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The offseason is almost complete, but the Twins are just getting started. On Friday night, they filled the gap left by Jorge Polanco’s departure with a veteran slugging first baseman and designated hitter in Carlos Santana. The signing seemingly allows the Twins to feel comfortable with quality bats and flexibility at every spot in the lineup.
So, what’s next? Santana’s signing was for slightly less than the money the Jorge Polanco trade saved, so they, at least, still have a little bit more cash than they did last week. Although the Twins appear to have a full roster, with a solid lineup and quality projected bench of Willi Castro, Kyle Farmer, Christian Vazquez, and Nick Gordon, there’s still room to improve if the Twins choose to do so.
Santana solved the most significant hole in the roster, but as a first baseman or designated hitter, his presence doesn’t help at every position. One of the more significant areas for improvement is now in the outfield (as long as we’re ignoring the potential for a substantial rotation upgrade). Although the Twins have three quality outfielders in Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Matt Wallner, their depth is a bit more suspect—which is vital for a team counting on Buxton.
At present, Castro and Gordon are the first line of defense in the outfield, with Trevor Larnach and potentially Austin Martin at Triple-A in waiting. Alex Kirilloff could also play a corner when necessary. It’s a motley crew, and it’s redundant.
Castro, Gordon, Larnach, and Kirilloff all hit righties better than lefties. Castro and Gordon are super-utility players, and Martin could also be in the same role by midseason. Gordon, specifically, is coming off a disaster of a year following his popup breakout season in 2022. Everyone’s favorite hype man is in a position to get squeezed out.
If Gordon does find himself waived or traded (as he has no options remaining) or if another outfielder is moved separately, there would be room to bring in a right-handed outfielder. The fit would be great, as a right-handed outfielder could serve as the top backup—allowing Castro to be utilized as an in-game substitution weapon more frequently. A right-handed outfielder can also serve as a platoon corner outfield bat alongside Castro against left-handed pitching, as Kepler and Wallner are lefties. If that player can play somewhat regularly against righties, then all the better.
Who are the options for such a role? Trades are always a possibility, but they’re even more difficult to project than free agents, so let’s stick with free agency.
The most obvious answer may be a reunion with Michael A. Taylor, coming off a year as the Twins' de facto center fielder, in which he hit 20 home runs and played stellar defense. If the Twins were to reunite with Taylor, he could easily be a platoon bat against lefties and start frequently in center field as needed.
His return made less sense before Santana’s arrival, as he wouldn’t help the team nearly as much offensively and was not a candidate to fill a DH role. However, as a high-usage fourth outfielder, he would fit great into the current roster and provide functional utility on several fronts. Despite his below-average overall offensive numbers in 2023, he still had a .914 OPS against lefties, and the glove plays no matter who’s pitching.
Furthermore, Taylor’s presence would allow the Twins to selectively rest Byron Buxton and do what they can to keep him as healthy as possible through 2024. No remaining free agent outfielders, short of Cody Bellinger, can provide that to the Twins.
Taylor could be more interested in a proper everyday job. Beyond that, many have projected him to command a salary of around $9M, and his two comparable center fielders in this free agent class—Kevin Kiermaier and Harrison Bader—each signed for $10.5M in the past months. Still, this reunion makes more sense today than it did at this time yesterday.
There are other options out there that may also make sense. Adam Duvall and Tommy Pham can both play center field (Duvall better than Pham) and would be complimentary everyday-worthy bats with the ability to play both corners. In contrast to Taylor, Duvall and Pham would provide more consistent thump and compete for DH action alongside Santana.
Both Duvall and Pham were also projected to earn approximately $9M, but given that they’re still on the market in February, that price has likely come down (which may be true for Taylor as well). However, they both make a bit less sense after the Santana signing, as there’s less opportunity to get their bats in the lineup more regularly, but we’ll see if that comes to fruition.
Randal Grichuk and Robbie Grossman are lesser options in this vein who probably shouldn’t play any center field (and honestly, Grossman may be a DH-only very soon). Both would cost less than Santana did (Grossman might even be a spring training invite candidate), so if the Twins are genuinely strapped for cash but desperate to bring someone in, their options are slightly better than whoever the 2024 Kyle Garlick equivalent may be.
If the club were looking to bring in an outfielder with more utility, Whit Merrifield or Enrique Hernandez would add even more flexibility with their abilities to play on the dirt. However, the fit doesn't seem to be there with Farmer still on the team and Castro already in a super-utility role.
The Twins have room to make one more move, and they still have some team needs they could reinforce. The good news is that some decent options remain.
So, should the Twins try to bring in one more righty after the Santana deal? If so, who would you prefer it be?
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- DocBauer and Cory Engelhardt
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