REPORT: Twins conclude a deal of a starting pitcher…..

Twins anticipate adding a starting pitcher to their roster this winter.

The Minnesota Twins have had a busy offseason, but not in the manner that supporters had hoped.

Just the first of many big changes, Minnesota started the offseason by cutting payroll and firing its longtime play-by-play announcer.

Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda both made the decision to sign lucrative contracts with other teams during their free agency. Maeda remained in the AL Central but relocated to Detroit to sign a $24 million contract with the Tigers, while Gray signed a $75 million deal with the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Additionally, Emilio Pagan departed, joining the Cincinnati Reds this week, leaving a small gap in the bullpen. The Twins reduced payroll due to uncertainty over television revenue, while those three players received a combined total of approximately $116 million in free agency.

All of this is taking place in the context of the expectations that the team’s postseason run has created. With a performance that suggests a turning point, Minnesota won its first playoff series since 2002 and its first playoff game in 19 years. Although the Twins’ losses in the offseason were anticipated, it sounds like they are beginning to consider the fact that they will need to acquire talent in order to stay competitive.

Twins anticipate adding a starting pitcher in the offseason.

Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Dan Hayes of The Athletic both report that the Twins are expected to add a pitcher this offseason, even though the payroll situation may make front office decisions more difficult.

The Twins’ intention to add a pitcher is not shocking; the real concern is how the team will go about doing so. While making a trade for a starter seems like a potentially easier path, the payroll kerfuffel ruins any free agency plans, though it doesn’t seem to have completely destroyed the Twins.

The other question is what kind of starter the Twins add.

The natural response, given that Gray is now in St. Louis, would be to figure out how to replace him, but Pablo Lopez appears to be the one handling that. Although he doesn’t appear to be there yet, Joe Ryan has the potential to replace Lopez as the No. 2 pitcher in the rotation.

Instead, Minnesota will probably be searching for Meada’s replacement. Since he leaves no real successor in his position, losing him raises serious concerns about what the rotation’s back end looks like. Although Louie Varland’s name has been floated, the Twins may look outside the organization to bolster the rotation with a No. 4 or No. 5 starter.

Despite all of the fan chatter about Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and even Marcus Stroman, it seems much more likely that the Twins will man the back end of the rotation rather than the front.