When do Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers report to spring training?

Let's not dwell on what the Minnesota Twins haven't done -- which is anything in terms of adding to the roster -- and instead look to the future.

In fact, let's look to the very near future, because pitchers and catchers are set to report soon which means Spring Training is right around the corner and Opening Day is on the horizon. It feels like just yesterday that we were all watching the Twins snap the most miserable losing streak in profressional sports, beating the Toronto Blue Jays to win the team's first playoff game since 2004.

The catharsis of ending a 19-year streak tends to stick with you for a while.

Minnesota still has some work to do, namely replacing Sonny Gray in the starting rotation, but Spring Training will afford us all a chance to pop the hood and assess what the Twins have in-house. Last year we watched rookies Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien lead a youth movement that sparked a late season surge and sent the Twins deeper into October than they've been in two decades.

This year we'll see more young players try to make the leap, while core guys like Pablo Lopez, Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton and others try to keep the momentum from last season rolling.

When do pitchers and catchers report for the Twins?

Baseball love will truly be in the air this year as pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Fort Myers on Valentine's Day. The Twins will soft launch Spring Training on February 14th, with the first full squad practice taking place a few days later on February 19th.

There will be a few things to keep an eye on throughout Spring Training this year, not the least of which is the big move everyone is waiting for the Twins to make. Historically the team usually waits until right around this time to dive into the market, with the Pablo Lopez trade taking place at the end of January last year. Minnesota acquired Kenta Maeda in February 2020 and Sonny Gray in March 2022, which lines up perfectly for another big deal to take place soon.

Not for nothing, but Rocco Baldelli is betting on something happening.

Minnesota has three players who could begin Spring Training with the team but end it elsewhere. Jorge Polanco is the most popular name being tossed around the rumor mill, with Max Kepler and Kyle Farmer not far behind. It's unlikley that the Twins dip into their prospect pool nor are they expected to acquire anything other than Big League talent.

Prospects do figure to factor into things, though.

Specifically, this will be a big spring for Austin Martin. He's expected to make the Opening Day roster if all goes well, and how he settles in during Spring Training will be very telling. It's a chain reaction sort of deal, as Martin is part of an infield utility jam that makes guys like Polanco and Farmer expendable, but is also expected to add depth behind Byron Buxton out in center.

Martin is also one of the Twins top prospects on a timeline to get the call this year, and has a chance to lead the Youth Movement 2.0 alongside other potential call-ups like Brooks Lee, David Festa, and Matt Canterino.

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