The Minnesota Twins apparently chose Ty France to cover first base instead of going with Paul DeJong to back up Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis.
They probably chose wisely, even if the lack of organizational depth at shortstop remains scary.
The potential salaries are similar, with France reportedly set to make $1 million if he makes the Twins roster out of Fort Myers. DeJong, who signed with the Washington Nationals on Sunday (per Bob Nightengale of USA Today), is set to make $1 million plus $600,000 in potential incentives.
Dan Hayes of The Athletic noted Friday that the Twins are "no longer" looking for a backup shortstop — at least on the free-agent market — after agreeing with France. Leading up to the France news, the Twins reportedly considered DeJong and Luis Urías as depth for shortstop and third base.
They still need the depth. Correa was limited to 86 games in 2024, largely because of plantar fascia pain in his right foot, and he missed about 50 games in 2022-23 combined. Lewis missed nearly half of the season in '24 and has his own injury history before that.
France's addition in free agency, along with those of outfielder Harrison Bader and left-hander Danny Coulombe total $10.25 million, giving the Twins a projected payroll of $142.6 million for Opening Day. That's nearly $15 million more than 2024, though it's also about $15 million less than 2023.
Tricky, those Pohlads!
While he did produce at the plate close to league average for most of the season, DeJong might not have been a great answer at shortstop, where metrics showed he declined significantly in 2024.
Or, was it the extra $600k in incentives for DeJong that nudged the Twins toward France? Maybe not, but why not add France and a shortstop? It's curious to say another $1.6 million (or so) is preventing a Major League Baseball team, in 2024, from giving itself adequate depth at shortstop.
Third base likely is covered if Lewis falters because Jose Miranda, Brooks Lee and Willi Castro give indications they can handle the position. Shortstop after Correa isn't certain at all, with Lee and Castro looking out of their depth there in 2024, and with nobody else on the 40-man roster, Spring Training invite list, or the upper minors appearing ready to jump in. It's true that the Twins are weakened significantly no matter what if Correa goes down; he's their best player.
But it's near reckless to just leave it at that. It is true that, with DeJong off the market and Urías far removed from playing significant time at short, the free-agent options there have dwindled. Is Joey Wendle your cup of Joey?
Not picking DeJong makes sense in an either/or scenario, because they view France as a potential starting player from the beginning. You could almost feel a warm glow radiating from manager Rocco Baldelli once they got France in the fold. If he's healthy (which he apparently is), France was "going to play a lot" (and not in a platoon, either), and he's going to get a chance to spray "line drives" all over the field.
Rocco's birthday isn't until September but France seemed to be on his gift wishlist.
France's fielding reputation has never been like that of Carlos Santana, who stabilized the Twins infield with Gold Glove defense in 2024. Rocco gave lip service to Miranda and Castro being able to play first this season, and shifting Edouard Julien over there is an "option" they've been exploring.
No offense to those hard-working guys but, as long-term solutions go: yikes. Before injuries ate into his game the past two seasons, France rated as OK at first base, even better than OK sometimes. He was seventh in the league at first base in Defensive Runs Saved, via Fielding Bible, in 2021. He was 13th in 2022. Now, 2021 and 2022 is getting to be a long time ago; just ask Chris Paddack.
But France is still only 30 years old, and he showed signs of being able to hit again before the freak occurrence with his heel happened in June.
France has the capability to help glue the lineup together like Santana did in '24, albeit in slightly different ways. No matter how they contribute, it's important to have someone you can trust at first base.
A backup shortstop should be considered less of a priority than a starting first baseman, but it's still dangerous to go into a season in the Twins spot. While it might be true that significant free agency is finished for this season (how's that ownership sale going?), there's still the trade market, or waivers (although that could easily be more expensive than free agency).
In the meantime, think happy thoughts for Carlos Correa's right heel. And his left heel, too, actually.
Take no chances. Unlike a certain baseball team.