One Key Offseason Question the Minnesota Twins Face at Each Position

[Nick Nelson]

The Twins and their front office face uncertainty across the roster as they look ahead to the offseason soon to get underway. Here's one question they need to answer at each position.

Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

From mapping out their future around the infield to finding payroll relief wherever possible, there are important decisions to be made by the front office up and down the Twins roster. Where can they add? Where can they subtract? Who do they trust? What kinds of shakeups are on the table, within reason?

Let's take a tour through each position by breaking down a critical question the Twins will be tasked with answering at each over the coming months.

CATCHER: Can Christian Vázquez's contract be moved?
In looking for opportunities to trim payroll as the Twins bump against their ownership-imposed spending cap, one of the most obvious candidates to be moved is Vázquez. Entering the final season of his three-year, $30 million contract, Vázquez is a luxury at best: a 34-year-old part-time catcher who has slashed .222/.265/.322 in his first two seasons with Minnesota.

The general consensus seems to be that Vázquez's $10 million is immovable, at least in full. But on an episode the Gleeman and the Geek podcast last week, Star Tribune beat writer Phil Miller challenged this presumption, saying that in his opinion the Twins could likely find a taker for Vázquez if they so desire. Miller's point was that folks might be underestimating the appeal of Vázquez's high-quality defense and strong rep, at a position where paltry offensive production is the standard. 

Phil may be right. If so, the Twins would be hard-pressed not to heavily explore trading Vázquez, which would free up a decent amount of spending flexibility to address other needs. Like, say, first base.

FIRST BASE: Can the Twins afford to give up on Alex Kirilloff?
It's sneakily one of the most consequential questions of the offseason. With Carlos Santana becoming a free agent, first base is once again wide open for the Twins. They could direct their limited funds toward trying to re-sign Santana, or another player from the free agent or trade pool. 

Or, they could bring back Kirilloff for an estimated $1.8 million in arbitration and give him another shot to lock down the position. Understandably it's not the most enticing proposition on the surface coming off a really rough and frustrating year, but if the Twins have any confidence in his health going forward, it's hard to argue against his upside for the price. 

Should the team decide to move on from Kirilloff, via either non-tender or trade, they'll have a challenge in front of them when it comes to solving first base. Re-upping with a 39-year-old Santana is not likely to end well. And merely finding the funds to sign him or a comparable free-agent option could prove tricky. 

SECOND BASE: Where does Edouard Julien go from here?
Following a brutal sophomore season, is Julien destined to start his age-26 season back in Triple-A? Or will the Twins give him a chance to win back the starting job in spring training? They certainly can't write off Julien, even after a hugely uninspiring sophomore campaign. He's too talented, and he's been too consistently productive up until 2024.

Alas, while they can't write him off, the Twins also can't write him in. There needs to be a Plan A (and maybe even a Plan B) in front of Julien heading into the season. Right? It could make sense to go with Willi Castro or Brooks Lee, since either one would be capable of filling a different role if (when?) Julien earns his way back.

 

SHORTSTOP: Who backs up the hobbled team MVP?
It was encouraging to see Correa return to the field at the end of the season, playing well despite being clearly less than 100 percent. Coming off back-to-back seasons that were massively impacted by plantar fasciitis afflicting both feet, Correa's health will inevitably be a question mark at arguably the most important position on the field.

So, who's his primary backup? Castro was the top choice in 2024, starting 51 games at short in Correa's absence, although it's not clear the Twins love his defense there. Lee is also an option, having made a couple dozen starts as a rookie, but he may already be starting elsewhere in the infield. 

THIRD BASE: Do the Twins trust Royce Lewis's glove at third?
His drop-off at the plate was obviously a concern, but shaky defense at third base was another one that cropped up for Lewis during his disappointing 2024 season. His throws were frequently errant, even on routine plays. He just didn't really look like a natural at the hot corner, which may have played a role in the Twins (controversially) giving him late-season reps at second base.

It seems like a matter of time until Lewis ends up at another position, possibly designated hitter, with Lee looking like the definition of a natural at third. Maybe the Twins aren't quite ready to take that step yet, however, since Lee's already-proven ability to handle second and short are handy at the moment. José Miranda looms as another mysterious factor at third base.

LEFT FIELD: Can the Twins find a quality RH platoon bat?
With Kyle Farmer and Manuel Margot departing as free agents, right-handed bats are going to be a straightforward need for the Twins front office. It shouldn't be difficult to upgrade over what those two provided, even with limited resources at available. A righty-swinging left fielder would be a logical addition, to pair with Trevor Larnach in a rotation while ideally providing some depth elsewhere. 

A buy-low candidate like free agent Mitch Haniger, or a trade acquisition, would make sense to address this need.

CENTER FIELD: Can the Twins find a true center fielder aside from Byron Buxton?
After making zero starts in center field in 2023, Buxton led the team in CF starts this year with 87. The other players that made starts: Austin Martin (33), Castro (24), Margot (14), DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (4). Of those four, I would only describe Keirsey as a "true center fielder," as opposed to a capable in-a-pinch guy whose best position is elsewhere.

Seems like an important thing to get squared away during the offseason, especially since Buxton's days in center field may be numbered. Unless they trust Martin to make major strides, or they plan to keep Keirsey in their plans, the Twins have a center fielder near the top of their shopping list for a third straight offseason. Hopefully the player they land on is more Michael A. Taylor and less Manuel Margot.

RIGHT FIELD: Is Matt Wallner ready to pull it all together?
With so many positions in flux, right field is an exception to the norm for Minnesota. Max Kepler is on his way out, and Wallner was the Twins' best player in the second half. He's built to play this position, so right field figures to belong to him for the foreseeable future.

Of course, Wallner was also riding pretty high last year around this time, firmly placing himself in the team's plans before falling flat in spring training and the early regular season. I'd like to think he'll have a much longer leash this time around after proving himself assertively in the second half, but the slugger needs to show he can put together a full high-quality season in the big leagues.

STARTING PITCHER: Will one of Minnesota's top three starters be moved?
If the Twins want to shake up the roster in a meaningful way, trading one of their top three starters strikes me as the most practical way to do so. The Twins could get back significant talent in return for Pablo López, Bailey Ober or Joe Ryan, while also unlocking various levels of current or future payroll relief. Theoretically their young pitching depth, a strength of the system, could help backfill the loss.

It would be a bold and risky gambit. But the choice is between making disruptive moves like this or essentially running it back. 

RELIEF PITCHER: What lessons did the front office learn from its bullpen-building blunders?
Identifying and acquiring good relief pitchers is hard. I do empathize with the difficulty of the undertaking, trying to predict performance in volatile roles over short samples. Still, the front office's whiff rate on bullpen acquisitions over the past year has been so extraordinarily high that it's hard to believe they are not doing something systematically wrong. 

You can't necessarily predict injuries like those that struck Justin Topa and Daniel Duarte, but what we saw play out again and again – with Jay Jackson, Steven Okert, Josh Staumont, Trevor Richards – were flawed evaluations with costly ramifications. I get that these moves were often justifiable at the time. On paper Minnesota's bullpen was projected preseason as the best in the league! But something went terribly wrong and I can only hope the painful experience proves productive in terms of applied learnings.

The good news, on the bullpen front, is that the Twins seem to have a pretty solid core in Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands, Louie Varland and a hopefully healthier Brock Stewart. They just need to make non-disastrous moves at the fringes.

What are the biggest questions in your mind as we look ahead to the coming Twins offseason? Share them in the comments!

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[Karbo]

Would they consider moving Lewis to 1st? He would fit the profile, Lee could play 3rd, and Miranda could DH?

[Mark G]

A very well written article, a very informative article, and.........a very scary article.  Outside of Castro, who can actually be counted on position by position?  And our strength, 3 good starters, are possibly our best path to improving the rest of the roster, but only by moving one of them.  A core group of relievers, who can only pitch so many innings in 162 games, is far from comforting unless they get a decent supporting cast, which includes starters who can at least occasionally go deep into games (and we may move one of them?).  Hmmm.....where does that leave us?  It leaves us with an unsure ownership status, an unsure payroll, and a far from sure roster.  

Thanks very much for the info, Nick, and thanks a bunch for scaring me.  🫠

[rv78]

Seems to be a lot of question marks for a team that is suppose to be a playoff contender. Even the veterans that are costing the team a ton of payroll can't be counted on. Couple that with the youngsters that haven't proven themselves able to be counted on either, either through poor performance or due to injury and there's only about 5 or 6 players on the whole team that anyone can feel comfortable with. In 2025, Falvey and Rocco better start getting a longer look at the young players, instead of bringing in washed up veterans, if this organization ever wants to get to the next level, or it will continue to be more of the same year after year.

[Tjwalsh65]

Move Paddock and Festa to pen.  Move Jax to Starter.   C Jeffers 1B Miranda 2B Julian SS Correa 3B LEE

DH Lewis

OF

Lanarch, Buxton, Wallner

Keirsey back up to Buxton until Rodriquez is ready.

 

Helman and Castro to backup every where.  

Edited October 22, 2024 by Tjwalsh65
forgon Lewis

[umterp23]

Short recap and initial thoughts:

CATCHER: $10MM in savings if Vazquez is fully moved and all of his salary results in no 2nd catcher in system to go 50-50 with Jeffers.  What quality FA catcher can you get for <$5MM to use the balance to address a need somewhere else?

1st BASE: Kiriloff isn't the answer here, injury prone like Buxton, terrible in the field and Santana age is a major concern.  Miranda is shaky at 1st at best, no to Julien.  Lewis position change makes sense here.

2nd BASE: Julien is front runner here. Let him play there and you live with great moments and no-so great moments. Castro if retained could be your starter and give him enough reps that he is the main guy and you move Julien as a trade filler.  If we can't trust Julien in late game situations, then why would he be on roster

SS: $30+MM man needs to be on the field for 80% of the games.  Lee backs him up and Castro if kept can man 2nd base.  Julien if he stays can part time 2b and maybe 1st.

3rd BASE: Lee takes over for Lewis as Lewis is 1b main guy

LF: Right Hander needed in lineup.  Imagine Brent Rooker here

CF: Buxton leading the team with 87 starts in '24!  Need I say more? If I have to, Kiersey is the backup

RF: Wallner yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Let the kid play.  

SP: Hold on trading the top 3 guys as I'm not sold on Mgmt utilizing any cost savings if Lopez is booted in trade.  We have some depth and if '25 Ober and Ryan light it up, you can move Lopez $$'s at deadline if team isn't good or after season.  

RP: Need a quality left hander in the pen. 

[tony&rodney]

This article clearly indicates the necessity of change to the roster. The only two starters among position players at the spots they played last season are Buxton and Correa and they require back ups.

Sometimes a team can be tweaked with one or two moves. The Twins current roster needs shuffling and several additions. Falvey and his trusted advisors will need to ascertain which players, if any, among the prospects can be useful on the roster or whether a few might need to be moved in transactions. More importantly, Falvey needs to find fits in trades with other clubs that may cost some of the guys who were counted on in 2024. There are teams that could really use a player or two from the Twins and have a significant athlete to return in a trade. I'm not privy to how other teams view the Twins organization or which players are 100% unavailable via trade. My look through the roster sees a deficiency on defense that makes it difficult for pitchers. Others disagree with that assertion, often vehemently. Because of my view of the team, I see a necessity for Falvey to swing 3-4 trades to upgrade the roster and these trades will cost some important names.

[Gamblerssoftball]

What will it cost to keep Santana one more year? He didn't play like 39 last year! He saves a lot of errors on bad throws and his bat will be very hard to replace.

 

[jmlease1]

These are pretty good questions, i think.

Catcher: yes, they can move Vazquez's contract and they probably should. Too many payroll limitations, and while he's capable of a hot month or 2, the overall performance at the plate is almost certainly going to be poor. The defense may be quality, but $10M is too much for a backup so if they can find someone to take him without throwing in more than like a C prospect, let's do it.

1B: tough call on Kirilloff. Such a sweet swing when he's healthy. he's never healthy. I'm less concerned about his defense; I think he'd probably end up doing fine at 1B if he played there consistently and knew that was his spot going in to a season, but how's he supposed to play consistently if he's never healthy? I think the answer is..."how much is he actually making?" UGH.

2B: I still believe in Julien, and hopefully a new hitting coach can help get him out of his own head. The talent is there, but he seemed to stop trusting his own pitch recognition abilities. Fixing him makes it easier to move on from Kirilloff too, as Julien could slide to 1B.

SS: I think Lee is the backup here. He looked solid enough, has been playing the spot fairly regularly, and it keeps Castro free to float (and not get exposed by playing him too much).

3B: Time to have a good conversation in the offseason about where Lewis fits best and involve him in the decision. Maybe it's 2B, maybe not, but this is the time to decide. Miranda should be the backup at at 3B and platoon with a LH hitter at 1B.

LF: I still think Martin has more to give, but he's better suited to a 4th OF role. Figuring out the platoon advantage might need to be something that is the lowest priority for now and gets "solved" when someone like Keaschall or Rosario breaks through. I think I'd rather patch it together with Martin, some Castro, and letting guys like Larnach and Wallner get exposed to more ABs against LH pitching. While I agree that you should take advantage of the platoon splits, the twins have overused this and run themselves into late-inning disadvantage. Maybe this doesn't need to be as much of a priority.

CF: I'm not opposed to giving Kiersey more of a chance. he certainly has nothing left to prove in AAA. I don't think there's much payroll money to fill here, and i don't want another Margot. let the "young" guys play.

RF: Wallner is going to have a slump, and it's going to make people crazy. Wallner is also going to work out of it. He's earned the right to do that. Give him RF and try not to let the K's make you too crazy.

[DJL44]

They need either a RH hitting 4th outfielder OR they need a second baseman. Castro can move to the other spot. If they get both they can start their players with huge question marks (Julien, Martin, Lee) in the minors and see which ones produce.

I don't see Vazquez getting moved until the trade deadline when half his salary is paid down.

They don't have any pitchers I would count on to fill in for Ryan, Lopez or Ober. They have some options who could take Paddack's spot without much drop-off (if any).

I agree that the bullpen needs a good lefty.

[harmony55]

Mitch Haniger is not a free agent.

Seattle woud give away Haniger, who has one year and $15.5 million remaining on his contract:

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id/18487/mitch-haniger

The Mariners probably don't want to commit a roster slot to Haniger behind their outfield of Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, Victor Robles and Luke Raley, with Mitch Garver as designated hitter.

[mluebker]

Great article, even if the hard realities are difficult to face before a second cup of coffee. 

The idea I like best here is switching Lewis to first. I used to think getting Correa to waive his no-trade clause and putting Lewis there would be a possibility, but an otherwise team-with-question-marks needs to at least be strong up the middle on defense.

[bean5302]

1. Can the Twins move Vazquez? - Yes. But as pointed out in 5,000 comments over the past month where moving Vazquez has been brought up as some sort of legitimate option, the Twins don't have anybody who can backup Ryan Jeffers if Vazquez is moved so moving Vazquez doesn't help in a vacuum because the Twins would just need to sign another free agent.

2. Can the Twins afford to give up on Alex Kirilloff? Kirilloff is literally hurt more than Buxton, came across awfully irresponsible and selfish last year, and he's never posted a season with more than 0.6 fWAR. I don't know where this concept of Kirilloff "potential" originates. He'll be on a MiLB contract for 2025.

3. Where does Edouard Julien go? AAA until he proves he's taken a major step forward unless the Twins field some calls from a team that's really high on Julien over the offseason.

4. Who backs up Carlos Correa? Despite the criticism of him being hobbled up, Correa was one of the more durable players in baseball from 2020-2023 ranking 73rd in all MLB. The most likely bet based on how the Twins shuffled things this year is Brooks Lee, even though it shouldn't be.

5. Do the Twins trust Royce at 3B? No. They answered that loud and clear while taking a big dump on the young face of the franchise. But for the OAA metric supporters around here, Royce's defense was above average there.

6. Can the Twins find a RHB platoon bat for LF? Sure. The Twins love platoon only, minimal value guys. The rest of the league doesn't value them much so the Twins should be able to pick up dumpster dive who is slightly above average against lefties.

7. Can the Twins find a legit starting CF to backup Buxton? Yes, but it's going to cost them a fair bit of prospect capital.

8. Is Wallner ready to put it together? Yeah, he already did. Wallner had a terrible April and first half of May. Having a bad month or two is normal. The fact Wallner raked again when he came back is all anybody should have needed to see. The Twins could have called Wallner's number a month and a half earlier than they did, but the team let him hang out in AAA because Larnach and Miranda were hitting, and for whatever reason I cannot comprehend, they still wanted to see Alex Kirilloff play more.

9. Will one of Lopez, Ryan or Ober be moved? No. I don't think Falvey has the guts.

10. What did the Twins learn about building a relief core? That you can and will get unlucky sometimes.

[LambchoP]

I like moving Lewis to 1st base. His bat will play there, if he finds his power stroke again, and maybe it'll keep him healthier. I like Lee at 2nd with Julien as backup. SS is Correa with Lee backing him up. Miranda can play third, with Castro and Keaschal backing up everyone. Outfield will be Larnach Buxton and Wallner. We do need a solid RH OF. Maybe Martin takes a step forward but I'm not too high on him. Rosario and Rodriguez look good but they won't be ready for awhile,so I think we need to sign aFA RH OF. Keirsey could be Buxton insurance too. We should in no way trade any of our SP. Sure, we have depth finally,but none have proved anything yet and with an injury to any of our top three we would be right back to relying on Festa and Mathews again who are not ready. I say keep the starters we have and beef up the pen as much as possible.

[RpR]

1 minute ago, LambchoP said:

I like moving Lewis to 1st base. His bat will play there, if he finds his power stroke again, and maybe it'll keep him healthier. I like Lee at 2nd with Julien as backup. SS is Correa with Lee backing him up. Miranda can play third, with Castro and Keaschal backing up everyone. Outfield will be Larnach Buxton and Wallner. We do need a solid RH OF. Maybe Martin takes a step forward but I'm not too high on him. Rosario and Rodriguez look good but they won't be ready for awhile,so I think we need to sign aFA RH OF. Keirsey could be Buxton insurance too. We should in no way trade any of our SP. Sure, we have depth finally,but none have proved anything yet and with an injury to any of our top three we would be right back to relying on Festa and Mathews again who are not ready. I say keep the starters we have and beef up the pen as much as possible.

Depth if wishful thinking rules.

[JBK]

1 hour ago, Tjwalsh65 said:

Move Paddock and Festa to pen.  Move Jax to Starter.   C Jeffers 1B Miranda 2B Julian SS Correa 3B LEE

DH Lewis

OF

Lanarch, Buxton, Wallner

Keirsey back up to Buxton until Rodriquez is ready.

 

Helman and Castro to backup every where.  

This is the best option I've seen yet.  Do not break up the top 3 starting pitchers.  We haven't had three starters like this since 1991.  Move on from Varland.

[tony&rodney]

50 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

1. Can the Twins move Vazquez? - Yes. But as pointed out in 5,000 comments over the past month where moving Vazquez has been brought up as some sort of legitimate option, the Twins don't have anybody who can backup Ryan Jeffers if Vazquez is moved so moving Vazquez doesn't help in a vacuum because the Twins would just need to sign another free agent.

2. Can the Twins afford to give up on Alex Kirilloff? Kirilloff is literally hurt more than Buxton, came across awfully irresponsible and selfish last year, and he's never posted a season with more than 0.6 fWAR. I don't know where this concept of Kirilloff "potential" originates. He'll be on a MiLB contract for 2025.

3. Where does Edouard Julien go? AAA until he proves he's taken a major step forward unless the Twins field some calls from a team that's really high on Julien over the offseason.

4. Who backs up Carlos Correa? Despite the criticism of him being hobbled up, Correa was one of the more durable players in baseball from 2020-2023 ranking 73rd in all MLB. The most likely bet based on how the Twins shuffled things this year is Brooks Lee, even though it shouldn't be.

5. Do the Twins trust Royce at 3B? No. They answered that loud and clear while taking a big dump on the young face of the franchise. But for the OAA metric supporters around here, Royce's defense was above average there.

6. Can the Twins find a RHB platoon bat for LF? Sure. The Twins love platoon only, minimal value guys. The rest of the league doesn't value them much so the Twins should be able to pick up dumpster dive who is slightly above average against lefties.

7. Can the Twins find a legit starting CF to backup Buxton? Yes, but it's going to cost them a fair bit of prospect capital.

8. Is Wallner ready to put it together? Yeah, he already did. Wallner had a terrible April and first half of May. Having a bad month or two is normal. The fact Wallner raked again when he came back is all anybody should have needed to see. The Twins could have called Wallner's number a month and a half earlier than they did, but the team let him hang out in AAA because Larnach and Miranda were hitting, and for whatever reason I cannot comprehend, they still wanted to see Alex Kirilloff play more.

9. Will one of Lopez, Ryan or Ober be moved? No. I don't think Falvey has the guts.

10. What did the Twins learn about building a relief core? That you can and will get unlucky sometimes.

You don't sound too optimistic and your #9 suggests that perhaps it is Falvey.

I'm sensing that many believe in the core team and that a few subtle changes will bring different results. This is difficult for me to see. Without changes the Twins could easily slide below .500 next season. I'm trying to find out any information that ties a player on another team that the Twins could use to a player on the Twins team that that other team wants/could use to both teams better. These are challenge type trades and it is time for several of these transactions.

[William K Johnson]

Any idea of moving Lewis to left field?

[RpR]

3 minutes ago, William K Johnson said:

Any idea of moving Lewis to left field?

Why?

He  is not good at Third, so why would he be put where fielding skills count even more.

[FlyingFinn]

Lee at 3B, Correa at SS, Jeffers at C, Buxton in CF and Wallner in RF is where I start with Castro as the 10th man playing almost every day anyway. As others have said, figure out where Lewis should be. He may actually be an improvement to our defense at either 2B or LF and be better than others on the roster at 1B (over time at least).

[Doctor Gast]

Yes, Vazquez's is expensive, but that's the price you pay when you don't develop your own. We signed Vazquez because we desperately needed defensive catching because it was obvious that Jeffers was overwhelmed when given the primary duties. When Vazquez is gone we are faced with the same problem we had before we signed him. Again looking for an expensive average FA catcher to shore up Jeffers with modest results. Vazquez has only been a band-aid to cover up our real problem that'll only get worse. Do you think we can trade for a decent defensive catcher who can cover for Jeffers? Most teams that have them want to keep them. I doubt that Falvey can wrangle one away. IMO catching is our biggest problem, when you rip away that band-aid things will get ugly fairly fast like in '22.

1B- will finally work itself out now that we allow our own a chance. Miranda & Kiriloff should be given the chance at 1B where they can settle in & learn the position, thrive & establish themselves & 1B for the Twins. In the long run, Lewis could be figured at 1B. We should have good WAR production finally at the position. 

2B- Julien has improved his range at 2B, That he's getting to balls that normally bleed their way past him before. But he's not making the plays. He's still low on the 2B totem pole where Lee, Castro, Martin & probably Lewis is ahead of him. Julien's problem is the pitchers have taken away his HR edge, where he needs to reset to be a different type of hitter that won't hit a bunch of HRs if not he'll challenge Sano in SOs. 2B has never been his future & now he no longer profiles at 1B. So the only solution is to trade him while he still has some hype.

3B- Some combination of Lewis, Lee, Miranda & Castro. We are sitting pretty at 3B.

SS- we did well here in WAR this season with Correa, Castro & Lee. Of course, the longer Correa can start at SS the better.

CF- much like SS we did well in WAR this season with Buxton, Castro & Martin, Here again, the longer that Buxton can start the better, But w/o Margot we have a much better sub in Keirsey which'll be better by far our situation all the way around.

LF- Larnach, Castro, Martin, & Keirsey

RF- Wallner will be the mainstay there. Larnach, Castro & Martin as depth. We have only Buxton, Castro & Martin as the only RH hitters but we'll be fine the few times we face LHPs and we also have Helman if needed.

SPs- Same as last year but more experienced, we need to keep our rotation together, forget about trading them. except maybe Paddack & Topa if we need to. There are others I'd trade before them.

RPs- Pretty much the same as last year

We have come into this offseason worse than last offseason, which is sad. We need to get better every year not worse even with the budget crunch. That puts pressure on the FO to economize. stop with frivolous FA salaries, keep the valued core together & make the right trades finally.

 

 

[Fatbat]

With all the position flexibility, we will for the foreseeable future be stuck in everyone playing multiple positions. Playing the lineup matchup rotation .
 

Since literally every position is a question mark. Buy a #1/2 SP.  

Buy the best bullpen, top to bottom in baseball.

Run back the same position players and bring up rookies when they are ready. 
 

Margot/Farmer/Kepler/Santana can be replaced by the farm system. 

Win 2 to 1 games all season long. 

[ashbury]

Too much content to try to address all at once.  Two players:

• Vazquez: He's not worth the money in an analytic sense. But what's the plan if he's gone? There better be one.  He was durable, and replacing him could involve someone not much better, plus every chance that an even worse third-stringer gets significant playing time.
• Lewis: I would be cautious about deploying Lewis at first base.  His propensity for soft-tissue injury could be a rude surprise when he has to lunge for a badly thrown ball.  (Either that or he won't lunge, and becomes a terrible defender there.)  Conversely if the training/medical staff can get to the bottom of his spate of pulled muscles and other owies, perhaps he can blossom at one of the skill positions he was originally slated for.

[DocBauer]

What SHOULD happen? On their way out the door, the Pohlad's grant something like a $150M payroll. That means everyone back that Falvey wants, $15M more in payroll to play with, and thr opportunity to add some more depending on moves here can make to free up additional $, such as moving Paddack to someone looking for an inexpensive veteran to flesh out their rotation.

What WILL happen? Probably enough payroll to just being everyone back ($13M) and leave it up to Falvey how to create flexibility. 

That leaves a handful of spots that need to be discussed, a couple additions needed, and little to nothing to work with. 

CATCHER: I've been steadfastly opposed to moving Vazquez. The $14M TOTAL for 2 catchers isn't crazy and who replaces Vazquez? HOWEVER, from what Miller says and what Gleeman has heard from other sources, if Vazquez and his $10M actually could be moved, I think the FO is going to be forced to do so. Jeffers takes on more of a 60%-65% game split, and Camargo possibly contents for the backup job. There might be a cheap defense first option out there to bring in, but it's probably Camargo at this point. At least there's a good arm and some bat potential. I don't like it, but not sure Falvey has much choice.

INFIELD: A healthy Correa, new shoes and no more plantar issues, SS is set, and both Lee and Castro are OK for days off. Lewis only turned 25yo in June. He's got the ability and arm to play 3B. There's no reason to jump the gun early and move him to 1B at this point. HOWEVER, if Lee is healthy, ready to go, and the bat is back as well, he can lock up 2B and still provide backup help at SS. BUT, if Lewis does happen to struggle, then I can see Lee to 3B and Lewis to 1B. But again, I'm not jumping the gun. As to 1B, I agree on keeping Kirilloff... who still has an option...for somewhere around $1.8M-ish via arbitration. I like ONE MORE CHANCE to be healthy and produce vs cutting him loose too early. (Long shot I know). Castro and possibly Eeles are 2B options, along with Julien, who I'm putting at 1B with Miranda. I'm betting the Julien who produced in college, who produced in MILB, who produced his rookie ML season is the REAL version and not what we saw in 2024. There's not a lot if other options than these guys, and Severino as the dark horse option, eventually at least. Not so certain Keaschall won't become a factor by mid season.

OUTFIELD: I place priority on a RH bat that doesn't stink against RH pitching as a priority over acquiring a backup CF. Why? Because Castro is OK there occasionally, Keirsey and Helman are solid options defensively, have speed, and deserve a shot to see if they can stick, Martin is young enough and athletic enough to offer up at least a little hope, and Rodriguez might be ready by mid year. I don't have much/any $ to work with, but at least I have some options to work with. I don't on the RH bat side of things really.

ROTATION: Move Paddack if possible, to save some $ for the few moves you can. Don't you dare trade any of the top 3. 

BULLPEN: Better self scouting would help. Hoffman has been great for the Phillies the last couple of years and all we had to was keep him instead of cutting him at the end of ST. Hiw about using what's on hand better? Alcala for a single IP. How valuable is Funderburk if he gets back to his 2023 command, which was better than  this season for sure. Time to put Headrick in the pen as another LH option. What LH FA is out there coming off a bad season, or a former SP who's never put it together and is ready to become a reliever? They need to get smart on this one as it's a need. The base of the pen looks pretty strong at this point.

Even if Vazquez and Paddack were both moved, Falvey isn't going to have a lot of $ to work with. It might be enough for a couple solid pieces but that's about it.

Self scouting is going to be as important as external scouting. That's not to imply all doom and gloom, only that internal improvement and "being smarter" in scouting are going to be keys to building the 2025 roster.

[ashbury]

5 hours ago, Gamblerssoftball said:

What will it cost to keep Santana one more year? He didn't play like 39 last year! He saves a lot of errors on bad throws and his bat will be very hard to replace.

 

There were 15 players who logged 120+ games at first base in 2024.  Santana ranked 10th in OPS, so he was a below average hitter at his position.  Worse, the five players who hit less (Goldschmidt, Schanuel, Vaughn, Tellez, France) all played for teams that didn't make the playoffs; neither did the two guys just above him.  He's not a playoff caliber offensive player anymore, and if his bat is hard to replace then the FO has some 'splainin to do.

No question Santana's glove was good.  But not every error turns into runs, and it's hard for a 1Bman to provide enough on defense to make up for a subpar bat.

[MinnesotaTwins26]

The Twins could meet with old friends by signing Jake Cave and Nick Gordon who were just released from the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins. Gordon is a versatile, everyday player who is consistent enough to earn a starting role. He can also provide high energy and morale to any team. Cave knows Target Field's outfield well and despite not being a great defender he is a better option than Manuel Margot. He has been consistent at the plate although Cave has dealt with some injuries.Nick Gordon's season stats

Courtesy of Baseball Savant

[weitz41]

I ask whoever reads this post..How would you have filled the 2025 roster out in May, June or July even August of the 2024 season? My point is are we making WAY too much of the late season collapse? 

I think most are.

Now if you need some spending money for the RH OF or a 5th or 6th starter. I would move Paddack 1st and go with one of Festa or Mathews in his place and spend the 7.5 mil on a platoon RH OFer and if I can pull it off a veteran BP arm. If I need more then I need to look at Castro and Vasquez. I don't think that is necessary. I definitely find the trade one of Lopez, Ryan or Ober as completely counterproductive. Falvey isn't looking for higher draft choices with a possible ownership change.

Run it back with a few changes to the fringes. Expect better results than complete regression from the young players, Hope for better health for Correa and another 100 games from Buxton and you're in the playoffs

Who thought the Vikings would be 5-1? Who thought the Twins would go 9-18 in September?

Relax. Its entertainment. Not your investment portfolio.

[Reptevia]

1b:  Kiriloff shouldn’t even be in the conversation. Santana won’t be back. We don’t have anyone who is a natural here that is also a MLB hitter and defender. 
2b:  Julien is not a MLB hitter or defender at any position. Not sure there is anyone else who fits the bill. 
3b:  No one to throw out here who is a MLB Hitter and defender who can stay on the field. 
SS:  Correa can’t stay on the field, so we need a MLB capable backup. Won’t be cheap. 
LF:  For his underwhelming offense, I guess it’s Larnach’s to lose. 
CF:  See SS. 

RF:  Wallner?  “but the slugger needs to show he can put together a full high-quality season in the big leagues.”  Why is the bar set so high for him?  Aside from Castro, no one on the team achieved it last year. 
C:  I don’t think anyone will take Vasquez off our hands. Jeffers and that kid in AAA I guess. 
SP:  I’d run it back minus Paddock. 
RP:  We need 3-4 legit MLB relievers. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

1 hour ago, Reptevia said:

1b:  Kiriloff shouldn’t even be in the conversation. Santana won’t be back. We don’t have anyone who is a natural here that is also a MLB hitter and defender. 
2b:  Julien is not a MLB hitter or defender at any position. Not sure there is anyone else who fits the bill. 
3b:  No one to throw out here who is a MLB Hitter and defender who can stay on the field. 
SS:  Correa can’t stay on the field, so we need a MLB capable backup. Won’t be cheap. 
LF:  For his underwhelming offense, I guess it’s Larnach’s to lose. 
CF:  See SS. 

RF:  Wallner?  “but the slugger needs to show he can put together a full high-quality season in the big leagues.”  Why is the bar set so high for him?  Aside from Castro, no one on the team achieved it last year. 
C:  I don’t think anyone will take Vasquez off our hands. Jeffers and that kid in AAA I guess. 
SP:  I’d run it back minus Paddock. 
RP:  We need 3-4 legit MLB relievers. 

So, go full White Sox?

[Rod Carews Birthday]

3 hours ago, Reptevia said:

1b:  Kiriloff shouldn’t even be in the conversation. Santana won’t be back. We don’t have anyone who is a natural here that is also a MLB hitter and defender. 
2b:  Julien is not a MLB hitter or defender at any position. Not sure there is anyone else who fits the bill. 
3b:  No one to throw out here who is a MLB Hitter and defender who can stay on the field. 
SS:  Correa can’t stay on the field, so we need a MLB capable backup. Won’t be cheap. 
LF:  For his underwhelming offense, I guess it’s Larnach’s to lose. 
CF:  See SS. 

RF:  Wallner?  “but the slugger needs to show he can put together a full high-quality season in the big leagues.”  Why is the bar set so high for him?  Aside from Castro, no one on the team achieved it last year. 
C:  I don’t think anyone will take Vasquez off our hands. Jeffers and that kid in AAA I guess. 
SP:  I’d run it back minus Paddock. 
RP:  We need 3-4 legit MLB relievers. 

So other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?