Rosterman

Fun to see the winners in previous sesaons and thinking about where they are now.

The biggest decision is our belief in the front office. They say the team, will be competitive in 2022. To do that, they must improve on a lot of players that played last season (Kepler, Sano, Jefferies), fill some major holes at shortstop/ leftfield/ bullpen...and have pitchers that can actually pitch more than five innings in a game and maybe, just maybe, give you close to 200 innings of work. You have to ask who on the roster is actually tradable and what they can bring back to the team besides prospects, of which the Twins have their own fair share. Of course we may consider the Twins somewhat prospect rich, although baseball as a whole has a lot of underseasoned prospects who will be jettisoned by teams in the coming month, too. Are any of our prospects worthy of being loved so much by an over-salaried team, or a team feearing their own potential free agents, that they want to badger the Twins front office with communication. Then it boils down to money, how much, how many years in a contract. We see what happened when the front office proved to us that they would spend money bigtime on Donaldson. They got applause, until you start thinking about it in the long-run. Plus, any free agent looking to come to the Twins will come for one reason only - to rebuild themselves into a bigger and better future contract. If the difference is 10-15% in dollars, players will look closely at the winning possibilities, as well as how the market plays to their own success. Baseball is, after all, a team sport. You are only as good as the players around you, and a bad team can bring you down, or they end up trading you, which wasn't your choice when you signed and committed, but is part of the game.

One year of Sean? Three guys who all faced injuries last season? Not sure if can, or would want to sign Sean longterm. Could Sano play better in Fenway or Yankee Stadium? I would trade Garver to Florida if you can get a rotation arm...plus a prospect or two. Donaldson then becomes the primary DH who can also play in the field. But does DOnaldson NOT want to play in the field. Of course, you can rotate with Kirilloff and Miranda. I do expect Miranda will struggle some. I would like to see him placed fulltime in a position and go from there. Rooker or someone in left until we get Larnach back. Of course, the Twins could deal Buxton and/or Kepler, too. What a mes in the outfield. The Twins have decent guys in the minors like Kerrigan, Contreras, Boyd, WHiefield (and Wallner), but none are the long-term solution to any of the outfield positions right now. Martin and Lewis WILL BE in the hunt at some point. Celestino could play everyday if you are rebuilding rather than being competitive. Buxton is the true key to the outfield and you go from there. I would gamble 3 years at $60 and hope you get 350 games out of him in the field. I don't know if I would gamble 7 years with the potential for 500 games, as well as him shifting to one of the corners in 4-5 years max.

I'm suddenly seeing the Twins resign (and early) ann three of the free agents. Of course, Colome is either an acceptance by him or a buyout. Pineda may be grabbed, as well as Simmons, for decent prices that the front office can't refuse. Expecially with the collective bargaining agreement out there. My gripe on any of the three is evaluating their worth at this season's trade deadline. They got the Twins nothing. Na-na for legit offers. And, in a losing season, the Twins chose to give all three innings that better could've been given to players for the team's future...if nothing else for experience, and certainly evaluation. $15 million for the three may be in the works. Too much? Too little? What else could you egt for $15 million to make the team better!

Berrios and Buxton are going to be really great -- for other teams. Twins banked on a bunch of arms that never materialized.

If we are cleaning house, might as well add Garver into the mix and pick up some bodies from Florida. The flaw is twosome. First, if the Twins are jettisoning proven major league talent for prospects, what would motivate someone to come here, unless they have a really good idea of whom will be abcking them up at first base, third bse, centerfield and, for all intents and purposes, shortsop. Not to mention a bullpen with no lights out stopper of late jettisoning blankly, at least, a strong setup guy. If I would be signing a multi-year contract, I would want to see a lot of guys doing the same. But that doesn't happen these days as a group effort. Who would be the signing leader (and for how much). Second is, again, back to roster construction. Right now, looking at the Twins current and intended 40-man roster for the season, you have a tough time seeing 26 standout guys who will hold their places on the roster. You see a lot of filler or potential. Plus, suddenly, you are expecting betters from Kepler and Jeffers, potential from Kirilloff and Larnach, and that Arraez can play third. The rotation is still a mess, and if you sign a lot of guys (or trade for other top arms), you pretty much are passing over the next potential cropy of arms in the Twins system. How mych faith do you put into Balazovic, Duran, Winder, Sands, Enlow, Ryan, Ober, Woods-Richardson, even Strotman and Barnes, to be a part of Twins destiny. Are they not worthy? If not, then why keep them! I have oft admired Billy Beane how he manages to shuffle playes, dealing them out and about, like with a whim, but still always fielding a decent team. In Minnesota, we want more than to be contenders in the Central and get wiped in the playoffs. It ain't happening with any masive free agent signings. The team has to position thru traes or development to be in a position where one or two free agents, even in beaking the bank one-year style, can come in and give the team that boose. How rich can you make a farm system of unprovens? We have that, right now, if we can keep them healthy. If scouting is correct, we can trade vets and or prospects for real pieces.

I would want to keep all three for fodder for next season. They have to be better than the majority of arms the Twins waded out. Hamilton would have to be sent thru waivers (again) if added to the 40-man and cut at any time. So you want to be pretty sure that you will use him, or maybe just keep him at AAA with a slightly inflated minor league contract. He wilal be able to ask around for his services. Same with Ryan Mason, who (I believe) is also a minor league free agent. The Twins elevated him to AAA to see if they need to add him to the roster. Cano will get more time at St. Paul, but a lovely addition. As we saw with Moran, you want the ability give guys time to get hit a bit, and then go work on stuff. Wish the Twins ahd done that earlier on Moran so they could send him back-and-forth, rather than keep bringing up guys like Barraclough, Vincent and the ink. But the Twins sooooooo wanted one of these minor league free agent guys to find a permanent palce on the 40-man. Of course, in the bigger scheme of things, the Twins need to make hard choices on Smeltzer, Thorpe and Stashak. Are any of them bullpen arms going forth. Same with Bryan Sammons and Griffin Jax...both could be bullpen opportunists, probably as good as any waiver wire pickups. All of the five mentioned above could forego 40-man roster spotting and hopefully stay with the Twins on a minor league contract status. Another intriguing name is Judson Gore. The Twins kept him in Wichita so he may be passed in the Rule 5. But he could quickly advance as a bullpen arm in 2022.

All these college guys that didn't get much play before season's end. Be interesting to see where some of them start, after the Fall Instructional league and other work at the Ft. Myuers complex.

I can stomach Sano if ALL the other postion players are playing their competitive skillset. But in a team of weak bats, we don't need a solo home run guy when he does hit one, and all his strikesouts when men are on base. If we are stuck with Donaldson, time to say goodbye to Sano and see if Miranda can work into the mix, especially if Garver also can play 1st or be a regular DH. If Sano and Garver were bvoth traded away, I would strongly consider reuniting with Crus for another season. Right now the Twins are like a House, the model home, that has some geat touches (Sano, Donaldson), but wouldn't you rather have something useful than what just looks good on paper.

Sounds good. Would love for all of that to happen. Two free agent bullpen arms and two free agent pitchers. You have to jettison three guys from the current 40-,am roster. A fourth if you do sign a shortstop. Starting the season with Celestino and Kirilloff in the outfield, Jeffers catching. Is Rooker still on the team? I would be even more pleased if could move Donaldson and get some of that payroll back!

Luis Arraez?

Two ways to deal with minor league free agents: you give them a contract that far exceeeds the probably minimum they might get from another team, or you add them to the 40-man. Reasons why a player will switch teams once he becomes a minor league free agent? They team doesn't want him back. Someone offers you more money. You see less blockage in your way to advance in another oprganization. If you are a minor league free agnt that would just be putting in time at the AA level because of two much competition, or if you are AAA filler, you can make a decent living signing with pretty much any organization. Of course, any min or league player risks getting released from the non-binding contact and suddenly faced with job outlooks that often league to independent league ball with the hope for a comeback in a minor league system of a major league team. The lost season set so many players back. Every major league team is in the same situation, players they wish to keep not advancing past AA ball. So will be interesting to see what prospects might be changing teams, compared to the three dozen folks the Twins signed as basically AAAA fodder last season. That being sai,d I hope the Twins are not hasty in resigning either Pineda or Colome, although their decision on Coleme means spending $1.25 million for nothing or $5.5 million for something. Is Colome a better keep on the 40-man than, say, Jax or Garza or Which of thor Thorpe or Smeltzer, any of whom would be jettisoned if they kept hiose names, if any, would remain on a Twin on a minor league contract and the hopes that they can crack the team out of spring training?m.

Eddie was not worth the $10-12 million. The Twins felt they had Kirilloff in the mix, Cave as backup, and even felt good enough about Rooker to let Wade go. It was all about money, and the Twins invested that money in Happ and Shoemaker...and, yes, it didn't look as bad as it turned out to be. Will be interesting to see what happens with Eddie in the off-season. Will he find a taker who will give him $20-25 million for three seasons? Do you see him getting more? I'm sure if the Twins could've signed him for $20 million, they might've taken the gamble. I'm sure Eddie thought he would do better than the $8 he got from Cleveland. But like with Ortiz, hands were tied. You pay them more than you think they are worth at the moment, or let them walk. Ortiz passed thru alot of waivers, Eddie was passed over by a lot of teams. The economics of arbitration. You either sign them early (Kepler, Polanco, Sano) or it swings to the advantage of the player to head for free agency - but that only works if the player produces to get the BIG or multi-year contract.

I haven't figured out the best spot to bat Buxton in the order. Of course, it would help if there were better batters to put around him. Too often people equate speed with stealing bases, but a lot of it is taking that extra base and testing a fielder, or coming home on a sacrifice. You have to figure the Buxton camp almost wants to see the arbitration process. He will, undoubtedly, go forward towards the $10 million mark. What the Twins offer for their end will go along ways towards Byron playing ball with the Twins. His next alternative is to take a qualifying offer at the end of 2022. Buxton's best bet would be to be a trade piece during the season, which means a team will pay "how much" for half a season of play. Buxton and his agent know full well that if Byron has a good, solid 2022 season, he can easily get $100 million for 4 years. If he excels, maybe even push that envelope more. Four years pushes him into an arena of another contract, as a corner outfielder. Would that multi-year contract exceed, say, $33 million for three more seasons? The Twins best bet would be incentive LOOOOOONG-TERM contract, like the 7/$133 fielded above with play incentives on top of that. There was no reason for Byron to take the Twins 2021 mid-season offer of many many years and around $80 million or so with LOTS of incentives. He is playing purely for 2023 at this point, with hopes that he stays healthy all season and has production going on around him. We all ask "how much is enough" and so many of us, in a similar situation, would not want to be taken advantage of. Yet a team CAN only focus so much of their salary on a single player and, sadly, with Buxton there are questionable futures attached. It is sad that in baseball there is no crying, but it all comes down to money in so many players and how they see their love of the sport.

Garlick, coming off an injury, pretty much ahs zero trade value. You can argue keeping him on the 40-man roster. The Twins have 10-12 names that they CAN keep once some prospects are added, all of the dozen names replaceable if you sign a free agent or find someone better, which you hope you can do if there are still ten expendable names on your 40-man. Rooker is home grown, a power guy, and can play 1st base and the corners. Garlick was the surprise (beating out Broxton in spring training). Rob Refsnyder kept himself in the 40-man roster spot hunt until he collapsed in the final month. Be interesting to see who goes and who stays. Rooker, as a keeper, could actually be a good throw-in if you do perform a trade during the off-season and the NL is granted the DH.

A utility guy is often just that, a versatile stop-gap until you promote the next generation from the minors to play everyday. He gives people on the roster a rest. Maybe has a skillset like a defensive replacement in blow-out games, a speedy runner if looking for base advancement, someone who hits a sacrifice fly (possibly) or puts a ball in play to move a runner. If that person can also play an everyday role when called upon, for the short-term, it is a bonus. Cave did it before in the outfield. Players like Reboulet and Hocking did it regularly for the Twins. Ehire was fine. WIllians Astudillo can, but also has a price cap for how well he can. Gordon has earned another good look in spring training, and also the inside chance of making the roster. After getting some at bats, have to see how he will change his game, so to speak, and what he can add top his skill set. Otherwise, you go with the Riddles, Maggis, and others.

If they sign him, they can negotiate long-term once they see how the finger has healed. He would be a trade chip mid-season if need be. If he totally lights-out excels, he could also be a qualifying offer candidate for an additional season. Can you replace him with an equal arm (or two) for the same price. The Twins really won't be over payroll in 2022. They can afford it.

Raisel Iglesias is intriguing, especially if you can limit him to closing dutires. You will have to give a big contract, though.

Learned that there is a new guy in the Twins coaching network, a motion performance coach named Martijn Verhoeven, who has been working with pitchers for a couple of seasons. Plus a nice shout-out to his Concordia coach Kevin Walsh.

What could a 22-year-old with limited play above A-ball possibly do? https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=baddoo000aki You just never know until you try. In 2020 the Twins decided to protect Celestino from the Rule 5 draft, although he was far from ready. In 2021, the Twins decided to NOT protect Akil Baddoo, for the same reason.,

We will see on Ryan, but if he fails as a starter...he does have the potential to be a closing ace.

Decisions should be pretty easy this round. Of course, the Twins might actually win a couple of the cases to their advantage, too. Buxton is soooooo interesting. Let's give him a big raise, but how many games did he play this season, and last season, and..... Rogers is a lefty. As is Coulombe and Thielbar. All three are within reasonable amounts to keep on the team at this point. All three can be traded or basically removed if someone better comes along. Same with Duffey. If they all come to spring training healthy, and the Twins have struck out in the free agent marketplace, they are trade chips. Gant is interesting, a swing man no doubt. Did he like Minnesota? Would he sign for less, or consider signing for less elsewhere? Curious top see what the demand for his services would be. Minaya is cheap and has stuck with the Twins as a free agent for two seasons. Reward him and see if he excels again. Yes, the days of Willians may be at an end. Again, another guy that would be curious to see what the demand for his services might be. You can make him a highly paid AAA guy, but do we rally care that he can play somewhere anytime. Cave will find a new home. Refsnyder will still be available. At one point he looked like a lock, a keeper. But the Twins could probably do as well elevating Kerrigan or Contreras when the time comes. Refsnyder is behind Larnach, Rooker, Celestino right now. Really, Arraez is a Super Two? I think they got this one wrong.

Let's look back. In 2019 the Twins sent Royce Lewis, Ben Rortvedt, Dakota Chalmers, Moises Gomez, Jovani Moran, Luke Raley and Zach Neff. All still playing. Raley made it to Dodgerland this year. In 2018: Jaylin Davis, Rooker, Blankenhorn, Hector Lujan, Adam Bray, Smeltzer, Jax, and Raley...again. All still playing ball. In 2017: Tyler Jay, Chris Paul, Lamonte Wade, Andrew Vasquez, Ryan Eades, Sean Miller and Tom Hackimer. Paul and Miller were infielders who are no longer in pro ball. In 2016: Gordon, Gonsalves, Curtiss, Melotakis, Randy Rosario, Garver, Tanner English. Tanner English disappeared. Melotakis is still hanging in Indy ball. All-Stars, ROY, batting champs, World Series players...whatever. Just a good chance to get extended seasonal play against a higher caliber of promising player.

Sometimes we go about this the wrong way. When forced to add someone to the 40-man, you have to take someone off. Happily we have three that will leave soon: Simmons, Pineda, Colome. Now at 39. When adding Rule 5 guys to the roster, you have every hope they will play in 2022. Or, because of their signing status, they are too precious and you need to keep them. Royce Lewis is one such, high ranking, expensive...but with two wasted seasons under his belt. You gotta keep him. Why? The teams you most fear are those that are in rebuild and won't mind carrying a low-level guy for a whole season on their major league roster. The Twins did it with Santana. The Tigers did it with Baddoo. Baddoo, although a decent prospect, was still a High-A ball player. He was behind a wealth of names like Cave, Wade, Larnach, Celestino, Kirilloff for sure. That he played for the Tigers was unheard of in the minds of too many. But he did. The gamble you take. The Twins also will keep Miranda. He should be on the team in 2022 for sure, in some capacity. Now it gets iffy. You need to protect Winder, as he is close. Sands is also very close. Enlow is close to being close, just needs the works and innings. All three would be smart picks by any team to stash in the bullpen. By putting them on your 40-man, the Twins have the luxury of them all working as rotation arms at AAA ball and joining Duran and Balazovic and Strotman as possible future rotation arms for the Twins. That's thee new arms to go with three old ones, none that you would expect to break camp for the Twins unless they were in rebuild mode compared to being competitive. Anyways, now at 44 names on the roster. Two interesting pitching names, both bullpen arms and both converted hitters: Fundeburk and Gore. Gore might be closer and the Twins didn't advance him to AAA, so he may get bypassed. Unless Fundeburk is TOTAL lights out in AFL ball, he should also fall under the radar of other teams. I would take the chance to NOT add them. Palacios is an interesting choice. I would hope I could convince him to return on a minor league contract for some looks at AAA ball. I would have to choose between him or Gordon if I was going to make a 40-man add. I would keep Gordon at this point, especially with Lewis in the wings, and the potential of Martin, as well as Miranda. I worry that we will lose Trey Cabbage to free agency. Do we add him to the 40-man? Wander Javier is a 40-man add only because of the investment. Another team can grab him and thumb their nose that the Twins let a million-dollar kid walk away. This is a tough call, but I don't see someone grabbing him this season. He doesn't really look much better than last season, when he passed thru the Rule 5. So, we are at 44. We really only need to drop four players, then. Again, you drop players as you add them. At this point, not really a need for a 40-man spot. If you think you are going to do a Rule 5, then you make a spot now (or later, before the draft). If you sign a free agent, you drop a corresponding position player. That's the way to play. But we still need to drop four. Barnes and Thorpe and Smeltzer are left-handed and rotation possible arms. They should be keepers. Thielbar and Coulombe are left-handed relief pitchers, they can also be kept for the moment, to join Rogers and Moran. That means we have Garza, Stashak, Gant and Dobnak on the bubble. Dobnak will stay because of his contract, but he could be jettisoned to the minors and probably not claimed because of his contract. Stashak is a probable because we don't know where he sits in injury land. If Jax is claimed, good for him getting a job opportunity elsewhere. If the Twins designate him, hopefully resign him for depth. Garza is interesting. He would compete with any minor league free agent signings, and I assume the front office will do a number of those. We are going to easily get to 44, no doubt about that. Smeltzer, Thorpe and Stashak may be too injury prone to worry about NOT losing, so they could be lost. None contributed to the Twins in 2021. On the offensive front we have a gaggle of outfielders: Cave, Garlick, Refsnyder, Rooker. Assuming Larnach is in the real mix, Celestino is more valuable than any of the aforementioned names, and you have Arraez/Gordon in the mix, Kirilloff in left, and Miranda in play somewhere...you can jettison all four. I would probably keep the home-grown and cheap Rooker at this point. But he would be removable if you signed anther outfielder or a designated hitter. So, if we remove Cave, Garlick and Refsnyder, we only have to cut one of the many pitchers mentioned above, for the moment. And we still have Willians Astudillo on the roster. In the end, add: Lewis, Winder, Sands, Enlow, Miranda. Lose: Cave, Garlick, Refsnyder and one of Smeltzer/Thorpe/Stashak. We still keep Astudillo, Rooker, Coulombe, Thielbar, Garza, Jax, Barnes and two of Smeltzer/Thorpe/Stashak. Hey, and we also keep Gant, who MAY BE arbitration too expensive. But what is $4 mil these days? That's still ten guys - TEN GUYS - that can be removed for someone better! I don't see Gore or Fundeburk or Javier or Palacios or Cabbage playing in the majors in 2022 fer sure, and especially don't see another team gambling to start the season with any of them on the roster for the first few months.

The Twins need to trade. But who actually ahs real top-notch value. Who are the guys another team will pick up the phone and make the call, rather than just receive yours. The Twins very well could've seen everyone of their top talents for use in 2022 this season. Why they didn't advance Strotman, Balazovic and Miranda is beyond me. It is questionable amongst names like Winder, Duran, Sands, Enlow, Lewis, maybe Gore and a couple of AAA outfielders, that you will see much action on the field from raw talent unless the Twins totally tank out of April/May and go total rebuild mode.