The Minnesota Twins Need to Commit to Winning Right Now
With a weakened division and money to spend, the Minnesota Twins need to make winning moves this offseason.
The Minnesota Twins find themselves in a much different place this offseason than they did in the offseason prior. I mean 100 losses versus a Wild Card Game berth is pretty different, right? Pretty solid turnaround if you ask me. But outside of their own team turnaround, the AL Central is changing, too.
The AL Central is going to be pretty weak in 2018. The Indians are still going to be the team to beat in the division, possibly in the entire American League, but the rest of the division could very well be a complete dumpster fire. The Tigers and White Sox show no signs of winning any time soon, as they both moved stud pitchers to contenders this season for prospects. The Royals made a run this season, but are set to lose Hosmer, Cain, and Moustakas to free agency.
All this positions the Twins favorably to make a run in 2017. They should be able to rack up wins against the division with three of the four foes weakened. With a few lucky breaks, the Twins could even challenge the Tribe for the division. But another Wild Card berth seems more likely.
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The Minnesota Twins have money to blow.
The future payroll commitments for the Twins are incredible. They have $85.5 million in salaries for the 2018 season, but only $24 million committed for the 2019 season. A lot of that is due to getting out from under Joe Mauer‘s $23 million a year at the end of 2018. This is where it gets crazy. For the 2020 season, the Twins have ZERO dollars in guaranteed money on the books.
This opens the door for the Twins to make some moves this offseason with an eye toward the future. I’m not going to speculate on who they should pursue, as my fellow contributors have already done so here and here. But I will say that the Twins need to make a splash this offseason. They’ve got the money and they’ve got a weak division. The time is right.
Next: Twins Trade Profile: Chicago Cubs
Who would you like to see the Twins pursue this offseason? Let me know in the comments!