Opening Day Roster Nearly Set

Not too bad, pretty much expected.  Let's see if the starting rotation can build from the big improvements last year.  (Specifically ERA)  A full season of Santana and Gibson looking sharp should increase the K/9 marginally right?  We all know Nolasco can't be relied on for a full season.  When do people see Berrios coming up, assuming he starts out strong in AAA?

Duffy's performance is a huge bummer to be sure. Maybe I'm naive, but I didn't expect it. It could be quite the battle in AAA as to whether he or Berrios is promoted first. And contract or not, you're right, Nolasco has to have a short leash. The Twins would be better off tossing money at nothing than money at poor start after poor start.

Never saw Tonkin making the club until his recent hot streak. I sincerely hope he keeps it going. Sure seems like Darnell or O'Rourke really deserved a spot.

I'm not going to hate on this move. I hope Ricky Nolasco has a sub-3.00 ERA and 15-20 wins and is in the Cy Young conversation. 

I hope he does well, period. Because players who do well are good for the team. Even if they're not on the team over the long term because they can become trade bait come the All Star Break. 

I'm not the biggest fan of basing decisions off a limited ST performance. But I also understand that Ricky Nolasco will cost the Twins $25 million over two years and there is no way the Twins can recoup that if he is a long reliever. If you're going to make a decision based on ST, give the first nod to the guy making $25 million in the hopes he performs at least well enough to become trade bait so you can open up a spot for Duffey or Berrios. 

Do I think the Twins should have signed him in the first place? Nope. Do I think the Twins should have traded him over the offseason? Yes. But I also believe the Twins tried to trade him and couldn't come to a deal. And I believe that if he remains injury-free and pitches up to his capabilities he could become a trade candidate at some point this year. 

So many people on this site predicted Nolasco would make the rotation.  I really hope he does well.  On the other hand, I really would have preferred to see Berrios in the rotation from the start.  If Nolasco does poorly for 4-5 starts while we confirm that Berrios is too good for AAA four more times, and the Twins end up 2 wins from making the playoffs, I'll be very unhappy with the front office.

What happens to Nolasco gets rocked?  Does he go to the bullpen?  AAA? Released?

Duffey "needed" a third pitch?  He didn't before--and this 'advice" can from perhaps the worst pitcher-development franchise in baseball (if 15 years of statistics are useful).  Instead of wasting himself on what doesn't work--Duffey should focus on what does work.

Maybe Nolasco is having a better Spring but I think Duffy earned the right to fail/succeed in the regular season. I hope Nolasco pitches well and proves me wrong but I don't like the process either way.  

Duffey "needed" a third pitch?  He didn't before--and this 'advice" can from perhaps the worst pitcher-development franchise in baseball (if 15 years of statistics are useful).  Instead of wasting himself on what doesn't work--Duffey should focus on what does work.

Not gonna argue with your assessment that the Twins have not been one of the better teams in developing their own talent.   However, it should be pointed out that Neil Allen, only has one year of service with the team, and by all accounts it was pretty decent.   Utilizing the change up is kinda Allen's thing, as many Rays' pitchers can validate.   So with that in mind, I'm ok with Duffy working on this 3rd pitch.   Last year was a pretty small sample size, so this is one of those times you have to leave it up to the coaching staff, that they know best.

Hopefully they are right.

So no one figured out Duffey last year in AAA or during the pennant race in the fall but that is small sample size while a mediocre spring while working on a pitch is somehow a decider?      I am not against working on the third pitch but his curveball was pretty special last year especially all the variations on it and his fastball was decent.    What did you mean sitting on his curveball and hitting his fastball?    If you meant they were letting it go that is a fairly easy solution of simply throwing his curveball for strikes which he showed he was able to do last year.  I think Nolasco was overrated when they signed him but probably underrated now so it would not surprise me if he did a decent job in the 5 spot but I had higher expectations than that from Duffey.

It is a safe roster - not losing players without a minor league option, putting the highest paid players in the rotation.  Okay - what will this team look like in July?  I hope Nolasco pitches well enough to be traded, but that would have him in the rotation until trade deadline - not to my liking.  Duffey had a gimmick - a curveball that fell off the table, but nothing else.  The evaluations that TD does exceeds everything that was in baseball two decades ago and the majors have to have even more tools.  So a gimmick has to be backed up with other talent and Duffey is going to need all year to put the other pitches on a major league value.  Berrios, has talent, talent comes through and he will be the young pitcher in the rotation as soon as someone blows out something or just blows up.

In the American League the bench is just not essential so they have a nice mix, but the question is how they keep young players interested when they are primarily sitting?

The bullpen really does need May because I am not excited about what is there.  I fear Tonkin is AAAA and Fien, Abad, Pressley are fillers.  I am anxious for the young studs to move in and these guys to move out.