Twins Video
The 2019 Minnesota Twins set the home run record last season as an offensive powerhouse. The obvious need this season is starting pitching, but this blueprint will be different. What if the Pohlad family decides to just say screw it and spend north of $200 million with the main focus being offense? Here is the most realistic blueprint so far:
Sign Yasmani Grandal to 4-year, $60 million contract.
The Twins obviously loved the catching tandem they used last season with Castro and Garver, so why not upgrade it? Signing Grandal gives the Twins two of the top five catchers in baseball and Grandal is also excellent defensively.
Let C.J. Cron go, move Sano to first base.
With $200 million to spend and the lineup I have planned, Cron is unfortunately the odd man out on this team. It will be the same situation as last season for him where a team can claim him for his final year of team control. Moving Sano to first base is something that seems inevitable so why not do it this season? It will be a downgrade defensively, but the bat makes up for it.
Sign Anthony Rendon to an 8-year $264 million contract.
With Sano at first base that leaves a hole at third. The best way to fill that hole would be to sign a top three third baseman in baseball, Anthony Rendon. He would be very expensive, but that doesn’t matter to the Twins. They’re building a juggernaut on offense and Rendon should be a part of that.
Twins trade Eddie Rosario, Alex Kirilloff, and Nick Gordon to the Red Sox for Mookie Betts.
The final offseason lineup addition will come to the Twins via trade. It will be the former MVP Mookie Betts and he will be in his final year of arbitration. He will be due roughly $27.7 million until the Twins of course reach a long extension with him. The Red Sox immediately get back a starting outfielder, a top 15 prospect who has upside as good as Betts, and then a potential starting infielder.
Sign Zack Wheeler to a 4-year $72 million contract.
The first addition to the rotation is Wheeler. After spending more money on the lineup than the entire 2019 payroll I had to cut it back for the rotation, but only a little bit. Wheeler has the best upside of any starter not named Cole or Strasburg and if any team is going to unlock it, I would bet on the Twins do it best.
Sign Hyun-Jin Ryu to a 3-year $54 million contract.
Ryu is coming off a career year after betting on himself and taking the qualifying offer last season. This year with no draft pick attached he will be popular despite the injury history. The Twins will win him over by offering the third year guaranteed.
Bring back Kyle Gibson for 1-year and $10 million.
Last year was a wash for Gibson. I am extremely confident he could get back to being his former self (3.76 ERA from 2017 All-Star break to 2019 All-Star break). If he does that in the number five spot in the rotation then the Twins will have an elite staff pitching for one of the best lineups ever.
Summary:
The Twins just spent north of $200 million to build one of the greatest lineups ever assembled along with an elite rotation and solid bullpen. The Twins have six or seven guys who should receive an MVP vote in this lineup and their 2019 home run record could be broken by this team.
I’ve been trying to figure out how this lineup would be constructed but it is so difficult because everyone is so good. How would you create the lineup?
This is probably never going to happen but you never know, and if we keep calling out the Pohlads and their pocket protectors maybe we can make it happen. If you had the chance to spend around $200 million on the Twins, how would you do it differently?
Final Payroll: $202.6 million
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