twinsfan
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Joined: 12/21/2009
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This is gonna be huge. Sign him!! The future of the Twins' starting rotation will go through Kenta Maeda -- with top prospects Jordan Balazovic and Jhoan Duran likely to factor in, too. Could José Berríos be part of those teams, too? The Twins' two-time Opening Day starter said Friday that his representatives have engaged with the Twins about the possibility of an extension, though things haven't developed to the point where the sides are discussing any actual numbers, he said. Berríos, 26, has been one of the club's most prized arms since he was selected in the first round of the 2012 Draft and has steadily improved his performance across five Major League seasons, with a 4.19 career ERA. Though he got off to a shaky start in '20, he finished the season with five strong appearances and a stifling outing in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against Houston. "Like, I don't wake up every morning thinking, 'Is that going to happen?'" Berríos said. "But for sure they’re going to help me to be more focused on my work. Like the way I am right now, like I say, I don’t wake up and think about when I’m going to sign, but yeah, for sure, that’s going to be special for me and my family." Fixing Berríos into the rotation could be significant for the Twins' stability moving forward as they hope to continue to contend. Maeda is under contract through 2023, but the remainder of the rotation -- Michael Pineda, J.A. Happ and likely Matt Shoemaker -- are all bound for free agency following this season. Berríos is currently under contract through '22. "People call me it and I know I am working for that, but I am the ace of the Twins and I want to be and look like that guy," Berríos said.
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Magic Number Billy Hamilton 0
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