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  • Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Minnesota Twins free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Brock Beauchamp
    Phil Miller reported that Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said the bullpen is not a priority right now. The Twins did a good job of addressing the bullpen at the last trade deadline and shuffling some pieces led to the Twins being middle of the pack overall.
    But given the acquisition of Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo, and Pablo Lopez, this feels like a re-hash of previous offseasons, the last two of which has gone very poorly for the Twins in regards to fielding a good bullpen in the first half of the season.
    Given the availability of marginal but solid relievers and the low cost of acquiring one as insurance against Jorge Lopez, Griffin Jax, Emilio Pagan, and others, I don't see why this decision is being made once again.
    sun
    It's no wonder Arraez was traded. A Star tribune article in MSN News states that.
    Luis was said to have turned down a contract offer from the Twins before last season. And he wound up as their only player among eight eligible for arbitration this go-round to file for a hearing.
    Bottom line: Arraez felt he was more valuable to the Twins than they did for at least the past two seasons.
     
    https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/reusse-trade-of-batting-craftsman-arraez-doesn-t-set-well/ar-AA16A8Im?fbclid=IwAR1JOjXOFjQZ3vY2oOVaNxCr_vxaD9OCRfMIMKlURkwRXV_Df-7cIH7pCU0
     
    mnfireman

    Twins in on Yuli Gurriel

    By mnfireman in Rumors,

    MLBTR has reported the Minnesota Twins may be in on aging slugger Yuli Gurriel. The former Astro slumped in his age 34 season, dropping to an 84 OPS+ after posting an impressive 131 mark in 2021. To the Twins, Gurriel likely looks like a rebound candidate but even despite his bad overall offensive performance last season, he posted a slightly above average .740 OPS against left-handed pitching.
    Though he can slot into the short side of a platoon with Alex Kirilloff, Gurriel is not an outfielder, which would help his playing time on the Twins roster. With right-handed Jose Miranda already roaming the infield and able to play third base, the most natural fit is for Minnesota to pursue a righty outfielder to complement Max Kepler, Trevor Larnach, Nick Gordon, and Matt Wallner.
    Brock Beauchamp
    It was widely known that Andrew McCutchen was sought after as a righty bat that could play a decent corner outfield - even in his older, diminished state from earlier stardom - but after a long career that saw him play in San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee - it appears he just wanted to go home to Pittsburgh.
    Which makes a lot of sense given how he came up through the Pirates system and thrived there during his prime seasons, becoming one of the best players in baseball. To add a "farewell tour" vibe to the equation, Buster Olney of ESPN pointed this out earlier today:
    It would have been nice to see McCutchen fill a badly-needed void in the Twins roster but it's hard to argue with that reasoning.
     
    AlwaysinModeration
    Could the Minnesota Twins wind up with Correa after all? The Giants deal fell through, then the Mets deal was agreed to weeks ago, but hasn’t been finalized due to medical concerns. And now today is a Jon Heyman report that “Boras engaged at least one other team regarding Correa this afternoon.”
    The Twins are mentioned in the report as having tried to reengage, and as an obvious landing spot, having employed Correa (healthy) last year, and having a vacancy and payroll space to accommodate him.
    The likelihood of Correa coming back to the Twins has to have crept up. Maybe 25%?
     
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    Hayes and Gleeman of The Athletic have reported the Twins are possibly in pursuit of Michael Wacha.
    The 31-year-old right-hander bounced back nicely with the Red Sox in 2022 with a 127 ERA+ but due to his lack of strikeout ability, his 4.14 FIP mark trailed his results by a large margin. Wacha, a long-time St Louis Cardinal, was a solid starter through 2018, after which point he began to struggle, posting three consecutive well-below-average seasons. Weirdly, not long after his ERA began to rise, he cut way down on his walk rate. His decline falls in line with a drop in his fastball velocity; at his peak, he had a 94-95mph fastball that has dropped into the 93mph range over the past several seasons.
    Wacha would likely be available on a one-year deal, two at most.
    Brock Beauchamp
    The Padres have a glut of talented infielders and their situation only grew more complicated with the signing of Xander Boegarts earlier in the offseason. Unsurprisingly, reports are now emerging that they're taking calls on young shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. The return on Kim would likely be significant. He's 27 years old and under team control through the 2026 season.
    In only 267 games played, Kim has accumulated 7.1 bWAR, including 5.1 in 2022 alone. Kim was a standout player in the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization), where he played nearly 900 games while posting an .866 OPS. The Padres signed him out of the KBO only two years ago and it's not a stretch to suggest he may not be happy with a bench role given his MLB production thus far.
    What would it take to trade for Kim?
    Richard
    While reading “3 Third Baseman Trades that Could Provide the Twins a Productive Bat” posted by Nate Palmer, I got a very interesting idea.  The first trade he proposed is one for Rafael Devers, which got me thinking…
    The Minnesota Twins are in a unique place where depth isn’t quite a concern anymore.  If healthy, the Twins have six or so guys on the 40 man roster that could compete for the fifth spot in the rotation, and a crowded outfield littered with guys vying for the corner outfield and bench spots.  
    The looming issue now is trying to wade through the marshes and finding the guys that can be impactful.  It is make or break years for guys like Alex Kirloff, Trevor Larnach, and Gilberto Celestino, all of which are entering arbitration soon.  If you take a step down, you’re welcomed by the likes of Matt Wallner and maybe Royce Lewis, who should be given an opportunity.  Then there’s also the question that arose when the Twins handed out a one year, 11 million dollar contract to Joey Gallo.  It almost feels certain that the Gallo deal will force Max Kepler out of Minnesota.  Kepler and Gallo are defensive difference makers but both are offensive liabilities.  Keeping both will pry valuable innings away from the aforementioned players, and the plus defense Byron Buxton offers in centerfield mitigates the necessity for strong corner outfield defense.  
    One name that has been floating around trade rumors is Luis Arraez.  Although reports are connecting him to being involved in a deal for starting pitching, I believe one wouldn’t be too far fetched to think that he could be involved in a deal for a big name hitter.  The 2022 American League Batting Champion might have reached his peak value.  There’s no question about what kind of hitter he is.  Arraez will slap the ball all around the field, and he will get on base frequently.  However 2022 unveiled a flaw in his game.  When not being the designated hitter, Arraez was primarily penciled in at first and second base with an occasional appearance at third base.  The Minnesota Twins have a second baseman, Jorge Polanco.  The Minnesota Twins also might have their guy in first base, that being Alex Kirloff, who might be forced out of the outfield. So where would Arraez play?  Since the departure of Nelson Cruz in 2021 as part of the Joe Ryan trade, Rocco Baldeli has utilized the designated hitter role as a way for guys to get at bats without being in the field, almost acting as a mini rest day of sorts.  The designated hitter role could also be reserved for Byron Buxton, who hit there in 35 games in 2022.  
    Arraez has entered his arbitration years and also has some concern about his ability to stay healthy.  He has been placed on the injured list five times since 2020.  A growing concern is his knees, which has caused 2 of his five trips to the injured list, with Covid-19, a concussion, and a right shoulder strain rounding out the other three.  With La Regadera only getting older, his knees will continue to get worse, trust me.
    With Max Kepler and Luis Arraez on the “chopping block,” we can start to look for trades.  One name that has been floating around recently has been Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox (thanks to Nate Palmer for the idea).
    The Red Sox do not have the best track record recently when it comes to retaining talent.  They traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers in 2020.  They traded Andrew Benitendi exactly a year later to the Royals in 2021.  Then in 2022 they lost Xander Bogaerts to free agency and ultimately to the Padres.  One similarity that can be drawn from all three moves is that they got paid once they left Boston.  Betts signed a 12 year, 365 million dollar contract with the Dodgers.  Benintendi received 8.5 million dollars in 2022 from the Royals.  Bogaerts just signed a 11 year, 285 million dollar deal with the Padres.  Rafael Devers will probably be the next homegrown talent to walk beyond the Green Monster, seeing as he will garner a contract somewhere in the twenty plus million dollar range.
    The Proposal:
    The Twins receive: Rafael Devers
    The Red Sox Receive: Luis Arraez, Max Kepler, A Player to be Named Later  
    Why It Works for the Twins
    Getting rid of Arraez and Kepler would be beneficial to the Twins long term.  Devers would become the starting third baseman which would force Miranda to slide over to first base, where he played 77 games in 2022.  First base would probably become Miranda’s long term home anyway, with reports stating the Twins front office has questions with his defense.  
    Why it Works for the Red Sox
    Unlike the Twins, the Red Sox do have some questions when it comes to outfield depth.  Enrique Hernandez has centerfield tied down, while Alex Verdugo (who was acquired in the Mookie Betts trade) will start in left.  Max Kepler would replace, funnily enough, former Twin Rob Refsnyder in defending Pesky's Pole.  Kepler’s plus defense would bode well in Fenway Park’s spacious and tricky right field.  Kepler might also see an increase in offensive production playing in the American League East, which is very left-handed hitter friendly.  
    The Red Sox were plagued with a -52 runs differential in 2022.  They would benefit highly from a guy by the likes of Luis Arraez.  Heck, any team would.  Arraez would give the Red Sox a great presence in the designated hitter role and could allow Trevor Story to return to short while Arraez splits time at second with Christian Arroyo.  
    If the Twins do make this trade, a 300 plus million dollar contract might make more sense.
    Would y’all take this trade? What would you change?
    Sorry for the long post.

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