FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The message hasn't changed, but the belief might have.
As they do every year, all of the Twins -- players, staff and personnel -- met behind closed doors before the official start of full-squad workouts at the CenturyLink Sports Complex on Monday for introductions and to establish information necessary for camp. Many department heads spoke, as did president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and new bench coach Mike Bell.
In his second season at the helm of the club, manager Rocco Baldelli also addressed the team to set the tone for the 2020 season. The goal is still the same: to bring a World Series championship back to Minneapolis for the first time since 1991. But considering last season's success and the Twins' active offseason, the path to that goal is perhaps clearer than it was at this point last season.
"We should have those types of expectations," Baldelli said.
"He said the exact same thing," reliever Trevor May said. "I just think that how much we believe it is a little more, because we proved it last year. I think that now that we've had that experience, going into the playoff experience, we'll have a lot more belief. A little bit more of a chip, a little bit more of a, 'We don't want to go home right now.'"
Nelson Cruz had addressed the offense in a hitters' meeting last season to urge them to believe in the club's success -- that other teams would be afraid of the Twins' offense, the historic "Bomba Squad" that went on to set the single-season Major League record with 307 homers.
At that point, there was less certainty around the potential of the offense, as the pieces hadn't yet fully come together. Those pieces unquestionably fell into place with Josh Donaldson now in the fold. The World Series is squarely in the Twins' sights, and the front office made that clear with their offseason moves.
"We as players have to believe that we can make it to that point," Nelson Cruz said. "First of all, we have to believe it. It doesn't matter what the media say or what they say around us. We players have to believe it. That was a great message. [Baldelli] was on point. That should be the goal. We, on paper, look better than last year. All the expectations that we have, that should be the goal."
"Well, we believed it last year," Baldelli said. "We believed it on the first day of spring training all the way to the end of the year. But we also proved to ourselves a little bit actually going out there and having a very successful year. But we want to do it better. We don't want to go out there and have a successful year. We want to go out and do more than that."
Twins invite Gearrin to camp on Minor League deal
The Triple-A Rochester Red Wings announced on Monday that the Twins signed right-hander Cory Gearrin to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The Twins also signed outfielder Lane Adams to a Minor League contract.
Gearrin, 33, is a veteran of eight Major League seasons and most recently posted a combined 4.07 ERA for the Mariners and Yankees in 2019. He was claimed off waivers by New York on Aug. 23 but was not placed on the Yankees' playoff roster. Gearrin's most successful season was 2017, when he pitched to a 1.99 ERA in 68 appearances, but he has struggled to find a consistent home and has since pitched for the Rangers and A's in addition to the Mariners and Yankees.
The 30-year-old Adams spent time in the Phillies' and Braves' organizations last season, as he hit .232/.320/.419 with 12 homers (and 119 strikeouts) in 90 games. He has appeared in parts of three Major League seasons for Atlanta and Kansas City.
Odds and ends
• Randy Dobnak, Trevor May, Tyler Duffey, Blaine Hardy and Matt Wisler threw live batting practice at Hammond Stadium on Monday, with Ehire Adrianza, Miguel Sanó, Luis Arraez, Nelson Cruz, Josh Donaldson, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Jake Cave and Marwin Gonzalez getting opportunities to swing during the sessions.