Here's hoping the Twins don't come to rue the day they passed him over for protection. As a fourth outfielder/pinch runner, Keirsey could appeal to a plethora of teams. Keirsey’s player type is generally seen as an ideal Rule 5 candidate, as he is close to MLB-ready, and it’s easier to hide them on the bench or with limited playing opportunity. Paul, where he continued to impress with his speed and defensive prowess. The 26-year-old center fielder began the year at Double A, where he had the best performance of his professional career, hitting. ![]() ![]() One of their breakout minor-leaguers from the last season, DeShawn Keirsey, Jr., was left exposed at the deadline to protect players by adding them to the 40-man. However, they could see the flip-side of that coin. With 36 men on the reserve list already and some looming logjams, it's still not actually likely that the Twins make a selection. If the player doesn't stick, the Twins can offer the player back to whichever organization they were selected from, and get half that paltry amount back. Then again, the only thing ventured is a $100,000 transaction fee. These selections can be risky, as the player needs to occupy a spot on the team’s 26-man roster (or on the IL) for the entirety of the season if they wish to keep him in the organization. to make a selection in the Rule 5 Draft, but they're keeping an open mind (and they have some open roster spots) this year. It hasn’t been part of this front office’s M.O. Expect them to look into modest one-year deals, and even some minor-league deals with invitations to spring training. These options are in the mold of player that the Twins could target when they decide to make a move for a bullpen addition, but again, they have a history of waiting until the calendar flips. Kirby Yates signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, Chris Devenski inked a contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, and a handful of teams have been showing interest in hard-throwing Jordan Hicks. Looking league-wide, the relief dominoes appear to be falling. The righty finished the 2023 season with a 2.99 ERA, with 8.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 across 69 ⅓ innings pitched. Pagán was second on the Twins in relief appearances, and his rubber arm will be missed, despite some fan skepticism after an up-and-down 2022 campaign. ![]() That holds especially true after losing Emilio Pagan, who agreed to a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend. It’s highly unlikely that they would make a play for a marquee bullpen ace such as Josh Hader, but they’ll need to supplement their relief corps if they hope to have the same stability that they showed in 2023. ![]() The Twins haven’t been linked to any relievers as of yet, but it’s reasonable to expect them to explore the market as the dust begins to settle like they have in years past. Taylor filled in admirably when thrust into a majority share of that role last year, but his market is also starting to take shape, with a handful of teams showing interest.Īgain, only time will tell, but the club seems confident that Buxton will be ready to go full-steam ahead when spring training opens in early February, and they confirmed their expectation that he should be in the mix for playing time in center. "They felt like he was moving around about as well as they had seen him move around in a long time, which was great," said Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey. Buxton has now been cleared for all baseball activities, and he’s slated to undergo further evaluation later this week and into next.Ĭould this development affect the club’s pursuit of another option in center field? That seems short-sighted, but this news does dampen the urgency to find an alternative full-time option, however slightly. Buxton was spotted in town last week, where he apparently met with surgeon Chris Camp and Twins’ trainer Nick Paparesta. A healthy Byron Buxton would be about as good of an addition as the club could make this offseason, but there’s a lot of winter to go, and then comes the minefield of spring training.īut for what it’s worth, the team is extending some good news when it comes to their cornerstone player, saying he’s showing great signs of recovery after his knee surgery in October. While general optimism is welcome after any positive development, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Twins fans know the drill when it comes to their star center fielder. It's just a bit more workaday than we imagine when we think of the annual league convention. While everyone bemoans how little is happening, there's actually some stuff happening.
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