3 important changes Minnesota Twins need to make right now
By Eric Cole
Heading into the middle of May, the Minnesota Twins are in good shape so far. Despite a mediocre stretch of late, the Twins still have a 2.5 game lead in the AL Central ahead of the recently surging Detroit Tigers and the pitching staff has been among the better units in all of baseball in 2023.
At the end of the day, being in first place is where you want to be and so far, so good there.
However, not everything has gone according to plan, especially on the offensive side of the ball. While we are a ways away from the trade deadline and making actual moves this early in the season can be difficult, here are some changes we would already make to the 2023 Twins if we got our way.
Twins need a new, better third baseman
The Twins certainly tried to fill third base with a big name when they signed Josh Donaldson to a four year, $92 million deal before the 2020 season. At the time, it was the biggest contract the team had ever handed out and he was coming off a season with the Atlanta Braves where he slashed .259/.379/.521 with 37 homers. Unfortunately, things did not work out as Donaldson struggled to both produce at a high level as well as stay healthy before the Twins sent him to the Yankees last year.
For 2023, the result has been some decidedly lackluster results. The bulk of the playing time at third has been handled by Jose Miranda whose .219/.275/.313 line with a 65 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR leaves something to be desired.
Kyle Farmer could be a better option once he returns from the injured list as he has some experience at third, but that isn't a huge upgrade even if Farmer returns right back to form and that is far from a certainty given what he has had to go through.
In an ideal world, prospect Eduoard Julien would be able to get called up and play third base, but his defensive limitations are well-documented and his arm would be a problem at the hot corner. Moving Jorge Polanco over to third would allow Julien to get into the lineup and play second, but Polanco has very limited experience at third years ago and that small sample didn't exactly go well, either.
Maybe Royce Lewis can factor into a solution once he is done rehabbing his knee injury? Maybe Brooks Lee gets moved over to third in the minors and blasts his way to the big leagues quickly?
Either way, the third base spot needs some help and the sooner, the better.