Some Minor League signings happened... let’s round them up!

The glorious return of the prodigal Pat, Dat Pean Pat Dean wasn’t the only minor league deal our dear Twinkies have given out as of late. Brace yourself for excitement because here’s some more names you probably don’t care about!

• Lefty reliever Tim Collins, a totally real person I’m not making up, signed a minor league deal w/spring training invite on the 6th. Collins spent 4 seasons with the Royals from 2011 to 2014 before doing that thing pitchers do and needing surgery for arm death. After his Tommy was Johned, Collins didn’t see major league action again until last year with the Nationals. Collins hurled 22.2 innings of 4.37 ERA ball, giving up a little over a hit per inning, but striking out nearly double the amount he walked.

Collins was a solid, if unspectacular, arm during his stint with the Royals, however the 29 year old is no longer a spring chicken. Still he could be dependable again after getting used to Major League work and will likely get plenty of chances by virtue of absorbing his twin in the womb to double his own power, like all lefties before him.

• Speaking of lefties, Justin Nicolino was signed the same day on a similar deal. Nicolino is 27 and has generally seen use as a starter, but you never know how teams plan to use players these days. He debuted 2015 and spent 3 years with Miami, giving up exactly 8 homers and 20 walks each year. That kind of consistency isn’t valuable, but it is really interesting to me. He spent 2018 with the Reds’ AAA team, picking up an ERA over 4.00 thanks to his propensity for giving up walks and dingers. He does strike a lot of people out though.
• As a small note, Chase De Jong who was DFA’d to make room for that one guy or whatever (Martin Perez, I’m told.) cleared waivers and was assigned to AAA Rochester. He’ll also be in major league camp and could be a long shot for that 5th starter slot. I grumbled a bit about him being DFA’d and assumed he would be claimed, however I forgot to factor in that I am always wrong about literally everything at all times.
• Oh crap, look out! Here comes another name! Veteran infielder Adam Rosales joined the Twins on a minor league deal worth 1MM with 250k worth of performance incentives. The 35 year old former Cleveland Indian is a utility type player who saw action in all 4 infield positions last year, and has in the past seen time in the outfield. You can count on Rosales to hit roughly zero homers while also hitting only slightly above the Mendoza Line. Rosales’s deal has an opt out for March 19th. Groovy.

As always please be advised that there is no such thing as a bad minor league deal. If you have any complaints or wish to yell at me for being too nice, please direct all hate to JamesFillmore@JamesFillmore.com