3 moves Twins need to make now that the Winter Meetings are over
Minnesota didn’t make any moves, which means the work starts now.
The Winter Meetings came and went without the typical frenzy of activity we’re used to seeing.
It wasn’t completely quiet on the Nashville front, with Juan Soto finally getting dealt to the Yankees, but it was surprisingly dull. For everything that was made about potential moves the Minnesota Twins could make, the only moves the team made were in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft.
Max Kepler wasn’t traded, Jorge Polanco wasn’t flipped, and the team still hasn’t added anyone in free agency or replenished its starting pitching.
The offseason is longer than the Winter Meetings, though, and the Twins usually aren’t at the front of the line anyway. Work still needs to be done, and there are some key decisions that must be made now that we’re deep into winter and the Hot Stove is starting to heat up.
3 overs Twins need to make now that Winter Meetings are over
Acquire a starting pitcher
This is by far the biggest and clearest offseason need for the Twins, one that everyone has known for a while must be addressed.
For the first time in what felt like forever, pitching was a strength for Minnesota last year but meat is already getting picked off that bone. Kenta Maeda left to sign with the Detroit Tigers while Sonny Gray parlayed his Cy Young runner-up season into a three-year, $75 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. Even the coaching staff is getting poached, as the Boston Red Sox hired minor league pitching coordinator Justin Willard to a high-level role with the team.
All of that is an endorsement of the system Minnesota has, but it also heightens the importance of properly replacing the things have been working. Gray leaves the biggest hole, and it sounds like the Twins aren’t afraid to chase a ‘front-line’ starter to replace him. Only one big name pitcher ended up signing a deal during the Winter Meetings, with Eduardo Rodriguez signing a four-year, $80 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. There were rumblings about a Tyler Glasnow trade, but only the Cubs and Reds were mentioned as suitors at the time.
If the Reds are a top team trying to land Glasnow, there’s no reason the Twins can’t get involved. He checks so many boxes, from his 1.083 WHIP to a 2.91 FIP and 2.0 WAR, he feels like the kind of starter who can form a tandem with Pablo Lopez at the front of the rotation.
Miami also might be a trade partner — again. There were rumors that the Marlins are looking to offload their top pitching, which could bring two teams that worked together so great last year back together for another deal. Max Kepler was a name tossed out last year as a potential piece of a trade package and it might be worth revisiting those talks.
It’s frustrating that the Twins didn’t get involved in anything after being hyped up as players in the trade market, but it’s not surprising. Historically the front office has let the market settle before jumping in, and things overall were pretty boring and slow at the Winter Meetings. There’s pressure to replace Gray and Maeda, and to ensure that pitching remains a strength, and these next few weeks will be key to setting something up.
Figure out the plan in centerfield
Starting pitching is the marquee need for Minnesota, but it’s not the only thing that needs to be addressed. Arguably the next big concern is what’s going on out in centerfield, as there’s almost as much uncertainty there as in the rotation.
Byron Buxton is the hinge on which everything swings. He played exactly zero innings in the field last season (although he played some at Triple-A St. Paul while rehabbing), which created all sorts of anxiety about the future. Michael A. Taylor was able to fill in as the everyday centerfielder, but he’s gone and having someone other than Buxton filling that role is less than ideal.
Two things need to get figured out over the next weeks and months: What happens with Buxton and who plays center?
Both of those go hand-in-hand, as the real question is can Buxton play center? If he can, the Twins can either try and rely on him to play the bulk of his season there while platooning guys they already have on the roster. Austin Martin is the big name to keep an eye on, as he’s expected to be the next-in-line for the Twins youth movement and can help out in center.
If Buxton can’t be relied on to carry his weight in center, Minnesota needs to figure out another escape plan like they had with Taylor last year. Martin figures to play a huge role here, but Buxton not being healthy enough to play center might lead the team to finding outside help. Tyler O’Neill is on the trade market and guys like Harrison Bader and Kevin Kiermaier being free agent options.
Even if Buxton is healthy, adding outside help could still be an option. The point is the Twins have a massive question that needs to be answered, and it’s right alongside starting pitching as something that must be addressed.
Trade Kyle Farmer, Jorge Polanco, and/or Max Kepler
Even before the payroll was reduced, the value of Minnesota getting involved in the trade market was being hyped up. As soon as the Twins picked up affordable options on Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler, trade rumors started getting kicked up over where they might go and how flipping them could improve the roster elsewhere.
It didn’t stop with just Kepler and Polanco. Minnesota also tendered Kyle Farmer, who is projected to make around $6.6 million next year and is another prime trade chip for the Twins to flip. Christian Vazquez could be considered here as well, although he’s a clear fourth behind those other three guys.
With the payroll slashed, using the trade market to help find starting pitching makes sense, and the trio of Farmer, Kepler, and Polanco make up great value in a market that isn’t robust with free agent bats. If any of those guys were on the market, they’d be near the top of free agent wish lists, which is why Minnesota is expected to use them to acquire pitching. So far it’s been slow going, as the typical chaos of the Winter Meetings didn’t result in any big rumors popping up about where they could land.
Again, this was partly due to the Winter Meetings being uncharacteristically slow this year, but it only further emphasizes how important the next few weeks will be for the Twins. Trades did happen, and rumors were kicked up; Juan Soto was dealt for a bevy of pitching talent, while Tyler Glasnow rumors starter to heat up.
The Twins must be active in the trade market the way they were hyped up to be earlier this offseason. Waiting for the right deal worked last year, but it’s a fine line to walk between holding out and holding on too long.
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