Twins' to-do list at baseball's winter meetings

Twins beat reporter La Velle E. Neal III breaks down what the club needs to do during the winter meetings.

December 9, 2018 at 6:44AM
Twins manager Rocoo Baldelli at his introductory news conference with Derek Falvey, left, and Thad Levine.
Twins manager Rocoo Baldelli at his introductory news conference with Derek Falvey, left, and Thad Levine. (Mike Nelson — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Find a ninth-inning guy: The Twins finished last season without a designated closer, so they need one. Keep in mind that the Twins aren't expected to be ready to take over the AL Central, so they won't break the bank here.

Consider more relief help: The Twins could use other late-inning options while Trevor Hildenberger, Taylor Rogers and Trevor May continue their development.

Consider adding a bat: A veteran slugger would look good in the middle of the order, but the Twins might decide to rotate a few players through the designated hitter spot.

Explore potential trades: Teams are interested in dealing with the Twins because of their strong farm system and young major league core. Will the Twins use those potential trade chips?

• Prepare for the Rule 5 draft, maybe: Thursday's additions of Jonathan Schoop and Ronald Torreyes filled up the 40-man roster, so the Twins would have to clear space to draft a player. This could be the rare year they sit out the major league phase.

about the writer

about the writer

La Velle E. Neal III

Columnist

La Velle E. Neal III is a sports columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune who previously covered the Twins for more than 20 years.

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