4 Twins players who could lose their roster spot after Manuel Margot trade
After making what seems to be one final external move, the Minnesota Twins need to answer a few internal questions before Opening Day rolls around.
On Monday the Twins traded for Maneul Margot, adding some much-needed right-handed hitting to the bench while also getting some valuable Byron Buxton insurance. Before March 28th arrives, Minnesota will have to decide who will lose their 26-man roster spot to make room for Margot.
The good news is that there are more players firmly locked into roster spots that the decision won't upset the balance too much. It still won't be an easy call to make as the guys who are in line to be bumped back by Margot are players who everyone had high hopes for heading into the season.
4 Twins players who could lose their roster spot after Manuel Margot trade
Griffin Jax, P
It's most likely that Margot takes a position player's roster spot, but for the sake of argument we can't ignore the possibility that a pitcher gets impacted. Nobody from the starting rotation is in danger, but there's a chance the Twins take a hit in the bullpen if the team wants to carry an extra positional player.
That's a big if, but in the event it happens Griffin Jax could be the odd-man-out.
A case could be made for Brock Stewart, but he's all out of options. Caleb Thielbar is also a risk to send down, and the team won't have new additions like Jay Jackson, Steven Okert, or Josh Staumont anywhere other than the MLB roster.
It's an extreme long shot, but that leaves Jax simply by process of elimination.
Jose Miranda, 1B/3B
One of the biggest questions the Twins need to answer this spring is what happens to Jose Miranda, He has been boxed out of a starting role on either corner of the outfield, and it's looking like the trade for Margot might bump him off the 26-man roster when the season starts.
It was a terrible trifecta for Miranda last year, as he slumped offensively and battled injuries, but also saw the rise of Royce Lewis essentially take him out of the running to be the team's everyday third baseman of the future. With Lewis in the lineup, the most likely spot for Miranda would be back over at first base -- which is also a well occupied position.
Minnesota signed veteran slugger Carlos Santana to help platoon with Alex Kirilloff, but there's also a chance that guys like Edouard Julien and Kyle Farmer spend time at first as well. What all of those guys have over Miranda is a firm place on the 26-man roster, which again seemingly bumps him out of the picture.
He was already on the fringe of the Opening Day roster conversation but the thought was that a solid Spring Training campaign could make the case that he deserves a spot. With Margot now in the mix, it once again feels like Miranda is just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Austin Martin, 2B/CF
No player might be more impacted by the Twins acquiring Manuel Margot than Austin Martin. Before the trade he seemed to have a pretty clear path to the Opening Day roster but now things are a little murkier.
Martin still provides some value that could see him earn a 26-man roster spot, but he'll now need an overly impressive spring to make it happen. The idea before was that Martin could help platoon in centerfield with Byron Buxton and provide some insurance behind him in the unfortunate event that he suffers more bad injury luck. Even with Buxton fully healthy, he'll need days off and Martin figured to be the perfect guy to slide into the lineup on those occasions. He also provides something the team has long been searching for: right-handed hitting.
All of those boxes are also checked by Margot, and the Twins going out and trading for him seems to be a pretty clear indication that the team is going to put him ahead of Martin.
That doesn't guarantee he will lose his roster spot, though. Martin also plays second base, which means the Twins could also use him as one of their utility players Rocco can plug-and-play in the lineup. Kyle Farmer is going to lead that charge but the idea of Martin platooning second with Edouard Julien feels like a good one.
The most likely outcome to all of this is Martin starting the season at Triple-A and then getting called up after someone heads to the IL. That's how Julien made his debut last year and it seems to now be Martin's best path to the majors.
Willi Castro, UTIL
Someone is going to need to give up their roster spot for Margot, and it could turn out that the choice isn't as obvious as it seems. Both Martin and Miranda feel like the easiest choices when it comes to finding a roster spot for Margot, but Willi Castro is a potential wild card.
His closest competition would be Martin, who does a lot of the same things Castro does but offers the Twins a chance to continue their youth movement. If Martin was already on the cusp of being in the plans anyway, there could be a world in which Castro is the one who starts the season in the minors and serves as insurance for when Minnesota needs to add a player to the IL.
Castro does a little bit more than Martin, though, which might be the difference maker in whether he has to surrender his roster spot to Margot or not. He can play all over the infield, making him the perfect utility platoon partner for Kyle Farmer. Castro can also play all three outfield position, something that the team might not ask Martin to do but will be looking at Margot for.
That means Castro could be utility depth behind key players like Carlos Correa, Edouard Julien, Byron Buxton, and both Matt Wallner and Max Kepler. Those are a lot of holes to plug and it might be Castro's saving grace.
More Minnesota Twins news and rumors
feed