Rosterman

National sign NELSON CRUZ! https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/nelson-cruz-deal-moving-along-quickly.html#comments

In 2018 Anibal Sanchez signed a minor elague contract with the Twins. Didn't work out, he was cut before the season but ended up signing with Braves and saw a resurgance in his career as a starter. Then a horrible 2021. Now back again, on a minor league contract with The Nats. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/nationals-sign-anibal-sanchez-2.html

Yep, ALEX COLOME goes to Colorado. I wonder how he will do in Coors Feild. What I most feel bad about, besides the lack of interest in Alex at the trade deadline, is that the Twins kep him on as the closer rather than try anyone or anyone else who would probably be around for 2022 or even years to come. It was their opportunity to look at internal options, perhaps, and also to allow some players to walk....instead they brought up a bunch of also rans who failed to stick around when the fall off-season roster cuts started. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/rockies-to-sign-alex-colome.html

NIKO GOODRUM signs with the Astros. Another name off your former Twins who are still free agents Bingo Card. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/astros-to-sign-niko-goodrum.html

One of those guys that the other team gets rid of so they don't have to make the same decision the Twins do now. No Rule 5 draft. But he would still have to clear waivers. Possibility guys can clear waivers come the end of spring training. Twins also will have two open roster spots when Maeda and Enlow go on the longterm injured list. I believe they can do that next week. But, yes, Vallimont can be on the bubble, doubt there will be room for him at AAA. Rooker also is playing for a spot. Stashak, Thorpe will also get decisions on keep or not. So tehre is some wiggle room. I would hate to see the Twins cut loose Strotman without giving him at least a look in the majors.

KURT SUZUKI returns to the Angels under a very cheap contract. At 38, the guy is holding his own as a backup catcher! https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/angels-to-re-sign-kurt-suzuki.html

The pain was that the Twins need to have Ronnie Henriquez on the 40-man roster. A guy who will start and spend most of the season at AA ball. Amidst a roster full of other pitchers that are doomed to be in the minors for msot of the season (Duran, Balazovic, Winder, Vallimont, Enlow). That's six arms you don't want to lose, but are long-shot hopefuls to contribute in 2022 in the majors.

Kiner-Falefa gives them a shortstop without breaking the bank. The Twins have him for two seasons at the worst. We may feel we are weakened at catcher, but now it will be up to Jeffers and Rortvedt to become the duo behind-the-plate for the next five years. And, yes, our new shortstop can also catch! We can pretty much assume now that the Twins really don't see Palacidos, Martin or Lewis coming to the majors in 2022, unless as a drastic injury call-up or added to the roster in September. Beckham is now the main emergency guy at AAA if he has a nice spring training. Gordon and Arraez are the spare infielders who can also play the outfield. Question now is will Kiriloff/Sano/Rooker/Donaldson be 1B/DH rotation with some play in leftfield for two of them, and will this also mean that Miranda might make the roster to join the above four names to rotate around the four positions. But, then, how much playing time do Arraez and Gordon get? Still need pitchers to go mroe than five innings, now that a hard cap of 12 arms is being palced on teams (although I do expect expanded to 28 rosters for the first month).

JUAN MINAYA returns for his third minor league season. In 2020 he was called up for three days but never pitched in a game. He was a solid arm in the pen in 2021, but considered to expensive to give a major league conract. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/twins-re-sign-juan-minaya-to-minor-league-deal.html

ANDRELTON SIMMONS signs with the Cubs. So, we don't need to wory about a return to the Twins. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/cubs-to-sign-andrelton-simmons.html

Picturing the Twins getting shut-out in any further free agent pickings. Sad, sad. They still need to fill roster spots. Currently in St. Paul are BECKHAM, who I believe the Twins DID sign as their shortstop candidate. Pitchers Coulombe, Megill, Smeltzer, Faria and Rodriguez could all be considered for advancement to the Twins, who currently have two roster spots and two more once Maeda (being paid decent bucks for 2022_ and Enlow go on the injured list. Too many of the 40-man NEED to start in the minors. Sadly see Miranda going, unless the Twins can flip out Sano. Larnach, Lewis, Celestino, Rortvedt all go to St. Paul. Rooker probably stays. Jax, Garza, Thorpe, Moran, Strotman could all break camp. WInder, Balazovic, Duran, Sands...and Stashak and Vallimont are all going to AA or AAA. The Twins will be under budget come the end of spring training - BIGTIME!

MARTIN PEREZ signs with the Rangers. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/rangers-sign-martin-perez.html

Rule 5 cancelled! Maybe they should've let teams carry a 27th player for the first month of games! https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/2021-rule-5-draft-officially-canceled.html

Phillies also signed JOHN ANDREOLI who was a depth pickup by the Twins and played with the Red Wings in 2019. And AARON BARRETT moves from the Nationals organization to the Phillies. He had four stints with Washington between 2014 and 2020. Aaron was drafted by the Twins in 2008 but didn't sign. Another former draftee unsigned by the Twins in 2018, JAMES MARVEL, also signs with the Phillies.

I can see it not working this year. And just goes to show that the MLBPA cares more for the rich rather than those aspiring to become part of their Union. But if it doesn't happen, consider it a minor payback for those that lost a searson in 2020, as well as the major leagues teams losing a year of minor league control for no play abck then. Now don't get me wrong, the money greedy owners are also to blame in all of this. Keep raising prices, keep grabbing mroe TV and play-off money as the audiences for both continue to free-fall. AT some point, have to start thinking of fans and affordability of people seeing and enjoying the game.

DREW MAGGI, who offically did play for the major league Twins in 2021 as he was on the major league roster for a couple of days, signed a minor league depth deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. One of those few Twins that were part of the team, but never got in a major league game.

In some ways, baseball was a sport made for the radio. Listen to the games while you work, while you play. It was also a game that all could be involved in the play. You could play it in grade school, before T-ball and parents who started prepping their kids for the pros when the kids are still three feet tall. Girls could also play. It developed running, throwing and catching skills. Just playing a lazy game of catch., Or hitting fly balls or grounders to each other. We also had the wonderful world of baseball cards. I also remember that it was a big school thing. Your school would go to a game for cheap during the actual school year. If you could afford it, or get to it, it was also a fun lazy afternoon with a hot dog or popcorn. In baseball, there is not a bad seat on a sunny day with a slight breeze. Plus, players came out and promoted the team. They were at the local car dealership. At Father/Son banquets. They would show up at park board baseball programs. Little things like that bring a community to baseball. I went to many a game at Met Stadium and was able to meet players wlaking to their cars in the aprking lot! Imagine that now. Except.... Kid baseball is so organized, so performance oriented. I felt my years in high school in the late sixties were the last time anyone could play the sports, be it on the B-team. Now, you only play if you have...aspirations, sadly. Shooting hoops has repalced playing catch...you can do it alone. Pickup touch football games happen at family events rather than making a makeshift diamond and playing a little softball or whiffle ball. If baseball still exists, it barely survives in minor league towns, where the games are pretty darn fun. Or they still excel in play in Town Ball, and often the enthusiasm of fans is great. The charm of baseball ahs always been the pace. Watching the pitch, seeing the hit, fist pumping the catch or great throw. And then talking about it for hours afterwards.

Keep Sano or not will be the question. Otherwise, a shorten season can be a rebuilding season, and beneficial to the whole organization. Forget minor league free agents and advance guys in the system.

A shorter season would be great for pretty much every Twins pitcher. The ones on the 40-man would still have the training period, but don't need to go much above 100 or 150 innings, depending on who they are. All the minor league guys will still get a full season. The Twins could pretty much write-off the season for being competitive and run a team on the cheap. The problem will be putting fans in the stands, and dealing with revenue streams from advertising, as well as local television and radio. Out of sight, often out of mind. Baseball in Minnesota loses momentum without the spring training to lakes and travels and the outdoors. Doesn't help when you can't even print a yearbook because you aren't sue about the players.

Unless the Twins make some bigtime adds, Jax will be a rotation arm just because he can give the team innings. It may not be pretty, but lots of Twins got hammered as a starter and developed prime careers out of the pen (Mahomes, Hawkins, Guardado, Perkins, Duffey). If the team every starts winning, who knows...he might even be closer material.

I doubt Garver will ever catch more than 80 games again in a season. The Twins still have him around for three more seasons, to say the least. That he can catch is a bonus. I would get him some reps at first base. And he would be a prime DH candidate. The Twins have one more season of Sano. I would happily jettison Sano if Garver shows continued success at the plate, and if Kirilloff is your first baseman for the future, considering you have Sabato and Wallner coming up in the minors. The Twins can also live without Donaldson if we think Miranda is the real thing. Both of those bodies would better suit DH going forward, but not at the expense and, in that sense, they serve little purpose that we can't get from Garver - WHO CAN ALSO CATCH! Garver reminds me of Randy Bush, or Gene Larkin. That guy who can come off the bench, also catch unlike the others mentioned above, and would probably welcome prolonging his career in a Twins uniform. He isn't flashy and would be passed over by other teams as a DH or catcher. But can find and keep a home here.

There's just so many out of the near 900. Hard enough to find room for the retired numbers, let alone when do we stop with the Twins Hall of Fame!

Sadly Major League Baseball has cut down on any inter-action with players. An autographers nightmare, to be sure. But, hey, everyone needs to work twice as hard with all the missed training/playing time from the past two seasons. Besides, you go there to enjoy watching players field, pitch and hit...and play the game.

He is just so....streaky. Coming up with two outs, men on base. You say "Don't swing at that low outside pitch" and nine out of ten times he swings. He like tries hard not to do it for a day, taking one-two-three pitches...and maybe drawing a walk. But what do we have to do to keep him from going after a pitch all pitchers know he will swing at 90% of his at bats? Every ten at bats can you expect two hits, one of which is a homer. One walk. four strikeouts?

Left-field and shortstop are still open. Even if the Twins sign a shortstop, and have Rooker play left...him and Gordon are pegged as the supersubs who can play infield and outfield. A n ice luxury to have.