MLB analyst isn’t sure about the Twins ‘low floor’ lineup this season
A former MLB GM turned analyst thinks the Twins’ lineup is essentially a house of cards.
It was a frustratingly quiet and slow offseason for the Minnesota Twins. Rather than chase the most successful postseason run since 2002 by adding to the roster, most of the moves the team made were subtractions with only a few additions on the fringes of being meaningful.
Carlos Santana and Manuel Margot add some nice potential power to the lineup but they didn’t replace the team’s biggest need which was finding a way to make up for the loss of Sonny Gray. That move was made internally, as the Twins are betting on Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan taking major steps forward.
There weren’t a ton of positional needs, although fortifying the lineup to ensure a decent amount of depth was something that could have happened and didn’t. Outside of Margot and Santana, the Twins didn’t do much more than double down on internal talent to pad the lineup and hope for the best.
It’s a strategy that has some experts wondering if the house of cards approach will end up falling apart on Minnesota.
MLB analyst thinks Twins have a ‘low ceiling’ lineup
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden ranked every Opening Day roster and the Twins came in at No. 12, with the caveat that it could end up way lower if things don’t go perfectly.
He credits stars like Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Royce Lewis as being enough to take the Twins near the top of the league but rightfully notes that if they can’t remain healthy the whole thing comes crashing down.
The Twins have an interesting lineup that has a high ceiling but also a low floor. They need three of their best hitters —Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton— to stay healthy and play full seasons. They also need their young hitters led by Edouard Julien(who has special plate discipline), Matt Wallner (great power) and Alex Kirilloff (also needs to stay healthy) to live up to their enormous potential.
This is where the lack of attention paid to positional depth might come back to bite the Twins. Betting on just one of those guys to play the maximum amount of games without getting injured is a big ask, let alone all three.
Buxton is the biggest question mark, which is why the minimal movement the team made was directed toward finding depth behind him. Margot was acquired from the Dodgers as an insurance policy, and the Twins have another one in the form of Austin Martin.
Correa is expected to be as healthy as he’s ever been with the Twins, and the team is banking on him remaining so to the point where Kyle Farmer and Willi Castro as being seen as depth behind him. Brooks Lee could get called up as well, but once again it’s internal talent the team is betting on.
This is why the offseason was so frustrating for Twins fans. Moves could have been made if the payroll wasn’t slashed, and now it seems Minnesota is getting what it paid for. That could be a lineup that once again powers its way to an AL Central title, but it could also all come apart at the seams if a few injuries break the wrong way.
More Minnesota Twins news and rumors
feed