These Players Have Expanded Opportunities After the Jorge Polanco Trade

[Theodore Tollefson]

Jorge Polanco's departure from the Twins leaves some holes to fill on the infield. However, the Twins' have no shortage of options for the right side, even without him.

Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The trade itself didn’t come as much of a surprise, but the timing and return for Jorge Polanco did. Monday night, the Twins traded one of their two longest-tenured players away. They shipped Polanco to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for four players: major-league pitchers Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa, and prospects Gabriel Gonzalez (a High-A outfielder) and Darren Bowen (a Low-A pitcher). 

The return package opened some eyes, even as Twins fans expected Polanco would be dealt this offseason. He was the odd man out in a crowded infield here, but a highly-valued asset for teams in need of an All-Star-caliber second baseman. Seattle was the team to land the deal out of those interested, and they paid a higher price than many had been expecting. 

Now, the Twins infield has cleared up its depth at each position, and the team has a bit more flexibility to shuffle players between the two spots to the right of the keystone.

Second Base
1. Edouard Julien
Second base was Polanco’s position for the last three seasons and the breakout rookie season of Edouard Julien hastened the end of Polanco’s time with the Twins. Julien’s performance at the plate was phenomenal, as he posted a .263/.381/.459 triple-slash with a 130 OPS+. His plate discipline is the strongest asset he brings to the Twins. His defense, not so much. 

Julien did not start the 2023 season as a solid defender at second, as he had a lot of errors and fumbles with the ball. But as the campaign went on, he made substantial improvements. Still, his defensive skills at second being what they were prompted the Twins to try him out at first base.

Per the FanGraphs depth chart projection of the Twins, Julien is expected to start at second 52% of the time this season. It may be slightly more or slightly less, pending how the rest of the season plays out with injuries and performance. But second base is likely not the only position Julien plays this year. 

2. Kyle Farmer
Farmer remains the Twins' utility infielder for 2024. His versatility will give the Twins and Rocco Baldelli the luxury to give Julien, Carlos Correa, and Royce Lewis a day off each week at their position, if they’re so inclined.

Second base appears to be the position where Farmer will see the majority of his playing time, as Julien’s defensive prowess is still unclear at second and a timeshare between him and Kirilloff at first appears more likely than it did at the end of the season.

The majority of the games Farmer played for the Twins in 2023 were at second, playing at the position for 45 games. It’s also the position FanGraphs projects him to play the most, at 16% of the time. Farmer will shuffle around the infield on a weekly basis this season and be the best right-handed platoon option at second until Brooks Lee is called up.

3. Brooks Lee
A week ago, Twins general manager Thad Levine said on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio, “We're going to employ the strategy of when [Brooks Lee] tells us he's ready to go, we're going to get him up in the big leagues."

That's a non-answer about when we'll see the top prospect in the upper levels of the farm system, but it does hint that Lee has a strong chance of making his MLB debut before Memorial Day. If and when Lee shows he’s big league ready, he’ll likely find his way into the role Farmer has now. 

Lee would be the perfect platoon mate opposite Julien, to face left-handed pitchers and play second base. Until games start in spring training, it’ll be too early to call if Lee will be on the Twins’ active roster full-time before May, but if he does, second base will be the position at which he sees the most playing time. 

FanGraphs has Lee projected to play second for the Twins in 10% of his games played, the most at any position. 

4. Nick Gordon
Gordon’s 2023 season was cut short with a broken tibia on May 17. His absence from the team was noticeable on the field, but he was still uplifting on the bench as the club made their playoff push. However, players such as Farmer and (especially) Willi Castro stepped up and stopped the gap.

Castro, in particular, surprised everyone in 2023, with some even considering him the team MVP. With Byron Buxton announcing his return to playing center field, Castro will line up as his primary backup; the Twins have (so far) held off on pursuing other players at the position.

Gordon seems better-suited to be a backup in the outfield. The infield depth ahead of him at second base, with Julien, Farmer, and soon Lee, suggest that Gordon’s opportunities at the position will be limited. 

First Base
1. Alex Kirilloff
Kirilloff has yet to have a season in the majors that wasn’t plagued by injury. For now, he's set for spring training and expecting to be healthy for the season, following a shoulder injury that left him off the roster for the Twins final postseason game and led to surgery in the fall.

If Kirilloff can overcome the biggest hurdle, this could be the best season of his career so far. His time in the outfield is all but done. FanGraphs has Kirilloff set to play at first 64% of the time for the Twins this year, and it’s likely that that number is only limited by his career splits against left-handed pitchers. 

2. José Miranda
Miranda has a lot of question marks surrounding him as he enters Spring Training. Will he remain healthy? If so, can he perform at the same level he did as a rookie in 2022? If not, can he maintain a level of performance sufficient even to keep him in the major leagues?

Miranda’s best chance of cracking the Opening Day roster is as a platoon option at the corner infield positions, specifically as the first base platoon partner for Kirilloff. His plate appearances in the majors are still limited, but he’s a much better hitter in his pro career against lefties than righties. 

A .774 OPS against lefties (compared to a .680 OPS against righties) might be good enough for Miranda to earn playing time at the start of the season. FanGraphs had him with the second-highest percentage of playing time at first for the Twins, at 26%. His biggest hurdle will be overcoming the sophomore slump and proving it was only that.

3. Edouard Julien
Julien played at first for 17 innings in 2023 and practiced at the position before games frequently at the end of the season. 

Pending Kirilloff’s health and performance as the season goes on, Julien would make a solid replacement for him at first, if Miranda cannot reestablish his footing in 2024. With two other players who can play solid second base behind Julien on the depth chart. It would not be a surprise to see Julien play anywhere from 30-50 games at first base this season. 

Opening Day is less than two months away and a lot will play out and shake up before the Twins' roster is set for March 28. While Polanco’s presence will be missed as a clubhouse leader and selfless player, the optimism to come out of his departure lies in the opportunity presented to the players who can fill in at first and second base.

Whom do you want to see soak up the biggest share of the newly available playing time after the Polanco trade? Weigh in yourself, below.

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[Gamblerssoftball]

Is Miranda coming into spring 100% healthy? If so, it will just be getting his self confidence going to where he believes in his abilities.  He could really provide a boost to the offense. That may delay the debut of Lee, which at this point seems appropriate until he dominates at AAA.

[darin617]

I don't think Brooks Lee will be a "platoon player" when he gets promoted.

[Major League Ready]

I would add Austin Martin to the list.  He would not be brought up in strictly an IF role but his ability to cover 2B in addition to CF/LF will provide an expanded opportunity.  

[Doctor Gast]

Brook Lee is part of the future INF with Correa & Lewis. He should not be rush to benefit everyone concerned.so he shouldn't be planned to impact the '24 club.  Due to Polanco's absence, there's a big hole left at 2B which nobody can fill for '24.  Julien lacks the range & DP smoothness to be a primary 2Bman, if overstretched there, it'd affect his overall performance plus he hasn't been able to hit LHPs. Farmer will be overstretched subbing the other INF positions including 1B if Miranda doesn't work out as the 1B RH platoon. But because of need, Farmer's main duty will be the RH platoon at 2B. Heaven forbid to continue the Gordon's INF experiment which was a total failure, Keep him in the OF. Castro will be busy in the OF but at times could be lent to the INF.

Julien profiles much better at 1B so that's where he should be rotating there & DH with Kiriloff plus Kiriloff can play RF, and Miranda hopefully will become the main RH 1B platoon.

[Fatbat]

The long term play is Lee in the infield every day. It will happen sooner or later in ‘24. Obviously the FO thinks he is close to MLB. I would bet on sooner rather than later.  He will also be more of an everyday player than a platoon guy. Hopefully he doesn’t make his debut because of an injury to someone else!

[saviking]

28 minutes ago, darin617 said:

I don't think Brooks Lee will be a "platoon player" when he gets promoted.

He's not going to take over SS or 3RD so ... what are you saying

[Karbo]

If Martin shows well in ST I would keep him over Gordon. With his speed, and versatility, plus as RH hitter I think he will fit in better than Gordon. I also think is a total make or break year for AK. He's got to stay healthy and show achieve the talent level he showed so much promise for in the minors!

[TopGunn#22]

The Twins have LOTS of flexibility and options to explore in the post-Polanco era.  Trading Polanco was a no-brainer even if the Twins DID actually trade for a couple of "prospects" in addition to the rotation and bullpen pieces they got, which was something the front office had claimed was NOT going to happen.

The key component in ANY calculation going forward revolves around ONE PLAYER...Brooks Lee.  While some may disagree with the timetable of Lee's ascension to the big league club, it sure seems like the FO is indicating that if Lee impresses in spring training and doesn't break camp with the Twins, if he once again impresses at St. Paul, the time is very near for his major league debut.

I'm betting on Lee.  I think if he doesn't break camp with the team, he's up somewhere between May 1st and Memorial Day.  And I also think when he's brought up it will not be as a platoon player.  He switch hits.  He's the 2B the moment he's up.  That puts Julien at 1B and probably moves Kirilloff to LF.  Kirilloff hasn't proven he can stay healthy yet, but every time I see that swing I see a guy who hits 3rd, 4th, or 5th in just about any future Twins lineup.  

And if Brooks Lee is killing it in spring training and other teams see they have a huge hole at SS with the team they plan to break camp with, I could see the Twins spinning Farmer off for a good, low level prospect in the mold of Gabriel Gonzalez.  Probably not an OF prospect but just about anything else. 

There are many people who think the Twins are not done making moves and that in fact, the Polanco deal is just a precursor to another, probably bigger deal.  We.  Shall.  See.   

[DJL44]

9 minutes ago, Karbo said:

If Martin shows well in ST I would keep him over Gordon.

Making decisions based solely on spring training sample sizes is rarely a good idea. That said, if Gordon looks terrible, he'll end up on waivers. If not, he'll hang around a while. Injuries will make the roster decisions.

[DJL44]

14 minutes ago, saviking said:

He's not going to take over SS or 3RD so ... what are you saying

Assuming there are no injuries they will need to move someone (Julien or Kirilloff) when Lee comes up. Lee is going to start every day, not sit on the bench.

[Drtwins]

33 minutes ago, Karbo said:

If Martin shows well in ST I would keep him over Gordon. With his speed, and versatility, plus as RH hitter I think he will fit in better than Gordon. I also think is a total make or break year for AK. He's got to stay healthy and show achieve the talent level he showed so much promise for in the minors!

The Twins aren't going to have Martin on the ML roster to sit on the bench. The 13th player just doesn't get enough opportunities, hence the perfect spot for Gordon. Martin still needs playing time and at-bats. Castro will be the main OF backup with Gordon sprinkled in. If (when) Buxton goes down and is no longer able to play in the field is when Martin should be added to the ML roster if he is succeeding in AAA.

[roger]

The biggest impact of the Polanco trade is that the Twins can now keep two of Miranda, Larnach or Gordon on opening day versus just keeping one prior to the trade.  Considering he is out of options and unless the Twins bring in another outfielder prior to opening day, is likely that second player is Gordon.

Lots of talk in your piece, Ted, about platooning AK and Julien and their not being able to hit lefties.  There really shouldn't be any reason they can't, other, than they haven't been given the opportunity to gain experience against them.  I would HOPE that Rocco and staff will give both a lot of opportunities in spring training to prove that theory wrong.  That would be huge for the Twins results if both aren't taken out of games as soon as a leftie starts stretching the opponents bullpen.

Also don't see Miranda as a platoon partner for the "corner infield" positions.  He and Royce are both right handed hitters, so that isn't likely.  I expect Miranda to be a lot like the player he was two years ago and see him as playing some first base and a lot of DH come 2024.

[darin617]

1 hour ago, saviking said:

He's not going to take over SS or 3RD so ... what are you saying

Have you thought about second base??? Wow.  I have never heard him mentioned for either position with the Twins. 

[darin617]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Julien profiles much better at 1B so that's where he should be rotating there & DH with Kiriloff plus Kiriloff can play RF, and Miranda hopefully will become the main RH 1B platoon.

Nothing like the Arraez treatment and hide him at first to get the bat into the lineup.

[DJL44]

24 minutes ago, roger said:

Lots of talk in your piece, Ted, about platooning AK and Julien and their not being able to hit lefties.  There really shouldn't be any reason they can't, other, than they haven't been given the opportunity to gain experience against them.  I would HOPE that Rocco and staff will give both a lot of opportunities in spring training to prove that theory wrong.  That would be huge for the Twins results if both aren't taken out of games as soon as a leftie starts stretching the opponents bullpen.

I don't expect either of them to be really good at hitting LHP just due to natural platoon splits but they shouldn't be as bad as they were in 2023.

[saviking]

4 hours ago, darin617 said:

Have you thought about second base??? Wow.  I have never heard him mentioned for either position with the Twins. 

So, what do you do with Julian and Krilloff. 

[D.C Twins]

11 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

The Twins have LOTS of flexibility and options to explore in the post-Polanco era.  Trading Polanco was a no-brainer even if the Twins DID actually trade for a couple of "prospects" in addition to the rotation and bullpen pieces they got, which was something the front office had claimed was NOT going to happen.

The key component in ANY calculation going forward revolves around ONE PLAYER...Brooks Lee.  While some may disagree with the timetable of Lee's ascension to the big league club, it sure seems like the FO is indicating that if Lee impresses in spring training and doesn't break camp with the Twins, if he once again impresses at St. Paul, the time is very near for his major league debut.

I'm betting on Lee.  I think if he doesn't break camp with the team, he's up somewhere between May 1st and Memorial Day.  And I also think when he's brought up it will not be as a platoon player.  He switch hits.  He's the 2B the moment he's up.  That puts Julien at 1B and probably moves Kirilloff to LF.  Kirilloff hasn't proven he can stay healthy yet, but every time I see that swing I see a guy who hits 3rd, 4th, or 5th in just about any future Twins lineup.  

And if Brooks Lee is killing it in spring training and other teams see they have a huge hole at SS with the team they plan to break camp with, I could see the Twins spinning Farmer off for a good, low level prospect in the mold of Gabriel Gonzalez.  Probably not an OF prospect but just about anything else. 

There are many people who think the Twins are not done making moves and that in fact, the Polanco deal is just a precursor to another, probably bigger deal.  We.  Shall.  See.   

This, This....aaaaaaaaaand....THIS!

[darin617]

6 hours ago, saviking said:

So, what do you do with Julian and Krilloff. 

AK can't stay healthy, Julien will have to platoon at first or DH.

[RpR]

6 hours ago, saviking said:

So, what do you do with Julian and Krilloff. 

Find a coach that teaches them how to field so they are not a decent bat , but a gaping hole in the defense.

[JD-TWINS]

My timing is such that I’m aware of the Santana signing……an advantage!

Julien will start every game there’s a RH pitcher, plus some pinch hit opportunities. He’s in the line-up as a starter 70% of the time, minimum. He won’t get a moment at 1B regardless of what he said at Twins Fest……,maybe, if Kirilloff goes in IL for extended period of a month or more. Santana posts - he’s a switch hitter - that’s his M.O. & he’s a good defensive guy at 1B.

Kirilloff starts 70% of games at 1B as his health allows. Santana the balance of starts.

Farmer at 2B, 25% - 30% (45 games) of the time facing LH starters. Rests CC as needed through the year (20 games). Rests Lewis as needed through the year (30 games). Pinch hits a dozen times or so. 4 games started per week where & when needed.

Farmer & Santana are the depth guys in the infield.

Castro is depth guy behind the Wallner/Buxton/Kepler trio playing CF a bunch as Buxton will need to DH to stay healthy.

Last OF spot?? I do not think they can carry Larnach because he can’t play CF. Gordon needs to hit in Spring Training or he’s gone. Martin fits the flexibility mold and hits RH. We’ll see………..don’t see anymore position signings………Duvall would fit but that eliminates Larnach & Gordon from being involved on the club in ‘24. Martin can go up & down from St. Paul.

With Santana signing, Miranda, as well as Larnach & Gordon are all prime trade guys that may not have extreme value but they are better than prospects for some other teams.

[saviking]

10 hours ago, RpR said:

Find a coach that teaches them how to field so they are not a decent bat , but a gaping hole in the defense.

Do you think Krilloff is more of a liability at first than in the outfield?

[saviking]

11 hours ago, darin617 said:

AK can't stay healthy, Julien will have to platoon at first or DH.

So what do we do now that we signed Carlos Santana, a first baseman by trade ..

[darin617]

18 minutes ago, saviking said:

So what do we do now that we signed Carlos Santana, a first baseman by trade ..

I would think the Santana signing tells us that AK won't be ready for 2024 and Santana and Julien will share DH and first base. My new thought also has them playing Farmer or Castro at second. Which also depends on whether they sign a CF. If not Castro won't see any action at second.

[darin617]

24 minutes ago, saviking said:

Do you think Krilloff is more of a liability at first than in the outfield?

It's all about his health. 

[RpR]

28 minutes ago, saviking said:

Do you think Krilloff is more of a liability at first than in the outfield?

About the same.

[Rosterman]

Brooks Lee is the one that will make the Twins make BIG choices going forwards. Does he play shortstop, moving Correa to third base? Does that mean Lewis goes to second. Does Julien become a first baseman? Where do the Twins put Austin Martin. Better yet, what is the longterm fate of Alex Kirilloff and Jose Miranda. Severino anyone? Prato? All those shortstops like Noah Miller become expendable if Lee is the real deal?

You got names like Jenkins, Rodriguez and Gonzalez now as replacements in the outfield the next 3-4 years for sure. Schobel,. DeAndrade, Keaschall are all potential middle infielders. The Twins have riches beyond compare.