Rosterman

Well, the Twins will try and get their money's worth out of Castro. But someone else will catch two out of five games...maybe. The big maybe is...do you send Garver to Rochester to catch more often than not with the arms of the future. And can you trust another body (Astudillo) to do the job when called upon to catch in the majors. I am curious to see where Navaretto ends up. And if the Twins push Jeffers and Rortvedt. Especially Jeffers. I doubt that either of the two youngsters will show up before 2021 in any major capacity, so the Twins still need a catching combo for 2020 and could probably stick with Garver and Astudillo. Curious that they did explore other opportunities, which would've meant Castro as an expensive backup and Garver in the minors for sure, as the market for Castro is not huge right now. Although I did say Garver could start at AAA, I'm not sure WHY I would think that. Except that he could catch 3-4-5 starters who will be part of the Twins rotation the end of this season and all of next season?

Good signing in some ways. He can backup third or first well, depending on Sano. Where the question comes is the need for Adrianza. And, also, that bench bat that could play 1B/OF (Austin) or just 1B (Dudas). Looks like Austin will be out for sure now. But see the 40-man spot opening up with the waiver of Torreyes, who could stay with the Twins as more insurance. But the guy is a solid bench bat and can rotate thru the infield, maybe getting equal at bats to everyone else in the line-up one way or another.

You always love the ones that got away and have confusion about the musical chairs same years. Shows that a career with one team in baseball is few and far between, even in the good old days.

Well, I always like to look ahed with the crystal ball. Who will be in the pen in 2020 and 2021. Will any of these guys be a closer-in-training in 2019? If not, then we need to BUY a closer. Not a lot of hold over salary, and enough names in the minors to make us forget people like Duffy and Addison in the near future. Addison Reed is more of a tradechip now than a solution. What is the status of Romero as being a rotation stud? Seems a shame to doom him to the bullpen if he has any promise as being a major arm...unless he can become the light's out closer we need...next day. I'm happy with the bullpen. A veteran closer would be a plus and the Twins can afford the investment if there IS an arm that won't stick it to your payroll in years 2-3-or-4 of a contract.

It's like Denard Span...it might be a bargain contract if Kepler produces and easy to trade for younger talent. Span had defense and speed. Kepler has defense and power.

The three batter rule would be a disaster if the pitcher didn't have their stuff. Of course, he just might walk three guys. But still. Between using an opener and using a closer for one inning, you can already burn thru three pitchers a game. And you usually do with the pitch count limits on starters who can't reach the 6th anyways. Regarding expanding rosters, maybe should expand them to 28 players, and you must rest three ech game (which wouldn't be hard, because you have starting pitchers). But then you would have more one batter pitchers on the roster. But I would like to see an expanded roster to offer either that additional pitcher or batter. Of course, the National League has worked just fine with the pinch hitter using up a bench bat and no designated hitter. Raises problems when pitchers do have to bat from the American League. Having the universal designated hitter would mean pitchers never ever have to swing a bat again. And how can you prevent a team from tanking. At some point, most every team worried about budget goes thru a rebuilding phase. And it may happen in mid-season, with the uncontrolled disabled players, and the opportunity to trade off assets for the future.. If a team chooses to tank, then they face the wrath of the ticket holder. I think the bigthing for major league baseball is to look at cost of going to a game. How do you fill all those empty seats each game in stadiums. Sure, they ride the corporate buyout of season tickets, which is still revenue if the business can't give away the tickets and are content with the business writeoff. But like the Twins, how do you adjust prices to make it a worthwhile experience to fill those 10,000 empty seats each game, as well as get people to purchase the beverages and food. Overall, looking at ALL teams, I don't see major league abseball being a hard ticket to get.

Surprised that Granite is still on the 40-mn after his season. He had a missed opportunity last year, and Cave stepped it up and took a position for regular play. But, I think, Cave still ahs options. So if the Twins feel a need to keep the bat of Austin he could start in the minors (with the excuse that they want him to play regularly). Reed and Wade are further insurance. So, it looks like the Twins are set for the outfield for 2019.

Who did we cut?

Pretty much all just getting to come 10 days early and work out with the major league guys. Wondering who the minor league free agent invites are. See they just signed another half dozen guys.

When you start plugging in longer term free agent or two, you have a club built around them, in which those free agents do fill obvious holes, Right now the Twins have a roster with, perhaps, 20-21 holes. It seems no one is in the longterm plans on the current roster, otherwise the Twins would be going out of their way to extend the players. The couple obvious choices for extension are Berrios (they better do something) and Rosario (do you really want to build a franchise around him). So many questions that needed answers last season and the Twins didn't get them, but the promise is still there, so you take another and much longer look. The Twins are playing for the future, the promise of the signings of the current administration becoming the team of the future. Look at the current 40-man roster. ho on the roster should be here in 2020. Who should be here in 2021. Who in 2022. You are better to ask who "might" and some of those "mights" are still in the minors. Kepler and Buxton are still questionable. Sano is a big question for an esxensiuon. The Twins have no 2B/ss. They have patchwork at 1B. The atching is a mess. Not that any/all of these guys could play well in 2019. But the only proven given is an aging DH. The rotation has three guys entering free agency and one longer extension candidate. They have a bunch of starters that you hope can pitch you into the 6th inning. Hope is the big word. The bullpen has no closer and a couple of overworked setup guys, and the usual mix of arms with a couple in the wings. Anyone you want to extend? ANyone you can live without? Before you say May and Rogers, really think about that. Yes, the Twins could sign a couple of HUGHE free agents. But now, they are rebuilding. The pieces they have MIGHT make them competitive if the players want big money in the future (something that should've also happened last year with names like Santana, Lynn, Dozier, Morrison all playing for BIG contracts in the years ahead.) There is a plan. We have to be patient. The front office WANTS to make a team and organization in their own image. It takes time (sadly), but once the pieces start falling into place, we MIGHT have success and actually get young conrollable longterm free agents.

Again if the Twins spend 50% of new revenue above and beyond then tell me what the other 50% is silent on. Operating costs stay pretty stable with cost of living increases. There might be s slight uptick in draft monies but money sient on the limits stays stable. You mighg make a new beer garden but that should pay fir itself. Again spending $130 million on $260 million different then doebding $100 million on $200 million...you have $30 million being soent on what? Stadium beds reduction?

Interesting signing. We have Berrios and Gibson in the toration. Odorizzi needs to pitch more than 5 innings. Pineda is coming off an i jury season. Mejia is out of options but can he go more than 5 innings. Everyone else CAN start at Rochester and make for a nice reserve. If nothing else, Perez and Mejia can battle for a relief role, the winner making the rotation. The bigger question: who is cut?

Yes. but we can't have 5-inning starters. Still out on Odorizzi. Wonder if Pineda will be ready. Still questionable about Mejia also getting the innings. And Gonsalves and Stewart are still unproven. So that is WHY the Twins MAY need to have a first-rate rotation arm if they wish to be HIGHLY competitive. But I think the arms and talent are there in the bullpen for this season and a preview of next.

So who goes? Vote for Magill or Duffey, although the Twins could cut ties with Granite.

I start to look at the list as assets going into 2020, too. See a drop off of at least four names in the next year, sadly. Although a couple of those COULD remain if they are better than OTHER product out there.

I don’t see Cron or Austin being the future of the Twins anyway be it 2020 or even beyond. Rally and Rooker should be battling fir s place on the roster and first basemen are nit a hard commodity to find if you need a place setter for the moment. I hope they do keep Austin thru spring training just in case and keep him st AAA.

I just hope Sano reports in shape and IS a third baseman. I also hope they still keep Austin until the final day of spring training. You never know. I don't think the Twins need more starters. They have to see what they have. And I would be satisfied with letting Pineda, Gibson and Odorizzi being tradebait at mid-season. The bullpen...I would only add by subtracting, and be harsh. Can you do better than Reed, and eat his salary? But any signings in relief take the place of some lesser body on the 40-man.

Well, since Royce and Alex are still Twins for the next 7-9 years more of less. Would you go 4 with an option, or 5 years. Would you spend $100 million to tie him to the Twins (what can you give as an upfront bonus compared to yearly payouts)?

Bigger Question: What is the Twins Rotation in 2020 and how do we get there. Berrios Gonsalves Littell Thorpe Mejia DeJong Slegers May Romero Stewart Poppen Wells Alcala Who do you really push. Who is a better fit for the bullpen. Can you get most of them a half season of work in 2019 at the major league level.

Sadly I don't see any of the current team guys as a longterm Twin, even Berrios will become trade fodder once it looks like he may be too expensive. If the Twins sign Lewis or Kiril to a long-long term deal down the road, yes. It is going to be a strange decade, the next ten years of Twins ball.

Right now, the three are hungry. They should produce (especially Gibson) like they have never ever produced before. Of course, having a decent lineup and guys in the field would help any of them. The Twins need to take stock of what they have on the verge and on the horizon. I think they have enough. Pitch the three, trade them. If you feel the need to extend one...try to do so as the season progresses. Right now I a even wary that extending any would still make it possible to trade them in the future. Thus, a rebuilding team fer sure.

You really don't see a need to sign any of these guys longterm, especially with the attitude coming out of the front office that these are players of yore and MAYBE not the future of the team, as they see it...and any arbitration salaries for the future will be happily accepted or the players moved before they become too expensive. Except Berrios.

Twins lukced out. Got to keep guys no one wanted but was better than anyone they might've chosen.

I would rather go with what we have and say no no no no to all of the above no matter how cheap.

I wish the 8-man bullpen was a thing of the past. It may not be if you have to throw out 1-inning pitchers to start a game. But not sure how that will work. The Twins could with a shorter bullpen, except we don't know if Pineda can pitch five innings, we know Odorizzi can get to a sixth inning as he didn't show it last season. 100 pitch counts means guys come up short...Romero included. Ca the Twins transform a couple of their starters-to-be to bullpen arms like ground-ball Stewart and left Mejia? Would seem logical. How many one inning setup men do you need pitching every other day, i.e. Hildenberger getting overused. It hurts the bench, which needs a backup catcher (Garver) an infielder (Adrianza) and a guy who can play the outfield or maybe somewhere else (Cave, Willians). The days of a defensive replacement, a pinch runner, or a pitch hitter are moot. Maybe it is tie for the majors to expand rosters to 27 or 28 players so you can have those extra arms, since so few pitchers actually pitch 200 innings and a relief pitcher shouldn't be needed 80 times in a season. And nice to have some bench strength. I think the union would love the extra salaries for "fringe" potential players to get a shot at the majors. Or maybe you are allowed to carry the extra players, but only allow 25 to suit up for a game (okay, you already gave four arms that don't really suit up to play in a game already). But this is about Austin. He showed power. All or nothing. Not much in the batting average. Lots of k's. But he should get a strong look in spring training as the Twins lose him if he goes back to the minors. I keep thinking about Chris Parmelee who had a good late-season run. And then I think of former Yankee Kevin Maas as the DH-to-be who was worse than Logan Morrison. In someways I'm excited about spring training to see what the Twins think they are putting on the field...and then hoping I can stomach up the bucks to watch it all play out on the field.