Royce Lewis drops subtle hint about his future with the Twins

It's insane to think that Royce Lewis has already played over 100 games in his career, but then again most things about the Minnesota Twins' superstar are insane.

He put that on full display in his 101st game, which featured a first inning home run against the White Sox and batting in four runs on two hits. Nobody in Twins Territory is surprised that Lewis is playing like this, as he's failed to disappoint when he's healthy -- which unfortunately has been perhaps his only weakness through the century mark of his career.

Lewis has missed more games than he's played, but when he's in the lineup it's absolutely electric.

So far this year Lewis is slashing -- or more accurately mashing -- .286/.357/.679 with a 1.036 OPS in just 31 games. That last bit is a massive caveat, as it's hard to imagine Lewis not being in the MVP conversation if he hadn't missed two months and change due to injuries.

Twice he's been on the IL this year and the lineup felt his absence both times. Fortunately, unlike last season, the offense has found ways to be productive without him but it's abundantly clear that the Twins are a significantly better team with Lewis playing.

It's not just Twins fans who have an eye on the future, as Lewis dropped a hint about sticking around Minnesota for the long haul.

Royce Lewis drops subtle hint about his long term future in Minnesota

Twins fans are conditioned to not get to always expect the worst possible outcome, whether it be two decades of postseason pain or an even longer timeline of frustrating frugalness. The Pohlads are under fire like it's the mid-2000s again after refusing to spend this past winter and therefore bypassing a chance to make a competitive roster even better.

It's that sort of pulling on the purse strings that has fans worried about what the team might look like in the years to come. Specifically, Royce Lewis is a rising superstar and he'll need to be paid as such before too long. Whether or not the Twins end up giving him a huge contract is yet to be seen, but Lewis is already thinking about what the future might hold.

After another great game in Friday's 10-2 win over the White Sox, Lewis talked about how much he's enjoying playing a DH role and how it could help him stay healthy if he gets a long term contract.

"I mean, I'm too young to say this, but it's nice [to DH]," Lewis said after the game. "It's just good for the future if you sign a long-term contract, now you know I can play till I'm 45 because I could just go up there and hit."

Let's absoutely go.

While ownership deserves to called out after a shameful offseason and embarrassing trade deadline, credit is due when it comes to paying when neccessary. The Pohlads could have opted against giving Carlos Correa $200 million but instead handed out the richest contract in franchise history to prop open a championship window through the end of the decade. Ditto with paying Byron Buxton $100 million to keep him in Minnesota over the long haul as well.

Hopefully that's the approach the team takes when it comes to keeping Lewis locked in as load bearing piece of the future core. He's arbitration-eligible for the next four offseasons, but he's still going to be only going to be 30-years old in 2029 when that runs out.

Getting something done with Lewis will go a long way in not only securing a key piece of the future, but will send a much-needed positive signal to a frustrated fan base. The last thing the team needs is to pinch pennies and go to war with its best player while trying to short change him.

We're a ways off from a long-term deal getting done, but it's clear Lewis is enjoying his time and thinking about the future which is something ownership should nuture and not take for granted.

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