It was a painfully uneventful winter for the Minnesota Twins, at least considering the context of the offseason. For the first time since 2002 the team was coming off a successful postseason, one that saw the Twins win a playoff series and end its miserable 19-year losing streak.
We all know what happened next. Rather than spending to improve the roster, fears over lost future revenue forced the team to clamp down and make minimal moves. What the front office did is still impactful, and it's not like the team didn't do anything -- it just didn't do what we all expected.
Twins fans aren't alone in that sentiment.
One of the players Minnesota brought back was utilityman Kyle Farmer, who was tendered back in November and eventually worked out an arbtitration settlement. He'll be getting $6.3 million to return, and nobody was as surprised about that outcome than Farmer.
Kyle Farmer was surprised Twins re-signed him this offseason
The great Dan Hayes had a piece in The Athletic highlighting Farmer's importance to the clubhouse, and in there he noted that he was not expecting to be back in Minnesota this season.
"Much to Farmer’s surprise, the Twins offered him a contract in mid-November and the sides later avoided arbitration. He signed a one-year deal worth $6.3 million on Jan. 11. Instead of learning a clubhouse full of new teammates this spring, Farmer is strengthening relationships with the Twins," Hayes wrote.
Farmer believed that the lack of willingness to spend, plus a glut of infield talent, meant he'd likely be playing elsewhere in 2024. This is a key example of how the Twins front office was extra intentional with its moves against a tight budget.
Rather than go out and spend on a postional player in free agency, the Twins essentially allocated those funds to bringing back Farmer. He was a phenomenal everyman for Minnesota last year, bouncing back from a scary injury earlier in the season to becoming a key part of a postseason roster.
He slashed .270/.331/.472 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs in the second half, and gave Twins fans a rallying cry after the team clinched an AL Central title in September.
"We're going to get that first win since 2004. I can promise you that."
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) September 23, 2023
Kyle Farmer chats with @Audra_Martin after the @Twins claim the division! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/PwvpblYury
Farmer helped the Twins deliever on that promise, and went on to have a fantastic performance in Game 2 of the ALDS against Houston. Now he'll be trying to run things back, both in terms of how far the Twins can go this year and how much he can continue to be a classic Twins piranha.