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- Despite the fact we keep saying that Michael Pineda is far from a sure thing, the team apparently doesn’t believe that he is a “wild card.” It would be huge if he could find the form he had with the Yankees before his injury. That kind of pitcher could make a huge difference for the Twins season.
- Meanwhile, Tom Froemming is worried about another component of the pitching staff — the bullpen. He believes the Twins have to do something about the bullpen, mainly because the absolute lack of experience could easily set this group up for a lot of variability, and a potential crash-and-burn.
- Phil Miller took a slightly more optimistic tact, profiling the six pitchers who could fill into the “closer” role for the Twins — and arguing that in an era of evolving bullpen roles, the closer doesn’t need to be your top reliever. The Twins will need to develop a “bullpen ace” to make that work though, I think.
- Skor North’s Derek Wetmore looked at what the contract extensions signed by Aaron Nola and Luis Severino could mean for Jose Berrios in the future. Of course, if Berrios takes a big step up as an ace this season, the Twins will want to lock him up. But didn’t we have enough pitching worries without looking towards the future?
- Finally, one link that isn’t pitching related, or even really all-that-worrisome. MLB Trade Rumors has the details on Rocco Baldelli’s contract, which weren’t announced back when their new skipper was hired. Apparently he is on a four-year deal, with some club options.