Rabe off the Roster

Josh Rabe has been outrighted off the Twins 40-man roster, after being signed to a contract. Now, there may be a wrinkle here that I'm not understanding, but since Rabe was drafted back in 2000, he should be eligible to be drafted in the Rule 5 Draft. It's possible that because he was signed to a Major League contract that the Twins found away around that problem, but I don't think so. As a result, this seems a curious move to make, because Rabe should be a target. Of course, it's also possible that this is a prelude to some sort of trade that's going to take place before the Rule 5 Draft on December 7. If not, you would think that he is a strong target to be drafted by someone, because he's a good player who has some Major League experience.

The practical result of this move is that the Twins now have just 38 players on their 40-man roster, so there is a little bit of flexibility to add players at the winter meetings, either through free agency (unlikely) or trades (more likely). If I find out more about this move, I'll make sure to post it.

I'm also trying to find out whether the Twins offered arbitration to any of their free agents. It seems highly unlikely that they would do so, but you never know . . .