What are the Twins planning for the Winter Meetings?
The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, the race for Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the major league players will undoubtedly generate the most buzz during this week’s Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, but the Twins will be concentrating on improving the team that ended their playoff losing streak rather than on those things.
Rather, they must deal with budgetary limitations as well as the loss of AL Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray and veteran Kenta Maeda, two key members of a starting rotation that surely contributed to their success in 2023 but signed early contracts with other teams.
Since the Twins have been most active in the trade market over the past few offseasons (not counting, of course, two very notable Carlos Correa signings), they can certainly use this time to feel out more of it in person. The significance of the baseball world converging in one place is perhaps diminished in the age of text messaging and Zoom meetings.
The trade of Luis Arraez for Pablo López by Minnesota last offseason may be an example of a smaller-scale deal that rises to the surface, sacrificing depth to fill a need, but there isn’t a clear route ahead for general manager Thad Levine, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, and their team. Instead, they could set the stage now and be flexible with the market as the offseason goes on.
Club requirements
More pitching depth is something that this front office will never turn down; this was made abundantly evident during the Twins’ run for the AL Central title, when their rotation was the team’s mainstay. Maeda, Gray, and Tyler Mahle—who wasn’t involved in much of the season—are no longer with us. On paper, Minnesota can still field a five-man rotation, but it frequently feels short of that.
Searching for a replacement for Michael A. Taylor, who can act as Byron Buxton’s primary backup and regular fill-in when necessary, is probably the most important of the Twins’ other needs. Buxton did not play center field in 23. They are also needed in the corner outfield and at first base on the right-hand sides of platoons.
Possible candidates for trade
The Twins have a large number of players, and their offseason strategy may center on which ones they trade to relieve salary burdens, which ones they add to strengthen their MLB roster, or both. This involves assessing oneself as well as determining which of their players are in demand.
Jorge Polanco might be a compelling attraction in a market lacking in middle infielders, particularly given that he has two years left on his contract and Minnesota has Edouard Julien and other elite prospects ready to take over second base. For years, Max Kepler has been mentioned in trade discussions. As Kyle Farmer approaches his final year of arbitration eligibility, the Twins may try to find a way to move his salary. Farmer was probably a borderline non-tender candidate.
