Minnesota Twins: A Twins to-do list at the 2019 MLB Winter Meetings
The Minnesota Twins should be one of the busier teams at this week’s winter meetings and there are several things that should be accomplished.
With the success of the 2019 season, all eyes have been fixated on what the Minnesota Twins have done this winter. So far, the Twins have made minor moves (signing Alex Avila) and focused on retaining the pieces that have made them successful (i.e. Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda) as part of their plan to push the Twins from division champion to legitimate contender.
Even with a couple moves here and there, the pinnacle of the hot stove season will take place this week as all 30 MLB clubs will descend upon San Diego for the annual winter meetings. The three-day extravaganza will have general managers, owners, players, and agents all under one roof and the rumors will be flowing as teams look to make moves.
For the Twins, they’ll be looking to get several things done over the next week. While it may not result in bringing a truckload of free agents back to Minnesota, it should plant the seeds for moves down the road and give us an idea of what exactly the Twins will look like when they take the field in 2020?
So what do the Twins need to accomplish and who are some names that could be arriving in Minnesota or departing by the time Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and General Manager Thad Levine leave San Diego? The answers may not be here, but it’s still fun to figure out.
Fill out the starting rotation
As mentioned in the intro, the Twins have filled a pair of their vacant spots in the rotation as Michael Pineda and Jake Odorizzi both opted to remain in Minnesota. While the two returnees will team with Jose Berrios, the overhaul of the starting rotation shouldn’t stop here and there are several names that are attached to the Twins heading into the winter meetings.
One of those names is Madison Bumgarner. The San Francisco left-hander has been a model of consistency over the years logging 200+ innings in a season seven times since debuting in 2009 and could be a sneaky good signing for a Twins team desperate for something they can count on.
The bad news with Bumgarner is that his price has continued to skyrocket after Zack Wheeler opted to sign in Philadelphia. The price for Bumgarner has been rumored to soar past the $100 million mark and with his camp looking for a five-year deal, the money and years could be too much of a risk for the Twins to sign on the dotted line.
That could make Los Angeles Dodgers Hyun-Jin Ryu an ideal fit despite a lengthy injury history, which included shoulder problems and the fact he’ll turn 33 in March. However, he has been effective when he’s been on the mound and the reigning National League ERA champion could come with a shorter-term deal making him more of a stop-gap for prospects Brusdar Graterol, Jordan Balazovic, and Jhoan Duran.
If the Twins fail here, they could turn to the trade market which has several names available for a price. With most teams looking to build from within, acquiring a young up-and-coming pitcher may be difficult leaving the Twins to search for teams looking to dump salary.
Boston could be a name to watch here as they have three pitchers (David Price, Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi) who could be available if they want to shed salary and other teams may have a pitcher that may be effective, but simply cost too much. Either way, if the Twins don’t walk out of San Diego without some pitching, it will be a major disappointment.
Overhauling the infield
It didn’t seem like the Twins’ infield would be getting too much of a facelift, but then they decided to non-tender C.J. Cron last week. Although his production at first base was a major upgrade from Joe Mauer‘s final season, his thumb and impending cost made the Twins figure to look somewhere else.
As it stands, the Twins have plenty of options around the horn which could include signing a free-agent or moving their current players to new positions in 2020.
The biggest name that’s been thrown around is Josh Donaldson, who had a renaissance season with the Atlanta Braves. While it’s drool-worthy to stick his 37 HR from last year into the Bomba Squad, he’s also played solid defense making his risk worth it despite the potential “buyer beware” signs.
The Twins could also look overseas for a Cron replacement as they’ve been linked with Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, who has crushed 138 bombs for the Yokohama Bay Stars since the beginning of the 2014 season.
What makes this interesting is that La Velle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune noted on Sunday that if the Twins can’t land starting pitching, they may reverse course and add more offense to their lineup. Such a move would give Twins fans indigestion but would be interesting to see as the week unfolds.
Value your trade assets
We’ve mentioned a couple of potential deals heading into the winter meetings, but in order to get something done, you have to give something up. The most common name that has been thrown into trade discussion has been Eddie Rosario, but the Twins could also dig into a farm system that has been stockpiled with talent over recent years.
Rosario seems to be the most likely major leaguer to be moved thanks to an on-base percentage (.300) that was his lowest since 2016 (.295). With questionable defense in left field, the Twins may be looking for a quieter alternative in left field, which could also mean the call up of top prospect Alex Kirilloff during the opening months of the 2020 season.
Another area that could be tapped into is the middle infield, which has All-Star shortstop Jorge Polanco and 2019 breakout star Luis Arraez entrenched at the major league level, but a surplus of talent behind them that includes Royce Luis, Wander Javier and 2019 first-round pick Keoni Cavaco.
Should the Twins pull off a blockbuster, it’s likely going to involve a name that nobody will see coming. That makes it up to Falvey and Levine to decide which pieces are expendable before making a deal they might regret.
Adding some relief to the bullpen
Last season, the Twins’ bullpen had plenty of ups and downs. While the group started the season strong in the opening months, the operation imploded in May and June before a complete line change rejuvenated the group for a dominant August and September before getting blown out by the New York Yankees in October.
The Twins do have a reliable closer in Taylor Rogers, but they still may want to add more before walking into the season with the same group. Although Sergio Romo looks to be on the way out as part of a weak reliever market, the Twins may have more success looking to acquire an arm via trade such as Toronto’s Ken Giles.
The right-hander had some issues of his own as a nerve injury in his elbow landed him on the injured list, but he’s also coming off a career year where he posted an absurd 14.1 K/9 ratio. The Twins had some interest in Giles prior to last year’s trade deadline, but things fell through before they could make an offer sweet enough for the Blue Jays to pull the trigger.
Whether it be in relief or starting, pitching will be the name of the game for the Twins during the winter meetings. If they can come away with some arms, it will go down as a success and build excitement for 2020. Otherwise, the Twins may be looking at the same issues next spring.