Now the (Frenzied) Work of Roster Building Resumes for Twins Front Office

[Seth Stohs]

Early in December, Major League Baseball’s owners locked out the players. Nearly 100 days later, the two sides agreed to a new five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). A ton of work has been done by both players and owners over the past two weeks (after owners didn’t make any attempt for the first 45 days). And now, the offseason and spring training are upon us, and it will be crazy. Most important, we know we will have baseball. 

Over the past three months, Derek Falvey’s staff in Twins Baseball Operations has remained busy. They’ve been crunching numbers, reading and inputting scouting reports, signing minor league free agents, and all the while planning for this day, the day baseball would be back, and the offseason could continue. 

The only thing is… it is beginning as spring training is about to start. Sunday is the mandatory report date for 40-man roster players. Next Friday is, at least tentatively, the first scheduled spring training game. And, Opening Day (April 7) is less than a month away. 

As soon as the owners ratified the new CBA, baseball was back in business. Thankfully, Falvey was willing to take some time to answer questions for Twins media. He notes that they have been following the negotiations closely, especially the past few days. 

Falvey said, “Obviously, over the last couple of days, following closely with the information and the news that was coming out and feeling like things were getting closer, it’s just great for our group. We’re all here. We’re in the office. Once we knew everything was good, we ordered in food and said, ‘We might be here awhile.’”

We haven’t seen free agency like this in baseball before, except to some degree right before the lockout. With about 300 free agents still unsigned, this has the potential to look a lot like NFL and NBA free agency over the coming days. It’s not something any of the front offices have navigated before, but Falvey and his team are ready for it. 

“A lot of groundwork was laid before the lockout with players, with agents, with front offices around trades, so I would just tell you we’re picking up really where we left off. Now I recognize during that period of time, things may have changed for individual players, for teams, and their plans, so we’ve already done our dividing up of clubs among a bunch of us and making sure that we’re checking back in tonight to know where things stand with those teams. It’s going to be difficult. I’m not going to sugarcoat that.”

Falvey said that his first call after news broke of an agreement went to Twins player representative Taylor Rogers. “He and I talked a ton going up and into the lockout and all the COVID protocols and everything else we had to navigate over the last couple of years. We had an awesome conversation. He’s excited to get here. He said he’s talked to a bunch of guys that feel the same.”

While Rogers appears to be fully recovered from his finger injury that cost him the final two months of the 2021 season, he is just one pitcher. Last year, the Twins used 35 pitchers. So there is work to be done. 

Regarding pitching, Falvey said, "I think we made no secret that's a focus and an area we need to spend some time and we're going to. We've talked about trade market and free-agent market. We're excited about some of the young guys that are coming. I think we look at our stable of young pitchers who have been in our camp. I've been watching Simeon Woods Richardson the last week, the way he's throwing the ball. Matt Canterino is healthy and throwing the ball as well as anybody. We're excited about the young guys on our roster that we haven't yet seen, the Josh Winders and Jhoan Durans and Jordan Balazovics, guys we think are going to be another part to join the Joe Ryans and Bailey Obers and that group. But we know we need some veteran presence too so that's going to be a focus of us here. We're going to contact as many teams and agents as possible to work that market."

The other "area of focus" for the front office is shortstop. Falvey said that Jorge Polanco could play there, and that Luis Arraez can play around the infield. He also mentioned some younger players. "Some of our young players who aren't quite at the major league level yet but could be really interesting fits for us along the way. And whether that's the Nick Gordons of the world who haven't had as much experience. [Jermaine] Palacios has been in camp here and watching him go. We're excited to see Royce [Lewis] come in, though we recognize he's had a lot of downtime here with his injury. So I can't answer that today perfectly that we're going to seek to see what the market might bear in that space."

The players will start reporting this morning (Friday, March 10), at least the players who live nearby Ft. Myers. They will have physicals and a short workout in the late morning. The mandatory report date will be Sunday, March 13. 

It will not be an easy task in some cases, especially for players from other countries. But, the Twins have been preparing for this day for a while. 

Falvey noted, “We did all we could before the lockout, knowing that could become an issue at some point during the winter so that agents, players knew what their status was, what the situation was. Certainly players under control with us. We got ahead of that as much as we could. We’re hoping now that we can accelerate that process. Amanda Daley does a great job for us, making sure that all the details are taken care of in that space. I would anticipate that with 30 clubs trying to navigate some of these travel visas and work visas in the Dominican or Venezuela, places where a lot of our players come from, it can be a challenge.”

Tentatively, the first spring training games will be played next Friday, March 18th. That will be after just four full-team practices. To help with that, the team will soon be announcing a group of non-roster invitations to big-league spring training. And, as they have always done, they can pull guys over from the minor league side to play in games. 

Because teams have been able to have zero contact with any of the 40-man roster players, there was some anxiety, hoping players such as Royce Lewis and Blayne Enlow were rehabbing appropriately. 

Falvey said, “We want to get those guys going. Obviously, in Royce’s case, losing the minor-league season was difficult because that’s just lost development time. He was at the alternate site (in 2020). He used that time really productively. He’s been in the Fall League (2019). Had some of those experiences. But ultimately losing last season due to his ACL reconstruction, it’s difficult.” 

Regarding Lewis and right-handed pitcher Blayne Enlow, working his way back from Tommy John surgery last June. The Twins prepared them before the lockout began for this time away. Falvey said, “our medical people did a really good job, and so did our folks in strength and conditioning and rehab side of things, and position coaches talked to him about how they would want to navigate his offseasons, whether this happened or not.”

He noted that Enlow would be a little bit behind the timeline. That was known. As for Royce, they know he works with his agency (Scott Boras) to “prep and get himself ready.  He’s a tremendous worker, and he’s going to put in his time and efforts, so I’m confident in guys like that have put themselves in good positions.”  

Opening Day will be at Target Field on April 7th. It will likely be a sprint for these next four weeks. 

Twins President Dave St. Peter said that the fans have been great. “They want to see games. The volume of concern went up exponentially when you started to cancel regular-season games. So the last ten days, I will tell you, we heard from a lot of fans. We’ve been trying to actively engage with them and try to assure them that there was still a path to play a full 162 games, and I’m just absolutely thrilled today that that vision ultimately is going to be possible. I wasn’t always sure it would be.” 

Ultimately, the Twins will miss a couple of weeks of spring training, and the season will start one week late, but there will be a 162-game season and a lot of the 

Ultimate this deal will hopefully help grow the game, and there can be extended peace again between the owners and the players as there had been for nearly 30 years. 

St. Peter thinks that it’s time to heal and move forward. “It’s paramount that we as an industry do a better job of building trust with our players. There are so many exciting things happening in baseball. For those things to ultimately transcend the game, for us to ultimately move the game forward to where it’s incrementally more relevant amongst young people, where it’s more relevant around the globe — for us to really achieve those goals, we’re going to need incremental alignment with our players. And I hope this agreement allows us to move forward in a way to where we can be better aligned and in partnership. That’s ultimately in the best interests of the players, and it’s certainly in the best interests of the industry.”

A challenge for Twins fans will be to move forward too. Ultimately, we will get a 162 game schedule, more playoffs, and more. It will be an interesting and exciting time over the next few days, and the Twins should be active, not only through the weekend but right up to the season. 

Twins Daily has provided anywhere from three to seven articles every day since the lockout began (and obviously before that). We sure hope that we have kept you entertained, enlightened, and updated. Thank you all so much for sticking by the site, and we sure hope that we will celebrate a winning season in 2022. 

Oh, by the way, Friday is the first day that teams can place players on the 60-Day Injured List. It’s also the first day that players can be placed on waivers. We should get a list of non-roster players soon too.  

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[Unwinder]

It's exciting and also very scary how much the next couple of weeks will determine how the Twins' season goes. We should have an idea very soon whether the Twins are actually trying to contend, or if it's going to be a rebuild year. I'm not convinced that the front office even really knows now.

[baul0010]

5 hours ago, Unwinder said:

It's exciting and also very scary how much the next couple of weeks will determine how the Twins' season goes. We should have an idea very soon whether the Twins are actually trying to contend, or if it's going to be a rebuild year. I'm not convinced that the front office even really knows now.

A couple quotes from Falvey seem to dictate how it's going to go.   He said they did all they could before they lockout... Maybe I missed it, did we do anything?

And he stated his first call was to Taylor Rogers.  I kind of wish the first call would have been to Oakland or Cincinnati.   I would personally feel better knowing that was the first call after hearing him state they did all they should before the lockout.

[umterp23]

First call to your player rep was the right call.  Front office guys are paid by the owners, so he needed to talk to Rogers first.  Rogers can then funnel the message to all the guys.  Not a big deal for me.  I would think that Oakland, Cincy and other potential fits were on speed dial as well.  He isn't going to say that in his presser.  Go Twins

[Seth Stohs]

6 minutes ago, umterp23 said:

First call to your player rep was the right call.  Front office guys are paid by the owners, so he needed to talk to Rogers first.  Rogers can then funnel the message to all the guys.  Not a big deal for me.  I would think that Oakland, Cincy and other potential fits were on speed dial as well.  He isn't going to say that in his presser.  Go Twins

100% that was the right first call... 

[Seth Stohs]

1 hour ago, baul0010 said:

A couple quotes from Falvey seem to dictate how it's going to go.   He said they did all they could before they lockout... Maybe I missed it, did we do anything?

And he stated his first call was to Taylor Rogers.  I kind of wish the first call would have been to Oakland or Cincinnati.   I would personally feel better knowing that was the first call after hearing him state they did all they should before the lockout.

They had all their paperwork before the lockout. They had all the conversations. And they've only added to that during the lockout. 

And, I have no question in my mind that within probably 2-3 hours of the end of the lockout, they had talked to every team and every agent. 

[miracleb]

Jermaine Palacios...would his defense be "average" to "above average" in the majors?  I have heard mix comments on this.  If he would be a solid FIELDING shortstop, then lets take his .225 batting average.  Otherwise we can pay Andrelton Simmons again (A LOT MORE) for the same results?  (Simmons is a better defender for sure...but I guess.....how much better?)

[Whitey333]

Great to be back to Twins Baseball!!  I am most interested to see what the FO does to the roster in such a short time.  I would expect them to add a veteran or two to the starting rotation.  To go into the season with minor league pitchers and Bundy as your rotation would be foolish and disastorus.  I'm excited to see what we will add.  Go Twins!

[mikelink45]

I hope this is a wild ride like we have all anticipated.  But I need to see action from the FO.  If they did all that they could before the lockout I would hope that means that they will do more and quickly now that the lockout is over.  Hard to see this roster with all the holes in it so now the FO can get the buzz started among fans and potential fans because other than those of us who are always excited for the new season, the general public has a lot of apathy.  With the Wolves and the Wild being really interesting this year the lockout just took BB out of the general sports fans mind. 

[Dman]

I am interested to see what they end up doing. He said they talked about the trade market and I wonder what that would look like for them given they seem to prefer not to extend pitchers.  Well this next week should be interesting and with a couple of 40 man spots opening from Maeda and Enlow and money available they should be able to make pretty much any big move they want to.

[In My La Z boy]

Entertained, enlightened and updated for sure. Great work these last few months and great work last night on this recap. Given there are a million things to do in a short time, would you think trades are the more complicated transaction to bolster the pitching staff versus signing a couple free agents? I'm guessing less trading than there would have been given more time? Also I assume they canceled the rule 5 draft? Thanks again. 

[jmlease1]

Latest rumor is that Trevor Story might sign a 1 year deal to prove his shoulder is healthy. If true, we should jump on that so freakin' hard. I mean, I'd sign him to a long-term deal, but if the team is convinced that Royce will be ready in 2023 and they just need another bridge guy...

Be interesting to see what they do on pitching. I'd bet money on Pineda coming back, but we need someone with a bit higher upside. Rodon or a trade?

[HrbieFan]

8 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Latest rumor is that Trevor Story might sign a 1 year deal to prove his shoulder is healthy. If true, we should jump on that so freakin' hard. I mean, I'd sign him to a long-term deal, but if the team is convinced that Royce will be ready in 2023 and they just need another bridge guy...

Be interesting to see what they do on pitching. I'd bet money on Pineda coming back, but we need someone with a bit higher upside. Rodon or a trade?

I'd do a one year deal with him, worst case he becomes a trade asset in 4 months

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

Falvey and Lavine were walking across the Hammond Stadium lot yesterday as my son and I were going to watch an intrasquad scrimmage. I asked, "Are we going to get a deal?" Falvey replied, "We hope so. A lot of progress has been made in the last few hours. Keep your fingers crossed." Sure enough, halfway through the scrimmage our phones blew up with news of the agreement. 

One other note from our sidewalk conversation: after the fingers-crossed comment, I said, "I hope you are right, guys. And I hope you can sign some pitchers!"

[miracleb]

Story isn't intersted in a one year deal.....he will get a multiple year, 100M deal.  He started slow with injury last year but came on strong the last two months to "re-prove" himself.  Twins are not getting him on a one year deal.

[RJA]

Seth, this article is why people depend on TD to bring us the news.  Great access to front office, detailed article on what was said, and a good review of where we sit.  Nice job.  Reading between the lines, it sounds like they are very confident in their young pitchers, so I would suspect they might add one good pitcher by trade (or Rodon), sign Pineda and another mid-rotation type, and look for the young arms to assert themselves by midseason, or maybe earlier.  It should be an exciting few weeks all around the majors, most especially with the Twins.

[tony&rodney]

Many, including Gleeman, have suggested the Twins could spend $40 million above their current level. I am curious what the budget actually is for 2022. 

[roger]

Sure is going to be interesting, Seth, and exciting.  

Something I mentioned yesterday, are there going to be problems signing Latin free agents?  As I understand the VISA process, they cannot begin the process until they have a contract.  It can then take anywhere from a few weeks to longer, and in some cases much longer.  Considering they may not be available until after the season begins, will that procedure/problem come into play for players like Simmons?  Or Nelson Cruz?  Have you heard of any VISA problems with Latin players under contract?  Are all/most already in Fort Myers?

Now going to have to get to work to see how in the heck I can watch games this year on my tv as Hulu still doesn't have BSN.

 

[Trov]

I wonder if the minor league camp that was going on will affect how a team was looking to go.  Maybe a guy they were willing to trade for someone is no longer available.  Maybe someone they were not looking to part ways with now is available.  Maybe some of the non-roster invites have impressed enough they will not feel the need to bring in someone else.  

I was expecting signings and trades to happen very quickly as camps open in a couple days now. So far nothing that is disappointing to me. 

[Mike Sixel]

They did all they could before the lockout? Yikes. 

[LastOnePicked]

I know we've all been eager to fire up the hot stove, but I really, really, would advise against expecting/hoping much in terms of FA signings or trades. I get the sense that the FO wants to go into the season and see what they've got. I can see a Pineda signing soon (there's the "veteran presence"), maybe a low offer to Simmons, and that's it.

[Doctor Gast]

I was a little encouraged when Flavey said that he was considering trades before the lock out. But the little that I had was deflated when he address the SS situation. He stated that they were considering Polanco at SS (OMG NO!) haven't they learned anything! That Arraez is available to play the INF, which tells me that they aren't looking at any trades that'll move the needle and they don't care about our INF defense. They didn't say anything positive about Palacio and that Lewis is a big ???.

What I wanted to hear was that they acknowledge our holes at SP, SS and back-up CF and they are focused on filling those holes outside the organization with viable options. This shows me that they are oblivious to those needs and how to resolved them. It seems like they can't inniate  a right move unless they are pressured into it (signing Buxton extension and moving Polanco off of SS for a viable one). This FO has promised that they'd produce a competitive team every year during their tenure. We still have a great core capable of great things with painless addItions but if they don't change their mindset this team will become a perrenial bottom feeder.

[tony&rodney]

Why does it seem like the next two months will determine whether the Twins become the Baltimore of the past five years or return to relevance? It should be an exciting time.

[dex8425]

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I was a little encouraged when Flavey said that he was considering trades before the lock out. But the little that I had was deflated when he address the SS situation. He stated that they were considering Polanco at SS (OMG NO!) haven't they learned anything! That Arraez is available to play the INF, which tells me that they aren't looking at any trades that'll move the needle and they don't care about our INF defense. They didn't say anything positive about Palacio and that Lewis is a big ???.

What I wanted to hear was that they acknowledge our holes at SP, SS and back-up CF and they are focused on filling those holes outside the organization with viable options. This shows me that they are oblivious to those needs and how to resolved them. It seems like they can't inniate  a right move unless they are pressured into it (signing Buxton extension and moving Polanco off of SS for a viable one). This FO has promised that they'd produce a competitive team every year during their tenure. We still have a great core capable of great things with painless addItions but if they don't change their mindset this team will become a perrenial bottom feeder.

You might be right, but that's what any GM has to say publicly so other teams don't view them as desperate. 

[Seth Stohs]

14 hours ago, RJA said:

Seth, this article is why people depend on TD to bring us the news.  Great access to front office, detailed article on what was said, and a good review of where we sit.  Nice job.  Reading between the lines, it sounds like they are very confident in their young pitchers, so I would suspect they might add one good pitcher by trade (or Rodon), sign Pineda and another mid-rotation type, and look for the young arms to assert themselves by midseason, or maybe earlier.  It should be an exciting few weeks all around the majors, most especially with the Twins.

Very kind of you to say. Thank you! 

And, I read through the lines and thought the same thing... and personally, I am comfortable with going with some of these 24-25 year old pitchers and seeing how ready they are. 

[h2oface]

It's been over 24 hours.... how many stud pitchers have the FO signed so far?! 

[USAFChief]

14 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

They did all they could before the lockout? Yikes. 

Hey...the FRENZIED work RESUMES!!1!

[tarheeltwinsfan]

SETH, THANKS TO YOU AND THE OTHER WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS FOR HELPING US GET THROUGH THIS FRUSTRATING TIME DURING THE LOCKOUT.  ALL OF YOU WHO WRIOTE FREQUENTLY ARE REALLY GOOD THERAPISTS FOR ME AND FOR MANY OF US LOYAL TD FOLLOWERS AND CONTRIBUTORS.  I'M GLAD THERE WILL BE BASEBALL. HOWEVER THE AGREEMENT WAS A LITTLE LATE FOR ME, IN SOME RESPECTS, SINCE  I JUST RETURNED FROM A WEEK AT FORT MYERS. MY WIFE AND I MISSED SEEING THE TWINS PLAY THE YAMKEES, PHILLIES AND RED SOX. THERE WERE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR TRIP. HERE THEY ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER; THE WEATHER WAS BEAUTIFUL AND SO WERE THE BEACHES AND WE SAW MANY BEAUTIFUL BIRDS AND ANIMALS AT DING DARLING WILDLIFE PRESERVE. WE DID GET OUR MONEY REFUNDED FROM STUBHUB FOR THE TICKETS TO THE 3  GAMES WHICH WERE CANCELLED.  WE HAD LUNCH WITH AN ARMY BUDDY AND HIS WIFE WHO LIVE IN NEARBY BONITA SPRINGS. WE SHARED MEMORIES, OF  THINGS THAT WE SAW AND DID IN THE ARMY AS OUR UNDERSTANDING  WIVES PATIENTLY LISTENED TO  THEM. I WATCHED THE CLASS A INTERSQUAD GAME, I GOT TO TALK WITH DO PARK, THE MLB.COM WRITER FOR THE TWINS. WHAT A NICE, FRIENDLY GUY.  DO ENJOYS HIS JOB. I ASKED IF HE HAD A DEGREE IN JOURNALISM AND HE TOLD ME HIS DEGREE WAS IN ENGINEERING.  INTERESTING STORY HOW HE BECAME AN MLB WRITER. PROSPECT AARON SABATO AND I DISCUSSED OUR TARHEELS' VICTORY OVER DUKE IN COACH K'S LAST HOME GAME AT CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM, SINCE WE ARE BOTH UNC GRADS, WE BOTH ENJOYED THAT BASKETBALL GAME VERY MUCH.  I  CONCLUDED YOU PAY YOUR MONEY AND TAKE YOUR CHANCES, REFERRING TO THE 96 FORMER DUKE PLAYERS WHO WERE PRESENT AND WHO USED TO SLAP THE FLOOR AT CAMERON STADIUM AS A  WAY TO FIRE THE DEFENSE UP AND THE FOLKS WHO PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR TICKETS TO BE PRESENT FOR  COACH K'S LAST HOME GAME.. DURING THE INTERSQUAD CLASS A BASEBALL GAME,  I CONCLUDED THAT 19 YEAR OLD NOAH MILLER CAN PLAY SS AND HAS POWER TO SPARE, AS HE HIT ONE OVER THE RIGHT FIELD FENCE DURNING THE GAME,  AT A PITCHERS' PRACTICE, I CONCLUDED THAT CHASE PETTY IS VERY IMPRESSIVE WITH EXTREME VELOCITY, REALLY GOOD CONTROL AND A SLIDER THAT DREW VERBAL REACTIONS OF  'WOW' FROM THOSE OF US STANDING BEHIND THE CATCHER AND THE FENCE AS THE BALL SNAPPED SHARPLY DOWNWARD AND  SIDEWAYS. FINALLY I WANT TO SAY THAT I SINCERELY APPRECIATE TD AND THE EFFORTS OF THE OWNERS WHO MAKE TD POSSIBLE AND THE EXCELLENT WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS AND MODERATORS, WHICH MAKE IT THE BEST TEAM ORIENTED WEBSITE IN ALL OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.       PLAY BALL.

[mikelink45]

On 3/11/2022 at 12:07 PM, LastOnePicked said:

I know we've all been eager to fire up the hot stove, but I really, really, would advise against expecting/hoping much in terms of FA signings or trades. I get the sense that the FO wants to go into the season and see what they've got. I can see a Pineda signing soon (there's the "veteran presence"), maybe a low offer to Simmons, and that's it.

See my whirlwind forum

[mikelink45]

19 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Hey...the FRENZIED work RESUMES!!1!

See my whirlwind forum - updated tonight