Quantifying the Twins Improvement This Offseason Using WAR

The Minnesota Twins have had a successful offseason. It is difficult to quantify just how good it has been, but using overall fWAR to calculate how many wins the Twins have added is effective. The rotation, bullpen, infield and outfield all have very interesting results so come check it out.Starting pitching:

• Players acquired (2019 fWAR): Homer Bailey (2.9), and Rich Hill (0.9)
• Players lost (2019 fWAR): Kyle Gibson (2.6), Martin Perez (1.9)
• Total +/- this offseason: -0.7 fWAR

The additions of Homer Bailey and Rich Hill give the Twins little to no improvement to their starting rotation. Rich Hill is a very good pitcher, but you can’t expect much from him coming off an injury halfway through the season and post-season elbow surgery. Best case scenario is he dominates the second half and the playoffs. Bailey is comparable to Kyle Gibson because you know what you’re getting with him. Nothing great, but good enough to fill out the rotation. A trade for a starter still seems likely to happen around the trade deadline.

Relief pitching:

• Players acquired (2019 fWAR): Tyler Clippard (0.7), and Matt Wisler (0.4)
• Players lost (2019 fWAR): Sam Dyson (-0.2)
• Total +/- this offseason: +1.2 fWAR

This unit the Twins have built has become one of the best in baseball, and it has only improved this offseason. The bullpen is led by Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, and Trevor May with guys like Brusdar Graterol and Zack Littell ready to prove they belong in the majors. Tyler Clippard is a solid veteran who will add stability in the middle of this group while Matt Wisler is on the 40-man roster so he will likely get a shot to prove himself this season.

Infield (C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS):

• Players acquired (2019 fWAR): Alex Avila (1.3), and Josh Donaldson (4.9)
• Players lost: Jason Castro (1.6), Jonathan Schoop (1.3), and C.J. Cron (0.3)
• Total +/- this offseason: +3.0 fWAR

Josh Donaldson turns this article into a positive one instead of a negative one. The impact he provides simply can’t be overstated as he will transform the infield and the lineup to become much better. That is proven here as his 4.9 fWAR are more than the three infielders the Twins didn't bring back combined. The catching situation is interesting as well. Avila had less fWAR than Castro last season but his role on this team is to provide solid defense while playing one or two times a week.

Outfield:

• Players acquired: None
• Players lost: None
• Total +/- this offseason: 0.0

The Twins outfield is looking like it will remain exactly the same despite trade rumors about Rosario, Cave, and occasionally Buxton. Opening Day will once again see Rosario in left, Buxton in center, and Kepler in right unless someone is injured or traded. Jake Cave and LaMonte Wade Jr. will likely be the next two on the depth chart with a surplus of outfielders waiting for their turn including Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, and Brent Rooker. It will be interesting to see how this group shakes out over the next couple of years.

Overall:

• fWAR acquired: 11.1
• fWAR lost: 7.5
• Total +/- this offseason: +3.6 fWAR

Signing Josh Donaldson took the Twins from a negative amount of WAR added to being three and a half wins positive. The front office lived up to their promise and acquired a true impact player when the window opened. Now the only thing left to do is add a starting pitcher at some point. I would personally hope they sign someone like Taijuan Walker before the season and then trade for a Jon Gray type at the deadline.

What do you think of the Twins offseason? Do they still need to do more before the season? Let me know in the comments!

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This is incomplete because it does not account for Sano moving over to first base.