Rosterman

The article also mentioned that Gardy was saying Justin Morneau is ready to sign. Hummm. Anyway, wasn't Gee mentioned in the Santana trade waaaay back? The Twins wanted Pelfrey, but the Mets offered Humber or Gee? Getting a lot of names backing up the rosters at Chattanooga AND Rochester. Be interesting to see who goes where or out in the next couple of weeks!

Rosario dis not the problem with the team, and seeing the options in the minors, we shouldn't be ready to deep-six him quite yet. Once Grossman is worked out, the Twins will need four outfielders and they do have that, right now. You can survive with the current trio and Granite (and perhaps Palka) for the next two seasons). But if another team does show interest, you don't NOT talk. Depends on what you can get in trade. Maybe a pitching prospect like Alex Meyer? Maybe even two...Vance Worley and Trevor May! You never know! Or maybe a catcher from another organization...someone on par with prospect John Ryan Murphy! Wait, we have a new administration!

And then you have Boshers come in and screw everything up by being one of your better pitchers. Of course, we said that about Breslow earlier. What kills is the spots held by guys who won't get a call-up, probably even in September, that are tying up roster spots. Granted, you might've risked losing Jorge or Romero or even Rosario if you didn't protect them. Who else will get a call to the majors? Paul Clemens will advance. Yohan Pino get a swan song? The question is, who in the minors is better than Santiago (who will be a free agent), Hughes or Gibson...and if there is someone, why aren't they here...or at least pitching on par and getting experience BECAUSE they will probably be here in 2018 and beyond! But you still have Palka, and John Ryan Murphy, in 40-man limbo. Should they stay or go, that is the question. Danged Aaron Hicks making that trade look really bad for the Twins!

The bigger question is who departs. Does the Yohan Pino's disappear from Rochester to make room. Who isn't playing well and can be given walking papers, at all levels, now that a fresh crop of players will start movement from Cedar Rapids and above! Who do the Twins carry that will be minor league free agents come the end of the season, those that have no chance of being added to the 40-man and who might best be served by switching organizations sooner rather than later. And anyone else the Twins think they should grab from Indy ball? The return of Mark Hamburger or Caleb Thielbar!

Again, it is the evil of protecting less than AAA players on the 40-man. Yet, we forget, Cleveland basically jogged out a couple of guys for the double-header -- Merritt and Clevenger -- whli both could be shipped back out (Clevenger was, I believe), but the difference is that both are PROSPECTS. If the cards had been right and people monitoring things (like having our best pitchers, perhaps, available to face Cleveland in two series), the Twins could've given a cup-of-coffee to Jorge OR Romero, and then return both to the minors to know that big league ball is different from the minors and here's what you really have to work on. The 40-man roster only has so any shuffle holes. You start dropping guys, and they go thru waivers and can be claimed by other teams. Which is better than the Rule 5, because a team doesn't have to keep the guy on their own 40-man (yes, same process again, but...). The Twins lost Wheeler that way (he is now available again) and no one claimed Wilk or Tepesch or Rucinski. So you keep shuffling in guys THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER if they are here for the long haul. Or do you gamble on Hildengerger (hopefully not the next Slama) or otehr guys that you think you can sneak back and forth, and wait for the day you have to add Burdi and Reed and Bard and Hildenberger and the ilk to the roster (which means we don't see them in September, either). Unless the Twins start jettisoning names like Breslow, Belisle, Santiago, even Kintsler who will be a free agent. If he has options, you send out Hughes once he is healthy, and try and pull a Park...expensive guy putting in time off the 40-man in the minors. You run the risk of promoting guys too soon and having them fail miserably, at first. But you run the same risk with cast-offs from othr organizations, too. Does one fare better if you wish to "lool" like you are fielding a competitive team? As long as the Twins are above .500 -- and the media kinda kept mentioning in passing that the Twins -- with no marketable stars in the community right now -- were in first place, and he crowds (combined with some promotions) were bigger than ever. The illusion works to put some more butts in the seats as the new front office juggles the current with the future. You'd like to think they know what they are doing, and no matter any word that speckles out about wanting to win and be competitive right away, I'm sure there is a 3-5 year plan in the works and it doesn't involve spending money hap-hazardly.

We still have another month before The Twins can elect to be a seller of Ervin. That's about it. Anyone else has played themselves out of a contract with anyone (except, perhaps, Grossman or Escobar - who shant bring THAT much in return). The Twins have to ask is Ervin worth keeping. Can you get an equally as effective (average, not this year) guy who is younger as a free agent for the same money, or better to have the vet chops of Santana. The Twins have to figure out what to do with Polanco. Second baseman (keep Escobar for now) or shortstop, which means Dozier stays. If they can live without Dozier, does he have mid-season value is the biggest question. The pitching is a shambles. Many of the arms won't get contracts elsewhere next season. The Twins have to ask if they have any desire to keep Santiago or Gibson about. At some point, you might want to walk away from Hughes. But who do you replace him with. All the names we thought would join the bullpen this year might only make it in September, and that is IF there are 40-man spaces for them. The future is still Chargois, Melotakis, Bard, Burdi, Jay, Rosario, Reed with other names like Jones, Hildenberger, Baxendale still in the running (and should be up getting lumps instead of these...cast offs). Then there is the next wave with names like Curtis, Clay, McIver, Ramirez, Muren and Hackimer. The Twins have so much bullpen promise if the guys can stay off the DL. But major sellers? Possibly not. Nothing to really sell. Can they start getting rid of people and bringing up players before their time? Perhaps, but it is nice to have the luxury of doing that and sending them back to the minors for more...seasoning. That doesn't happen if the roster is full of prospects, sadly. The next 30 days will be telling. Start selling those tickets. Lucky the Cleveland series didn't totally kill of the "can't win at home" Twins, but it came close.

This is a risk the Twins take when they have a 40-man roster with players NOT YET ready for the big leagues (you could count Randy Rosario in that mix, along with Jorge and Romero) not to mention Palka and Vielma. You can't jsut rotate guys out of the 40-man spot. You MIGHT end up losing them. No loss, one might say. Or no one will claim them (i.e. Wilk and Tepesch, as recent examples). Yet you do take a chance on those back-of-the-pen prospects like Hildenberger and Busenitz, for examples, who might come up, throw a bad inning or two, and go back down. Then you still have to replace them, with who? And chances are someone would give either a 40-man spot if the Twins had to run them thru the process. Yet are they better or no worse than 3/4s of the current bullpen, many of whom would probably be jobless if cut loose. But right now EVERY guy in the Twins minor league system has to know that jobs are available. That is a lot of pressure to produce not only in the minors, but to shine if you get a cup-of-coffee before September in the majors. And you age, and there is always someone pushing from below. Both the guys you mentioned would be vuable choices NOW for the Twins pen. But if you looked at the beginning of the year, we all thought Chargois, Burdi, Reed, maybe Bard, possibly Zach Jones, amongst others would be in the mix, with Jay rotating back into bullpen status and some guy named Cederoth not getting released. Be interesting to see what happens when Santiago and Haley and even Perkins come back into the fold!

The Twins have to be thinking "after Mauer" on who will play first base come 2019 or beyond (if Mauer gets a minor extension). Rooker could be the guy, in battle for a spot with Lewin Diaz as the younger prospect right now in the system. Hopefully Leach will get enough of a bonus to NOT go to college. We'll see. With the set bonus system, teams and players HAVE TO KNOW who will sign and who might not these days. It does still boggle my mind the dollars paid out to draftees, many who will never make it to the majors at all. Is the system broken? That $14 million spent this year better spent on something else (especially when you look at the past Twins drafts and who made it/didn't make it). But it is part of the game. 30 kids in high school or college are set for life if they play the game of baseball well!

Interesting, always...in wondering what a couple of years of college ball will do to a player compared to going into a system right out of high school. Will be a fun prospect to watch. The Twins seem to like him and his attitude as they kept following him and coming back for another try at signing.

Looks liked they signed 1B Andy Wilkins for Chattanooga!

And now Rochester is the resting place for so many 40-man roster wannabees, instead of prospects. Of course, you can go thru the wannabees and remove them and re-add them easier than you can a prospect - especially if the prospect just gets their feet wet and then go back down to try some things (i.e.e Rosario). But, jeez. Between the fluff on the major league roster and Rochester, the Twins have an independent league pitching staff at AAA (and in the majors, partially, at least).

I just hope he doesn't wear out his pre-arbitration years with no hitting and then starts to slowly develop, so the team doesn't know if it should take an expensive flyer on him longterm or not. Hopefully doesn't follow such notables as Denard Span, Carlos Gomez, Ben Revere and Aaaron Hicks to excellent play...in other lands. But, then again, will Lewis be a shortstop (Nick Gordon) or centerfielder (pushing last year's top pick to left or right). We may not have to worry about Buxton is five years.

I have a quick question. When the players go on longterm disabled lists, do they stay with their minor league team, or pretty much go to Ft. Myers to rehab. Thinking of steward and Chargois, for examples. Same with the Twins. Are O'Rourke and May up here in Minnesota, or are they working out in Florida? Good roundup of stats. Lots of new promising names, because the disabled lsit is full of guys we expected to be in those spots.

Sadly, you could extend him until he wants to quit, a la David Ortiz and the Red Sox. The DIlemma is, where does he play and where does he bat. Or, is his bat worth the $12-13-15 million a year you would have to offer him not to offend him. Of course, he would be free to see what the market might bring him, elsewhere. And, again, who do we have to honestly replace him in 2019. Diaz is still a few years away. Always thought it might be Kepler, but the Twins aren't giving him time at first anymore. Doubt that it would be Vargas or Park, even short-term. So he is better than nothing. By the way...what did happen to Justin Morneau this year, and would he have been a good fit for the Twins as a DH this season?

Joe Nathan. Now that would've been a story!

Kintzler is a ground ball pitcher...most of the time. We still have a tough to swallow offense. Two stinkers right now (Buxton and catcher) plus a Dozier who is what he is, not what he was last year, up the middle. We have one guy performing better than expected (Sano) and another who is coming back but still a far cry from his great years (Mauer) and everyone else is basically...there...getting experience, maybe showing something, but how do we put those pieces together. Of course, you have to shake your head at the bench (what bench). The rotation is still far from consistent. The bullpen remains a mess, with lots and lots of guys who you would keep on the roster mainly because you like them and can drag them out in non-pressure situations. Is Kintzler a closer? I think not. Fine setup guy. But if he is a closer, we are losing him after this season and then what? Who are the twins even thinking of grooming to take his place (the return of Perkins). We are seeing some light in the minors, but the guys are still at AA ball, sadly, so won't contribute until sometime next season. Be interesting to see where the Twins are when they return for their upcoming homestand. Gotta sell those tickets now (full price) or try and wrangle flex packages (if you want post-season preference...wait, too early for that!).

Goodbye to Tepesch. Given walking papers!

You can question why the Twins did go to arbitration with him for this season. But probably better than nothing, unless we DID have the youngsters ready for the rotation, which we don't at the moment. The sad thing is that he, like Hughes, will have little or no value at the trade deadline (not to mention Gibson) and the team would be better off not paying these guys to pitch for them in 2018, which they might have the choice to do with Santaigo. Sadly, Hector's future is in his hands. Mike Pelfrey has shown that you can still be a bad pitcher and get a good contract.

I see a work ethic in Kepler that makes him worthwhile for the long haul.

It's a tough call, because if you are winning, who is replacing him (Gonsalves?). If you aren't winning, if you fall behind one or two teams in the division, even if the division is tight, you should still contemplate. Yes, you COULD still win the division and get to the post-season, but it is doubtful that the Wild Card will happen from the central division. Unless you wish to build your team around Santana. Going back to last season, he has put together spectacular numbers. And if you were going to purchase a free agent pitcher next season, can you find better at a better price. And what do you do with the pieces received and how ready are they to contribute and in what manner. Unless a team is pitching rich, you aren't going to get a cusp prospect...more likely a potential #3 pitcher whose fighting for a job with 2-3 other prospects of similar talent on a team. Plus, you could get a mid-level offensive prospect (which position). And probably CASH, which Pohlad seem to like.

Wimmers is that first rounder that suffered injury, and even as he aged and switched to the bullpen, you ALMOST don't want to totally give up on the guy - although the Twins did drop him from the 40-man and he could've gone elsewhere, but stayed with the Twins in the off-season. You can do stuff like this to one OR two guys, at most, in the bullpen, but at some point you do have to see WHY you are protecting a guy on the 40-man, especially early in his career and only in the low minors - especially at the expense of more "ready" arms. But if the Twins have showed anything, they are more than happy to make their bullpen the home of arms from the slush pile, hoping for a diamond that can give them some production and maybe, maybe a prospect from somewhere else. Especially since their own prospects are languishing in disabled list land. Wimmers could be an example the Twins may face down-the-road, with Burdi, and that they faced (and parted ways) with Neshek and Balfour, both cut loose sooner rather than later and finding success elsewhere. That dang disabled list and how it makes roster decisions hard...not just for one season, but sometimes two or three. And you just can't cut someone like Burdi, because someone might grab him themselves, carry him for a moment, and try and stash in their own minors.

Will the 9th be Gimenez time?

You have a game with a 6-run lead, perfect time to try out the new guy from the minors but......nah...............wait, did they miss the Rochester shuttle? Maybe someone else needs to be put on it!

You are so right! There's four guys in the bullpen that don't need to be there. The catching call and defense has improved, but it is a black hole in a lineup that sees okay production from a highly paid first baseman, what we expect from the guy at second, a promising but not-to-productive shortstop who is no better or worse than his backups, an outfield that isn't tearing up the league in anyway. The designated hitter has been a modest surprise and may keep Park out of the picture for awhile longer. The rotation has been the surprise, even with a couple coming back to earth (Santiago and Hughes). And we still do need sa fifth starter. Combine the fact that the lineup is all over the place, the team doesn't play well at home, there is no bench, and there is little or no releif on the hitting front in the minors...we can only think that the rest of the American League has evened out.

Yeah, considering the Twins also got Dustin Martin, who labored for five seasons in the upper minors. Might've made it as a back-up outfielder, but even after leaving the Twins at age 28, he could only spend a few seasons in the Mets and Diamondbacks system before ending his career in indy ball. Who did the Twins trade for Castillo? Bullpen closer possibility Travis Bowyer who quickly injured himself and sat out a half-decade before trying a modest comeback. And Scott Tyler, who never got above AA ball before retiring at age 25.