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It¡¯s just about five weeks until pitchers and catchers report, if you can believe that. And while it¡¯s been a mostly quiet winter for the Twins, it seems we now have a pretty decent idea as to the roster that will congregate in Fort Myers, Fla., next month. Hint: it looks like what you¡¯d see if you looked at the roster page on Twins.com right now.

Following a couple of bits of news Thursday, neither earth-shattering but both relevant, it may be that the bulk of the club¡¯s winter work is done. In case you missed either one, Minnesota acquired former top prospect Diego Cartaya from the Dodgers to bolster its catching corps, and also agreed on 2025 contracts with all eight of its previously unsigned arbitration-eligible players.

Adding Cartaya provided high-Minors catching depth and possibly offensive upside. Avoiding arbitration provided cost clarity for the large majority of the ¡¯25 roster. The so-called ¡°zero to three¡± players who are not yet eligible for arbitration remain unsigned. However, those players¡¯ salaries will fall within a very narrow band, meaning that even if the exact individual numbers aren¡¯t known, the club has a very good idea of what the aggregate total will be.

So what, exactly, did Thursday¡¯s two pieces of news mean to the team? Let¡¯s start with Cartaya.

On some level, acquiring the 23-year-old was a no-brainer. Two years ago, he was a top 15 prospect in baseball, an improving defensive catcher with an impressive offensive profile. His bat has stalled out at the higher levels, but even while struggling, he¡¯s flashed power. And his defensive qualities, from receiving to throwing to handling pitchers, receive praise across the board.

When the price to acquire a player like that is an unranked lottery-ticket arm who has not yet pitched on U.S. soil, you do it.

¡°From our perspective, building out our catching depth feels really good,¡± general manager Jeremy Zoll said Thursday. ¡°It always feels like you can never have enough quality catching options. We felt like it was an opportunity to try to catch some upside, and we really love the package of tools he brings to the table and the reputation he has from a makeup perspective.¡±

And though Cartaya is the second catcher (or catcher-adjacent) player the club has acquired this winter, joining part-time catcher Mickey Gasper, don¡¯t assume that¡¯s necessarily prelude to a trade. Despite some sense at the start of the winter that the club might have to cut payroll, Zoll said he does not anticipate any pressure to move players before camp starts.

That doesn¡¯t mean something won¡¯t come up, of course. As any baseball person will tell you, it only ever takes one phone call. But reducing the Major League payroll is not a goal in and of itself at the moment, according to the GM.

¡°We feel like the spot we¡¯re in is something that allows us to be creative and opportunistic,¡± he said. ¡°[We¡¯re] continuing to vet all the different options and ways that we can make the team better. but at this point, we don¡¯t feel like cuts are in order from an overall payroll perspective. Just working to find ways to explore every opportunity to do the best we can.¡±

As for the arbitration agreements, Zoll explained that there wasn¡¯t all that much uncertainty regarding potential arbitration figures. Six of the eight players were first-year arbitration eligible, a class of player that tends to have less variability in the salaries determined through the arbitration process. Still, the club has more certainty regarding its payroll commitments today than it did a few days ago.

So they will continue to hunt for opportunities to upgrade the roster. There could certainly still be a trade or a small signing, such as the recent addition of veteran first baseman Mike Ford to a Minor League deal.

A month still remains before camp. But it appears at least possible that the heavy lifting is done for the winter.