Nick Nelson

With one stunning and historic move, the Minnesota Twins completely flipped the script on an underwhelming offseason, acquiring a superstar in his prime with an unprecedented free agency splash. Let's get up to speed on where things stand and what's still ahead. Spring training is fully underway but that doesn't mean Hot Stove SZN is over. The Twins made a huge addition over the weekend and seemingly have at least one more on tap. Pressure is building to check off the final boxes ahead of the season opener in just 18 days. What does the front office still need to accomplish and what are their options? Donaldson Trade Clears the Books I posted the last of these offseason status updates last Sunday night, figuring that at 9:22 PM I could safely assume the news cycle had settled, and the whirlwind weekend's moves were finished. But if there's been one lesson from the past week, it's that the news cycle never sleeps. Literally minutes after clicking publish on an article reviewing the Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Sonny Gray trades, I learned of another blockbuster going down: the Twins dealt Josh Donaldson, along with Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt, to the Yankees in exchange for Gary Sánchez, Gio Urshela, and a bunch of salary relief. With that, Minnesota's short-lived and unfulfilling engagement with Donaldson came to an end. It was a signing that ultimately illustrated the hazards of spending big on aging veteran talent. The Twins can consider themselves lucky to get out of the last two years, even though they had to actively worsen their roster to do it. In the wake of this shakeup, many unknowns were in play. But among the few things we DID know: "The Twins now have all kinds of flexibility to make at least one HUGE move." What would it be? Twins Shock the World with Correa Signing For five days, we all sat mired in uncertainty, wondering how the Twins planned to flex their newfound financial clout. As reports emerged of Trevor Story leaning toward other destinations, anxiety started to rise. Had the front office boxed itself into a corner? Nah. They went out and signed the No. 1 free agent on the entire market, landing Carlos Correa in an absolute game-changing stunner. The three-year, $105.3 million contract makes Correa the highest-paid infielder in the game, and addresses the club's need at shortstop decisively. (For now.) In all likelihood, it'll end up being a one-year deal, as Correa has the ability to opt out following either the 2022 or 2023 season. His aim is clearly to put together a good year, return to a less-crowded FA shortstop market next year, and score the $300+ million payday he desired. But that's okay. Getting an MVP-caliber player at age 27 on a one-year pact is a win, even if the framework of the deal creates a bit of team risk. On Sunday, Story signed with the Red Sox for six years and $140 million, prioritizing length of the deal over AAV. Meanwhile, the Yankees were basically left out in the cold. You hate to see it. Still in Need of a Starter Perhaps New York can still claim a victory in all of this late offseason action. They are reportedly among the teams in on Oakland's Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea. With so much steam around the two front-line starters and their availability, that situation feels like the last big domino yet to fall. The Twins have also been repeatedly connected to the Athletics in rumors, which only makes sense because they let every free agent starter come off the board while failing to adequately address their starting pitching needs. Even fallback mid-tier options like Michael Pineda and Tyler Anderson are now gone, and Minnesota has a glaring hole after (or ahead of?) Gray atop their rotation. Chi Chi Gonzalez might add some welcome veteran depth on a minors deal, but he's not moving the MLB needle in any way. The Twins almost HAVE to make a trade in order to put the finishing touches on a complete offseason. Are they willing to meet the extraordinary price that extracting Montas will surely require? Or will they opt instead for Manaea, who has only one year of team control left but will command a lesser return? Could they acquire ... both? Given how the Twins have operated this offseason – conditioning us to expect the unexpected – something tells me the most likely outcome is none of the above. They'll find a way to surprise us by zagging while everyone anticipates the zig. Stay tuned. Bullpen Gets a Veteran Boost With all the attention being paid to starting pitchers and shortstops, the team's bullpen needs have been more or less on the backburner. Outside of grabbing Jharel Cotton before the lockout, and bringing back the likes of Juan Minaya and Danny Coulombe on minors deals, the Twins hadn't taken much action to offset their various question marks in relief. On Saturday they did something about that, signing veteran right-hander Joe Smith to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. I would describe this as a low-wattage signing; the sidearmer, who turns 38 on Tuesday, hasn't put together a complete quality season since 2017. But he's been a pretty reliable righty specialist throughout his career and that was a need. We'll see if the front office has anything else in store for the bullpen. Remaining options are limited. I wouldn't be the least surprised to see them lean primarily on internal arms in rounding out this unit. Griffin Jax looked really good in his first spring appearance and is one to watch. Lewis Thorpe is out of options. Roster & Payroll Projection Accounting for all of this wheeling and dealing, here's an updated look at the Twins' projected roster and spending commitments for this season. The payroll currently stands at about $122.5M, which is $7.5M short of their baseline target. With the news that Randy Dobnak is still bothered by his finger and unlikely for Opening Day, I've moved him out of the bullpen picture and added his (meager) guaranteed salary to the "Dead Money" section." I still see opportunities to add a fourth outfielder and one or two bullpen arms, though each of those needs could reasonably be filled with existing options. The remaining hole in the rotation, however, needs an external fix. For what it's worth, Montas is expected to earn around $5.5M via arbitration this year, and Manaea $10.2M. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Become a Twins Daily caretaker View full article

I think Garver largely credited Tanner Swanson with helping him turn a corner? Swanson went to New York after the 2019 season and couldn't do much for Sanchez which is not the most promising.

Spring training is finally underway. With that, it's time to fire up my annual preseason breakdown of the Twins' depth and outlook at each position. Today we kick things off at catcher, where the original plan was dramatically altered by a series of trades last weekend. Projected Starter: Ryan Jeffers Likely Backup: Gary Sánchez Depth: José Godoy, Caleb Hamilton Prospects: Alex Isola THE GOOD The Twins are all-in on Ryan Jeffers. By trading Mitch Garver and Ben Rortvedt on successive days, the front office decimated its high-level catching depth. Yes, all the moving and shaking did bring back Gary Sánchez, but he's an occasional (at best) catcher with one year of team control remaining. Jeffers is the guy. Clearly the Twins have been heartened by his performance through two big-league seasons and are ready to commit. The 24-year-old former second-round draft pick rose fast through the system, playing only 167 games over a season-and-a-half in the minors before being summoned from the alternate site in 2020 to help the Twins. He has since shown to be a quality defender with good power, equating to 1.1 fWAR over 111 games for the Twins. He was Twins Daily's pick for team Rookie of the Year in 2020. Overall, defense has definitely been Jeffers' calling card in the big leagues. He runs the staff with confidence, bringing good mechanics and instincts behind the plate. His pitch-framing stands out as well above average, ranking in the 74th percentile last year according to Statcast. The bat is lagging behind the glove here, for sure, but given he's only 24 and followed an accelerated development path, it's reasonable to expect some offensive growth ahead. He slashed .286/.377/.452 in the minors, flashing solid discipline that will hopefully translate over time to the majors, and his power tool is definitely legit. When Jeffers gets into one, the ball takes off. The same can be said for his new backup. Sánchez is a masher, and a fair approximation of Garver at the plate. In fact, his All-Star campaigns in 2017 and 2019 were basically what you'd hope to see from Garver in a full season. Sánchez has 138 career home runs through age 28, leading all catchers since 2016, and has been a reliable slugging force even when his offensive game has otherwise run astray. Defensive misgivings aside, it's nice to be able to plug Sánchez's threatening bat into the catcher position from time to time. THE BAD Even before they traded Garver and Rortvedt, catching depth was an area of uncertainty in the Twins system. No one outside of the top three had any MLB experience, Garver was running out of team control, and Jeffers was a question mark. Make no mistake: Jeffers is still a question mark, having seen his OPS+ drop from 119 in 2020 to 83 in 2021. It's just that he now bears a much higher level of expectation and dependence. Sánchez might be a comparable bat to Garver, but he represents a huge drop-off defensively. It's actually pretty hard to make sense of Minnesota's plan in light of their commitments to quality defense, and timeshares behind home plate to reduce wear-and-tear. Are they actually going to let Sánchez catch a sizable share of the team's games? Really?! His defensive issues are well known, especially among Yankees fans. Sánchez has led the league in errors at catcher three times, and allowed the second-most stolen bases of any backstop last year. His rigid movements and slow reactions lead to numerous costly mistakes; Sánchez ranks sixth among all active catchers in passed balls allowed. Here's a, er, "highlight" reel of his glovework: He struggled so mightily in New York that some Yankees pitchers notoriously asked not to have him behind the plate in games they started. That doesn't seem like a great situation for a Twins staff that expects to usher in multiple young pitchers this year. Despite their claims otherwise, I find it difficult to believe the Twins are going to follow through on the current plan. But until something changes, Sánchez is lined up for a big portion of work behind the plate, and we are one Jeffers injury or demotion away from him being the primary guy there. Ack. To make up for the loss of Rortvedt, the Twins claimed José Godoy off waivers from San Francisco on Thursday, infusing at least some semblance of experienced depth behind Jeffers and Sánchez. Godoy is actually quite similar to Rortvedt in profile – a mid-20s, no-hit defensive specialist who's gotten his feet wet in the big leagues. He's a reasonable swap-in that at least gives the team some peace of mind in terms of contingencies. There are players further down in the system like Caleb Hamilton and Chris Williams with the potential to reach the majors relatively soon, but they're not high-caliber prospects and could use more seasoning. THE BOTTOM LINE The Twins imploded their catching depth in order to unload Josh Donaldson's contract. The pipeline is very thin at this position and Sánchez is a year away from free agency, so there is a ton of pressure on Jeffers to entrench himself as a long-term fixture behind the plate. That's a bit of a scary proposition, since he's hardly established himself as a surefire MLB starting catcher. But it's a risk the Twins were willing to take as part of their offseason roster overhaul. This team was in an enviable spot with two starting-caliber catchers under control for multiple seasons. Now they've got Jeffers and a pseudo catcher/DH in a walk year, followed by little assurance at one of the most attrition-filled positions in the sport. Catcher now stands out as a glaring weakness for this franchise, unless Jeffers and Sánchez can both convincingly put their disappointing 2021 seasons behind them. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Become a Twins Daily caretaker View full article

Spring camp is underway and the Twins are set to kick off an abbreviated exhibition schedule on Thursday against Boston. From there, they'll begin a three-week ramp toward Opening Day at Target Field. Here are four key player storylines to watch closely as spring training unfolds. Even those fans who can't make it down to Fort Myers this spring will have plenty of opportunities to catch the team in action, with 12 of 16 Grapefruit League games slated to be televised. If you get a chance to tune in, keep an eye on these players as they look to rebound from various injuries and setbacks. Taylor Rogers' finger Rogers hasn't pitched in a game since he walked off the mound shaking his finger last July 26th at Target Field. His status has been a major source of uncertainty in Minnesota's planning and outlook. They badly need him to return as the bullpen stalwart of years past. But can they count on it? Theoretically, Rogers should be well clear of the middle-finger sprain that ended his season. The injury took place almost eight months ago and didn't require surgery. But Twins fans who've watched middle-finger issues dramatically affect other slider-reliant pitchers like Ervin Santana and Randy Dobnak can't take for granted that Rogers will be the same guy as before – especially given that he's now 31 at the volatile position of relief pitcher. The Twins will be in big trouble if Rogers can't get back to his previous level or close. It'll be interesting to see how comfortable he is letting loose after the long layoff, as well as the more measurable aspects like velocity, spin, and results. Good news so far: Rogers is throwing in camp with no apparent hindrance. Dobnak will be worth watching for the same reason, given that he's also coming off a finger injury that mostly ruined his season. But he's not nearly as vital as Rogers to the team's plans this year. Royce Lewis' movements and defense Seeing Lewis on the field in general will be a sight for sore eyes. Coming off a season lost to a major knee injury, it will be especially interesting to see how the 22-year-old is running and moving, given how much of his value and upside are tied to his special athleticism. Is the top-end speed still fully intact? Is he moving laterally with comfort and ease? Most importantly: how does he look at shortstop? Lewis' ability to stick at the position was already in question before the missed time and injury. Yet he remains the best long-term hope in the organization, and as of now, the door is wide open. Alex Kirilloff's swing After joining the Twins last year, Kirilloff started 0-for-14 in his first five games. Then his potential shined through, as he slashed .327/.346/.674 in his next 12 games while showing remarkable power – four home runs and five doubles in 52 plate appearances. The rest of the way, Kirilloff was largely hampered by a wrist injury that sapped his power, managing just four homers and a .382 slugging percentage in his last 42 games. It was fairly evident from watching him swing the bat that he just wasn't quite right. The Twins eventually shut him down and he underwent season-ending surgery on July 23rd. We haven't seen him since. Well, Rocco Baldelli has, and he likes what he sees. That Kirilloff appears unrestricted is a good sign. He's now almost eight months removed from a procedure said to require about eight weeks of recovery, so he should be totally good in that regard. But there are no guarantees for hitters coming back from significant wrist surgeries. I'll be keeping a close eye on how his swing looks and how loud the contact is. Tyler Duffey's velocity Last spring, Duffey came to camp and raised some eyebrows with his reduced velocity, working in the high 80s after dominating with mid-90s heat the previous two seasons. For his part, the reliever downplayed any concerns, but his spring was a precursor to a 2021 season that saw his velocity drop to new lows as a reliever – with performance tailing off in tandem. Like Rogers, Duffey's success carries outsized importance in a bullpen full of question marks. Can he find that 96-MPH fastball again or is he a low-90s guy (or worse) now as he ages into his 30s? Those extra couple of ticks make an enormous difference for him. The radar gun in Fort Myers could provide key early indicators. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Late on Sunday night, the Twins traded Josh Donaldson, Ben Rortvedt, and newly-acquired shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Yankees in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela. Fans were blindsided and bewildered by this move, which upended the team's entire offseason. We don't know much right now, and probably won't get the full picture until more moves are made. But here are four things we DO know. 1. The Twins REALLY wanted to get out from under Josh Donaldson's contract. I'm not at all surprised that the Twins were looking to trade Donaldson. Personally I've been on board with that course of action for some time, and wrote as much last July. At the time, I hoped they might be able to leverage the trade deadline or cover some of his remaining salary to lessen the blow of unloading such an undesirable contract. Alas, they did not. The front office was able to eventually finder a taker for Donaldson, and New York even took on the full remainder of his deal – all $50 million in guaranteed money. To make it happen, the Twins needed to part with Mitch Garver (via Isiah Kiner-Felafa) and Ben Rortvedt in addition to Donaldson, decimating their catching depth while reopening a total vacancy at shortstop. Minnesota also brought on two buy-low reclamation projects in the swap. It's hard to imagine that either Gio Urshela or Gary Sanchez were players the Twins coveted, coming off bad years with dwindling team control. But that was part of the deal. It's a deal the Twins made purely out of eagerness to escape Donaldson's contract. And I get it. He didn't fit here anymore and his big salaries at 36 and 37 were likely to be a hindrance. Now the Twins are free of that commitment, albeit at the expense of clearly downgrading the current roster. To what end? 2. They Twins now have, like, no catching depth. Garver, gone. Rortvedt, gone. Even our sweet baby boy Willians Astudillo is gone. It was notable that the our recent top 20 prospects breakdown included zero catchers, and now the Twins have suddenly parted with two of their three big-leaguers in one fell swoop. What are we doing here? This system has no depth to be wiping out the top shelf like that. Yes, Sanchez is here, but we're talking about a guy who's widely regarded as one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball. He's a terrible pitch-framer and borderline DH. Did the Twins just abandon their whole philosophy around the value of defense and catching depth? Oh, and: 3. They also have no shortstop (again). We'd all spent about 24 hours talking ourselves into Kiner-Falefa. "Yeah, the Andrelton Simmons thing didn't work out, but that doesn't mean the concept of a glove-first shortstop was bad. IKF is young and hungry! He's gritty!" And then, poof. The solution at shortstop was gone nearly as fast as he arrived, and thus, the Twins are back to square one. Meanwhile, every free agent option has dried up – Simmons and Jose Iglesias both signed over the weekend. The middle tier is gone. I mean, there are still a couple of big names out there. And, the biggest takeaway from all this is... 4. The Twins now have all kinds of flexibility to make at least one HUGE move. The front office freed up $50 million in future payroll commitments, on the same day they traded their 2021 first-round draft pick for a veteran front-line starter. These signs clearly point toward the Twins setting up for one or more extremely significant moves. It's fascinating to think about what that might look like. By this point all high-end free agent pitchers are gone. Two big-name shortstops remain, and I'm confident Minnesota is not signing Carlos Correa. So, are they going to sign Trevor Story? They are reportedly in contact with his camp, so it's definitely a possibility. But it can hardly be considered a lock, right? If the Twins don't land Story, what's the backup plan? And even if they do, how will they address their multiple remaining needs in the rotation, bullpen, and outfield? How are the Twins going to spend all this newly freed up money, with spring training already underway and Opening Day bearing down fast? Like I said, a lot of unknowns. But it's gonna be fun to find out. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

I think at this stage of his career Donaldson has an expectation of full-on contention and I don't think he'd be very content on a team that's taking a step back and looking to the future. On a more subjective note, I think this brashness and ego are better fits in a place like New York than with the culture Rocco's trying to build here.

An eventful weekend receives a stunning final twist. According to multiple reports, the Twins are sending Josh Donaldson and newly-acquired shortstop Isiah Kinfer-Falefa to the New York Yankees in exchange for catcher Gary Sanchez and infielder Gio Urshela. Talk about a blockbuster. Jon Heyman was first to break the news that Gary Sanchez was heading to Minnesota. Jeff Passan quickly followed up with an elaboration: Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are headed to New York in the deal. We soon learned the Twins are also giving up catcher Ben Rortvedt and getting infielder Gio Urshela, who will presumably be the Twins' new third baseman or shortstop. There's a lot going on here, and we'll surely spend the next several days unpacking it, but let's try and wrap our arms around this thing. To summarize the move, Yankees get: 3B Josh Donaldson, SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa, C Ben Rortvedt Twins get: C/DH Gary Sánchez, 3B/SS Gio Urshela It was already a whirlwind weekend before this move. Now the roster has been completely uprooted and transformed over a span of two days. Donaldson's presence and salary both looked like odd fits with the Twins seemingly entering a transitional year. Shipping him to the Yankees makes sense in terms of their contention status and spending capabilities. Donaldson also feels like a proper personality fit in the Bronx. Kiner-Falefa's inclusion in the deal is stunning. The Twins acquired him from Texas on Saturday in exchange for Mitch Garver. Were they setting up this deal all along? Did the acquisition pique New York's interest? Either way, the brevity of his Minnesota career would make Jaime Garcia blush (he was also instantly flipped to the Yankees in 2017, incidentally). Between Garver and now Rortvedt, the Twins have completely wiped out their pre-existing catching depth around Ryan Jeffers. However, they added some back in the form of Sánchez, who's coming off two tough seasons but is a two-time All-Star with 138 career home runs at age 29. He's due for free agency after the 2022 season. Urshela, who is two years from free agency (like Kiner-Falefa was) started 28 games at shortstop for the Yankees last year, and 96 at third base. He had started only 13 total games at short in his previous five seasons. Do the Twins envision him playing there, with Jose Miranda taking over at third? Or are they clearing salary room for Trevor Story? This feels like a stepping stone to something else. For now, it feels confusing and pretty overwhelming. Share your thoughts in the comments section. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

After three months of lockout-induced stagnancy, Major League Baseball reopened for business over the weekend with a flurry of activity across the league. Your Minnesota Twins got in on the action with a pair of high-wattage trades addressing key areas of need. Let's catch up and reset the roster outlook as spring training officially gets underway. [Author's Note: Naturally, MINUTES after I said to myself, "Okay, probably safe to post this, the action has gotta be wrapped up for the weekend," we learned of a major blockbuster trade between the Twins and Yankees. You can learn about it here. And then read on to learn about the state of the roster ... just BEFORE that move.] Twins Send Garver to Texas for Kiner-Falefa Minnesota's front office checked off the "shortstop" box before turning its attention to the pitching staff, acquiring Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Rangers alongside pitching prospect Ronny Henriquez. The cost was extremely high: Mitch Garver is gone. To procure this package from Texas, the Twins had to part with the 31-year-old who they drafted-and-developed, from ninth-round pick into elite slugging catcher and self-made pitch-framing specialist. Garver, under control for two more seasons just like Kiner-Falefa, is one of the biggest difference-making bats in the league as a nearly unrivaled offensive force from the catcher position. Despite his dwindling team control, I ranked Garver this year as the eighth-most valuable asset in the organization, and when sizing up the club's top trade candidates, I didn't see him as one of the top-five most likely to go. "One could theoretically add Mitch Garver or Ryan Jeffers to this list," I wrote, "although I'm not sure I have enough confidence in either one to feel good about trading the other." Therein lies my struggle with this move. Jeffers hasn't shown enough yet to be confident in his status as "The Guy" going forward, and the Twins are woefully short on qualified depth behind him and Ben Rortvedt in the system. The Twins gave up a lot for a light-hitting defensive specialist. Too much, in my opinion. But the team has firmly addressed its need at shortstop with a versatile young player who was highly regarded in Texas. The price they paid says a great deal about their belief in Kiner-Falefa. Frontline Pitching at Last: Twins Get Gray from Reds for Petty The rotation looks a lot more legitimate now than it did coming out of the lockout. There was plenty of buzz indicating the Twins were pursuing high-end pitching on the trade market, and the rumors came to fruition on Sunday with the extraction of right-hander Sonny Gray from the Reds. In this deal, the Twins gave up all future value, sending 2021 first-round draft pick Chase Petty to Cincinnati. I recently wrote the profile on Petty as our #9 Twins prospect, and got myself all jazzed about dreaming on his upside, but even the most optimistic analysis of Petty has to acknowledge his sky-high burnout risk. To exchange such a volatile asset for an established top-of-rotation for starter with two years of reasonably-priced team control remaining ($10.2M in 2022 with a $12M option for '23) should be viewed as a big win. Gray is a two-time All-Star with an extensive pitch mix, a bulldog mentality, and excellent strikeout rates (10.6 K/9 since 2019) who figures to benefit from a move away from Cincinnati's hitter-friendly ballpark. He posted a 3.44 ERA with six home runs allowed in 12 road starts last year, compared to 4.89 with 13 homers in 14 home starts. The addition of Gray certainly makes the Twins a better team in 2022, but between this and the Kiner-Falefa pickup – both players having team control for two more years – one can sense that the front office is primarily focused on building toward 2023, when Kenta Maeda returns to the fold. An Updated Look at the Roster and Payroll With Gray and Kiner-Falefa joining the party, here's how the Twins roster now projects. The payroll (which includes about $15M in new salary for those two, as well as Gray's $1M trade bonus, paid by the Twins) is creeping up on $100M. The team could theoretically fill the DH role with in-house options – rotating guys like Miguel Sanó, Josh Donaldson, and Luis Arraez. Same goes for the remaining bullpen openings – Juan Minaya, Lewis Thorpe, Griffin Jax, etc. But I think they need at least one more bat and a couple of back-end caliber arms to call roster complete. They definitely need at least one more starting pitcher. The team is reportedly pursuing some of the top remaining veteran names in the remaining middle tier of free agency, including Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke, and old friend Michael Pineda. Spring training has already begun, but the Twins certainly aren't done shopping. Stay tuned into Twins Daily as we cover the moves in real-time. I'll keep these periodic status updates running as the fragmented offseason extends into camp. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Major League Baseball has finally struck a new CBA deal with its Players Association, and suddenly spring training will be underway in days. A frenzied flurry of free agency and trade action is anticipated over the weekend. Let's get up to speed with where things stand for the Twins going in. When we last provided one of these updates, the lockout had just commenced. We were celebrating Byron Buxton's newly minted contract extension, and factoring it into the projected payroll. Here's another look at that roster & payroll projection, which hasn't changed much except for a $100K bump to the rookie minimum (from ~$600K to ~$700K) as part of the new CBA. Here's the current lay of the land: If they're going to keep pace with their baseline spending from the past three years (a big "if" as they transition and recalibrate), the Twins theoretically have almost $50 million to spend, and not much time to spend it. With players reporting to camp by Sunday and exhibition games firing up in a week, teams will be compelled to act quickly and address their remaining offseason needs, in what little remains of the offseason. For the Twins, those needs are many. Expect plenty of activity all around the league in these next couple of days. From the buzz I'm hearing, it sounds like the Twins will be among the teams to strike early with a big move – maybe even by the time you're reading this on Friday morning. What's on tap? Here's some recommended content to prep you for what lies ahead for your favorite team, in an unprecedented condensed Hot Stove SZN: At the end of January, I laid out three top post-lockout priorities for the Twins: trade for starting pitcher, sign a free agent starting pitcher, and figure out the plan at shortstop. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it plays out in that exact order, and all three are done by Sunday. Shortly after the lockout started, Nash Walker outlined three different routes the Twins could take once it ended. Spread the money around in pursuit of fringe contention? Invest in rebounding quickly? Take a bare-bones approach and rebuild? I think we'll learn pretty quickly which path they intend to follow. According to Cody Pirkl, there are three signings the Twins need to make immediately with the lockout over. (The Rule of Threes is really at play in this round-up, which I suppose is fitting after a three-month lockout.) Yusei Kikuchi and Richard Rodriguez strike me as very logical and realistic. The last name mentioned is quite a bit spicier. If you haven't yet, make sure to catch up on our 2022 top 20 prospects list, which we unveiled within the past month or so. Many of these players stand to make an impact in the coming season. One will likely be in the Opening Day rotation. With the condensed timeline until the regular season and a lack of quality options available, I'll be very interested to see if the Twins turn to their simplest solution at the shortstop position. The bullpen shouldn't be overlooked as a key need. Matthew Taylor shares (you guessed it) three reliever trade targets they could realistically pursue this weekend. He's got a trio of realistic free agent targets for the bullpen, too. Luis Arraez is the subject of much attention this spring due to the uncertainty around him. The Twins could trade him (says me). Or they could not (says Theo Tollefson). Or they could extend him (says Nash). If you take Clayton Kershaw off the table as a Twins option (and you should), there's a clear-cut top name in the remaining free agent starter pool. Ted Schwerzler hopes the Twins sign him. I'm not sure I agree. Lotta risk. But admittedly a whole lotta upside. I think the Twins have a sneaky need for an outfielder, because I suspect they view Alex Kirilloff as more of a first baseman and Miguel Sano as more of a DH. (Max Kepler is also prime trade bait.) Here are the most intriguing options left on the outfield market. With that, you should be fully equipped to embrace the action on deck. Enjoy the weekend, and make sure you stay tuned to Twins Daily for new and analysis. I'm guessing I'll be back with another status update on Monday, featuring plenty to break down. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Dear journal, It's been 98 days since darkness fell upon the world of baseball. We're closing in on triple digits, as the assurance of a shortened (at best) season sets in and the two sides continue to spin their wheels in contentious negotiations. Tuesday and Wednesday brought glimmers of hope, with marathon negotiating sessions seemingly leading to real breakthroughs. The league and union, at last, were moving toward a true compromise on core economic issues. Then, out nowhere, the international draft popped up and became a primary sticking point. With Wednesday's "deadline" bearing down, a late exchange of proposals and demands went nowhere, leading Rob Manfred to announce the cancellation of another week's worth of games. The dream of an on-time home opener at Target Field is now dead. The Twins won't be hosting the Mariners on a cool, crisp afternoon before thousands of eager fans on April 7th. The possibility of a full 162-game season – remote as it always might've been – is essentially out the window. Now, it's a question of how much the season will be shortened and devalued. How much more acrimony will be built in this bitter standoff. As paychecks and service time evaporate due to a league-imposed lockout, the grievances only mount and compound. The two sides continue to talk – perhaps out of grudging obligation as much as anything – but there's no indication of daylight in this dreary saga. They're propping up new hurdles before they can surpass the existing ones. They're getting further from the finish line. Sure doesn't feel like spring. View full article

Also on the 40-man ? which is a real bummer because he's in the category of guys who could clearly benefit from a head-start

Ooh I like this comp. Just looked back at Molitor's age-23 season in the majors: .304/.372/.438 with 9 HR, 34 SB, and 48/48 K/BB while playing primarily second base. Obviously that's on the optimistic side but a feasible high-end projection for Martin.

I've seen Strotman mentioned a couple times in this thread but he's on the 40-man so unfortunately unable to participate. Palacios is a good name to call out though, could get himself in the mix for a utility role.

Incidentally, it could be... Martin!

The MLB season has already been delayed and it's about to get delayed further, meaning that major-leaguers and 40-man rostered prospects will continue to be off our radar for awhile. In the meantime, let's turn our focus to those players who are in Fort Myers and gearing up for minor-league seasons that will get underway in one month. With all big-leaguers and many top prospects absent from camp, players who are not subject to MLB's lockout are able to take center stage as they work toward the starts of their seasons with Twins affiliates. Not only could this result in extra coaching and opportunities to make an impression, but the altered timeline of an MLB season starting well after these players get rolling in the minors could also play to their advantage. Last week Nash Walker called out five players who stand to be most negatively impacted by a shortened season. Today I'll try to flip the script by highlighting some prospects and players who stand to be benefit from this very unfortunate situation. 5 Positive Prospect Scenarios Made Possible by the Delayed Season Austin Martin shows he's ready. In some respects, Martin looks like an MLB-ready player. He was a top-five draft pick two years ago, based almost entirely on his polish and advanced skills. He led all of Double-A in on-base percentage last year, brandishing a plate approach that almost everyone agrees will play in the majors. Yet, as I wrote when profiling him as our #1 prospect, there are still a few elements of Martin's game that need to be ironed out before he can make the jump. He hasn't gotten any in-game experience outside of shortstop and center field, and his swing likely needs refinement. Were spring training and Opening Day playing out as normal, Martin probably wouldn't be in the mix for a big-league job right out of the gates, even if an opportunity opened up at – say – second base or center field. But if the season doesn't start until mid-May, and Martin has already had a successful spring and strong start in St. Paul? Different ballgame, so to speak. Matt Canterino earns an immediate nod. Like Martin, Canterino is a clear-cut MLB-caliber talent who has questions to answer before receiving a look in the majors. In his case, it's not so much the condensed timeline creating ambiguity – he was drafted out of college in 2019, and turned 24 in December – but a lack of reps. Due to the pandemic and injuries, Canterino has thrown only 48 total innings since joining the Twins system, including just 23 last year. He has yet to pitch above Single-A. It's unlikely that even a brilliant showing in a typical 2022 big-league camp would have put him in line to win an Opening Day job on the pitching staff, because there is just no baseline for stamina or durability. A strong showing in spring and a healthy, dominant run at Double-A through the early weeks of the minor-league season could convince Twins brass he's ready for a look right away when the delayed MLB season starts. Like with Martin, Canterino would potentially be able to impact a much larger portion of the Twins' season than he would otherwise. And unlike Martin, the path for Canterino is pretty much wide open. Minnesota has a desperate and immediate need for electric arms like his. Louie Varland accelerates his timeline. Varland was one of the best stories of the Twins system last year, going from a relatively unknown 15th-round draft pick in 2019 to the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021. With a powered-up fastball, he made mincemeat of hitters between Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids, posting a 2.10 ERA and 142-to-30 K/BB ratio and just six homers allowed in 103 innings. Tremendous work. But all of it done in Single-A. Varland is 24 so he's at an age where pitchers often break into the majors, but his development is lagging behind due to the pandemic. A delayed start for the big-leaguers, and other top prospects who are more advanced, could give him a chance to play catch-up. Aaron Sabato and Keoni Cavaco change their storylines. Sabato and Cavaco are both first-round draft picks from the past three years (2020 and 2019, respectively) but neither appeared in our recent top 20 prospect rankings, which is obviously a bad sign. Both had uphill climbs to justify their draft positions – Cavaco a raw prep player widely regarded as a stretch pick, Sabato a bat-only player who needed to mash immediately – and so far neither has come close, instead hurtling in the dreaded "bust" category. But in both cases, it's still early enough to remain hopeful. Eye-opening springs followed strong starts in the minors could help these downtrodden talents reverse their descending trajectories. Maybe by the time the Twins season starts, the view of one or both could be considerably different. Sabato is theoretically someone who could help this year with a big step forward. Devin Smeltzer puts himself back in the picture. Not every player in camp is a young prospect vying for their first chance at the big leagues. Smeltzer is an example of someone who's been there and is fighting to get back. The lefty spent more than two years on the Twins' 40-man roster before being outrighted last November, in the wake of a lost season. With more than two full seasons of service time, he was creeping up on arbitration eligibility. Now, he finds himself on the outside looking in. Except, in a more literal sense, he doesn't. Smeltzer's 40-man setback provides him with an opportunity to show he's gotten past the elbow issues of 2021, and is ready to help a needy Twins pitching staff again. As a 26-year-old with 70 innings of big-league experience and a 106 ERA+, he could put himself on the fast track by taking advantage of his head-start on other pitchers in similar positions, such as Randy Dobnak and Lewis Thorpe. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Order the Offseason Handbook — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Those hires all end up being drops in the bucket for a franchise that's worth $2.2B and earns $100M+ in annual revenue. The Cardinals have had their highest payrolls ever in 2019/2021 while making these outside investments. The same can basically be said for the Twins, who have similarly invested heavily outside of player spending. It's not an either/or. Extremely disingenuous to frame it as such. Appreciate the condescension, but ultimately your appeal from authority is empty because you're just guessing and throwing out your own hypotheticals. You don't know any of the numbers because the owners blatantly lie and show no transparency about their finances. To the extent I have "considerable bias," it's toward known facts. We can all see what the players make, we can all see the general publicized economics of the game and its revenues. Those numbers don't add up to support anything resembling economic difficulties (other than the COVID-related ones that everyone has dealt with).

They wouldn't benefit because they don't want to spend that money. The Yankees and Dodgers like having this impediment in place because they want an excuse for keeping their spending in check and pocketing more money. Your argument presumes good faith and the owners don't operate on it. We can talk in circles about CBT all we want but the undeniable bottom line is that player salaries have been declining while league revenues and inflation grow. That shouldn't be happening in a business so financially healthy (despite what the lying commissioner would have you believe). What about MLB's proposals do you see as strongly suited to correcting this trend? What's unreasonable about the MLBPA's requests (which the league won't take any serious steps in bridging the gap toward) from that view?