That Was Quick!

Twins Territory has alerted me that shortly after I posted on Durbin, the Twins officially set their 25-man roster by cutting Josh Rabe, which means that Chris Heintz has indeed made the roster (Marty, you can be happy now -- just ignore the Silva thing). Honestly, this move makes a lot of sense -- Mauer's injury, which will probably result in him DH'ing a fair amount of games early this season, coupled with Heintz's excellent spring and ability to play some 3B if necessary, really made him the logical pick over Josh Rabe. Heintz will likely be with the team until Lew Ford is healthy, when it's likely that he'll be sent down. This could make the early catching situation in Rochester somewhat interesting.

For my thoughts on waiving Durbin, see the post immediately below. Spring training now enters the boring phase for me, as there are no more roster decisions to be made. Can't wait for the season to start on Monday!

Farewell, Real Deal

The Twins have reportedly waived J.D. Durbin, and Arizona has claimed him. This marks the second time this off-season that the Twins lost a player to a Diamondbacks waiver claim (the last being OF Alex Romero in January). Durbin's departure indicates that the Twins will be carrying just 11 pitchers on the roster at the start of the season, and opens the door for either Chris Heintz (75%) or Josh Rabe (25%) to make the roster.

First things first: anyone who was screaming about Mike Venafro being cut to make room for Durbin should apologize to Twins management. Venafro was cut because the Twins didn't want to keep 12 pitchers around, not because the Twins were planning on taking Durbin north. As much as I wanted Durbin to make the team, the Twins were clearly looking to go in another direction after it was clear that Durbin was going to struggle this spring. I can't even recall how many screeds I read suggesting how stupid management was for cutting Venafro and keeping Durbin -- this is why it's a good idea to pause before you yell.

Next, let me say that I'm sad to see Durbin go. He had (and has) tremendous potential, and I think he still could turn into a serviceable major league ballplayer someday, either as a middle relief guy or a back of the rotation starter. If his arm strength comes back fully, I could even see him becoming a setup guy, and maybe getting a chance to close. I understand why the Twins didn't exactly bend over backwards to keep him, though; there's so much talent in the system that Durbin just wasn't needed anymore. Good bye, J.D.

Garza Goes Down

The Twins ended the suspense earlier than I expected them to, sending down Matt Garza this afternoon and anointing Carlos Silva as the fifth starter. I think it's likely that this move was made today rather than after Silva's start tomorrow as a pre-emptive show of faith in Silva's ability to nail it down tomorrow -- at this point, it's all about head games with Carlos. The howls of outrage from Twins Territory will undoubtedly be deafening every time Silva takes the mound, and there's not a lot of hope that his performance on the field is going to lessen the pain.

Nevertheless, I'm going to take one more stab at providing some perspective on this decision. Feel free to gripe in the comments if you don't by my justification. First, Silva is going to be on a short leash. If he is terrible, then the Twins won't keep him around; they don't want to simply cut a guy who is getting paid over $4 million, however, and they want to see him fail in games that count before they finally pull the plug. If Silva starts as the fifth starter, he'll likely make 4 starts in April. The Twins season is not going to be won or lost in four April games -- I realize that every game counts, and that the Twins needed absolutely every game last year to catch and pass the Tigers, but if Matt Garza were starting those games it's not like it would be a sure thing that they'd go 4-0. In other words, if you assume Garza is a better pitcher than Silva and would give the Twins a better chance to win, they'd still only be likely to win 2 or 3 of those games -- and they're likely to win at least 1 of Silva's games now. SO -- for all of you who consider this to be the end of the Twins season, think again. This decision is not going to kill the team. Now, if he's really bad and the Twins keep him beyond April . . . well, then there's more of a cause for complaint.

What's the practical result of today's move? I've become convinced that the Twins aren't going to keep J.D. Durbin around (contrary to my position for most of the spring), and think that this move should make Chris Heintz very happy -- he's now in the driver's seat to win the 25th spot on the roster.

The State of the Roster

With the glut of information regarding the roster that came out today, it seemed appropriate to offer a summary of where we stand regarding the roster at this point -- especially considering that my next post isn't likely to be until sometime after tomorrow night's game against the Red Sox. So here's how the roster situation pans out, as I see it (with some help from the Strib and the Twins website):

1.) The one decision that will impact everything else that happens with the final two roster spots (5th starter and 25th man) is the decision on Carlos Silva. If Silva wins the 5th starter job (ok, forget about winning it . . . if Silva is HANDED the 5th starter job), then things get very interesting, because Matt Garza would be sent down to start the season in AAA, and the Twins would have to decide between J.D. Durbin, Josh Rabe, and Chris Heintz for the last roster spot. If Silva DOESN'T get named the fifth starter, then things get really easy: the Twins will use Garza as the fifth starter, Silva as the 12th man out of the bullpen, waive J.D. Durbin, and send Heintz and Rabe down.

2.) Assuming that Silva wins the 5th starter job, the Twins will then have to decide between Durbin, Rabe, and Heintz. Heintz has had a very solid spring, Rabe a pretty good spring, and Durbin has been horrible. However, the Twins can send Rabe and Heintz down without exposing them to waivers, while Durbin would probably be gone if he doesn't make the team. That means the decision really comes down to: (1) are the Twins willing to carry 12 pitchers, and (2) is Durbin worth keeping around? While I had high hopes for Durbin, and still think there's a chance that he could win the job, I have to confess that I think it makes sense to let him go at this point. Nothing is going to change in the 3 weeks or so until Lew Ford comes back, and the team seems determined to give him another shot at the Major League level, so another crossroads with Durbin would be met at that time. The Twins can't afford to have an essentially dead roster spot if they plan on competing for the AL Central crown. Sadly, then, I have to give in and suggest that Durbin should (and probably will) be waived.

3.) That leaves a decision between Rabe and Heintz if Silva wins the 5th starter job, and the logic behind keeping Heintz seems pretty solid. With Joe Mauer's recent injury scare, the Twins are interested in starting him a bit at DH semi-regularly at the beginning of the season. That means even more games in which Mike Redmond would be the only available catcher, and Gardy doesn't like that. Heintz provides a nice fix, with the bonus of being able to play 3B if needed. Rabe provides a nice boost off the bench, but doesn't fill as much of a need as Heintz does. All things, then, point to Heintz winning a spot on the roster if the Twins keep Silva in the rotation to start the season (which seems fairly likely).

I expect final decisions on the roster to be made sometime on Thursday after Silva's last start of the spring, or on Friday morning after The Powers That Be have a chance to think it over.

Unofficial Roster Talk

UPDATE: There's a reason this is listed as "Unofficial" roster talk -- turns out it wasn't true, and Buck Martinez is backtracking from the position taken by Gary Thorne during the game. Multiple sources heard Thorne say that Garza was being sent down, but whether he said that or not isn't really the point -- the point is that no decision has yet been made on whether Silva or Garza will get the 5th starter spot, and there is now talk that Garza might be starting on Friday. For the sake of posterity, here's the original post:

If you're watching the Twins on ESPN, you just heard Gary Thorne answer the question that we've been waiting all day to hear: Silva or Garza in the rotation, and in what slot. Thorne said that Ron Gardenhire told him this morning that the Twins want Garza starting everyday, and aren't yet ready to give up on Silva. As a result, Garza either has been or is about to be optioned to AAA, and Carlos Silva will make the team as the fifth starter.

I can't confirm this yet with anything even remotely official (I would consider an article on the Twins website or the Strib, or even a mention of this in La Velle Neal's or Joe Christensen's blogs to be official). Nevertheless, this matches the rumors that have been circulating throughout the morning, and is in line with what I thought would happen.

If this information is accurate, it leaves the 25th roster spot as the last question, with J.D. Durbin and Josh Rabe as the last two guys competing for that spot.

Major Roster Moves

I slept in this morning (it's spring break around these parts) and woke up to the announcement that some major cuts had been made this morning. While some of them were routine (you mean Brad King wasn't in the running for a roster spot?), some of them were so surprising as to constitute a genuine shock.

First, here's the list courtesy of La Velle E. Neal at the Strib:

Mike Venafro - LHP
Matt LeCroy - DH/1B
Brad King - C
Tommy Watkins - IF
Glenn Williams - 1B/3B

The shocker is, of course, Venafro. With the self-destruction of J.D. Durbin over his last two appearances, and with Venafro's 0.00 ERA, it looked like a pretty sure bet that the Twins were going to go with Venafro as the 12th guy on the pitching staff. On the positive side, Venafro likes the organization and seems at least to be considering the possibility of accepting an assignment in Rochester rather than electing free agency as Randy Choate did. While he probably wouldn't have a hard time hooking on with another team, at this point in the spring it would probably be a pretty bad team. Venafro might prefer going to Rochester and staying in the Twins organization in hopes that a spot opens up later in the season, allowing him to pitch for a contender. We'll find out fairly soon.

Matt LeCroy looked terrible for most of the spring, and he really shouldn't have been in camp as long as he was. About 2 weeks in it was clear that he just doesn't have the bat speed to be an effective major league hitter any longer. I suggested when the Twins signed him that this might be the prelude to a retirement (and possibly a career coaching) -- it will be interesting to see whether the Twins offer him a minor league roster spot, or if LeCroy does indeed hang 'em up.

King, Watkins, and Williams were all pretty much just filling spots on the roster. None had a legitimate chance of making the team (although at one point fairly early in the spring I had suggested that Watkins might be a better choice than Luis Rodriguez for the backup middle infielder spot -- Tommy proved me very wrong on that one).

By my count, this leaves Matt Garza, Chris Heintz, and Josh Rabe in camp on the outside looking in, assuming that Carlos Silva gets the 5th starter slot and J.D. Durbin gets the 25th roster spot. Garza and Rabe could still easily end up slotting in. Incidentally, if anyone knows who the 29th guy in camp is, please let me know . . . my count has been one off from the major media count for most of the spring.

Who's going to get that last spot? Honestly, I still think it's J.D. Durbin. La Velle says there is no way that it's going to be J.D., and that because Durbin has pitched so poorly this spring he might even clear waivers. I have to respectfully disagree. Durbin is a notoriously slow starter, and I imagine there are still a fair number of executives who think he could be helpful down the road. You can't tell me the Washington Nationals or Kansas City Royals couldn't find a place for him somewhere. The Twins basically are down to choosing between Durbin or Rabe, and I think they'll take Durbin and give him until Lew Ford gets healthy to increase his value, and then try to spin him off in a trade.

The other alternative, which I think is very bad, would be to have both Matt Garza and Carlos Silva on the team, one as the 5th starter and one as the 12th pitcher. This makes no sense to me, even if Garza were the one starting. Garza needs to be starting, either at the Major or Minor league levels. Considering how the Twins handled the Alexi Casilla situation, I think they understand that . . . then again, they did keep Francisco Liriano around last year in a very similar situation to be used out of the bullpen. At the time, however, there were no other lefties in the 'pen, so the situation was a bit different.

The roster should be set soon, and it will be interesting to see which direction the Twins decide to go.

Spring Roster Update #6

We're down to the final week of spring training, so this is the penultimate roster update. Next Sunday I should be able to post a final version that has the complete 25-man roster, and I'll look back and see how I did with my projections from the earliest roster update at that time. As before, players listed in black are projected to make the opening day roster. Players who still have a chance to get on the roster will be listed in blue beneath the roster spot that they could win, and players who frankly shouldn't be in camp anymore because they have no shot of winning a spot will be listed in red. Movement from last week's roster update will be indicated with a "+" (for moving up), a "-" (for moving down), or an "=" (for staying put).

My standard disclaimer applies: these are not necessarily the 25 players who I would put on the roster to start the season, but are rather the guys who I think are most likely to make the roster. Comments on player movement are below the list of players.

POSITION - ROSTER SPOT - PLAYER - MOVEMENT

Starting Pitcher - 1 - Johan Santana (=)
Starting Pitcher - 2 - Ramon Ortiz (=)
Starting Pitcher - 3 - Sidney Ponson (+)
Starting Pitcher - 4 - Boof Bonser (=)
Starting Pitcher - 5 - Carlos Silva (-)
Matt Garza (=)
Closer - 6 - Joe Nathan (=)
Setup - 7 - Juan Rincon (=)
Bullpen - 8 - Pat Neshek (=)
Bullpen - 9 - Dennys Reyes (=)
Bullpen - 10 - Jesse Crain (=)
Bullpen - 11 - Matt Guerrier (=)

Catcher - 12 - Joe Mauer (=)
First Base - 13 - Justin Morneau (=)
Second Base - 14 - Luis Castillo (=)
Third Base - 15 - Nick Punto (=)
Shortstop - 16 - Jason Bartlett (=)
Left Field - 17 - Rondell White (=)
Center Field - 18 - Torii Hunter (=)
Right Field - 19 - Michael Cuddyer (=)
Designated Hitter - 20 - Jason Kubel (=)
Backup Catcher - 21 - Mike Redmond (=)
Chris Heintz (=)
Brad King (=)
Corner Infielder - 22 - Jeff Cirillo (=)
Glenn Williams (=)
Middle Infielder - 23 - Luis Rodriguez (+)
Tommy Watkins (=)
Backup Outfielder - 24 - Jason Tyner (=)

Mis. Reserve - 25 - J.D. Durbin (=)
Mike Venafro (=)
Josh Rabe (+)
Matt LeCroy (-)

OUT OF CAMP
Lew Ford (Injury)
Ken Harvey (Injury)
Gil Velazquez (Minor League Camp)
Korey Feiner (Minor League Camp)
Jeff Christy (Minor League Camp)
Jose Morales (Minor League Camp)
Jose Mijares (Optioned to AA)
Tristan Crawford (Minor League Camp)
Julio DePaula (Optioned to AAA)
Ricky Barrett (Optioned to AAA)
Brad Voyles (Minor League Camp)
Errol Simonitsch (Optioned to AAA)
Alexander Smit (Optioned to High A)
Oswaldo Sosa (Optioned to AA)
Glen Perkins (Optioned to AAA)
Scott Baker (Optioned to AAA)
Jeremy Cummings (Minor League Camp)
Kevin Slowey (Optioned to AAA)
Alejandro Machado (Injured)
Alexi Casilla (Optioned to AAA)
Denard Span (Optioned to AAA)
Garrett Jones (Optioned to AAA)
Randy Choate (Elected Free Agency)
Carmen Cali (Minor League Camp)
Jason Miller (Minor League Camp)

The starting pitching situation is a mess, largely thanks to the complete egg laid by Carlos Silva yesterday against the Pirates. The Twins had been setting him up to be the #2 starter in the rotation, not because they thought he was the second best starter on the team but because they wanted to keep him separated from Sidney Ponson since both are sinkerballers. I still think he's going to make the rotation, but I think he's going to start out as the fifth starter, and the Twins are going to skip him whenever possible. It's very plausible that he won't be a Twin past mid-May if not before. Ron Gardenhire said yesterday that Boof Bonser deserved to be the Twins #2 starter, and I agree -- unfortunately, the "Boof is fifth" plan put into effect about a week ago will make it difficult to get him into line to start second. He can stay on perfect rest and be the #4 starter, and that would put him in position to start the first game of the White Sox series, which I'd be fine with. I think it makes too much sense not to do. That would mean Ramon Ortiz would slot in the #2 position, and Sidney Ponson in the #3. Matt Garza is the last man standing on the outside and looking in -- and if Carlos struggles again in the middle of this week, he could very well find himself on the opening day roster.

The bullpen once again has no question marks.

The starting position players and backup catcher, corner infield and outfield spots have once again not changed.

The backup middle infield position has fallen to Luis Rodriguez virtually by default thanks to Alejandro Machado's injury. Machado has been placed on the 15-day DL, and the last man standing to challenge Rodriguez is Tommy Watkins -- who is hitting somewhere in the neighborhood of .087.

Finally, there's that mysterious 25th roster spot. Mike Venafro continues to put up solid numbers while J.D. Durbin struggled a bit this week. Nevertheless, I'm still predicting that Durbin will get the nod when the season starts as the Twins try to figure out what to do with him. Whether Durbin or Venafro makes the team, another decision will have to be made as soon as Lew Ford is recovered from his knee surgery, because the Twins seemingly want him on the roster. Josh Rabe has moved ahead of Matt LeCroy in my book in terms of position players who could get that spot, but both of the pitchers just mentioned are more likely to make the team than either Rabe or Matt LeCroy who is probably on his way to being released by the team.

My Take on the Starting Rotation

By this time, most of you will have read La Velle E. Neal's post on the Twins rotation, or the Twins.com article covering the same topic. For those of you who haven't, here's the quick summary:

Johan Santana (the obvious ace)
Carlos Silva (#2 to keep him apart from the other sinkerballer)
Ramon Ortiz
Sidney Ponson (inside shot to make the rotation, sinkerballer #2)
Boof Bonser

This has left numerous Twins fans up in arms over the shoddy treatment that has seemingly been given to prospects like Matt Garza, Glen Perkins, and Kevin Slowey (all of whom have had solid springs). It's about time that I registered my thoughts on the subject.

First, let me say that I actually come down in favor of getting the veterans a chance before the youngsters. Boof Bonser absolutely HAD to make the roster, because he proved himself down the stretch last year. Beyond that, I'm fully supportive of giving Silva and Ponson about 6 weeks at the start of the season to see if there's anything there. A couple of starters aren't going to result in the Twins being out of the race in May - they may be a bit behind, but they proved last year that that isn't the end of the world. And if one of them sticks, it would mean that the Twins would have received value for their money.

Before you shout at me, consider the alternatives again for a minute. Let's start with Glen Perkins, who seems to be the "first alternate" in case Silva or Ponson really blows up in the last 12 days of camp or at the start of the season. I'm a big fan of Perkins. I think he's going to be a great 2 or 3 starter in the bigs, and soon. But I also look at the fact that he has a total of just TEN regular season innings above the AA level (yes, just 10), and recognize that some seasoning at AAA is probably a good idea.

How about Matt Garza, hailed by many as a savior just waiting to be anointed before he came up last year, only to struggle? Again, I have every confidence that he's going to be a great Major League starter. Garza's 34 innings at AAA, and his 5.76 ERA in 50 innings at the Major League level last year, however, suggest that there are a few things he could still gain from a few months at AAA. The same goes for Kevin Slowey, who has never pitched a regular season game above AA.

There is another practical side to the decision to try to get some service time out of Silva and Ponson before turning one of the youngsters loose in the Majors - service time. Simply put, the Twins need to be careful about throwing youngsters into the rotation (or into the field, for that matter) because they need to maximize what they get out of affordable young talent. Consider this - Matt Garza's struggles last year likely weren't a fluke. He wasn't quite ready yet, as most pitchers aren't ready to come up and immediately be solid contributors. It would certainly be possible to give those players a chance to develop into Major League players at the Major League level - and that often is necessary, as last year's Garza and Perkins call-ups demonstrated. However, if you believe as I do that there would be growing pains amongst the youngsters, it makes more sense to start them off in AAA and develop as much as possible there without watching that arbitration clock tick away.

One more thought - it would be criminal if Boof Bonser was treated as the #5 starter. What I mean by that is that he should absolutely NOT be skipped in the rotation, ever. He earned that much last year. If he doesn't start the fourth game of the season, in Chicago, and instead gets skipped over until the Twins eighth game (when the fifth starter would make his first start assuming the Twins keep the first three starters on regular rest after the first off day of the season, falling game 3), it would be criminal. Give Boof the credit he deserves, and keep Sir Sidney off the mound as much as possible!

So what do I expect to see happen? I think Carlos Silva will pitch just well enough to hold onto his starting spot all season, but he will be a source of constant frustration for Twins fans throughout the summer. Sidney Ponson will be gone by the middle of May, to be replaced by either Glen Perkins or Matt Garza, whoever does better at AAA to start the season getting the nod. And in 2008, a Twins rotation of Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, Boof Bonser, Matt Garza, and Glen Perkins -- with Kevin Slowey hanging around and waiting for a chance to do his thing.

Spring Roster Update #5

Can you believe a full month has already passed since I posted my first Spring Roster Update? The season is a short two weeks away, and I can't wait. As before, players listed in black are players who I am projecting will earn a roster spot (or, at least, players who are in the best position, either through their own play or team philosophy, to get a spot). Players listed in blue have a chance to move onto the 25-man roster by the end of the spring, and will be listed beneath the player that they are most likely to displace. Players listed in red are pretty much just in camp to give the Twins bodies (although the number in this category has dropped significantly). Additionally, movement week-to-week on the roster updates is being tracked with a "+" (for moving up), a "-" (for moving down), or an "=" (for staying in place).

My standard disclaimer applies: these are not necessarily the 25 guys who I would put on the roster if I were lucky enough to have any say in these matters. Rather, they are the 25 players who I think the Twins are most likely to give a spot to on the roster.

Finally, please note that comments on the roster follow the list of players, so if you want to know why I've moved a player up or down the chart, that's the place to look.

POSITION - ROSTER SPOT - PLAYER - MOVEMENT

Starting Pitcher - 1 - Johan Santana (=)
Starting Pitcher - 2 - Ramon Ortiz (+)
Starting Pitcher - 3 - Carlos Silva (+)
Starting Pitcher - 4 - Boof Bonser (-) see below
Starting Pitcher - 5 - Sidney Ponson (=)
Matt Garza (=)
Glen Perkins (=)
Scott Baker (=)
Jeremy Cummings (+)
Kevin Slowey (+)
Closer - 6 - Joe Nathan (=)
Setup - 7 - Juan Rincon (=)
Bullpen - 8 - Pat Neshek (=)
Bullpen - 9 - Dennys Reyes (=)
Bullpen - 10 - Jesse Crain (=)
Bullpen - 11 - Matt Guerrier (=)

Catcher - 12 - Joe Mauer (=)
First Base - 13 - Justin Morneau (=)
Second Base - 14 - Luis Castillo (=)
Third Base - 15 - Nick Punto (=)
Shortstop - 16 - Jason Bartlett (=)
Left Field - 17 - Rondell White (=)
Center Field - 18 - Torii Hunter (=)
Right Field - 19 - Michael Cuddyer (=)
Designated Hitter - 20 - Jason Kubel (=)
Backup Catcher - 21 - Mike Redmond (=)
Chris Heintz (=)
Brad King (+)
Corner Infielder - 22 - Jeff Cirillo (=)
Glenn Williams (=)
Middle Infielder - 23 - Alejandro Machado (+)
Luis Rodriguez (-)
Tommy Watkins (=)
Alexi Casilla (=)
Backup Outfielder - 24 - Jason Tyner (=)
Josh Rabe (+)
Denard Span (-)
Garrett Jones (=)

Misc. Reserve - 25 - J.D. Durbin (+)
Mike Venafro (-)
Matt LeCroy (=)
Randy Choate (=)
Carmen Cali (=)
Jason Miller (=)

OUT OF CAMP
Lew Ford (Injury)
Ken Harvey (Injury)
Gil Velazquez (Minor League Camp)
Korey Feiner (Minor League Camp)
Jeff Christy (Minor League Camp)
Jose Morales (Minor League Camp)
Jose Mijares (Optioned to AA)
Tristan Crawford (Minor League Camp)
Julio DePaula (Optioned to AAA)
Ricky Barrett (Optioned to AAA)
Brad Voyles (Minor League Camp)
Errol Simonitsch (Optioned to AAA)
Alexander Smit (Optioned to High A)
Oswaldo Sosa (Optioned to AA)

We'll start again with the starters. I've listed Boof Bonser as fourth in the rotation, and that's largely because of where he sets up to pitch if he isn't moved around between now and the start of the season. The fourth game of the season is the start of a series in Chicago, so this wouldn't be a surprising place to put Boof. Ramon Ortiz has certainly made his case to move up to the #2 spot in the rotation, and putting Carlos in the #3 spot separates him from the #5 pitcher. This is probably a good thing because Silva and the #5 will probably be the weakest two starters in the rotation, so not having them go back to back isn't a bad idea. I'm still listing Ponson as the #5 because I think the Twins want him to win this job, but the incredible performances of a number of the youngsters has undoubtedly made this a more difficult decision. Finally, I've conceded that Jeremy Cummings doesn't have a chance to make the team what with all of the young guns ahead of him, and so have turned him red along with Kevin Slowey.

The relievers once again have not changed, although all of those red named listed behind them are now gone.

There are no changes amongst the starting 9 position players, the backup catcher, the backup corner infielder, or the backup outfielder.

Alejandro Machado is once again being listed in the lead for the backup middle infielder position. This is based on the reports that he's likely to get into games sometime next week (possibly as early as Tuesday). If he performs even reasonably well, he'll make the team. Luis Rodriguez is still a possibility, but with the Twins wanting a backup shortstop, his chances are really not that good unless he's kept as an additional bat (but, really, aren't there better bats?).

Finally, J.D. Durbin is now the most likely guy to win the 25th roster spot. The Twins would like to keep a 14th position player, but Matt LeCroy hasn't exactly made an overwhelming case for himself, and Durbin is ahead of Mike Venafro because he's out of options. Unless Durbin pitches terribly in the last two weeks, or says something really stupid to Ron Gardenhire, he should make the team. Hopefully Venafro accepts an assignment to Rochester, because he'd be a great insurance policy in case one of the regular relievers goes down.

Spring Roster Update #4

It's that time again . . . time for a new Roster Update. As before, players listed in black are players who I am projecting will earn a roster spot (or at least who would be on the roster if the season began tomorrow). Players listed in blue have a chance to move onto the 25-man roster by the end of the spring, and will be listed beneath the player(s) that they are likely to displace. Players listed in red are pretty much just in camp to give the Twins bodies during the early weeks when nobody is pitching more than a couple of innings or playing a full game in the field. Additionally, to track movement week-to-week on the roster updates, players will have either a "+" (for moving up), a "-" (for moving down), or an "=" (for not moving) listed behind their names.

My standard disclaimer applies: these are not necessarily the 25 guys who I would take north to start the season, but are instead the 25 guys who I think are most likely to make the team.

Finally, please note that a few comments on player movement follow the list of players, so if you want to know why I've moved a player up or down on the chart, that's the place to look.

POSITION - ROSTER SPOT - PLAYER - MOVEMENT

Starting Pitcher - 1 - Johan Santana (=)
Starting Pitcher - 2 - Boof Bonser (=)
Starting Pitcher - 3 - Ramon Ortiz (+)
Starting Pitcher - 4 - Carlos Silva (-)
Starting Pitcher - 5 - Sidney Ponson (=)
Matt Garza (=)
Glen Perkins (=)
Scott Baker (+)
J.D. Durbin (-)
Jeremy Cummings (+)
Kevin Slowey (-)
Brad Voyles (=)
Errol Simonitsch (=)
Alexander Smit (=)
Oswaldo Sosa (=)
Closer - 6 - Joe Nathan (=)
Setup - 7 - Juan Rincon (=)
Bullpen - 8 - Pat Neshek (=)
Bullpen - 9 - Dennys Reyes (=)
Bullpen - 10 - Jesse Crain (=)
Bullpen - 11 - Matt Guerrier (=)
Ricky Barrett (=)
Julio DePaula (=)
Tristan Crawford (=)
Jose Mijares (=)

Catcher - 12 - Joe Mauer (=)
First Base - 13 - Justin Morneau (=)
Second Base - 14 - Luis Castillo (=)
Third Base - 15 - Nick Punto (=)
Shortstop - 16 - Jason Bartlett (=)
Left Field - 17 - Rondell White (=)
Center Field - 18 - Torii Hunter (=)
Right Field - 19 - Michael Cuddyer (=)
Designated Hitter - 20 - Jason Kubel (=)
Backup Catcher - 21 - Mike Redmond (=)
Chris Heintz (=)
Jose Morales (=)
Jeff Christy (=)
Korey Feiner (=)
Brad King (=)
Corner Infielder - 22 - Jeff Cirillo (=)
Glenn Williams (=)
Middle Infielder - 23 - Luis Rodriguez (=)
Alejandro Machado (=)
Tommy Watkins (+)
Alexi Casilla (-)
Gil Velazquez (=)
Backup Outfield - 24 - Jason Tyner (=)
Denard Span (+)
Josh Rabe (-)
Garrett Jones (=)

Misc. Reserve - 25 - Mike Venafro (=)
J.D. Durbin (+)
Matt LeCroy (+)
Randy Choate (-)
Ken Harvey (-)
Carmen Cali (=)
Jason Miller (=)

OUT OF CAMP
Lew Ford (Injury)

Alright, let's start with the starters. Santana and Bonser stay at the top of my list, while Ramon Ortiz's third straight solid start, coupled with Carlos Silva's recent struggles, have caused me to flip-flop Ortiz and Silva in the rotation. Despite his poor start on Friday, I'm still listing Sidney Ponson as the fifth starter, but if Matt Garza pitches well on Sunday and Ponson struggles in his next outing, I'll flip them. I've also turned Jeremy Cummings blue - he's pitched very well, and while he's the longest of long shots, if he keeps pitching like this the Twins will at least have to consider him.

In the bullpen, no changes amongst the top 6 (of course). Barring injury, that's not going to change all spring.

Similarly, no changes amongst the starting position players. Jason Kubel is quickly wrapping up the competition for the starting DH spot, as was expected.

With Lew Ford's injury, Jason Tyner is now secure as the backup outfielder on the team. The backup middle infielder spot is more interesting, with Alejandro Machado still injured and looking less and less likely to make the team. Luis Rodriguez has a good shot (especially if the Twins get over their phobia of having Nick Punto play short once every couple of weeks). However, I've turned both Tommy Watkins and Alexi Casilla blue, representing the fact that both have entered the conversation as possibilities for the roster spot. For the record, it would be sheer lunacy to take Alexi Casilla north - he needs to play every day at the AAA level.

That leaves the #25 spot on the roster, and things are heating up. This was the spot that Lew Ford was most likely to get, in my mind. His absence now makes Mike Venafro and J.D. Durbin the two most likely candidates for that position. Matt LeCroy almost by default is third on that list, while Ken Harvey (due to injury) and Randy Choate (due to one bad performance) fade away.

Now, the first cuts of the spring should be right around the corner, and I said I'd make a few guesses. Here goes nothing - in the next three days, I anticipate the following cuts:

Oswaldo Sosa
Julio DePaula
Alexander Smit
Korey Feiner

We'll see how right I am . . .

Lew Ford Needs Surgery

This story has gone back and forth so often and so quickly that you could be forgiven for getting dizzy trying to follow it. Nevertheless, La Velle E. Neal is reporting that Ford is heading back to the Twin Cities to get arthroscopic surgery on his knee, and will miss 4-6 weeks. That obviously takes him out of the running for an opening day roster spot, so he'll actually be the first player dropped from my weekly roster updates.

Now, for the implications of the injury:

First, it virtually assures Jason Tyner of a spot on the opening day roster as the primary backup outfielder (I'm still counting Jason Kubel as a DH, not as a backup outfielder). Tyner is not hitting well at all, and there was some thought that he might find himself down in AAA to start the season. That's now virtually impossible unless the Twins were to decide to keep Denard Span with the big club - something that is not at all desirable, since he wouldn't get nearly enough playing time. With Ford out and Span in AAA, Tyner is the last available outfielder who can back up Torii in Center Field. He's in.

Second, it just became significantly more likely that the Twins will carry a 12th pitcher to start the season. Mike Venafro and J.D. Durbin are likely to compete for that spot over the remainder of the spring, and their only real competition would be Matt LeCroy, if the Twins wanted to carry another DH/1B/C (sorta) guy. Frankly, that doesn't seem too likely, so I think this locks in a 12/13 split between pitchers and position players at the start of the season.

Third, there's the question of how long Ford will be out. Officially, he's expected to miss 4-6 weeks. But even assuming he recovers quickly and misses just 4 weeks, he still will not have played in a game since last season. As a result, he's very likely to go on a rehab assignment to one of the minor league teams (possibly starting off in Beloit and then being sent to Rochester right before he's ready). That means we probably won't see Ford before the last week in April, at the earliest. That will give the guys who make the opening day roster about 3 weeks to prove that they belong there . . .

The Backup Middle Infielder

It's generally accepted that the Twins very much want to carry a backup middle infielder on the 25-Man roster this year. Last year, Luis Rodriguez filled a hybrid role as a backup 2B/3B, which is about half of what you want from a backup middle infielder and half of what you want from a backup corner infielder. The Twins were able to carry extra outfielders and pitchers (it varied throughout the year) because they basically weren't carrying the full complement of infielders. One of the results was that Jason Bartlett never got a day off, and that's something the Twins would like to avoid this year.

With that in mind, I'm putting together this post to specifically look at this roster spot (which I've arbitrarily labeled as "Roster Spot 23" in my weekly roster updates) and the possibilities the Twins have to fill it.

Option #1: Alejandro Machado - 33% Chance
If I were a betting man, I'd still put my money on Alejandro Machado to win this job (despite what I said in the most recent roster update). Machado was a Rule 5 pick taken from the Washington Nationals organization (although he's never actually played in the Nats system - he was signed as a minor league free agent by Washington shortly before the Rule 5 Draft), and the Twins will end up sending him back to Washington if he doesn't stay on the 25-Man roster all season. He generally fits the profile of what the Twins are looking for - he's solid defensively, he has some speed, he can play both 2B and SS, and in a pinch could be used at 3B or in the outfield - but there is one particularly nagging problem: he can't get healthy. Machado has a bum shoulder that is preventing him from getting into any ballgames, and every day he takes to rehab is a day less that the Twins have to see him in action. Machado also has a glaring deficiency in his bunting skills, but I think the Twins could work with him on that. Ultimately, if healthy, he's the best choice to win this job, and has the best chance of doing so.

Option #2: Luis Rodriguez - 20% Chance
Twenty percent is probably a little high at this point. Rodriguez could end up winning the job by default, if the Twins just don't think there's anyone else around deserving of getting the spot. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, Rodriguez isn't a shortstop. Keeping him on the roster as a backup 2B/3B doesn't make a lot of sense, simply because Jeff Cirillo can play both of those positions, and also because it would still mean a solution would have to be found for who will play SS when Jason Bartlett sits out. As a result, giving Rodriguez a spot on the roster would have to be coupled with one of the other options on this list in order to actually solve the "backup middle infielder" problem. So why consider Rodriguez at all? Two major reasons: he has Major League experience, which the Twins may value; and there aren't a lot of other options if the Twins want to carry an extra person on the roster who fills this role. One other glaring deficiency of Rodriguez: he's not that fast, so his utility as a pinch runner late in games is pretty minimal.

Option #3: Tommy Watkins - 17% Chance
Yesterday, I wouldn't even have considered this, but as I mentioned earlier today in the Game Eight post, I think Watkins has half-stumbled/half-played his way into the discussion. Watkins is not a good hitter, but he wouldn't be kept on the team to hit. Instead, he'd be a Wal-Mart version of Denny Hocking - same low average, slightly less ability to play all over the field. Watkins is faster than Rodriguez, can play SS when needed, and could play virtually anywhere else you asked him to on other nights. Also, he's not a top prospect in the system, so having him at the Major League level riding the pine wouldn't be a significant problem. The more I think about this option, the more I like it. Watkins has been making his case primarily with his strong defensive play this spring, but he also jacked a Homer today, which has to give this option a bit of a boost.

Option #4: Nick Punto - 13% Chance
The Twins seem hell-bent on not using Punto anywhere other than 3B this year, but they should (and very well may) re-examine that decision as the deadline to set the roster comes closer. Jason Bartlett proved last year that he doesn't need a lot of time off, so the Twins would only need someone to start for him at SS every 10-12 games or so. Is asking Nick Punto to shift over one spot in the infield 10-16 times a year really a big deal? Frankly, I don't think so. This option would allow Jeff Cirillo to get some built in playing time, and it would also free up a roster spot for another Outfielder or Pitcher. Considering the Lew Ford/J.D. Durbin/Mike Venafro/Matt LeCroy roster decision that will be coming up soon enough, this option may start to look more and more desirable for Twins brass.

Option #5: Alexi Casilla - 12% Chance
This option probably shouldn't have been given such a high chance of happening. Casilla has a huge amount of upside, but he's still young and needs seasoning at the AAA level. Very little good would come of keeping Casilla in the big leagues only to stash him on the bench for the majority of the games. Casilla belongs in AAA this year, and he belongs at 2B - the Twins should be concentrating on grooming him into Luis Castillo's replacement for 2008, not on keeping him at the big league level in 2007 as a little-used backup.

Option #6 - Jeff Cirillo - 5% Chance
The longest of long shots is for the Twins to follow the Option #4 plan of not carrying a sixth infielder (Jeff Cirillo being the 5th), but also sticking with the "Nick Punto plays only at 3B" plan as well. That would leave Cirillo as the only viable alternative at pretty much every infield position, unless the extra roster spot was used on somebody like Matt LeCroy, in which case Cirillo would still have a pretty full plate. Cirillo is capable of playing short - but that's sort of like saying that Joe Nathan could be a starter - he's done it in the past, and he'd be capable of doing it, but it makes very little sense for him to do it in the future. Cirillo is past the days when playing SS makes any sense at all. I would see this as a very poor baseball decision by the Twins - and maybe that's why I think it's so unlikely.

Spring Roster Update #3

It's time for the third Roster Update of the Spring, this time with the results of some actual games to consider. As before, players listed in black are players who I am projecting will earn a roster spot (or at least who would be on the roster if the season began tomorrow). Players listed in blue have a chance to move onto the 25-man roster by the end of spring, and will be listed beneath the player(s) that they are are likely to displace. Players listed in red are pretty much just in camp to give the Twins bodies during the early weeks when nobody is pitching more than a couple of innigns or playing a full game in the field. Additionally, to track movement week-to-week on the roster updates, players will have either a "+" (for moving up), a "-" (for moving down), or an "=" (for not moving) listed behind their names.

My standard disclaimer applies: these are not necessarily the 25 guys who I would take north to start the season, but are instead the 25 guys who I think would make the team if the season started tomorrow.

Finally, please note that a few comments on player movement will follow the listing of players, so if you want to know why I've moved a player up or down on the chart, that's the place to look.

POSITION - ROSTER SPOT - PLAYER - MOVEMENT

Starting Pitcher - 1 - Johan Santana (=)
Starting Pitcher - 2 - Boof Bonser (=)
Starting Pitcher - 3 - Carlos Silva (=)
Starting Pitcher - 4 - Ramon Ortiz (=)
Starting Pitcher - 5 - Sidney Ponson (=)
Matt Garza (+)
Glen Perkins (-)
J.D. Durbin (=)
Scott Baker (=)
Kevin Slowey (=)
Jeremy Cummings (=)
Brad Voyles (+)
Errol Simonitsch (-)
Alexander Smit (-)
Oswaldo Sosa (-)
Closer - 6 - Joe Nathan (=)
Setup - 7 - Juan Rincon (=)
Bullpen - 8 - Pat Neshek (=)
Bullpen - 9 - Dennys Reyes (=)
Bullpen - 10 - Jesse Crain (=)
Bullpen - 11 - Matt Guerrier (=)
Ricky Barrett (=)
Julio DePaula (=)
Tristan Crawford (=)
Jose Mijares (=)

Catcher - 12 - Joe Mauer (=)
First Base - 13 - Justin Morneau (=)
Second Base - 14 - Luis Castillo (=)
Third Base - 15 - Nick Punto (=)
Shortstop - 16 - Jason Bartlett (=)
Left Field - 17 - Rondell White (=)
Center Field - 18 - Torii Hunter (=)
Right Field - 19 - Michael Cuddyer (=)
Designated Hitter - 20 - Jason Kubel (=)
Backup Catcher - 21 - Mike Redmond (=)
Chris Heintz (=)
Jose Morales (+)
Jeff Christy (-)
Korey Feiner (=)
Brad King (=)
Corner Infielder - 22 - Jeff Cirillo (=)
Glenn Williams (=)
Middle Infielder - 23 - Luis Rodriguez (+)
Alejandro Machado (-)
Alexi Casilla (=)
Tommy Watkins (=)
Gil Velazquez (=)
Backup Outfield - 24 - Jason Tyner (=)
Josh Rabe (=)
Denard Span (=)
Garrett Jones (=)

Misc. Reserve - 25 - Mike Venafro (+)
Randy Choate (+)
J.D. Durbin (+)
Ken Harvey (+)
Matt LeCroy (+)
Lew Ford (-)
Carmen Cali (=)
Jason Miller (=)

We'll start the explanations from the top of the list, with the starters. I haven't moved anyone around just yet, even though Boof Bonser (who I have listed 2nd) and Carlos Silva (listed 3rd) both struggled mightily in their first starts. This is simply because the sample size is too small, and both of these guys had some margin for error in my opinion. We'll know more by the end of this week, after Sidney Ponson has made a couple of appearances and Silva and Bonser have both made a second start. I also moved Matt Garza to the top of the list of contenders currently on the outside looking in.

No change was necessary in the main group of relievers fighting for the first six spots in the bullpen, which are set barring injury.

There is similarly no change in the first 11 position player spots I have listed. Jason Kubel was already listed as the primary DH, and in the first few games of the Spring all he's done is solidify that role.

I have once again moved Luis Rodriguez ahead of Alejandro Machado in the battle for the middle infielder position. Rodriguez is not an ideal candidate for that spot (as the Twins have readily acknowledged), but Machado hasn't been in a game yet due to injury, and is getting an MRI to determine the extent of the injury (which is never a good sign). All of this leads me to believe that Machado may be seriously injured enough to miss significant time this spring, which would probably eliminate him from the competition for a roster spot. Rodriguez is the only logical candidate currently with the team who could fill that role, although the Twins have suggested that they may pursue an option from outside the organization. This bears close scrutiny throughout the next few weeks.

I had Jason Tyner listed as secure last week, and Lew Ford's injury simply makes that more likely. Tyner is now virtually a lock to make the roster.

The 25th spot on the roster is now probably a pitchers to lose. I have Mike Venafro listed in that position, but I think Randy Choate is just as likely to win the job. At this point, they're about equal in my mind. My preference would be for J.D. Durbin to take that job, but he hasn't yet pitched in a game, so it's not possible to tell how strong his arm is just yet. With Lew Ford hurt, the only hitters seriously contending for the spot are Ken Harvey and Matt LeCroy. Harvey is suffering from a couple of injuries right now, and LeCroy has played regularly and struggled mightily. Neither seems likely to make the team out of spring training. Finally, Carmen Cali and Jason Miller have both gone from blue to red, indicating that they are now no longer serious possibilities to make the team. What changed? Basically, Venafro and Choate have both pitched well enough early on to close options for Cali and Miller, while neither Cali nor Miller has pitched well enough to merit further consideration.

Spring Roster Update #2

It's Sunday, and that means it's time for a Spring Training Roster Update. As before, players listed in black are players who I am projecting will earn a roster spot (or would do so if the season began tomorrow). Players listed in blue have a chance to creep up into a roster spot, and will be listed beneath the player they are most likely to displace. Players listed in red are pretty much just in camp to give the Twins bodies during the early weeks when nobody is pitching more than 2 innings or playing a full game in the field. I'm also adding a +/-/= behind each player. A "+" means that the player moved up in the depth chart from where I had him listed last week, while a "-" means he has moved down and an "=" means that he's right where he was before.

My standard disclaimer applies: these are not necessarily the 25 guys who I would take north to start the season, but are instead the 25 guys who I think would make the team if the season started tomorrow.

Finally, please note that a few comments on player movement will follow the listing of players, so if you want to know why I've moved a player up or down on the chart, that's the place to look.

POSITION - ROSTER SPOT - PLAYER - MOVEMENT

Starting Pitcher - 1 - Johan Santana (=)
Starting Pitcher - 2 - Boof Bonser (=)
Starting Pitcher - 3 - Carlos Silva (=)
Starting Pitcher - 4 - Ramon Ortiz (=)
Starting Pitcher - 5 - Sidney Ponson (=)
Glen Perkins (=)
Matt Garza (=)
J.D. Durbin (+)
Scott Baker (-)
Kevin Slowey (=)
Jeremy Cummings (=)
Errol Simonitsch (=)
Alexander Smit (=)
Oswaldo Sosa (=)
Brad Voyles (=)
Closer - 6 - Joe Nathan (=)
Setup - 7 - Juan Rincon (=)
Bullpen - 8 - Pat Neshek (=)
Bullpen - 9 - Dennys Reyes (=)
Bullpen - 10 - Jesse Crain (=)
Bullpen - 11 - Matt Guerrier (=)
Ricky Barrett (=)
Julio DePaula (=)
Tristan Crawford (+)
Jose Mijares (-)

Catcher - 12 - Joe Mauer (=)
First Base - 13 - Justin Morneau (=)
Second Base - 14 - Luis Castillo (=)
Third Base - 15 - Nick Punto (=)
Shortstop - 16 - Jason Bartlett (=)
Left Field - 17 - Rondell White (=)
Center Field - 18 - Torii Hunter (=)
Right Field - 19 - Michael Cuddyer (=)
Des. Hitter - 20 - Jason Kubel (=)
Backup Catcher - 21 - Mike Redmond (=)
Chris Heintz (=)
Jeff Christy (=)
Jose Morales (=)
Korey Feiner (=)
Brad King (=)
Corner Infielder - 22 - Jeff Cirillo (=)
Glenn Williams (=)
Middle Infielder - 23 - Alejandro Machado (+)
Luis Rodriguez (-)
Alexi Casilla (=)
Tommy Watkins (=)
Gil Velazquez (=)
Backup Outfield - 24 - Jason Tyner (=)
Josh Rabe (=)
Denard Span (=)
Garrett Jones (-)

Misc. Reserve - 25 - Lew Ford (+)
Mike Venafro (-)
J.D. Durbin (+)
Randy Choate (-)
Ken Harvey (-)
Matt LeCroy (-)
Carmen Cali (-)
Jason Miller (-)

There are a surprising number of changes in these protections from the first go around last week. First, J.D. Durbin (who is the only player that I've listed twice on the list because he's seriously competing in my mind for two distinct jobs) has had success with his early pitching regimen, and the Twins seem excited about him. As a result, I've moved him ahead of Scott Baker on the list of guys fighting for the 5th starter spot, and I've also moved him behind everyone but Lew Ford and Mike Venafro in the fight for the 25th roster spot.

Speaking of Ford, the Star Tribune's recent suggestion that he's a lock for the roster can't be ignored. While I think it would be a mistake to keep Ford over one of the lefty pitchers or Durbin, I have to acknowledge that the "experts" who write about baseball for the living seem to think that's exactly what's going to happen. As a result, Ford has been moved from the 4th guy behind Mike Venafro in the line for the 25th spot to the guy I have winning the 25th spot. We'll know more about the likelihood of this actually happening when we see Ford play a bit this spring.

In another major position shift, I now have Alejandro Machado winning the 24th roster spot as the backup middle infielder. The Twins aren't likely to accept Luis Rodriguez as the backup shortstop, and Machado is a better fit in that role. He's also being asked to work on his outfield play this spring, which means the Twins seem to be trying to mold him into a bit of a Jeff Reboulet/Denny Hocking utility type player. Even if all he could do was play short and second, Machado fits better than Rodriguez with this lineup, so this move made sense.

You'll also notice that Jose Mijares has been moved down to the last guy I have in the "no chance" category of the bullpen players. Unfortunatley, this is not because of anything Mijares did on the field - the death of his brother in Venezuela yesterday was a tragic circumstance that has Mijares flying to Venezuela to be with his family. I'm not removing him from the list because he hasn't been officially cut from camp (and likely won't be until he returns - although there is understandably no timetable for that at this point), but it seemed prudent to acknowledge that a player not in camp would be at the bottom of the list.

One final mention - Garrett Jones is being asked to concentrate on his outfield skills this spring, and that has been reflected by moving him into the outfielder section above rather than the first base section. If he starts getting at-bats and playing time as a first baseman this spring (more than in the outfield, anyway), then I'll move him back. For now, I'll take the Twins at their word and believe that he's being converted to the outfield.

Spring Roster Update #1

Every Sunday from now until the start of the season, I'm going to put up a post with the state of the roster. I think the format will be pretty intuitive, but I'll try to explain it here in case it gets confusing. There are, of course, 25 roster spots available. Players with a number to the left of their names are in line to get one of those spots. Those players names will also appear in black (even if that player is just the "front-runner" in my mind for the position). Players who have a chance of making the roster will be listed in blue, immediately under the position they're most likely to get. Finally, until a player is officially cut from camp, he'll show up on this roster update, but players who have virtually no chance of making the team will appear in red.

Also, note that the last spot on the roster could go to either a pitcher (if the Twins decide to carry 12 of them), or a position player. As a result, I'm putting that at the very end of the post, and a mix of pitchers and position players will be listed as competing for that spot.

Remember as well that this is not necessarily the list of players who I would place on the roster if I were Terry Ryan. This is how I think the roster is actually shaping shape.

The reason I'll be posting this once a week is that it can, and will change. As players have poor performances, or develop injuries, or are cut, the list will change. Check back each Sunday (hopefully by noon CT) for the update.

POSITION - ROSTER SPOT - PLAYER

Starting Pitcher - 1 - Johan Santana
Starting Pitcher - 2 - Boof Bonser
Starting Pitcher - 3 - Carlos Silva
Starting Pitcher - 4 - Ramon Ortiz
Starting Pitcher - 5 - Sidney Ponson
Glen Perkins
Matt Garza
Scott Baker
J.D. Durbin
Kevin Slowey
Jeremy Cummings
Errol Simonitsch
Alexander Smit
Oswaldo Sosa
Brad Voyles
Closer - 6 - Joe Nathan
Setup - 7 - Juan Rincon
Bullpen 3 - 8 - Pat Neshek
Bullpen 4 - 9 - Dennys Reyes
Bullpen 5 - 10 - Jesse Crain
Bullpen 6 - 11 - Matt Guerrier
Ricky Barrett
Julio DePaula
Jose Mijares
Tristan Crawford

Catcher - 12 - Joe Mauer
First Base - 13 - Justin Morneau
Second Base - 14 - Luis Castillo
Third Base - 15 - Nick Punto
Shortstop - 16 - Jason Bartlett
Left Field - 17 - Rondell White
Center Field - 18 - Torii Hunter
Right Field - 19 - Michael Cuddyer
Des. Hitter - 20 - Jason Kubel
Backup Catcher - 21 - Mike Redmond
Chris Heintz
Jeff Christy
Jose Morales
Korey Feiner
Brad King
Corner Infielder - 22 - Jeff Cirillo
Glenn Williams
Garrett Jones
Middle Infielder - 23 - Luis Rodriguez
Alejandro Machado
Alexi Casilla
Tommy Watkins
Gil Velazquez
Backup Outfield - 24 - Jason Tyner
Josh Rabe
Denard Span

Misc. Reserve - 25 - Mike Venafro (LHP)
Randy Choate (LHP)
Ken Harvey (1B/DH)
Matt LeCroy (DH/1B/C)
Lew Ford (OF)
Carmen Cali (LHP)
Jason Miller (LHP)
J.D. Durbin (RHP)