TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — By patiently monitoring baseball's slow-moving market this winter, the Minnesota Twins have made several significant improvements to the team that made a surprise run last season to the AL wild card game.The Twins finalized a $12 million, one-year contract on Monday with right-hander Lance Lynn, another low-risk move toward strengthening their pitching staff that ranked 19th in the major leagues in 2017 with a 4.59 ERA.Lynn, who joined his new teammates on the field for an afternoon workout in Fort Myers, Florida, will be introduced at a news conference on Tuesday before taking the mound for an exhibition against Baltimore.After missing the 2016 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Lynn went 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 33 starts for St. Louis in 2017 last year. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Lynn was an All-Star in 2012, his first full season in the majors. He was the 39th overall draft pick in 2008 by the Cardinals out of Mississippi.With the Twins, Lynn will join fellow... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have finalized a $12 million, one-year contract with right-hander Lance Lynn, another patient, low-risk move toward strengthening their pitching staff.The deal was announced by the Twins on Monday, and Lynn will be introduced at a news conference on Tuesday before taking the mound against the Baltimore Orioles inb Fort Myers.After missing the 2016 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Lynn went 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 33 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 last year. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Lynn was an All-Star in 2012. He will join fellow newcomer Jake Odorizzi in the rotation, likely with Jose Berrios, Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson.To make room on the roster, the Twins released right-hander Anibal Sanchez on Sunday after a three-week stint with the club. Sanchez gets $403,226 in termination pay rather than his $2.5 million salary.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://www.apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Minnesota Twins right-hander Ervin Santana left spring training for New York to have his injured middle finger examined.Santana, out until mid-to-late April following surgery on the finger, could have a cast removed."Hopefully he comes back lighter ... with the cast off," Twins manager Paul Molitor said before Monday's exhibition against Philadelphia.Santana went 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 33 starts last season for the Twins, who earned an AL wild-card berth one year after losing 103 games.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — With his sharp-breaking curveball, a fastball averaging 94 mph and the fitness of an elite athlete, Jose Berrios has every reason to be confident on the mound.Last season, he finally was.From the day he was drafted out of Puerto Rico by the Minnesota Twins with the 32nd overall pick in 2012, Berrios has been one of the organization's best pitching prospects. He thrived at every level of the minors, and once he made it to Minnesota in 2016 there were no concerns about him being able to adapt to major league hitters and entrench himself in the rotation for years to come.His debut was quite the dud, though, with an unsightly 8.02 ERA over 14 starts. He gave up 12 home runs and 35 walks in 58 1/3 innings. The missing ingredient, then, was self-assurance."Sometimes when things were going wrong," Berrios said, searching for a second to arrive at the right word in English, "I got discouraged."Hard to figure for someone who's so talented — but everyone is human."And he's... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have finalized their low-risk contract with right-hander Anibal Sanchez, securing another experienced candidate for their rotation.For the Twins, he's another option in a situation with few of them proven. For Sanchez, it's a late-career chance to potentially get back on track as a reliable starting pitcher and rediscover that winning feeling after some recent rough seasons with the Detroit Tigers."I can see the opportunity here, too. They are a really good group of players," said Sanchez, who signed the one-year, non-guaranteed deal on Tuesday before throwing his first bullpen session with the team.He agreed to terms last week for $2.5 million this season, according to multiple reports, if he makes the major league roster out of spring training. Additional money is available through incentives.After leading the American League with a 2.57 ERA in 2013, Sanchez struggled through the next three seasons for the Tigers while dealing with injuries... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Jake Odorizzi joined the Minnesota Twins just in time for their first full-squad workout of spring training.He had a sense he'd land with them, actually, and it was a good feeling. Leaving behind the Tampa Bay Rays teammates he'd become close friends with wasn't fun, but leaving an organization cutting salary for one coming off a postseason appearance was a welcomed trade."I'm glad to have that closure now, where I don't have to worry about it each day waking up like, 'Is this could be the day I have a new team?'" Odorizzi said.That moment came on Saturday night, when the Rays sent the 27-year-old right-hander to the Twins for minor league shortstop Jermaine Palacios."It's kind of a foregone thing when you're there, to a certain point. Everyone ends up leaving, whether it's time or dollars," Odorizzi said on Monday afternoon, after putting on his Twins uniform for the first time. "I'm out, so I'm happy to go to be here to be on a contending team."The Rays, who let... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins acquired right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi from the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night for minor league infielder Jermaine Palacios, securing some needed depth for their rotation after missing out on several free agents.The 27-year-old Odorizzi will join his third major league team in the Twins, who won't have right-hander Ervin Santana for the first several weeks of the regular season while he recovers from surgery on his middle finger. Kyle Gibson, Jose Berrios and Adalberto Mejia are the only other returning pitchers who made more than 10 starts for the Twins in 2017.Phil Hughes is also in the mix, recovering from a second thoracic outlet surgery on his ribs in as many years, but the Twins were concerned enough about their lack of proven candidates to make the trade for Odorizzi. They've also, according to multiple reports, reached an agreement with right-hander Anibal Sanchez, who has made 262 starts for the Tigers and Marlins over the last 12 seasons.For... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — On the first day of spring training for the Minnesota Twins, it was difficult to watch the drills on the field without thinking about the potential starting pitchers who weren't there.Twins pitchers and catchers held their first official workout on Wednesday, but there's room for more."It's not hard to see, even if you're not trying, that we have a need, rotation-wise, where we will have to fill some spots," manager Paul Molitor said.The Twins in 2017 became the first team in major league history to reach the postseason after losing 100 or more games the year before. Molitor is the AL Manager of the Year award holder, entering his fourth season. There's a strong nucleus of drafted-and-developed players who are entering their peak years.The glaring omission, however, is a front-line starting pitcher or two to lead a rotation that was improved last season but still ranked just 19th in MLB with a collective 4.73 ERA. The tenuous depth was thinned further when Ervin... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The turnaround for Minnesota last year was sharp, with 26 more wins than the miserable 2016 season on a march to the AL wild card game.This year, the Twins are in position to actually measure progress by postseason advancement. The entire starting lineup stayed intact, with five core players age 25 and under, and the bullpen was given a big boost with three free agent additions .For the first time in seven years, the previous appearance in the playoffs, Minnesota is a desired destination."I feel like this team is on the edge of being really good for a while," said left-hander Zach Duke, who joined right-handers Fernando Rodney and Addison Reed as veteran relievers who signed this winter. "Maybe a pitcher or two away, and it's there. It's a very exciting thing."The pitcher or two could still materialize, with Yu Darvish at the top of the list of unsigned logjam of free agents around the game. The Twins, who hold their first official workout for pitchers and catchers on... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Cleveland IndiansManager: Terry Francona (sixth season).2017: 102-60, first place, lost to New York Yankees in ALDS.Training Town: Goodyear, Arizona.Park: Goodyear Ballpark.First Workout: Feb. 15/19.He's Here: 1B-DH Yonder Alonso, OF Melvin Upton Jr., RHP Alexi Ogando.He's Outta Here: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Jay Bruce, RHP Bryan Shaw, RHP Joe Smith, OF Austin Jackson, LHP Boone Logan.Going campin': Poised to possibly end their 70-year-old World Series title drought, the Indians, who reeled off 22 straight victories in 2017, didn't even make it back to the AL Championship Series after squandering a 2-0 playoff lead against the Yankees. Unlike last winter, when the club signed DH Edwin Encarnacion in free agency, the Indians were relatively quiet, counting on their core to carry them in... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins right-hander Ervin Santana will miss the start of the regular season after unexpected surgery on his right middle finger.The Twins announced the 35-year-old right-hander had the procedure Tuesday in New York by Dr. Charles Melone, after Santana experienced discomfort during a bullpen session last week. Santana is expected to need 10 to 12 weeks of rehabilitation before he can pitch in a major league game, which would keep him out of the rotation until at least mid-April.Santana has had trouble with the digit before and had an X-ray and MRI after the 2017 season, when doctors determined there was no injury to the tendon. He was treated with an injection at the time. The injury resurfaced last week, and Melone's recommendation was surgery. The procedure to the joint of the finger is a capsular release/debridement. The Twins said the injury stems from wear and tear, not one acute event.Santana was an All-Star last year, going 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 211 1/3... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins right-hander Ervin Santana will miss the start of the regular season after undergoing unexpected surgery on his right middle finger.The Twins announced the 35-year-old right-hander had the procedure done Tuesday in New York by Dr. Charles Melone, after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session last week. Santana is expected to need 10 to 12 weeks of rehabilitation before he can pitch in a major league game, which would keep him out of the rotation until at least mid-April.Santana has had trouble with the digit before and had it examined by X-ray and MRI test after the 2017 season. He was treated with an injection at the time, but the injury resurfaced last week.Santana was an All-Star last year, going 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 33 starts. He started in the AL wild-card game, which the Twins lost at Yankee Stadium.

RHP Ervin Santana allowed four runs on three hits in two innings Tuesday. He allowed homers to SS Didi Gregorius and LF Brett Gardner in his fourth career postseason appearance against the Yankees. Santana threw 64 pitches and allowed the homer on fastballs. He produced the second-shortest start in Minnesota's postseason history, equaling RHP Jim Kaat, who allowed four runs and six hits in Game 3 of the 1970 ALCS versus the Baltimore Orioles. He also became the sixth starter in Minnesota history to not get a strikeout in a playoff game. The last was RHP Brad Radke, who did it in 6 1/3 innings in Game 2 of the 2004 ALDS against the New York Yankees.

RHP Ervin Santana has been named by manager Paul Molitor as the Twins' starter for Tuesday's wild-card game vs. the Yankees or Red Sox. It will be Santana's first postseason start since he was with the Angels and started Game 2 of the 2008 Division Series vs. Boston, when he pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up five runs on eight hits, with three strikeouts and no walks. In eight career postseason appearances, two of them starts, Santana is 2-2 with a 5.56 ERA. In his last regular season start Thursday, Santana pitched five scoreless innings on four hits, with one strikeout and no walks. He threw 57 pitches. "Ervin did a nice job," said Molitor. "We talked about how long he should go, and felt five innings was good. That's a nice tune-up for him that will keep him fresh for Tuesday."

RHP Ervin Santana gave up four straight hits to open Saturday night's game, five overall in the first, then set down 18 out of 20 in the seven innings he worked. "Give Ervin a lot of credit," manager Paul Molitor said. "It looked like he had a little rough start. He didn't catch many breaks. Couple balls painted down the right field line. Couple other things that happened. But he settled in really nicely and other than the changeup he kind of left up for (Efren) Navarro he had a solid seven innings for us. I'm glad we're able to pick up a win for the team first and get another for Ervin in his win column too." "Good thing I just gave up two runs in that first inning," Santana said, "minimize the damage."

RHP Ervin Santana took his first loss since July 21 when he allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He ended a 10-game unbeaten streak, which matched the longest run by a Minnesota starter since the 2011 season. RHP Tyler Duffey also went 10 straight starts without a loss from Aug. 15, 2015-April 24, 2016. The last Twin to go 11 straight starts without losing was LHP Francisco Liriano July 16-Sept. 14, 2010. Santana, who is 6-10 against the Yankees, is lined up to potentially start the wild card game in New York. After Monday, he did his best to downplay it, saying: "Of course - it's just another game. "I don't keep track of what I do here, what I do over there. I just try to keep it one pitch at a time, just trying to do my best."

RHP Ervin Santana was denied his 16th win after San Diego's Austin Hedges homered in the eighth inning off Twins reliever Trevor Hildenberger. Santana, who shut out the Padres in San Diego earlier this season, threw six scoreless innings and gave up just three hits. He struck out seven batters and got out of the only jam he faced when he stranded runners at second and third in the second inning.

RHP Ervin Santana picked up his 15th victory on Friday night, matching three others for most in the American League. He logged his first victory as a Kauffman Stadium visitor since May 21, 2010, with the Angels. He is 9-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 14 road starts this season, winning his last six.

RHP Ervin Santana picked up his 14th win of the season Tuesday by allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings against the White Sox. The win extended Santana's impressive stretch in August. Over his last six starts, Santana is 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA and has struck out 42 batters during that span.

RHP Ervin Santana (13-7, 3.24 ERA) will face the Chicago White Sox for the fifth time this season Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series at Target Field. He is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA in his first four starts against the White Sox. In his most recent start against them on Wednesday he did not factor in the decision after allowing two runs and three hits while striking out eight in seven innings. In 26 career outings (25 starts) against the White Sox he is 11-8 with a 3.58 ERA. He is 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five career appearances against the White Sox at Target Field.