Before we get into what the Twins checklist of needs is this offseason, here are a couple of quick reminders:
1.) The Winter Meetings host a whole bunch of meetings. That’s what they are for. Minor League leagues and owners will have meetings together. Minor League coordinators may meet together. There are committees. All kinds of meetings. Yes, GMs and agents are there and they meet in between the scheduled meetings, or they have drinks at the bar in the hotel together at the end of the day.
2.) There are going to be a ton of rumors that will come out throughout the week. Probably 95% of them will be based on very little. Team A was talking to GM who has the rights to players C, D, E, and F. So, Team A may be interested in players C, D, E and F. It’s a tough week for fans because of all the rumors. Each one piques your interest and makes you wonder how that player will help the Twins. It’s fun, but it’s hard to know what to believe. At least, until Ken Rosenthal or Jon Heyman call it official.
3.) There is so much going on. Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor will meet with media, probably also be interviewed on MLB Network or other places. The managers all meet together. There will be college graduates in suits passing out resumes to major league and minor league teams, looking for an opportunity to find a career in baseball. There is a lot going on that has nothing to do with player transactions.
There will be moves made by teams during the Winter Meetings, but if the Twins come out of the meetings having not signed or traded for anybody, it doesn’t mean they didn’t accomplish anything. They will likely have a lot of meetings with GMs from other teams, looking for trade partners, laying the groundwork for deals that could happen later. The Twins will have meetings with agents as well. Agents will talk to a lot of teams about their players. Those conversations will be brought back to the players who could decide where they want to play next week, the following week or even into January.
So, with all that as the background, let’s develop a checklist for the Twins at the Winter Meetings. What are they areas that they should address during the four or five days that they are in Nashville?
1) Although they have said that they will not trade Travor Plouffe, Ryan will certainly be asked about his availability by a number of teams. Of course, he’s likely talked with each of those teams already, but during this week, they’ll be able to continue those discussions, maybe even setting some parameters. And who knows, there could be a trade by the end of the week.
2) Bullpen. Terry Ryan said in his interview with Twins Daily for the Offseason GM Handbook that the bullpen would be very high up on his priority list this offseason. Does that mean signing a Tony Sipp or Antonio Bastardo for three years, or does it mean waiting until a few of those top guys are gone and the second-tier is willing to sign for more reasonable prices. The Twins are certainly going to be having discussions with the agents of some of the better free agent relievers.
3) James Shields rumors seemingly won’t go away. Who knows if there is anything to those rumors, but it would certainly take some creativity. The point of this bullet point is that Terry Ryan and his staff could consider adding a starting pitcher via trade, if it makes sense.
4) The Twins may look to trade Tommy Milone. The assumption is that by himself he wouldn’t land a top-notch prospect. Maybe they could get a couple of B- prospects for him, and that would be OK. Maybe they could package him with a minor leaguer or two and bring back something of relative significance. Right now, candidates for a starting role with the Twins in 2016 include Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Tommy Milone, Rick Nolasco, Taylor Rogers and JO Berrios. I would expect them to deal a starter, and right or wrong, Milone makes the most sense. Milone was tendered arbitration on Wednesday. Casey Fien and Eduardo Nunez were as well, and they could be traded as also.
5) The Twins do need to add an outfielder. As of today, the Twins outfield could include Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Danny Santana is in the picture, as is Oswaldo Arcia. Depending upon Plouffe, Max Kepler could also be an early-season add. If I were the Twins, I wouldn’t sign a big name, high priced outfielder. I can see them adding a Shane Robinson type of outfielder. In other words, a guy who is comfortable playing just once or twice a week. A good defender with speed, who can pinch run when necessary. This is not a high priority, but it should be addressed at some point in the offseason.
6) Rule 5 draft. It’s not the Rule V draft, it’s the Rule 5 draft. The Twins 40-man roster is currently at 40. They could DFA someone to make room so that they could make a pick. They could make a trade before Thursday to reduce the 40-man roster. They could make a pick still. However, it just doesn’t seem real likely, especially since they have the 17
th
pick. However, the Twins are usually active in the AAA portion of the Rule 5. Last year they added Greg Peavey and lost Matt Tomshaw.
Again, it isn’t a requirement to accomplish all of these during the next week, just sometime in the offseason. Timing is a strategy. The fourth outfielder and some of the bullpen moves could likely wait until early January.
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