Rosterman

Well, you expected Fein to be a tad better. It was the only situation you would use Robertson in. But I agree that the closer should not ALWAYS just be an end-of-the-game let's-get-a-save type of guy. If he is your strikeout pitcher, use him in a crucial situation in a real close game. You can spread saves around a little bit.

Looking at the bigger picture, Mauer is a #3 hitter, assuming someone gets on base before him. It will help him to have those additional pitches to look at. Hicks is a mess. He will need to go down and just work his tail off. Question is...do the Twins promote Benson for the heck of it and start Mastro more often than not. They are giving Hicks a pretty good leash. The Twins could probably do without Carroll if someone would take him...bring up a 3B/UT guy with a bit more bench punch. Now, Butera making $700,000 looks really bad. I also feel for DeVries and Deduno, both who came up lame and may have missed the one big opportunity to shine. Both fell in the pecking order. Of course, Hendriks isn't showing improvement and we have yet to see Hernandez. So, who knows.

I can't believe 10 pitchers on the DL, not to mention the few at New Britain. Where will the Twins find space for them as the season progresses. Rosters updated at the Minnesota Twins Baseball Cards, Autographs, Publications, Memorabilia, Players, Stats, History, Collectibles site. Check it out!

Anyone know what happened to Reggie Williams? No Hein Robb at A-ball yet. Updated rosters at Minnesota Twins Baseball Cards, Autographs, Publications, Memorabilia, Players, Stats, History, Collectibles.

I've updated the minor league roster at Minnesota Twins Baseball Cards, Autographs, Publications, Memorabilia, Players, Stats, History, Collectibles. Joel

I've updated the minor league rosters at Minnesota Twins Baseball Cards, Autographs, Publications, Memorabilia, Players, Stats, History, Collectibles. Check it out!

Cedar Rapids would be the fun place. Have to establish residencies and such. Don't the Twins have dorms in Ft. Myers...so those guys really don't have to go far. New Britain has people players can stay with.

If Mauer can catch 110-120 games, the Twins should be very happy. There is no reason Doumit can catch a minimum of 40 games...he has caught more than that each of the past few years. I would like to see a bench player with a tad more punch than Carroll and Escobar...who are basically the same guy with a 15 year age difference. You already have a triplicate in Mastro, too. When Mauer doesn't catch, he can play first or DH, and the Twins can move Parmlele and Morneau and Willingham with musical chair mixes. The r eally only plus Butera had was when you needed that 13th pitcher, which was just once last year.

Hernandez. But we will see Diamond and Swarzak, and then we will see whoever they replace again, first. And for position players, it is Benson or Hermann or Butera, depending on needs. We have two back-up infielders,so if someone goes down, no need to add to 40-man.

With Thielbar and Butera being more likely candidates to go thru waivers, surprised by this move (shades of Pat Neshek who still had options). Burnett was still young enough to contribute 2-3 years in the back of the bullpen. Maybe it opens a door for Slama to be reconsidered in the near future.

Robertson is a one-two batter guy. Roiencke is around incase Swarzak is a mess. We also have Tim Wood sitting on the dl in the wings. Hey,we could've signed Capps, Rauch and Hawkins.

This was not a cheap commercial to do...just the setups alone around Target Field. Probably 20 folks involved in filming alone. Hopefully they paid the mascots some "commercial" money for their time and trouble. At least it had to be warm.

Wow! Talk about a roster turnover. Still adding in Plouffe (who was the shortstop) and Swarzak (currently DL), the only prospects to see time were Parmelee and Hendriks. Quite a turnover since that season. And considering Morneau MAY be gone next year, and Swarzak is arbitration expensive! Out of the other 35 players who played, 17 are still in the minors, 7 aren't playing, and 11 have jobs this opening day in the majors.

Yeah, you wonder how the jettisoned made the club in 2012. This year a starting rotation of: Worley, Pelfry, Correia, Hendriks, DeVries. We all know there were comparable names out there for what we paid for Correia. Pelfry is a comebacker. DeVries is that guy you stash in the minors. In the wings we have Gibson and Deduno....not to mention Hermsen, Hernandez and the other dfa's Walters, Vasquez, Elarton, Davies et al. We could've spent and got one more proven name (no, harden doesn't count, yet). We have Mauer at catcher and Doumit at catcher/DH. We really don't have a DH, unless we play musical chairs and rotate Mauer, Doumit, Parmelee, Morneau between C/1B/RF/DH. That is good. That is...well, we never know what the true line-up will probably be. Or do we? It's a nice luxury to have. But that brings us to the bench. We have Escobar and Carroll, two of the same. We have Ramirez and Mastro, one a centerfield backup, which you supposedly need. We are set if Doumit plays every game somewhere. We don't need a Thome, for example. It might be nice if we had a little bit mroe bat, repalcing one of Carroll or Escobar (I would go with Carroll because of age and salary). Olmedo might've been a better choice. A Sean Burroughs who actually still pounds the ball and can play the field and come off the bench would be nice. Inge could've been a longshot choice if the Twins had signed him for peanuts, plus be the third catcher. You eitehr need someone for a bat or someone for defensive purposes. The only reason we have Carroll is because... Infield: It doesn't send shudders down my spine. Dozier, Florimon and Plouffe could all be job seekers in 2014. Or they could be place-setters. Or two of them could be long-term (2-3 years) holders of a place on the roster. I want to believe Plouffe was hampered by his thumb at year's end. I want to think Florimon can get on base and cover ALL the ground between bases. I want to think Dozier can hit 10 homers, bat .260, and not strikeout, plus do the pivot and dive for those balls between the other two bases. Replacements for these parts are still at least 2015 away. That is why Carroll is still here, today. He can play any of those positions and give us fielding and get-on-base. The Bullpen: Duensing should never stray from relief. Perkins is the closer. Burton, I wouldn't have signed for multi-years. Sorry. He was affordable, but not sure he is on par with Guerrier or Crain from our past. I think he is totally replaceable. The Twins think highly of Wood, they are paying him not to pitch by keeping him on the 40-man. But they can never send him to the minors or they lose him (or he is not worth keeping). Roeinke is a placesetter. Should we have grabbed Rauch, Hawkins, Capps for the same money? He has to get his act together or he is gone. Robertson is here because he is the lefty. He only needs to face 1-3 batters to be effective IF the starters give us the innings. I can actually live with Pressly. He showed he wants to pitch. He may be around for awhile. Casey Fien showed some stuff last year. But the Twins can play musical chairs. Hey, they aren't competing, or so we think. They have Slama, Perdumo, Thielbar, Burnett and a whole host of others to move in an out. Who are the relievers of the future in the system, the short and long guys, the closer heir? You tell me. Tonkin shined. Slama ages. Guerra is injured. You can always sign a middle-relief guy, this year the Twins played cheap. So who won't be here in 2014? Pelfry, Swarzak, Fien, Roeinke, Slama, Butera, Mastro, Ramirez, Carroll, DeVries, Walters, Vasquez, Lanigan, Turpen, Sattler, Blackburn, Perdomo, Fryer, Dinkelman, Boggs, Thomas, Clement, Olmeda will all be seeking jobs and probably find a place on some other teams minor league roster. Mastro, Pelfry and Carroll are the only ones that MAY make the majors in 2014. Hopefully all will be replaced by very promising talent in 2014, for sure in 2015.

Burnett is still young. This allows the Twins to still keep him around next season, if need be, and try a few others (Wood and Roeincke -- this year's Gray and Maloney). I'm still not sold on the need to keep Swarzak...I wish he hadn't been injured. I doubt the Twins will pay him big bucks next year in arbitration. I would rather see DeVries be the long-man in the bullpen. Right now, Hendriks, DeVries, Robertson and Roeincke are on the ubble for a quick trip east if they fail in the first two weeks.

And, actually, you could May and Hermsen in that mix, since they are on the 40-man roster, and even Hernandez.

I'm sure teams MIGHT like Butera, but he also makes $700,000. You can still get Corky Miller and Eli Whiteside for less than that (or Rene Rivera). That the Twins signed Butera for anything but a major/minor split is beyond me. Really. Explain this. If someone, anyone, will take him away, please do so Terry Ryan. Right now, you can readily replace him with Lehmann, Rohfling, Pinto, Herrmann, or any oof the above catchers if push comes to shove. I mean, Eric Fryer, J.R. Towles....there are repalcements.

I would go with Thielbar taken off the 40-man. When Swarzak and Diamond comes back, who goes down?

The Twins need to handle free agents better, their own (Nathan, Cuddyer, Kubel, Liriano) as well as create an environment where others will want to sign. We keep talking about the Twins NOT getting such-and-such pitchers this off-season, who signed reasonable contracts elsewhere. Would they have done the same in Minnesota?

The bigger fear was adding him back on the roster, then him pitching okay but not better than DeVries or Hendriks, and having to go thru waivers before rejoining a minor league team. Because of the lack of movable pieces on the 40-man, pretty much expect to see Butera, Roiencke and Wood start the season with the Twins (and Pressly). Those are the only names on the bubble. If any start slow, they will be waived and not return to the Twins, then the Twins can start addint the Deduno, Ramirez etc.

Hardy was a contract issue. The Twins thought he would get $8-10 in arbitration and just didn't feel he was worth it. Hardy ended up signing a friendly extension with the Orioles. Go figure. I think the Twins were set to sign Liriano long-term, just wanted to see what his 2011 was like. It wasn't. They thought, let's see 2012. It wasn't. There were big hopes that he would be worthy of a long-term extension. Young, the same arbitration issue. He was going to get large dollars because of his high signing while with the Rays. Yes, the Twins needed to trade him during the off-season, they didn't. They got something from the Tigers, who actually thought about not resigning him, but he had the great post-season. Interesting where both of these players ended up and at what cost. But I would agree that now was the time to move on Willingham...except you don't want to give the signal that we sign free agents to friendly deals and then trade them, or do we? I still like the option, when you look at the big picture, to get a good look at Parmelee and decide if you want to keep or trade Morneau during the season, with the open-ended option that you can always offer him $13+ million and make HIM refuse it and still get a draft choice.

It makes me happy the Twins don't have any wiggle room on their 40-man roster. Maybe that's why Inge and Figgins weren't signed to minor league contracts.

Benson has to tear at AAA. The Twins still have to make a decision on Morneau, and this looks like the year they will make a decision, too, on Parmelee. The more I think about it, the Twins will make a qualifying offer on Morneau if he produces and Parmelee falters. Benson could be the right fielder if he goes on a tear at Rochester, of replace someone on the bench. The Twins still have him and control him. It is all up to Benson. First call if someone goes down with an injury! I picture Hicks getting the same chance Dozier did. If he falters, he'll have to struggle. If he really struggles, he may go back down for a stretch, but probably not until late season (i.e. Dozier). He needs to work harder than he has ever worked in his life, but his reward will be a major league job for many many seasons.

I expect Mastro will play rightfield some, with Parmelee being a DH or bench bat, in the early days of the season. The question is Butera or a non-roster guy. Plus who makes the cut from Deduno or Walters, bother non-roster guys, and Wood/Roiencke. The Twins have no 60-day DL candidates. They have three potential candidates who are minor league free agents, but no spot for them. Pressly looks like he may stick. The Twins also could remove Fien. But there isn't a lot of wiggle room. And then, if you add Walters, Ramierz and Deduno, and if you decide not to keep them, they have to go thru waivers.

A team purposely loses to get a high draft pick? Give me a break. You have to overpay for a high first rounder, and you have to fight to get them to sign with your losing team, which is where I draw the line of so many guys wanting to sign with a winner over a loser, who might, just might, offer you the possibility of hitting the majors sooner rather than later. he kicker is when a guy signs and then is traded a year or two later. This whole draft thing is out-of-whack, where unproven players gets hundreds of thousands (and now millions) and you look at Seth's recent eval of the Hicks draft and look at how many of the guys from each of the past decade are still in the Twins system...why do teams do this. Which is a whole 'nother story. The bigger argument, still, if free agent compensation, I guess. When can players JUST become a free agent and not tied to any compensation. The compensation exists so SOME teams just can't sign everyone and not suffer, maybe. I kinda liked the old A-B-who cares system, tied into draft picks, and not overrode if you were traded mid-season. I don't think the qualifying offer works. Yet the Twins got something (which people complain about) for Liriano by trading him, which is more than they would've gotten if they hadn't, plus the Twins didn't have to make a qualifying offer and had the ability to undersign him, which they lowballed too much (although Liriano really got lowballed in the end, it seems). Lohse can find a job. It is just a question of what team and how much money. He should've accepted St. Louis. Frankly, I would not give him a multi-year deal for anything like his agent is harping for.