Rosterman

I would hope for three solid innings from Ryan and three more from Madea. Then, depending on the score, you can add in Paddack or Pagan (and even Fundeburk). For game two you can have Thielbar, Jax, Duran, Varland, Stewart still available. You owrry about Game 4 once you see the results of games one and two...can you start Ober, who is long relief. I don't see Stevenson making the roster, barring an injury. I don't see anyone voicing the minor worry that the Twins don't have a third catcher on their roster. What happens if they lose one. No one, and I mean no one, in the wings.

May excite our own players too much. But they do have to love he adorationN!

We take it one game at a time. If we win today, then just have to figrue out who does what. Remember, Madea is still out there and would be an option to start a Game 3, depending on any need for Game 2. Then you worry about Houston. Who starts Game 1, with Lopez still on the books for Game 2 and then Gray for Game 3. But let's just do one game at a time.

Would you swap out Keuchel right now for the last game and add back who? Winder? Sands? Headrick? At least to piggyback on Ober? I imagine a couple of these guys are travelling with the current team, or working out abck in Minnesota. No Gordon or Alcala means Stevenson and Ludlow are safe. But, remember, the Twins still have 28 players and two immediately have to go after Sunday's game. They would still be playoff eligible going forth, though.

Gray, 8-8 in 32 starts. Yet a dynamite ERA. I hope the Twins score runs for him in the playoff/s.

The Twins pen is looking pretty darn good. ALl about the needs of a lefty arm against which other team. I want to know who styarts Game 4. Ober?

Nice opportunity for Paddack and Stewart. The Twins can basically start all their rotation arms, and maybe even Keuchel. Each bullpen arm can comfortably make two appearances. All fielding guys should get ample playing time. Can the Twins win 89 games?

Looks like Cossetti may be on a fast tract. Jordan Carr is 26, but a lefty who could be a factor as Caleb Thielbar ages out.

I didn't see Moran being 60-day. Good move. Nice if Keuchel is still in the mix. A third lefty out of the pen who MIGHT pitch 1-2-3 innins could be a plus. The joy is you can keep whomever you plan to start Game #1 of the second series off the roster, and use a solid reliever. And, yes, you worry about Game #3 if you win Game #1.

It is going to be fun to see roster construction vs. makeup of opponent teams. You need 3 starters for the first series and a 4th to start the first game when you advance to the next round. Besides Cody and Caleb, do you give any chips to Keuchel or Headrick to be an additional lefty? Depends on the team. Construction of the team on the field that will be making runs? That will be choice. Who sits out a series (Gallo). The first 3-game series will show us how the Twins will play the post-season (or not).,

Man, you would think they could play two short games just to give the players some time on the field. Of course, Toledo cares npothing for rehabbing Twins players, right?

For the playoffs, Stevenson, Floro and Luplow are definitely on the bubble. None are considered prospects. Stevenson could be resigned to a minor league contract. Keuchel could also be removed. The Twins potentially need to add Paddack, Stewart, Gordon to the 40-man. They might need to add Alcala. They also may have to add back Buxton, Gallo. Departing free agents include Gray, Maeda, Pagan, Mahle, Solano, Taylor, DeLeon. They need to make decisions on Kepler and Polanco. Also, Thielbar will be in his final arbitration year. Celestino will need to be kept on the roster coming out of spring tainging (and he is still young, folks). On the bubble could be Alcala, Sands, Moran, WInder, Miranda, Castro, Larnach, Ortega. Bu the Twins don't need to be in a rush on any of them. You need to keep some guys around in case you sign a free agent. Names like Balazovic, Woods-Richardson, Henriquez are still young and promising. They need to add: Camargo, who they resigned as a young minor league free agent who finished his 7th minor league season. They need to keep Severino, too. Chris Williams and Blayne Enlow could also become minor league free agents. Martin, Keirsey, Prato also need to be kept, it seems. They could add names like Heilman or Bechtold, and there are a number of bullpen arms, but most could be replaced by other minor league free agent contracts. But, yes, the Twins have to make a 40-man roster move (and also corresponding 28-man (down to 26 for the playoffs) when Paddack, Stewart, Gordon and Alcala are added back into the mix.

You could see the anxiousness in the dugout when the Twins had the commanding lead. They were about to be champions. But still must finish the game. A bad pitch by Thielbar after a walk. Tough, but happens. You see why playoff experience is so important to have on a team. Duran ws so into the greatness of the moment, and then almost totally lost it. I guess you could say kudos to Rocco for leaving him out there to deal with it. I would've gone with Jax or Pagan for the 9th, though. Acturally, I would've gone with Floro - I'm not sure how much more time he has with the team - as they might need his 40-man spot. A fantastic home team crowd for so many of the players to experience.

The Twins have some major 40-man add decisions. Enlow, Williams, Heilman will all be minor league free agents. Any keepers there? What to do with Bechtold and Prato? I was surprised to learn that Luplow wasn't totally removed from the 40-man (although that may be happening shortly). Why not advance Celestino to play the final weeks in a few games, see if he an be a 4th oufielder next year...when he is out of options.

It is too early to look outside the box. The hope would be that Buxton would return to centerfield, for at least 90+ games in 2024. That would solve a lot of problems. It would mean the Twins wouldn't have to invest in a total replacement centerfielder. Right now, it looks like Castro could fill the bill as the 4th outfielder who could play centerfield. The Twins also have to evaluate if Gordon is a good 4th outfielder (who can't play centerfield or shortstop). Celestino has age on his side, but this will be a make-or-break spring training for him as, I believe, he is out of options. The Twins will likel;y add Keirsey to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. I'm not sure if he is also eligible to become a minor league free agent if he isn't added. He isn't lights out in his brief AAA stint, so the Twins might try and keep him on the minor league roster. At what point do the Twins make a hard decision on Royce Lewis. If Polanco is retained for 2024, then Julien will also need a place to play, maybe learning further skills at first base, plus a Buxton-free DH spot open for rotation. Is Kirilloff the 1st baseman for the future, and do the Twins need to sign him longterm. Is Lewis at thirdbase. Would he serve the team best in centerfield. Is Austin Martin the real deal and also in need of consideration for a spot on the field, or just the bench. Martin will need a 40-man add and will get it, but will still start 2024 in AAA, no doubt. And where do they play Brooks Lee, come 2025. The Twins are sitting pretty comfortable on inernal options. Sure, they lose 40+ homers with Gallo and Taylor leaving, but Wallner could be an option for the whole season. Lewis and Kirilloff fulltime can make up that difference. Miranda is still an AAA keeper as a backup at third and potentially 1B and should be given every opportunity to remain with the organization. And I would take a minor league free agent flyer on Stevenson again, if terms can be reached. Garlick, probably not. Anyone know why Contreras was released by the Twins?

Sadly for all the Stevenson love, and I am glad the Twins gave him a shot, when they have to add guys back onto the 40-man, he is one of three that are on the bubble, the other two being Floro and Keuchel. All of whom don't fit into long-term Twins plans, sadly. You want speed? Both Castro and Taylor fulfill that role. The next biog question is who plays centerfield, how valuable is it that Gallo could, and what is the status of getting Gordon on the roster. Lopez and Gray are locks. Who is #3? Maeda perhaps. WHo could best work out of the pen? Would Ober fall into that category with Varland for 2-3 innings. In a 3-game first series, who starts Round 2 - would that be Ryan or Ober? The Twins could have the luxury of having 3 (or even 4) lefty arms in the bullpen if they see fit. Just don't push multi-innings out of Keuchel or Headrick if they make the cut.

He needs to heal. Depends on the match-up for series #1. Otherwise, the Twins will see if they can live without him, which is a BIG decision to make. I am more worried about Lewis being available right now. And if the Twins will be making a decision on Gallo vs., say, Wallner.

4 starters and flip a starter for a lefty (say Headrick or, if still with the team, KeauchelThe Twins need their absolute BEST 26 players. They have some wiggle room....go with 3 or 4 starters and replace one with a lefty, perhaps, like Headrick or Keuchel. Buxton prevents the Twins from using the DH for an already over-abundance of players not having a place to play. Plus they have to eliminate two players from the current roster. Bad enough that 60-day IL guys like Brock Stewart, Nick Gordon, Chris Paddack and maybe Jorge Alcala. One has been removed. Are Floro and Stevenson (and even Keuchel) up for the waiver wire? Not to mention getting Gallo back onto the team. Again, BEST 26, as they match up against your opponents. You can add arms and switch out bats from series-to-series, right?

If we had Steer on the roster, we probably wouldn't have Julien, and CES would probably still be playing in Wichita, knowing the Twins. At the beginning of the season, the Twins planned for Solano and Gallo to hold first base. They got Farmer as a shortstop, and then backup when they signed Correa. They fully expected Polanco to be back, and Miranda to be holding down third. My, how things can change. Of course we all expected Buxton to be in centerfield and Taylor as the 4th outfielder and Castro in the minors. It ended up being a sweet deal for the Reds. The only the Twins can salvage, if they wish, is to resign Mahle to a contract similar to Paddack. And, at some point, everyone is going to yell at the Twins about Petty!

At this point, why? If Taylor comes back, why tie up DH with Buxton. WHat would be his contribution to the post-season, in reality?

Wondering who from St. Paul need consideration for the Twins 40-man. Kiersey? Prato? Williams? Camargo? Austin Martin, for sure. Do the Twins keep Enlow or let him walk as a minor league free agent? Bechtold and Heilman keepers? Severino, do the Twins take the chance of losing him?

With the possible return of Kepler, it doesn't look like he brings anything special to the outfield. The Twins will probably add Keirsey to the 40-man, and if they feel Celestino and Gordon should also stay around, it is getting pretty crowded out there. And who knows if Kirilloff will be the first baseman, or if the Twins do need to find a place for Julien in the long run (not to mention what to do about Miranda). Yep, Larnach could be bundled with a prospect or two for a solid relief pitcher or middle rotation arm, perhaps. If teams feel the Twins high draftee shows promise. If the Twins are giving up on him, though, do we jsut try and rebuild his worth?

Okay, the Twins currently have Gallo, Taylor and Buxton on the short-term IL. One can expect Taylor and Gallo returning to the Twins. Of further note is that Stewart, Paddack, Alcala and Gordon are all on rehab assignments and MIGHT just need to be added back on the 40-man roster if they are activated, a couple having dates that they will have to be activated and decisions made. Which means besides finding space for them on the 28-man roster, the Twins also have to find space for them on the 40-man roster, with 3-4 names going away. Most likely Stevenson, Floro and Ludlow could be cut and gone. Not sure who else the Twins might care to paret with - Celestino, Henriquez, Woods Richardson, headrick. I'm not really seeing that. But I do see Headrick, possibly Winder and or Varland, getting sent to the soon non-existant minor leagues. But still kept in the wings (or maybe still travelling with the team) with possibly playoff shuffle. The questions are Gordon. Would you swap out Wallner for Gordon? Or Castro? Do you WANT to see anything from Gordon, or has he been replaced by Farmer and Castro. Are minor league names like Prato, Heilman and Martin making him expendable? The Twins could possibly 60-day IL Buxton if they don't see him returning. Or maybe finally cut loose Gallo. Wallner seems ahead of Larnach now in the outfield pecking order that won't have a cenetrfielder come season's end, really. Unless we do consider that the Twins will keep the young Celestino, whom Rocco in all of his switching out players in every game couldn't even give the poor guy an inning of 2023 play. Always a pain when long-term IL guys come back and force, basically, a double roster move. Right now, I would like to trust a return of Paddack, Stewart and maybe Alcala ove Headrick and Floro. Would I like to see Moran also be added back into the mix? A lefty arm in the playoffs is a precious thing, especially if you don't need a five-man rotation and don't see Keuchel as a bullpen option. And who would argue for Ober over Madea as the #4 playoff starter!

Luplow and Stevenson are most likely toast if the Twins have to add back any of the 60-day IL guys. Taylor will be the centerfielder when he returns. Gallo will stay in the mix. Buxton is the one that creates a roster problem where someone has to go if and when he returns. Not to mention if it is worthwhile to throw Gordon into the mix for whatever reason. Yes, Wallner is on the bubble. But Floro is also on the bubble on the pitching end. If Stewart, Paddack and Alcala come back, three names have to come off the 40-man roster promptly. If it is any of the prospects, say bye-bye.

If he is willing, I would love Keuchel in the pen, gioving 2-3 strong innings complimenting a right-handed starter. I would also like to see the Twin elevate Moran back in, repalcing Headrick, to give the Twins four lefties in the pen. Do we bring back Ober, or trust Maeda. Who mkakes the playoff roster as an additional long guy, then. Varland? Winder? Balazovic? I want to see Stewart, Alcala and even Paddack gives us 3-5 outings to see what they still can contribute. Possible?