Melky Cabrera Not Likely a Twins Option
In 2015, the Minnesota Twins will be looking for a drastic turnaround. After what is shaping up to be yet another 90 loss season in 2014, the floor will be more closely projected to .500 in 2015. If that is going to happen however, the Twins will need to supplement their major league roster with some outside help. Melky Cabrera may not be the answer though.
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Earlier this season, the Twins trade power hitting left fielder Josh Willingham to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Jason Adam. Willingham has likely seen his best days come and go, and losing him isn’t as big of an issue as the depth that is now non-existent for the club.
Headed into 2015, the Twins will almost certainly be in the market for a left fielder. Looking ahead, here’s what that market looks like.
Melky Cabrera (30)
Endy Chavez (37)
Nelson Cruz (34)
Chris Denorfia (34)
Jonny Gomes (34)
Tony Gwynn Jr. (32)
Scott Hairston (35)
Reed Johnson (38)
Ryan Ludwick (36) – $9MM mutual option with a $4.5MM buyout
Nyjer Morgan (34)
Mike Morse (33)
Alfonso Soriano (39)
Yasmani Tomas (23)
Josh Willingham (36)
Chris Young (31)
Delmon Young (29)
On that list, it’s hard to throw a dart at any of the names and suggest a spot on fit. There is old (Chavez, Hairston, Johnson, Soriano), there are the expensive (Cabrera, Cruz, Tomas), there are the former Twins (Willingham and Young), and there is some cooked (Johnson again and Morgan). Outside of that, there is some in between.
Steve Adams, MLB.com writer suggests Melky probably isn’t an option stating, “Melky doesn’t strike me as their type of player.”
With that being said, do you see a Twins type of player in that list? The Twins could be in on Yasmani Tomas, although expensive, to remove the sour taste of Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Ludwick could be an option, along with Morse, Denorfia, or Gomes.
No matter what happens, I wouldn’t place my money on Melky Cabrera ending up with the Twins either. Someone is going to need to man left field for the Twins, it’s just a matter of deciphering who.