Twins

NOTEBOOK: Twins Finalize Opening Day Roster; No More 'Circle Me Bert'

(photo credit: Brian Curski, Cumulus Media)

The Minnesota Twins more or less finalized their Opening Day roster for when they begin the season on Thursday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles.

The club made the following moves on Tuesday:

  • Optioned outfielder Zack Granite to Triple-A Rochester
  • Assigned catchers Willians Astudillo and Bobby Wilson and infielders Taylor Featherston and Gregorio Petit to minor-league camp

This round of player movement, coupled with the decision to leave Phil Hughes behind in Florida to rehab his injury, means the Twins have basically formalized how they’ll go against the O’s.

The whirlwind spring of Kennys Vargas took another step on Thursday, as the Twins announced he cleared waivers and has been sent outright to Triple-A Rochester. Vargas can not refuse the outright because it’s his first and also because he does not have enough service time to refuse it.

One or the other has to be true for a player to be able to refuse an outright assignment. The MLB service time requirement for refusing an outright is five or more years in order to collect what’s left on an existing contract. For players with service time over three years but under five, a player must forfeit their existing contract to refuse an outright — something that is basically unheard of since the minimum MLB salary is $545,000.

According to Baseball Reference, Vargas has two years, 10 days of MLB service. An MLB year is considered to be 172 days.

With the Vargas outright, the Twins’ 40-man roster stands at 39.

As seen above, for now that means that Ryan LaMarre will make the Opening Day roster as a reserve outfielder. LaMarre, who hits right-handed but throws lefty, is a career .266/.343/.376 hitter in eight minor-league seasons, though his three MLB cups of coffee have gone poorly. He’s just 2-for-37 in the big leagues (.054/.103/.054) in opportunities with the Reds in 2015, Red Sox in 2016 and the A’s last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmTZhE8bOrI

LaMarre, who turned 29 in November, crushed Grapefruit League pitching for a line of .475/.500/.775 (19-for-40) with four doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs. LaMarre has mostly played center field in the minors, but will fill in wherever needed for as long as he remains with the big club.

The Twins have not formally added him to the 40-man roster, so there remains an outside chance that the team may still be actively monitoring the waiver wire in advance of the opener.

But at least for now, it’s LaMarre’s spot to lose.

Fox Sports North color commentator Bert Blyleven dropped a bombshell on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, as he announced that the “Circle Me Bert” campaign will no longer take place, nor will the Minnesota State Lottery Winner’s Circle which had accompanied it on telecasts in recent seasons.

https://twitter.com/BertBlyleven28/status/978760783927693312

While we can’t necessarily say we’ll miss it, there’s little doubt it had grabbed a cult following among fans lugging large sheets of tagboard to Target Field, even as Blyleven has worked a reduced schedule the past handful of years.

No word yet on if the promotion will be replaced by a “Rhombus Me, Dick” version, but we aren’t holding our breath.


ILMS_Zone_Coverage_Banner

Twins
It’s Starting To Feel Like 2022 Again
By Tom Schreier - Mar 28, 2024
Twins
3 Under-the-Radar Twins Prospects to Keep An Eye On in 2024
By Cody Schoenmann - Mar 28, 2024
Twins

Can Pablo Lopez Cement His Twins Legacy In 2024?

(photo credit: Brian Curski, Cumulus Media)

The Minnesota Twins begin their 2024 season on Thursday in Kansas City. It’s been a long off-season for a fanbase coming off their first postseason success in […]

Continue Reading