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  • Minnesota Twins Trade & Free Agent Rumors

    Follow the latest Minnesota Twins trade and free agent rumors, along with quick notes on the big league club, the minor leagues and the draft.
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    Cody Christie
    FanSided's Robert Murray is reporting that Michael A. Taylor is drawing interest from the Angels, Padres, and Pirates. Two other veteran center fielders have already signed (Kevin Kiermaier and Harrison Bader) so this leaves Taylor as one of the only legitimate centerfielders on the open market outside of Cody Bellinger. Kiermaier and Bader each signed one-year deals for $10.5 million. Murray also suggests that the Red Sox and Twins might be interested in Taylor.
    Where do you think Taylor signs?
    Brock Beauchamp
    Welcome to 2024, everyone! Can the offseason start for reals now?
    The Twins have made no moves of note thus far in the "hot stove" season and it's still expected they will trade infielder Jorge Polanco. MLB Trade Rumors wrote an excellent breakdown of Polanco's best landing spots so check it out. 
    The piece highlights the Blue Jays, Cubs, and Mariners as the best fit, as they're including Polanco as a potential third baseman in their evaluation. For example, the Cubs already have a dynamic duo up the middle in Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson but also have a gaping hole at third base.
    In the following tier - we'll call it "good fit" - the piece talks about the Brewers, Giants, and Marlins. The Brewers are of particular interest in this conversation, as they're floating the idea they will move Corbin Burnes this winter.
    Brock Beauchamp
    To say it has been a quiet offseason for the Minnesota Twins is an understatement. The front office began talking about payroll uncertainty almost the moment the World Series was complete and virtually nothing has happened in the month+ since.
    Jon Morosi tweeted today that the front office is still interested in dealing both Max Kepler (one year remaining until free agency) and Jorge Polanco (one year plus one option year until free agency) but no teams have been closely linked to either player. It's likely the Twins will also be interested in fielding offers for utility man Kyle Farmer and catcher Christian Vazquez.
    This makes sense, as many felt certain dominos needed to fall in a specific order before a trade market could emerge: Shohei Ohtani needed to sign. Yoshinobu Yamamoto needed to do the same. This will open the door for some of the position player free agents to find homes, after which teams that missed out on free agency can pursue trades.
    Long story short, don't expect anything to happen before we welcome the new year two weeks from now.
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweeted today that infielder Jorge Polanco is receiving increased trade interest from other teams.
    This free agent class is considered one of the weakest in years from a position player standpoint and Polanco, were he a free agent, would be one of the most attractive pieces on the market. Polanco has two option years remaining on his contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons for $10.5 and $12 million, respectively.
    The Twins are looking for ways to shed payroll and have a glut of infielders. While they're apparently in no rush to move on from Polanco, trading him this winter makes sense for several reasons.
     
    Cory Engelhardt

    Rhys Hoskins

    By Cory Engelhardt in Trade Rumors,

    So Bobby Nightengale mentioned that Rhys Hoskins was connected to the Twins, as did Roy Smalley/Lavelle Neal on their chin music podcast.
    Just throwing this out, I do think getting a middle of the order bat would help transform this lineup. 
     
    Thoughts?
    Brock Beauchamp
    It shouldn't surprise anyone but both Nightengale Jr and Dan Hayes have mentioned that the Twins expect to add a starting pitcher to their rotation this offseason.
    Given the self-imposed payroll constraints the Twins face this offseason and their relative pitching depth in the upper minors, a one-year deal remains the most likely result should they opt for the free agent market. Wade Miley, 37 years old, remains a well above-average lefty when he's healthy. It's hard to expect more than 120 innings out of him in any given season but that might actually make him appealing to the Twins, who have Louie Varland waiting to step into the rotation at any time.
    Other options include reclamation projects like Frankie Montas or, if he's available on a one-year deal, Lucas Giolito.
    The Twins are equally likely to opt for a longer-term trade candidate and at that point, there are a dozen viable names who may be on the market.
    Doctor Gast

    Block buster trade

    By Doctor Gast in Trade Rumors,

    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/braves-acquire-sean-murphy.html
     
    Yes this article is history, but it's very relevant today. The Braves have been considered by many as the top organization in baseball. An organization that if we want to progress as a team, we need to study & emulate. Here we see the Braves who had an all-star hitting catcher in William Contreras concocted a complex trade to gain an elite defensive rookie who can hit. Many would question why trade away an all-star established hitting catcher? what more could you ask for? Maybe in Fantasy Baseball, defense doesn't count but in the real world it does, especially catcher and the Braves know this. The Braves had developed Contreras as much as they could defensively which made them to decide to upgrade defensively. Sean Murphy fits that bill for many years to come.
    The Twins have a slightly below average defensive catcher that is evaluated as a potential good hitting catcher, Ryan Jeffers. Jeffers had a good rookie season hitting but the following 2 yrs were not so good. Granted he had a pretty good hitting season in "23 but in '24 he's due to regress, How much? is anyone's guess. Twins have placed all their hope in Jeffers and tried their best to sell that to the fanbase. But is Jeffers the type of catcher a World Series aspiring team would want to command their playing field for years to come? By this example that have been given the answer would be no.
    I admire the way the Braves saw a real need that many would overlook & took a proactive approach. How I wish the Twins could see their deep void at catching that reaches deep down into their system & proactively make a serious decision to uprade their entire system. With Jeffers trade value being at all time high, now is a good time to trade him to help fill our present & future needs, #1 front-line SP,  #2 very good/ elite MLB ready defensive catcher that can hit, that Vazquez can mentor.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Robert Murray of FanSided has reported the Twins are aggressively shopping catcher Christian Vazquez in hopes of clearing up salary space for positions of greater need.
    The Twins will be reducing payroll in 2024, which puts the front office in a bind as they try to build in their 2023 AL Central champion squad and the franchise's first postseason wins since 2004.
    Vazquez signed a three year, $30 million contract before the 2023 season. Last season, the 33-year-old had a terrible season at the plate, posting an OPS a full 100 points lower than his career mark. The Twins might have difficulty moving $20 million of contract for a player who hit closer to Drew Butera's career mark than league average.
     
    tony&rodney
    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/mariners-trade-eugenio-suarez-dbacks.html
    Seattle is serious about cutting their strike outs apparently. They previously traded for Luis Urias (3B), but will be looking to add both an infielder and and a corner bat. 
    One can wonder if there are some ideas going back and forth between the Mariners and Twins. This feels like a year ago in some respects but it may be a case where Falvey fears losing depth or the wrong guy. Seattle is setting the bar high for their arms and willing to trade.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Now that we're past non-tender day, the list of available free agents is as robust as it will be this offseason.
    It appears the Twins are going to be working with little money this offseason so the top names are likely off-limits. But yesterday, the Brewers were unable to trade or come to a longer-term agreement with starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff. This is a perfect Falvey moment. Woodruff will likely not pitch in 2024 after undergoing shoulder surgery. He'll need a place to rehab and return in 2025.
    Woodruff is an ace pitcher nearly on par with Corbin Burnes. If he can recover from shoulder surgery, a one-year make-good deal aligns perfectly with the Twins' interests.
    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:
    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.
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