We’ve reached the offseason and the free agency flood gates are about to open. Blake Snell signed a massive contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and guys like Nick Martinez and Yusei Kikuchi have agreed to deals as well, which means players on all tiers are starting to find homes.
The Winter Meetings will likely bring more action and chaos, but for the Minnesota Twins there’s an anxiety about whether the team is going to be making any moves at all. A reduced payroll last year doomed the team before the season even started, and it doesn’t seem likely that the Twins are going to make many moves this offseason to make up the difference.
A tight budget has already started to squeeze players off the roster. Max Kepler has seemingly played his final game in a Twins uniform, and the interest he’s expected to get in free agency only further spells the end of this time in Minnesota.
Max Kepler listed as best fit for three teams in free agency
The Athletic named its top free agents of the offseason and not only had Kepler on the list but have at least three teams as potential landing spots in free agency. As if it wasn’t already clear his time with the team was over, this pretty much seals the deal.
- Athletics
- Pirates
- Marlins
What’s interesting is the inclusion of the Marlins, as Kepler’s name was kicked around as a potential trade candidate when the Twins were trying to acquire Pablo Lopez. Luis Arraez ended up being the price paid in that deal, but it wasn’t the last time Kepler’s name popped up in trade rumors.
Kepler was mentioned as a potential player the Twins could trade last winter to get frontline pitching help, but it was Jorge Polanco who ended up getting moved. Unfortunately he was salary dumped rather than getting any actual help but that was sort of the theme of Minnesota’s offseason.
These three teams probably won’t be the only ones that ended up getting linked to Kepler. He’s already been mentioned alongside the Cleveland Guardians, which would be a nightmare for Twins fans, and the Yankees and Braves also make sense as potential landing spots as well as the Mariners and Blue Jays.
A return to Minnesota can’t be totally ruled out either, although he’ll likely get priced out of their narrow range this winter.
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