A shortlist of candidates who could lose their spot on the 40-man roster once the Twins add Orlando Hudson. Butera, Casilla and Perkins are all candidates, but who else makes the list? Read on after the jump.
Drew Butera - Kind of the "dark horse" candidate, which isn't a good thing in this case, simply because of the number of catchers already on Minnesota's 40-man roster (four). What might save him is the injury to Jose Morales, as minor as it may be. With spring training just around the corner, it's likely Ron Gardenhire will want to see what both Butera and Wilson Ramos can offer, because one of them will serve as Joe Mauer's backup when the season kicks off. Ramos is the prospect, but Butera's apparent strength defensively should make it an interesting decision.
Alexi Casilla - Alexi is probably the favorite to go, for two reasons. First, that overload of infielders that this team had before losing a spot on the bench to Jim Thome (a two-infielder bench down to one) is still there. Even if the team uses Matt Tolbert's last option this season, which seems likely, the 25-man roster is still full. Second, Alexi is out of options. This has already been discussed at length throughout the comments here on a few different threads. If the Twins do decide that Casilla is the guy, they'll have ten days to trade him before he'd have to be released.
Brendan Harris - This one is just me, and I know, it's a bizarre option considering that the Twins had already penciled him in as the starter at third base (pre-Hudson signing) after signing him to a two-year contract. But if the Twins want to shave a little cash off their payroll and make space for younger and, more importantly, less expensive players, then it's an option. It's not likely, but it's worth mentioning.
Luke Hughes - This is a popular option for people who believe all of the following. First, that Valencia doesn't have competition from Hughes for third base. Second, that the Twins would still go with a two-infielder bench that would include Casilla but not Tolbert. Third, that the Twins would keep just four outfielders on the roster (Delmon Young, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel). Personally, I think there are a lot of other names that are higher on the list than Hughes.
Glen Perkins - Perkins' name has come up repeatedly when people talk about trades, but the word is that teams want to see him throw this spring before they "spring" for him. (See what I did there?) Still, if the Twins can get something they're happy with in the next day or two, this option isn't out of the question. The most popular wish around Twinkie Town is to package Perkins with Casilla in any deal, although I'm not sure how keen the front office would be to pull the trigger on that one.
Jason Pridie - It's possible, but it's not probable. In the case of a long-term injury to Span the Twins would need to find a replacement, and Minnesota would be forced to add that player to the 40-man roster. Meaning, naturally, that they'd need to take one more person off of it.
Those who can't be removed: Alex Burnett (P), Clay Condrey (P), Rob Delaney (P), Deolis Guerra (P), Loek Van Mil (P), Estarlin De Los Santos (IF), Danny Valencia (IF), Jim Thome (DH)