Minnesota Twins: Offseason Blueprint to Move Back into Contention
By Otto Johnson
Minnesota Twins Step No. 5: Bring in Two New Starters
Anyone with eyes knows that the Minnesota Twins need pitching after a disastrous 2021 experience. Signing J.A. Happ and Matt Shoemaker was an epic failure and Kenta Maeda’s injury means the team will need three starters to join Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober in a beleaguered rotation. We’ve already added Pineda back, so that means two more spots to fill.
To start, lets clear out the guys who won’t be in Minnesota in 2021. Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, and Robbie Ray will command a boatload, making them unlikely. Marcus Stroman and Clayton Kershaw don’t want to leave their current situations. Carlos Rodon will rejoin the White Sox. This thins out the crop.
Guys like Anthony DeSclafini, Steven Matz, Alex Wood, Alex Cobb, and Zack Greinke are all available, so the Twins should add two of them on short term deals until the top prospects are ready. The starting pitching market isn’t as deep as it will be in 2023, so the Twins should hold off on handing out long term deals to this class, especially with their pitching prospect depth.
The Minnesota Twins are confident that a few more of their pitching prospects at the top of the system will turn into rotation arms, meaning it’s more than likely we won’t be seeing superstars added to the rotation. With that said, DeSclafini and Matz would form a rock solid rotation for 2022.