Projected Twins lineup after signing Carlos Santana, trading Jorge Polanco
By Josh Hill
Minnesota Twins fans spent most of the winter poking the team with a stick to see if it moved, but the front office finally delieverd last week.
The week started with Jorge Polanco getting traded to the Seattle Mariners and ended with the Twins signing veteran slugger Carlos Santana to a one-year deal. Part of that was motivated by the money Minnesota got back in the Polanco trade but it's hard to see the team finally land a TV deal and not think that had something to do with it too.
Whatever the reason, the Twins are finally making roster moves and so far it seems signficant. Trading Polanco massages a logjam of infielders set to fight for playing time -- guys like Edouard Julien and Brooks Lee -- and the addition of Santana adds some potential power to the new-look lineup.
Projected Twins lineup after signing Carlos Santana
With Polanco in Seattle and Santana officially signed, here's a look at what the Twins Opening Day lineup projects to look like:
Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Edouard Julien | 2B |
2 | Royce Lewis | 3B |
3 | Byron Buxton | CF |
4 | Max Kepler | RF |
5 | Carlos Correa | SS |
6 | Carlos Santana | DH |
7 | Matt Wallner | LF |
8 | Ryan Jeffers | C |
9 | Alex Kirilloff | 1B |
Julien finished his rookie season slashing .263/.381/.459, and worked his way up the batting order throughout the year. His defense leaves a bit to be desired, but the main thing is that his bat has a place in the lineup and where his glove ends up is almost secondary.
To that point, there a few different ways to fit Julien into an everyday lineup that doesn't always require him to play second. He was soft launched as an option at first base late last season, which sould come in handy if Kirilloff is slow to get back or for when he needs days off. The Twins also used Eddy as DH, which seems to be the role that Santana will primarily fill but the two could switch places with the veteran manning first while Julien bats.
We also need to take a step back and ponder this lineup like a fine piece of art. Assuming everyone is healthy, the Twins boast what appears to be a top offense in the entire league, with an absolute wagon of hitters carrying the top of the order.
A combo of Julien, Lewis, Buxton, Correa feels like a powerful postseason lineup, with guys like Kepler and Santana sprinkled in as boosters. That's incredible on paper, and the thought of it working out in reality is truly thrilling.
With a new TV deal in place and the transactional floodgates now open, there's a chance this lineup gets even more solid before Opening Day rolls around.
Projected Twins lineup after signing Carlos Santana
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