Offseason Blueprint: Riding the Rochester Shuttle, Improving the Rotation, and Going Big on Catcher

Let’s jump right in!

Sign Catcher Yasmani Grandal to a four-year/$64 million deal

First the Twins add a great all-around catcher who will make the team better on offense and defense while allowing Mitch Garver’s potent bat into the lineup more often. Grandal and Garver would split catching duties with Grandal taking the majority of the reps as the superior defender. Whoever is not catching would cover first. Miguel Sano would occasionally fill in at first to give one of the catching duo a day off, with Marwin Gonzalez or Ehire Adrianza covering third.

This would mean non-tendering C.J. Cron, which is a bit of a pity because he might be due for some improvement in 2020. But no longer having Cron around is a small price to pay for the best catching duo in the MLB.

Sign Pitcher Zack Wheeler to a five-year/$100 million deal

Minnesota desperately needs to fill the rotation, and bringing in one of the best starting pitchers outside of Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg would be a great start. Wheeler has great stuff and may be able to unlock another level under the tutelage of Wes Johnson. Since it is imperative that the Twins improve the rotation, Minnesota gives Wheeler a fifth year to ensure he makes his home in the Twin Cities.

Retain Jake Odorrizi and Michael Pineda

While not exciting new names, both Odorrizi and Pineda are quality pitchers who offer plenty of value. However, with the combination of Wheeler and Jose Berrios in the rotation for years to come and plenty of intriguing high-upside arms in the system, I prefer them on one-year deals even if it means paying a bit more. Thankfully, Odorrizi has already agreed to the qualifying offer of 17.8 million and I sign Pineda for one year at $12 million (with a bit of a reduction coming from his suspension).

Trade SS Wander Javier, C Ryan Jeffers, and P Blayne Enlow to Miami for P Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara gives Minnesota a high-velocity, high-upside arm to fill out the back of the rotation. While Odorrizi and Pineda would only be around for one more season, Alcantara has five more seasons of team control and is a nice young arm to mix in with some of the exciting arms on the farm for future rotations.

Summary

On offense the only players who leave are C.J. Cron and Jason Castro and they are replaced by Yasmani Grandal. This allows the offense to improve by the addition of Grandal’s bat along with Garver seeing more time in the lineup by covering first on a regular basis. Having Garver spend less time getting beat up behind the plate is a good way to offset the possibility of decreased production due to increased playing time.

Other than that, the offense stays pretty much the same. The 26th roster spot allows Astudillo to stay on the roster and occasionally catch, alleviating any Gardenhire-esque anxiety Rocco Baldelli may have about using Grandal or Garver as DH without a third catcher. Marwin Gonzalez remains a great insurance piece as the super-utility man and Ehire Adrianza and Jake Cave fill out a strong bench.

Three familiar faces return to the rotation along with a couple of good starters who could see further improvement working with Wes Johnson. Wheeler is already a top of the rotation arm and Alcantara shows great potential, especially for a guy who slots as the fifth starter. Plus, both pitchers come from organizations that are fairly inept, so Minnesota’s improvements in player development and technology could provide an additional edge.

As you’ve probably noticed, I haven’t made any additions to the bullpen. High-priced relievers have been a terrible investment in recent years throughout the MLB and the Twins were able to put together one of the better bullpens in 2019 with only the addition of Sergio Romo. I wouldn’t be opposed to bringing Romo back on a one-year deal but it isn’t really necessary. The trio of Rogers, Duffey, and May along with others such as Zack Littell and Cody Stashak will suffice.

Minnesota has plenty of young arms in AA/AAA, so the Rochester Shuttle will remain active in 2020. The bullpen can be reassessed at the trade deadline.

Brusdar Graterol begins the year in the MLB bullpen in an effort to limit his innings for later in the year in case of a need in the rotation due to injury or ineffectiveness. He can transition into long relief and could also be sent down to AAA to get stretched out when needed.

Lewis Thorpe also makes the team as a reliever to give the pen another lefty outside of Rogers. He can also serve as a long reliever and swing-starter if necessary.

Finally, wavier-wire and slider-throwing machine Matt Wisler fills out the bottom of the pen. He gets the opportunity to be the Ryne Harper of 2020 but can easily be replaced by someone like Fernando Romero or Jorge Alcala and his leash should be short.

The other focus of the offseason would be approaching Jose Berrios, Bryon Buxton, and Miguel Sano about extensions. The Polanco and Kepler extensions look brilliant at this point and locking up as much of the core as possible should be a priority.

So, there you have it. Minnesota is able to significantly improve the team while keeping a realistic payroll in the neighborhood of $130 million.

What would your blueprint look like for the Twins this winter? Download your copy of the Offseason Handbook and use it to construct a champion. Share your vision for discussion in our Create a Blueprint forum thread.

More blueprints from our writers:

Building a Bullpenner - Nick Nelson

Making Big Betts - Nate Palmer

Hooking a Big Fish - Ted Schwerzler

The Window Just Opened - Jeremy Nygaard

Cheat Off the Champs - Matthew Lenz

Run It Back - Nash Walker

Spending Every Penny - Cooper Carlson