Minnesota Twins: 3 Top Free Agents for the Twins to Consider

Minnesota Twins Free Agent Target No. 1: RHP Kendall Graveman

Kendall Graveman may not be the biggest name on the reliever market. However, Graveman totally changed his career trajectory after pitching out of the bullpen full-time last season. He posted a 1.77 ERA, 3.19 FIP, and 3.65 xERA while striking out a career-high 9.8 batters per nine innings and walking 3.2.

What was really impressive was his ability to limit the long ball, surrendering just three home runs over 56 innings. Some might not feel comfortable signing a pitcher with a 6.96 ERA from ’18-’20 and expect him to anchor the bullpen, but the improvements look legitimate.

He’s always been a groundball pitcher who’s managed decent walk rates throughout his career. His biggest problem has been his strikeout numbers; coming into last season, Graveman had a career K/9 of just 5.83. In 2021, he found a way to improve on that.

He increased his sinker velocity from 95.1 MPH in 2020 to 96.6 MPH this past season and threw his slider, an effective pitch, 17.7% of the time, up from 3.0% the year prior. And he still managed to produce a lot of groundballs- opponents hit it on the ground 54.9% of the time.

Assuming he can keep his strikeout gains, he should be a reliable arm who can help shore up the relief corps, whether it’s closing out games or pitching in front of someone like Taylor Rogers. Bringing in Graveman would also save some money, compared to signing a Raisel Iglesias or Kenley Jansen, and allow the Twins to spend on other needs. Given the state of the pitching staff, the club should be concerned with quantity over quality.

Minnesota Twins Free Agent Target No. 2: 1B/3B/OF Kris Bryant

The Minnesota Twins offensive struggles were probably overstated as the team is projected to have five players in the starting lineup next year who posted a wRC+ of 110 or better in 2021, and that doesn’t even include Luis Arraez (who had a mark of 103). However, injuries to Byron Buxton, Mitch Garver, and Josh Donaldson, as well as the deadline deal of Nelson Cruz, gave too many at-bats to replacement-level hitters.

Additionally, one of Alex Kirilloff or Trevor Larnach could very possibly take a step forward next season and secure left field. Still, with Cruz not on the roster (No, sorry, I’m not including him on this list), there’s a hole in the middle of the lineup.

That hole can be filled with the help of former MVP Kris Bryant. He may not be the player he was his first few seasons in the league, but he still handles the bat well, posting a .835 OPS and 123 wRC+ in 144 games split between the Cubs and Giants last year.

In addition, the 29-year old has only one season with a sub-.834 OPS- a .644 OPS during the odd 60-game 2020 season. Plus, he can play all over the diamond, seeing time at every position except catcher and second base last year.

Bryant would give manager Rocco Baldelli a bat capable of hitting in the heart of the order and could help get the ageing Josh Donaldson or shaky first baseman Miguel Sano more reps at designated hitter.

It would be great to sign a shortstop like Carlos Correa or Corey Seager, but frankly, I don’t think giving away that kind of money is the best plan. I’d rather see someone hold down the position internally, like Jorge Polanco or Nick Gordon. Bryant won’t be cheap either, but would give the Twins much more flexibility to concentrate on other needs.

Minnesota Twins Free Agent Target No. 3: RHP Kevin Gausman

If the regular season started today, Bailey Ober would probably be our opening day starter, with Joe Ryan, who’s thrown 26.2 career innings, Randy Dobnak, Griffin Jax, and Charlie Barnie to follow. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Kenta Maeda wasn’t on the shelf, but the reality is, he’ll be out for most of 2022. Clearly, the rotation is a weak spot and will probably need a couple of new arms. One pitcher who the Twins should definitely keep in mind is right-hander Kevin Gausman.

Gausman’s had an up-and-down career to date, never posting back-to-back campaigns with an ERA below 4.00 until the past couple of seasons. Since joining the Giants in 2020, he’s managed a 3.00 ERA and 3.02 FIP with a remarkable 30.0 K%, 6.5 BB%, and strong 1.00 HR/9 over 251.2 IP.

These are all big improvements compared to his career numbers of 21.7 K%, 7.1 BB%, and 1.26 HR/9 before his move to San Francisco. And this past season was the better of the two; 2.81 ERA, 3.00 FIP, and 3.49 xERA in 192.0 IP.

He did struggle a bit after the All-Star break, pitching to a 4.42 ERA. His strikeouts were up and walks were down in the second half, but he allowed an inflated 1.40 HR/9. This can be explained by a 17.1 HR/FB, which should naturally regress to his career mark of 13.3.

Many of the top free agent starters are either getting old, coming back from a major injury, or both. Gausman’s just 30-years old, and, other than 2019 when he spent time in the bullpen, has made at least 30 starts in every year since 2016, ignoring the COVID shortened season. It might be scary promising a big contract for a year and a half of good results, but he seems like he’s really turned into a reliable top of the rotation arm.

The Twins need help all over the field. They have a good core of power bats, though, lack a lot of pitching. There’s no reason to give up hope after a lost season. With the addition of Bryant to the lineup, that should give the club enough firepower to support a below-average pitching staff but should be much better after bringing aboard Gausman and Graveman.

Along with some more minor moves, this kind of offseason could put the Twins right back in the hunt for a playoff berth and should be much more enjoyable to watch than last year’s disaster.