Comments on: A Full Forty – Dissecting the 40-Man Roster (Pitchers)

By: Eric Pleiss

Eric Pleiss — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:20:30 +0000

Rick,
I think the Twins are just reluctant to give up on some of the guys they’ve had around for a couple of years. Stashing them on the 40-man when it doesn’t keep them from making moves is not a big loss, they can always move some guys around if they want to make a trade or sign a free agent. Concerning Slama, you definitely would have though the Twins would at least give him an opportunity to see if he can succeed in the MLB, even if they do not think his stuff will translate to the Bigs. I mean, if a second consecutive 90 loss season wasn’t the time to do it, when is. It will be telling if no one else grabs Slama in the Rule 5 draft. But I think it is likely that someone gives him a shot there and sees if he can handle a job in the Majors.

By: Rick Niedermann

Rick Niedermann — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:59:07 +0000

It baffles me that the Twins keep stockpiling mediocre pitchers with the full intent of giving them a long look see, when they have a guy like Anthony Slama. I have hardly any faith in Robertson, Swarzak, Guerra, or a 30 yr old Wood. Yet to give Slama a legit shot isn’t a consideration cuz the other guys have a supposed “higher upside.” Slama has numbers these other guys can’t even touch.

By: Eric Pleiss

Eric Pleiss — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:38:50 +0000

Joel, good catch on Thielbar, must have seen that he bats right handed and just run with that. Oops.
I think that De Vries or Swarzak could likely go through waivers unclaimed. Not that another team wouldn’t be able to use them, but other teams have fringy pitchers of their own, and neither of those guys was so successful that another team might be looking at them as change of scenery guys. Oliveros can be moved to the 60day DL so his roster spot will be open while he rehabs.
Wood was a MiLB free agent, and the Twins didn’t see fit to add him to the 40 man when they signed him a couple weeks ago, so they must have been thinking another team was going to claim him, otherwise they would have just added him when they signed him if they thought he was worthy of a 40man spot. With Roenicke I think it is a similar situation, as he was waived from the National League, meaning all of the National League teams already passed on signing him, so I wouldn’t think he’d be likely to be gobbled up in the Rule 5 draft, but is only on the 40man roster because as a waiver claim, that’s where he had to end up. I think he could also easily get through waivers later this winter as teams are dealing with their own 40 man decisions, especially knowing half the league already passed.

By: Joel Thingvall

Joel Thingvall — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:31:55 +0000

Thielbar is a lefty, which is the main reason he was added. Who could the Twins cut from the group to clear roster spot/s? DeVries or Swarzak? Oliveros? Guerra? Is Burnett expendable? I doubt the Twins would give Roenicke a 40-man spot (a la Gray and Maloney last year) unless they expected him to be on the big club.