Over the past couple of weeks, it has been rumored that the
Twins are acting as a shark circling blood in the water. Waiting for an opportunity
to make a big move like they did last offseason, it’s been anyone’s guess as to
what that may be. Today it was reported that the move could come up the middle.
Trevor Bauer is the premier free agent this winter, but shortstop
talent is aplenty as well. Andrelton Simmons is a perennial Gold Glove type,
while both Didi Gregorious and Marcus Semien bring a more balanced offering in
a stopgap type situation. Ken Rosenthal reported today that Minnesota is
considering moving Luis Arraez and shifting Jorge Polanco to second base. The
question then becomes, who plays short?
Arraez broke onto the scene in 2019 and immediately became a
fan favorite that looked the part of a Tony Gwynn clone. With great command of
the zone and an innate ability to make strong contact, multiple batting titles
were projected for his future. Dealing with a slow start in 2020, and lingering
knee issues, he finished the year off fine. It’s probably fair to describe him
as virtually what we see being who he is. There’s going to be a high average,
he won’t strike out, and he’s passable at best on defense. On its own, that
works fine for Minnesota.
The problem here is that Jorge Polanco is miscast as a
shortstop. His arm strength is questionable, and while improved in 2020, his
range is suspect. That’s easier to overlook when the power production is what
it was in 2019, but he dealt with a nagging ankle issue last season and just
underwent another surgery to correct it. There was some talk he could take over
as Minnesota’s replacement for Marwin Gonzalez, but you’d probably be
sacrificing lineup prowess in that scenario. Moving him to second base seems
like a much more fluid fit.
So, what happens at short? Royce Lewis is obviously seen as
the heir, but there’s plenty of warts to dissect there. His 2019 was not good,
and despite glowing reports from the CHS Field alternate site last season, 2020
featured no real game action. A handful of national names continue to suggest
he’s not a fit at short long term, and a spot in centerfield makes more sense.
That alone isn’t enough to bump him off the position now, but it might be
worthy to consider him less than untouchable.
At the current juncture two of the game’s best shortstops are
on the trade market. Cleveland is going to move Francisco Lindor this
offseason, and the Colorado Rockies should be sending Trevor Story out. Neither
are under team control past 2022 and as always you have the Coors effect in
play (.760 OPS away .994 OPS home) for Story. Both players are going to command
an absolute premium and depending on what Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are
willing to give up, the hope would likely be an extension works out following a
swap.
Despite lost revenues in 2020, the Minnesota Twins can’t
afford to wait out their next move. The farm system has some very good top
prospects, and the depth is also pretty solid. It’s this core however that the
front office has been fine tuning, and the window to go all in is the immediate
future. With Josh Donaldson having three years left on his mega deal, pairing
him and the homegrown core should be of the utmost importance. What impact
Royce Lewis or Jordan Balazovic have as key pieces two or three years from now
could be the start of an entirely new competitive cycle.
This front office can’t go all in and throw care to the
wind, but they’ve also never shown a reason to believe that’s how they would
operate. Donaldson seemed like a great fit for Minnesota all along last winter,
and the Twins picked their spot to get the deal done. Nothing may be imminent
on a big splash front right now, but the makings of smoke seem to be billowing
and there’s plenty of reason to fan for some flame.
