Teddy

As if on cue...

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'm not worried. Even if it takes until June 1 for him to be ready to go, that just means he'll be fresher for the stretch run later this summer. If this stretches out longer than that, I might reserve the right to change my perspective.

Any word on how Trevor May is progressing? Could he be ready to take Big Erv's spot come June 1 if Erv is set back further?

Give them a few weeks and this'll all shake out.

Really good article, Jamie!

So, when does Polanco's 40-man roster spot open up? In other words, do the Twins need to hold Polanco's roster spot until the beginning of the season, meaning they'd have to cut someone else on the 40 now in order to put Aybar on the 40?

So while the terminology is changing to "launch angle," it really is about a concept that has been around for years: hit the bottom half of the ball. I think I remember Kirby and Justin Morneau talk about this when they were in their prime.

Maybe he needs to sit in on Tyler Duffey's soon-to-come dinner/changeup clinic with Fernando Rodney.

I had heard that Romero came into camp a bit pudgy, so if that is accurate, I'm surprised they didn't send him down just make a point that he has to be professional and put in the work.

I think there's another factor at play here for the Twins. Does Dozier fit with the team (and their upcoming prospects) long-term at second base? Would he be a better fit at third base? Let's face it: he hits like a third baseman and minus the arm strength, he probably could field third base quite well. If Sano is destined for 300 pounds, he'll be Ryan Howard v2, which doesn't play at third. Should the Twins be thinking about paying Dozier to play third? Is an all-star quality 3B more valuable or harder to find than an all-star 2B? Would a position shift later this year or going into next give him an opportunity for a bigger payday in 2019 and beyond? I think it's worth investigating.

I'm aligned with your thinking, Nick. This is exactly why I'm not losing any sleep over the Twins not signing another starting pitcher.

This is a good synopsis. Like you, I've been watching the front office continue to add prospects, which is probably the biggest reason that I'm not gripping over the team not landing a big free agent starting pitcher. I'd much rather have a deep farm system that regularly sends quality prospects up to the bigs than a weakened farm system that requires regular flyers on free agents. This approach is much better-suited to longer, sustained runs of playoff years, much like the 2002-2009 Twins.

In which case, I'd choose GTFO. Frankly, unless it's a one-year deal for a Lynn or Cobb (or even Arrieta), I wouldn't make another FA deal. Trades might be a different story, if they're planning on getting at least one 40-man-ready guy, which would've facilitated the Chagois move. Otherwise, I can't see why they would've cut him from the 40 yesterday, unless they felt that was the best time to make the move to avoid him being claimed. Hopefully we'll see the logic behind this move soon enough.

If Sano doesn't man 3/4 of the innings at 3B, then there's trouble. Eduardo Escobar did a nice job filling in last year, but history tells us that was an aberration. He's not a 3B, and unless Dozier decides to move to the hot corner to make way for Nick Gordon, the team really doesn't have another 3B ready to go. Granted, if Sano is going to play at 300 lbs, DH is about the only option. However, that will hurt the team and his long-term earning potential. I wonder what it will take to get it through Sano's head that he can't make it big without a total commitment.

I for one don't have a problem with the patience they've exhibited, and if they don't land a new arm for the rotation, I'm OK with that too at this point. They have nine or ten guys who all could be capable, and out of those 9-10, a few will rise to the top. Ervin Santana Jose Berrios Kyle Gibson Adalberto Mejia Trevor May Phil Hughes Tyler Duffey Aaron Slegers Stephen Gonsalves Fernando Romero Zach Littell Granted, the last three on the list all need more AAA seasoning, but I'm OK with seeing what they have out of these 11 over the course of the first three months of the season, and if they have a need, make a deal in July.

I wouldn't pay that price unless it was someone like Clayton Kershaw with a Cy Young under his belt. Archer has been too inconsistent to justify that price.

If the team feels that Romero and Gonsalves are long-term rotation pieces, then this April (before Santana returns and if they don't add anyone new by FA or trade) might be a perfect time to get their feet wet and see how they perform. You'll recall that Berrios, even with his sparkling AAA stats, bounced back and forth a bit before he found his footing in the majors. If either of these two guys take off, we'll forget about signing outside help, and if not, they can go back down for some more seasoning and prepare for a late-season call-up. Frankly, I'd rather do that, knowing that they'll probably be on a short leash, than take the Terry Ryan approach of waiting until after June 1 before calling these guys up just so they don't reach Super Two status, assuming that they'll stick and not have to go back down.

Listen, I'm not going to panic because the front office wouldn't over pay a pitcher to get him to come to what must be considered a non-premium destination. Instead, I'm going to look at track record, specifically of Derek Falvey. How was the Indians' rotation acquired? Josh Tomlin, SP: Drafted 19th Rd ’06 Danny Salazar, SP/RP: International Free Agent (D.R.) July ’08 Carlos Carrasco, SP: July ’09 (PHI) — Acquired in the trade that sent Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco to the Phillies. Corey Kluber, SP: July ’10 (SD) — Acquired in the three-team trade that sent Ryan Ludwick to the Padres and Jake Westbrook and Nick Greenwood to the Cardinals. Trevor Bauer, SP: December ’12 (ARZ) — Acquired in the trade that sent Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Donald to the Reds and Didi Gregorius, Tony Sipp and Lars Anderson to the Diamondbacks. Mike Clevinger, SP: August ’14 (LAA) — Acquired in the trade that sent Vinnie Pestano to the Angels. Matter of fact, if you look at their roster last year, only one player was a big-time Free Agent, that being Edwin Encarnacion, who signed just a three-year deal. In other words, the Indians' front office did not overpay for ANYBODY like we're clamoring for the Twins to do with Darvish. So I'm going to be patient and watch what happens, and support the guys they put on the field.

I am not at all disappointed by the Darvish non-signing. Frankly, I'd be OK if they offered Jake Arrieta a one-year, $30-million deal with a player option for year 2 at the same price. It would give Arrieta a chance to pitch his tail off to get the deal he expected to get this year, and if he pitches like he did two years ago for the Cubs, the Twins would gladly pay $1 million a start. By the time his deal is over (even if he takes the year two option), the team should have some of the young pitchers (Romero, Gonsalves, Littell & Mejia) in good shape to match with Berrios and May in the rotation.

I like this idea so much better than signing Darvish for five (or *gulp* seven years). There's too many talented pitchers in the pipeline that deserve a look.

I am concerned about the second point you outlined above, which, if accurate, goes to the credibility of Sano and his denial. As for the actual accusation, I believe that I read that in her original claim that others were with them at the time, including Rob Plummer, Sano's former agent. I've read elsewhere that Plummer denies witnessing the alleged assault. If, as she claims, Sano spent ten minutes trying to lure her down a hallway, one would think that someone, including those who she claims were present at the time, would know something about this incident.

If they don't think they can sign Darvish, the Twins should move on quickly. Move on to what? I'd expect to see a lot more chatter about trading for Gerrit Cole or Chris Archer. Frankly, I think either of those guys would be a better option than a 31-36 year old Darvish. They'd cost a lot more in prospects, but not nearly as much in cash.

Yeah. I get it. But worse than the White Sox? That hurts.

Does Trevor have any options left? I thought they used up their last option on him, and if that's the case, wouldn't he have to start the season on the DL and then a 30-day rehab assignment if they want him to start in the minors? Or because he finished the season on the DL, can they start him off in a rehab session without an option or needing to expose him to waivers to send him down?

JRod, I don't think that's correct. I think the Twins still have just the $3.2 million in the pool to offer Otani.