Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Top 10 MiLB Free Agents we should re-sign

The Minnesota Twins enter the 2021 offseason with a few major free agents hitting the market in Andrelton Simmons, Michael Pineda, and Alex Colomé with John Gant joining them. There’s uncertainty over whether or not they’ll be back, but what often isn’t talked about is the minor league free agents.

Several solid Minnesota Twins minor leaguers opted for free agency.

Guys like Rob Refsnyder, Juan Minaya, and Luke Farrell all played big roles on the 2021 team as minor league free agents, and Minaya re-signed with the Twins before. Today we got a list of the Twins’ new minor league free agents:

The list also included RHP Zaquiel Puentes, RHP Orlando Rodriguez, RHP Bobby Milacki, RHP Breckin Williams, RHP Carlos Suniaga, RHP Jonathan Cheshire,  RHP Matt Mullenbach, RHP Eiker Huizi, RHP Jose Brito, LHP Chris Nunn, LHP Sean Gilmartin, LHP Tyler Watson, LHP Samuel Perez, 1B Tomas Telis, 2B Sherman Johnson, 2B Tzu-Wei Lin, 2B D.J. Burt, 3B Drew Maggi, 3B Damek Tomscha, OF BJ Boyd, OF Rob Refsnyder, OF Trey Cabbage, OF Leobaldo Cabrera, OF Aaron Whitefield, and OF Justin Washington.

Forty Minnesota Twins minor leaguers elected free agency ahead of 2022. We rank the best.

That’s a lot of names, and several of them you probably haven’t heard of, but there are a few that the Twins should do their best to bring back into the fold for 2022. To help slim down the list, we ranked the 10 best players in the group that the Twins should bring back for next season.

Top Minnesota Twins MiLB Free Agents to Re-Sign: No. 10-8

No. 10: Tzu-Wei Lin (SS/2B/OF)

2021 Stats to Remember: 7 G, .269/.367/.308, 1 XBH, 4 RBI, 3 SB (Triple-AAA)

Yes, Tzu-Wei Lin did miss almost all of the 2021 season due to injuries. Yes, he wasn’t exceptionally good when he played. The Twins still are incredibly thin at shortstop though, so signing Lin to another minor league deal would be a good move for depth.

No. 9: Eiker Huizi (RHP)

2021 Stats to Remember: 2.79 ERA, 1.241 WHIP, 17-8 K-BB ratio in 19.1 IP (Rookie Ball)

Still just 21 years old, Eiker Huizi had a quietly solid season in Rookie Ball last year. Playing in Rookie Ball at 21 isn’t great, but reaching a deal to bring him back for next year would allow Huizi to prove 2021 wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

No. 8: Samuel Perez (LHP)

2021 Stats to Remember: 1.45 ERA, 0.911 WHIP, 39-5 K-BB ratio in 37.1 IP (Rookie Ball)

Samuel Perez is slightly older than Huizi, but he had far better numbers and is a left-handed reliever. It makes a good deal of sense for the Twins to bring him back and allow him to build off of a very good stretch from 2018-2021, especially for a Single-A bullpen.

Top Minnesota Twins MiLB Free Agents to Re-Sign: No. 3-1

No. 3: John Gant (RHP)

2021 Stats to Remember: 4.09 ERA (4.78 FIP), 1.509 WHIP, 92-71 K-BB in 110.2 IP (MLB)

Yes, John Gant had a very tough season in 2021, but the main part of the return for J.A. Happ still offers a lot of value as a swingman. He’s put together great numbers in the past, and if he’s willing to return for cheap, he’d add a lot of value in the bullpen. Similar to Maggi, I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon.

No. 2: B.J. Boyd (OF)

2021 Stats to Remember: .291/.394/.484 16 HR, 73 RBI, 11 SB in 92 G (Double-AA)

B.J. Boyd put together one of the best seasons by a Minnesota Twins minor league player this season, mashing the ball all over. He opted for free agency because he’ll likely earn more money on the open market, but if the Twins could find a way to get him back, he might just find his way to the bigs in 2022.

No. 1: Trey Cabbage (OF/1B/3B)

2021 Stats to Remember: .264/.346/.535, 27 HR, 82 RBI, 6 SB, in 108 G (Double-AA)

As good as B.J. Boyd was in Double-AA, Trey Cabbage‘s power made his season even better. He’s continued to step up and get better every single year. He pounded the baseball, and despite his age, he joins Boyd as someone who can be a really good addition to the Twins’ outfield depth if he returns.