3 key offseason decisions the Twins must address soon
The offseason is officially here, and the Twins have a few key things that must be taken care of.
Outdoor baseball, with a chill in the air, hotdogs, popcorn, and loud sold-out stadiums, is what you think of with October baseball. Historically, you think of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros as October teams, just to name a few. It is time to start thinking about the Minnesota Twins when you mention the words "playoff baseball".
This year was a start, but not the ending the team was looking for.
By now enough time has passed to reflect on the 2023 exit from the postseason in the ALDS. Players have cleaned out their lockers and the offseason is underway. With that being said, it is time to look forward to next season and how the team can build on the success. The Twins are looking to make playoff games a regular occurrence, but winning a championship is no easy task. This offseason the Twins will need to evaluate all aspects to determine what worked and what needs improvement to avoid another early October exit.
Looking ahead to the Twins offseason To-Do list
What happens with Byron Buxton?
First and foremost, the Twins need to get all-star Byron Buxton healthy again.
When he signed an extension, Buxton was expected to be the Twins starting centerfielder. However, he struggled with injuries all season and only managed seven innings of defensive work -- none at the Major League level. Once the season ended Buxton had an arthroscopic surgery with the goal to relieve irritation related to patellar tendinitis.
"The hope here is in just a few short weeks he's getting moving around again and starting to go through physical therapy in the offseason. We're hopeful that this will get him on track," Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said after the season. "It obviously was not the season Byron wanted from a physical standpoint. We did all we could throughout the course of the year to try to put him in the best position to be successful. He worked really hard."
Relegated to the team's DH role, things weren't much better. Buxton played in 85 games and posted a batting average of .207 with 17 home runs. Even though he has struggled with injuries his entire tenure in Minnesota, a healthy Buxton can change a team. In 2017, Buxton missed only two weeks, playing in 140 games, and winning a Gold Glove.
Will he be able to play the field? Should he just become the team's new designated hitter?
The hope is that Buxton gets healthy enough to his everyday role in center. If this won't be the case, the Twins will need to look at either the free agent market or a trade to help provide assistance.
That is the type of season he needs to have in 2024. If he does there is no doubt his contributions to the team will be a significant part of a deep playoff run.
Identify the next crop of young stars
Top prospects Brooks Lee and Austin Martin may make their MLB debut in 2024, which is outrageously exciting.
Veteran players and their experience in the postseason can help a team make a run, but an influx of top younger talent can make a difference. Look at the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have a young team that has beaten veteran teams like the Dodgers and Phillies and is now playing for a World Series title. Both Lee and Martin had great seasons in the minor leagues, and it's time to get them to the major league level in some capacity. It's hard to see elevating Martin and Lee not helping the Twins win.
Continue to position Carlos Correa as the team's leader
Carlos Correa had a postseason to remember for the Twins. He averaged .409 at the plate with four RBI and a run scored across two series. It was a big deal for the Twins to be able to bring Correa back to Minnesota last winter and the results paid off in the end. He is a proven leader in the clubhouse, one that the team needs to continue positioning as a key figure in the clubhouse -- especially with young stars up-and-coming.
Correa struggled during the regular season to meet the expectations many fans had put on him, especially with the major contract that he signed last offseason. However, the Twins saw what he is capable of during their short playoff run. Correa will be a big part of the Twins success moving forward.
Figure out the starting rotation behind Pablo Lopez
No matter what the Twins do on the offensive side, pitching is perhaps the most critical area the team must figure out a plan for.
While it sounds obvious, pitching is a huge part of winning championships. Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda are going to be free agents, and the future with the Twins rotation is uncertain. In 2024, it will be Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and Chris Paddack with the potential for Louie Varland to join the starting rotation. Varland could be an asset to the Twins out of the bullpen if he is not a part of the starting rotation.
A case can be made to look for other starting options and have Varland stay in the bullpen. The Twins need to examine if Varland adds more value coming into the game in key situations out of the bullpen or starting every five days. It's hard to see Dallas Keuchel, who is a free agent this winter, returning to the Twins rotation in 2024. Lopez, Ryan, and Ober all appear to be locks for the 2024 rotation, with Lopez looking like an ace while Ryan and Ober performed well overall too despite some struggles. Ober pitched 144.1 innings this season, which is significantly higher than any other year. The Twins will need to secure depth in the four and five spots of the rotation to give themselves the best opportunity at a deep playoff run.
"We have a good base to work with," Falvey noted, and it's true.
With Lopez, Buxton, Correa, and other key pieces of the core under contract for the coming years, and high-performing prospects on their way to the major leagues, the future is as bright as it's ever been for the Twins. The new expectation is no longer simply winning a game in the postseason, it's to be playing late into October and bringing a World Series title back to Minnesota.
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