MINNEAPOLIS -- Taylor Rogers knew all along that he wanted to pitch for the Twins again. So when they called, it didn’t take long at all for a deal to come together.
Rogers officially signed a one-year deal with Minnesota on Friday, returning to the organization where he spent the first six years of his big league career. He met fans at TwinsFest on Saturday, finding himself back in a very familiar spot.
“I told my agent [before] the Winter Meetings to pop by the Twins and just let them know I was interested,” Rogers said. “Kind of didn't hear anything, really until Wednesday. … Then they called on Wednesday, and I was flying up here on Thursday. So once the interest was mutual, I was like, let's just do it.”
The veteran lefty joins a bullpen still very short on experience, and one that may yet add arms before the season starts. He took note of the opportunity that could provide, as well as several other things he liked about a return to Minnesota -- in particular the chance to work with new Twins manager Derek Shelton.
“There [were] a lot of factors,” he said. “I told Shelty on the phone, you know, if he was managing a team in Fargo, North Dakota, I would want to want to go there. Same with an opportunity to work with [new bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins]. So that, on top of knowing the organization … I mean, that's a match made in heaven. What are the chances of that?”
One other aspect that stood out to Rogers is that he’s approaching a meaningful milestone. When a Major Leaguer reaches 10 full years of service time, he’s fully vested in the pension, and it’s a day that is always celebrated. Rogers is less than a month from hitting 10 years, and he’s excited to do it where he started.
“I think that's part of the coolest, one of the coolest aspects of it,” he said. “To start and end your [first] 10 years here – [I picked] out a spot on the wall to frame that jersey that day, and I'll always remember that.”
The Twins also formalized a deal with catcher-first baseman Victor Caratini on Friday. To make room for Rogers and Caratini on the 40-man roster, they designated right-hander Pierson Ohl and catcher Jhonny Pereda for assignment.
Festa feeling good
Right-hander David Festa has been encouraged by his offseason progress. He made only one appearance, in Triple-A, after July 21 due to a mild form of thoracic outlet syndrome. That diagnosis is often scary for pitchers, and it was initially for Festa. But he said on Saturday that he’s going through something very close to a normal offseason, and he expects to be ready to compete for a rotation spot when camp opens next month.
Festa was placed on the injured list in July with what was called shoulder inflammation. He made one rehab start, in late August, before being shut down again and eventually being diagnosed with TOS.
He’s well under way with a throwing program, estimating he’s thrown “five or six” bullpen sessions.
“The news that I got in September, and the time I had taken off during that month after I shut down after my rehab start, I think that extra time helped me kind of get on track,” Festa said. “I think if I had to shut down, like, the last day of the season, then I would have been behind. But my thought process was, I honestly started throwing earlier than what I originally would have, kind of to give myself some time to slow cook it in the front end, hit every necessary step I needed to. So that's kind of put me in a position now that I am on time. … Most offseasons, you know, when you're healthy and stuff, you can just throw and not really have to worry. Just for me, making sure each time I did progress in the progression, I guess you could say just making sure that the body was responding.”
Event ends early
At about 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, the Twins announced that Twinsfest would end one hour earlier than originally scheduled, at 4 p.m. rather than 5 p.m. The club issued a statement that read as follows:
“Due to the situation in south Minneapolis and to provide for the expedited departure of all our guests, TwinsFest 2026 at Target Field will now conclude at 4:00 pm today, Saturday, January 24, rather than 5:00 p.m. as originally scheduled.”
The announcement followed a fatal shooting on Saturday morning by federal agents in Minneapolis.