Twins Pursuing First Baseman in Free Agency or Trade

[Brock Beauchamp]

Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote in his notes today that Derek Falvey, President of Baseball Operations for the Twins, mentioned that the team would likely pursue a first baseman this winter.

This is a surprise and also not a surprise. Alex Kirilloff had offseason shoulder surgery, though it was less severe than anticipated and he will likely be back in time for Spring Training. The Twins also have Jose Miranda, a right-handed hitter to platoon with Kirilloff, now left without a position with the return of Royce Lewis last season.

Derek Falvey:

Quote

"With AK and with potential external additions, it'll probably be an area we do spend some time this offseason from free agent or trade perspective,"

Edouard Julien could also be without a position entering next spring but given he's also left-handed, it's hard to see the Twins trying to wedge him into a platoon with Kirilloff.

Rhys Hoskins is the preeminent free agent at the position this winter but given the Twins' newfound payroll constraints, could easily be priced of the team's comfort range.

View full rumor

[RpR]

The Twins probably want a first class fielding person at First Base.

Kirilloff is not one and the others you suggest are worse.

They want some one who can field like Gallo, but keeps his BA above the Mendoza line.

[tony&rodney]

I saw this rumor earlier today and had a couple of thoughts. First it seemed odd  given the report that Kirilloff's surgery was a total success and there was zero damage long term to his shoulder and that after a "normal offseason" Alex would report to Spring Training "100% ready" to do all activities required to play major league baseball. Considering how successful Kirilloff was as a prospect and how he has performed when healthy, it seems like a free agent that cost any money only restricts Kirilloff going forward. It seems that a reserve for Royce Lewis is a higher priority. But, I don't agree with that either. I do believe that someone like Jose Miranda, if he can return fully healthy, is a good complement to AK. I also believe that any of Polanco, Julien, Farmer, Martin, or Lee could also fill in if needed. These assume the worst and I'm not feeling that about Kirilloff.

My second thought is that today was a slow news day on the baseball rumors front and that there was a paucity of reasonable rumors that emanated from the now completed GM meetings. So, much ado about nothing.

My third thought was that depending on what else actually transpires during the offseason, the Twins might want to sign a guy like Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is a good outfielder and could play a little first base at times.

Lastly, I panicked and thought ... is Joey Gallo coming back?

[stringer bell]

34 minutes ago, RpR said:

The Twins probably want a first class fielding person at First Base.

Kirilloff is not one and the others you suggest are worse.

They want some one who can field like Gallo, but keeps his BA above the Mendoza line.

I will say that I'm a big Kirilloff fan but I have a hard time with defensive rating in his case. Especially compared to recent guys who have played a lot of first base for the Twins (Miranda, Arraez and Solano). He wasn't clean at first in the half season that he played there in 2023, but he made his share of good stretches, scoops and fielding plays. Being left handed has plain advantages in playing the position, and that combined with with prospect reports that regarded him as a good defender at first, tells me that he would be fine going forward as a first baseman. 

The Twins blueprint last year was to have depth at positions where the incumbent has an injury history and it would be prudent to do so in Kirilloff's case, but I would hope that any player brought in for depth would be able to play elsewhere than just be a first baseman. Further, AK, if healthy, would still have to show he can handle LH pitching, so having a capable right handed bat to cover first base does make sense. 

[chpettit19]

I think it makes sense depending on who they bring in. They need another big bat, or 2, and 1B is a place you can usually find those. I'd think there's a combination of lack of trust that Kirilloff can stay healthy and faith that they can move guys around well enough defensively while not locking the DH spot down with 1 guy that would allow them to utilize Kirilloff and the new guy if/when Kiriloff stays healthy and produces. 

I think Kirilloff is the most natural hitter on the major league roster, but I don't think the prudent thing to do is banking on him being healthy. I think you build the team as best you can while not counting on Buxton or Kirilloff, and if they can play to their very clearly high potentials then you've got incredible boosts to your roster. I think this news makes sense.

[RpR]

18 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I will say that I'm a big Kirilloff fan but I have a hard time with defensive rating in his case. Especially compared to recent guys who have played a lot of first base for the Twins (Miranda, Arraez and Solano). He wasn't clean at first in the half season that he played there in 2023, but he made his share of good stretches, scoops and fielding plays. Being left handed has plain advantages in playing the position, and that combined with with prospect reports that regarded him as a good defender at first, tells me that he would be fine going forward as a first baseman. 

The Twins blueprint last year was to have depth at positions where the incumbent has an injury history and it would be prudent to do so in Kirilloff's case, but I would hope that any player brought in for depth would be able to play elsewhere than just be a first baseman. Further, AK, if healthy, would still have to show he can handle LH pitching, so having a capable right handed bat to cover first base does make sense. 

His Outfield numbers have gone up; his 1st Base number have gone down with every year.

 

[Mike Sixel]

6 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I think it makes sense depending on who they bring in. They need another big bat, or 2, and 1B is a place you can usually find those. I'd think there's a combination of lack of trust that Kirilloff can stay healthy and faith that they can move guys around well enough defensively while not locking the DH spot down with 1 guy that would allow them to utilize Kirilloff and the new guy if/when Kiriloff stays healthy and produces. 

I think Kirilloff is the most natural hitter on the major league roster, but I don't think the prudent thing to do is banking on him being healthy. I think you build the team as best you can while not counting on Buxton or Kirilloff, and if they can play to their very clearly high potentials then you've got incredible boosts to your roster. I think this news makes sense.

Not if the budget is an issue and it stops CF and SP from being good..... That's my concern. Though 1b is about the only spot to realistically spend on given the roster. 

[chpettit19]

6 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Not if the budget is an issue and it stops CF and SP from being good..... That's my concern. Though 1b is about the only spot to realistically spend on given the roster. 

I didn't say it's the only place they should be looking to pursue players, but it's a spot that makes sense. They're going to have to get incredibly creative if they're going to make any sort of significant improvements to the current roster if they make significant payroll reductions. That's a different topic, though. But looking at 1B options makes sense to me as a standalone statement. I'm going to assume Falvey didn't say 1B is the only place they're looking for guys so I was just commenting on this in a vacuum. I would put controllable frontline starter at the top of my "to do" list if I were the Twins.

[weitz41]

I get it. Hoping for something exciting...But let's be realistic. A 1B for the beginning of the season and a platoon player after that. That's not a 15 mil a year player like Hoskins. If DH wasn't a mess with who knows from Buxton, sure OK that works. A RH 1B/Of guy whoever that may be is what I expect. Maybe a trade? But Hospins..I wish..

[darin617]

Justin Turner would be a perfect fit for this team. A right handed bat with decent power and a good veteran for leadership.

[DocBauer]

Priorities for the Twins to get ready for 2024:

1] Quality SP, preferably controlled and not a 1yr, to "replace" Gray, as it were.

2A] A CF option as protection for Buxton either not being able to play, or very limited. Hard to trust Castro or a group of rookies with that task.

2B] Add a quality RH bat for a corner OF or 1B spot. Like to be greedy and have someone who could do both, but that's probably wishful thinking. Nice to have that RH bat and possible coverage for Kirilloff just in case issues with his health remain.

3] Even with the possibility of Varland going to the pen, and the hope of Canterino commanding a spot in the near future, the pen could really use Pagan back...can't believe I just typed that...or similar. 

I don't know how #1 gets done at this point other than trade, or a hopeful return to previous form of someone like Giolito, or just "settling" for a solid #3 arm. But whoever they get will still cost $ on the budget.

I don't care what RH bat they get, OF or 1B, and it makes sense. But doesn't CF have to come first? Does a team that wants to win their division and make noise in the playoffs just trust   CF to a collection of rookies? I like the idea of someone like Turner as that 1B option as he can also cover 2B/3B a couple times a month. But how much can you afford when you have to move on from Farmer just to get $30M to spend and reach a payroll of $140M?

Probably going to have to trust some non roster arms for pen help...in addition to what's already on hand...and hope for another Stewart.

This is going to be hard.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, DocBauer said:

But how much can you afford when you have to move on from Farmer just to get $30M to spend and reach a payroll of $140M?

Hoskins would be nice. Turner would be nice. Gurriel Jr. would be nice. A good starting pitcher would be nice.

I agree and agree, but if the Twins are going to cut ... it may be better to assume a budget closer to $125 million to leave room for an addition similar to what was added last year with Solano and Castro. $125 changes things. Right?

[Fatbat]

@tony&rodney agreed. I don’t see all these needs filled with a 125m payroll. You would have to trade Farmer and Polanco to find 17M. But now you lost half the coaching staff and veteran leadership. Couldn’t we pencil in Farmer for Solano’s roll in 1B duties? Miranda could also have a huge comeback season. Unless the team knows something about him thats not good? I got lots of questions. Lol. 

[jmlease1]

A comment like this from Falvey makes me think that Miranda's shoulder surgery was more serious than Kirilloff's, and that they don't see him as being any kind of potential platoon partner for AK early in the season. Which would be a bummer, but understandable.

Finding a RH 1B who can at least whack around LHP shouldn't be the hardest thing in the world; there's usually a few of those types floating around that don't cost too much. The question is, can you pick out who is going to be the 2021-2022 CJ Cron and not the 2023 version...

[Doctor Gast]

With the budgets cuts we can't splurge on non neccessities. 1B is a non neccessity. We have more than enough adequate 1B men with Kiriloff, Miranda, Farmer & Julien. Julien is a 1B man that they've tried to groom as a 2B all these years. Put Julien at 1B where he belongs in spring training & leave him there. With little competion in the Central, we can afford to have him at 1B & have him perfect the position, Better late than never

[RpR]

13 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

With the budgets cuts we can't splurge on non neccessities. 1B is a non neccessity. We have more than enough adequate 1B men with Kiriloff, Miranda, Farmer & Julien. Julien is a 1B man that they've tried to groom as a 2B all these years. Put Julien at 1B where he belongs in spring training & leave him there. With little competion in the Central, we can afford to have him at 1B & have him perfect the position, Better late than never

Farmer, Julien and Miranda are NOT GOOD at First Base; The Twins need a good First Basemen.

Julien and Miranda are simply not good fielders, Farmer is very good at second.

Twins have competent gents at Second and Third already, they need a First Baseman,

[Doctor Gast]

22 minutes ago, RpR said:

Farmer, Julien and Miranda are NOT GOOD at First Base; The Twins need a good First Basemen.

Julien and Miranda are simply not good fielders, Farmer is very good at second.

Twins have competent gents at Second and Third already, they need a First Baseman,

Your standard for 1B is too high & your standard for 2B is too low. Yes Farmer, Julien & Miranda could be better at 1B but nothing that can't be resolved with a little playing time. Same could be said of Kiriloff.

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

17 hours ago, stringer bell said:

The Twins blueprint last year was to have depth at positions where the incumbent has an injury history and it would be prudent to do so in Kirilloff's case, but I would hope that any player brought in for depth would be able to play elsewhere than just be a first baseman. Further, AK, if healthy, would still have to show he can handle LH pitching, so having a capable right handed bat to cover first base does make sense. 

15 hours ago, darin617 said:

Justin Turner would be a perfect fit for this team. A right handed bat with decent power and a good veteran for leadership.

Turner kind of fits the role described at top, but it seems like he's aging out of providing much defensive value. The Red Sox mostly played him at 1st and DH, though that may be because they had Devers at 3rd.

It seems like he could fill a role similar to Solano's in 2023, probably a worse glove but a a more dependable and consistent hitter. Is that worth the difference in what Turner will cost versus Solano? ... Maybe so?

[stringer bell]

16 hours ago, darin617 said:

Justin Turner would be a perfect fit for this team. A right handed bat with decent power and a good veteran for leadership.

1B/DH only CJ Cron is about all I can see the Twins spending for. Turner was tabbed at one year--$16M, which would be a budget buster for even a $140M budget IMHO. Hoskins was even higher. 

[nicksaviking]

25 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

1B/DH only CJ Cron is about all I can see the Twins spending for. Turner was tabbed at one year--$16M, which would be a budget buster for even a $140M budget IMHO. Hoskins was even higher. 

They still have 20M or so to spend even if they don't trade most of the veterans, they could afford either.

The clear positional needs are 1B, CF and front line SP.

The clear offensive teams need are increased OBP and decreased strikeouts. I don't see much help with that in the free agent CF class. Unless they're going to surprise us and break the bank for a top starting pitcher, 1B seems to be the best place to put the money. I mean if they need to pick up a CF later, you can probably get a less-hyped Kike Hernandez or Aaron Hicks later for dirt cheap; they'd likely come at near league minimum or on a MiLB deal while providing similar results.

They don't need and shouldn't get a half dozen free agents this year, barring trades, the offensive side of the roster is nearly set. Get one good one and get zero Gallo/Vazquez types this year. The internal options end up being better almost every single time.

 

[JD-TWINS]

IMO, Miranda is not part of the Team’s plan forward. Kirilloff is the 1B going forward.

Lewis - CC - Julien - Kirilloff …… Farmer - Solano

Jeffers - Vazquez 

Buxton

Wallner - Castro - Kepler - Gordon

Lee & Martin are the depth guys that are potentially both up by July 1.

Polanco - Miranda - Larnach are traded. (less $10M)

Sticking with internal solutions in CF and waiting for offensive juice from Minors until July, allows us to pursue a number of pitching scenarios!!

[Shaitan]

Hardly a surprise. 1B was basically a DH-style rotation of players last year. It's also seen as an "offense-first" position, which means they could use an addition to help stabilize the lineup too.

I expect a Turner-type player who can play multiple positions or a cheap (Cron) type if 1B only. Somebody they can drop later with no consequences. 1B/3B or 1B/OF would be ideal for flexibility.

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

They still have 20M or so to spend even if they don't trade most of the veterans, they could afford either.

The clear positional needs are 1B, CF and front line SP.

The clear offensive teams need are increased OBP and decreased strikeouts. I don't see much help with that in the free agent CF class. Unless they're going to surprise us and break the bank for a top starting pitcher, 1B seems to be the best place to put the money. I mean if they need to pick up a CF later, you can probably get a less-hyped Kike Hernandez or Aaron Hicks later for dirt cheap; they'd likely come at near league minimum or on a MiLB deal while providing similar results.

They don't need and shouldn't get a half dozen free agents this year, barring trades, the offensive side of the roster is nearly set. Get one good one and get zero Gallo/Vazquez types this year. The internal options end up being better almost every single time.

 

Getting a better-than-#4-#5 starter and a center fielder would eat up all of that $20M and more. I just don’t see the Twins putting up the money for a 1B/DH. Ideally, having a guy that plays outfield and is capable in center and can fill first base and hits right handed would be great. I just don’t see anyone who checks all the boxes. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

21 hours ago, RpR said:

His Outfield numbers have gone up; his 1st Base number have gone down with every year.

 

The FO has made mention of trading hitting depth for pitching. Kepler’s 10M contract might have a good return for pitching, moving AK to LF and Wallner to RF.

[JD-TWINS]

5 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Your standard for 1B is too high & your standard for 2B is too low. Yes Farmer, Julien & Miranda could be better at 1B but nothing that can't be resolved with a little playing time. Same could be said of Kiriloff.

[JD-TWINS]

If we want contact - less K’s - consistency at 1B how about starting Kirilloff 130 games? He carried us for a month after he came up late last spring. He was solid until he hurt his shoulder. He just needs to heal and be penciled into the line-up…….he was our best prospect 2 years ago……pure hitter if he can stay healthy.

Kirilloff at 1B & Castro/Gordon/Martin in CF is just fine. Julien & Farmer have 2B covered.

Trade Polanco………….Spend the saved $$ on pitching!

[RpR]

1 hour ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

The FO has made mention of trading hitting depth for pitching. Kepler’s 10M contract might have a good return for pitching, moving AK to LF and Wallner to RF.

The numbers show if Kirilloff goes in the field, it would be right field.

[MGM4706]

Wish Nightingale would quit reporting the Twins were cutting payroll because of the Bally Contract!! Every team that has resigned or found a new vendor have seen a 20% increase. Somebody will pick up the Twins.

[Doctor Gast]

5 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

IMO, Miranda is not part of the Team’s plan forward. Kirilloff is the 1B going forward.

Polanco - Miranda - Larnach are traded. (less $10M)

 I advocated to trade Miranda last year because of the reason you stated with Lewis & Lee coming up at 3B, & he's not irreplaceable at 1B or needed long term. His trade value was way uo there. I'm a firm believer in selling high on a player that can be easily replaced. & advocate that even when I get a lot of blow back.

But now Miranda's stock has bottomed out. This isn't the time I'd like to trade Miranda. I'd like to get his stock up to where his true worth is at. IMO Miranda's hitting will return especially against LHPs & can be serviceable at 1B. Then I'd trade him. Same with Polanco & Larnach, I have faith that Polanco will have a very good season this year & hope that Larnach will learn how to hit off-speed.

[SteveLV]

Turner would be a great add, but not for more than 1 year and he likely will get a 2 year offer from someone with deep pockets.

Miranda may not be able to hit MLB pitching at this point, hardly a reliable bat for a premium offensive slot.  I would not hate a potential Kiriloff/Miranda platoon at 1B, but only if they upgrade the lineup in another position with some RH power.

Having the huge uncertainty about Buxton's ability to play CF really hamstrings their roster construction, as they really can't use the DH slot like they should....