After making their biggest splash in franchise history, the
Minnesota Twins have all but put a bow on the offseason. There’s less than a
month until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, and the first season of
26-man rosters will soon be underway. Rocco Baldelli will soon begin year two,
and it’s worth wondering who goes north with him.
I think Minnesota could still afford to add a starting
pitcher and doing so through a trade has always seemed like the most logical
path. That may not come before the games begin to matter however, so now seems
like a good time to blueprint what is currently in the fold. No doubt there’s
some key cogs on the shelf to start the year, but that leaves a couple of spots
open for competition.
Before kicking things off at Spring Training, here’s where I
see the 26-man headed as of today:
Catcher (2) – Mitch Garver, Alex Avila
This should be a certainty. Garver is coming off the best
year of his career, and Avila was signed to replace Jason Castro. It will be
interesting to see if the Twins unleash a bit more Garv Sauce this year, but
the load will be handled by this tandem.
Infield (5) – Miguel Sano, Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, Josh
Donaldson, Ehire Adrianza
You’ve got a group of four starters that are all but locked
into their positions. Obviously, Donaldson’s signing was a massive get for the
Twins, and he pushes Sano into a new position. How the infield works, and what
steps forward the group takes, are still in question but no one is unsure of
who will play where. Adrianza returns as the utility man, and he had a very
nice 2019 season.
Outfield (5) – Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jake
Cave, Marwin Gonzalez
At this moment Rosario has not yet been dealt anywhere. That
could certainly change at some point throughout the year, but the starting
outfield should be set in stone. Byron Buxton will be returning from surgery,
and hopefully pick back up where he left off. Kepler looks like a guy that
could break out as one of the best players in baseball. Cave did some very nice
things last year, and Marwin should transition to more of an outfield first
utility role.
Designated Hitter (1) – Nelson Cruz
He’s back, and he’ll hit more bombas. Not much else to say
here.
Rotation (5) – Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Homer Bailey, Lewis
Thorpe, Randy Dobnak
There should be a good deal of turnover in this group as the
season goes on, and that’s not something we saw much of in 2019. Berrios and
Odorizzi will remain the whole year, and Bailey should be a fine replacement for
Kyle Gibson. I think Lewis Thorpe has immense potential and starting in the
Opening Day rotation would give him a great opportunity. Dobnak gets the nod
here for me over Devin Smeltzer. This spot eventually may be taken by Brusdar
Graterol, but ultimately, I think he begins the year at Triple-A.
Bullpen (8) – Taylor Rogers, Trevor May, Sergio Romo, Tyler
Duffey, Tyler Clippard, Zack Littell, Matt Wisler, Cody Stashak
This group has six current locks in Rogers, May, Romo,
Duffey, Clippard, and Littell. From there, I think they go with two more arms
and that includes Wisler and Stashak. Wisler is a slider specialist that
Minnesota gave a guaranteed contract to this offseason. Stashak debuted at the
end of 2019 and threw 25 innings to the tune of a 3.24 ERA. He made a great
first impression, and the 25/1 K/BB was something special out of the gates. Fernando
Romero could be on the cusp here, and Ryne Harper may have lost his
opportunity.
