Minnesota Twins: Is there a role left for Robbie Grossman in 2019?

The Minnesota Twins may not have many tough decisions when it comes to their current arbitration eligible players, but Robbie Grossman may become one.

As the Minnesota Twins imploded and had an awful 2018 season based on the expectations we all had for the team. Amidst that implosion, a little something may have flown under the radar for many of us. If we didn’t miss it, we certainly may not have been able to appreciate it as the Twins truly waived the white flag and sold off several of their assets around the trade deadline. That something was that Robbie Grossman actually had a very good close to the 2018 season.

From July 1st through the end of the season, Grossman slashed .316/.419/.434 had a .852 OPS and added 17 doubles. Basically, Grossman was the very good on base machine that we have discovered that he can be when he is hitting well. Unfortunately, we had to endure an awful March through June of Grossman hitting .230/.314/.335. If I didn’t specifically write it, I was certainly hoping that the Twins would cut bait with Grossman and just let Jake Cave take over as the Twins fourth outfielder through that first part of the season.

So now here is the question for the Twins moving forward, which Grossman will show up in 2019 and is there a spot for him on the Twins roster moving forward. What adds to the difficulty of this question is that Grossman is still in his arbitration years and MLB Trade Rumors (who is often very accurate in their estimations) estimates that he will come in at $4 million price tag for 2019.

If I am honest, I would almost want to non-tender Grossman just so I don’t have to watch him play in the outfield defensively any longer. On the flip side, there is still enough to like about what he brings to the plate to at least pause and wonder if there is a way the Twins could still use Grossman.

Grossman comes in towards the top of the league when it comes to getting on base. For players who played in at least 100 games this season, Grossman ranks 27th with a season mark of .367. His second half pace of .419 would put him top 3 in the majors. He will not provide the power many want to see and his defense is bad at his current position, but there are a few positions that will have questions marks where the Twins could use a steady, yet dispensable bat.

The Twins could keep Grossman around as designated hitter or even try to play him defensively at first base a bit. If Joe Mauer does choose to retire, ideally guys like Tyler Austin, Brent Rooker, or maybe even Miguel Sano are the ones who take hold of that spot in the lineup. The issue is that there are question marks surrounding each of them, so maybe that makes signing up for the known commodity of Grossman and his $4 million paycheck worth it. If the other guys develop and perform the way we all hope, then figure out what to do to move Grossman off of the roster when that time comes.

Time will tell exactly how the Twins value Grossman. If he sticks on the 2019 roster, please Twins don’t let him be the fourth outfielder any longer. Cave proved his worth for that role. That said, for a team like the Twins looking to jump back in the playoff mix, Grossman could still be a small but important piece to make that dream come true.