Twins set expectations at the GM meetings

The GM meetings are over, and the only real trade that was made involved the Mariners and A’s, when DH Ryon Healy was dealt to the Mariners for a couple of pitching prospects. The GM meetings aren’t typically a place where big moves happen, though, but rather a place where groundwork is laid.

By all accounts, no team did more to prepare the market than the Minnesota Twins. Long dormant in the off-season and at the trade deadline, the Twins of 2017-18 appear to be turning over a new leaf, or at least that is what they want us to believe.

News stories have leaked out that the Twins are going to be looking at the very best in MLB’s free agent starter pool, and that they were poking around at Raisel Iglesias, one of the top relievers out there, presently with the Reds. This is the opposite approach from what I would endorse (sign relievers, trade for starters) but it sends a very clear message to the league. The Twins are playing for keeps this winter, and will spend the resources they need to get better.

This seeming openness to the market should encourage sellers, both free agent’s trying to sell themselves to organizations, and teams trying to trade away assets, to present themselves to the Twins. It will not necessarily be incumbent upon the Twins to go shopping, and more opportunities and better deals may avail themselves to the Twins.

If the Twins do go shopping, which of course they will, this should keep their name in contention a little bit longer. Maybe Yu Darvish will turn the Twins down flat, which he has the prerogative to do, but doesn’t that open the door to someone down a step? The Twins have the resources to go after someone like Darvish, so wouldn’t that mean that they should be in the hunt for Lance Lynn or Tyler Chatwood? And now, Lynn, Chatwood and any hypothetical free agent know it.

The GM Meetings were pretty slow, as they often are, but that doesn’t mean work wasn’t done. From the outside looking in, it looks like the Twins were one of the most accomplished teams to come out of the conference. We will see in a month if those efforts will pay dividends.