End of the winter meetings

The Twins' only transaction during the winter meetings was losing minor league reliever Zack Jones in the Rule 5 draft to the Milwaukee Brewers. (Baseball Reference may have his name with a "h," but he uses a "k.") He's a high-velocity right-hander who put up a 6.00 ERA in Double A last summer.

The Twins protected a lot of velocity arms last month, but Jones didn't make their cut. Jones was actually the second pick the Brewers made; they're in a rebuilding cycle, but I have my doubts about their ability/willingness to carry two Rule 5 guys all year. (Even odder: San Diego will have FOUR Rule 5 guys in camp this spring.)

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Miguel Sano has left his winter league team, for whom he was playing third base and designated hitter, to focus on his conditioning and shift to the outfield. He is said to have ended the season at 268 pounds; the goal is to get him under 260.

Again, this suggests that the Twins are serious about making Sano an outfielder, and that he's serious about giving it a genuine shot.