The Twins began their off-season roster maintenance on Monday by outrighting two veterans who spent most of 2014 in Class AAA.
Infielder Doug Bernier and righthander Yohan Pino were removed from the Twins' roster, freeing up spots for minor-leaguers who must be added to the roster this winter or be exposed to the Rule 5 draft in December.
Bernier elected to become a free agent rather than accept assignment to Class AAA Rochester, though he could be signed again later this winter. Pino is eligible for free agency as well, as a six-year minor-league veteran.
Pino, a 30-year-old righthander from Venezuela, made his major-league debut in June, and started 11 games for the Twins, going 2-5 with a 5.07 ERA. The Venezuelan, originally a Twins signee in 2005, signed as a free agent from the Reds organization last winter and enjoyed one of the strongest seasons of his career at Rochester. Pino went 10-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 16 games, including nine starts, to earn the major-league opportunity.
Bernier, 34, also had a good season at Rochester, batting .280 as the Red Wings' starting shortstop and earning praise from Twins officials as one of the team's clubhouse leaders. For the second straight year, he finished the season in Minnesota, though he made only nine plate appearances in September, going 2-for-7.
With the removal of Bernier and Pino, the Twins now have 37 players on their roster; Rule 5-eligible players like Miguel Sano and Alex Meyer must be added to the roster over the next month.
Twins officials are in Fort Myers, Fla., this week to hold their annual organization meetings, evaluating players and staff and planning for the 2015 season.
