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Minnesota Twins: Which players are free agents this offseason?

By Chris Schad

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 10: Sergio Romo #54 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning of the interleague game at Target Field on September 10, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Nationals 5-0. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 10: Sergio Romo #54 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning of the interleague game at Target Field on September 10, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Nationals 5-0. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 19: Kyle Gibson #44 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning of the game at Target Field on September 19, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 19: Kyle Gibson #44 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning of the game at Target Field on September 19, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Kyle Gibson

2019 stats: 13-7, 4.84 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 160 K, 56 BB in 160 IP (34 G, 29 GS)

As someone who is not the biggest fan of Kyle Gibson, the flaws in his game are obvious. While he can constantly get hitters down in the count thanks to swing and miss stuff (career-high 36% chase rate according to FanGraphs), that may be a bit inflated with his unwillingness to throw strikes with a career-low 34.2% strike rate.

If you are on Gibson’s side (and the Twins seem to be), you’ll note that Gibson battled E. coli for most of the season, which eventually turned into ulcerative colitis. The condition saps strength and energy, which may be the cause for some of Gibson’s poor performance down the stretch.

Bottom line is, Gibson was good enough for the first couple months of the season when ineffectiveness (or sickness) took over. With the Twins and Gibson having a mutual respect for each other, there’s a good chance that both sides will reach an agreement to have Gibson at the back of the rotation in 2020.

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