Cutting Ties: Assessing Three Arbitration Eligible Players the Twins Should Move On From

[Cody Christie]

The Twins will have some roster cleaning to do this winter on the 40-man roster. Here are three arbitration-eligible players who likely won’t return at their expected price tag.

Image courtesy of Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

 

During the off-season, spots on the 40-man roster become even more valuable to a front office. Teams can stash injured players on the 60-day IL during the season and not worry about that player taking a spot on the roster. This roster flexibility disappears in the winter, so teams can’t hoard talent at the big-league level.

The Twins entered the winter with seven players on the 60-day IL who needed spots back on the 40-man roster. Five pitchers are on the 60-day IL, including Matt Canterino, Jose De Leon, Tyler Mahle, Jovani Moran, and Oliver Ortega. Jose Miranda and Nick Gordon are the position players that will need a roster spot. The team also needs roster spots to add eligible prospects before the Rule 5 Draft. 

On Friday, the Twins outrighted Andrew Stevenson and Jose De Leon, which were both expected moves. Both players passed through waivers unclaimed, and they have the right to elect free agency. The projected arbitration totals below come from MLB Trade Rumors. Here are some other names the Twins will likely consider removing from the 40-man roster in the coming weeks.

Jordan Luplow, OF
Project Arbitration Salary: $1.6 million
The Twins claimed Luplow off of waivers last August, and he found a role with the club for the stretch run. At the trade deadline, Minnesota was searching for a right-handed bench bat, and Luplow met those criteria. In 32 games, he posted an 83 OPS+ with five extra-base hits and two steals. Defensively, he logged time at all three outfield positions and even saw some time at first base. The Twins will likely have a cheaper option to fill a bench role, so it seems easy to part ways with him at his projected salary. 

Jorge Alcala, RP
Projected Arbitration Salary: $1.0 million
Alcala hasn’t been healthy over the last two seasons, which is unfortunate because he’s previously shown some positive signs. In 2020, Alcala posted a 2.63 ERA while striking out more than ten batters per nine innings. Over the last two seasons, he has been limited to 13 appearances due to injury. There have been flashes of Alcala being a solid big-league reliever, especially with an excellent changeup. Minnesota’s bullpen struggled at different parts of the 2023 season, but the Twins might want to reallocate Alcala’s projected salary to other options. 

Nick Gordon, UTL
Projected Arbitration Salary: $1.0 million
Many fans had high hopes for Gordon entering the 2023 season because he was one of the team’s most consistent hitters in 2022. In 136 games, he posted a 111 OPS+ with 41 extra-base hits while playing multiple infield and outfield positions. His 2023 season started slowly (35 OPS+ in 34 games), and then he fouled a ball off his leg and fractured his tibia. The Twins have praised Gordon in the past for the attitude he brings to the clubhouse daily, and fans saw him being the team’s biggest hype-man in the playoffs. Minnesota could try to keep him in a utility role, but the club might not trust him as a backup infielder at multiple positions. Are his positive traits enough to keep him on the roster, especially since he is out of options?

Tough decisions must be made with the roster at this time of year. However, many of these cuts seem straightforward for a team cleaning up its 40-man roster at the start of the off-season. Will the Twins part ways with any of these players? Which one would you most like to keep on the roster? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

 

 

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[sun]

Alcala has upside & completed his rehab assignment reported Oct. 1st. At that time they released Celestino to make room for Acala. It appears that decision was made so that Alcala could remain on the roster going forward.  I think that the Twins will give him a chance to produce next season before giving up on him.

Nick Gordon provides a lot of bang for the buck. I'd hate to think that he's washed up & would favor keeping him if there's enough room since he's a very athletic player that can handle multiple positions. He could replace Max in right field if the Twins decide to buy out his $10 mil contract or they could platoon him at 1B. He;s more versatile than Miranda.

[Johnny Ringo]

By their roster move with Celestino, I would be shocked if they parted ways with Alcala.

I love Nick Gordon as a player but I suspect that he is the odd man out with the ascent of Willi Castro. I am sure (hopeful) he will catch on elsewhere. 

[roger]

Agree with the above that it is likely Alcala makes it thru the winter on the 40-man.  Much of that will be based on the Twins knowledge of his actual physical condition.  Something we don't know.

Also expect that Willie Castro's play last year means Gordon is gone.  Only quesiton I have is whether or not there would be a market where the Twins could get something back for Gordon, or as part of a bigger deal?

[gman]

Alcala - Yes. Keep Alcala, pitching is hard to find. Unless he has a permanent injury not disclosed to the fans, he has been worth saving for the past two years waiting out the injury. 3 years ago he was expected to be a late inning set up man.

Luplow - No. Multiple outfielders available in the system plus probably in free agency late spring training next year. See hat we need in March of 2024.

Gordon - No. Multiple infielders available in the system, plus late spring training next year. See what we need in March of 2024.

 

[Jim wyllie]

I would keep Gordon abd Acala, and pick up options on kepler and Polanco.  In the very least they become trading chips

[Heiny]

Drop Gordon and Luplow.  Keep Alcala but on a very short leash.  Needs to show some production from all the expected upside.  No need for Luplow, period.  Like Gordon, but I think his spot would be better utilized by others coming up.

[pierre75275]

Alcala stays, the other two go. Maybe Luplow and Gordon can find major league deals with other clubs, they deserve the right to find out.

If not, the Twins could possibly re-sign them on minor league deals .

 

[stringer bell]

Luplow is a definite non-tender/release. They DFAed him before an injury put him back on the roster.

Alcalá is an interesting case. He's got a lot of service time with not much time on the active roster. When he's healthy, he has promise, but he hasn't been healthy for most of the last two years and there is no guarantee that he will be in the future. The real cost for Alcalá is the 40-man spot. I guess I'd tender him and when the Twins parted company with Celestino to activate him, it shows the Twins do think he is worth quite a bit.

I've never been a huge Gordon fan, although I do see him as a "team guy" who was a constant in the dugout cheering on his teammates. If the Twins can trade him for something, they should do it. He is a good enough player to be in the majors, but he doesn't fit with the Twins.

[LewFordLives]

If Gordon batted right he would be a no brainier. That said, I 'd be inclined to keep him. He would essentially be taking Stevenson's spot, and has more versatility. Of course, a lot depends on how confident the Twins are that Buxton will be ready by spring training.

[JD-TWINS]

26 minutes ago, pierre75275 said:

Alcala stays, the other two go. Maybe Luplow and Gordon can find major league deals with other clubs, they deserve the right to find out.

If not, the Twins could possibly re-sign them on minor league deals .

 

Don’t see other, lesser clubs, passing on Gordon & Alcala.

[stringer bell]

Well, I don't see Stevenson and Gordon as comparable. Stevenson has enough speed to be a threat on the bases and is a plus defender in left and center. Gordon might be a good hitter against right handed pitching and is okay in left and center and can play in the infield. What people seem to think is that Gordon is really fast. His sprint speed is on a par with Alex Kirilloff.

[Dman]

It looked like Alcala was throwing a Sweeper when he came back and if he just limits the HR's and harder contact he could be a really good reliever.  If he makes it he will need to produce as this seems like the last year they could wait on him to get better.  I think the more he can stay away from using his fastball or making it tougher to hit the better he will be.

Not sure why Luplow isn't gone already, but he will be.

I go back and forth on Gordon.  His hit tool has always come around at every level.  If he is a fairly consistent .800 OPS hitter that would be important for this team. If he is just going to OPS .750 or less he feels more like a liability than asset to me.  Guessing they do everything they can to keep him on the 40 man to give him one more year, but we will see.

[Parfigliano]

15 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Well, I don't see Stevenson and Gordon as comparable. Stevenson has enough speed to be a threat on the bases and is a plus defender in left and center. Gordon might be a good hitter against right handed pitching and is okay in left and center and can play in the infield. What people seem to think is that Gordon is really fast. His sprint speed is on a par with Alex Kirilloff.

I think your being mean to Kirilloff.

[tony&rodney]

Luplow does not get a 40 spot, Alcala does. Gordon may be placed on the 40 person now but dropped later.

[Guest]

Now that the regular season is over, it is now Award Season, right?  I am torn between awarding Cody Christie or Ted Schwerzler the most prolific Twins Daily writer of the year. I love (well, really like) both of their contributions to Twins Daily and really appreciate all there work for my benefit. So let me take a moment to say THANK YOU CODY, THANK YOU TED.

 

 

[DJL44]

None of these players are making enough money to be concerned about. The decision to keep them will revolve around whether they have someone they like better for the roster spot.

[mikelink45]

Many on the IL don't need to come back.  Most are marginal and if we are going to contend again we need better players.  I do not see a problem here. 

[Jocko87]

9 hours ago, Dman said:

I go back and forth on Gordon.  His hit tool has always come around at every level.  If he is a fairly consistent .800 OPS hitter that would be important for this team. If he is just going to OPS .750 or less he feels more like a liability than asset to me.  Guessing they do everything they can to keep him on the 40 man to give him one more year, but we will see.

Considering Gordon's career OPS is .685 and best season is .743 I'd guess you sealed his fate.  I would agree that if he was right handed it might be different but now that he really can't play infield in any meaningful way his time here is probably over.

I'd certainly roll with Alcala as we've come this far.  If hes actually healthy hopefully we can recoup some investment.

[jmlease1]

13 hours ago, DJL44 said:

None of these players are making enough money to be concerned about. The decision to keep them will revolve around whether they have someone they like better for the roster spot.

agreed. Which is why Luplow will probably go and Gordon and Alcala will get arbitration offers. We know they like Alcala and Gordon and $1M in arbitration is nothing in the big picture. It would be another matter if they were due to get $3M or $6M in arbitration, but they're not, so it's only going to come down to the 40-man or the 26-man spots. Right now, Alcala and Gordon have value, even with their injury season(s) and the Twins aren't going to dump assets until they absolutely have to.

[Trov]

Luplow will be non-tendered.  Acala I assume will be offered contract.  Gordon is the real question.  Castro basically took his spot last year, the super utility guy, but being Castro is switch hitter and better on defense, Castro has more value than Gordon in my opinion.  Yes, Gordon has shown some flashes, and I do think they will offer him a contract, but his roster spot is not safe.  

[specialiststeve]

I would let Luplow go as stated... 

Would resign both Alcala and Gordon if the cost is only 1 mil per. In this cost conscious season until we get the TV deal done... 

I would actually find a trade home for BOTH Polanco and Kepler. They should have a market considering I believe are on the last year of their contract.  Both finished fairly strong so getting some cap relief and letting our system fill the spots really makes sense. Take the 20 mil saved with 2 mil and get some prospects or pitching in return... easier said than done but that would be my plan. 

[chpettit19]

I don't see them tendering Luplow, but probably try to bring him back on a minor league deal like they did with Garlick. I think Alcala gets another year to stay healthy and establish himself as a major league pen guy. I think Gordon gets tendered, and then it just comes down to what other moves they can make throughout the offseason.

While Castro likely has the first shot at the utility role next year, I don't know that his season is enough to say there's no need for Gordon and to be certain that Castro is this guy moving forward. Castro has an option left so being able to keep them both heading into spring wouldn't be the end of the world as you can see if Castro is looking like he can maintain another year of league average offense, or if he's going to revert back to who he was in 2021 and 2022. I'm not a big Gordon guy (don't think he can succeed with his swing rates), but Castro didn't do any better in 2023 than Gordon did in 2022. I hope neither of them has to play that big a role in upcoming seasons, but I know it's very likely one of them does.

[Major League Ready]

5 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't see them tendering Luplow, but probably try to bring him back on a minor league deal like they did with Garlick. I think Alcala gets another year to stay healthy and establish himself as a major league pen guy. I think Gordon gets tendered, and then it just comes down to what other moves they can make throughout the offseason.

While Castro likely has the first shot at the utility role next year, I don't know that his season is enough to say there's no need for Gordon and to be certain that Castro is this guy moving forward. Castro has an option left so being able to keep them both heading into spring wouldn't be the end of the world as you can see if Castro is looking like he can maintain another year of league average offense, or if he's going to revert back to who he was in 2021 and 2022. I'm not a big Gordon guy (don't think he can succeed with his swing rates), but Castro didn't do any better in 2023 than Gordon did in 2022. I hope neither of them has to play that big a role in upcoming seasons, but I know it's very likely one of them does.

Agreed.  Let's hope Martin comes up / plays well and diminishes their role.  

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Dollars play a huge role here:

Alcala will be back.  Gordon will be back (though his grasp on a 40-man slot is extremely tenuous).  Cheap and potential roster fits (Gordon for his positional flexibility)

We all appreciate what Luplow did for the Twins, but he is the quintessential AAAA player that can be found at any point during the season.

[Jeff K]

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't see them tendering Luplow, but probably try to bring him back on a minor league deal like they did with Garlick. I think Alcala gets another year to stay healthy and establish himself as a major league pen guy. I think Gordon gets tendered, and then it just comes down to what other moves they can make throughout the offseason.

While Castro likely has the first shot at the utility role next year, I don't know that his season is enough to say there's no need for Gordon and to be certain that Castro is this guy moving forward. Castro has an option left so being able to keep them both heading into spring wouldn't be the end of the world as you can see if Castro is looking like he can maintain another year of league average offense, or if he's going to revert back to who he was in 2021 and 2022. I'm not a big Gordon guy (don't think he can succeed with his swing rates), but Castro didn't do any better in 2023 than Gordon did in 2022. I hope neither of them has to play that big a role in upcoming seasons, but I know it's very likely one of them does.

I don't think the full question is whether Gordon and Castro are both able to play in the majors.  I think the issue is the value of the roster spot.  The Twins don't need both Castro and Gordon for the super sub role.  I'd easily choose Castro over Gordon (while hoping he catches on elsewhere) and make darned sure I'm keeping 40 man roster spots available for players with bigger upsides.  We've seen Gordon's and it's not that high.  

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, Jeff K said:

I don't think the full question is whether Gordon and Castro are both able to play in the majors.  I think the issue is the value of the roster spot.  The Twins don't need both Castro and Gordon for the super sub role.  I'd easily choose Castro over Gordon (while hoping he catches on elsewhere) and make darned sure I'm keeping 40 man roster spots available for players with bigger upsides.  We've seen Gordon's and it's not that high.  

I'm fine dropping both of them. Or keeping both of them. It depends on what other moves you're able to make. My point is simply that Gordon did more offensively in 2022 than Castro did in 2023. Castro is the better defender, and faster, so he's the more useful player if he can maintain his 2023 production, but he also had much worse production the 2 previous years. If we're not impressed by Gordon's upside we shouldn't be impressed by Castro's.

I find the statement "I'd easily choose Castro over Gordon" to be interesting. I'm not saying it's wrong, but it's interesting. To me, neither player has earned themselves a guaranteed spot moving forward. Castro maintaining simply league average offense moving forward is no sure thing. I wouldn't plan to keep them both, but I do think there's a usefulness in carrying them both into the spring. Unless you're ok with the "super sub role" being filled by a far below league average hitter. Cuz that's what Castro was for 2021 and 2022. He got dropped by Detroit because he couldn't hit. Keeping them both until you need one of their 40-man spots is the best strategy, in my opinion. If Castro has a bad spring you can send him down to AAA to try to find his groove and roll with Gordon. If you drop Gordon over $1 million and Castro has a bad spring you have no "super sub." Just saying there's a reason to tender Gordon and keep him until you truly know you don't need him or have somebody who needs his 40-man spot.

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

I find the statement "I'd easily choose Castro over Gordon" to be interesting. I'm not saying it's wrong, but it's interesting. To me, neither player has earned themselves a guaranteed spot moving forward.

You mentioned earlier that Castro has a minor league option remaining, and for me that's the tie-breaker between two similar players.  Suppose someone like Brooks Lee is deemed ready at mid-season, and the incumbent utility infielder is scuffling so far.  Easier to demote Castro and bring up the young'un, than to have to figure out how to trade or DFA Gordon in a rush.  (Not that Brooks Lee would be brought up as a utility infielder exactly, but they'd work out the rest of the roster puzzle.)

[chpettit19]

16 minutes ago, ashbury said:

You mentioned earlier that Castro has a minor league option remaining, and for me that's the tie-breaker between two similar players.  Suppose someone like Brooks Lee is deemed ready at mid-season, and the incumbent utility infielder is scuffling so far.  Easier to demote Castro and bring up the young'un, than to have to figure out how to trade or DFA Gordon in a rush.  (Not that Brooks Lee would be brought up as a utility infielder exactly, but they'd work out the rest of the roster puzzle.)

Don't disagree at all, but I don't think that's a reason to do anything with Gordon until you have to. I'm just talking about tendering Gordon. Some people are suggesting he's an easy non-tender because of Castro. I don't agree with that equation. I don't think Castro is a reason not to tender Gordon. Having a better player than Gordon who needs the spot would be a reason. Gordon not being worth his projected salary would be a reason. Castro alone isn't a reason. Signing Gordon again for 1 mil makes sense unless you have an actual replacement for him on the 40-man. You can carry both Gordon and Castro on the 40-man until you need to make a decision. That isn't anytime soon, if you ask me.

[nicksaviking]

I'm Ok moving on from all of them; Gordon can't work a count and is redundant defensively. If he's getting regular playing time in CF, then the organization messed up next year's roster. Alcala has potential, but can't stay healthy and his command seems to get worse every time he comes back. And Luplow, well..... However, these are pretty minor arbitration figures all things considered, so that wouldn't be my determination for removal. 

My order would go Luplow - Moran - Henriquez - Gordon - Ortega - Sands - Alcala - Winder. Players beyond that I might start to put up a mild rebuttal.

Obviously they'd never get rid of that many pitchers, nor should they unless there's an unexpected trade and free agency boon.