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According to Jon Heyman, the Minnesota Twins have signed veteran right-handed pitcher Dillon Gee to a minor league contract. He will start with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.The Twins need pitching, and Gee represents another guy getting an opportunity. He was outrighted by the Texas Rangers last weekend and chose to become a free agent. Darren Wolfson was the first to note that the Twins and Gee's representation were conversing. Gee spent parts of five seasons with the New York Mets. He was a back-of-the-rotation type of starter. At various times, there were rumors of the Twins having interest in him. He spent 2016 with the Kansas City Royals, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. He had thoracic outlet syndrome surgery after the 2016 and signed with the Rangers this year where he pitched in just four games before being released. The Twins need arms. Any Twins fan would agree with that. They clearly do not want to push the likes of Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero and Felix Jorge up to AAA quite yet. So, in the last few weeks, they have brought in guys like Chris Heston and Adam Wilk. Gee fits into that category, AAA pitchers who might just be able to give some decent innings. At least that is the hope. If not, they are AAA placeholders for the prospects. Click here to view the article

This was originally published at FoulPlaybyPlay.com, @FoulPlaybyPlay on Twitter. Last week I urged the Minnesota Twins front office to acquire pitching — any pitching — and not to wait too long in doing so. Well, here are five pitchers the Twins could target if they want to remain competitive this season, but most of them will cost something you might not like to lose. Pat Neshek Neshek is familiar to Twins fans, and his side-armed delivery should play well out of a Twins bullpen that can’t miss bats. He misses plenty (8.4 K/p) despite going on 37. He’s a free agent at year’s end and playing on a bad team in rebuilding mode. I can’t imagine Philadelphia would have interest in bringing back Neshek, so the Twins should bring him home. It’s only money after all (over $6 million per year, so $4 million as of this writing). But with the year Neshek’s having (.797 WHIP), the Phillies could ask for a lot. So what do they need? Well, starting pitching, which the Twins can’t afford to lose. The Phillies seem set on letting 22-year-old, third baseman Maikel Franco work through his struggles (68 OPS+). But the Phillies also have a 30-year-old, light-hitting, bad defensive right fielder who will be a free agent at the end of the year. Michael Saunders (73 OPS+) is not the future. Of Philly’s minor league outfielders, center fielder Cameron Perkins (26) is closest, and he’s more likely to take light-hitting, center fielder Odubel Herrera’s place (82 OPS+). Nick Williams fits the bill as a power-hitting right fielder (11 HRs and 10 2Bs for a .515 slugging percentage). He’s even got okay range and has logged quite a few innings in right field. Anyways, it’s going to be hard to find something to pluck from Rochester unless you’re talking about Daniel Palka, and I doubt that’d be enough. So now we’re looking at something more complicated than a one-for-one deal, which isn’t really a problem. David Phelps Phelps is another one who will cost the Twins plenty because Miami won’t want to give up his final arbitration year for anything less than young, starting pitching. I got nothing. Drew Storen Storen is quietly having a pretty good year (196 ERA+) but a regression is on the horizon given the massive difference between his ERA (2.25) and FIP (3.80). He can still miss bats, though (7.5 K/9). But the Reds need the same thing as everyone else: starting pitching. Brad Hand San Diego is a most interesting trade partner because they have glaring need at shortstop, and the Twins have a really good, young one in Nick Gordon. He’s untouchable, however. Sam Dyson It sure seems like the Twins are the perfect landing spot for Texas Ranger relief pitcher Sam Dyson. The Twins are in the mix and the Rangers are nearing a deal, according to Darren Wolfson. GM Thad Levine came over from Texas, and Dyson could probably use a change of scenery (10.80 ERA, 9.05 FIP). He’s given up more homers this season (6) than last (5) for a HR/9 of 3.2, but maybe the depths of Target Field, where nothing but rain drops, will help Dyson get back on track. It’s pretty sad that the best the Twins front office might be able to do to fix a broken bullpen and bending rotation is picking up a guy allowing 16.7 hits per nine innings, but trading for any kind of pitching is expensive. I can’t imagine any team with a competent reliever giving him up for anything else than high-upside, starting pitchers (think Kevin Jepsen for Chih-Wei Hu). Hey, the Twins should get Glen Perkins back in mid-June, though, which will be nice now that Brandon Kintzler is becoming Brandon Kintzler. And Joe Nathan is available. He only allowed 10.7 hits per nine innings in AAA before being released by the Nationals. He was striking out 8.4 batters per nine, though. I guess I’m saying the options suck, and the Twins are stuck. Hey, at least they claimed Chris Heston, right (12.66 FIP, 23 ERA+, 5.4 HR/9, 25.2 H/9, 5.4 K/9 this year and last)?

The Twins claimed right-handed starting pitcher Chris Heston from the Dodgers this afternoon, making room on the 40-man roster by releasing pitcher Nick Tepesch. Heston will be placed on the major league roster and join the team in Seattle. Update: The Twins announced they have placed Hector Santiago on the disabled list to make room for Heston on the 25-man roster. Heston is not really a prospect. He’s 29 years old and this will be his fourth organization since the end of last year. The good news is that he started 31 games in the big leagues with the Giants in 2015, sporting a 3.95 ERA and threw a no-hitter. The bad news is that AT&T ballpark is pretty forgiving and the Giants didn’t feel compelled to leave room in their rotation for him the following year. He spend 2016 in AAA for the Giants, where he was initially not particularly effective (4.25 ERA) and then succumbed to an oblique injury in July before returning in mid-August. He started this year in Seattle, was designated for assignment and picked up by the Dodgers and now is with the Twins. He has spent most of the year in AAA, mostly starting, and has a 3.89 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 34.2 IP. I don’t see anything in his minor league game log that suggests he has turned any corner. He was drafted by the Twins back in 2007, albeit in the 47th round, and didn’t sign, but it is not uncommon that the Twins are a little extra interested in guys they have followed for a long time. There also isn’t anything in Heston’s AAA work this year that suggests he should be promoted to the majors, but with catcher Chris Gimenez already making his fourth appearance on the mound this year, this could be just another attempt to add a live (in the literal, not figurative sense of the word) arm. Click here to view the article