Hunter McCall

You're right that they likely won't find someone to replicate the 5 WAR season Gray just had and will likely have to piece it together with improvements in some places and addition in other places. I think Chris Paddack looked really good after returning this fall and am very excited to see what he can do in a healthy season. I still like the idea of adding a solid starting pitcher through free agency or trade. I think Maeda is cooked and I think Varland should transition to the bullpen full time. We'll see how they play it, but that's how I feel on the matter personally!

Excellent thoughts! Thank you for contributing!!

I like this and I think you're right on all counts! Especially leaving the assets unnamed!!

I do agree that the Twins should turn the page on Maeda if the AAV is $15. That's too much money for someone who provides very little. Unfortunately I don't think there will be a hometown discount with Sonny. Money talks and there is very rarely hometown discounts nowadays.

I agree with this 100%. I love what Sonny did for the Twins, but at some point you have to thank him and move on. I think with the money it will require to bring him back at his age, the best idea is to move on now. I also agree with your thoughts on the trade market. I love Jorge Polanco, but just like Luis Arraez, if the price is right, it may be time to move on in order to add in places of need. I think Kepler provides more value to the Twins right now than Polanco does as the Twins have a plethora of infield talent both in the high minors and on the major league roster. Great thought!

This is also true. The Twins may be willing to shed some cash in order to add more players. You're right that we could see a mixture of trade and FA signings. The Twins also have loads of prospect capital that is relatively close to major league ready. Would it make sense to sign a guy with high upside like Lucas Giolito or Jack Flaherty on a bounce back prove it style deal while also swinging a trade for a sure thing like Glasnow, Burnes, or Bieber? They've shown a willingness to give Bailey Ober work in AAA while they sort things out. Thank you for your comment! Thought provoking!

I agree that Yamamoto has ace upside. I think he's the real deal and probably better than Senga. He's only 25, which will have big market teams drooling. I'm just not sure the Twins will be able to compete with them on a contract. However, the Twins have shown a willingness to express interest in international free agents, so maybe there's a chance. I just don't see it as the most likely solution.

I wouldn't compare Chris Archer to Lucas Giolito. While I agree that Giolito is risky since he's coming off a poor season, he is only going to be 29 and has much more recent success than the 33-year-old Archer had when he came to the Twins. In 2022, Giolito had a 4.06 FIP (not great but not awful) and he was a Cy Young vote receiver in 2019, 2020, and 2021. I think there's still a lot left in the tank if he finds the right situation. We also have to remember he is coming from a very dysfunctional situation in Chicago (before spending the rest of the season with the Guardians and Angels so not a huge improvement in functionality). Just look at the regression experienced across the board by White Sox players over the last few years. Does he just need stability? Not making excuses for him, but I do think there's a lot left in the tank for a guy who at one point was a top prospect in all of baseball and has shown he can get it done at a high level. I also have the opinion that the Twins should leave Varland in the bullpen. I think that's where he looked like he's going to make the biggest impact at the MLB level. I think it would be wise to add a guy they feel comfortable with so Varland can really take on that role the way Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, and Jhoan Duran have. I think he has high-leverage ability out of the pen which is more upside than I see out of him as a starter. That's why I like your best option idea! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

This is the unfortunate truth as I outlined. History has shown that Sonny is likely to get paid this offseason and likely for more money than the Twins will be willing to spend.

I agree, I think Yamamoto has ace potential. I also think that the big market teams (sounds like the Mets are all in) will run the price tag up and out of the Twins willing spending range on a somewhat unknown arm. I like to hope the Twins find themselves in the thick of things, but I'm not overly optimistic they'll be willing to pay what will be required.

I do like Giolito on a potential bounce back contract! It sounds likely that they are active on the trade market to find his replacement! Let's hope the front office is as hungry as we are!

I like Jordan Montgomery as well! That’s not a bad plan if the Twins can win a bidding war. He may have his share of suitors, but he’s not a bad option for the Twins to throw money at!

Agreed, I think the front office has shown a knack for acquiring talent on the trade market. I do think this free agency class has some intriguing names that the Twins could pursue though!

I do like a lot of those names on the free agent market. I also like making a trade as a possible avenue. Great points!

Yes, I love the possibility of trading. The Twins have more than enough experience and assets to go acquire guys like Glasnow, Burnes, or Bieber. There’s so many options on the trade market!

Replacing a 5 WAR pitcher is easier said than done. The Twins must do just that by replacing Sonny Gray in 2024. What are their options? Image courtesy of Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Sonny Gray enjoyed a career-resurging year in the last year of his contract for the Twins this season, posting his lowest career FIP (2.83) and his lowest ERA since 2015 (2.79) while striking out 183 batters over 184 innings pitched. With the 33-year-old Gray set to become a free agent, how can the Minnesota Twins replace him in their rotation? Re-sign Gray The first option to explore would be to bring back Gray on a new contract. Assuming Gray declines the qualifying offer, which sits at $20.325M, Gray is set to hit the open market. In his two years with the Twins, Gray was a very productive starter, posting a 3.40 FIP in 2022 before his all-star 2023 season. With the addition of his sweeper, which he threw over 20% of the time and produced a .097 opponent batting average, Gray was able to put together arguably his best season to date in 2023. Re-signing Gray may seem like a no-brainer based on the information outlined above. However, pitchers Sonny Gray’s age, coming off career years, rarely live up to the lofty contracts they will require on the open market. To understand what Sonny Gray’s contract may look like, we can look back at the 2023 free agent class. Chris Bassitt was also coming off his age 33 season, and while he wasn’t nearly as productive as Gray was this year, he was still thought to be a near-the-top-of-the-rotation type pitcher. Bassitt signed with Toronto on a 3-year, $63M contract for an average of $21M per year. With that contract in mind, Gray will likely require between $25M and $30M annually. So, even if Gray wants to stay in Minnesota like he said he does, the Twins will have to pay a rather sizable contract to keep him here. With Gray getting older and a relatively poor track record of pitchers approaching their mid-30s getting large free-agent contracts, is this the best solution for filling the critical rotation spot? Promote From Within It’s safe to say the Twins rotation has four spots securely locked up by Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and Chris Paddack. While the options are limited, there are potential internal replacements the Twins could turn to for filling the 5th available rotation spot. Louie Varland is the most apparent option for internal replacement. Varland started ten games for the Twins in 2023 but looked very hittable for the most part until he transitioned to the bullpen for the playoff push. Upon this transition, Varland saw his velocity tick up to near triple digits. He showed flashes of being a high-leverage bullpen arm, so will the Twins want to shift him back to the rotation or continue to build on what they may have found at the end of the season? Josh Winder is the only other internal fit we could see unless the Twins want to be bold and promote a prospect like David Festa right out of Spring Training. Still, with Winder’s ineffectiveness and Festa’s inexperience, both feel like unlikely solutions. Free Agency The last potential option is to sign a pitcher in free agency. Some appealing names on the market that could come in and fill the void left by losing Gray. While it is hard to expect the production that Gray provided in 2023, there are plenty of names the Twins could sign to become a number two starter and give them an excellent chance of winning any given night. The pitchers set to become free agents this offseason that could provide a similar impact to Gray are Blake Snell (LHP, 31 years old), Aaron Nola (RHP, 31), Jordan Montgomery (LHP, 30), Eduardo Rodriguez (LHP, 31), Lucas Giolito (RHP, 29), and Jack Flaherty (RHP, 28). The Twins could also pursue one of the Japanese arms set to make the trip to the MLB, but there are many more unknowns and risks with those contracts, which may cause the Twins to get outbid by a larger market team. Replacing Sonny Gray’s spot in the rotation should be at the top of the priority list for Derek Falvey and Thad Lavine this offseason. How they choose to do so remains to be seen. How would you prefer the Minnesota Twins fill the vacant rotation spot? Let me know! Go, Twins! View full article

Name one utility player that has better defensive metrics.

Long term in this case in my opinion is through his contract

He’s not the team leader, as the starting pitchers have held that spot all year, but he’s led position players for a majority of the season.

Again, 19th in the league in DRS, in the 70th percentile in OAA and 81st percentile in arm strength according to baseball savant. All while playing 5-6 positions. The numbers say he’s been a very very good defender.

In theory, yes you don’t need a utility man, until you do. Yes, when healthy the Twins would like not to start Castro as often. You mentioned Lewis, Correa, Polanco, and AK. That would be the starting infield right now if Lewis and Polanco weren’t on the IL. That’s where Castro’s value comes from.

Sorry about that, didn’t mean to offend, just putting in a factoid

Sounds like both will stay and play when Polanco returns according to Rocco.

I more so meant through his current contract. Essentially taking Gordon’s spot.