Twins among 'best fits' for 7 of the top free agent pitchers this offseason

Autumn has arrived, leaves are starting to change, and the MLB hot stove is about to start heating up. For the second consecutive offseason, Minnesota Twins fans are uncertain how to welcome what should be one of the most exciting times on the baseball calendar.

A $30 million reduction in payroll smothered any excitement the fan base felt after last year's playoff run, and a historic collapse at the end of this season has left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. There are very obvious holes on the roster -- from starting pitching to the bullpen -- but no clear way for the team to fix it.

There is a clear path but it's one the Pohlads have repeatedly shunned. Ownership's refusal to spend a penny more than the bare minimum has eroded trust, but there's still hope that the potential sale of the team could encourage some unexpected investment to sweeten the pot for whoever ends up buying.

Twins listed as 'best fits' for seven top free agent pitchers this winter

The Athletic's Jim Bowden rattled off the Top 45 free agents set to hit the market this winter, and to the surprise of many in Twins Territory he has Minnesota listed as a 'best fit' for 10 players in total. Seven of them are pitchers, which is by far the most dire need the team has, and if the Pohalds loosen their death grip on the purse strings, the front office might be able to make some interesting additions.

Here's who Bowden has listed as fits for the Twins:

Three of those names are very familiar to Twins fans as Flaherty, Wacha, and Kikuchi were all on the team's radar at one point or another over the last year. Kickuchi was a trade deadline target right up until the Astros gave Toronto a haul that Minnesota wisely didn't match, while Flaherty could have been a free agent signing last winter but was passed on.

Needless to say, both of those guys pitched in the postseason with Flaherty having started Game 1 of the World Series for Los Angeles.

Whether these guys that Bowden listed are actual fits is unfortunately secondary; wondering if the Twins are actually going to invest in the roster is where all offseason planning starts. Last winter we saw what happened when the Pohlads turned back into the greediest version of themselves, refusing to approve funds to sign guys like Flaherty, Wacha, or Marcus Stroman. That plan resulted in the team running out of resources at and crashing out before reaching the finish line and smart ownership would try to avoid a similar situation.

Nobody has ever accused Joe Pohlad of that, though.

Minnesota can't afford to let the starting rotation go unaddressed again this winter. That's nothing against the young arms the team has, but we saw where David Festa and Zebby Matthews are in their development and it's not yet at a place where they can have a meaningful impact in a playoff race.

Pablo Lopez had a down year, Joe Ryan got hurt, and Bailey Ober carried as much weight as he could while Simeon Woods Richardson finally found his footing. The Twins need another top starter, though, and it's pretty clear based on Bowden's list that fans aren't the only ones thinking that.

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