There are still plenty of players in big league camp. A few non-roster invitees remain, but Rocco Baldelli’s Opening Day roster is becoming more clear as the days go by. After the latest moves, the starting rotation has now been set.

Five more roster cuts made by Minnesota Twins

None of Sunday’s roster moves should come as a shock to fans. What the latest moves mean is that Rocco Baldelli has his starting rotation locked in. That group was always expected to be Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, and Simeon Woods Richardson. Now it is official.

Twins announced the latest round of cuts:

David Festa
Kody Funderburk
Luke Keaschall
Zebby Matthews
Alex Speas

As expected, that means the rotation will be Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, and Simeon Woods Richardson.

Down to 40 players in major-league camp.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) March 16, 2025

Both David Festa and Zebby Matthews remain the most likely immediate depth options for the starting rotation. The former struggled this spring and allowed 15 runs on 19 hits in just 11 1/3 innings. He struck out 11 and walked just three.

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The latter has been called a breakout candidate this year, and his Grapefruit League results are more than encouraging. Matthews didn’t allow a run across 9 1/3 innings and posted a strong 12/1 K/BB.

Luke Keaschall and Alex Speas were never expected to make the roster. Keaschall, top 100 prospect, should spend time at Triple-A and could be a star. He flashed during the Spring Breakout game and had five hits, including a home run, across 12 games.

Luke Keaschall kicks off the Spring Breakout game with a single. pic.twitter.com/8elcnznqwY

— Ted (@tlschwerz) March 15, 2025

There are multiple avenues for Keaschall to make the Minnesota Twins roster at some point this season. He could be a factor at either second or third base. Speas will go to Triple-A and provide bullpen depth.

Kody Funderburk was in consideration for the second lefty out of the bullpen. He gave up four runs on six hits in 7 2/3 innings this spring. He also had an 8/6 K/BB. He’ll need to hone in the command but should be back at some point this season.

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Rocco Baldelli’s camp now has 40 players in it. The Minnesota Twins must make 14 more cuts before taking the team back north. Most of the ambiguity remains in the bullpen, and final bench spots.

RHP Alex Speas signs with the Minnesota Twins

On Sunday morning, he took an early stab at a low-risk high reward former Houston Astro, signing free agent pitcher Alex Speas to a minor league deal. His agency, Munger English Sports Management, shared the news.

Congratulations to @alexjspeas on inking his new deal with the @Twins pic.twitter.com/1sQvwMCiyF

— Munger English SM (@MungerEnglishSM) November 24, 2024

Speas has to be quite happy with how the free agency process played out for him. He switched representation earlier this month, and it took Munger English only a matter of weeks to find him a contract. The right-handed pitcher was a second-round pick for the Texas Rangers back in 2016.

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He is now 26-years-old and has made brief cameo appearances in the big leagues for both Texas and the Houston Astros. Coincidentally, the only big league game he pitched in 2024 came against his new employer.

Alex Speas is a hard-throwing righty known for his high strikeout rates in the minors. If the Twins can help him with his command issues, this might end up being a sneaky good pickup. https://t.co/eLkFaRe316 pic.twitter.com/F3XrKsnqra

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) November 24, 2024

What are the Twins getting in Speas?

There isn’t much to glean from four innings at the major league level. On the farm though, it’s been a mixed bag. He has missed multiple seasons due to injury, and posted a 12.13 ERA across 29 2/3 innings at Triple-A last year.

Speas owns a career 13.9 K/9 across 171 1/3 minor league innings. That’s what the Twins are clearly trying to harness. The problem is that the strikeout rate also comes with an 8.4 BB/9 tally. Speas sat at 98.5 mph on his fastball last year for the Astros.

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No one has been able to figure out the control issues yet, but this signing looks like a more aggressive project along the lines of Hobie Harris a year ago. Maybe Minnesota can strike gold and make it work.