In one of their first moves this offseason, the Minnesota
Twins plucked C.J. Cron off waivers after he was jettisoned by the Tampa Bay
Rays. Following a 30-home run breakout campaign and having established
relationships with the likes of Rocco Baldelli and Josh Kalk, the slugging
first basemen seems like a decent gamble. What’s worth wondering though is
whether Cron slots in as Joe Mauer’s replacement, or just another body on the
25 man. No matter what his role, the Twins do have Tyler Austin to worry about,
and what’s next could be described as some uncertainty.
The Twins acquired Austin and pitching prospect Luis Rijo in
exchange for Lance Lynn at the 2018 trade deadline. After seeing little playing
time with the Yankees over the past three seasons, Austin got in consistent run
with Minnesota down the stretch. From August through the end of the season, he
played in 35 games for Paul Molitor’s club. His .782 OPS was a career best, and
the nine longballs were also reflective of his power stroke. Now recently
turned 27 years-old Austin looked to be in line for an expanded role with the
Twins, but that may not be guaranteed.
Projecting the possible roster openings, we can guarantee
that nine players fill out the lineup with another five in the starting
rotation. A 13 man pitching staff has been customary for the organization of
late, so an eight-man bullpen also seems probable. In that scenario there’s
just three bench spots up for grabs, likely taken up by backup catcher Mitch
Garver, utility man Ehire Adrianza, and fourth outfielder Jake Cave. At this
point we’ve yet to consider Austin’s place meaning he’d need to start at either
first base or designated hitter.
Although the Twins aren’t locked into Cron to start the
season, a $4.8 million deal tendered to the former Ray suggests he’s in their
plans. Whether that means he starts at first base or takes the bulk of the designated
hitter reps remains to be seen. It would be my hope, and a logical expectation,
that Minnesota is not yet done adding bats. Obviously, Jorge Polanco needs an
up the middle partner, but a higher ceiling fit for first or DH still has
plenty of promise. The duo of Cron and Austin would be passable, but the front
office would also be plenty open for criticism if such a low reward avenue was
embarked upon.
Next week the Winter Meetings commence in Las Vegas and we’re
almost certainly (err, hopefully) going to see the free agent market pick up. Minnesota
may let some of the chips fall first, but they’ll need to fill the necessary
holes (middle infield, bullpen) at some point. Another bat entering the picture
would only further signify what could be a suboptimal development for the one-time
Yankees prospect.
For a guy like Austin these situations are never ideal. We
saw him produce at a higher level down the stretch when given consistent
playing time. He’s out of options however and could be up against a numbers
crunch in a position Minnesota stands to benefit from improvement. A Cron and
Austin tandem in the lineup would signify somewhat of a disappointing effort to
acquire talent, but an improvement could make the stay in Twins Territory a
quick one for Tyler.
