OK, I get it. This season is extremely disappointing, the late season sell off is dispiriting, but frankly, the Twins are in really good shape moving forward. For one thing, this season isn’t nearly as bad as many of those early 2010 abominations. They will still probably win nearly 70- games, despite their struggles, and instead of a lack of talent, it was a lack of luck that did the team in. Injuries and misfortune dogged this team all year. Seeing those two factors turn on their head will give the team a bump all by themselves.
The Twins, as we all know at this point, have a bunch of money coming off the books, and barely anything that is committed to players on the roster currently (relatively speaking). This leaves the door wide open for Minnesota’s front office to target their funds at particular soft spots in the roster, especially given the talent they already have in the organization ready to play and continue to develop.
Let’s first take a look at the positions on the roster for next year that the Twins likely won’t be seeking to upgrade this offseason. Fairly reliably, they have left field, one middle infield position (depending on where they play Jorge Polanco), and one could argue catcher reasonably set for next year. There are question marks surrounding Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton, but I would guess they have a spot locked up as well. The rotation has three pitchers, Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson and Jake Odorizzi, who will certainly be around next year, while Addison Reed, Taylor Rodgers and Trevor Hildenberger are sure to have spots in the bullpen.
I would say, then, that there are 14 roster spots that could be in flux. For some, adding, say, a short stop will push Ehire Adrianza to the bench, annd solidify a spot there. For the sake of argument, let’s rank the remaining starting positions, Starting Pitcher, DH, First Base, Middle infield and third outfielder in terms of urgency, from the least to most urgent.
Outfield: This would be a luxury improvement, probably the type of thing a team like the Twins would only feel the need to bolster if they were in the thick of the postseason, and neither Max Kepler, Jake Cave or Robbie Grossman was really seizing the spot It’s not like that’s a bad trio, Kepler and Cave in particular, but there is still room to grow. Kepler isn’t producing at the plate as much as it seems like he is, Cave doesn’t yet have a track record, and Grossman always seems to be a target of the ire of Twins fans, despite being an on base machine.
Designated Hitter: Designated Hitters are basically a dime a dozen these days, and the Twins haven’t used a traditional DH since Jim Thome, though Logan Morrison was an attempt at such. Offense can come through greater consistency with the rest of the roster (especially Miguel Sano), and there are internal options, like Grossman, the newly acquired Tyler Austin, and even Kennys Vargas, still toiling away in Rochester.
Middle Infield: This is perhaps the position that needs to be addressed most urgently, though not necessarily for the long term. The Twins will hope that they can get Nick Gordon or Royce Lewis into the Majors soon enough, but Nick Gordon is closest, and he has struggled enough this year to raise questions as to whether or not he will be ready next year.
First Base: The Twins don’t really have a huge frst base product coming up through the minor leagues, with Brett Rooker the best option, though he may be moving to the outfield (or he could take over that DH role). Of course, the Twins could and probably will fill that spot with Joe Mauer, at least for a couple more years, and at a more affordable rate than what his present contract pays.
Starting Pitcher: So that brings us to the pitching. I think more than most positions, veteran depth is important. While there are plenty of young players ready to fill out the rotation, I’m not sure how much faith the organization has in them to help the team next year. Of course, the Twins may be gun shy after this past round of talent acquisition, and may instead want to add a top pitcher via trade. If they do that, then that might weaken one of the other positions, and in that case, they might instead wish to replace that player with a big money free agent.
What am I saying? I’m saying anything could happen, and that the Twins have a lot of options.
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