It’s always fun to see what some former Twins’ are up to. For legends like Joe Mauer, Hall of Fame inductions and future ownership may be on the menu. But for these players finding a new squad to join for the 2025 season is of utmost priority.
There are several former Twins still looking for work on the free agent market and each of them could find a new home in the weeks leading up to spring training.
Lance Lynn
Although his tenure in the Twin Cities may have been short, Lance Lynn’s time in the big leagues has been long and productive. Entering his age 38 season, Lynn has thrown over 2,000 innings across his 13-year career. He had a respectable 2024 after returning to the Cardinals last season, going 7-4 with a 3.74 ERA in 23 starts and showing he certainly has more in the tank to fill a role in 2025.
Unfortunately, Lynn’s time for the Twins was far from memorable, as he racked up a 5.10 ERA in just over half a season back in 2018. He was a trade deadline swap to the Yankees, netting them Tyler Austin and Luis Rijo, neither of which made a major impact in Minnesota.
If you like statistical oddities that don’t really mean anything, Lynn has one for you. In 2019 he led the league with 18 wild pitches, 11 more than any other year of his career. Sure, this is a meaningless stat, but I know someone out there will get a kick out of the tidbit.
The good news for Lynn is that there will always be a need for innings on a major league baseball team, and Lynn can provide solid innings for a club next year. FanGraphs projects his contract to end up around 1 year and $8 million, an affordable price that can be attractive to small market teams looking to find a steady arm in their rotation. Up-and-coming teams like the Athletics and Nationals have thinner rotations that could benefit from a reliable arm like Lynn to help bridge the gap to their younger players. A return to Chicago could also make sense, as the White Sox are in the drudges of a rebuild and currently entering the season with Jonathan Cannon as the Opening Day starter.
Prediction: Athletics bring another veteran to Sacramento to pair with Luis Severino for 1 year, $8 million
Jorge Polanco
A fan-favorite in Minnesota, Jorge Polanco hits the free agent market at age 31 following a subpar season with the Mariners. Polanco hit just .213 with 16 home runs last year, which unfortunately has become the norm in Seattle as a place where good hitters go to die.
Polanco’s time with the Twins was fun, however, as the second baseman hit .269 with 112 home runs across his 10 seasons with the club, living through the glory days of the Bomba Squad. The glut of infield options led to Polanco getting traded out of Minnesota before the 2024 season in a package that netted them Anthony Desclafani, Justin Topa, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Darren Bowen.
The market for Polanco is mild at best right now, although the Yankees have been linked to Polanco, Brendan Rodgers, and a possible Luis Arraez trade if they aren’t able to find a third baseman that allows Jazz Chisolm to return to second.
For a team looking to upgrade defensively, Polanco’s poor defense is far from ideal, but an offensive bounce back in Yankee Stadium could entice Brian Cashman to pull the trigger on a low-cost upside play.
After trading away Andres Gimenez, the Guardians also find themselves with a need at second base unless they’re ready to fully commit to Juan Brito. The Giants, Angels, and Pirates also have varying levels of need at second base.
Prediction: Yankees give Polanco a 1 year, $7 million “prove-it” deal.
Kyle Gibson
After a somewhat rocky tenure in Minnesota that spanned the course of seven seasons, Kyle Gibson has quietly become one of the most dependable innings eaters in baseball. Since 2014, Gibson has made 25 plus starts in every season save for the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
An All-Star in 2021, Gibson has spent time with the Rangers, Phillies, Orioles, and Cardinals since departing the Twins prior to the 2021 season.
Going into his age 35 season, Gibson has the same benefit working to advantage as Lance Lynn: every team needs consistent arms. He fits in with multiple competitive teams looking to bolster the back end of their rotations. The Brewers and Guardians both fit this bill, as teams who have talented young arms but could use a steady veteran who’s all but a guarantee to throw 150+ innings. The Nationals and Tigers also make sense as a young team looking to make a leap with their young bats.