Matthew Taylor

The Minnesota Twins surpassed expectations in 2019 by blazing out to a 40-18 start and finishing the season with 101 wins, second most in team history. The end result to their legacy was complicated after they were swept by the Yankees. What end result will signify success for the Minnesota Twins in 2020?For this article, I will be laying out the case for several different end results for the 2020 Minnesota Twins, and making a case for why each result would signify success for the Twins in 2020. Win the American League Central In baseball, there is still a ton of pride to be had in winning your division. Heck, at Target Field the Minnesota Twins fly pennants for each year that they won their division. Winning the division for a second year in a row and proving dominant over the four teams against which the Twins compete 76 times per year would definitely signify success. Additionally, playoff baseball is extremely random. Taking a 162-game season and parsing it down into a best-of-5 series isn’t the best way to determine superiority, and penalizing the Twins for losing such a short series in the playoffs would hardly be fair. Win a playoff series The Minnesota Twins have won the American League Central six times since 2002 without winning a playoff series. It’s time for the Twins to advance past simply making it into the tournament — they need to win a series. Every projection model has the Minnesota Twins winning the American League Central in 2020, but can they do more? If the Twins are able to get over the hump and win a playoff series after getting knocked out in the first round eight years in a row, that would show progress and signify a successful season for the Minnesota Twins in 2020. Win the American League pennant While winning a playoff series would be nice, expectations should be set higher for the Twins heading into 2020. The American League is already shaping up to be an easier road this year than it was last year, leaving the Twins with an opportunity. The Astros lost Gerrit Cole and are sure to be distracted by the controversy that will be surrounding them all season, and the Yankees have been plagued by injuries. With the waves parting for the Twins heading into next season, it’s their time to pounce, achieve real success, and win the pennant for the first time since 1991. Win the World Series The Minnesota Twins are entering the 2020 season with their highest payroll in team history. Their championship window will never be any wider than it is right now. Nelson Cruz is 39 years old and there’s no guarantee that he will be with the club next season. Jose Berrios is entering his prime age-26 season. Josh Donaldson and Kenta Maeda are on board and all of the chips are on the table. Anything short of a World Series championship would be a disappointment. Coaches and players are all talking about championship aspirations for this team, and following through on those aspirations would be the only thing that would signify success for the Minnesota Twins for the 2020 season. After reading the cases for each end result for the 2020 Twins, what result will signify a successful season to you? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Yes, that's exactly the point of the article. Maybe I wasn't clear enough in getting that point across, but you hit the nail on the head for the message I was trying to convey.

Luis Arráez just completed one of the most impressive rookie seasons in Minnesota Twins history. Given his slim build (5'10", 177 #) and elite bat-to-ball skills, it’s easy to put the second baseman into a box of just being a contact hitter, but Arráez has shown flashes that he can be so much more.Coming up through the Twins’ farm system, there was never any doubt about Arráez’s ability to put the bat on the ball. At every stop he made along his minor league journey, the left hander reliably posted a .300 batting average while piling up plenty of hits. What kept Arráez from being more highly ranked as a prospect was his perceived lack of power. While he is never going to be a 30-home run hitter, his rookie season with the Twins showed that he has more power than his slight build might suggest. In 2019, Arráez posted a .439 slugging percentage (.435 was league average) and hit for a 162-game pace of 35 doubles, which would have put him 30th in baseball. In baseball, power is made up of two different components, launch angle and exit velocity. For launch angle, Baseball Savant defines a baseball hit at a “good angle” to be one hit between 8 and 32 degrees, known as the “sweet spot”. In 2019, Luis Arráez was ranked fifth among all hitters in SweetSpot% with 42.0% of his batted balls being hit between 8 and 32 degrees of launch angle. While Arráez was toward the bottom of the league in exit velocity, his consistent sweet spot hitting allows him to capitalize on those at bats where he was able to connect with good velocity. Like this double that he hit off Mike Fiers in July: On this pitch, Arráez was able to sit on an offspeed pitch and get plenty of bat speed on the Fiers' changeup. Because of Arraez’s consistency in getting a good launch angle on the ball, Arraez was not only able to hit the ball hard (100.7 MPH), but he was able to put lift on the ball (29°) and smash it to right center for a double. Where Arráez generated the most power in 2019 was against fastballs, off of which he slugged .445. Against fastballs, Arraez generated an average exit velocity of 88 MPH and hit 14 of his 20 doubles and 2 of his four home runs. Like this absolute rocket off Adrian Sampson: When Arráez was able to get the fastball off Sampson that he was looking for and was able to generate good velocity on his swing (102.2 MPH), Arráez was, again, able to reliably connect with a “sweet spot” launch angle which resulted in him sending the ball out to the Target Field plaza. Another encouraging piece from Arráez’s hitting profile in 2019 was his ability to increase his Hard Hit % (percentage of balls hit 95+ MPH) as the season went on. Arráez improved his Hard Hit % in each month from June - September and capped off his 2019 campaign by posting a 27.6 Hard Hit% and 88.8 MPH average exit velocity in September. Numbers that didn’t lead the league by any means, but provide a glimpse of some power that Arráez possesses that nobody would have imagined he had when joining the club last May. According to Fangraphs’ ZiPS projection system, their number one player comparison for Luis Arráez is Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia was another second baseman who was smaller in stature (5'9", 175#) and came into the league viewed more as a contact hitter than anything else. Throughout his years in the league, though, Pedroia developed power and hit between 12-18 home runs each season throughout his career. Predicting a similar career path for Arráez isn’t far fetched at all. He has the patience and the launching skills to make good contact, and if he can add a few MPH to his exit velocity under the guidance of hitting coach Edgar Varela, we could be seeing a Pedroia-like power profile coming over the next handful of seasons. Do you agree that Luis Arráez is more than just a contact hitter? Do you think he has the ability to add more power in the coming years? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins finished their first weekend of spring training. While we need to be careful forming opinions from three spring training games, there were a few things we learned from the first weekend of Twins baseball in Fort Myers.1. Early returns on José Berríos are strong They say that first impressions can work wonders, and boy did Jose Berríos’s first impression work wonders today in his 2020 spring raining debut. In two innings today, Berríos faced the minimum six batters while striking out four. The right-hander was working all four of his pitches today, but what was most impressive was his fastball which struck out two and hit 95 MPH multiple times. In a quote from Betsy Helfand’s post-game piece, Baldelli said of Berríos, “José looked great. His fastball command was great,” Baldelli said. “He even reached back at the end of some of these at-bats and gave us something extra. But he looked very comfortable. He had a plan, and he executed well. Again, another start you would want to see from one of your guys to start spring training.” While the key for Berríos has never been his early season performance, seeing him look strong and in command to kick off his 2020 campaign after a rigourous offseason filled with tweaks and changes was certainly refreshing. 2. Bullpen looking to pick up where it left off in 2019 Only the Tampa Bay Rays posted a higher team fWAR from their bullpen than the Minnesota Twins in 2019. After adding Tyler Clippard this offseason, hopes are high for the Twins bullpen heading in to 2020, confirmed by Rocco Baldelli saying at the 2019 Diamond Awards, “I think we have the best bullpen in baseball”. While the first few games of spring training don’t mean much (let’s be real, they don’t mean anything), seeing the collection of arms pitch well in their first action of 2020 just reinforces the fact that hopes are high for the bullpen this season. Over the past two games, pitchers from the projected 2020 Twins bullpen (Zack Littell, Cody Stashak, Sergio Romo, Tyler Clippard, Taylor Rogers) put up a combined 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H and 9 Ks. Expectations for the Twins bullpen in 2020 are high, and there’s been nothing from the Twins first weekend of spring training to change those expectations. 3. “Best shape of his life” may not be hyperbole for Miguel Sanó After seeing all of the tweets about Miguel Sanó being in “the best shape of his life”, Twins fans were intrigued to see what Sanó would actually look like out on the baseball diamond. After seeing him play today they should be nothing but impressed. He looked trim in his new white Nike uniform and made some plays with his feet that I’m not sure Miguel Sanó of days past would have made. In a sequence of events you don’t see often, the Twins’ first run of the game was generated solely by Miguel Sanó’s legs. In the second inning of Sunday’s game, Miguel Sanó ran out a bloop single to first base, moved to second base on an Adrianza single, and then advanced to third and home on consecutive sacrifice flies. While he didn’t have to make any difficult plays in his debut as a full time first-baseman, Sanó had a clean game and gave Twins fans a preview of what his connection with Josh Donaldson will look like when he cleanly snagged a throw from the Bringer of Rain off of a Brandon Drury grounder in the fourth inning of Sunday’s game. What did you take away from the Minnesota Twins’ first weekend of Spring Training? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Follow Matthew Taylor on Twitter here Click here to view the article

From implementing a nap room to providing players with extra off-days, the Minnesota Twins under the Falvine and Baldelli regime have shown time and time again how much they value process over results. This spring training, the Twins are already showing that 2020 will feature that same mindset.Baseball, more than any other sport, is predicated on taking a long-view approach. In baseball, any team can win on any given day and even the best team in baseball loses a third of the time. The season is 162 games and the playoffs prove year after year that any team in the tournament can take home the Commissioner’s Trophy. It’s for those reasons that a “process over results” mindset is so important. Implement the right processes and your team will prove to be successful over such a long season and give your team a chance to win a World Series. Here are the three ways that the 2020 Minnesota Twins are embodying a process- over-results mindset: 1. Embracing Technology Last spring, Parker Hageman wrote a piece for Twins Daily about the new technologies that the Minnesota Twins brought to Fort Myers as a way to track performance and develop their players. This year, the Twins are building on that with the implementation of a new technology from NewtForce called force plates. These force plates are raised, sensor-filled plates/mounds that track the amount of force that pitchers and hitters are exerting onto the plate. These results then get displayed onto accompanying software where players and coaches can look at the data and tweak swings, leg kicks, pitching windups, etc. in order to remain consistent and efficient in their movements. In a piece from Derek Wetmore, Derek Falvey said of this new technology, “There’s new technology in all sports that you are aware generally, and I would say it’s not unlike anything else we’ve looked at. There are [already] different sensors and things you use to measure strength in the weight room, measure swings, measure arm path, measure all kinds of things. … [Force Plates are] another thing that you want to explore and see if it could potentially help you.” While the Minnesota Twins will never be able to match the Yankees and Dodgers in payroll, by investing in technology and player development, and getting their players to buy into the benefits from these technologies, they are staying ahead of the curve and finding other ways to gain an edge. 2. Embracing Advanced Statistics Advanced statistics is another area that baseball players have been historically slow to embrace and adopt into their vocabulary. In prior regimes of the Minnesota Twins, advanced statistics were often ignored in favor of “throwing strikes”, “advancing runners” and “working counts”. The new-era Minnesota Twins have turned advanced statistics into a part of their everyday vocabulary and in 2020 are once again embracing the stories that advanced statistics can tell. The newly added Josh Donaldson figures to only further the advanced statistic movement in the Twins’ clubhouse. By operating in a culture that supports and embraces advanced statistics, the Minnesota Twins are able to implement processes like launch angles and exit velocities that can lead to long term success. 3. Embracing Learning A few weeks ago I wrote an article for Twins Daily about how the Minnesota Twins are betting on older stars. A big benefit that comes in investing in aging veterans is the knowledge that they are able to provide to younger players. This is something that new Minnesota Twins slugger, Josh Donaldson, has already shown. From the moment he arrived at Hammond Stadium, Josh Donaldson has started working with Twins’ prospects on their swings, approaches, and mechanics. Josh Donaldson told The Athletic of his teaching session with the young guys, “I wanted to be able to help some of these younger guys develop and start understanding a little more about who they are and what they want to become — to see those guys develop long after I’m gone.” This is yet another example of the process over results mindset that exists in the Twins locker room. A “results” mindset would be Donaldson knowing he is a talented player and can hit 30 home runs to help the Twins win games. The process mindset, though, shows Donaldson putting in the time to pour into the younger players, so that when they are called upon, they’ll be ready. This mindset sets up the Twins to win in 2020 and sustain success for years to come. Minnesota Twins beat reporter Phil Miller reported that the Minnesota Twins organization were all given T-shirts that read “E+R = O”. Events plus response equals outcome. The Minnesota Twins won’t be able to control what comes their way this season (slumps, injuries, opponents), but by employing a process-over- results mindset, the Twins will be much better equipped to get through any turmoil that a season brings. What do you think about the Minnesota Twins process-over-results mindset? How well do you think the Twins are equipped to deal with turmoil that comes their way in 2020? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Follow Matthew Taylor on Twitter here Click here to view the article

Thanks, Nate! It's a great point, Kepler's ability to competently play CF is the reason that I had CF ahead of SS in terms of depth on this team. However, we saw last year just how big of an impact Buxton's absence was on the teams defense. Losing Buxton impacts two positions as Buxton to Kepler is a significant downgrade in CF and Kepler to Cave/Wade is a significant downgrade in RF. That dual position downgrade is why I have CF so low.

The Minnesota Twins have the top-end talent to compete for an American League pennant in 2020, but do they have the depth to hold up through a 162-game season? Let’s take a look by ranking the Minnesota Twins’ depth at each position.For this exercise I will be ranking the Minnesota Twins’ depth at each defensive position (excluding pitchers) by ranking them from 1 (most depth) to 7 (least depth). I will be looking at their depth in terms of names on the 40-man roster. 1. Corner Outfield Starters: Eddie Rosario & Max Kepler Depth: Jake Cave, Marwin Gonzalez, Lamonte Wade, Jr., Luis Arráez, Willians Astudillo, Ehrie Adrianza Corner outfield is undoubtedly the deepest position on the Minnesota Twins roster. It’s the reason they were so willing to part with Jaylin Davis in the Sam Dyson trade last year as well as Luke Raley in the Kenta Maeda trade this year. In 2019, Marwin Gonzalez saw the most depth appearances in the corner outfield spot, however I would expect Jake Cave to be the first depth man to appear should anything happen to Rosario or Kepler. Outside of Cave and Gonzalez, Lamonte Wade showed last year that he was a capable backup in the corner outfield, and even Arraez got some run in left field when Rosario was injured. 2. Third Base Starter: Josh Donaldson Depth: Ehrie Adrianza, Miguel Sanó, Luis Arráez, Marwin Gonzalez, Travis Blankenhorn The Twins were forced to show their depth at third base to start the 2019 season when Miguel Sanó entered the season injured and unable to play for the first 40 games. Marwin Gonzalez stepped in during this time and throughout the year and played well for the Twins at the hot corner, tallying up four defensive runs saved and a 2.6 UZR in 291 innings at third base in the 2019 season. After Gonzalez, the Minnesota Twins have Miguel Sanó as third base depth along with Arráez who played 130 innings at third base last season. 3. First Base Starter: Miguel Sanó Depth: Ehrie Adrianza, Marwin Gonzalez, Mitch Garver, Willians Astudillo The Twins are fairly well set up at first base with four different players on the 40-man roster able to provide solid first base defense. Mitch Garver was a guy who Twins fans were clamoring for getting time at first base last year, which didn’t come to fruition. If Baldelli can get Garver some reps at first base on his catching off days in 2020, their first base depth would skyrocket in potential. 4. Second Base Starter: Luis Arráez Depth: Ehrie Adrianza, Marwin Gonzalez, Nick Gordon, Travis Blankenhorn If we would have made this list at this same time last year, second base would have been towards the bottom as Luis Arráez was completely off the radar at that point. Going into 2020, the depth at the second base position looks promising with Adrianza and Gonzalez having already shown the ability to play the position well and two prospects in Gordon and Blankenhorn who could get the opportunity to come up and flash potential like Arráez did last year. In 2019, Nick Gordon played 250 innings at second base in AAA, hitting .298 with a .801 OPS. Blankenhorn reached as high as AA in 2019, playing 572 innings at second base and committing just eight errors. At the plate, Blankenhorn had his best season yet, hitting .278 and belting 18 home runs. 5. Catcher Starter: Mitch Garver Depth: Alex Avila, Willians Astudillo One of the first moves that the Minnesota Twins made this offseason was moving on from Jason Castro in favor of Alex Avila. Nick Nelson did a really good job analyzing the switch from Castro to Avila and categorized the move as “at worst lateral switch with with a bit more upside.” Defensively, Avila is known for having a very strong arm, but has also become an adept pitch framer. Offensively, Avila does well against right handers but really struggles to hit lefties (.617 career OPS against LHP). Should anything happen to Garver the Twins would be in a tough spot where they would either be forced to trot out Avila against lefties, or count on Astudillo who is not good defensively and has shown his bat is not what it appeared in 2018. There are some other catching options in the system (Jeffers, Telis), but in terms of the men on the 40-man roster, Garver proves invaluable. 6. Center Field Starter: Byron Buxton Depth: Max Kepler, Jake Cave, Lamonte Wade, Jr. The Minnesota Twins center field depth was put to the test in 2019, when Byron Buxton missed out on nearly half of the season due to injuries. While he was out, Baldelli tried to play Jake Cave (-19.2 UZR/150) and Lamonte Wade, Jr. (-34.7 UZR/150) in his stead, but the results showed that they just couldn’t get the job done. What Baldelli had to do, then, was play Kepler at center field. In this spot, Kepler performed well (9.5 UZR/150), but clearly below the capabilities of Buxton, and also left his right field position where he plays like a gold glover. Buxton’s value in center field is undeniable for the Twins and his health will be huge for the 2020 season. 7. Shortstop Starter: Jorge Polanco Depth: Ehrie Adrianza, Nick Gordon The Minnesota Twins should thank their lucky stars that Jorge Polanco was so durable in 2019, because the depth behind him at shortstop is pretty bare. The primary backup for shortstop for the Twins in 2019 was Ehrie Adrianza, who played 152 innings with a -14.1 UZR/150. Adrianza figures to be the primary backup shortstop for the Twins in 2020, but should something happen to Adrianza the only guy on the 40 man roster who could seemingly play the position with any sort of competence would be Nick Gordon. In 2019, Gordon played 322 2/3 innings at shortstop, committing eight errors. The wildcard option who the Twins could choose to go with at shortstop in 2020 would be Royce Lewis, who isn't listed because he is not on the 40-man roster. Shortstop is such a difficult position to play, and with such limited options behind him, Polanco figures to be the most indispensable player for the Minnesota Twins in 2020. Where do you think the Twins have the most and least positional depth heading into 2020? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Follow Matthew Taylor on Twitter here Click here to view the article

Kenta Maeda touched down in Fort Myers today and met with the media for the first time as a member of the Minnesota Twins. While Maeda noted that he is excited about his new club and new teammates, he made clear that he is most excited to finally have a clear and defined role with the Minnesota Twins.Regarding his position with his new team, Maeda stated through his interpreter, “It’s been discussed that (I’ll) be starting in the rotation, so (I’m) really glad to hear that.” For Maeda, the past three seasons in a Dodgers uniform have followed the same path. Each year he has started in the rotation, pitched well for 20-25 starts, until August when the team would transition him into a bullpen role and would use him as such in the playoffs as a setup man for Kenley Jansen. In his time in the bullpen, Maeda has been lights out, posting a 3.19 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and an extraordinary 34.5 K%. In the postseason, his relief numbers have been even better, where he has put up a 1.62 ERA in 22 2/3 innings over the past three postseasons. While he has had tremendous success as a relief pitcher, and the Dodgers were extremely successful with him in this role, Maeda has been very vocal about his frustration with this pitching arrangement. In a piece from Andy McCullough of The Athletic, Maeda’s agent, Joel Wolfe, had to say of the pitching arrangement, “Kenta wants to make 30 starts, 32 starts during the season. He would prefer not to be constantly shuttled to the bullpen and back. He doesn’t like it.” Maeda has plenty of reason to desire a full-time starting pitcher role. For one, his contract heavily rewards him starting games and racking up innings pitched. By moving Maeda to the bullpen each of the past three years, Maeda has missed out on millions of dollars by missing out on contract incentives. Additionally, being a starting pitcher is a point of pride for the Japanese right-hander. In Japan, Maeda won the Sawamura Award, the Japanese equivalent to the Cy Young Award, twice for his performance as a starting pitcher. To now come to the United States and get his role shifted every year and lose that starting pitcher identity has been a big disappointment for Maeda. Fast forward to February of 2020, and Maeda now finds himself in a situation with the Minnesota Twins where he projects to be a key piece of the starting rotation for years to come. Derek Falvey confirmed as much when he spoke of Maeda's positional future with the Twins. "Our view is that he's going to come here and be in our starting rotation," Falvey said. Maeda provides the Twins with the top-end pitching that they had been seeking as well as the depth that they had been lacking. He will be relied upon heavily as a starting pitcher to get the Twins through the regular season and win them games in the postseason. “The family is really happy that the Twins needed (me) as a starting pitcher," Maeda said. "That’s the most important part. Both (my family and I) are really happy to hear this news.” Getting traded to the Minnesota Twins represents more to Maeda than a new city or a new uniform, it represents a new beginning. Maeda has been seeking an opportunity with a club that will allow him to showcase his skills as a starting pitcher for a full season, and the Minnesota Twins are finally giving him that opportunity. Twins Nation is surely looking forward to seeing what he does with this opportunity. What are your thoughts on Maeda’s comments this morning regarding his role with the Minnesota Twins? What expectations do you have from Maeda out of the rotation in 2020? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Follow Matthew on Twitter here Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins trade that was, then wasn’t, then was again, was a trainwreck from the start. The trade process left all of the involved players in limbo as spring training neared. No player, though, was hurt more than Brusdar Graterol.Late in the evening on Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins agreed to terms on a deal to part with their flamethrowing pitcher, Brusdar Graterol, and bring in starting pitcher, Kenta Maeda from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal was stalled, though, after reports came out that the Red Sox had concerns over Graterol’s health. After this report, the 21-year old pitcher was thrust to the forefront of baseball Twitter and has been unfairly criticized every step of the way. Brusdar Graterol ended the 2019 season with much momentum. In his first stint in the big leagues, the Minnesota right-hander was extremely impactful. He put up an effective 3.42 FIP with a 9.31 K/9 in 10 appearances, throwing the ball harder than any Minnesota Twins pitcher in history. He performed so well that he was added to the playoff roster as a game-changing bullpen arm. Graterol showed tremendous promise, and left baseball fans eager to see what the future would hold for him. The perception of Graterol changed greatly, though, after his medical information was talked about publicly. Graterol went from being considered a lights-out pitching prospect to a reliever with a bum elbow. The entire baseball world speculated about his medical information for five full days while the trade was halted, deliberating on whether Graterol could physically hold up on a baseball team or whether he was what fans like to categorize as, “damaged goods”. All of the while, even as he was being criticized nationally, Graterol was working on his craft in Fort Myers, in a Minnesota Twins uniform. In the past week, Graterol was a member of the Minnesota Twins, the Boston Red Sox, the Minnesota Twins again, and finally, this afternoon, Graterol got the resolution that he deserved and will be heading to LA to become a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. This whole trade process has been incredibly unfortunate for Graterol. No player, even less so a 21-year old, deserves to have his medical information debated across the internet, with no idea what city he’ll be living in, or what team he’ll be playing for when he wakes up the next morning. Graterol has been put through the wringer this past week, and I look forward to rooting for him as he plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. What are your thoughts on how the whole trade process has played out this past week? Will you be rooting for Graterol as he puts on a Dodgers uniform in 2020? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Follow Matthew on Twitter here Click here to view the article

Doogie Tweeted about this. He did mention that he hasn't spoken with Berrios, though, and that is coming from his agent who may have a better handle on the business end of things and be less emotional about it than Berrios.

Earlier today, Jon Heyman reported that Jose Berríos lost his arbitration case and will be paid $4.025M in 2020 as opposed to the $4.4M that he was seeking. Should Twins fans be worried about this impacting Berríos’s long-term future with the Twins?To recap how arbitration works, when an MLB player has more than three years of service time he becomes arbitration eligible. Each offseason, arbitration eligible players and their teams will each submit a salary that they feel the player warrants. This offseason, Berríos submitted a salary of $4.4M and the Twins submitted a salary of $4.025M. The two sides were unable to come to a mutual agreement, so they submitted their cases in front of a panel of arbitrators who ruled in favor of the Minnesota Twins. After hearing about the Twins going to arbitration with Berríos over $375,000, it’s easy to be worried about Minnesota's long-term relationship with their ace. Especially with all of the other factors that have come into play over the past year. If you’ll remember, last season the Twins traded middle reliever, Mike Morin, to the Philadelphia Phillies. While this was seemingly a very small transaction involving a marginal middle reliever, Berríos was clearly upset, sending a (later deleted) tweetabout how the Twins only care about money. Next, the Minnesota Twins made an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers to trade away Brusdar Graterol for Dodgers’ starting pitcher, Kenta Maeda. While Berríos hasn’t spoken publicly or indicated in any way that he was frustrated with the trade, it’s fair to speculate that he may be frustrated with the organization trading away someone he was close with. In a Star Tribune piece by Chris Hine, Berríos relishes being a mentor to Graterol saying, “It’s amazing, meeting people like him, now I have the opportunity to bring him my experience, my day-by-day. He’s in the same clubhouse now and we’re teammates. I’ve always heard about him. He’s got really good stuff, but I never had the chance to see him pitch. It’s amazing the things he’s doing out there.” While neither of these events seems like a big deal in isolation, when combined with taking Berríos to arbitration over just $375,000 there is valid reason to be concerned. In the arbitration process, teams will tear down the performance of their players in order to convince arbitrators that they should rule in the team’s favor. This can be an awkward process and certainly leave players disenchanted. While there have certainly been cases of players who went to arbitration and went on to sign long-term deals with teams, in Berríos’s case there are reasons to believe that things could be souring and should be some concern over his long-term future with the Minnesota Twins. What do you think about Berríos’s long-term future with the Minnesota Twins? Do you think the events over the past year, culminating with his arbitration case, have put his future with the Twins into doubt? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I'm a big Matthew Boyd guy. Those strikeout numbers are so enticing and the shift from Rick Anderson to Wes Johnson could work absolute wonders on him. Boyd had an xFIP last year of 3.88 and was clearly impacted by playing for a horrendous Tigers team.

I appreciate the conversation. I'm not denying the fact that Sano, Cruz, Garver and Donaldson still hit really well against RHP. But being elite and being really good are two different things, and with the rotation the Twins have it might require elite offense against RHP to make a run.

I agree with you and mentioned that in the article. The point I'm making is that their 4 best hitters are right handed which could come into play when games matter the most. Sometimes it's the slimmest of margins that can make a difference in games, and handedness could end up being a factor.

I'm not at all saying that there needs to be a solution or anything needs to change. Do think it's worth asking the question and potentially something that could show it's head in 2020, though.

Agree that roster is well balanced and mentioned that in my piece. When your four best batters are right handed and you're relying on all-world offense with no real pitching additions made, things like a platoon split changing your offense from elite to very good could make the difference.