Twins officially sign right-hander Matt Shoemaker to one-year deal
It looks like there will be a competition for the fifth spot in the Minnesota Twins rotation.
Minnesota officially signed 34-year-old right-hander Matt Shoemaker to a one-year deal. To make room on the roster, the Twins outrighted right-hander Ian Gibaut, who cleared waivers and remains in camp as a non-roster invitee.
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In 112 career games (104 starts), Shoemaker owns a career 3.86 ERA and 8.1 K/9. His best season was in 2014 when he registered a 16-4 record, 3.04 ERA and 1.074 WHIP and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting for the Los Angeles Angels.
Shoemaker has struggled to stay healthy, however. He hasn’t pitched more than 31 innings in a season since 2017. From 2018-20, Shoemaker made 18 starts and tallied a 3.77 ERA and 8.5 K/9.
Shoemaker will be a candidate to join Jose Berrios, Kenta Maeda, Michael Pineda and J.A. Happ in the Twins rotation. His biggest competitor for the spot will likely be Randy Dobnak, who went 6-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 10 starts for Minnesota last season.
Minnesota pitchers and catchers officially reported to camp Friday. The first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 23.
