Twins

It’s looking increasingly more likely that we’ll get some form of Major League Baseball come late June or early July. One of the interesting aspects will be expanded rosters and the possibility of having players on the 40-man in close proximity to be called upon as needed. With that in mind, today we’ll take a look at players on the Twins 40-man and what roles they may play if baseball returns.

On Tuesday evening, the Minnesota Twins agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal with free agent shortstop Andrelton Simmons. Within are the five biggest takeaways from the massive offseason addition for the reigning AL Central Champs.

We're at a stage in this lost season where game outcomes have ceased to matter. The results, at this point, are much less important than the process.

One thing that's been particularly interesting to follow here in September is the way Paul Molitor is divvying up playing time in his infield. What conclusions can we draw from the manager's trends?

Randy Dobnak had a fairytale start to his professional career, but the last two seasons have turned into nightmares. What can the Twins expect from Dobnak during the 2023 season?

Shortly before Christmas break, the Minnesota Twins signed free agent pitcher Tim Stauffer to one-year, $2.2 million.

If you happened to check Fangraphs.com on the 32-year-old righthander, gazing upon his average velocity may have been as exciting as unwrapping another pair of socks. Low 90s? Again? While the trend for pitching staffs has been to stockpile power arms, Stauffer’s flexibility as a starter and a reliever provides the team with various options.

Beyond the low velocity, over his career Stauffer has combated an endless war against injuries that would have made Orwell proud. What exactly do the Twins see in him?

Watching Byron Buxton hit with two strikes on Sunday led me to wonder what the rest of the team is doing with their two-strike opportunities. Not just what kind of batting line they’re putting together — generally bad — but how often are they striking out when the count reaches two strikes?

There’s plenty to be excited for in Twins Territory. The fact that we’re getting a season at all (I knocked) is reason enough to be elated and the wait should make baseball all the sweeter. Luckily we’ve also got a really good team.

Monday marked the Twins last off day before the end of the season and provided a good chance to take a step back and survey what lies ahead.

Minnesota opens a three-game series with Cleveland coming to town, with Tuesday marking the first of seven remaining games between the Twins and the Tribe. So essentially, more than half the Twins’ remaining 13 games come against Cleveland, a team which has underachieved virtually the entire season, but finds itself a mere 1.5 games behind the local nine.

That the Twins are playing mediocre baseball here in the early portion of the season is disappointing, but not entirely surprising. We knew this was still a young club on the rise, not a bona fide contender. Slumps and downspells are to be expected.

But it was the pitching staff that figured to take lumps. A lineup stacked with established hitters and solid depth seemed to be the least of Paul Molitor's worries.

And yet, as the Twins have fallen back into a listless spell after being revived by a five-game winning streak, it is the bats that are lagging and languishing.

The Twins signed outfielder Billy Hamilton to a minor-league contract on Friday. What can the veteran outfielder provide the Twins?