Minnesota Twins: Offseason Blueprint to Move Back into Contention

The Minnesota Twins 2021 season is now in the rearview mirror, and it was an unmitigated disaster when compared to the expectations when the season began. A 73-89 finish, free agency flops, injuries everywhere, and a tear down that stopped just short of a full fire sale.

The Twins sent away three starting pitchers (two in trade, one released), watched a lineup falter, a bullpen disappoint, and the most well-liked player since Brian Dozier be traded away. It was an awful season, but there were bright spots too.

Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober look like rotation pieces. Mitch Garver and Byron Buxton looked like stars in injury-plagued seasons. Jorge Polanco played like an All-Star again. Nick Gordon looked like a solid utility guy. Alex Kirilloff bounced back before being injured. The bullpen was solid after a rough start. There are things to like.

One year removed from a division title, there’s a blueprint back to contention for the Minnesota Twins.

This team isn’t that far away from a being a wild card contender or a divisional champ. The White Sox have some decisions to make and there isn’t much room for improvement there. Cleveland is continuing in the wrong direction and the Tigers and Royals aren’t there yet. They easily could open up the checkbook and be right back in the thick of it.

That’s the issue though. There’s some clearing out that needs to happen, a whole lot of signing, and some call-ups. That’s why we put this blueprint together. The team knows that there are a lot of positions that need help, and there’s no better time like the present to make a move.

The blueprint is broken down into five different steps. Players to move away from, players to re-sign, players to call up, hitters to sign, and pitchers to sign. With so much to go through, let’s get started with the guys that have to go.