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The Twins signed Ty France to a one-year big-league deal on Wednesday, and he’ll likely see quite a bit of time at first base to begin the season. France may have experience at first base, but he doesn't offer any more defensive competence, athleticism, or offensive upside than Jose Miranda, who was already on the roster. It’s another late-offseason addition by the front office, meant to fill out the roster's margins. Is this the process they should have used this winter?
The Twins front office has repeatedly demonstrated a compulsion to set a floor at each key place on their roster in recent seasons. With a lineup of players bound to miss some time, fill-ins must be ready, should they be needed. Valuable players on the margins of the roster are a nice bonus. It’s a good process, in theory, but we’ve seen these types of moves make very little difference most years, and in 2024, they arguably did more harm than good.
The Twins' class of 2024 floor joists was forgettable. Anthony DeSclefani, brought in to eat a few innings at the back end of the rotation, never threw a pitch. Manuel Margot, brought in to back up Byron Buxton in center field, had a nightmarish season while also playing semi-regularly, due to injuries. Kyle Farmer, whose option was picked up to back up Carlos Correa, wasn’t trusted at shortstop when he was needed and had a disastrous season at the plate. When it came time for the “floor players” to contribute to the team, they weren’t up to the task.
This winter, the team lost everyday right fielder Max Kepler and first baseman Carlos Santana, who had sometimes helped carry the lineup. With a roster still consisting of several players who are likely to miss some time, the roster looks pretty scary when projecting what it may look like if they do.
Players brought in to “raise the floor” of the roster typically come with a low floor (and low ceiling) themselves, which can be seen in all three Twins signings so far. Danny Coulombe is a 35-year-old soft-tossing lefty with the upside of becoming a secondary setup man. Harrison Bader’s upside is based almost solely on his defensive value, as it’s hard to plan on more than league-average offense at this point in his career. It’s been two years since Ty France has put up offensive stat lines that are acceptable for a primary first baseman. In small, well-crafted roles, these guys can be positive contributors, but the odds are that they will either be forced into larger, less well-crafted roles than expected or fall short of even their modest projected production.
We don’t know the dynamics of the free-agent market, or even how the suddenly fluid payroll situation has evolved over the offseason. However, it’s still fair to wonder whether the money spent this winter could have been more effectively allocated elsewhere. Does this trio make the Twins a better team than, say, combining all of that money for Paul Goldschmidt and relying on internal options for backup outfield help and hoping to fall sideways into a left-handed reliever? Time is the only way to say for certain, but the Twins' current front office has shown us through the years that their ability to find impact in the lower tiers of free agency is extremely inconsistent.
We should, at least, be happy with the Twins' surprising ability to make additions so far this winter. That being said, the bitter taste of 2024 is still fresh. With the payroll situation, it’s likely a waste to ask for more, but it would be hard to blame fans for asking for something different. Should the Twins have aimed for quality over quantity this offseason?
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