the minors, being rushed to the majors and then pulled and pushed about like Stretch Armstrong...and still only 25...there is no reason to give up on Hicks yet. For those who say he has nothing to learn or prove at the AAA level at this point, I'd say he hasn't proved anything at that level yet, and unless we're watching two completely different players in CF for the Minnesota Twins named Aaron Hicks, he hasn't proven he can play at the ML level enough to warrant any consideration there to be sure. Again, talented and only 25, the smartest thing the Twins could do would be to make a move for a fill-in/stop gap CF...such as a member of the St Louis Cardinals that we have mentioned on several occasions...to a) help the 2015 ballclub be a nice role player on the bench when Buxton arrives c) remove pressure off Hicks and allow him to play a year in AAA, work on his game, gain/re-gain confidence, and rewind his career a bit in hopes that he can actually have one. As far as the initial function of the post, breaking down his swing, I'm no Parker, but rolling of the foot or not, his hips and whole lower half seem to bail out before the ball even arrives as though Nolan Ryan were pitching and pi**ed off. How could you ever hope to drive the ball with any authority with that opening movement?

I was always a fan of Punto except when he was sliding in to 1B or playing too much period. But Nunez does hit better, is younger, is still multiple in regard to position flexibility, and he's a second utility player, so I'm not so worried about the superior defense aspect of Punto.

What Riverbrian stated 100%. For the Twins to go in to 2015 with nothing more in place in CF than Hicks and Schafer, a pair of failed and failing prospects, with nothing else for contingency for a third straight season is beyond odd or frustrating, but borders on apathy or incompetence. There absolutely has to be a third option added to this mix.

Sorry, my reference to "close enough" was in reference to a better offense," close enough" on defense, to offset as a TEAM. The bullpen perhaps being the overiding difference between the Royals and Twins on a TEAM basis.