The Twins made 19 total cuts this past week to begin the trimming of the roster. The camp roster as of this posting stands at 42 players which means that the team still has a long way to go before they get to the maximum of 25.

With not only the cuts, but also comments made by manager Ron Gardenhire, we’ve gotten a better sense of what the team might look like when March 31 rolls around in a few weeks.

I thought it might be helpful to look at what exactly went down this week and how it will all affect the roster.

This week, both Kevin Slowey and Philip Humber had good outings. Slowey has had his share of ups and downs this spring, but he could still control his own destiny with the most major league experience. Humber on the other hand has made just one major league start, but pitched three hitless innings on Friday and has still not allowed a run.

Other candidates that are very much in the race are Glen Perkins and Nick Blackburn. It looks to be a four-man race heading into the final turn with Slowey and Humber leading the way.

With a few weeks left however, things could change at any moment. This is definitely a race to keep your eye on.

Manager Ron Gardenhire heated up the competition when he made a comment about Jason Pridie earlier this week. Gardenhire said that he sees it being either Span or Gomez in center and added that he sees Pridie as a ‘role player’.

The race looks to be between Denard Span and Carlos Gomez after that comment, and the race is very tight. Gomez has more speed and a better glove, but Span has hit better and been more patient at the plate. This race will likely come down to the final days.

If neither Span or Gomez finish well, there is a chance that the Opening Day starter is instead Craig Monroe.

The bullpen is the one race that we don’t really know much about. Gardenhire has said that the best twelve pitchers will go north, and assuming Nathan, Neshek, Reyes, Rincon, Crain and Guerrier are locks, that leaves one spot.

Glen Perkins in the current favorite. He pitched there last season, and would give the team another lefty out of the ‘pen. Veterans Casey Daigle and Randy Keisler can be thrown into the mix, but neither has pitched well thus far.

Others to keep an eye on are Nick Blackburn, Philip Humber and Carmen Cali.

The bench spot has many candidates in the running. The general thought is that the Twins will be brining an infielder north as the twenty-fifth guy. If they decide otherwise, Jason Pridie would be the likely candidate.

Assuming they don’t all of a sudden change their minds, Brian Buscher, Garrett Jones and Randy Ruiz are the favorites. Buscher may be the current leader in the race since he can play first, third and coming soon second. Ruiz has been impressive at the plate, but its hard to tell how much the Twins like him. Garrett Jones will be given a little extra thought because if he isn’t on the team, he’ll likely be with a new organization.

Another guy to keep an eye on is Matt Tolbert. He is the lone middle-infielder remaining after both Matt Macri and Alexi Casilla were cut, and the Twins really like him. If he doesn’t make the team, you can bet that you’ll see him sometime in 2008.

Click ‘Read More’ for the roster breakdown.