The offseason has been relatively nondescript for the Twins, but that's absolutely the way the organization should have wanted it. The biggest move came when the front office shakeup changed the face of the franchise. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine should immediately breathe new, and needed life into the club, and bring a more open way of thinking when it comes to getting the most out of players.
The Brian Dozier dance with the Los Angeles Dodgers dominated headlines, but the deal never was consummated with the team residing at Chavez Ravine failing to ante up for the value of the Twins second basemen. That leaves Paul Molitor looking at an up the middle duo of Jorge Polanco and Dozier, which should be quite intriguing and worth keeping an eye on.
Outside of the big league deal offered to Matt Belisle, the home nine spent most of their acquisition time this winter handing out minor league deals. Guys like Ryan Vogelsong, Drew Stubbs, and Nick Tepesch all are being given an opportunity to earn their way on the team. Byungho Park finds himself needing to prove his value to the new regime, and Kennys Vargas is being given the keys to a starting role.
Most of the injury situations have sorted themselves out. Phil Hughes should be expected to be all systems go, with the only real concern still being Glen Perkins. Coming back from severe shoulder surgery, it's a near certainty Perkins misses Opening Day, and his effectiveness for the remainder of his career could be in doubt as well.
At the end of the day, the Twins stayed the course, and that's probably the best route for them to take right now. While prospect lists don't look at them glowingly, their under-25 talent is significantly present in the big league roster. A organizational turnaround is going to come on the backs of players like Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, and Jose Berrios. More than any other move on the market, Minnesota has to get those guys in a place where they are consistently producing at a high level.
From this point until sometime into the fall however, baseball has begun. We've survived the offseason, and the Minnesota Twins are nearly ready to take the field in 2017.
