Minnesota Twins Winter Meetings Path to Success No. 2: Land one of the big four shortstops and clear the 40-Man via trade.
The Twins’ current starter at shortstop for the 2023 season is Kyle Farmer with Royce Lewis likely to push him into an infield depth role when he returns from injury. Considering who manned the position in 2022, the team won’t be successful if that drop-off occurs.
I’ll be honest. The Twins have shown no interest in signing Trea Turner, and despite offering multiple offers to Carlos Correa, I don’t expect the superstar to remain in Minnesota. With that in mind, that leaves Xander Bogaerts (whose talks with Boston have stalled) and Dansby Swanson, and the Twins should land one of the two.
With nearly $60+ million available in spending, the team can afford to offer one (or maybe two) large contracts, and if they do plan on spending that money, it needs to be a shortstop. With four main options, scoring one at Winter Meetings would be a great get.
After doing that, their next move could be clearing a 40-man spot. The team has a full boat of players on the roster, and with multiple players with similar profiles (left-handed outfielders and right-handed relievers), the team could take advantage of the close proximity and clear up some space in a trade, bringing back either cash, prospects, or sending out several players for one.