Minnesota Twins: How the winter so far could affect Twins
How it all impacts the Minnesota Twins
While the markets have been moving slow, each have impacted the Twins’ moves this offseason going forward.
Relief market
This is the one that has been hit hard by signings so far and the one the Twins have participated in as well. However, the team certainly could still benefit from another veteran arm (or more).
One target that has been tied to the Twins that makes a lot of sense is right-hander Trevor Rosenthal. Rosenthal was known for his triple-digit fastball before Tommy John surgery ended his 2017 season. He would be one to consider for a similar deal to Pineda’s.
Beyond Rosenthal, there haven’t been major ties, though the Twins are out on the “big names”, so they’re likely looking at the next tier of guys. Tony Watson could be a guy to make sense, though based on the deals this winter, he very feasibly could be looking for 2-3 years and $8-9 million per season for that time frame.
Other arms that would make sense for the Twins would be guys like David Hernandez, Matt Belisle, or to look at a possible bullpen conversion for a hard-thrower like Drew Hutchison.
Starting pitchers
The Twins are still certainly playing at the top end of the market in starting pitching, and to line up their top target, Yu Darvish, it is quite likely that they will have to give him 6 seasons and $150 million or more. While that could be still a wise investment, there are some signs that lower-tier starters could be on the cheap while the top-end guys determine their destinations.
Guys like Jaime Garcia, Trevor Cahill, Miguel Gonzalez, and John Lackey could end up being big bargains based on contracts handed out already to quality starters like Jhoulys Chacin.
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Bats
While this market hasn’t been hit hard, it has shown that the price for cheap power is exactly that – cheap. So it won’t benefit the Twins any to wait on the market to scoop up some cheap deal, as all the bats should be attainable for a reasonable price.
Getting a quality hitter like Logan Morrison or Mark Reynolds certainly shouldn’t break the bank, likely staying under a $20 million commitment overall if 2 years are needed to make the deal happen.
For bats on the lower end of the scale, like Mike Napoli or Jose Bautista, a one-year flyer for $3-6 million should bring back some of that power the Twins are hoping to bring in.
Next: Twins trade profile: Cardinals
Hopefully we can see the Twins make a move in one of these three areas soon and strike before the players they want are gone or the deal they want disappears as well!