A Year of Living Dangerously

Topps is back for a second year with The Living Set, but the truth is that it never really stopped. Felix Jorge is the just the 3rd Minnesota Twin featured in the set, and it turns out that shortly after this card was produced, Jorge was waived by the Twins and became a free agent.

Still just 25 years old, Felix made his debut for the Twins jumping several levels in the minors. His promotion had a good deal to do with the other available arms in the Twins' system - Jorge was able to be added to the 40-Man roster, then the 25-Man MLB roster without being overly concerned about service time. After being DFA'd, then outright released, he would still re-sign with the Twins, but became a free agent again at the end of the 2018 season. Jorge is currently playing for the Billngs Mustangs in the Cincinnati Reds minor league chain.

The first Twin of 2019 in the Living Set? Jake Odorizzi, who is currently in the middle of 20 inning scoreless streak, is having a very good second season with MN.

That cartoon choice is strange... Both cards mention Jose Berrios, who was the first Twins player featured in the Living Set. Odorizzi will be looking to extend that scoreless innings streak later this week!

Finally, the most recent Topps Living Set entry featured Mr. Boomstick himself, Nelson Cruz. He joined the Twins in the off-season, and will be the team's primary DH, the biggest veteran free agent bat the Twins have added since Jim Thome.

Cruz is one of the few MLB players older than me left, so I am happy to have him on the team to feel a little less old. It doesn't hurt that he's been hitting well in the middle of a very potent Twins lineup. The team currently leads all of baseball in slugging percentage.

Cruz brings the total number of Twins in the Living Set to five - Berrios and Joe Mauer were added in season in 2018, and these three guys since the end of last season. Is your team well represented in the Living set? Manny Machado already has two cards in the set on his own (and now that he's with a new team, will probably get a third one before too long).

I'm looking forward to cards for some retired Twins greats - like Killebrew, Carew, Blyleven... or current players like Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, or hey, Willians Astudillo??? Maybe wishful thinking there.

Guess Who's Coming To Spring Training?

The Twins have rarely been active in free agency. The Wild Card berth last season, combined with new front office personnel has changed things a bit. They saw big needs in the bullpen and in the rotation, and the first big signing of the off-season was the Mercurial Mercenary, right handed closer Fernando Rodney. The soon to be 41 year old is a 3-time All-Star, with 300 career saves. For his career, he averages a strikeout per inning, which is something the bullpen desperately needed.

Thankfully, the Twins did not stop there, bolstering the bullpen further with another pair of high quality arms. Lefty specialist Zach Duke battled the injury bug in 2017 -- pitching just 18.1 innings for the Cardinals. The Twins are counting on him regaining the magic from 2014 through 2016, when he piled up over 200 strikeouts for Milwaukee, Chicago, and Saint Louis. Addison Reed split last season with the Mets and the Red Sox, closing games for New York, and setting up for Kimbrel in Boston. He too struck out batters with regularity in recent years, providing velocity, depth, and a veteran presence.

The Twins still had work to do on the mound, and after missing out on Yu Darvish, acquired Jake Odorizzi from the Rays in exchange for minor leaguer Jermaine Palacios. This was the third time Jake had been traded, first from the Brewers in the Zach Grienke trade, then to the Rays along with Wil Myers for James Shields. Last season, his ERA+ was exactly league average, and he had his lowest innings total since his rookie season. He certainly doesn't replace Darvish, and he won't out pitch Ervin Santana's 2017 production either. But the fact is that even a league average arm helps the Twins' rotation immensely.

The surprise signing of the spring was Logan Morrison, who seemed destined to go wherever Eric Hosmer didn't go between KC and San Diego. The addition of a 30+ homer bat to the middle of the lineup is nothing to sneeze at. Morrison decided to come to the Twins over KC (who also submitted an offer) because he wanted to play for a team with a chance to contend. This was a pleasant surprise - however it probably means the end of the line for my favorite Twin, Kennys Vargas, who is now out of minor league options.

I had been waiting to make this post because I was hoping the Twins would add another starter, especially considering that Ervin Santana will miss a month or so to start the season. They instead gave a contract to Anibal Sanchez, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. If he is healthy and can figure out the mechanical issues that derailed his final years in Detroit, he could make for a decent 5th starter. The Twins also signed a trio of former MLB regulars to minor league deals to provide depth and some injury insurance. Chris Heisey, Jordan Pacheco, and Erick Aybar aren't likely to crack the 25 Man Roster, but having these guys in camp provides a little competition for the younger players like backup catcher Mitch Garver, and incentive for veterans like Robbie Grossman and Eduardo Escobar to stay on their toes.