Minnesota Twins Offseason Free Agent Wish List

Bench targets

The Twins will need to replace Gimenez if he is let go. While Alex Avila could end up costly based on his year in 2017, he’s nearly the only free agent available that would be worth the effort this offseason. What may behoove the Twins is to bring up top catching prospect Mitch Garver and pair him with Jason Castro in a mentor role rather than investing in a weak catching crop.

The Twins could pursue someone like Danny Espinosa and allow both Escobar and Adrianza to go. He’s not a great hitter, but he’s an elite defender that would be excellent behind Brian Dozier and Jorge Polanco (eventually Nick Gordon). However, his defense may not be enough to justify the contract he’ll likely require after earning over $5M in 2017. Other bench pieces to consider would be Adam Rosales, who has proven to be quite valuable in a backup role over the last few seasons and can handle all infield positions. The Twins could have a reunion with Danny Valencia to handle corner infield positions and provide a solid bat off the bench as well, depending on what his cost would be.

The question is whether the Minnesota Twins front office believes that Jorge Polanco is the guy to hold down shortstop for 2018, and if he is not, whether they believe Nick Gordon will be to ready in the 2018 season. If the answer to both is negative, perhaps a pursuit of someone like Alcides Escobar or Eduardo Nunez would make sense, if they could be signed to a 2-year deal (or preferably a 1-year deal with options) at a reasonable rate.

Next: Bullpen Targets