When looking back at the disaster that was the 2022 season, the Minnesota Twins had one major problem: depth. The team started out extremely well, racing out to a large lead in the American League Central and looking like a surefire division winner. As the season wore on, injuries took a massive toll, but with no quality options behind the starters, the team fell apart.
The front office decided to make some changes for the 2023 team, clearing out a lot of older players that wouldn't offer much in terms of talent and replaced them with younger guys. The team got younger and more talented, and after today's move to trade for Michael A. Taylor, the weakness that once was the team's depth is now a massive strength.
Minnesota Twins trade for Michael A. Taylor makes team's biggest weakness a major strength
How can this be the case? Well, the Twins front office clearly set it as a priority from the beginning of the offseason, and if you look at the whole of each position, the team clearly set themselves up well at each spot.
At catcher, the team fell apart after Ryan Jeffers was injured last season. The front office set out to make sure that didn't happen again, signing a new starter in Christian Vazquez and adding Tony Wolters, Chance Sisco, and Grayson Greiner to MiLB deals, ensuring plenty of veteran options if one of the two best options goes down.
The team's outfield and first base was left in shambles when Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton, and Alex Kirilloff dealt with injuries last season, but In 2023, things will likely be different. In addition to Nick Gordon and Max Kepler (for now), the Twins will have Joey Gallo and Taylor with Gilberto Celestino, Matt Wallner, and Kyle Garlick waiting as options in Triple-A.
They even addressed their starting pitching, ensuring that we wouldn't see any more Joe Ryan, Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer, Aaron Sanchez ChiChi Gonzalez rotations. Instead, the rotation is the most formidable it's been in years, with Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez, Tyler Mahle, Ryan, and Kenta Maeda. On top of that, Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Louie Varland, and Simeon Woods Richardson offer loads of depth from the minors
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Sure, the team weakened its deepest point when Arraez and Gio Ursheal were dealt, but Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa, and Jose Miranda are an outstanding group, and there's even more depth there too. Kyle Farmer, Nick Gordon, and eventually Royce Lewis, Austin Martin, and Edouard Julien allow for Twins fans to rest easy.
It's definitely still true that the Twins are missing an ace. They could still use another reliever or two in the bullpen. The lineup is still really young, and another star needs to emerge next to Correa. The team isn't perfect, but it's getting pretty close to a legitimate contender.
Last season, poor roster planning and injuries up and down the lineup led to dashed division title hopes. This year, the team looks primed to take the division back for the first time since 2020, and a massively improved depth chart looks like it could be a primary reason why.