Rosterman

Depending on where the Twins are come mid-season, if any of the 7 names mentioned is showing full production to start the season, and if Twins prospects start to line-up well, they could have some dynamite tradebait, too. Gray would be much sought after. Yes, he would be the best bet for a qualifying offer (or an extension) if he pitches well, but the Twins MIGHT like to move on and save money for 2024 (or invest in another free agent) if Varland, Woods Richardson, Ober, Winder show any signs of being ready THIS year. Not to mention Headrick. Mahle will be an interesting watch. I'm not BIG on an extension, so a trade might be the best deal, if he isn't woth a QO. Can the Twins get the equvalent of a Steer/Encarcion-Strand back for him? Madea, I just worry about lasting the season. I would consider starting him in the pen, of piggybacking him with a long-relief/starter like Ober to start the season. But have to see how the bullpen and rotation end up overall. Pagan, gad...I hope he shines and the Twins can flip him. Seems he has a roster spot no matttr what to start the seaon. Most of us would replace him in a minute. Of course, Gallo is using this season to rebuild his value. The Twins will also have to make a decision on Kepler. Martin being out, Kirilloff still questionable, we still have Larnach and Wallner having to prove themselves this year. Plus the need to find a position for Lewis at some point. Again, Gallo could be a tradechip if he bangs the ball. I doubt, even with his age, I would go for an extension. I feel he is already avstly overpaid. Sorry. The Twins also could move Taylor or Solano if the need arises. Julien could be on the cusp. Not having Celestino in the mix hurts as a Celestino replacement. I see the Saints outfield to be full of minor league free agents. Of course, we are all hoping Buxton plays 100+ games in the outfield. Players back in trade can be as useful as additional draft picks. Don't rule that out for any member of the off-season free agent class.

I was so said that the Twins Baseball Classic team wasn't able to be worldly enough to compete this year, especially against the "former Twins prospects" Australian team. I am still hoping that names like B.J. Garbe and Ryan Mills would garner prospect value again, along with Shooter Hunt, Danny Rams, Whit Robbins and Travis Harrison. I mean, people say the Twins give up on guys too soon. But somehow they managed to bring 2007 drafted Elliot Soto back into the organization, and even put him on the major league roster for a couple of days in 2022. Go figure. Why not do the same for us fans of Jay Rainville, Eduardo Morlan, Ryan Mullins.

How long of a leash do we give Kirilloff. ANotehr long stint on the IL-list, spending time rehabbing in Florida before being reassigned to AAA St. Paul. In the meantime, do you make the move of Miranda to first looking towards the future, or leave him at third. If the Twins need to develop a first baseman, is it Miranda...learning on the job now. That means that third base is Farmer for the now. Would you choose to have Julien learn third base, first base, or be the heir to Polanco if that time comes. And then, for third, will Lewis or Lee (or Martin) be in the mix for sure before the end of the year, if not in 2024. Making Kirilloff that extra guy who MIGHT someday be in the infield at first or outfield...or if he can put up decent numbers in rehab, but nothing special...do the Twins market him as tradebait. Moving Gallo to first opens up the OF for Taylor, Larnach, Gordon (or Wallner). Moving Miranda to first means your infield subs are Gordon and Solano (or maybe that is why you signed Hernan Perez - leaving Larnach at AAA). The reality is that today, there is NO first base prospect in the Twins system crying to take over the job - same as catcher - so it will involve moving pieces already with the team, or guys who haven't really played, or been groomed yet, for the position.

If the Twins go with a 6-man rotation, do they have 7 or 8 arms in the pen. If they can have 8, that eliminates, momentarily, a batter (which could be Kirilloff if put on the i njured list). Larnach stays if Kirilloff is injured. The Twins will be giving Santana every opportunity to make the team. Megill (and Pagan) are on the bubble. Could someone like DeLeon crack the squad? The Twins are paying Hoffman NOT to pitch in St. Paul, although he will probably start there. Wow! There are 80+ names on the current rosters in St. Paul and Wichita. Not many will fall backwards...so who goes from those minor league clubhouses!?!

Ober could actually work out well as the long-man out of the pen, especially if he could pitch 2-3 innings with limited rest between appearances. He also could be a change of pace depending on who he follows on the mound. You would hope you could push him towards 100 innings at the least in 2023. And that is entirely possibly if you use him well over the whole season, which would not diminish his potential to be a back-of-the-rotation arm. Plus, being the long guy could also means that he gets the spot start jobs or is the replacement starter (if you don't need to bring up someone like Woods Richardson or Var-30 starts for the others with mixed inning totals (how many 4-5 inning starts vs. 5+ innings). 28land dazzling at AAA). As that guy who would pitch the second game of a double-header, you could then bring up someone just for the relief role for the extra roster spot. Yes, six starters. You hope to get 30-32 out of a couple of the Twins guys (Ryan, Gray). You could live with 26-28 starts for the others as they build up innings. And Ober you do wish to keep in the mix if Gray, Maeda and Mahle walk for 2024 (or it allows you to dangle one of the impedning free agents as tade bait). But do you still keep 8 guys in the pen (and does MLB allow you to do so). Thus leaving your bench/DH as Taylor, Jeffers, Gordon, Farmer and no Solarno. Do the Twins have a 7-man pen to pitch 3-4 innings a night?

The biggest thing in spring training is to develop reads. The guys who will be on the mound pitching, where the balls hit are hit, how you all in the field learn to lineup for throws and cutoffs. Plus, it is a time to also work out lineup kinks. I always felt some batetrs work well if they consistently know who is hitting before and after them in the order. You worry about pitchers working on certain pitches in a game that might result in an injury. But, yes, am amazed at the amount of "non-Twins" that are getting innings as well as time in the line-up, compared to the 25 coming north. Sure, there are enough guys in camp that you can have short mini-games, especially between major and minor league guys, to get the swings in, work out the muscle kinks and such, in a playful and non-competitive way. The pitchers have to work up to 75-80 or even 100 pitches by April 1. The batters need to get back into the swing of things. You can have all sorts of fielding drills. The players do work in spring training, at least four hours, if not 6 to even 8 (counting strength/conditioning time) at the minimum. I'm all for players on the main roster only playing half a game, if need be. But at some point the starting nine have to work together.

Jair Camargo is a real prospect, and still quite young. Became a minor league free agent and the Twins got him back. Should start (hopefully strong) at AA. I'm more worried these days now on depth with actual catching/throwout abilities. Framing is a plus to give the pitcher a target, but with the automated strikezone being implemented in some minors leagues, being crafty behind thee pllate is no longer a plus. The Twins have Vasquez as a starter for hopefully a strong two years, and maybe Jeffers will develop into a stronger half-time catcher in that time...so the Twins may be pretty set ffor three seasons, although losing both of these guys for any length of time will put a strain on the 40-man which has NO backup BACKUP catcher.

ARE YOU ALLOWED TO CARRY 14 PITCHERS?

The biggest question is: Who's on First. Then, who's on third...or the corner outfield spots. Not to mention DH. Twins batters struck out 17 TIMES the other day. Sands/Jeffers had a little trouble with a couple of guys on the basepaths. I'm trying to figure out if the Twins will have any kind of a running game on the major league level.

An automatic strikezone will change so much. Hey, gives the ump more time to monitor the pitch clock. Stolen bases start with the pitcher and the pitch selection. Then the catcher has to have a good throw/catch relationship with the second baseman/shortstop, which is why it is necessary going forth to NOT rotate people thru those positions anymore than possible. You also have to match your catcher even more now with pitchers. A strong throwing catcher with the pitchers that have trouble holding runners on the bag. Of course, the greand scheme is to always get that first out, and do your best to keep speedsters off the basepaths. Going to be interesting to see how the stolen base works out with the ghost runner in extra innings. It will be the same for both teams...but if a runner steals third, walking the batter to set up a double play may not prevent a run from scoring. Sometimes I wish Jeffers would go back to AAA and get a full season working with future players and further developing skills, with the Twins returning Sandy Leon, as an example, to the team as a defense catcher who can also bunt. Just for the year. The Twins could get extra service time for Jeffers. I only make that remark as I sit here in player limbo, wondering about the future of players like Kirilloff, Larnach, Jeffers, Celestino who seemed to have rushed to the majors (or faced significant injuries) and need to produce at a certain level, but can we afford to have them learn on the job...still. If we wish to compete.

In the grand scheme of things, Miranda may end up being the first baseman the Twins need, since there are no "hot" prospects on the horizon. And the Twins have plenty of prospects to fulfill needs at second, shortstop or third base. Question one is: will Correa be the shortstop for, say, at least four mroe seasons. If so, the Twins have plenty of guys to move elsewhere. Julien is the heir to Polanco, who may be playing his last season with the Twins. The Twins have high hopes for Lee, on the fast track (although the Twins could let Lee flounder in the minors for three more years and become the future shortstop at age 27 or something likethat). Lee is being touted as the best bet for third base. Lewis and Martin are in the mix, most likey in the outfield, although there is talk of Martin being the supoer utility guy. Sadly, both may not see any major league action this year, which is not a biggie for Martin as he is not on the 40-man, but Lewis will have 1 1/2 years of service time basically spent on the IL list. Tanner Schobel may be on the fast track, too. And Jose Salas is a name to watch, both could be major league regulars by 2025 at the latest. The Twins have hopes for Noah Miller, and behind him Bryan Acuna, at shortstop...and those two could easily follow Correa as the regulars in 4-5 seasons, spending a little time as backups on extended minor league play while in the minors. Miranda will be like Sano, a guy who may eventually be more of a designated hitter, but can so play the field at both first base and third base. But...if the Twins do wish to win, I wish they would take a guy and plant him somewhere and let him get comfortable...none of this rotating three guys thru first base (the first baseman adjusts to catching throws from three guys on the diamond on a regular basis). And also figure out if Miranda will bat 4th or 5thg, battes feed off of the guy batting ahead of them, and sets the plate for those behind. A wrinkle in that Miranda was having throwing troubles coming into spring training. You got all off-season to show up in shape and ready to go in spring training (unlike the old days where you ahd to work a job during the off-season). Guys doing too much strength conditioning and not enough "playing baseball?" I ahd hoped a month with Correa was going to bring spectacular results to Miranda in 2023.

It's playing better than the other teams in your division, especially against the teams in your division. That is where Cleveland excelled in the endgame, as well as the Twins taking a fast fall-from-grace in the last momnth with crippling injuries. Will be invals. teresting to see how mroe interleague games play out, as well as less games against division rivals.

wish it wasn't in the midst of spring taining. But.....

At some point you might have to cut and move on. The Twins took a gamble with Buxton, see how that will play out longterm. But how many times can you see hope in, say, Kirilloff or Lewis, and not just move forwards with...someone else. Always shades of Jim Eisenreich (remember him) who couldn't play, then ended up making a modest comeback, but with a different team. You start to realize how precious those 40-man roster spots can be, especially if you have numerous players that aren't...healthy.

If players start going on the short-term IL list in any quantity more than 1, the Twins will have to rely on starting arms to pitch in relief to fill out the major league roster. That is not necessarily a bad thing, if the mindset is there. If a guy pitches long relief, he will still build on innings going forth, and could transition back into a rotational role in the future. It is figuring out what a pitcher may bring to the team in that role. Henriquez showed sparks of being a bullpen arm as St. Paul winded down their season, and in his brief Target Field showcase. Winder and Sands would be high on the list, if you want to keep Woods Richardson and Varland strictly as rotation arms. But, in a pinch, the major league exposure would do them good in any capacity. Interesting that the Twins basically list 15 pitchers as mainly rotation arms on their 40-man roster, and only eight as bullpen arms.

Pitching should NOT be a problem (as well as outfield) for the Saints this year. Even names like Jose de Leon and Dereck Rodriguez. Does Fundeburk start at AA (as well as Balazovic). There's a couple more "starting" candidates on the minors free agent signing sheet. What is lacking is 40-man roster names to fill out a Twins bullpen that could be in need at some point. Is there more than 1-2 rotating places left on the 40-man (barring mroe i njuries) that will also allow a third catcher if need calls. The best route to the majors for many of these guys - Sands, Winder, Varland, Dobnak - might end up being able to egt guys out at the major league level in the long relief role, and then also being available for that spot start when needed, allowing the Twins to just bring up "a relief arm" when able to add that double-header player. What is nice to see at AAA and AA is many names developed by the Twins that are pushing their way towards consideration by the Twins, if not this year...next year.

You still gotta find 40-man roster spots for any additions beyond the 40-man. Megill might be working his way towards the waiver wire. Santana needs to stick with the club or go back on waivers. So that is two potential spots. Alcala could stay behind in Florida and spend time in St. Paul, but will remain on the 40-man. The Twins also have Oliver Ortega and Dereck Rodriguez ready to stash at AAA. Not any bullpen depth on the 40-man, unless you start converting relief pitchers. I'm sad to rad of possible Henriquez arm issues. He was the dark horse guy to break camp as a long-relief possibility. Instead, an IL visit will just create more roster issues, I'm afraid.

You need your rotation arms to be ready to pitch strong once spring training ends...no more building up innings for the season. And the bullpen ready to produce. The flip side is that there aren't many off days in April. Go figure that!

Interesting. Make a roster spot for Julien. And also, with Kepler gone, Larnach is back in the mix. Julien is still unproven but, y'know, I always pictured Polanco moving into the infield backup role as he ages...not necessarily with the Twins, but if he isn't ready out of spring training, he may find his role dimnishing if other step up to the plate. Julien can also be in the future first base mix, depending on the outcomes of Lewis, Martin and Lee. But those three MIGHT not make more than an appearance with the Twins in 2023, depending on injuries.

That was a brutal series. Contreras also got into the outfield.

Larnach, like Celestino, was pushed too soon. Maybe a year at AAA will do him good. But, he has to worry about falling in the prospect chart, and the Twins may bump him for finding space in the outfield for the likes of Lewis or Martin. A solid season in the minors can also raise the potential for tradebait for any number of high-end $$$ draftees. Some teams like to swoop in and get a guy that anotehr team spent big bucks on in signing. Of course, there is always Wander Javier, too - a $4 million write off by the Twins who managed to go thru two Rule 5 drafts before becoming a minor league free agent after the briefest of time at AAA St. Paul - now with the Padres. Back to Larnach - the Twins with no DH meant there was hope that Larnach could've started for the team. Now he will be in combat with Wallner in St. Paul, as well as a host of minor league free agent outfielders who, hopefully, won't make a Twins call just because of lack of 40-man spots.

I was hoping Griffin Jax was going to be that go-to guy for long relief. The Twins don't have the roster spots to do regular switch outs of fringe pitchers this season, so if they truly want long relief in the bullpen, they get to use up options on folks like Sands, Winder, Henriquez and anyone else on the 40-man, but listed as a starter. Of course, the secret is to get AT LEAST six innings out of four of the five rotation arms. Happily THIELBAR and MORAN can both go into a second inning.

Well, signing Correa means the Twins have a lot of shortstop prospects that will need to find new places to play, with one or two also keeping that glove in-case-of-an-emergency.

You have to have a pitcher comfortable with starting an inning with guys on base, and hopefully match-up with the players on deck. I am often surprised that don't start with walking a batter. Be interesting to see if the running game is a high priority this season. The flip-side is that both teams get this same situation. So you better have a solid bench. I'm going to miss Sandy "The Bunt" Leon. Somehow, the Twins seemed to have trouble moving that guy over to third, compared to the team they were facing. 5-10 in extra inning games was a kilelr for the Twins last season. Griffon Jax seemed to be the one that suffered most. And it doesn't show up in the pitcher's record, ass the runner scoring doesn't count against their ERA. But until baseball can handle tie games, we will have this......

Goes to show that the bullpen is far from set, although didn't the front office say something about NOT doing much to improve that part of the field operations? Megill and Pagan have to be on the spring training bubble. I personally feel Alcala should stay back in training camp and continue to pitch nin Florida, then a couple of minor league levels, before coming back. The question is, the Twins don't have a lot of play on the 40-man. Canterino could go on the 60-day-IL, but do you want him to have major league service time. Royce Lewis will now get two months more of major league service time. The Twins have filled their 40-man with AAA starters, it seems: Ober, Sands, Winder, Varland, Woods Richardson, Balazovic, Henriquez - but at some point these guys will have to be called upon to picth for the Twins bullpen, just because there isn't a 40-man spot to shuffle minor league free agents back-and-forth-and-back-and-forth.