Rosterman

For immediate options, it isn't all that bad, especially if you take starters and put them in the bullpen (Rogers, Duffy). Remember, the Twins are still one up with May now in the bullpen. Looks like Nolasco won't be back. But until they figure out Pelfrey, the Twins at least have solid starting depth. I would like to think that Duffy (and perhaps Rogers) would be above any of the 5th starters we trotted out in the past. But, who knows. The Twins have to make a decision of Fieb. Is he the next Jared Burton? Can he bring up his worth jsut a tad and be someone someone would trade a low-level prospect. I'm just not comfortable with him in the setup role. Boyer is doing okay. I'm not sure the longterm, but for now, plesaed with him. As well as Pressly and Graham in the backend either pitching long innings or doing mop-up work. So, ultimately, it comes down to three pitchers on the bubble. Fien (who somehow works mroe often than not), Boyer (who ash been a surprise, but they will catch up to him) and Duensing (who s finally pitching, but is still just a fraction of whatever he was. Do we have guys thatcan replace these guys and give us speed, groundballs, whatever on demand? Oliveros is always the most intriguing. I'm not sure what's up with him. He's really really good, or just has a bad moment...which most pitchers do. But will he tell you if he's not quite up to the task? I would give Achter a try. Ultimately, would like to see Meyer step up and laim a palce in the bullpen, using it as a stepping stone to get back on the starter track. Yes, there are more names: Zach Jones, who just had a couple of bad outings but still dominates. Of course we have Reed and Burdi, who were expected to dominate, but still need work. Chargois and Hildenberger are names to watch right now. The Twins could always make a 40-man spot by designating Jason Wheeler for assignment, which might be easier NOW since they sent him back. And Noalsco COULD go on the 60-day DL...he's already been on it for a couple of those weeks, thus freeing another 40-man spot. The Twins also have to make a decision on Darnell (not to mention ultimate decisions on roster spots of Thielbar and Thompson). At some point, is Shane Robinson the odd-man out in the outfield. What do you do about Santana/Nunez/Escobar, especially with Polancoi n the wings. So finding a 40-man spot isn;t all that difficult (remove a starter in trade, disable a starter longterm, designate one-or-two minor league guys off the roster, release one or two position players). Great analysis, Seth. You never know how/where someone like O'Rourke will materialize. Now if someone ahd remained smart about Gilmartin? Or even Guerra?

The only reason to start Pelfrey is to build up his value. Yet, if he has no value beyond this year with the Twins, getting something, anything for him woiuld be better than having him prevent someone,say May, from starting. At this point, he is not a necessity in the rotation. And what happens when Nolasco needs to come abck and pitch because of his salary. The Twins need to think hard about anyone WHO WILL NOT BE WITH THE TEAM IN 2016 and what they actually contribute to the team and their chances for winning this year during the all-star break. Pelfrey isn't a necessity. If Noalsco can continue to win (if he pitches again this year) you can always send him thru waivers and if some team wants him abd enough, elt him go. Blow apart the bullpen. You can't rely on some guys in a pressure situation. Yes, they MAY perform, but we have to look beyound the maybees. We can always find a maybee and let's give some of those other guys a chance (Oliveros, Achter and even Darnel, let alone Rogers and, now that he had a taste of major leage money, meals and travel, Alex Meyer. )

Vargas is still a prospect. But ALL these youngsters have to sort it out themselves. There are a lot to choose from and if you falter, someone COULD take you place. I am surprised he isn't returning to Rochester,to at least be the regular first baseman iof nothing else. But, I still don't know WHY the Twins are one reliever to the plus, and why we still have Duensing and Thompson on the rosterand not playing mroe musical chairs and at least looking at Achter and even adding Oliveros to the 40-man (Bernier still holds a 40-man spot). Be interesting to see why goes: Pelfrey or May. Or is Milone still the odd guy out?

I don't think he'll stick. It will be between Him and May for a bullpen slot when Santana returns (May may go abck to Rochester just to keep throwing innings). Meyer has to prove that he is ore than a back-of-the-bullpen backstop. He's getting a taste. But picture him, too, back at Rochester as the Twins add another bat.

The joys of being on the 40-man already. What, he leapfrogs Achter, Darnell and Wheeler for now. Otehr guys would have to be added by taking someone off (which can/should happen, yes) but once you add someone to the 40-man, you want to hope they will stay there and contribute as you want. Sure, they can waive Bernier, someone might claim him, actually, plus he is in limbo for 10 days or so. So these decisions are major. Meyer is staying on the 40-man for sure, so he may come up and go back down, but we aren't repalcing him with any name except someone coming back like Nolasco or Santana. Reality, we are still one pitcher to the plus side, plus we have to find space for two returning starters. So three current pitchers are changing jobs for sure, and someone will eventually come up to bat from the minors.

It's a contract year. 'Nuff said. He produces he gets a BIG multi-year contract. Otherwise, he's one of those mid-level signings.

It just goes to show you that no matter how many millions you have for a high draft pick, there is more to playing majorleague ball than impressing people inhigh school or college.

I seem to remember when the Twins first inquired about Dave Winfield, the Yankees wanted Derek Parks, Jeff Bumgarner and another pitcher. The Twins didn't make the trade.

The Twins are salivating with the new ticket market. Considering they had roughly 18,000 tickets available via them for EVERY game once the season started (they are still offering season ticket plans), the demand for tickets is thin on StubHub (which is season ticket resales). The Twins are selling lots and lots of tickets for close to full price by themselves. It goes to show that if you win, people will come. So...they have to keep winning!

Maybe he should shave the beard and sees what happens.

Remember, power arm Oliveros is in the minors, Zach Jones is opening eyes. Alex Meyer could come up as a reliever, too. That's not out of the realm of possibilities. We still have the mentioned Thielbar and Achter in the wings. The Twins should actually go down one bullpen arm and bring up some kind of bat. Looking at MLB Trade Rumors, lots of teams are looking for relievers, so the good will be had, the bad will just wander. But, yes, what happens when Santana comes back and Nolasco is healthy? Do we add Milone and May to the bullpen mix...for now?

Line-up construction has always been a Twins problem, and it starts with Mauer. Should he bat second, should he bat third. Right now, I'd bat him fifth. See if Buxton can lead off. We'll know right away if he is a free swinger or actually will take pitches. But watch the first three games where pitchers will try to stay ahead of him in the count to see if he THE REAL DEAL. I like Hunter at second. I would bat Dozier third. Plouffe is fine at cleanup. Mauer fifth. Vargas 6th, although that prevents people from pitching to Mauer. Would you rather see Suzuki or Escobar behind Mauer. Or Rosario. The end of the lie-up is a catch-all with no one really showing skills at being the guy to move the runner, hit the sacrifice fly, or taking a walk and working the other rotation.

Remember, Ervin Santana will be heading to Rochester this week to start games. So Oliveros was just a temporary stopgap (unless you'd rather see Darnell or Hamburger start).

It will be interesting to see if the Twins do a looksee at folks like Wheeler and Darnell again. There was a reason to add them or keep them. Baxendale could probably get thru the Rule 5. Watch the Twins give Rogers a look at some point when a 40-man spot opens up. He's one of those borderline guys. But if he continues to excel, you should package him with someone for someone. The Twins still have to figure out what to do with Oliveros and to a lesser extent Pryor, or lose both as minor league free agents. What role will Harrison play for the Twins, that is the question. If the Twins can trade any of Pelfrey, Milone, Duensing, Boyer or even Fien, they probably should. And if Nolasco comes back and continues to win he just might be tradable. There are some chips there, but do you move them for more prospects (creating 40-man roster decisions down the line) or get that missing piece (a catcher, a bat). You always wonder WHAT was the reasoning behind putting Wheeler on the roster, yet letting Gilmartin be exposed to the draft, and then grabbing Graham and adding Stauffer and keeping Duensing. No one says the job of a General Manager is easy, right? But the Twins SHOULD be looking to get value for anyone they can who WON'T be around next season. Now if only the players would play along.

The pitching COULD remain solid. We have Ervin Santana coming in. And even Gibson, when shelled, can pitch deep into games. It's a horriblel ine-up to construct. Somedays it is working well. The Royals series showed every mistake possible. You can't predict who might hit a homer, go forextra bases, move runners. You just hope the other team makes more mistakes and you can outpitch them in the end.

Short bench, so the Twins did the Polanco call. It might be more than one day, you never can tell. It was amazing the way the Twins scored runs and knocked in batters. If you remember, the last couple of seasons they would ete men on base, but couldn't get them home (similar to stranding Escobar on third the other day with no outs). The team lacks speed. They lack a lineup built around guys who can either ground ball the ball or do a long fly at the crucial time. I would love to see Dozier NOT leda off. I'm not sure Mauer needs to keep the third spot for life (make him 5th or 6th, Hunter in the third). Can they eventually find a cleanup hitter in Arcia or Vargas? Suzuki...I want to see Pinto in there so bad. Can Hicks do anything exceptional at the plate...take a walk? Can he steal a base. Can he bunt the ball, beat out a grounder. He ahs 4th outfielder written all about him. If they can get the shortstop position settled, something may materialize at the top or bottom of the order. Plouffe is okay. He has streaks, He hits some home runs. He's a .250 hitter with adequate power and decent glove, but unless he has a truly breakout season, he won't be in line for big bucks anywhere...or switch to the outfield nd become the next michael Cuddyer.

Not all pitchers walk onto a major league mound and are great from the start. It is the problem you have with prospects in general, they might need a bit of seasoning, they may have a sophomore slump, they need to go back-and-forth a bit. At some point you know what you have. Did we see Gibson being Gibson last year. No. He may be the next Carlos Silva, but right now, he is wonderful. Hughes will come back to earth. May is learning the difference between minor league hotdog and major league hamburger. It is first and foremost having the tools. The it is using the tools in the right way (which is harder on the major league level with the talent you face and video). And, overall, you have to keep your head straight. We see guys work their butts off everyday to stay in the majors. We see folks like Delmon Young, who has all the talent in the world and can play major league ball with his eyes closed...and sadly, he does. You have 4-skill prospects that just can't make the jump (Joe Benson, Adam Johnson, J.D. The Real Deal" Durbin). Guys you hear are dynamite and never hear from them ever (Matt Moses). Some may settle into that 3rd-4th starter role, that setup man, that all-around utility guy. But the skills you need to be on a major league team mean you are heads-and-shoulders above most everyone else at the AAA level, and just think how much better those guys are than your average collegiate player, or high schooler. Right now the Twins are doing it as a team. No one is running away with any of the statistical categories in batting or pitching, the fielding is average, overall there is nothing really special about the team except that they play the game and stay in the game and there is a unity that you get (call it the Hunter Power) when you watch them not only play ball The Twins Way but still have fun coming to the ballpark.

Arcia could be a booming bat like the long departed David Ortiz. He could also become too expensive and a liability with no place to play and the Twins let him go and he shines elsewhere. He has youth on his side, but others are in the pipeline - Adam Walker for one. Where does Kepler and the Twins investment in him fit into the picture. What happens if Hunter is around for another season. Can Vargas have enough value to be a trade chip if he can actually play first base? The other big question is what to do with Sano. With a rotation that is stacked with contracts and too many for sure young arms in the wings, the Twins will have some wheeling-and-dealing efforts that would put any general manager to shame - veterans to move for more prospects, prospects to move for a temporary fix. The farm system is loaded in many ways and you only have a few years to play with the pieces and a couple of years to develop them in the majors to establish worth. Arcia is one that could be very valuable sooner rather than later.

It's not like Danny was tearing up AAA in 2014. It was a fluke that he came up, was installed in centerfield when the Twins had NO outfield prospects on the 40-man, and he ran with it and excelled. The other plus was that Escobar ran with playing short and excelled. Danny may never be as good as he was in 2014. He was exceptional. He was out of position. But did he really have a position with the Twins. Where was he truly ranked in their longterm prospect structure. We keep going with Escobar. Yes, a vet over a prospect. Hope Polanco can get some facetime still this year in the majors. Bring back Danny as a reserve...the next...Escobar.

Experienced starters thrive on the five-man rotation. You may use a sixth at certain times, when games start to bunch up (or like the upcoming double-header), but if you have short starts, you have an overtaxed bullpen. Better to make a guy long relief (like Duensing was, Schaffer should be and Graham better be).

Now have to figure out the Rally Call to get people to come to the games en masses and fill those 15,000 empty seats. I contend that the division is a lot tighter than most people think. The difference in a lot of games will basically be a run or two, which means an error or a bad start can kill the game for any team, as in baseball as a whole. Offensively, the Twins have been consistent with no standouts. They might have trouble against a team's ace, and on paper have no shutdown pitcher themselves. The bullpen is inconsistent but full of bodies. Their lack of wins against Detroit is a tell, but we have to hope that they can take series from the other division. It will be an interesting year. Coming off a nice week of long starts from the rotation ash to be a plus. What makes the season even mroe exciting is that the players have to produce, or there is someone waiting to replace them. Danny Santana can be cycled out for awhile by Escobar right now. Vargas is down in the minors and Nunez (and maybe Herrmann) will get his at bats. Aaron Hicks has the job if he can keep it. Rosario knows what he has to work on and Arcia needs to listen and play well, or else there's another flip-flop. The only drawback is 40-man roster construction. You release guys (Duensing, Stauffer) and they don't come back (is that good or bad). At least when youc an option a guy out, they can develop more and come back. But for every name not on the roster, someone has to be moved...sometimes out of the organization. Again, win or lose, the Twins should be giving every player that has a chance to be a part of 2016 the opportunity to learn and shine in 2015, in the very least (minor league work warranting). Those players not expected to be around in 2016 should be moved at the first chance that something of value if offered, or at some point pull the plug and eat the salary. 42 games down. Let's play another 40 and see where we are!

It's a patchwork and could easily see the Twins run 20 pitchers thru the bullpen before the season is over, and that is good...or really bad...depending who the final 7 are.

May to the bullpen, if nothing else. And keep marketing Pelfrey every good start he gives you - he's not coming back for sure in 2016 and if we can get soemthing for him, to make up for what we have gotten out of him the past two years, the Twins should do so...thus freeing that spot. May coud be a solid long guy in the pen. Do we say goodbye to Duensing? How much leash does Stauffer have? Is Boyer the real thing (he is for now, so he is untouchable). But the Twins still need to make a couple of bullpen moves anyways. If we consider Duensing, Tonkin and Pressly as dead weight better sent elsewhere, what does that say about the state of the guys replacing them?

Ultimately Plouffe will be too expensive for the Twins, or too expensive to gamble on longterm. So at some point, the Twins have to be prepared to sell high, rather than wait for him to cool, or walk. Sano is the future? But maybe he isn't. Maybe he is better suited for the outfield. Maybe the Twins will have to switch Dozier to third to make room for other bodies in the battles for second/short. Mauer isn't going anywhere, and although Plouffe could transition into an outfielder who can also play other positions, the Twins may be outfield heavy come 2016. It has been a long road and ride for Trevor. He was often overmatched in his climb thru the system, always younger than contemporaries. He was a shortstop, but proved to big for the role. He had to learn third,a s well as withstand major league hitting. He bounces around the lineup and is known for being either hot or cold at the plate. You think he might have that super breakout year, this year, next. A year that if it happens at the right time could pay him big dividends, but doubt that the Twins will or would bite.

We still need a few guys to consistently go deeper in their starts. Otherwise, musical chairs with the bullpen and hoping we have solid talent in the backend. Starters have to get to the 6th inning. Sometimes pitch into the 7th. Not everytime, but more often than not. But we have lights on. Santana is like a trade addition mid-season. Meyer is still a prospect (or someone). Milone does have major league stuff better than the usual also rans the Twins turned to in the past. And there are prospects, although a couple aren't on the major league roster. Dean and Rogers are off the radar but above Logan Darnell at this point. Berrios would have to be added to the 40-man. I still have hopes for Wimmers. But we still got Steward and others, too. How it all pulls together will be interesting to watch, but not very marketable for the general fan base to get overly excited about.