This is the final segment to the four-part series detailing the 2018 Minnesota Twins: the bullpen. RELATED: Minnesota's Starting Pitching Consistencies Key for Success In recent years, the Twins’ bullpen has been carrying the load for the most part. But many have seen a shift in importance over the decade, as relievers have played vital roles in delivering victories. Some teams in Major League Baseball have such quality bullpens that their starters only need to go about 6 innings. To put things into perspective: Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale led all MLB starting pitchers last season with 214 1/3 innings pitched. In 2005, 27 starters threw for at least 215 1/3 innings.  RELATED: Twins Infield: Suspensions, Gold Gloves, and Power Bottom line, relievers are a huge part of the game these days. This will highlight the guys in the bullpen for the Twins in 2018. They began the season with eight relievers and four starters, and that may change as the sea...

I initially said this would be the third and final part of the series, but I lied. Oops. I could include both the starters and bullpen in this, but it would be too long for the society of short-attention spans. So, this is part three of FOUR, detailing the starters. The Twins are already seven games into the season when this comes out, and their starting pitching has held their own at first and has shown some inconsistencies as well. It will be key for starters to perform well, as the league is full of power pitching, which results in success for most clubs (see the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Cleveland Indians). The Twins also have a top-5 offense in the league, so if the starting pitching is good enough the sky is the limit for this ballclub. RELATED: Twins Infield: Suspensions, Gold Gloves, and Power The Twins made some moves this offseason regarding pitching, and it all began with the hiring of Garvin Alston, who will be the new pitching coach. He replaces Ne...

This is part two of a three-part series, detailing and previewing the Minnesota Twins’ 2018 roster. The three segments will be broken into outfield, infield, and pitching. RELATED: Twins Outfield Full of Talent, Youth This offseason has involved suspensions, near-suspensions, and added depth for the infield. The team has a solid core in Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano, and Joe Mauer. This infield preview will also include catchers, as they are very much a part of the infield duties. The Twins will begin 2018 with Sano, Dozier, Mauer, Jason Castro behind the plate, Mitch Garver backing Castro up, Eduardo Escobar, Ehire Adrianza, and newcomer Logan Morrison. There will also be some notes on the suspended Jorge Polanco. Here is a peek at each player mentioned. Third Base: Miguel Sano A dark cloud above Sano’s head was worrisome earlier this offseason when he was accused of sexual assault by photographer Betsy Bissen during the 2015 season. Many believed and w...

This is part one of a three-part series, detailing and previewing the Minnesota Twins’ 2018 roster. The three segments will be broken into outfield, infield, and pitching. The Twins’ outfield should be a very good group in 2018, but placing them with the Red Sox (Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Andrew Benintendi) or a team of that caliber would be absurd.  At least for now. Minnesota will have the same trio take the field Opening Day consisting of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, and Max Kepler. Other outfielders that will field as back-ups will be Robbie Grossman and either Zack Granite or Jake Cave. Here is a look at each player’s outlook for the upcoming season: Left Field Starter: Eddie Rosario Last season was perhaps a breakout year for the Puerto Rico-native. Rosario entered the season with some uncertainty if he could handle a starting job in the majors, as his bat proved to be inconsistent in the minors and his defense was surely a question m...

We are just about halfway through the Minnesota Twins’ Spring Training, and there is plenty to discuss. The opening day roster is basically set, but there are some players that have made some noise so far in March. I’ve listed three position players below that have caught some eyes in Florida, and what their production means in the long haul. Ehire Adrianza The super-utility Adrianza is competing for some playing time off the bench as a right-handed bat, even though he is a switch hitter. The Twins’ lineup will consist of many left-handed bats—Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Joe Mauer, and the newly acquired Logan Morrison. The 28-year-old is batting .348, paired with an OPS of .965 in 23 at-bats. Last season for the Twins, Adrianza drove in a respectable 24 RBI in 186 at-bats. The Venezuelan has played mostly middle infield for his career, but he will play a prominent role beside Robbie Grossman in the outfield. If Adrianza can carry his productive hitting into 2018,...

To say the least, Joe Mauer has had quite the roller coaster of a ride through his Major League career. And now, Twins fans may be seeing the last of their hometown ‘kid’ in 2018. Mauer’s contract expires at the end of the year, as he will finish up the 8 year/$184 million deal he signed at the beginning of the 2010 season. The St. Paul-native will go down as one of the greats in the franchise’s history, yet he could be in the category of Twins that never won a World Series in Minnesota (Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven, Tony Olivia, Torii Hunter, among others). The consensus of Twins fans on Mauer these days is a love/hate relationship. Some fans continue the “he’s paid too much” talk, while others are just happy he had recovered from his concussions and has reached the end. For those that complain about his contract, I’m only going to say it once because it gets old after a while: he was worth the money at the time of the signing. Coming off an MVP season in 2009, where he mis...

The trade deadline has come and gone. For the Minnesota Timberwolves, nothing has changed, other than rumors swirling around the team of picking up some players that were bought out by other teams. Derrick Rose seems to be the hottest commodity for the team, as he was traded this week from the Cavaliers to the Utah Jazz. Rose is then expected to clear waivers once he is released from Utah, and the Timberwolves are one of the contending teams that will try to sign him, per Marc Stein via Twitter. The same rumors of Rose coming to Minnesota were in the air earlier in the season, as many thought a duo of Rose and Ricky Rubio were next for the franchise. Instead, the Timberwolves traded Rubio in a three-team trade that brought Jeff Teague to the squad. The 2010-2011 MVP has chemistry in the past with head coach Tom Thibodeau and current players on the team including Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson. The 29-year-old is coming at a bargain price, as he signed a one-year dea...