Rosterman

If the Twins had gone into total rebuild mode, jettisoning their salaried starters and throwing an all rookie staff out there, Jason Wheeler would've made it for quite a few starts. You can argue if he is a better choice than Duffey, who should probably be in the bullpen, but with the arms in the wings the Twins have so many on-the-edge players that MIGHT get an opportunity in another organization, but probably not the Twins. All the guys mentioned above could depart the Twins and PROBABLY (sadly) not be missed. How time passes you by, or you are replaced at the higher level and kept back because of some minor league veteran contract, of which the Twins have many this season -- be interesting to see how THAT shakes out. You always hope guys like this might get a glimmer of a chance and would thrive...because it is make the majors NOW or not.

I would play musical chairs after the first 30-40 games of the season. Praytell DON'T let your hot arms totally start at Rochester until the weather becomes more inviting. And there is nothing wrong with Ft. Myers, too. But the Twins do have a lot of pitching decisions to make. Too many minor league free agents taking up space this season...so far!

Tyler Duffey is also in the mix. And the topper is that the Red Wings rotation will be filled with guys that will probablyu never make the Twins (outside of Berrios) and how long will they block any advancement of guys from AA. Of course, since Santiago was an arbitration salary, the Twins could still release him and just be on the bubble for 20%? Am I right, or wrong on that? Combined with an uncertainity on Hughes, and Gibson needing to show something, the Twins rotation is still in shambles. In some ways, I see the Twins trying to field a somewhat veteran team hoping for a fast start out of the gate and trading some of the vets either way and not fielding any prospects until they have convinced people to invest in various season ticket packages. Rochester AND Chattanooga rosters are currently full, and there's still 15 guys to place somewhere on the 40-man roster!

This can be outrageous. Really. Which is why you draft and develop pitchers. But, what ever the market will bear. Those bench guys, too, are getting expensive...if you want predictable quality play.

I would argue that Grossman is a lock. The Twins will probably go with three bench guys and keep a longman/starter (May, Haley, Hughes). Escobar can also play the outfield. But Santana is out of options. The catching situation is a mess. And who won't the Twins keep (Santana, Grossman) if they need to add anyone to the 40-man. Did you know that back in the 60s roster out of spring training were at 28 until May 15th. The most notable casuality of all of this was Chuck Schilling, who came to the Twins from the Red Sox in the Dick Stigman trade. He sat on the bench for all that time with NO playing time and then was sent to the minors and chose to retire instead.

I still would love to know THE REAL STORY behind the Park signing. First off, the Twins won the bidding rights by basically being the only bidder for his services. Were they playing lip-service to the fan base by being in the mix for what appeared to be a power swinger from Korea, only to have it backfire when noi one else thought the aging rookie was work the posting fee. Then the Twins made what could best be called a lowend offer to Park to playlongterm for the team AND HE ACCEPTED. Did Park know something the Twins didn't know? Plus the fact that you did pass him thru waivers and no one claimed him. Yes, the posting fee is a big eat anyway you look at it. If the Twins could shed the rest of his contract, it would've been a bonus for the new regime. Not to say that Park CAN'T REBOUND. But when you look at the bigger picture, do you want him or Vargas, is Sano the DH now or in the near future. It was a bad move and if the Twins were posturing for the sake of making themselves look competitive in the international market, than there was something wrong with the front office system bigtime. But moving on...spirng training AND THE FUTURE has begun!

There's sure a mess of names to fill in the blanks. Perkins. Kintzler Belisle Pressly Rogers are all givens. O'Routke Chargois Tonkin are in the mix Have to decide about Duffey Haley. We also have Boshers Light Baxendale Miller Reed Wimmers at Rochester People like Zach Jones Hildenberger Bard Burdi Melotakis Peterson shouldn't be at Chattanooga. And then look at the rotation mess at Rochester: Greenwood Pino Rucinski Turley Tracy Tepsch Huribut Vogels Wheeler Mejia not to mention Gonsalves Jay Stewart And the Twins can't put together a dominant bullpen or rotation...yet!

I was thinking Pat Light would be up to be a free agent himself if he chose, which was one of the reasons the Red Sox dealt him to the Twins...they had no place for him on their own 40-man. But not sure the reasoning behind this 40-,am acquisition, unless they hope to flip him to the minors themselves.

The Twins NOW had a backlog of catchers at AAA. Unless someone doesn't work out...or they go to AA...which would be a tragedy if Garver loses out to Murphy. The bigger question is would the Twins want Turner back if he doesn't stay with the Reds. Designating Park was a big move...because basically the Twins had invested $12 million in the guy that they wouldn't see back on a waiver claim. I would take the grab if I was a rebuilding or lower run team with Park. He could turn out to be a slugger. Vargas over Park? Yes, it seems strange, since BOTH have options to go to the minors. But I bet Vargas would be claimed if he was designated for assignment. What scares me is that the Rochester roster is pretty full right now, as is Chattanooga. Where do the 15 extra bodies on the 40-man go? The Twins have taken a flyer on an awful lot of minor league free agents this round: Miller, Tepsch, Vogelsong, Giminez, Tracy, Gonzalez, Shuck, Hague, Paulson, Rucinski, Centeno, Castro, Turley, Gamache, Roriguez, Strausborger, Pino, Rohlfing plus re-siging Greenwood, Reginatto and anotehr Rodriguez. Throw veteran Park down there and you got too many non-system prospects taking up spaces.

Injuries happen. What makes it tough is when the derail people who are using up their options or coming up on arbitration issues. The Twins have been a bit unlucky in those areas. Part of the blame has to be put on players, too. Sometimes WE whine when they complain about any ache or pain. But better to be careful than sorry in the long run. Yes, it is a competitive profession. Always someone younger, cheaper, maybe even better on the horizon. One little things can end your career or send you into minor league free agent for life limbo.

I think he is in a holding pattern. See if Berrios is the real deal, if May can start. We still have Santana. Gibson could rebound. We have Hughes under contract. And need to have a good looksee at Gonsalves and Stewart and a few others. And, supposedly, there is a whole hsot of bullpen arms that have to be better than the ones we currently have on the roster. It is rebuilding time. This year is critical. The offense has to find its place. People are playing for jobs. He has shown that he is not afraid to cut salary. And if you are a prospect, the world is yours if you show your stuff and work with the Twins system. But there will be a lot of empty seats at Target Field and closed concession stands.

Hopefully Gibson betters himself than being a five inning pitcher. Doubt Berrios, May or Duffy will break the mark. Ervin needs to build a workhorse reputation. He's playing for one more BIG contract, multi-year, down-the-line. But, yet...the day of seeing such a feat by multiple Twins pitchers in uniform may be fleeting forever.

I can live with keeping Dozier if Polanco can play short. I would rather have Escobar as the utility guy. But, yes, it shows how other teams are valuing he players the Twins have. Combine that with the crop of inor league free agents the Twins put on contract...meaning right now there's not a lot of space at AAA for AA guys from last year. Be interesting to see who egts the push and how long the leash i on the spohs.

Well, they just paid $8 million to Santiago. So he starts. Santana starts. WIll Phil Hughes come back...then he starts. You have Kyle Gibson, who needs to prove himself capable of starting, and possibly being a trading chip if he excels. Then we have Trevor May, who still needs to be stretched out. We may have Tyler Duffey, who led us in victories last season, as well as ERA (on the wrong end). And we have Berrios, who some may say needs more seasoning. Sigh. Maybe at the end of the season a couple of others materialize (Gonsalves and Stewart, for example). But I just hope the rotation can keep their eras in the low 4's rather than pushing 5.

Well if the Twins are truly in a rebuilding mode, they are doing what's best, standing pat and evaluating who they do have to put on the field tomorrow and longer down in the future. We also see that they really have no talent that other teams value. Dozier and Santana may be the best trade chips, but nothing happened. Both are still relative bargains for the Twins, although probably a luxury on the longrun. Trevor Plouffe was a loss, but he ended up getting a $5 mill contract, soemthing the Twins would've surely paid if they ahd the opportunity. But this is where arbirtation works against you. Making those tough decisions...again on a luxury you don't really need. Do the Twins have bad contracts? Of course. Mauer is two years and counting right now. Park is a works-in-progress. Perkins and Hughes need to comeback, but do we think they will shine and pitch to their worth, elt alone become, if possible, viable trade pieces? Perhaps not. I actually don't see anyone hungering for the Twins BIG prospects like Berrios, Buxton and Sano. Maybe Kepler has some life, but still people will wait and see. If they pan out, the Twins did good and have some keepers. If they don't, the guys won't work in the majors long and the next rung will get their chance. So much IS about development of prospects, guys who you can keep and play for 4-6 years, if not more. Who do the Twins curently have? Perkins, Dozier, they let Plouffe go. Gibson isn't quite there and might not make it. Polanco, Vargas, Danny Santana, Pressly, Tonkin and May are the main holdovers that came up in our system, and Ryan and Trevor came from elsewhere. Not speaking well of the system since 2013/14. SO it ultimately boils down to the players the Twins have and their perceived worth in the major leagues. Not alot of value, not a lot of tire kicking to even see what it would take to pry ANY of these guys away. Are they better than players currently on any major league team in question, or prospects in the chute? And that goes to show you the challenge the new administration has!

Wow! Heatrtless. How about Chuck Schilling and Russ Nixon from Boston for Dick Stigman. Interesting that he WAS a Twin because he was on the 28-man roster that was cut to 25 in mid-may, but never got in a game during that time. Whatever happened to that rule?

I would say Dozier is no longer in play and will stay a Twin, so the big decision will be 12 or 13 pitchers and Danny Santana in the scheme of things. There might be a fight for the 5th starter and at least one bullpen arm. But that's it, The need for REAL bullpen arms? Think the Twins will be in a total wait-and-see mode as they try to figure if Burdi, Reed, Hildenberger, Chargois are the real deal future (throw in Baxendale) or not. Look at next year when the Twins MAY tear things apart. I think we may have been thinking too much that a new regime would come in and tear apart and reorganize EVERYTHING over the course of a couple of months. Probably word is that ALL jobs are on the line and if you want to keep any of your managing or coaching duties, you will be asked to change and see if you adapt or shown the door. And players will be given every opportunity to succeed and claim a role in the organization. With the absic concept being that if you don't push and succeed, you may never again be a major league player or have the opportunity to be a major league payer. The tough areas are two. (1) Getting the team to be a team and working together to produce results, rather than individuals glories and (2) How do you market this to the average fan and at what price. I look for a lot of empty seats, possibly many no shows (hurts the concession biz. Unless the Twins get at least one breakout superstar (besides Dozier) who excites the populous to watch them play...or better yet, pitch.

Well, looks like the Twins do have the same problem themselves that other teams might have on Dozier. Is he worth contracting out past 2018...and at what price. Are teams waiting to wait-and-see what Dozier does to start the season and prove that he is more than a half-season slugger? Can the Twins afford that gamble (yes). The worst that can happen, Dozier ends up being average and walks, i.e. Plouffe. The best, the Twins are totally out-of-again in mid-season and someone badly needs a second baseman who is named to the All-Star squad and not named Nunez. Looks like the Dodgers may have been in a holding pattern as they just announced signing 28-year-old Cuban Fernandez. See what he costs. And will be play second. At this point, don't see room for both on the team short-term.

Well, what might've been holding up the deal is that the Dodgers just signed Cuban Jose Fernandez. He's been out of baseball for awhile and might need some minor league time. But only 28. Do they really need Dozier now?

At this point, you hope Santana will be a valuable trading chip in the mid-season, when teams are looking for an experienced pitcher and may trade 2-3 prospects for such a talent, especially one controllable thru 2019 at a decent salary amidst his age. He also could be a viable candidate to be traded out of spring training, but then the Twins are basically looking at guys that teams will be shredding from their 40-man or system, possibly...and the Twins would be stuck with having to carry the guy on their own 40-man with no demotion in sight (think Humber, Pelfrey or Worley as examples of guys you don't need back in a trade package). Then, again, the Twins do have time on their side, so they could stand to gamble on a guy finding his arm, but still..... The tought part is gauging how the team will ultimately playout next year. Strikeouts need to be addressed. Line-up construction, too. Mauer still #3, or can Dozier or Kepler fit into that mold, but where does Joe go. Who's at the top. Polanco and Buxton? How mush teeth gnashing will we experience at the Twins fail to score enough runs to even make a quality start look good with a loss. Do they need Santana? Probably not. They also don't need Hughes, who might not start the season. They also have Perkins as an arm without a place in a bullpen that is full of holes. Go figure. It is a mess. Better to just jettison those old vets for something that is promising and far from major league ready, or see them sink as the team treads water in 2017. If we knew for a fact that salary saved would be spent down the line, the Twins would look great heading towards 2020. But just because you get rid of vets and save money now doesn't mean ownership will overspend when the time comes. I sure would like to know the Twins promotional Plan for 2017. "Buy a Ticket and sit in a Non-Obstructed Seat. Hang your legs over. Use the space behind you to put your food! Your chair at a great outdoors picnic is awaiting you now!"

2017 will be a tough year. The rotation needs to be figured out, as there are some old bodies there that MAY not play longterm (Hughes and Gibson, not to mention a reliable but unnecessary Santana). The bullpen is a mess, but there is too much potential on the farm to bankrupty the team with $6 million reliever contracts. The tell is where do the new guys go from here. We have Murphy that needs to prove he can be a staple for a few years, if even in a parttime role. We have to figure out the need for Vargas or Park, one but not both. Is Polanco the best for second, then who plays short until Gordon. Can Sano handle third. Is the outfield of Kepler/Buxton/Rosario the one for the future? Where does Granite and Palka and even Michaels fit into the plans. Who are the next BIG looksee rookies that couldchallenge the current crop. Polanco may strikeout less that Dozier. But the Twins will still need to replace the power of Plouffe AND Dozier if Dozier is moved. Overall, the batters have to strike out less and runners have to be advanced, especially to home. But all is kinda moot if you have a staff that is 4.50+ for the seson in the least. There is a rebuild, and the Twins have a good time to looksee at a lot of folks...especially if they can advance them faster to the upper minors rather than fill the bill with free agents.

You have to look at the lineup, hope Molitor can contruct it right, and that the strikeouts do disappear. We still have too many question in the offense. Castro doesn't bring much to the table, the DH is uncertain, and we can't predict what Polanco, Sano, Rosario, Buxton and Kepler will do. We know what we want them to do. But that is where the lineup construction comes in BIG. The rotation is still a mess. Berrios CAN do better. Santana IS older. Gibson is unpredictable. Will Hughes be back? Duffey is not my idea of a strong backup plan. At some point, we throw out the rookies, but then we have to expect runs to be given up and can the offense balance that! If we aren't in games or winning games the closer is moot. Will Perk return as closer or end his career as a setup guy earlier than anyone thought. How much seasoning do the arms need in the minors before we start letting the take mups in the majors. It will be another season of rebuilding. It is any players time to grab a job and keep it. There are opportunities for players to make the jump. There is little place for any of the players to go if they fail, so we should be seeing guys overplaying, which is good or bad. I like the team. But there are so many questions in the pitching overall still. And I like all the promise of the offense, but can they work in a line-up. Like, does Dozier still need to bat leadoff. Who is the number four hitter. And what to do with Mauer!

And the Rule 5 was increased to $100,000 - which is a healthy cost to a team looking to possibly stash a player - it comes with a major league minimum salary for a season, too. So you better hope that you keep them around longer than the Twins, say, kept J.R. Graham and ended up losing a Sean Gilmartin, perhaps, in the equation. I believe there were fewer Rule 5 picks (outside of San Diego) than in the past this season. The dress-up can be a thing of the past. Pies in the face, dumping the cooler. Okay. Maybe the champagne baths for post season clinches. Okay. But the dressing of rookies brings baseball down to the level of professional wrestling, so to speak, and few actually get to partake in the full effect unless photos are distributed. Better to leave it to the players to do short-sheeting and saran-wrap around toilet bowls in the wee hours of hotel stays, U guess. The All-Star game continues to have problems. The fan voting doesn't exactly work. The need to have a representative from each team isn't necessary. But if it is going to be a showcase, than maybe it should showcase the truly best...the leaders in all offensive and pitching categories from the season before, make sure Cy/MVP/RookieYears are there for sure. Let it be the farewell tour for those stunning vets, I guess, too. It just keeps getting further and further from an actual game. Maybe the minor league All-Stars should play the actual game with the big league guys just doing hat tipping, expensive signings and such. I kinda liked the idea that the game meant a little something, like homefield advantage, in the World Series.

Sometimes you shake your head at the guys the Twins failed to sign for one reason or another. And then you also shake your head that low-end draft picks DO make the major leagues over the top guys. Of course, there's always room for role players in baseball. But given the time and trouble a team gives to a high-level pick (as well as the money) you would often expect some results at a major league level...even if it is one of these role-playing roles.

The Twins have to pick another coaching staff member. They have to make announcements about the minor league staff, from the coordinators to who manages/hitting coach/pitching coach at each level. Some more reorganization should be happening in the front office. Look for 6-8 minor league free agents to be signed. Don't see much else happening. think the Twins will be content to stay with Dozier for now. Buy winter coats for everyone going on the pre-Twinsfest Caravans. Oh, yes...figure out "how to sell" the team, and not the field, in 2017.