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Projected 2023 Twins lineup after signing Carlos Correa

By Josh Hill |
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 19: Gilberto Celestino #67, Byron Buxton #25 and Max Kepler #26 of the Minnesota Twins celebrate against the Texas Rangers on August 19, 2022 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 19: Gilberto Celestino #67, Byron Buxton #25 and Max Kepler #26 of the Minnesota Twins celebrate against the Texas Rangers on August 19, 2022 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
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It’s been a whirlwind few days for the Minnesota Twins, but as the dust settles on the Carlos Correa saga it’s time to start looking ahead to the future.

Landing Correa wasn’t the final piece of the Twins offseason plan, although it might be the most significant. There are a number of different moves the Twins will likely make now that Correa has been locked in at shortstop, from adding another quality starter to trading Max Kepler — perhaps in the same move.

The general sentiment is looking ahead with excitement, rather than wallowing in what would have been a lost offseason that may have set the team back. It’s a splash of cold water to go from the latter to the former, but that’s part of what is so exciting about the Twins taking the major swing they did on Correa.

As noted, things won’t look exactly the way they do now when the team reports to Spring Training in about a month. But in the meantime, with the excitement buzzing as hard as it is around the Twins, let’s take a look at where things are now as we watch the team chart course for the future.

Projected Minnesota Twins lineup after signing Carlos Correa

Now that Correa has signed, it’s time to get excited about what the Twins lineup could look like this season. Nothing is set in stone, and this is more of a knee-jerk look at the names rather than how they specifically fit — we’ll get to that throughout the offseason.

There’s a lot to love about the knee-jerk, though:

  • First base: Alex Kirilloff
  • Second base: Jorge Polonco
  • Shortstop: Carlos Correa
  • Third base: Jose Miranda
  • Left Field: Joey Gallo
  • Centerfield: Byron Buxton
  • Right Field: Max Kepler
  • Catcher: Christian Vázquez
  • DH: Luis Arráez

Kelper is likely gone in a trade sometime soon, which could open up a corner outfield spot for Royce Lewis to find his way into the lineup once fully healthy. Alex Kirilloff can slide into right field as well, with Luis Arráez capable of playing first.

The current starting lineup would then leave the Twins with some pretty great depth on the bench.

  • Ryan Jeffers, C (Who might start as much as Vázquez does)
  • Nick Gordon, IF/OF
  • Kyle Garlick, OF
  • Royce Lewis, SS
  • Trevor Larnach, OF
  • Kyle Farmer, 2B/SS/3B
  • Gilberto Celestino, CF
  • Matt Wallner, OF
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Jhoan Duran #59 of the Minnesota Twins throws against the Los Angeles Angels in the eighth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 12, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Jhoan Duran #59 of the Minnesota Twins throws against the Los Angeles Angels in the eighth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 12, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Projected Minnesota Twins starting rotation in 2023

Here’s a look at the Twins pitching situation as well, for good measure.

  1. Sonny Gray
  2. Joe Ryan
  3. Trevor Mahle
  4. Bailey Ober
  5. Kenta Maeda

That’s probably what things will look like on Opening Day, unless something happens in Spring Training to change Rocco’s mind. Injuries can happen too, but if the Twins need to mix things up in the rotation, there’s some solid depth to play around with.

  • Simeon Woods-Richardson
  • Josh Winder
  • Louie Varland
  • A.J. Alexy
  • Jordan Balazovic

Projected Minnesota Twins bullpen options in 2023

FanGraphs rated the Twins bullpen as the team’s best position group entering this upcoming season. Based on the arms in the pen, and what we saw out of them last season, it’s hard to argue with the hype.

Jhoan Durán quickly became a fan favorite and created a dangerous late-inning duo with Jorge Lopez.

Durán was by far the standout of the group, pitching nearly 60 innings and posting 1.87 ERA. It’s not too early to say he’s a budding superstar, and the type of pitcher teams need in the pen to be serious about making runs in October.

I mean, come on. That’s the good stuff and it’s coming out of the Minnesota bullpen.

Here’s a look at the rest of the unit as it stands now:

  • Jhoan Durán
  • Jorge López
  • Griffin Jax
  • Caleb Theilbar
  • Jorge Alcalá
  • Emilio Pagán
  • Jovani Morán
  • Trevor Megill
  • Ronny Henríquez
  • Cole Sands

Beyond Durán, there’s a lot to like about this group. Griffin Jax is another young arm that seems like he’ll take a leap forward in 2023. Heading into August last season, before the Twins imploded, Jax was posting a 3.49 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 43 innings in his first year as a reliever. He had his ups and downs, but considering it was just his first year of relief work, there’s enough to get excited about what an offseason of work might do to his efforts this season. Caleb Theilbar didn’t post an ERA above 2.45 from July to the end of the season, and finished the season with a 2.42 FIP.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, and it’s hard to not be thrilled about what this unit can do if the rest of the lineup does its job and consistently hands them leads next season.

Next. Ranking Twins biggest offseason needs for 2023. dark

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