Twins' Darren McCaughan: MiLB contract with Minnesota
Rotowire
The Twins signed McCaughan to a minor-league contract Dec. 4.
McCaughan, 28, held a 6.21 ERA over 42 innings between the Marlins and Guardians in 2024. The right-hander has experience as a starter and a reliever and it's unclear which role the Twins have planned for him, but he'll likely begin the 2025 season at Triple-A St. Paul.
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Twins' Eiberson Castellano: Snagged in Rule 5 draft
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The Twins selected Castellano with the ninth pick in the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.
Castellano was one of the Phillies' best pitching prospects and one of the most notable fantasy prospects to be taken in this year's Rule 5 draft. A 23-year-old righty with a projectable 6-foot-3 frame, Castellano struck out 86 in 63.1 innings at High-A and logged a 3.79 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 50:9 K:BB in 40.1 innings over eight starts at Double-A. He seems ready to work out of a big-league bullpen, but Castellano's development as a starter may be put on hold during his rookie season as the Twins will look to keep him on the big-league roster all season in order to retain his rights.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Position not yet determined
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Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Tuesday that the team has not yet determined which position Lewis will play next season, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.
Lewis has been taking grounders on both sides of the second-base bag this offseason, but whether the 25-year-old ultimately settles in at third base or second base in 2025 will be decided "when we see what our roster overall is gonna look like," per Baldelli. The skipper did respond with "he can do it" when asked about Lewis' ability to handle second base. Lewis made one start at the keystone in 2024, with his other 49 starts in the field coming at third base.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Healthy heading into spring
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Wallner is not expected to have any issues related to his season-ending September left oblique strain by the time spring training begins, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
It wasn't thought that this would be a long-term concern, but it's still good to hear his injury won't have more serious ramifications. After starting the 2024 season in Triple-A, Wallner found his stroke in the second half and hit .272 with a .914 OPS and 10 home runs over his final 55 games.
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Twins' Huascar Ynoa: Minor-league deal with Minnesota
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Ynoa has signed a minor-league contract with Minnesota, Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated reports.
After missing the 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Ynoa opened the 2024 campaign at full health and occupied a spot in Triple-A Gwinnett's rotation, only to be shut down in mid-April with elbow inflammation before he hurt his shoulder in August during a rehab assignment. Ynoa was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Twins at age 16, so he returns to a familiar franchise. He could be a nice depth piece for the Twins if he can return to full health this spring.
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Twins' Alex Speas: Joins up with Minnesota
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Speas agreed to a minor-league contract with the Twins on Sunday that includes an invitation to spring training, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
The right-hander made one big-league appearance in 2024 and had a 12.13 ERA in 32 outings across four organizations at the Triple-A level. Speas will provide the Twins with some organizational bullpen depth and isn't likely to be a factor in the majors.
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Twins' Justin Topa: Avoids arbitration with Minnesota
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Topa agreed to a one-year deal with the Twins on Friday to avoid arbitration.
Topa started the 2024 regular season on the Twins' 15-day injured list due to left patellar tendinitis, and he was transferred to the 60-day IL in late May after an MRI revealed a small tear in his left patellar tendon. Topa managed to return from the injured list Sept. 25, and across three outings he threw 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out two batters and allowing one hit. The 33-year-old right-hander should be good to go for spring training.
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Twins' Michael Tonkin: Sticking around in Minnesota
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Tonkin agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract with the Twins on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Tonkin started the 2024 regular season on the Twins' roster, then spent stints with the Mets and Yankees before finishing the year back in Minnesota after being claimed off waivers in late August. He appeared in 57 games between the three organizations, posting a 3.63 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over 79.1 innings while primarily serving in a middle relief role.
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Twins' Brock Stewart: Reaches deal for 2025
Rotowire
Stewart (shoulder) and the Twins agreed to a one-year, $870,000 contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
The left-hander missed most of the second half after undergoing shoulder surgery in late July, but that won't prevent Minnesota from tendering him a contract for 2025. His initial recovery timeline was 5-6 months, so he should be ready to go early in spring training. Stewart had a 5.17 ERA in 16 appearances for the Twins in 2024 but was dominant the year before with just two earned runs allowed across 27.2 innings.
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Twins' Scott Blewett: Re-signs with Minnesota
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The Twins re-signed Blewett to a minor-league contract Monday.
Blewett was outrighted off the 40-man roster earlier this month but is now back in the organization. He held a 1.77 ERA and 18:8 K:BB over 20.1 frames with the Twins in 2024 and will likely begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A St. Paul as relief depth.
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Twins' Travis Adams: Protected from Rule 5 Draft
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The Twins selected Adams to their 40-man roster Tuesday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Adams spent most of last season with Double-A Wichita, where he put up a 3.67 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 108 innings. He received a late-season promotion to Triple-A St. Paul, though he struggled to the tune of a 5.21 ERA over 19 frames. The 24-year-old will likely remain in Triple-A to begin 2025, though a significant improvement would be needed before the Twins consider adding him to their big-league roster.
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Twins' Marco Raya: Shielded from Rule 5 Draft
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The Twins selected Raya's contract from Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.
Raya made 24 starts at Double-A Wichita and one at St. Paul this past season, finishing with a 4.05 ERA and 103:44 K:BB over 97.2 innings. The 22-year-old is now part of the 40-man roster and is likely to return to St. Paul to begin 2025.
Twins' Griffin Jax: Move to rotation not ruled out
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Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler indicated in a recent interview that the team is open to the possibility of moving Jax into the rotation, Mike Ferrin of MLB Network Radio reports.
Jax came up through the minors as a starting pitcher and made 14 starts for the Twins in 2021, posting a 6.10 ERA. He's since turned into a lockdown reliever, most recently collecting a 2.03 ERA and 95:15 K:BB over 71 innings this season. With a five-pitch mix and past starting experience, Jax would seem more equipped for a shift to the rotation than most relievers. The question is whether the uptick in stuff since his move to relief would translate back to a starting role.
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Twins' Daniel Duarte: Re-signed to minors deal
Rotowire
The Twins re-signed Duarte (elbow) to a minor-league contract on Nov. 6.
Duarte was outrighted off the 40-man roster but will remain in the organization while he rehabs from UCL revision surgery. The righty reliever is expected to miss most of the 2025 season.
Correa's recovery from plantar fasciitis in his right foot is progressing ahead of his recovery from the same problem in his left foot last offseason, Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told The Athletic. "He's tracking in a positive direction. He's got good plans for how he's going to handle it therapeutically and I think he's in a good place," said Falvey.
Correa was sidelined with plantar fasciitis in his right foot from just before the All-Star break until Sept. 14. He was able to play 11 games in September in which he showed little rust despite no minor-league rehab games, hitting .325 with a .960 OPS. He was clearly not moving at full speed, but the rest and rehab in the offseason should have him ready for spring training. After he struggled with plantar fasciitis in his left foot during the 2023 season that limited him at at the plate, the health of his feet will be something to watch in spring training.
