It’s almost time to take the field again!
Before the past week, this offseason, which commenced with the Pohlads’ announcement that they are exploring a sale of the team, was irritatingly quiet. Even the team’s additions of Danny Coulombe, Harrison Bader, and Ty France have been as depth rather than major pieces.
Still, these players are not the first three added to the Twins’ 40-man roster over the fall and winter: they are the sixth, seventh, and eighth. As news has come sporadically, gaps between dampening any subsequent blurbs, here’s a refresher.
Nov. 19: Travis Adams, RHP
One of two players added to the 40 as protection from selection in the Rule 5 draft, Adams has played his way up the minor league ladder since his 2021 sixth-round selection, splitting last year between AA-Wichita (22 appearances, 19 starts) and AAA-St. Paul (4 appearances, 3 starts) and striking out 118 batters.
Nov. 19: Marco Raya, RHP
Raya, the other player added ahead of the Rule 5 draft, has started every game he’s appeared in as a minor leaguer save two in rookie ball. Another tall righty drafted relatively early (4th round, 2020), Raya has also made a well-paced ascension and spent most of last year in Wichita with a one-start cameo in St. Paul, putting up a 4.05 combined ERA and striking out 103.
Dec. 11: Eiberson Castellano, RHP
Come the actual Rule 5 Draft, the Twins used the 12th pick to make Reds minor league reliever Castellano the ninth selection. Castellano was named both the Reds’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for last July and Minor League Pitcher of the Year, and as Aaron Gleeman reported at the time, the Twins (who had previously tried to trade for Castellano) made the righty their top Rule 5 target.
Dec. 24: Mickey Gasper, C/INF
On Christmas Eve, the Twins traded Total Twins Draft League closing pitcher Jovani Morán to Boston, acquiring back-of-the-roster catcher Gasper in return. Gasper debuted as a Red Sok in August, appearing in 13 games and coming to the plate 23 times. In those 23 PAs, he went 0-18 with eight strikeouts, four walks, and a plunking. Hey, it’s still better than Manny Margot.
Jan. 9: Diego Cartaya, C
One final low-cost trade came after the turn of the calendar, the Twins trading rookie-ball reliever Jose Vasquez to the Dodgers for catcher Cartaya. A former top prospect, Cartaya has batted just .205 across the last two seasons while striking out at a 28.6 percent rate.
There’ll be baseball soon. Let’s hope these players can as well continue to be a part of it.