Jeremy Nygaard

This one has been in the chute for a while. But I'm not sure what I was looking at.... I don't think things have changed that much since I wrote it.

There are very few certainties when it comes to the game of baseball. One certainty is to hear every year about how our favorite team is going to compete in their division or at least be in the mix for a wild card spot as the season winds down. That was, of course, true of the 2016 Twins. Unfortunately, the Twins turned the calendar into September and were already all-but-eliminated two weeks ago by a sports betting site - their 750/1 odds were laughable even then - and now are officially eliminated from the post-season. In fact, some wondered if they were out of it in April.So as we watch this final month unfold, what should we expect? For some, their “expectations” change to draft position. Of course, fans are paying attention to that. The Twins are currently two games ahead of the Braves in the race for the first pick in the draft. But what about the other teams? You know, the good teams. American League The Rangers are in the best position of all the American League teams. They solidified their lineup and the bullpen and have a dynamic duo atop their rotation that should give them as good of shot as any team to make a run in the postseason. The Indians, barring a collapse, will win the Central. And with that rotation (if they can get and stay healthy) and Andrew Miller in the bullpen, there won’t be a collapse. In the East, though, it’s just a mess. The Red Sox, Blue Jays and Orioles are all within one good or bad weekend of being in first or being five games out. Two of those teams will still be competing with the Astros and Tigers for only two wild card spots. With the Royals falling out of position to defend their crown, the American League Pennant is up for grabs. If the Blue Jays can make it through the gauntlet of the AL East, I like their chances to make the World Series. National League The National League picture is a little clearer, but only because there is one less team that appears to be in the mix. Each division has a team with a strong lead, led by the Cubs in the Central. Both the Nationals and Dodgers also have leads that make them likely to reach the playoffs. The Mets, Giants and Cardinals are bunched very closely in the standings. But with room for only two, one of those three teams will fall short. The Marlins put up a good fight, but have faded late. As the Mets scratch and claw toward the opportunity to defend their crown, the Cubs look like a team primed to lift the legendary 71-year-old curse. While playoff intrigue writes itself one storybook chapter at a time, the march toward the playoffs will stay highly contested for the final month. Which team are you betting on? Click here to view the article

It wasn’t that many years ago we were writing about Brian Dozier in these minor league reports. Now, as he’s creeping up home run leaderboards and dropping three-bomb games on opponents, we get to read about him nationally. If only the Twins weren’t playing so lousy. I first saw Brian Dozier in Beloit in 2010. Next to him in the infield was James Beresford. (I’m not making that up. I actually got Dan Osterbrock to sign my ticket stub. Click the link. You’ll see why.) As you’ve probably heard by now, Beresford is heading to Minnesota, officially becoming a major league baseball player. It can never be taken away from him. In 2010, I didn’t know if James Beresford would be a major league baseball player. Heck, I didn’t know if Brian Dozier would be a major league baseball player. But here we are, in September of 2016, and he’s finally made it. It’s way cool. And a huge congratulations to him! Now, onto the games.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 7 Box Score The Red Wings season ended on a low note, getting shut out by Lehigh Valley. They ended up falling four games short in their playoff quest. Of the four hits collected today, only Wilfredo Tovar’s double was an extra-base hit. Tanner English, Daniel Palka and Tommy Field added singles. Tovar was later caught attempting to steal third base. The pitching wasn’t much better. David Hurlbut got roughed up for 12 hits and seven runs in five innings. He struck out four. Neil Ramirez and Jake Reed both turned in scoreless efforts. Rochester ends the season 81-63. After the game, along with Beresford, Kennys Vargas and Tyler Duffey were added back to the Twins roster. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jackson 1 Box Score Though the season ended today, the Lookouts finished on an exciting note. After giving up a first-inning run, Felix Jorge battled back and pitched a one-run complete game. He scattered seven hits and two walks. He struck out three and improved to 3-5 in AA. Niko Goodrum tied the game up with a solo home run in the sixth and would come around to scored the game-winner in the eighth inning on a D.J. Hicks RBI single. Zach Granite got a hit, finished the season batting .295, and stole his 56th base. The Lookouts finish the season 75-65 and on the outside looking in. The Southern League playoffs start Wednesday, without the defending champions. Additionally, Seth Stohs reported on Twitter that Stephen Gonsalves will be heading to the Arizona Fall League. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Clinton 2 Box Score The Kernels ended their regular season with another victory, their 78th of the year, while gearing up for a (hopefully) long playoff run. Zander Wiel was the story of the day, as he went 3-4 with two home runs and seven RBI. Wiel’s seven RBIs put him atop the MWL League RBI leaderboard at the conclusion of the regular season with 86. Wiel ended his 2016 campaign with 19 hone runs. Jaylin Davis hit his ninth MWL home run. J.J. Fernandez and Rainis Silva each had two-hit days. Eduardo Del Rosario was relieved after giving up a run in two innings. It appears he’ll be a part of the team’s playoff rotation. Sean Poppen picked up a win with three innings of scoreless relief. Colton Davis (two walks, two strikeouts), Max Cordy (walk), Michael Cederoth (two hits, unearned run, strikeout), and Tom Hackimer (hit, two walks, three strikeouts) each pitched an inning of relief. The Kernels will open the MWL League Playoffs against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers before heading back to Cedar Rapids. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Johnson City 8 (Appalachian League Semifinals, Game 3) Box Score A lot of back-and-forth early as E-Town jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a Caleb Hamilton triple and a Mitchell Kranson RBI groundout. But Johnson City came back with two of their own in the bottom half of the first inning to take a lead. In the third inning, E-town strung together five straight singles. Amaurys Minier drove in Kranson and Andre Jernigan drove in Lewin Diaz to give the E-Twins a 3-2 lead. But Johnson City scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to even the score again. The E-Twins had a chance to blow it wide open in the fifth inning. The first five batters reached base. But former Gopher Matt Fielder threw Diaz out at home and with one out and the bases loaded, both Luis Martinez and Ariel Montesino struck out. Only one runner crossed the plate. That gave the E-Twins a 4-3 lead. It didn’t last. The first two Johnson City batters in the bottom of the fifth doubled, again evening the score. E-town took the lead again in the sixth when Diaz homered. And gave it back in the bottom of the inning. And took the lead yet again in the seventh inning when Shane Carrier scored on a Martinez RBI groundout. And, again, failed to hold the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Only this time it wasn’t just one run they gave up. It was three. And they’d never recover, losing 8-6. Lewin Diaz was great, collecting four hits (two doubles and a home run). Carrier had three hits and Ben Rortvedt, Amaurys Minier and Caleb Hamilton all had two hits. Trey Cabbage added a pinch-hit triple in the ninth inning. But it was all too little, too late. Clark Beeker gave up four runs on 11 hits in four innings. He struck out four. Austin Tribby took the loss allowing three runs in 2.1 innings. Johan Quezada allowed all three batters he faced to reach base. Quin Grogan got out of Quezada’s mess, and recorded five outs, while only allowing one hit. Elizabethton’s season is officially over. But it was quite a run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Chattanooga Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel, Cedar Rapids NEXT GAME Cedar Rapids at Wisconsin, Game One (6:35 CST) - Wednesday, 9/7. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Let’s just forget about the Minnesota Twins for a bit. There’re plenty of happy things to talk about. Though it’s not what we wanted to be reading in late August, Byron Buxton was named the International League Hitter of the Week. Randy LeBlanc made his AA debut. Three hitters had four or more hits. Another affiliate clinched a playoff berth. Read all about it here.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Scranton W/B 2 Box Score Tyler Duffey pitched six no-hit innings in his return to AAA before running into trouble in the seventh. He gave up two hits and two runs in that frame and it ended his night. He walked three and struck out five, throwing 97 pitches. Buddy Boshers, who began his rehab assignment, pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Jake Reed struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning after allowing a leadoff single. James Beresford led the offense with four hits. He also drew a walk and drove in three runs. John Ryan Murphy and Heiker Meneses both had two-hit games. Byron Buxton was 0-3 with a walk, strikeout and sacrifice fly. Rochester struck out 14 times on Monday night, including a streak of eight straight outs being recorded by strikeout (and 12 of 14). Yet it’s still an improvement from Sunday’s game. (Ouch.) The Red Wings also added catcher Carlos Paulino before the game. At 77-60, Rochester is still fighting for a playoff berth. They trail Lehigh Valley by 3.5 games in the wild card race with seven games to go. The Red Wings close their season with five straight games against Lehigh Valley, so it could be a race to the finish. Stay tuned. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 13, Mississippi 0 Box Score Three big innings - including a five-run first - made this a non-competitive game from the start. Niko Goodrum had four hits - including a three-run home run and a double - and five RBIs. Both D.J. Hicks and Stuart Turner drove in three runs. T.J. White and Hicks both had two-hit games and scored three times. Zach Granite stole his 52nd base. Randy LeBlanc struck out five in seven shutout innings. He walked two and allowed five hits. Randy Rosario closed the game out with two perfect innings which included three strikeouts. With seven games left, the Lookouts trail Montgomery by two games in the fight for a playoff spot. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 5 Box Score Though it was a losing effort, Nick Gordon did something relatively rare, going 5-for-5. He tripled and scored twice. Five other batters got one hit apiece, including a Joe Maloney double. Fort Myers went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and, despite scoring three runs, didn’t produce a single RBI. They scored on an error and two wild pitches. The Miracle went with a bullpen game on Monday using Luke Westphal (three innings), Cam Booser (two innings) and Confesor Lara (three innings). Both Westphal and Lara gave up two runs, Lara gave up one. Booser was the high strikeout guy, with three. With a week remaining in the season, Fort Myers would need to catch both St. Lucie and Jupiter, who are tied atop the FSL South and lead the Miracle by three games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 1 Box Score With tonight’s win, the Kernels clinch a berth in the Midwest League playoffs. They’ve accomplished this feat in each of the four season the Twins have been affiliated with the Kernels. The offense got off to a quick start, scoring all six of their runs in the first four innings. Brandon Lopez and Jaylin Davis each had two-hit games. Lopez doubled and drove in two runs. Davis hit a solo home run, his eighth as a Kernel. Both Luis Arraez (.346) and Travis Blankenhorn (.320) collected a hit and have averages over .300. Eduardo Del Rosario gave up one run in 5.2 innings. He struck out seven and allowed seven runners to reach base (three walks, three hits, one HBP). Max Cordy struck out two in 2.1 one-hit innings. Cordy has been a breakout player after being drafted in the 40th round in 2015. Over two levels, he’s struck out 34 in 26 1/3 innings. He does need to work on his control (17 walks) but a 95 mph fastball with an 86 mph slider is a good place to start. Anthony McIver pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out one. This win - the Kernels eighth straight - along with two Burlington losses sends Cedar Rapids to the playoffs. The Kernels will enter the playoffs with the distinction of being the “Second-Half West Winners” and will declare Tuesday which game(s) of the playoffs they host (either Game 1 or Game 2 and 3). Their opponent will likely be Burlington or Wisconsin. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Greeneville 2 Box Score Not a lot of offense to speak of Monday. An Ariel Montesino single preceded Caleb Hamilton and MItchell Kranson walks and Montesino scored on an Amaurys Minier grounded out. The only other hit was a single by Luis Martinez, who also walked twice. Clark Beeker pitched well enough to keep the E-Twins in the game, but the two runs over 6.1 innings was one more than his offense could provide. He struck out six and walked two. Johan Quezada recorded five out, two by strikeout. The E-Twins have made the playoffs and will face Johnson City. They could still overtake the Cardinals to be the division champ, but are two games back. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Rays 3 Box Score The GCL Twins missed an opportunity to tie the Red Sox in the standings and remain a game out of first place with three games left. Aaron Whitfield continues to hit (.309) notching a single on Monday. He didn’t steal a base though, surprisingly. Kidany Salva added an RBI double and Akil Baddoo also drove in a run . Tyler Fox gave up a run over six innings, striking out four and left while in line to pick up the win, but Garrett Kelly blew his third save of the season and took the loss after giving up two runs on four hits in three innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Fort Myers TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Syracuse (6:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut (0-1, 2.70 ERA) Chattanooga vs Mississippi (6:15 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades (6-5, 4.44 ERA) Fort Myers at Palm Beach (6:05 CST) - RHP Miles Nordgren (1-4, 5.08 ERA) Elizabethton vs Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Alex Schink (5-2, 5.53 ERA) GCL Twins vs GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins took a day off on Monday - though you could argue they took a couple days off in Kansas City. Congrats to Stephen Gonsalves on being named Southern League Pitcher of the Week. There was a lot of action on the farm.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Gwinnett 3 Box Score In the Red Wings victory Monday, the offense was very balanced. Eight of the nine batters got hits. Byron Buxton did some good (three hits) and some not-so-good (two strikeouts: one looking and one swinging). Tommy Field hit a solo home run in the fourth inning. Kennys Vargas hit a double and also drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk. Vargas was 1-3 with two walks in his return to AAA. Logan Schafer also went 1-3 with two walks and an RBI. Andrew Albers picked up his 10th win for the Red Wings. He scattered eight hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings, three runners crossed the plate and he struck out seven. Jake Reed struck out two in 1 1/3 perfect innings, and stranded two runners in scoring position. Edward Mujica struck out one in a perfect eighth inning. Alex Wimmers picked up his 11th AAA save. He didn’t have a great outing. After getting a groundout, he walked a batter. Then got the second out with a swinging strikeout. But then he walked another batter before striking out the final batter to end the game. At 72-58, the Red Wings have the fourth-best record in the 14-team International League. Unfortunately, the two best teams are ahead of the Red Wings in the North Division, which leaves the Red Wings five games out of the wild-card race. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Jacksonville 6 Box Score The Lookouts should always feel pretty confident when Stephen Gonsalves is on the mound and Monday night was no different. In six innings, Gonsalves gave up a lone run on only two hits and three walks. He struck out six. How often are games with a sub-1.00 WHIP, an ERA of 1.50 and a K/9 of 9.00 not as good as your recent history? When you you give up your first run on August 22 and you’ve been dealing all year, that’s when. Randy Rosario got a rude welcome to the Southern League. He faced four batters. He gave up hits to two and walks to two. He left with the bases loaded and Todd Van Steensel allowed them all to score. Van Steensel gave up a run of his own in his two innings of work. Raul Fernandez picked up his fourth save for the Lookouts with a perfect ninth inning. The offense blew up for 14 hits and nine runs. Edgar Corcino had three hits including a three-run triple. He scored two runs. D.J. Hicks had three hits, including an RBI double among his two RBI. T.J. White had three hits and an RBI. He hit his fourth triple and stole his eighth base. Zach Granite singled twice (he’s batting .299) and stole three bases (up to 47). Engelb Vielma had two hits and a sacrifice fly. The Lookouts improved to 30-26 in the second half, though that isn’t likely to matter. The first-half champs, the Jackson Generals, are winning the second half as well. The Lookouts are 66-60 overall, which leads Montgomery by a game and a half for the second Southern League North playoff spot. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers - OFF DAY KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 1 Box Score The Kernels got a strong pitching performance on Monday night to improve their record to 69-57. Brady Anderson picked up his second Midwest League win with a six-inning performance where he allowed only an unearned run on five hits. He struck out five. Andrew Vasquez picked up a three-inning save. He gave up a single hit and struck out three. Both pitchers induced a number of ground balls. Anderson got nine outs on ground balls and Vasquez got four. Luis Arraez led the offense (again) with two hits. He played second and batted cleanup. He is now batting .347 on the season. Travis Blankenhorn (DHing) got one hit and walked once (batting .333). Kevin Garcia added a double. J.J. Fernandez scored twice and hit an RBI double. Manuel Guzman didn’t record an at-bat, but drew four walks. The Kernels haven’t clinched a playoff spot yet, but it would take a fairly large collapse to miss the playoffs. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Bristol 0 (Game 1) Box Score The E-Twins jumped out to an early lead and never looked back behind the superb start of Tyler Wells, who pitched a seven-inning complete game one-hit shutout. Wells struck out 14 (!!!) and walked two. Wells has won his last three decisions and has struck out 56 in 41 1/3 innings since being drafted in the 15th round. Ariel Montesino set the pace offensively, leading off and getting three hits to improve his average to .322. He scored a run and drove one in as well. Lewin Diaz had a pair of hits to increase his batting average to .312. Caleb Hamilton added a double and drove in a run. Both Alex Kirilloff (.332) and Ben Rortvedt (.200) went hitless in the first game. Elizabethton 3, Bristol 2 (Game 2) Box Score For the second time on Monday, the E-Twins got a great start from their pitcher. Ryan Mason went six innings, giving up two runs in his final frame. He allowed six hits and walked one. He struck out eight and earned his third win. Patrick McGuff picked up his eighth save of the season with a perfect seventh inning that included a swinging strikeout. There wasn’t a lot of offense in game two, but a three-run second inning was enough to earn the win. Hank Morrison drove in Lewin Diaz and Andre Jernigan drove in Mitchell Kranson and Morrison. Kranson added another single later and Alex Kirilloff got his first hit of the game (now batting .332). The E-Twins are now 32-25. They’ve extended their lead to 4.5 games on the third-place Greeneville Astros in a playoff race where the top two teams make the playoffs. They still trail the first-place Johnson City Cardinals by two games. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 6 Box Score The newest Twins, undrafted outfielder Isaiah Aluko set his professional career off with a bang, going 2-4 with a home run in his pro debut. Aluko signed with the Twins last week. The offense scored four runs on 11 hits, but all of the runs and 10 of those hits came from the 8, 9, 1 and 2-hitters. In addition to Aluko, who played DH and batted eighth, Dane Hutcheon and Aaron Whitefield, the 9-hitter and leadoff hitter, both had three hits including a double. Aluko and Hutcheon scored all four of the team’s runs (two each). Lean Marrero had two singles and two RBI. Like the sun rises in the east, Whitefield stole a base, his 28th of the season (in 41 games). That’s the equivalent of 100 stolen bases in 146 games. Not bad. Taylor Clemensia was charged with his third loss of the season. He gave up five runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out three in 3 1/3 innings. Moises Gomez pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing an inherited runner to score (of Clemensia) and an unearned run. He allowed three hits, a walk and struck out two. Callan Pearce pitched the final two frames. He struck out three, allowing only one hit. With the loss, the GCL Twins fall to 28-23 and drop in to a tie with the GCL Red Sox, who won on Monday. The GCL Twins have eight games left - including two against the Red Sox. In the event the two teams are tied at the end of the regular season, they would play a one-game playoff. Nothing to do with the Twins, but the Northwest division includes the two teams with the best records - both teams are at least five games better than any of the other 15 teams in the whole league - and only one will make the playoffs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Wells, Elizabethton Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Chattanooga TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Norfolk (6:05 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler (10-4, 3.39 ERA) Chattanooga at Jacksonville (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (9-7, 3.67 ERA) Fort Myers vs Palm Beach (6:05 CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids at Peoria (5:00 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (5-2, 4.00 ERA) Elizabethton at Bristol (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins vs GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

To my understanding no one gets sold overseas without their permission. Vargas wouldn't sign off on it last year, so it didn't happen.

I think he would certainly be considered. Two trains of thought: 1) There was a reason the team didn't add him last year, even though everyone was certain he'd be lost. They must not have valued him that much. But 2) They valued him enough to take him back instead of work out a trade. So I'd put him in the 50/50 category, but I don't value RPs nearly as much as others. (If you're a legit relief-only guy, you should be knocking on the door well before your 40-man clock starts ticking.)

We’ve examined the potential 40-man additions and we’ve looked at the arbitration-eligible players. Today, we’re going to take a look at the 26 players who have not yet reached arbitration. To be removed from the roster, these players are typically sent through outright waivers.40-MAN SITUATION The Twins have 38 players on their 40-man roster currently. They will need to reinstate both Phil Hughes and Glen Perkins. Kurt Suzuki will be a free agent and I suggested the Twins non-tender Trevor Plouffe (if he isn’t traded) and Tommy Milone. That leaves three spots. A YEAR FROM ARBITRATION Danny Santana, Util.; Robbie Grossman, OF; Trevor May, P; Michael Tonkin, RP. None of these players are going to go into the winter in jeopardy of losing their roster spots. You could argue Santana could be, but I’d be surprised to see him not make it to spring training. ONE-PLUS Eddie Rosario, OF; Miguel Sano, 3B; Juan Centeno, C; Kennys Vargas, 1B; Tyler Duffey, SP; Byron Buxton, CF; John Ryan Murphy, C. Vargas is in the process of doing enough to save his winter roster spot. (Has he done enough to push Byungho Park from the 40-man? I don’t think so.) The other names that pop out are Juan Centeno and John Ryan Murphy. 40-man spots are valuable; catchers are valuable. When Suzuki leaves via trade or free agency, that leaves only Centeno and Murphy on the 40-man. Can you risk exposing them to waivers? Centeno would clear (and I’d take that risk). Murphy has been atrocious, but he had some success in New York and has some name recognition. I’d keep him around. LESS THAN ONE YEAR OF SERVICE Buddy Boshers, LRP; Ryan O'Rourke, LRP; Max Kepler, OF; Taylor Rogers, LP; Jorge Polanco, INF; Pat Dean, LSP; Jose Berrios, SP; J.T. Chargois, RP; Andrew Albers, LP; Pat Light, RP. O’Rourke and Albers have already cleared waivers once and they should again. Pat Dean, a surprise addition last year, hasn’t proven that he deserves to stay on the roster and would likely clear waivers as well. Boshers strikes me as the next most-expendable player in the organization, but he’s left-handed, gets some swings-and-misses and is super cheap, so unless I need his spot, he’s staying on the roster. SERVICE-LESS Yorman Landa, RP; Mason Melotakis, LRP; Randy Rosario, LP; Adam Brett Walker, OF; Adalberto Mejia, LSP. Unless a guy really backs up in the minor-leagues after being added to the 40-man, they’re not typically in danger of being removed. I don’t see any of these guys being sent through waivers. CONCLUSION Coming in with three spots, we’ve made room for four more (Albers, Centeno, Dean, O’Rourke) to give enough room to add all six of my suggested players from last month: Daniel Palka and Zach Granite (OF), Engelb Vielma (SS), Mitch Garver © and Felix Jorge and Fernando Romero (P). There would still be one more spot going into free agency and/or the Rule 5 draft. How would you handle the 26 pre-arb players? Click here to view the article

Mike Pelfrey got a two-year/$16m guarantee. I think Santiago could get interest.

I'm not suggesting they give Gibson a four- or five-year deal. But giving him two (or three) years instead of going year-to-year could work out well for both parties. But there's nothing hurt by simply going one year either.

Right. Santiago is also more of an asset (at ~$8m) than Nolasco is at $12m. So they might be able to recoup value if they trade him too.

Earlier this summer, we examined the players that the organization would need to add or risk losing in December’s Rule 5 draft. Before we can do that, though, the Twins will need to make room for the potential additions. Over the next two days, we’ll look at some possible ways to free up some spots.Tomorrow we’ll examine all the pre-arbitration players. Today, we’re going to focus only on the arbitration-eligible players. Unlike the pre-arbitration players, who all make the minimum or near the minimum, you have to weigh how much these players - who are eligible for arbitration and whose salaries are yet to be decided - are worth in regards to salary to the organization. 40-MAN SITUATION The Twins currently have 38 players on their 40-man roster with two players on the 60-day disabled list that will need to be reinstated. Kurt Suzuki is the only pending free agent, so as the roster currently stands the Twins essentially go into the off-season with only one open roster spot. 5+ PLAYERS (will be free agents following the 2017 season) Trevor Plouffe, 3B. Plouffe is entering his fourth (thanks to being a Super 2 player) and final year of arbitration and stands to make around $10 million. Plouffe is currently the 11th highest-paid third baseman ($7.25m) and there are eight third baseman currently under contract for $10m or more next season. With both Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco under control for around 5% each of what Plouffe would make, it would make no sense to tender Plouffe a contract (unless they’re positive they could trade him). The Twins should shop Plouffe aggressively as soon as the World Series concludes, knowing that he has to be removed from the roster one or the other before they have to add players to their roster. Hector Santiago, LSP. The Twins worked out a deadline deal to acquire Santiago and included money so their financial impact - if they keep Santiago - would remain unchanged. Doing some simple subtraction indicates that the Twins expect Santiago to cost between $8-9m in his final year of arbitration. While Santiago should be tendered a contract, the Twins - with their new GM hopefully leading the charge - should go to the Winter Meetings knowing how bare the pitching market is and listen to any and all offers on Santiago. The likelihood, though, is that Santiago will be wearing a Twins uniform when next April rolls around. Brandon Kintzler, RP. Kintzler will probably fail to make $1m this year as the team’s primary closer, but saves do matter when it comes to the arbitration process. Kintzler will be an interesting case, but he shouldn’t see his salary increase more than a couple million dollars. It would make sense to keep him around at that price. (I would be shopping him aggressively now through this winter, without a doubt.) Hopefully the new GM doesn’t buy into the old strategy of extending players like this, because Kintzler fits that mold perfectly. But at a couple million dollars, he’s a bargain. 4-5 PLAYERS (will be free agents after the 2018 season) Tommy Milone, LSP. Now that Milone is hurt and can’t do anything for his already barren trade value, he’ll enter September as a member of the organization. And then he’ll enter the off-season on the roster. And then the Twins should non-tender him. He’d be in line to make around $7m (and that’s not far off from a back-end guy in the market), but he’s as fungible as they come. Eduardo Escobar, SS. Escobar could get a jump to between $3-4m and the Twins will make him that guarantee. I’m not sure there would be a market for him that would return great value if the Twins called around looking to move him, but you don’t find guys that can play shortstop and have a decent bat just walking around the street. I’ll pencil him into the utility role, knowing he can be an everyday shortstop if needed. 3-4 PLAYERS (first-year arbitration-eligible) Kyle Gibson, SP. There’s the really good Gibson and the really bad Gibson, but not really any in-between Gibson. Of course, the Kyle Gibson that pitched in Atlanta on Wednesday night was really good and the Twins don’t have an abundance of pitchers that can be really good. He’ll probably cost at least $4m in his first year or arbitration (and he’s a great extension candidate) but, without a question, the Twins need to commit to him. Ryan Pressly, RP. Pressly has demonstrated some nasty stuff and has been both durable and reliable this season. He isn’t likely to make more than $1m this upcoming season, so there’s no reason to jettison him. CONCLUSION If this scenario played out, the Twins would only add two additional openings (Plouffe and Milone) to the roster. What would you do with the arbitration-eligible players? Click here to view the article

I've never been more proud while reading the comments/message board in all my life. Actual questions, actual suggestions to why moves were made, actual understanding (as best as we can) and discussion of trivial baseball rules. I've "liked" comments on this thread and I rarely click that button on any form of social media. But really, I think I'm just happy I'm not alone in thinking so much about something that doesn't matter.

He was definitely DFA'd per the press release and confirmed by Jack Goin on this very message board. Goin is the head of the Twins analytic department in their Front Office.

There is also this. With the injuries to the Twins, we saw Rochester play with 21, now Chattanooga play with 22. You could move the organizational filler around and be fine, I'm sure... but I honestly don't know. He could have been DFA'd and outrighted and another bullpen arm could have been available on Friday. It's a good point.

No one would have clicked on an article titled, "Let Me Explain Optional Waivers."

Though the Twins were off, there was plenty of action in the farm system. Rochester announced today that Byungho Park was placed on the disabled list with tendinitis in his wrist. Heiker Meneses rejoined the Red Wings to take his place on the roster. Luke Bard made the jump from Fort Myers to Chattanooga, which is still playing short-handed. Let’s get right into the seven games, all of which the Twins won.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 10, Buffalo 4 Box Score Adalberto Mejia picked up his first win in the Twins system with a 6.1-inning appearance. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks. Mejia struck out five and threw 103 pitches. D.J. Baxendale got the next five outs. He struck out two. Pat Light finished the game with a spotless 9th inning. The offense was a hit-parade. Byron Buxton hit his 10th AAA double. Wilfred Tovar had four singles. John Ryan Murphy had three hits, including a double. The three-through-six hitters (plus James Beresford) all had two-hit games. Reynaldo Rodriguez scored twice, doubled and drove in a run. Adam Brett Walker hit his 24th home run. Daniel Palka also homered, his 30th in the minors this year. Mitch Garver had two doubles and Beresford had two singles. The Red Wings are 68-55, but still 4.5 games out of the wild card. In an anomaly, if the Red Wings were in the IL South instead of the IL North, they’d have a 13.5 game lead. But they’re not. So they don’t. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 2 Box Score A three-run sixth inning gave the Lookouts a final lead after giving it up in the previous half inning. Zach Granite and T.J. White both tripled, driving in runs, and the improved bat of Stuart Turner - two doubles, 3-4 - has helped this club as they approach the stretch run. Levi Michael had a two-hit game. Granite stole two bases, bringing his total to 43 on the season. Felix Jorge put on too many baserunners - eight hits and two walks - but limited damage through six innings, only allowing two runs to score. He struck out six. Alan Busenitz struck out three in two innings of shutout ball. Raul Fernandez picked up the save with a scoreless ninth. The Lookouts improved to 62-58 on the year. They are still in the mix for second-half champs, but even if they fall short in that quest, they could still qualify for the playoffs because - as of now - the first- and second-half champs are the same team. At this point, they’re tied in the pursuit of the second playoff spot. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 3 Box Score Daniel Kihle and Nick Gordon combined for four hits (two each) and three runs to help push the Miracle past Bradenton. Gordon also stole his 15th base of the year (but was caught stealing as well, his 13th). He also committed his 22nd error. Tanner Witt doubled and drove in two runs. Keaton Steele improved to 6-10 on the season. He scattered five hits and a walk over six innings, allowing only two runs. He struck out five. Randy Rosario, who was shifted to the bullpen at the beginning of August, struck out four in two innings. He also allowed two walks, two hits and a run. Nick Anderson picked up his fifth save with a relatively clean ninth inning. At 26-24 in the second half, the Miracle are 2.5 games off the FSL South pace. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids vs Peoria (postponed, wet field) Monday’s tilt between the Kernels and Chiefs was postponed early in the afternoon due to “failure to get the tarp on the field in time and wet field conditions.” The teams will reconvene on Tuesday at 5pm to play two seven-inning games. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Bluefield 6 (completion of yesterday’s game) Box Score Elizabethton 4, Bluefield 1 (seven innings) Box Score An interesting day in Elizabethton on Monday. The teams completed the a suspended game from Monday in which the E-Twins led 5-1 in the fourth inning. It ended up much closer than that, but they still held on for the victory. Lewin Diaz and Shane Carrier each homered. Manuel Guzman and Diaz both had two-hit games. Hank Morrison and Amaurys Minier - who pinch hit and then logged two innings in centerfield - each added a double. Domenick Carlini “started” Monday’s game and got lit up to the tune of four runs on five hits and two walks in three innings. Hector Lujan and Patrick McGuff both struck out three and picked up the win and save, respectively. Also of note, Andre Jernigan, who was drafted as a shortstop, caught the entire game. The second game got a little feisty. With the score 3-1 with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Bluefield’s Javier Monson was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and third. The next batter hit a groundball to the shortstop, who fielded it, threw it to Manuel Guzman, who was playing second base, and he relayed it to first for an inning-ending double play. But according to Seth, who knows someone who was at the game, it was a “hard slide into second base” in an effort to break up the double-play. The batter was called out due to interference and the ball - instead of being relayed - was thrown at the runner, Monson, who had slid hard into the base. Apparently Guzman took offense to the hard slide. Both benches cleared and both Monson and Guzman were ejected. Five different hitters had hits, led by the two-RBI effort of Minier. Trey Cabbage scored twice and stole a base. Tyler Wells did well in his 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and only allowed an unearned run on four hits and a walk. Johan Quezada got the final five outs, two by strikeout, two by a double-play and another by a ground out. The E-Twins are now 28-23. They are half a game behind Johnson City with 16 games left. They only face Johnson City one more time (tomorrow), but play Greeneville, over whom they have a 2.5 game lead over for the wild card spot, the final six games of the season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Rays 2 (Game 1, seven innings) Box Score GCL Twins 8, GCL Rays 1 (Game 2, seven innings) Box Score The GCL Twins got two very strong starting pitching performances in their doubleheader on Monday. In the first game, young Canadian Jordan Balazovic earned his first professional win, allowing two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out one. Clark Beeker also went five innings in the second game. He struck out seven and allowed three hits in five shutout innings. Beeker was making his first start after making ten relief appearances (though most of those appearances were of the multi-inning variety). Juan Gomez, who is converting from catcher, and Matt Jones both pitched scoreless frames in the first game. David Martinez gave up in a run in his two innings of work in the second game. The GCL Twins used almost completely different lineups in their two games, with the exceptions being Aaron Whitefield (leading off and playing CF) and Dane Hutcheon (batting second and playing second). Whitefield stole a base in each game (now has 27) and got two hits in the second game while Hutcheon had a hit and an RBI in each game. Hutcheon also stole his fifth base of the season in the second game. Rehabbing Max Murphy went 2-3 with a double in the first game. Lean Marrero hit his first home run on the season. Roni Tapia added a double. In the second game, Gorge Munoz and Justin Hazard both had two-hit games. Jose Miranda and Brian Olson added doubles. On the season, the GCL Twins are now 26-19, good for first place and a three-game lead in the GCL South. They have 15 games left to play. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Clark Beeker, GCL Twins Hitter of the Day – Wilfredo Tovar, Rochester TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Buffalo (6:05 CST) - LHP Nick Greenwood (4-2, 3.40 ERA) Fort Myers at St. Lucie (5:30 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc (4-6, 4.27 ERA) Fort Myers at St. Lucie (resumption of suspended game) - TBD Cedar Rapids at Peoria (5:00 CST) - RHP Sam Gibbons (6-3, 4.63 ERA) Cedar Rapids at Peoria (Game 2) - RHP Brady Anderson (0-0, 2.45 ERA) Elizabethton vs Johnson City (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins vs GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

I am curious. The original intent was that Albers was going to be the 26th man, but when Boshers was placed on the disabled list, Albers was added in his place - and not as the 26th man (at least according to the press release). In the event that Albers was added as the 26th man and he'd have to be off the roster following the doubleheader, he would have to be DFA'd to be optioned in that case too, right?