Yesterday the Minnesota Twins inked Matt Shoemaker to a
one-year deal worth $2 million. He’ll be the favorite to fill out the starting
rotation and likely puts a bow on a strong offseason. Without flash, it’s still
exactly what was needed.
When looking at free agency it’s often the big signings or high-ticket
players that draw all the fanfare. For a team like the Twins though,
expectations have to be viewed through the lens of what is necessary. This isn’t
to suggest teams shouldn’t spend money, or give them a pass for not doing so,
but expecting good clubs to get exponentially better is a fool’s errand.
Minnesota didn’t rock the boat, but they did more than necessary to three-peat
as AL Central division winners.
Coming off two seasons with an average winning percentage of
.600, the goal for 2021 should be to again make the Postseason and then make
noise once you get there. Sure, the futility in the playoffs has been
mind-boggling, but it’s ultimately not predictive of any future results. You’re
dealing with incredibly small sample sizes, and while added together they look
poor, viewed separately as they should be, they don’t indicate much.
The Twins won the division in 2020, just like they did in
2019. It wasn’t on them to go out and make up ground this offseason. They
needed to replace a couple of bullpen arms and look to bolster their starting
rotation. Short of signing Trevor Bauer, there was never a path for them to
have an offseason quite like the Chicago White Sox or San Diego Padres. The
former was a third-place team chasing down the hometown nine, and the latter is
a club rich in prospects looking to make up ground between themselves and the
World Series winners.
Obviously, there is any amount of talent that can be
acquired to raise the water level for a 26-man roster. The Padres and White Sox
are better positioned for 2021 than they were because of the talent they brought
in. Both clubs had a need to make up a gap though. The Dodgers are spending a
boatload of cash to run it back, with the one addition of the aforementioned
Bauer. That’s a big splash, but one that only impacts a single roster spot.
With pitchers and catchers set to embark upon Fort Myers in
the coming days, Minnesota has to be considered the divisional favorite. Then
it’s on players like Josh Donaldson, Miguel Sano, and Mitch Garver to step up.
Should the team fare as expected through the first half, betting on
reinforcements being acquired at the deadline is also a good assumption. What
it all boils down to is that World Series titles, and even Postseason
victories, aren’t achieved in the offseason. The size of a winter splash doesn’t
ultimately predict much in the way of October success.
Derek Falvey and Thad Levine made their big splash last
offseason in the form of Josh Donaldson. They targeted a defensive upgrade that
was otherwise unnecessary in Andrelton Simmons this time around, and his impact
will be felt more on the diamond than it’s gotten credit on paper. Minnesota
already was good and should’ve been expected to be so again in 2021. They then
raised the water level ever so slightly, and here we are ready to go with a
club that again will turn heads.
