Now that the Minnesota Twins have started to turn some gears in the front office, the rumors are starting to filter in the way we thought they might a few months ago.
It took a while, but the Twins have made a number of moves over the last few weeks. Jorge Polanco is gone, Carlos Santana was signed, and even off-field matters like the ongoing TV rights drama with Diamond Sports Group has been taken care of.
One of the major needs Minnesota still needs to address is ensuring that Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda are adequetly replaced in the starting rotation. So far it seems like the team has cut corners to do that, relying on in-house talent rather than actively pursuing free agent help.
That could be changing soon, sort of.
Minnesota isn't expected to go out and land Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, but MLB insider Jon Morosi laid out how the Twins might snag someone looking to sneak in while the market is still relatively frozen.
MLB insider thinks the price is right for Twins to add Noah Syndergaard
On Sunday it was reported that the Twins were among the teams looking at Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen. Morosi noted that two pair are being looked at as depth more than anything else, and that the price seems to be right for the Twins to get involved.
"They're still looking for starting pitching help, especially without Maeda and Gray," Morosi mused. "I do think the Twins will find a way to get some depth. Lorenzen and Syngerdaard seem to be about in the price range ... that they're looking at right now."
There are a handful of teams expressing interest in Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen 👀#MLBNHotStove | @jonmorosi pic.twitter.com/rgdyEVu2Wy
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 12, 2024
Syndergaard is the sexier name between the two thanks to the fame he attained a tthe peak of his powers with the Mets. He had a bit of a Francisco Liriano-style ascent in New York, pitching as part of a dynamic duo with Jacob deGrom and helping the Mets reach the World Series in 2015.
Like Liriano, injuries caused an abrupt halt to his rise, and it's been tough sledding for Syndergaard ever since. He's bounced around after having Tommy John surgery in 2021 and is now looking for his fifth team in three seasons.
He feels like a classic Twins flier candidate, as the team loves to take a chance on name-brand veterans who seem to be at the end of the line. Syndergaard is still only 31-years old and could be a perfect make-good gamble, but the Angels, Phillies, Dodgers, and Guardians all had the same thought and the most recent result was a 7.16 ERA with Los Angeles and a 5.40 ERA in Cleveland.
The key here is price. If Syndergaard can be signed for a reasonably cheap deal then it wouldn't be the worst lottery ticket for the Twins to purchase. They've already taken low-risk, high-upside deals with Josh Staumont and Carlos Santana and Syndergaard fits the bill as a veteran who could use an opportunity with Minnesota to prove himself.
He hasn't showed much of that recently, and it's hardly a splashy move that will move the needle much. Minnesota seems to be piecemealing (or Frankenstein-ing) innings it lost with Gray and Maeda leaving, but a low-risk gamble on Syndergaard feels extremely on-brand for the Twins.