Twins cut Bonser to make room for Pavano

Much like the Braves cutting Ryan Church earlier this afternoon to make room for Rafael Soriano after he surprisingly accepted arbitration, the Twins have designated Boof Bonser for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Carl Pavano. Pavano accepted the Twins’ arbitration offer before yesterday’s midnight deadline, essentially agreeing to remain in Minnesota on a one-year deal for an as-yet-undetermined salary. With the Rule 5 draft coming Thursday morning the Twins had to drop someone from the 40-man roster and choose Bonser, who missed all of 2009 following shoulder surgery. Bonser would have been arbitration eligible for the first time despite sitting out the entire season, but the Twins decided against retaining him for what likely would have been around $1 million. Bonser pitched his way out of the Twins’ rotation in 2008 and is obviously a big question mark for 2010, but prior to the injury he showed some promise as a reliever, posting a 55/16 K/BB ratio in 52 innings. Expect the 28-year-old right-hander to land elsewhere on a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training.