Derek Falvey acquires a top rotation arm near the trade deadline
Most Twins fans would probably agree they feel relatively at ease when Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, or even Simeon Woods Richardson are on the mound. The same can’t be said when Chris Paddack is pitching, who most likely will be a part of the Twins’ opening day rotation.
While young arms like David Festa, Zebby Matthews and Louis Varland will likely get starting opportunities at some point in 2025, it appears Paddack’s experience will help earn him a rotation spot to start the season. And like Paddack, those three young pitchers aren’t guys that have proven they can, at least not yet, consistently mow down top hitters the way Lopez or Ryan have proven they can.
One more proven starter is what the Twins need if they want to win a tough American League Central.
As long as the Pohlads still own the Twins, a trade is likely the only thing Minnesota can do to acquire a noteworthy name for its starting rotation. Even if a sale of the team miraculously comes to fruition before the July 31 trade deadline, one would imagine the new ownership group would want to make a statement to start its acquisition.
Multiple scenarios end with the Twins trading for a new starting pitcher, and the team has the resources to do so. Of course, Minnesota first has to be competing for a playoff bid in July.
Potential trade candidates include Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, Justin Verlander, Jordan Montgomery and former Twin Sonny Gray.
Jhoan Duran and Matt Wallner make the All-Star team
It’s probably surprising to many that Duran has yet to appear in an MLB All-Star game. Although he had a down season last year relative to his career statistics, pitching to a 3.64 ERA and striking out 66 in 54 ⅓ innings, Duran has shown he is one of the best bullpen arms in baseball.
In his rookie season (2022), he accumulated 2.9 bWAR with a 1.86 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 67 ⅔ innings before pitching to a 2.45 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 62 ⅓ innings the following year.
With a fastball that can run over 103 mph and a deadly splitter, Duran is due for a bounce-back season. Even with his struggles last year, Duran had a 2.85 FIP compared to 3.21 the year before, signifying his luck may not have been the best and that he should bounce back in 2025.
Wallner, who will likely serve as one of the Twins’ main leadoff batters this season, has a career .866 OPS in 169 games. He was sent down to St. Paul after early-season struggles last season but seemed to figure it out at the plate when he returned to the Twins in early July. His ability to reach base at a high level and hit for power makes him a prime candidate to join the Minnesota Twins All-Stars Club this season.
While starting in the Midsummer Classic is a long shot for Wallner, earning a reserve spot is highly likely if he performs on par with his career numbers in the first half this season.
Last year, outfielder Anthony Santander earned an All-Star selection despite poor defensive play and posting an .804 OPS, signifying a Wallner selection is within reach.
Pablo Lopez returns to Cy Young-candidate form
Last season wasn’t terrible for Lopez by any means, posting a 4.08 ERA. Still, it probably wasn’t what the veteran righty wanted after finishing top-10 in Cy Young voting the year prior.
Lopez’s 3.65 FIP last year suggests his ERA was inflated due to unlucky factors. He still averaged 9.6 strikeouts per nine and 2.0 walks per nine; in 2023, he averaged 10.9 and 2.2, respectively.
Expect to see Lopez’s name on the Cy Young Ballot come October.
Byron Buxton sees time in the corner outfield
If all goes according to plan for the Twins, Buxton will start over 120 games in center field en route to earning the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Unfortunately for the Twins, that is unlikely to happen, as the athletic center fielder’s 102 games played last season was his most since he played 140 in 2017.
As what happens to almost all center fielders, Buxton will most likely eventually move to a corner outfield spot (assuming he doesn’t retire due to excessive injuries) when he gets older. His center field defense is among the best in the league, but he’s already 31, and Rocco Baldelli already experimented with having him serve solely as the designated hitter to prevent injuries two seasons ago.
To avoid injuries and set him up for his future, expect to see Buxton in right and/or left field at some point this season.
Ty France maintains the starting first baseman role
Spring Training games don’t matter, but if someone slashes .522/.560/.957 in 23 at-bats, it’s impossible not to notice.
That is what France has done so far in his first spring camp with Minnesota.
France joins Minnesota after a rough couple of seasons, posting a minus-0.6 bWAR in 2024 and a 0.7 in 2023. However, the former Mariner accumulated a 4.4 WAR in 2021 and a 3.1 in 2022 and looks poised to have a bounce-back season.