Regardless of a lackluster 82-80 document in 2024 fueled by a September collapse that noticed the membership go simply 9-18 in the course of the season’s ultimate month, the Twins are nonetheless poised to enter the approaching offseason with one of many deepest teams of place gamers within the majors. Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana, utility man Kyle Farmer, and outfielders Max Kepler and Manuel Margot all seem ticketed free of charge company, however even after these departures Minnesota figures to have extra probably starting-caliber place gamers than it might match within the lineup.
After all, an extra of expertise isn’t a foul factor. That’s notably true for a Twins membership that depends on Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Royce Lewis as key gamers regardless of their substantial damage histories. With that being mentioned, sturdy showings from gamers like Jose Miranda, Trevor Larnach, and Matt Wallner in 2024 determine to open the door to extra common taking part in time whereas the likes of Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff, and Austin Martin stay bench choices.
As well as, 2022 first-round decide Brooks Lee has nothing left to show at Triple-A even after struggling by way of his first style of huge league motion, whereas high outfield prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins each reached the higher ranges of the minors with late-season call-ups to Triple-A and Double-A respectively. Whereas it’s unlikely that Jenkins cracks the large league roster in 2025, Lee must be anticipated to be a part of the main league positional group after showing in 50 video games this 12 months and it’s not laborious to think about Rodriguez discovering himself within the majors someday subsequent 12 months both.
Whereas the membership’s positional group definitely has its flaws, they nonetheless got here collectively to publish a 107 wRC+ that ranked ninth within the majors and positioned them proper consistent with different playoff-caliber offenses like these in Philadelphia (108 wRC+) and Queens (109 wRC+). That might counsel the Twins could be greatest served leaving their hitting corps largely in tact this winter, however doing so would pose a significant drawback; the membership is anticipated to have nearly no cash to spend this winter, and the pitching employees is in determined want of enhancements.
RosterResource initiatives the membership for a $139MM payroll as issues stand headed into subsequent 12 months, and whereas The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman notes that membership officers have urged payroll gained’t be reduce in 2025 relative to the already-diminished ranges it landed at in 2024, this previous season’s payroll stood at simply $130MM. Which means the Twins seemingly have to trim payroll by almost $10MM even earlier than factoring within the wants of the membership’s pitching employees. Whereas Gleeman floats trades of comparatively expensive veterans equivalent to right-hander Chris Paddack and catcher Christian Vazquez, who’re due a mixed $17.5MM in 2025, however Gleeman means that convincing a group to tackle both of these salaries in full might require the membership to connect some quantity of prospect capital so as to get a deal completed.
Given these appreciable restrictions, the Twins could have to get inventive to make important additions to their pitching employees. Maybe that would imply parting methods with versatile utility man Willi Castro, who has impressed with 5.6 fWAR and a 108 wRC+ throughout his two years with Minnesota whereas taking part in each place on the diamond besides catcher and first base. Precious as Castro has been for the membership, he’s set to turn out to be a free agent following the 2025 season and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Schwartz to make $6.2MM in his ultimate journey by way of arbitration this winter. That price ticket mixed with a scarcity of long-term membership management might make Castro expendable for the Twins, and his better-than-average bat together with the flexibility to play succesful protection everywhere in the diamond (together with shortstop and heart subject) ought to make him a lovely piece to nearly any membership wanting so as to add to its positional corps.
After all, another choice could be to deal a controllable participant who gives much less in wage aid however might both deliver again a bigger return or be parted with pretty painlessly. Dealing away Kirilloff would undoubtedly be promoting low on a former first-round decide, however would save the membership his projected $1.8MM wage and will theoretically deliver again an arm to deepen a lackluster bullpen that ranked simply nineteenth within the majors by ERA regardless of stable work from the membership’s back-end duo of Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax.
Alternatively, it’s potential to think about the membership parting methods with an aforementioned breakout piece equivalent to Larnach or Miranda in the event that they consider this winter to be a possibility to promote excessive on a participant who has been inconsistent thus far of their main league profession, with such a transfer being notably palatable if the membership believes a rebound season is coming for a hitter who struggled in 2024 like Kirilloff or Julien. It’s potential that parting methods with one of many membership’s extra promising younger gamers might enable them to usher in a succesful rotation piece, bolstering a beginning employees that ranked simply twenty second within the majors final 12 months regardless of respectable rookie performances from children like Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa.