A Bevy of Roster Updates on the Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins got a full slate of roster updates this week, including information on a star pitcher.

Per Dustin Morse of the organization:

Catching you up on #MNTwins news this week:

- Sonny Gray declined his QO and is now a free agent (Twins will get a draft pick if he signs elsewhere)

- Roster adds are Austin Martin and Emmanuel Rodriguez (two quality prospects)

- Rocco Baldelli finished 4th in AL Manager of Year

Catching you up on #MNTwins news this week:

- Sonny Gray declined his QO and is now a free agent (Twins will get a draft pick if he signs elsewhere)
- Roster adds are Austin Martin and Emmanuel Rodriguez (two quality prospects)
- Rocco Baldelli finished 4th in AL Manager of Year
— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) November 15, 2023

Gray declining the qualifying offer is no big surprise. One of the top free agent pitchers on the market, he's expected to land at least a three year deal this offseason. The good news for Minnesota is that they will get a draft pick if he signs elsewhere - and that money will be freed up to go and make other improvements to the roster.

As for the prospects, adding Martin and Rodriguez to the 40-man roster protects them from the Rule 5 draft.

Rodriguez, an OF, is listed as the No. 3 prospect in the organization, per MLB.com. Here's a portion of his prospect profile:

Rodriguez’s best tool continues to be his tremendous raw power, with a combination of bat speed and plate discipline allowing him to tap into it fairly consistently already. The left-handed hitter has worked to keep his bat in the zone longer, and while there’s still work to be done, he didn’t swing through strikes as much as he did in his pro debut. His reduced chasing led to a lower strikeout rate in 2022, when he walked more than he whiffed. He makes a ton of hard contact and should continue to show the ability to drive the ball as he moves up the organizational ladder.

Martin, a Swiss-army knife type player, is the No. 20 prospect:

The right-handed hitter continues to have elite-level contact skills and impressive plate discipline, which leads to high walk rates and low strikeout totals. Martin tried to work on impacting the ball more to start 2022 without much to show for it, holding a .691 OPS when he got hurt. He simplified his approach upon returning by adjusting his hand setup so there was more barrel depth to his path. That didn’t lead to more power, but did allow him to get back to his spray-to-all-fields approach. His .827 OPS in September carried over to his .374/.454/.482 AFL showing, and while hopes for real power have dimmed, there could be a bit more impact thanks to his barrel being in the zone a bit longer.

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