Two More Cuts
The Twins made two more cuts this morning, one of which I foresaw and one which surprises me a bit -- although I can't say that either disappointed me. I'll be posting a roster update later today, but for now, here are some thoughts on the cuts:
Carmen Cali - LHP - outrighted from roster (cleared waivers)
Cali seemed to me to be the front-runner in the race to win the job as the teams 12th pitcher, and I've been tooting that horn all spring. Turns out I wasn't just wrong -- I was woefully wrong. Cali, who was out of options and so had to clear waivers to stay in the system (he did) was having a reasonably good spring -- he hadn't allowed a run in 3.2 innings of work, but he had walked more batters than he had struck out, so all was not perfect. Still, the Twins wanted a second lefty reliever, and Cali seemed to be a likely option. While I'm not in the least upset with this cut, I am a bit surprised. The biggest beneficiary of this cut is probably Glen Perkins, who now seems to be a logical fit in the bullpen. There are certainly other alternatives, and I've already been woefully wrong once on who would win the 12th spot, but for now Perkins seems a likely choice. Of course, there's one other possibility here, and that is that the Twins needed to make room on the 40-man roster for someone they intend to bring north who isn't currently on the roster. The only players that it seems even possible that that could apply two would be Randy Ruiz, Casey Daigle, or Randy Keisler -- and frankly, I doubt that any of them will make the team (despite my lobbying for Ruiz all spring). That makes it most likely that Cali was just cut, plain and simple, with no ulterior motive.
Kevin Mulvey - RHP - assigned to minor league camp
I expected this cut to come two days ago, when the Twins made the second round of cuts. Mulvey survived that round for some reason (maybe there was disagreement over whether he should be sent down just yet), and was scheduled to pitch yesterday -- but that never happened, and the handwriting seemed to be on the wall when he wasn't put into the game (of course, it's always possible that La Velle's belief that Mulvey was supposed to pitch yesterday was wrong). Mulvey didn't have a bad spring, but he also was nowhere near the guys in front of him in the battle for a starting spot. This was a good move, simply because it gives guys who still have a shot of making the team a chance to get innings.
Carmen Cali - LHP - outrighted from roster (cleared waivers)
Cali seemed to me to be the front-runner in the race to win the job as the teams 12th pitcher, and I've been tooting that horn all spring. Turns out I wasn't just wrong -- I was woefully wrong. Cali, who was out of options and so had to clear waivers to stay in the system (he did) was having a reasonably good spring -- he hadn't allowed a run in 3.2 innings of work, but he had walked more batters than he had struck out, so all was not perfect. Still, the Twins wanted a second lefty reliever, and Cali seemed to be a likely option. While I'm not in the least upset with this cut, I am a bit surprised. The biggest beneficiary of this cut is probably Glen Perkins, who now seems to be a logical fit in the bullpen. There are certainly other alternatives, and I've already been woefully wrong once on who would win the 12th spot, but for now Perkins seems a likely choice. Of course, there's one other possibility here, and that is that the Twins needed to make room on the 40-man roster for someone they intend to bring north who isn't currently on the roster. The only players that it seems even possible that that could apply two would be Randy Ruiz, Casey Daigle, or Randy Keisler -- and frankly, I doubt that any of them will make the team (despite my lobbying for Ruiz all spring). That makes it most likely that Cali was just cut, plain and simple, with no ulterior motive.
Kevin Mulvey - RHP - assigned to minor league camp
I expected this cut to come two days ago, when the Twins made the second round of cuts. Mulvey survived that round for some reason (maybe there was disagreement over whether he should be sent down just yet), and was scheduled to pitch yesterday -- but that never happened, and the handwriting seemed to be on the wall when he wasn't put into the game (of course, it's always possible that La Velle's belief that Mulvey was supposed to pitch yesterday was wrong). Mulvey didn't have a bad spring, but he also was nowhere near the guys in front of him in the battle for a starting spot. This was a good move, simply because it gives guys who still have a shot of making the team a chance to get innings.
Labels: Cuts, Spring Training 2008
posted by JST @ Sunday, March 16, 2008
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