Minnesota Twins: 5 non-tendered free agents that could make intriguing signs
By Nate Palmer
The Minnesota Twins looking for ways to improve their roster so they can compete again in 2018. Here are some non-tendered free agents to consider.
The Minnesota Twins, like every major league team, are looking for the best ways to improve and build their ball clubs this offseason to be competitive in 2018 and/or the years to follow. Part of that process often needs to include identifying and signing a play few others are interested in and turning them into a solid contributor.
Non-Tendered free agents can often provide exactly that. Many of these players will have to sign cheaper and shorter-term deals to find their ways onto a major league team this offseason. Others may even need to settle for a minor league deal to prove their worth. Following are five players that were non-tendered that the Twins may be able to strike gold with.
Mike Fiers
If the Houston Astros would have held onto Fiers he was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to make $5.7 million dollars. With Justin Verlander now in Houston that was a price that just didn’t make sense for the Astros, especially for a pitcher they didn’t trust to take the ball all postseason on their way to an Astros World Series title.
The Astros acquired Fiers with Carlos Gomez in a trade where they gave up a load of prospects to the Milwaukee Brewers including OF Brett Phillips, RP Josh Hader, OF Domingo Santana and RHP Adrian Houser. If it wasn’t already apparent, the non-tender of Fiers fully signals the Brewers as the winners in that trade.
Fiers has always been an interesting arm as he has gone through stretches where he looked like a solid major league pitcher but has not been able to be effective consistently. Fiers does have 2 complete game shutouts to his name and this season he dominated the months of June and July. Over those two months, Fiers pitched 59 innings and had a 2.59 ERA and 69 strikeouts. That is the pitcher the Astros hoped for as Fiers came to Houston.
The rest of his season was inconsistent putting him at 5.22 for an ERA and 146 strikeouts over 153.1 innings. That is why he was not retained by the Astros, but that flash of good pitching is why the Twins could look to Fiers on a cheap major league or minor league deal to provide depth to their pitching staff. He has the potential to be even more than just depth. Fiers 2016 ERA of 4.48 would have placed him third on the 2017 Twins staff. And his 3.69 ERA would place him second on the staff. ERA only tells a part of the story, but Fiers could be a potential good, low-risk signing for the Twins.