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Home , Fernando Abad, Glen Perkins, Pat Light, Player to be named later, Tyler Jay

Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Friday, February 10, 2017

 Perkins calls off mound session; Park clears waivers; Light traded. Star Tribune (Neal III) p. 1  Twins’ Byung Ho Park clears waivers, designated to Triple-A Rochester. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 2  Perkins forced to postpone bullpen session. MLB (Bollinger) p. 2  Twins counting on young core for '17 success. MLB (Bollinger) p. 2  Park clears waivers, outrighted to Rochester. MLB (Bollinger) p. 3  Byung Ho Park will stay in Twins organization; Twins a reliever for cash. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 3  Reports: won’t throw off a mound Friday after all. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 4  Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Sorting through Twins’ reported interest in finding a free-agent hitter. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 4  Pirates acquire reliever from Twins. ESPN p. 6  Pirates acquire Pat Light from the Twins. NBC Sports (Bear) p. 6  Twins Notes: Napoli, Alvarez, Perkins. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 6  Pirates Acquire Pat Light, Designate Lisalverto Bonilla For Assignment. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 7  Byung Ho Park Clears Waivers, Outrighted To Triple-A. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 7  MLB rumors: ex- prospect Pat Light traded to Pirates; Byung Ho Park clears waivers, outrighted. Mass Live (Smith) p. 7  -themed restaurant now open at Minneapolis airport. Biz Journals (Williams) p. 8

Perkins calls off mound session; Park clears waivers; Light traded La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | February 9, 2017

Designated hitter Byung Ho Park cleared waivers and was outrighted to Class AAA Rochester by the Twins. Park was designated for assignment last week as the Twins made room to add free agent righthander Matt Belisle.

It was a gamble that no team would claim Park and the $9.25 million remaining on his contract, considering he batted .191 in 62 games for the Twins last season

Park will report to camp as a non-roster invite and battle for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

• Reliever Pat Light, who was designated for assignment on Monday, was traded to Pittsburgh for cash considerations. Light, who gave up 14 earned runs in 14 innings with the Twins last season, was traded to the Twins from Boston for . Light will be remembered for throwing a wild pitch while trying to intentionally walk Detroit's Erick Aybar.

• Reliever Glen Perkins felt a familiar catch behind his left shoulder and won’t throw off mound on Friday. Perkins postponed the session so he can continue to work on arm strength.

Perkins is attempting to rebound after season-ending surgery last year to repair a torn labrum -- a surgery that ended up being more extensive that initially expected.

Perkins, who pitched in just two games last season, wasn't expected to be ready to pitch in games until the second half of spring training. Even then, his availability heading into the regular season wasn’t a sure thing. It's unclear how this development will affect his schedule, but it is safe to assume that he and the Twins will be careful about how he progresses during camp. is expected to open the season as instead of Perkins, a three-time All-Star with 120 career saves.

When Perkins had surgery last June, his labrum had to be reattached to the bone, guaranteeing a lengthy recovery period.

Twins’ Byung Ho Park clears waivers, designated to Triple-A Rochester John Shipley | Pioneer Press | February 9, 2017

Byung Ho Park has cleared waivers, the Twins announced Thursday, and been designated to Triple-A Rochester with an invitation to spring training.

In addition, the team said, right-handed Pat Light was been traded to Pittsburgh for cash considerations.

Light. 25, was removed from the 40-man roster Feb. 6 when the Twins claimed Ehire Adrianza off waivers. Light was 0-1 with a 9.00 earned-run average in 15 relief appearances for the Twins after being acquired from Boston on July 31 in exchange for left-handed pitcher Fernando Abad.

Park, 30, was signed out of the Korea Organization in November 2015 after the Twins paid a $12.85 million posting fee to his former club, the Nexen Heroes. The designated hitter/first baseman is still owned $9.25 total over the next three seasons.

As a major league rookie last season, Park hit .191 with 12 home runs for the Twins before being shipped to Triple-A on July 1. There, he battled a hand injury that required surgery in August.

The Twins have 62 players players expected to report major league camp starting Monday in Fort Myers, Fla.

Perkins forced to postpone bullpen session Rhett Bollinger| MLB | February 9, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins reliever Glen Perkins, who is coming off left shoulder surgery, experienced some soreness and will push back Friday's targeted throwing date.

Perkins, who underwent surgery to reattach his labrum to the bone in June, has been working out at the club's Spring Training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., since early January, and had been scheduled to throw his first light bullpen session on Friday. Perkins, though, determined he wasn't ready to take that next step and will continue to build arm strength before getting off a mound.

Perkins, a three-time All-Star, said at TwinsFest that his rehab was going well this offseason, and estimated he was about three weeks behind his usual offseason schedule. Perkins had been throwing off flat ground in recent weeks without any issues, but he had been only throwing fastballs.

Perkins, who made just two appearances last year, had hoped to get into Spring Training games by mid-March, but he is likely to see that pushed back as well, as he's a candidate to open the season on the disabled list. Brandon Kintzler will fill-in as closer until Perkins proves he's ready to take back that role.

Twins counting on young core for '17 success Rhett Bollinger| MLB | February 9, 2017

With Spring Training fast approaching, MLB.com will take a look at a different aspect of this year's Twins squad each day this week. Today's topic -- What's the vision?

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey often speaks of his goal of building a sustainable championship-caliber franchise, but what would that type of team actually look like?

Much of it involves building around the club's young and athletic core of position players, such as center fielder , third baseman Miguel Sano, right fielder Max Kepler, shortstop Jorge Polanco and left fielder Eddie Rosario. But it's obvious that overhauling the pitching is going to be the most-important -- and most-challenging -- undertaking.

The Twins finished with the second-worst ERA in the Majors last year, but they are bringing back most of the same . The lone major change isn't a pitcher at all, it's defensively minded catcher Jason Castro, who was signed to a three-year deal. 2

The rotation is veteran-laden with , Hector Santiago, and , but the Twins have a slew of pitching prospects who could impact the rotation soon: Jose Berrios, Stephen Gonsalves, , , Adalberto Mejia and Fernando Romero. The Twins had that in mind when they signed Castro for three years, as he had previously worked with and helped develop Astros starters such as Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh and Lance McCullers.

Park clears waivers, outrighted to Rochester Rhett Bollinger| MLB | February 9, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins were hopeful slugger Byungho Park would clear waivers after being designated for assignment last Friday. The club got its wish on Thursday, as he went unclaimed and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester.

The Twins designated Park for assignment to make room for reliever Matt Belisle, and were strategic about their decision, as they thought he'd pass through waivers after an uneven rookie year that ended with hand surgery and $9.25 million remaining on his contract over the next three years. Reliever Pat Light, however, was traded to the Pirates for a player to be named or cash after he was designated for assignment on Monday to make room for infielder Ehire Adrianza.

Park will head to Spring Training as a non-roster invite and will compete with Kennys Vargas for the designated hitter role, although Vargas has the advantage because he remains on the 40-man roster.

Park, 30, hit .191/.275/.409 with 12 homers and 24 RBIs in 62 games before a demotion to Triple-A and season-ending hand surgery in late August. The two-team MVP in the Korean Baseball Organization also batted .224/.297/.526 with 10 homers and 19 RBIs in 31 games with Rochester.

Park, though, did show impressive power, as evidenced by Statcast™ data. As highlighted in a recent Fangraphs.com article on Park's breakout potential, he had an average exit velocity of 97.2 mph on fly balls and line drives that ranked as the 10th-best mark in baseball. And of his 123 balls put into play, 18.7 percent were classified as barreled, which was the second-highest rate in the Majors behind the Yankees' Gary Sanchez.

So Park still has plenty of promise, and the Twins believe that he'll be more comfortable this season in his second year in the United States. He's worked hard to learn the language, but the first season makes for a tough cultural adjustment.

"The challenge from coming overseas is not easy and he handled himself professionally," Twins chief baseball Derek Falvey said last week. "I would expect to continue as a young player to grow and get better. From a distance, we saw some of that power. We know that. There's a lot of areas of growth going forward. We'll see where he goes this year, but I'm hopeful for him."

Byung Ho Park will stay in Twins organization; Twins trade a reliever for cash Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | February 9, 2017

Byung Ho Park will remain in the Twins organization after all. Reliever Pat Light will not.

Park was DFA’d last week, and he was put on waivers and made it all the way through unclaimed, the team announced. He’s been outrighted to Triple-A Rochester, and will compete in Major League camp.

That comes as good news for Twins fans who want to see Park stick with the organization. There had been a report from Ken Rosenthal that the Tampa Bay Rays, seeking a right-handed hitter, might consider Park. FanGraphs author Dave Cameron speculated a small handful of teams could have taken a low-risk gamble on some cheap power by grabbing Park (Rangers, A’s, White Sox).

Park has 3 years and at least $9.25 million remaining on the contract he signed last winter. After a blazing first six weeks with the Twins, his rookie year fizzled out and he finished the season batting just .191/.275/.409, with 12 home runs in 244 plate appearances.

Perhaps the biggest question for Park revolves around whether or not he’ll make contact consistently enough to let his elite power play out in games over a full season. Among players with at least 200 plate appearances last year, only 12 players made contact less often than Park.

It should be noted, though, that the low-contact high-power formula isn’t exactly a death knell to producing in the big leagues. Players on that list with lower contact rates than Park in 2016 include , Chris Davis, Chris Carter and Miguel Sano. 3

Light traded

After signing a couple relievers this winter, the Twins also decided to get rid of Pat Light. The Twins had DFA’d Light to make room for waiver claim Ehire Adrianza, and now they’ve traded Light to the Pirates for cash considerations, the team said Thursday.

Light is the reliever that came from the Red Sox in exchange for Fernando Abad at last year’s trade deadline. The Twins took a shot on his high- velocity fastball, but he didn’t turn in much in the way of results in his 15 appearances for the Twins last season.

Reports: Glen Perkins won’t throw off a mound Friday after all Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | February 9, 2017

Twins closer Glen Perkins is working his way back to what he hopes will be his old form following a significant labrum surgery last season.

Perkins is in Fort Myers rehabbing, about 7 1/2 months after his labrum was reattached to the bone in his left (throwing) shoulder. The closer said during TwinsFest that things were progressing well, and he was at peace with his recovery process.

But that conversation was also colored by uncertainty. He said he was about three weeks behind where he’d be in a non-surgery year, but that he felt he was in a good spot with his recovery all things considered.

It remains a possibility that Perkins will open the season on the disabled list. It’s probably too early to make that declaration just yet. During TwinsFest, Perkins said he expected to be getting into games during spring training, and that he’d like to throw 4 bullpens sessions before camp.

The first of those has now been pushed back, according to Patrick Reusse.

Perkins took to Twitter on Thursday to describe this as a “bump in the road,” when a follower had questioned his strength and conditioning regimen because, you know, it’s Twitter.

It’s been about a year and a half since the Perkins has pitched at the height of his powers. He missed basically all of last season with the shoulder injury that he tried to rehab and would eventually require surgery. The season before that, he sprinted out to a perfect 28-for-28 converting chances, and was on his way to his third consecutive all-star game. After the all-star game, he had a really rough second half hampered by injuries and ineffectiveness.

“When you throw 96, 97 miles an hour for three or four years, guys don’t come out on the other end of that healthy,” Perkins said at TwinsFest. “So [if] it was meant to be, that’s just what was meant to happen. I’ve done everything I can to rehab this and hopefully that means that I’ll have success this year and be healthy. There’s no guarantee of that but whatever happens, I’m fine with, I know that I’ve given it everything I have so far.”

Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Sorting through Twins’ reported interest in finding a free-agent hitter Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | February 9, 2017

Brian Dozier boldly proclaimed during a radio interview at TwinsFest that the Twins had their eyes on several big-name free agents still looking for work. Dozier said he’d like to see a big bat to plop into the middle of Minnesota’s batting order.

With off the board, it doesn’t seem like that guy is out there in the free agent pond.

But Jon Heyman reports the Twins are still looking for some offensive help.

According to a different report, the Twins actually offered Napoli more money than the Rangers, but he took a one-year deal with a team option from Texas.

Chris Carter signed a cheap deal with the Yankees after he hit 41 home runs last year. Napoli and his career-high 34 home runs signed with the Rangers. And even premium sluggers like Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion got less money this winter than many had expected. So it’s at the very least interesting that the Twins still want to improve their offense and that they’re shopping on the discount rack to do so.

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Byung Ho Park cleared waivers and could open the year in Triple-A, so that might be one power bat option down the road. Those other names Heyman mentioned, though, let’s dig into those.

Pedro Alvarez

Alvarez bats left-handed and is 30 years old. Last year for the Orioles in a part-time role he batted .249/.322/.504 with 22 home runs in 376 plate appearances. He’s a much better hitter against righties than lefties, and there’s where the bulk of his work came under manager Buck Showalter (89% of his plate appearances).

His 117 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) could be a useful bat in the DH role, depending on what the Twins think of Kennys Vargas, who was much better against lefties last year. But a DH/1B three-way platoon with Alvarez, Vargas and would require an extra roster spot, under a manager that appears to value positional flexibility among his bench players.

Adam Lind

Lind bats left-handed and is 33 years old. Last year for the Mariners he batted .239/.286/.431 with 20 home runs in 430 plate appearances. The home run power is a nice touch, but that overall batting line would be a little hard to stomach when considering Lind would present the same issue of needing to devote a valuable roster spot to a hitter/first baseman.

However, the three years before last season, Lind was a great hitter for the Brewers and Blue Jays. In those three seasons combined Lind batted .291/.364/.478 with 49 home runs in 1,411 plate appearances. Signing him and expecting him to assume back-up first base or starting DH duties would bank on him returning to that slugging and on-base form that evaporated last year.

Ryan Howard

Howard is left-handed and 37 years old. Long ridiculed for his mega contract — which wasn’t his fault — Howard hasn’t had a productive offensive season since 2013. Even considering that, he did smack at least 23 home runs in each of the past three seasons, including 25 bombs in 362 plate appearances last year.

He’s been terrible against lefties the past two seasons, but hit well against them in 2014. With aging sluggers, I tend to focus more heavily on recent seasons.

I don’t know. Power is cheap these days. It would probably be hard for a lot of Twins followers to get over the fact that it’s Ryan Howard. It’s hard to see a DH-only left-handed bat that can’t hit lefties finding a place in Minnesota’s lineup.

Justin Morneau

Morneau is left-handed and 35 years old. It would make a great story. Twins fans know the Morneau saga well — from the MVP arc in 2010 to a knee-to-the-head concussion that altered the path of his career. Last year in a partial season for the White Sox he batted .261/.303/.429 with 6 home runs in 218 plate appearances.

He was really productive the two seasons before that in Colorado, though. The former hockey goalie batted a combined .316/.363/.487 with 20 home runs in 732 plate appearances for the Rockies in those two seasons.

Morneau told a handful of media members during the 2014 All-Star Game festivities at Target Field that he would be very open to a Twins reunion at some point in his career.

Billy Butler

Butler bats right-handed and is 30 years old. He’ll be 31 in April. He batted .284/.336/.416 with 5 home runs in 274 plate appearances last season for the A’s and Yankees. As measured by wRC+, Butler’s been about a leage-average hitter over the past three seasons, and was slightly above-average in a partial season last year. But among players who are limited to DH or first base, the offensive standard is higher, and he wasn’t quite up to that level last year.

The A’s released him for nothing in September and he signed with the Yankees for the final couple weeks of the season. Now the longtime Royal is looking for work in a market that just paid 41-homer Chris Carter $3 million.

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Pirates acquire reliever Pat Light from Twins AP | ESPN | February 9, 2017

PITTSBURGH -- The gave their bullpen another arm heading to spring training, acquiring reliever Pat Light from Minnesota on Thursday for a player to be named or cash.

Minnesota designated the 25-year-old Light for assignment on Feb. 6. Light appeared in 15 games for Minnesota in 2016, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in 14 innings pitched. Light, a former first-round pick by the Boston Red Sox, was sent to Minnesota at the trade deadline last season in exchange for Fernando Abad.

To make room for Light, the Pirates designated pitcher Lisalverto Bonilla for assignment.

Minnesota also said first baseman Byung Ho Park cleared waivers, assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester and will attend big league spring training as a non-roster player. The 30-year-old hit .191 with 12 home runs and 24 RBI in 62 games last season after the Twins paid his South Korean club, the Nexen Heroes, $12.85 million for negotiating rights and signed a $12 million, four-year contract. There is $9.75 million remaining.

Pirates acquire Pat Light from the Twins Bill Baer | NBC Sports | February 9, 2017

The Pirates announced on Thursday that the club acquired pitcher Pat Light from the Twins in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Pirates designated pitcher Lisalverto Bonilla for assignment to create roster space.

Light, 25, was designated for assignment by the Twins on Monday. The right-hander made his major league debut with the Red Sox last season, then joined the Twins on August 1 in the Fernando Abad trade. Across 16 2/3 innings of relief, Light yielded 21 earned runs on 22 hits and 16 walks with 16 . Control has always been an issue for Light, but the Pirates likely see potential with his mid-90’s fastball.

Twins Notes: Napoli, Alvarez, Perkins Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors| February 9, 2017

The Twins offered Mike Napoli more money than he ultimately accepted from the Rangers, reports FOX’s Ken Rosenthal, as new execs Derek Falvey and Thad Levine valued his on-field productivity and his clubhouse presence. Both Falvey and Levine know Napoli well from his time with the Indians and Rangers, and the new Twins duo is emphasizing not only on-field production but off-the-field value in all of their decisions.

“Talent is an aspect of any decision we make,” Falvey told Rosenthal. “But there is an element of clubhouse chemistry that also plays a role in organization-building. We’re going to talk about leadership, makeup and how guys fit in our clubhouse along with how we feel they will perform.”

More from Minnesota:

1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson noted in his most recent podcast (audio link, Twins talk around 10:10 mark) that the Twins got the sense they’d have had to blow the Rangers’ offer out of the water to convince Napoli to sign in Minnesota — perhaps a two-year offer worth nearly $10MM annually — as the veteran slugger was prioritizing contending clubs in free agency. It’s certainly understandable that the organization wasn’t willing to make quite so significant a commitment.

Missing on Napoli has left the Twins looking for alternatives, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports on Twitter. Lefty slugger Pedro Alvarez is one player who has received at least internal considerations; as Heyman notes, there are a variety of other possibilities also still available via free agency. Most of the better remaining bats are left-handed hitters — including, most prominently, Alvarez, Adam Lind, , and Ryan Howard — whereas Napoli hits from the right side, but it seems that the organization does not have a strong preference in that regard.

Presumptive first baseman Joe Mauer is a lefty bat, but top DH option Kennys Vargas is a switch-hitter who has performed better in the majors when facing southpaws. (Byung Ho Park represents another righty option, if he can earn his way back into 40-man consideration.)

Mound work will have to wait for lefty Glen Perkins, as LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. The former closer “felt a 6 familiar catch behind his left shoulder,” per the report, which caused him to delay a planned throwing session today. Though Neal notes on Twitter that it wasn’t considered a setback, it seems that Perkins will need to continue building his arm strength before he’s ready to advance in his progression. The veteran reliever is attempting to make it back from labrum surgery, with hopes he’ll be capable of returning to major league action relatively early in the 2017 season.

Pirates Acquire Pat Light, Designate Lisalverto Bonilla For Assignment Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors| February 9, 2017

The Pirates announced that they’ve acquired hard-throwing right-hander Pat Light from the Twins in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated fellow right-hander Lisalverto Bonilla for assignment. Minnesota had designated Light for assignment last weekend when they claimed infielder Ehire Adrianza off waivers. It seems as if the Twins will be receiving cash, as opposed to a player, as Minnesota’s announcement made no mention of a possible PTBNL.

Light, 26 next month, long rated as one of the more promising farmhands in the Red Sox organization, but Boston parted ways with him to acquire southpaw Fernando Abad prior to last year’s non-waiver trade deadline. Light made his big league debut last season but allowed 22 runs in 16 1/3 innings with 16 strikeouts against 16 walks.

Control has been an issue for Light in the past two minor league seasons, as he has walked 56 batters in 100 2/3 innings in that time. He did, however, average nearly 95 mph on his fastball during his brief 2016 call-ups, and he also logged a 54.4 percent ground-ball rate. Both factors likely piqued the interest of the Pirates, who place a heavy emphasis on ground-ball tendencies.

Bonilla, 26, hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2014. The former Phillies/Rangers prospect underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015 but worked his way back to health with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in 2016. In 111 innings split between the Double-A and Triple-A affiliates of the Dodgers, Bonilla logged a 3.97 with a 118-to-40 K/BB ratio. His short stint in the Majors back in 2014 resulted in a 3.05 ERA and a 17-to-12 K/BB ratio in 20 2/3 innings. The Bucs had signed Bonilla to a Major League deal earlier this offseason.

Byung Ho Park Clears Waivers, Outrighted To Triple-A Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors| February 9, 2017

First baseman/designated hitter Byung Ho Park has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the Twins’ 40-man roster, reports La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The team has since announced the move. Park will be in camp with the Twins as a non-roster invitee in Spring Training.

Park was somewhat surprisingly designated for assignment last week in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Matt Belisle, who signed as a free agent. However, the guaranteed $9.25MM remaining on Park’s contract allowed him to pass through waivers unclaimed, and he’ll now remain with the Twins and vie for a job in camp or early this season after getting in some work with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester.

The 30-year-old Park was a superstar in the Korea Baseball Organization prior to being posted by the Nexen Heroes, and the Twins secured exclusive negotiation rights with him in December 2015 by submitting a blind bid of $12.85MM. Minnesota and Park’s representatives at Octagon worked out a four-year, $12MM contract that came with a fifth-year club option, and Park was penciled in as Minnesota’s primary DH heading into the 2016 campaign.

Park rallied after a slow first week and was hitting .257/.339/.578 with nine homers through his first 124 plate appearances. Strikeouts were a problem for Park from the get-go, however, and his production fell off the table before a June demotion to Triple-A. With Rochester, Park was eventually sidelined by a wrist injury that ultimately required surgical repair. The slugger wouldn’t blame his struggles in the Majors on the injury, though it’s certainly possible that Park’s ailing wrist/hand contributed to his .191/.275/.409 slash in the Majors.

MLB rumors: ex-Boston Red Sox prospect Pat Light traded to Pirates; Byung Ho Park clears waivers, outrighted Christopher Smith | Mass Live| February 10, 2017

The Minnesota Twins have traded former Boston Red Sox prospect Pat Light to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later.

Minnesota designated Light for assignment earlier this week as the corresponding move after claiming Ehire Adrianza off waivers.

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Boston selected Light in the first round (37th overall) of the 2012 draft. They traded the right-handed reliever to the Twins on Aug. 1 for lefty reliever Fernando Abad.

Light is a hard thrower. He has reached over 100 mph. But he allowed 22 runs in 16 2/3 innings combined between Minnesota and Boston in 2016, his rookie season.

Byung Ho Park clears waivers, outrighted

Byung Ho Park signed a four-year, $12-million contract with Minnesota last offseason after bashing a combined 105 home runs in his previous two seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization.

But Park slashed only .191/.275/.409/.684 with 12 homers, 24 RBIs, nine doubles and one triple in 62 games (244 plate appearances) for Twins last season.

The Twins designated him for assignment earlier this week as a corresponding move for signing free agent Matt Belisle.

Park has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Rochester, Minnesota's Triple A affiliate. So he no longer is on Minnesota's 40-man roster.

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Minnesota Twins-themed restaurant now open at Minneapolis airport Nick Williams | Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal | February 9, 2017

The Twins Grill, a Minnesota Twins-themed bar and grill restaurant, is now open at Minneapolis-St. Paul Paul International Airport.

The restaurant, owned by New York-based Delaware North Co., opened Feb. 4 and is located in Concourse C in Terminal 1-Lindbergh in the former TGI Friday’s space.

The eatery serves ballpark concession items that can be found at Target Field, the home of the Twins, as well as appetizers and entrees like salmon and steak, said Kevin Kirchberg, operation support manager for Delaware North. Hell's Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis is a minority partner with Twins Grill, Kirchberg said.

Some of the items served at the restaurant that are also available at Target Field are the Killebrew Root Beer, the Juicy Lucy burger and Grand Slam Nachos.

Roughly 6,000 square feet in size and able to accommodate 220 patrons, the decor and design of Twins Grill will assuredly appeal to sports fans. There are 29 flat screen TV's throughout the establishment and the bar is in the shape of a baseball diamond field. There is also a mural honoring former Twin greats like Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett and different colored bats form the Major Baseball League logo above a seating section on the far right side of the restaurant. The Town Wall, a wall of pictures of every community ballpark in Minnesota, stretches across the rear wall of the restaurant.

On its second day, the restaurant was full of travelers who poured in to watch the Super Bowl.

"It was fantastic," said Kevin Kirchberg, operation support manager for Delaware North. "It was a great time to open before Super Bowl Sunday."

In August of 2015, Twins Grill was one of several restaurants and retail shops approved for space in Terminal 1 by the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

In March, Delaware North will open a Smack Shack location at MSP. In November, they opened Angel Food Bakery in Concourse E.

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