Ryan Kreidler's Arrival Should Lead to James Outman's Exit

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Amid a largely encouraging start for the Minnesota Twins, there's been no shortage of grousing and grumbling about James Outman, whose start has been anything but encouraging. Here in mid-April, the backup outfielder is still searching for his first hit of the season — through 20 plate appearances he's gone 0-for-18 with 10 strikeout and two walks. 

It's no isolated slump. Outman also struggled mightily down the stretch last year after being acquired in exchange for reliever Brock Stewart at the deadline. In total, he's batting .124 with a .485 OPS and 44% strikeout rate as a Twin. Turning 29 next month, he's not exactly a youthful upside play at this point. The promise Outman showed as a rookie back in 2023 has vanished from sight.

It's understandable why fans are eager to see Outman ousted. The case for sticking with him rests on two factors:

1. His role is extremely limited. Outman has started only four of Minnesota's first 17 games, and his 20 PAs rank 13th on the team. Nobody who's been on the roster since the start of the season has played less. You don't want to call up a legitimate player or prospect like Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins or even Alan Roden to languish on the bench and get a handful of ABs each week.
2. His skills for that limited role are suitable. While he hasn't hit at all, Outman can play all three outfielder positions well and the Twins trust him in center. He also runs well and is 2-for-2 on stolen bases. That's really the primary function of his pure bench role, and he excels with these specific skills more than most alternatives.

There's also the matter of Outman being out of options, meaning he'd have to be DFA'ed and put through waivers if removed from the active roster. It's likely the main reason he made the team out of camp, but it's becoming less and less of a consideration. Would Outman even be claimed by another team at this point? If he does, would it really be a big deal? 

The reality is that Kreidler offers everything that Outman does and then some. Need a glove-first (glove-only?) player you can count on all over the outfield, including center? Someone who can run reasonably well if needed as an in-game sub? A guy who you don't mind using sparingly as a bench piece? 

Check, check, check.

Kreidler is a very good defender all over the field. He might not be quite as good as Outman in center, but he's close; keep in mind that Kreidler started there on Opening Day for the Tigers last year. Additionally he can back up every infield position, and he'll be an upgrade over the starter at each. Right now, the Twins lack any purpose-fit defensive replacements for their lackluster infield unit.

The big knock on Kreidler is that he's been one of the worst hitters in baseball. His initial stint with the Twins, which has included two homers and four RBIs in his first three games, has been intriguing on this front, but it's too early to invest much belief in his offense on this basis.

 

Dating back to 2024, Kreidler's .191 wOBA is sixth-worst among 593 MLB players with 100+ PA. Outman is only slightly better, with his .229 wOBA 22nd-worst. You're looking at two offensive non-factors, and one is bringing far more to the table as a versatile utilityman versus a player whose sole value is being able to handle center field.

Royce Lewis is eligible to return from the injured list as soon as Monday, and is scheduled to scheduled to start a rehab stint on Saturday. He's in line to return at some point next week. Whenever Lewis is activated, the corresponding move should not be to send down Kreidler, who was brought up as his replacement, but rather Outman, whose ostensible value has been replaced by the Kreidler.

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[mikelink45]

Outman = Margot time to go.

[Coach Wheels]

The article is a little contradicting, we're making a case a poor offensive player replacing a horrible offensive player, but I'm 100% on board with Outman being DFA'd. I have little interest in Kriedler being our defensive specialist, I'd prefer Roden come up and get some AB's to see who he is. I realize he's another LH bat but the organization did that to themselves so, it is what it is.

[thelanges5]

Twins need to stop running with a 25.5 man roster. Not a good use of that spot. The IF defense could use a boost, it cost us the past two games. I vote for Kreidler!

[rv78]

19 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Twins need to stop running with a 25.5 man roster. Not a good use of that spot. The IF defense could use a boost, it cost us the past two games. I vote for Kreidler!

Yeah, the error in Friday nights game was by Kreidler, so he'll be an upgrade. LOL! 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

I couldn’t agree more.  Kreidler likely will not be very good offensively, but his defense everywhere is probably legit, which really makes him that universal piece that can be mixed and matched to make a lineup work.  .250 would be nice, but .200 probably works too, especially if he can have even a tiny bit of pop for power.  He’s an obvious upgrade in team fit and might actually clear the Outman line with the bat.  

[Doctor Gast]

Falvey isn't around, so there is no reason to keep him up. Bring up Fedko yesterday & DFA Outman already. We'll figure out what to do with Fedko after Lewis comes back.

[karcherd]

If the choice is either Kreidler or Outman, sure I would take Kreidler.  But let's improve the overall roster and bring up ERod or Roden.  A good manager can find AB's for everyone, just stop worrying about platoons and trying to force Clemens in the lineup.  They already gave up on 1B defense this year by signing Bell, you need to play him there to improve the rest of the lineup by moving players in and out. There is no reason between Wallner, Larnach, Martin and the new callup can't play four to five times a week by freeing up the DH spot.  For the record, I say bring up ERod and see what he can do.

[Bodie]

Outman: everything you want in a ballplayer but the bat.  Unfortunately for him, baseball uses said bat regularly. Unfortunately for the Twins and their fans, he regularly uses his bat.

Anything above the Mendoza line would likely give him a surprisingly long (measured in months/years vs. days/months) ML career with his good D, very good speed and seemingly inoffensive demeanor in the clubhouse (he does seem to have fans and friends in the dugout).  A pretty low bar.

And it is a bar that he bangs into head-first every year since his rookie season.  

Where have you gone Bush and Lombardozi (sp?)?  Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you!

[jmlease1]

I mean, this best argument for this is it would mean the Twins are no longer tethered to Outman and might add some roster flexibility in that last slot to respond to team needs. Kreidler probably still can't hit, but since neither can Outman, at least Kreidler is right handed and might run into one. But the Twins might also be more willing to punt Kreidler back off the 26-man if he has a month where he can't land a hit, even in a limited role and give someone else a chance.

You have to assume the Twins aren't going to keep facing LH starters 50% of the time the rest of the season, but swapping a terrible LH bat that you never want to start for a poor RH bat that can play more positions is probably the right move.

It's a marginal move, but when you're not a great team every positive you can get out of a marginal move adds up to elevate the floor. I have little expectations of Kreidler (the homers might be the high point for him already) but there's no sign that Outman has any idea what to do at the plate nor that the Twins trust him to figure it out with more playing time, so what's he doing here? If they're not going to call up Roden, Fedko, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, or Jenkins yet (and to be fair, only Roden & Rodriguez have shown they deserve a shot to date) probably because it is such a limited role...why not Kreidler?

[stringer bell]

Outman is a faster runner and maybe just a bit better OF. Kreidler provides plus defense (yesterday’s error notwithstanding) and a right handed bat (FWIW), plus a DFA of Outman would open a 40-man slot.

The improvement would be marginal IYAM.

Barring injury, the way for Emma to be promoted would be to trade places with Matt Wallner. I think the Twins would consider switching Roden for Outman. 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, mikelink45 said:

Outman = Margot time to go.

I wish Outman was as good as Manny Margot.

[roger]

Agreed, 100%.  Do it Monday

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, rv78 said:

Yeah, the error in Friday nights game was by Kreidler, so he'll be an upgrade. LOL! 

Are you referring to the ball in the dirt that almost every first baseman in the league except Bell could scoop?

[Fatbat]

Redundancy in AAAA players is frustrating for fans when the next young superstar is close to arriving. Absolutely nothing is gained by keeping outman on the 40 man. The “lets find the next Willy Castro”  experiment didn’t work in the Outman trade. It might work with Kreidler but its a super small sample size. It’s hard to put much stock in it yet.

[Nshore]

Kreidler can hit just fine!  He has only one fewer home runs than the mighty Wallner, and only 2 fewer RBI's!

[D.C Twins]

The fact that we still need to discuss Outman at all is sad and embarrassing for the Twins. 

There is rarely universal consensus on an issue at TD, but I think there was concerning Outman NOT being on the Twins heading into the season. 

Again... teams serious about contention do not have Outman on their 40 man roster.... it's just that simple 

[GNess]

Let me understand this - Outman can play multiple OF positions and he can run. He is the best candidate the Twins can roster to handle these two things? (All the while striking out nearly 50% of his AB's while going 0-20 and counting at the plate as well.)

This doesn't make any sense. 

[Brandon]

I'm rooting for Outman to get a hit on his way out the door man.  He should be replaced by Kreidler or Roden.  It's about time to start bringing up the next wave of OF for short tryouts too so bringing up ERod for a week then a bençh guy is fine too.  

[bean5302]

Kriedler is a known entity. Can't hit, like at all. Is that why people think Kreidler is some sort of defensive wizard? Because he can't hit so he must be good at something? Savant shows declining speed from 60 grade in his rookie season to 50 grade now. Kreidler can't cover CF any more than Larnach can.

Kreidler's arm is 50 grade. His speed is 50 grade. Like... sure, he's more athletic than Brooks Lee, but he's probably inferior to Austin Martin. Then again, he's been atrocious at the plate so he must be good defensively, right?

It's not like Kreidler's defense at SS the past 3 years in AAA has been otherworldly or something. Schobel was a better SS in AAA last year than Kreidler was by a substantial margin.

Kreidler is better than Brooks Lee defensively. He's much, much worse offensively. He does not have the speed to cover CF. If you like Manny Margot in CF, you'll love Kreidler.

[Nick Nelson]

17 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Kriedler is a known entity. Can't hit, like at all. Is that why people think Kreidler is some sort of defensive wizard? Because he can't hit so he must be good at something? Savant shows declining speed from 60 grade in his rookie season to 50 grade now. Kreidler can't cover CF any more than Larnach can.

Kreidler's arm is 50 grade. His speed is 50 grade. Like... sure, he's more athletic than Brooks Lee, but he's probably inferior to Austin Martin. Then again, he's been atrocious at the plate so he must be good defensively, right?

It's not like Kreidler's defense at SS the past 3 years in AAA has been otherworldly or something. Schobel was a better SS in AAA last year than Kreidler was by a substantial margin.

Kreidler is better than Brooks Lee defensively. He's much, much worse offensively. He does not have the speed to cover CF. If you like Manny Margot in CF, you'll love Kreidler.

Come on. Are MLB front offices just idiots who can't evaluate defense as well as you?

The Tigers were well aware of his inability to hit. Why did they roster him for part of the past 4 years, including out of camp last year? Why did he get grabbed quickly off waivers when DFA'ed? If what you're saying was accurate he'd be nowhere near a major-league roster.

I'd love to see Trevor Larnach make a play like this in the outfield at some point in his entire life.

[jorgenswest]

I think it should be the arrival of Rodriguez. I don’t buy that they need to have an Outman role at all. If they do let it be Clemens. Clemens can fill in at several positions. He can pinch hit against right handed pitching. He leads the team in stolen bases.

My plan would be Rodriguez in RF. It could also be Roden. I chose Rodriguez because he is on his last option and a better CF. Move Wallner to DH. Move Bell to 1B more often. Clemens playing time is reduced. Kreidler returns to AAA when Lewis returns. Keaschall and Wallner need to step it up or maybe they go down when Lewis returns. Rodriguez or Roden don’t need to wait they can come up for Outman today. There is space in RF for them.

[bean5302]

1 minute ago, Nick Nelson said:

Come on. Are MLB front offices just idiots who can't evaluate defense as well as you?

The Tigers were well aware of his inability to hit. Why did they roster him for part of the past 4 years, including out of camp last year? Why did he get grabbed quickly off waivers when DFA'ed? If what you're saying was accurate he'd be nowhere near a major-league roster.

I'd love to see Trevor Larnach make a play like this in the outfield at some point in his entire life.

How I read your response.

Stats don't matter.

The Twins front office is infallable and is a defensively minded operation.

The Tigers must have coveted Kreidler's defense because they occasionally rostered Kreidler as short term depth while he had options. (It must be baffling how they DFA'd a player who has options making the league minimum. I guess the Tigers front office must have accidentally lost track of things...)

The Larnach comparison is hyperbole. Your link doesn't work.
https://www.mlb.com/tigers/video/tarik-skubal-in-play-out-s-to-tommy-edman-dcmfyg?q=Ryan Kreidler&cp=CMS_FIRST&qt=FREETEXT&p=0

 

Trevor Larnach, defensive wizard...
https://www.mlb.com/tigers/video/cole-sands-in-play-out-s-to-nick-loftin?q=Trevor Larnach catch&cp=CMS_FIRST&qt=FREETEXT&p=3

[lecroy24fan]

I think it's an easy call on Monday when Lewis is back from the IL.

[Wizard11]

Thank Goodness TD is blessed with a deeply insightful, self appointed stat wonk who can cherry pick stats and reduce every issue to black and white narratives.  The scolding tone is always just a bonus.  Go Bean.

[saviking]

Debating which loser we keep .. Why keep either.. 

[RpR]

31 minutes ago, lecroy24fan said:

I think it's an easy call on Monday when Lewis is back from the IL.

Yep, send him to AAA and learn how to field and hit.

[twinstalker]

5 hours ago, Coach Wheels said:

The article is a little contradicting, we're making a case a poor offensive player replacing a horrible offensive player, but I'm 100% on board with Outman being DFA'd. I have little interest in Kriedler being our defensive specialist, I'd prefer Roden come up and get some AB's to see who he is. I realize he's another LH bat but the organization did that to themselves so, it is what it is.

It's not poor vs horrible.  It's bottom five vs very worst.  And I'm being kind to Kreidler here.  Listen, I'm not a big fan of Kyler Fedko, but he's a guy (I think) who can play CF and bat rh and is a very likely a better bat than Kreidler.  Outman off the 40, Fedko on and promoted to see what he can do.  Do it now while Roden is hurt so you don't have to have that discussion of why Roden-seniority doesn't trump Fedko, even if it's obvious why you'd try it first.

[old nurse]

49 minutes ago, Wizard11 said:

Thank Goodness TD is blessed with a deeply insightful, self appointed stat wonk who can cherry pick stats and reduce every issue to black and white narratives.  The scolding tone is always just a bonus.  Go Bean.

Cherry picking stats and poor tone is not limited to the bloggers.