Here's your low-down.
With a full 40-man roster the Twins weren't in a position to take part in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft. They did have a number of players eligible to be selected by other organizations, but that didn't come to pass, either. Alex Wimmers, A.J. Achter, and Pat Dean all remain safely within the comforting embrace of the Twins.
In the minor league portion of the draft, the Twins made a pair of selections in the Triple-A phase.
MiLB phase of the rule 5 draft: #MNTwins select RHP Kevin Thomas. Double-A pitcher from St. Louis organization.
— Jesse Lund (@TwinkieTown) December 12, 2013MiLB phase of the rule 5 draft: #MNTwins select LHP James Fuller. From the Mets.
— Jesse Lund (@TwinkieTown) December 12, 2013As I also noted, both players (from the Mets system) are 27-year old big-time strikeout relievers who haven't played above Double-A. They'll certainly cement the Red Wings' bullpen, but these aren't moves made for their upside.
Minnesota also lost a couple of players in the Triple-A phase of the minor league portion of the draft. Righties John Velazquez (to the Mets, so a lot of back-and-forth action there) and Tim Atherton (to the Athletics) are both on their way to other clubs. Velazquez was recently signed by the Twins out of the Independent League, so he hasn't even donned a uniform for the team yet. Atherton, about to enter his age-24 season, had strong numbers as well.
None of these moves are expected to make much of an impact on the fortunes of the Major League teams, but they weren't designed to do so. Hopefully Thomas and Fuller can help out Rochester, a team that should do well in 2014.
