Most of the vibes around the Minnesota Twins have been immaculate, which is something a 12-game winning streak will go a long way in establishing.
Whlle the streak ended on Sunday against Boston, it seems Minnesota did enough over the course of the last two weeks to lay a foundation for the winning ways to contninue. Offensive struggles have not only smoothed out but seemingly turned completely around, and the Twins pulled themselves back into the AL Central race.
Not everyone is having a good time, though.
There's not articulate way to put it, but Manuel Margot is down bad. He's been both absymal at the plate and has become a defensive liability, something that was on full display in Sunday's loss. Margot lost a ball in the the sun which allowed the Red Sox to score enough runs to put the game out of reach.
Margot wasn't the reason Minnesota lost, but it's notable how much he sticks out against all the other good stuff that's happening. It's to the point where a decision on his future will need to be made, and the Twins could already have the perfect replacement in-house to make things easier.
Twins already have the perfect replacement for Manuel Margot waiting on the roster
If the Twins end up moving on from Margot, whether that be an accepted assignment or an outright release, Emmanuel Rodriguez could make for an easy -- and exciting -- replacement on the roter.
E-Rod finished April by winning Minor League Player of the Month despite missing some time with an injury. He posted a 1.193 OPS and 11 extra base hits, and stole nine bases which shows all sorts of things the Twins offense could use as it tries to keep the winning vibes rolling.
It's more than just what he does at the plate that makes Rodriguez exciting, as he's turned in some great defensive plays too.
The @WindSurgeICT put on a defensive clinic last night💥
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) May 5, 2024
Emmanuel Rodriguez, Ben Ross, and Alerick Soularie all made great plays in the field to help secure the win 💨#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/diP4wffSDR
All of this seems to be the culmination of his rise as a Top 100 prospect, and it seems like only a matter of time before he ends up getting the call. Brooks Lee is still ahead of him in line, but some setbacks there might mean E-Rod leap frogs him and makes his debut first.
Replacing Margot opens up the perfect path for that, although it's a big leap from Double-A to the majors. It's an uncommon but not unheard of jump, as players like Dansby Swanson, Juan Soto, and Manny Machado all made the leap but that's some pretty impressive company to already compare Rodriguez to.
Something has to give, though, as Margot simply cannot remain on the roster at his current level of production. He's hitting a brutal .172/.258/.241 and is hardly the type of Byron Buxton insurance the Twins thought they were buying back in February. Austin Martin was called up to take Buxton's roster spot and it seems likely that he'll get increased playing time as Margot struggles.
Minnesota is paying Margot $4 million, which could motivate them to try and stick it out. If the Twins are looking for an excuse to. all up E-Rod and see what he's got, then this situation with Margot might end up being a blessing in disguise.