CA

To a major league team, $400k is the change you put in your car's ashtray after you've bought a few Capps-sized burritos at the Taco Bell Drive-Thru. Is there evidence that the $400k spent on Zumaya actually prevented Ryan from signing other relievers, as that analogy implies? I certainly get the argument that the Twins should/could have had more contingency plans in case Zumaya went down, but if that kind of investment is high-risk (analogous to spending your last $10 on lottery tickets), then there are bigger problems with the team than the bullpen.

I'm going with 10.

I'm assuming the following about what the roster will look like. 1. The optimal lineup will have both Mauer and Doumit in it at C/DH in some combination. With both of those guys starting, it seems unlikely that Gardenhire would be happy without another catcher on the bench. That means Butera will make the team. 2. Casilla is likely to start at 2nd. Other options have defensive issues (Hughes) or everything issues (Nishioka). 3. Right now, Nishioka and Hughes are the backup infielders. I'm pretty confident in putting Hughes on the team; Nishioka is more of a question mark. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if the Twins give him a shot in occasional playing time and then perhaps demote or dump him by June if he's still obviously overmatched. 4. Plouffe is going to be the 4th outfielder/super-utility guy. The team has invested in converting him to OF, so I would argue that this role seems pretty clear. If you believe those things, the bench is Butera, Nishioka, Hughes, Plouffe. Therefore, it's hard to disagree with the rosters suggested by EsotericBallGuy and Nick above. You could play around with the last couple of reliever spots, especially with Zumaya out, but those spots are going to be in flux anyway.