Minnesota Twins: Top 3 Moves the Twins made in 2021
Minnesota Twins Best Move No. 3: Trading Jose Berrios at the deadline
At the 2021 trade deadline, Jose Berrios currently had a year and a half left on his current deal with the Twins. Over 6 years, Berrios appeared in 136 games, posted a 4.08 ERA, 781.1 IP with almost as many Ks (779) and an ERA+ of 107 and was in the midst of the best season of his career.
By looking at the numbers, Berrios was just a tad above average, but on the closer side to average. The Twins had a decision to make: trade the best starter they’d developed since Johan Santana or move him to avoid losing him in free agency. In my opinion, this made the deal a no brainer for the Twins.
The Twins made the executive decision to move Berrios while there was still some value in how much of his contract he had left. Hindsight is 20/20 but the extension that Berrios was offered by the Blue Jays seems like a price tag that the Twins would not (or at least should not) want to pay for a pitcher of his caliber.
Aside from saving themselves a ton of money on the extension, the Twins also received two prospects in Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson. Both are top prospects and should be seeing time in the majors within the next two years.
Minnesota Twins Best Move No. 2: Receiving Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman
There seems to be a trend here with the best moves that the Twins made in 2021. Nelson Cruz was one of the recent bright spots in recent Minnesota Twins history hitting 76 home runs, batting .304 and posting his fourth highest WAR (4.3) in 2019.
However, Nelson Cruz was face to face with the one thing that he couldn’t stop and that is old age. Cruz was 40 years old this past season and his time in the MLB is sadly coming to an end soon. The Twins decided they had to capitalize before it was too late.
They sent Nelson Cruz to the Tampa Bay Rays along with Calvin Faucher and in return received Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. Trading less than a year’s worth of a 40 year old DH for a 25 year old who is going to be inserted into the rotation for years to come and a 25 year old who made the jump from High A to Triple A from 2019-2021 seems like a no-brainer.
Also, taking a young prospect from the Rays is always a good thing because if he was in their system at one point, odds are he’s pretty talented, and from what what both players did after the trade, the Twins have to feel quite comfortable.
Minnesota Twins Best Move No. 1: Signing Byron Buxton to a team friendly extension
This extension had Twins fans in a whirlwind of emotions for an entire week when they realized Byron Buxton was locked in for 7 more years. It goes without saying that Buck has MVP potential and after just turning 28 years old, he has a ton left in the tank.
The contract is extremely team friendly, while at the same time, offering many incentives if the Twins receive MVP Buxton like they know he is capable of. If he plays up to the incentives, everyone wins.
Buxton's deal, as @Ken_Rosenthal said, is for seven years and $100M and, as @feinsand reported, includes a full no-trade clause. The MVP bonuses for Buxton are significant: 1st gets him $8M, 2nd $7M, 3rd $6M, 4th $5M, 5th $4M, 6th-10th $3M. Up to $2.5M/year in PA bonuses, too.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 28, 2021
As stated above by Jeff Passan and Ken Rosenthal, finishing anywhere in the top 10 for MVP voting awards Buxton a multimillion dollar bonus along with a ton of money just for staying on the field and racking up plate appearances.
Part of building to be a contending team in a few years is locking down key pieces and building around them with young talent. Extending the heart and soul of the team for 7 years and trading away 3 older players in return for younger studs that will be pivotal parts in the rebuild is exactly what the Minnesota Twins did in 2021. I personally am looking forward to the growth of this team and what they can do in 2022.
Next. Re-Ranking the 5 Twins with the Best Shot at the HOF. dark