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Twins Acquire Duke Welker

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The Twins have acquired right-hander Duke Welker from the Pirates as the player to be named later in the Justin Morneau deal, the teams announced.  Morneau was traded to Pittsburgh on August 31st for outfielder Alex Presley and a PTBNL or cash.

Welker, 27, made two major league appearances in 2013 but spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A Indianapolis, posting a 3.57 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9.  The 27-year-old was rated as the No. 26 prospect in the PIrates' system by Baseball America at the start of the year after a five-year absence from the list.  The 6'7" hurler had a lot of hype after being taken in the second round of the 2007 draft but injuries held him back in subsequent years. 

Minor Moves: Doug Bernier, Chris Robinson

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Here are today's outright assignments for non-arbitration-eligible players and minor moves from around the league…

  • The Twins outrighted shortstop Doug Bernier, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter). Bernier, 33, reached the Majors for the first time since 2008 and collected his first big league hit with the Twins this season, though he batted just .226/.339/.283 in 64 plate appearances. Bernier's outright drops the Twins' 40-man roster to 35.
  • The Padres have outrighted catcher Chris Robinson to Triple-A Tucson, the team tweets. Robinson, 29, hit .282/.307/.320 in the Padres and Orioles organizations at the Triple-A level in 2013, and got 12 at bats with the Padres.
  • As can be seen in MLBTR's DFA Tracker, Clay Rapada of the Indians and Victor Marte of the Cardinals are in DFA limbo.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Twins Outright Roenicke, De Vries, Thomas, Martis

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The Twins have outrighted center fielder Clete Thomas and right-handers Josh Roenicke, Cole De Vries and Shairon Martis off their 40-man roster, the team announced via press release.

The Twins claimed Roenicke, 31, off waivers from the Rockies last offseason, and he spent the entire season in the team's bullpen. Roenicke posted a 4.35 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 62 innings for Minnesota, appearing in 63 games and earning one save along the way. Roenicke is eligible for arbitration this offseason, but because he has more than three years of service time and was outrighted off the 40-man roster, he is eligible to elect free agency.

Thomas came to the plate 322 times for the 2013 Twins despite slashing just .214/.290/.307 and striking out in 28.6 percent of his plate appearances. Thomas' sound defensive play kept him in the lineup, as he appeared at all three outfield positions and totaled a UZR/150 mark of +9.6 in 727 1/3 innings.

De Vries was injured for most of the season and allowed 18 runs in 15 innings at the Major League level. The 27-year-old's minor league numbers didn't look much better, as he posted a 7.02 ERA in 50 innings at Triple-A. 

Martis totaled a 4.26 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 80 1/3 innings in the minors and yielded six runs in 9 2/3 Major League innings. The Curacao native reached the Majors in 2013 for the first time since pitching more than 100 innings for the 2008-09 Nationals.

Twins Extend Ron Gardenhire

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1:29pm: The Twins have issued a press release announcing Gardenhire's two-year extension. The entire coaching staff is coming back as well, though their contracts only run through the 2014 campaign, according to the release.

10:57am: Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the Twins will retain their entire coaching staff as well.

10:51am: The Twins have called a press conference for 2:30pm CT this afternoon, and the team will announce the re-signing of manager Ron Gardenhire, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The contract is expected to be a two-year deal, adds Rosenthal, who also tweets that Gardenhire would not have accepted a one-year deal and likely wanted assurance that the team's payroll would rise again before accepting a new deal.

Gardenhire's job security was up for debate following a third consecutive 90-loss season for the Twins. However, much of the team's decline can be pinned on injuries in 2011 and a lack of on-field talent in 2012-13. Gardenhire is one of the game's longest-tenured and most well-respected managers, having served as Minnesota's skipper since the 2002 season — his first as a big league manager.

"Gardy," as he's commonly referred to, has a career record of 998-947 and led the team to six AL Central titles from 2002-10, winning American League Manager of the Year honors in 2010. One knock against him is that the team has been swept in the ALDS in each of its past three postseason appearances and has only won one playoff series in that run of six postseason appearances.

Managerial Notes: Girardi, Scioscia, Gardy, Collins

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As regular season finales are being played out across MLB today, rumors have already started to swirl about the fate of several managers. Here's the latest news and notes on that front:

  • Joe Girardi met with reporters today (Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger provides a partial transcript) and admitted he has yet to make up his mind about returning to the Yankees next season. "It comes down to family. They are first," said Girardi. "Whatever is best for the group of us, not one individual, not me or just my wife, or just one of my children, whatever is best for us as a group, that’s what we’ll decide to do. And that’s something I put some thought into, and I’m going to have to think about a lot over the next few days, obviously." Girardi added money will not play a factor in his decision. 
  • Many have speculated Girardi could be the next Cubs manager, if Dale Sveum is fired. Girardi, however, downplayed the connection to his hometown. "I haven’t lived there since 2006. I have a brother still there, a couple brothers there, actually. But my father’s gone. My mother’s gone. So there’s not as much there as there used to be."
  • Davey Johnson told reporters, including MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko, he will not manage in 2014. "I wouldn't know the talent level, wouldn't know the organization," Johnson said. "I wouldn't be a good fit. I never say 'Never' to anything. I'm always open for new challenges. But I don't see that as being a challenge that would get my motor really revved up." 
  • Mike Scioscia told reporters, including Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, he has not been informed whether he will return as Angels manager. "I'm sure that at some point they're going to let us know," said Scioscia. "It's not an issue. It really isn't. It's going to be addressed at some point. I'm sure it's going to be addressed before February."
  • Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com expects the Twins to sign Ron Gardenhire to a two-year contract and presumes a decision on his fate will be made either tonight or tomorrow (Twitter links). 
  • If not retained by the Twins, Gardenhire could be a possibility to replace Eric Wedge in Seattle, tweets FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.  In a separate tweet, Rosenthal reports the Mariners will also consider Reds pitching coach Bryan Price and former White Sox bench coach Joey Cora, who played in Seattle from 1995 to 1998.
  • The Mets have issued a press release announcing an 11am (CT) news conference tomorrow featuring GM Sandy Alderson. It is expected the topic will be a new deal for manager Terry Collins. People with direct knowledge of the negotiations tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News the contract is for two years and about $2MM, with a club option for 2016. 

AL Central Notes: Twins Roster, Gardenhire, Konerko

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The Twins face a number of roster decisions as the season draws to a close, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. Many of the players the club added to the 40-man in 2012 ahead of the Rule 5 draft saw significant time in the major leagues this year. Alex Wimmers, a first-round pick in 2010 who returned from Tommy John surgery in July, will be subject to the Rule 5 if he's not added in November, Berardino notes. Here's more from the AL's central division:

  • Twins GM Terry Ryan wouldn't hesitate to sign a player coming off of a PED-related suspension, as long as the player had served his time, Berardino tweets.
  • Ryan says that he'll be back as GM next season and that a decision on Ron Gardenhire's future is coming soon, writes Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN.  Sources tell Mackey they believe the Twins and Gardenhire have discussed one- or two-year contract possibilities.
  • Gardenhire and Rick Anderson are among the winningest manager-pitching coach pairings in major league history, Berardino writes.
  • Berardino notes that Glen Perkins won't be able to trigger the $150,000 bonus in his contract for 55 games finished. Perkins entered today having finished 52 games. The left-hander will earn about $2.98MM in salary and bonuses this year, and is on track to make around $3.99MM next season.
  • Paul Konerko spoke at length with reporters about his future with the White Sox, and MLB.com's Scott Merkin has the details in a post on his blog. Konerko says he hasn't formally broached the subject with the club, but that he'd be willing to return to the Sox in a part-time role.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Baez, Taveras, Sano Change Agencies

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4:29pm: Cubs top prospect Javier Baez has also changed agencies and is now represented by KPS Sports, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). MLBTR's Tim Dierkes tweeted last week that Baez had joined a small, lesser-known agency without a great deal of experience. He appears to be the most noteworthy player signed with KPS. Baez was formerly represented by B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports Management.

On their midseason Top 50 lists, Baez ranked as the game's No. 9 prospect according to MLB.com, No. 10 according to BA and No. 27 according to Keith Law. The 20-year-old shortstop batted .282/.341/.578 with a highly impressive 37 homers between High-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee this season.

8:31am: Miguel Sano and Oscar Taveras are consensus top five prospects in the game, and each has recently changed representation. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that Sano's agent, Rob Plummer, has been hired by SFX after parting ways with the Beverly Hills Sports Council, and Sano has stuck with his longtime agent. Taveras, meanwhile, is back with former agent Melvin Roman of MDR Sports Management (Twitter links).

Taveras has now changed agencies a remarkable four times since January and, strangely, is back with Roman for the third time in 2013 alone. Taveras left MDR for Plummer back in January but switched back less than a month later. He remained with MDR through mid-August when he joined Greg Genske's Legacy Agency. The Cardinals outfielder ranked second on the Midseason Top 50 Prospect lists of Baseball America, ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription req'd) and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo despite an injury-shortened season. The 21-year-old Taveras hit a solid .306/.361/.462 with five homers in 46 games for Triple-A Memphis but missed most of the season due to ankle surgery.

The 20-year-old Sano mashed his way to a No. 3 ranking on the Midseason Top 50 Prospect lists of Baseball America and MLB.com and a No. 4 ranking on the same list from Law. The powerful Twins prospect batted .280/.382/.610 with a combined 35 homers between High-A Fort Myers and Double-A New Britain.

For additional agency info on nearly 2,000 Major League and Minor League players, check out MLBTR's Agency Database. If you see any omissions or errors within the database, please email us at mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Central Rumors: Girardi, Dunn, Perkins, Pirates

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Could Joe Girardi leave the Yankees to become the next manager of the Cubs?  It's all speculative right now, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com sizes up both jobs and the challenges that each one figures to bring over the next few years.  Here's tonight's look at the Central divisions after Michael Wacha came ever so close to a no-hitter..

  • Adam Dunn's $15MM salary for 2014 almost assures his return to the White Sox in 2014 and talk of him being platooned next season sounds premature, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "I don't think we're at that point yet," GM Rick Hahn said. "I think we need to see what the roster looks like, see how he comes back, how he looks and see what the options are for Robin. Ultimately the lineup is his call, so especially given that we aren't sure what the roster is going to look like, it's premature to pigeonhole anyone into a lesser role than they have right now."
  • Twins closer Glen Perkins' outstanding season has boosted his 2013 salary from $2.5MM to $2.975MM and boosted his 2014 salary from $3.75MM to $3.9875MM, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links).
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs looks at five components of the Pirates' construction of a playoff team. Among Cameron's components are the fact that the Pirates bought into the predictive power of stats like xFIP, adopted aggressive defensive shifts and ignored positional stereotypes with players like Neil Walker and Starling Marte.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Pelfrey Interested In Returning To Twins In 2014

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Right-hander Mike Pelfrey earned a $100K bonus last night by crossing the 150-inning threshold, as pointed out by Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Pelfrey told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger that Monday was his final start of 2013 and expressed interest in returning to Minnesota for a second season (Twitter link).

Pelfrey sits 7 1/3 innings shy of earning another $150K of incentives, but as Miller points out, he's yet to last that long in a start all season, so he would have been unlikely to reach that plateau anyway. As it stands, it seems that Pelfrey will earn just $100K of the $1.5MM worth of incentives that were built into the one-year, $4MM contract he signed with the Twins this offseason.

Pelfrey spent his entire career with the Mets prior to 2013, but his New York tenure came to an end when he was non-tendered last offseason. He made a remarkably quick recovery from Tommy John surgery in May 2012 in order to be ready for Opening Day for the Twins. He'll turn 30 years old in January and could likely be had on another one-year deal after posting a 5.19 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a career-low 43.2 percent ground-ball rate in 152 2/3 innings this season. Pelfrey's FIP (3.99) and xFIP (4.54) both suggest that his ERA could have been lower were it not for a .337 BABIP and 67.2 percent strand rate.

The Twins will undoubtedly be on the lookout for pitching this offseason, as owner Jim Pohlad recently lamented the team's "embarrassing" play and said that he would provide GM Terry Ryan with the financial resources to be active on the free agent market. Pohlad said he wouldn't shy away from three- and four-year free agent deals, which the Twins have typically avoided in the past. Josh Willingham's three-year, $21MM contract is the largest free agent signing in Twins' franchise history.

Cafardo On Girardi, Rockies, Gardenhire, Washington

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Agent Scott Boras wants to see the World Series elevated to the same level as the Super Bowl in terms of national buzz and corporate sponsorship and he believes he has a plan to make that happen, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Boras proposes having the first or first two games played at a neutral site to combat the "regionalized" feel of the Fall Classic.  “It would be a gathering place for all of baseball,” Boras said. “The team officials would have to show up for the awards and other business. It could be the start of the hot-stove season as it once was. It would bring baseball center stage. It would make the World Series an event, much like the All-Star Game, which is the best in sports. Why not take all of the metrics of that event and apply them to the World Series?”  Here's more from today's column..

  • One Yankees official thinks it’s “70-30” that Joe Girardi returns next season as manager.  Girardi would be intrigued by the Cubs' managerial job and Chicago is said to be contemplating Dale Sveum’s future with the team.  Girardi has done a remarkable job this season, but Cafardo wonders if he might want out as the Bombers rebuild.  
  • There’s increased talk that Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd could be on the hot seat after the Rockies fell short of expectations this season.  The Rockies have a two-headed monster at the executive level that might not be working as well as expected and O'Dowd could be the man to go.
  • The biggest issue on whether the Twins bring Ron Gardenhire back is whether they believe he’s been on the job too long and has lost touch with his players.  While Minnesota has one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, GM Terry Ryan and owner Jim Pohlad have to decide if Gardenhire is the guy to lead the resurgence.
  • Internally, people in the Rangers organization have no doubts regarding Ron Washington’s job status.  That lines up with comments from GM Jon Daniels last week when he said that the skipper's job isn't in jeopardy.
  • Longtime MLB exec Andy MacPhail has taken some time away from the game but he's now ready to get back into baseball.  It's not clear exactly what he wants to do, but he probably doesn't want to be a GM.  Cafardo suggests that he could return to run an organization and his ties to commissioner Bud Selig could help his candidacy.
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