(Fort Myers, FL) — The Minnesota Twins continue spring training in Fort Myers, Florida with pitchers and catchers officially working out. Position players report on Monday, although several are already at the complex playing baseball. Ace pitcher Pablo Lopez got to Florida a few weeks early to help prepare for the upcoming World Baseball Classic where he will be representing Venezuela. The W-B-C begins on March 5th and runs through March 17th. The pool-play rounds will be played in Miami, Houston, San Juan, and Tokyo. The quarterfinals will be split between Miami and Houston, while the semi-finals and the final will be played in Miami. Lopez says his arm feels great and they always take precautions to make sure no pitcher is overused in the event. He says he understands his bigger commitment is to the Twins season in 2026, but he also says representing his native country is a thrill. In addition to Lopez, the Twins will have Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Luis Quinones, Dan Altavilla, and Matt Bowman taking part in the W-B-C. Meanwhile, the Twins play the Golden Gophers in an exhibition game in Fort Myers a week from tonight and open Grapefruit League play a week from tomorrow against the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile, the Twins traded for Dodger pitcher Anthony Banda (BOND-uh) yesterday in exchange for international bonus pool money. Banda appears in 71 games last year for L-A, going 5-1 with a 3.18 earned run average. He is a left-hander.
