Here is a list of players who were with the Twins who are now free agents:

 

Minnesota Twins (18)
RHP: Jason Adam (AA), Omar Bencomo (AAA), Edward Mujica (AAA), Neil Ramirez (AAA), Marcus Walden (AAA), Alex Wimmers (AAA)
LHP: Logan Darnell (AAA), Pat Dean (AAA), Nick Greenwood (AAA)
C: Carlos Paulino (AAA), Yeison Perez (DSL), Jairo Rodriguez (AA)
2B: James Beresford (AAA), Tommy Field (AAA), Aderlin Mejia (Hi A)
SS: Heiker Meneses (AAA), Wilfredo Tovar (AAA)
OF: Reynaldo Rodriguez (AAA)

 

 

A reminder... Niko Goodrum would have been on this list, but he did re-sign with the Twins. 

any thoughts/predictions, Seth?

The above list contains 14 players who played for the Red Wings last year

A fair number of these are good depth pieces, would like to see them resign Wimmers, Edward Mujica, and some of the others.  

 

any thoughts/predictions, Seth?

 

Not really... I'd think an arm or two would be back. I can certainly see Beresford coming back. I'm sure they'd like to keep Darnell and Dean. But it'd all depend on need at that point. 

I'm sure they'd like to keep Darnell and Dean.

Why?

 

I mean, beyond the need to have a warm body to chuck the ball to Garver 100+ times a game so he continues to develop behind the plate.

Left-handers that can be starters or relievers are even more important to AAA teams, where the outings are more regimented (i.e. certain pitchers don't go over 1 inning and most don't throw on back-to-back days).

 

Why?

 

I mean, beyond the need to have a warm body to chuck the ball to Garver 100+ times a game so he continues to develop behind the plate.

 

Who else is going to pitch in Rochester next season? The big prospects most likely start at Chattanooga. That leaves Hurlbut and Wheeler in Rochester. Slegers could move up. Baxendale could start again. Berrios could start there again. 

 

I'm answering my question in a stream of consciousness, but they do need pitchers at that level. Also, those two could be solid bullpen options too.

 

Who else is going to pitch in Rochester next season? The big prospects most likely start at Chattanooga. That leaves Hurlbut and Wheeler in Rochester. Slegers could move up. Baxendale could start again. Berrios could start there again. 

 

I'm answering my question in a stream of consciousness, but they do need pitchers at that level. Also, those two could be solid bullpen options too.

 

It all depends on who the MLB-level pitchers are.  If they keep Santana, Hughes, Gibson, Santiago, I would suspect that the fifth would be May or Duffey (the loser to the pen.)  That would leave Mejia, Berrios, Wheeler, Hurlbut, Slegers, Gonsalves etc etc to fight it out.  I hope that at least Santana and Santiago go, but AAA really depends on the majors.

 

The only one I would maybe try to re-sign from that list is Heiker Menesas, because he is still young (25) and has some potential.  Lots of more intriguing MiLB FAs out there, including this guy, and this guy, as far as LHPs go, over Darnell and Dean

 

 

wouldn't mind Dean and Darnell back as fillers. Wimmers is the one gut I'd like to see back.

 

I'd like to think Wheeler, Mejia and Gonsalves would be starting in AAA. Slegers could be there. Not certain after that.

Carlos Paulino signed with the Marlins. 

Not a 2016 Twins player, but Minnesotan and former Twins LHP Caleb Thielbar has signed a minor league deal with the Marlins as well. He played for the Saints in 2016.

It appears that Wilfredo Tovar is signing (maybe has signed) with the Cardinals: 

 

 

 

Personally, I hope they can find a nice Rochester arm in the AAA portion of Rule 5.  I also hope they go out and sign a couple of younger AAAA type arms for Rochester. I tend to fall under the Billy Beane line of thinking here that even the AAAA guys can figure it out, they just need more time. That would be my depth plan given the arms sitting in AA.

We saw last week that Pat Dean signed to play in Korea.

 

Per Baseball America's minor league transactions, Alex Wimmers has re-signed with the Twins. 

Also, Neil Ramirez signed with the Giants. 

Wimmers.....he could be the 6th man / long man. I hope he is a RP in AAA, though, as that's his most likely path to ML success, IMO.

 

Wimmers.....he could be the 6th man / long man. I hope he is a RP in AAA, though, as that's his most likely path to ML success, IMO.

 

He's been a reliever for the last year and a half or more, so I'm sure that's his role.

Catcher Dan Rohlfing announced on social media this afternoon that he will be returning to the #MNTwins organization, the team that drafted him in the 2007 draft. He's spent the last two seasons with the Mets and then the Diamondbacks.

 

https://twitter.com/DanRohlfing/status/808034768755507202

I'm hoping the new regime advances the held back prospects to the upper levels rather than filling them with minor league free agents or cast offs from the indy leagues. It is nice to give guys work, and the Twins have allowed many a guy to get a bit more major league time, but still.........

 

Of course, there are always lots of people looking for work at the more expensive minor league job payroll level. 

 

See the Twins do need a third base or two alternative, possibly a solid reserve infielder, of course catching. Always nice to have a lefty or three.

 

 

See the Twins do need a third base or two alternative, possibly a solid reserve infielder, of course catching. Always nice to have a lefty or three.

 

Niko Goodrum (2 out of 3 - ain't bad), and I am not still writing Levi Michael off.

And there are plenty of lefties (alphabetically) :  Gonsalves, Jay, Mejia, Melotakis, Theofanopoulos, to name 5 in addition to the 3 (Boshers, O'Rourke, Taylor) who finished the season in MN (and I am not even counting Santiago and Perkins - stick a fork on that one.)

 

 

 

This morning they announced signing OF JB Shuck to a minor league deal.

And earlier had signed Nik Hurley.

 

 

 

This morning they announced signing OF JB Shuck to a minor league deal.

Nice OF depth.

Not a 2016 Twins player, but Minnesotan and former Twins LHP Caleb Thielbar has signed a minor league deal with the Marlins as well. He played for the Saints in 2016.

Shoot, going to miss seeing Thielbar at CHS next season.

 

Shoot, going to miss seeing Thielbar at CHS next season.

 

He's just going to spring training... doesn't guarantee he won't be with the Saints by the time their season starts. 

Twins signed Matt Hague and Reynaldo Rodriguez to minor league contracts. 

 

ROCHESTER, NY – The Minnesota Twins have signed 2015 International League Most Valuable Player Matt Hague to a minor league contract with an invite to MLB Spring Training. Additionally, the Twins have re-signed Reynaldo Rodriguez to a minor league deal.

Hague spent the 2016 season with Hanshin of the Japan Central League, batting .231/.339/.346 with 13 runs, six doubles, two homers and 11 RBI in 31 games with the Tigers. He was named the IL MVP in 2015 with Buffalo, leading the league with a .338 average, 177 hits, 245 total bases and a .416 on-base percentage while also finishing near the top in RBI (92, 2nd), walks (61, 3rd), doubles (33, T-3rd), slugging (.468, 4th) and runs scored (70, 5th). Hague is an IL veteran of over 600 games with a .302 career Triple-A batting average. The third and first baseman has appeared in 43 Major League games with the Pirates and Blue Jays, batting .226/.286/.262.

Rodriguez has appeared in 192 games with the Red Wings over the last three years. He hit .220/.304/.329 with 21 runs scored, seven doubles, four homers and 12 RBI in 50 games with Rochester in 2016. He was named an IL Postseason All-Star and Rochester Team MVP in 2015 after batting .255/.307/.446 and leading the league with 81 runs scored and ranking among the leaders in doubles (34, 2nd), extra-base hits (57, 2nd) and RBI (80, 4th).

Heiker Meneses spent the last two years between Chattanooga and Rochester. He announced the other day that he is returning to the Red Sox organization for the 2017 season. 

Per Baseball America...

 

Andrew Albers signed with the Braves.

Marcus Walden signed with the Red Sox.