Two New Minor League Signings
Terry Ryan has spoke publicly about signing more free agents this offseason, even after landing Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes, and the Twins did just that by adding two more players to the organization today. According to Rhett Bollinger, Twins beat writer, the Twins signed two players to minor league contracts today.
Brandon Waring is a 27 year old third baseman who has never made it up to the majors yet. He was drafted in the 7th round in 2007 by the Cincinnati Reds and will be turning 28 this offseason. Waring has spent the last 4 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles organization, bouncing between A+ to AAA ball. His batting line for his minor league career is .254/.339/.488 with 159 HR and 491 RBI. I am not certain if he will be capable of making the major league team, but he has some pop in his bat and has hit 20+ home runs in every season he has played in the minors.
Matt Hoffman is a 25 year old left-handed pitcher who, like Waring, has not made it up to the big leagues yet. He was drafted back in the 2007 draft right out of high school by the Detroit Tigers in the 26th round. In his 6 seasons in the minors, he has a 19-27 record with a 3.90 ERA and 1.425 WHIP. Hoffman has spent the last 4 seasons being a reliever and seemed to have a pretty decent 2013 season going 4-3 with a 2.06 ERA and 9 strikeouts per 9 innings. He may not be a dynamite reliever, but a lefty is a lefty in baseball and can help an organization in one way or another.
These two signings are nowhere near the ballpark of the Nolasco or Hughes signings, but they are signings keeping the team active during the offseason. It is unsure how these two players will pan out for the Twins or if they will make the big league squad in Spring Training, but it is encouraging to see the amount of moves they are making to build the team as a whole. Now, we have the Winter Meetings to look forward to in the coming future.