Rosterman

The main reason to reassign someone from the 40-man to minor league camp is if they have NO POSSIBLE way to make the roster (doesn't mean they can't if someone is injured) is to keep from paying them a major league salary if they get disabled during spring training. I do imagine Tonkin will get more of a leash than, say, Aaron Thompson. And they will want to see Rogers in a couple of situationals (middle of an inning, facing one batter or two) I imagine.

This is going to be an interesting watch. Especially since Rosario could pull a Santana 2.0 and NOT be a surefire left-fielder. The vets will try and pull a spot (which means the Twins have to find 40-man places). Overall, the fight for bench positions may be strong this spring. Will it be Murphy (who could play fulltime at Rochester) or Hicks. Nunez or Santana or any of the other guys, if they step up. Arcia and Vargas to stay or go. Sweeney, Mastro, Quentin -- major league money looks much better than AAAA salaries. The only surefire lock in the outfield would seem to be Sano. Buxton NEEDS to win the job. Kepler could sneak in. Santana is in the roster fight of his life. Arcia could be cut...and if he plays badly in spring, the Twins may catch a break and get to keep him down on the farm for another season. The BENCH IS IN FLUX two weeks into spring training!

Great preview!

If Nolasco is worthy of a rotation role, he gets it. He might also spark some interest in a team short a starter (assuming he puts up the right spring training numbers) and a team might trade something for him, if the Twins eat salary. A team would NOT claim Noalsco if he has a bad spring. But the Twins would still be on the hook for his entire salary minus a percentage of the major league minimum for the next two seasons. A great tryout bargain for any low-level team in need of a possible stopgap. If he does start in the bullpen, he could slip into a rotation role if Duffey struggles or someone goes down for an injury (think Pelfrey last season) and since it seems doubtful that the Twins WILL add Berrios to the 40-man any sooner than necessary.... Nolasco wants to start? Good. It is his ball to throw and show he deserves to start. He gets paid, nor what. But if he wants to continue playing ball past next season, he will have to produce. And if he produces he becomes a valuable trading chip in the least and a real contributor to the team at best, forcing the Twins to make a decision on the others in the rotation (Milone and his no options, Santana and Hughes and their salaries, and Gibson and his controlled contract). Any member of the Twins rotation could have trade value IF they produce, which is the name of the game. If a pitcher doesn't produce, that's the tough decision...since it is all about money (and a lot of money) then.

Just go with the best 25 and move on from those questionable. Because? There is still more coming up behind these guys.

It's a tough call. You are faced with free agency walkouts. You advance players (Liam Hendricks) before their time. You shuffle players around, fight injuries, make bad longterm and short-term signings. You have to always look at the competitive balance first within your division, and go from there. You have to spend money at the right times. You have to eventually put butts in the seats. The Twins did win TWO World Series. They had 1965, a nice string at the end/beginning of that decade, a great run in the new century. Other teams may wish that they did so well, jsut like the Twins may wish they had the budgets of other teams NOT doing so well. It's that magical moment when the players coming up jell with the players you sign. They ALL don't leave at the same time for bigger paychecks. And maybe you do some shrewd Billy Beane moves. Every team has turnover. Every team has failed prospects. Every team has bad signings. Every team gets injuries. From my arm chair, it is really a tough tough job.

We also have to admit that the 2015 season, we wanted the Twins to improve. Few expected them to be in the hunt to the final weekend. They did improve, just a tad better than the best we hoped for...most people were hoping they would approach, say, 75 wins. The call is still out on Santana. We can't do anything but cut Nolasco, so we need to give him one more look. Hughes, most feel, shouldn't have been extended. Now that he has, Ryan should be willing to trade him if he shows drastic improvement over 2015. The reason for trading Plouffe, future cost. He is still worth his salary this season (we hope). But is he a $10 million player? Could he have been packaged with another Twin of some value (Kyle Gibson, perhaps) with a bigger return from another club. I don't like reading that Sano MIGHT NOT get time at third base, as Plouffe is still a tradeable asset during mid-season, and would hope that Sano gets some time there (which is why I would have rather seen the reverse, start Plouffe in the outfield if need be and Sano at third and go from there, if we are keeping him). If something happens to Plouffe I don't want to see Nunez or any of the infielders signed for AAA playing there fulltime, of even a switch of Escobar so we can see more of Polanco. Yes, you do buy a top-flight free agent if you are in a position to win the pennant and move onto the World Series? Are the Twins there yet? No. They are still thinking about their rebuilding blocks, staying competitive to keep the fans coming, and playing for 2017 and beyond. Maybe next off-season they will make a major splash as well as potentially rid themselves of some excess payroll. But even then, the guys coming up this year will have to prove themselves again in 2017 that -- good or bad -- what they did this season was not a fluke.

Can we or should we upgrade Escobar? He currently fits well in the infield, and produces, possibly, as well as Ploanco or any of the future prospects (Javier and Gordon) might. He has shown some punch, which puts him above a 1-4 slick-fleldling middle man. He fills in nicely his bottom of the order spot. Going into spring training, you could say the Twins weakest position is up the middle, per say: catcher, shortstop and centerfield. Murphy has a chance to upgrade catching and we are all excited about Buxton. Escobar has shown consistency, moreso than Santana, who will be given a chance to step in if Escobar faulters. We have to hope that Rosario doesn't not become Santana 2.0. What do we want at shortstop? Less errors? More speed? Bigger bat? Escobar played pretty solid ball in each of the past two seasons. He's still young. At worse, he will spend the next decade being a super sub. At best, he might hold down the starting job into the 2018 season.

There is a log jam happening in the outfield. Of course, Kepler could be groomed as a first baseman. Walker will need someplace to play. Who knows the longterm needs of Rosario. If Arcia shines, then we have a lot of trouble. Of course, anyone can be flipped (as the Twins have shown with their centerfield candidates of late.) I'm thinking the Twins will still play wait and see on Sano at third. If there WAS no desire to have Sano play third, then this might've been the time to sign up Plouffe for 3 years with an option. Right now, if I was Plouffe, I would be more than happy with whatever arbitration will bring next season if the Twins are forced to keep him. If Sano is NOT the third baseman of the future, then barring a trade for a third bagger, the Twins will be forced to keep Plouffe, unless.... There is someone on the 2016 off-season scrap heap. But doubtful. Man, the twins 1B/DH/corner outfield situation is getting worse worse worse.

Sometimes it is so amazing how much turnover there is in rosters when you look three, five years out. And how many guys do remain in the minor league system for any length of time.

Your typical team has space for one (maybe two) franchise players. Mauer has one of the spots. The Twins are willing to spend 55% of revenue on payroll,which is a joke. What do you do with the other 45%...and how much of ANY profit the Twins made the apst few years went to buy down their investment in the stadium (which more than doubled their worth) and whose pocket did it go into (do owners make as much, say, as commissioners in their paychecks?). You can invest in free agents. The Twins did the last couple of seasons. Wisely? Who knows. But I doubt that any of the top-flight names were busting down the door to get a Twins offer, which has long been a problem. Even with the worthwhile signing of Josh WIllingham, in the past, Michael Cuddyer managed to still get a much higher paycheck in what had become a diminishing market for outfield talent. Go figure. You have to take chances on Payroll. You have to invest wisely. That is hard when a player gets suspended or injured (look at the rotation). In the past, how could you compete against a team like, say, The Yankees, who are willing to have $30-40 million sitting on the disabled list or in lost contracts each year. The Twins seem to go into major turmoil when they lose one guy, be it Mauer, Nathan, Santana or what. It is tough running a major league team. You don't know how the prospects will pan out. You can be Oakland and flip your roster 40-50% each season, running a revolving door between vets and promise. You can argue the actually need to do a longterm expensive contract (Mauer) and cringe when you hear what a Trout or others may be offered in the future (was St. Louis wise to let Pujols walk). At what point to you overpay a Sano and hope he stays reasonable, or you let him become someone else's worry. We just don't really know how to follow the money in this sport. What really goes where (draft picks, international signings, minor league operations) and what ownership takes for their pockets or reinvestment in stadium bricks. Players make the most of it and demand whatever they can get for their services, and everytime someone gets a big contract, it makes it harder to sign certain levels of players, and leaves many others out in the cold as "not worth it." The Twins always seemed happy to put a competitive team on the field, to hopefully draw the fans and aim towards the playoffs. Is a competitive team one that plays slightly above .500 (like last year's team) or comes in close to a spot in the post season (also last year's team). The assumption is that EVERY team does WANT to be competitive. (We might see it in the Central in 2016 where f-8 games MIGHT separate the first team from the last). Fantasy baseball began when us common folks wanted to see what kind of team we could put together given x-amount of dollars. We all know how that game works...especially when each year you get to spend for the now, not the hereafter.

I am still a member of the Alex Wimmers fan club!

At this point, he is being passed on the prospect starting scale by Gonsalves, Jay and ever Stewart. He might be able to hang onto a longman position. The good news is that if the Twins can develop him as a reliever he will be a fairly cheap addition to the bullpen for the next 3-5 years. Does he have closer potential, that is a question.

The anatomy of a trade. Whew! Always wondered about Brian Buchanan (who. I believe, is coaching in the Royals system). He had his chances, but... I truly thought Oliveros would make the team in 2015. But even after missing out in spring training, he went down and out. Neagle and Erickson, well maybe not Erickson, were interesting losses...one due to contract, the other due to the need for a vet presence. All from a guy named Chuck!

Yeah, this is a tough one. We aren't getting many dingers from the catching spot, which made Mauer so valuable as a catcher...he could hit 10-12 dingers, plus the high average. That's weakness number one, now transfered to 1B, which becomes weakness #2, except that he is the Twins leader in getting and it doesn't matter how you egt a guy home sometimes, as long as he comes home. Dozier hits for good power at second base, yet do we need to drop him down in the order and would he regress coming up with two outs, say, rather than leading off. Escobar was a surprise with his power last season. is power more important than putting the ball in play is always the question. Sano at third would supply more punch and even a betetr average than Plouffe, but would Arcia in right do better than the current play places of Sano and Plouffe, that is the question. If you want home runs, give us a FULL season of Arcia and let's see what happens. Buxton will just have to hit and it may seem like the braintrust is playing him like Go-Go Gomez and making him use his bat and speed to get and move around bases. He will become a power-hitting centerfielder at some point. Rosario is really an enigma. He hits doubles and triples to go with his homers. He hits for a decent, not spectacular average. Unless he does show a gain in average and punch this season, he will be on the bubble. On the bench, Nunez has some power, as does Murphy. Santana, playing parttime and as a reserve? Well, let's say that if he starts the year in centerfield, he will hit more home runs than Buxton would in 2016. The Twins have the chance to get 30-35+ from Sano and Park, although both are still unproven for the long haul. They have a slugger in Arcia who needs playing time. They have no power at first or catcher...when you think that Escobar could hit more diners, or an equal amount of dingers for the pair combined. Sigh. What matters more is actually getting the runners home at some point, and putting yourself in a position to also score a run./

The bullpen will be made up of a lot of 40-man decisions. Will Tonkin be optioned out. Does someone start the season on the 60-day disabled list. Who are the names in limbo of losing their 40-man spot if a minor league free agent ahs to be added. Looks like Kennys Vargas will stay in the organization, until the Twins get a read on Park and Mauer with sunglasses, at least. Sadly, there's a lot of AAAA guys on the Rochester roster whose chances are slim=to=none of ever making the Twins roster, or so one might hope. Better Kepler, Polanco and guys in your system get a chance. But won't put it past the Twins to get another looksee at Mastro or Benson if Buxton flops in spring training and someone in the outfield ends up on the dl. If Santana is the starting centerfielder guy.who WILL win the open bench job?

I see quite a few names that the Twins have tire kicked in the past, or who are actually former Twins. Beimel, Parmelee, Lohse, Delmon Young besides the obvious). Any other time but now, it would've been nice to return Justin Morneau, but the DH is overcrowded and we have another player with concussion issues already at first. Sign. It will be interesting to see the contract of most of these 60, as at least 50 of them aren't set to hang up their spikes, yet. But are there two rosters spots remaining on all major league rosters, elt alone AAA rosters?

In 1966 the Twins signed the first player to come over this way and play professional baseball from South Africa, Dave Lowery. He pitched decently as a starter for A ball, but returned to South Africa where he was active in their baseball program for decades. http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=lowery001dav

I hope they stretch May out as a starter in spring training just in case. Having him pitch 3-4 innings as spring rounds down. Otherwise, they get to use that "not stretched out" excuse again. I hate to see May become the Swarzak replacement in the pen, and if he stays in relief he will become too expensive for the Twins UNLESS he can become a bonifide closer.

Actually, the Twins starters did do pretty well last year and there is nothing that says most can't get us into the 7th. Duensing and Cotts are still available. The Twins could also take a flyer on Delmon Young as that 4th outfielder. Joe Nathan?

At this point in time, both Arcia and Santana are pretty much locks to make the team and Santana WILL start in centerfield if Buxton doesn't make the initial cut out of spring training. Arcia's bat is just too powerful to let him walk without giving him a chance to show some more stuff. At worst, he sits on the bench. At best, he gets a starting job if Sano, Rosario, Mauer or Park go down. Arcia would be grabbed by someone if he became available. Santana would have to boot the ball and hit the Mendoza line in spring training to be sent out. His battle, ultimately, could be with Nunez period if Buxton has a hot spring. Tonkin is in that position that this is his last chance with the Twins. He has to produce. The Twins, at the very least, will need a 40-man roster spot for a lefty and unless they DH someone, the two major candidates are Tonkin and Hicks. (Which also brings up the cause for Santana staying...they would need a 40-man spot to add Quentin, Benson, Mastro or Sweeney). Of course, Dean, O'Rourke, Rogers and Strong could also be 40-man casualities. Tonkin, if removed, would pretty much be done as a Twin, probably. Unless he blows people away in spring training (then why wouldn't the Twins keep him), he will be passed by many others in the organizational chart. Even now, he has to beat out Pressly and Graham and the spring training invitees beyond Abad. The Twins still could move Plouffe, putting Sano back at third, Acia in right etc. etc. etc. And at some point, we will hopefully get a good long look at Kepler in the mix. And we all will be watching Park. Will he be the DH out of the chute. Does he need seasoning, and will that happen, then, by sitting on the bench and subbing for Mauer at first and rotating, perhaps, with Arcia as a DH. The Twins roster is pretty darn set. There is still dead weight in the 40-man (Nolasco NEEDS to rebound). More, if you look at the at least six names I mentioned above that could join the three out-of-options.

Baseball, sadly, is not football.

We want to see Sano in the field. But if he can be the Twins Big Papi, things will happen. Regarding starters, the guys need to stay healthy and throw close to 200 innings and keep us in the game (4 runs or less) and then the bullpen needs to be five solid arms who pitch near perfect, holding leads. They need to have strikeout and ground-ball specialists. Plus, it will be interesting to see if Gordon and Kepler become positive pieces. Of course, the big piece in the next 3 seasons is still Joe Mauer. The team does revolve around him and where he bats and how he plays.

I really have no problem with Santana, Hughes and Gibson. I also have no problem if Nolasco rebounds and if we stick Milone into the mess. Knowing that we have May and Duffey as backup and Berrios in the wings is a godsend. But we have no real stopper. Each of those starters will require the Twins to score a minimum of three runs a game to win the game, if not 4. I would expect that each of the starters who make the rotation will be able to get the Twins comfortably into the 7th inning if not thru that inning. That will mean less reliance on a bullpen that still remains up in the air if you need someone for more than two innings consistently. I am comfortable with Perkins as closer and Jepsen as an alternative. I like the idea of Jepsen and Abad as 8th inning guys. I can see Fien fitting in nicely to give us three eight inning guys. I liked Pressly. But I truly can't wait for Burdi, Reed and hope that Milwauke passes on Zack Jones.

Being on the 40-man is a plus. If he would start the season in the bigs, he would be new blood and it would take a little while for teams to figure him out. But picture him being on a fast-track callup if Abad or Rogers or O'Rourke falters. Being on the 40-man is a BIG plus. No movement necessary and you are enough of a prospect to keep your space.