Can The Twins Better Their Bench?

With just a handful of days left until pitchers and catchers officially report to Fort Myers for Spring Training, Minnesota is nearing the end of its offseason. The main focus when it comes to additions was starting pitching, and due to the market, that remains the one area left unattended at this point. Whether before or after spring training officially kicks off I expect that to be dealt with. What remains to be seen is whether or not Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have interest in adding a bat to supplement their bench.

As things stand right now, the Twins appear to be alright opening the season with a bench of Robbie Grossman, Eduardo Escobar, Ehire Adrianza, Mitch Garver, and Kennys Vargas. Considering the possible (see: likely) suspension for Miguel Sano, Zack Granite could also find his way into this group out of the gate. Of the names above, it's Vargas that is more than likely the most on the bubble. Out of options, and having bounced between Triple-A and the big leagues a season ago, he's probably the first to go if space is needed.

Operating under the assumption that Vargas is the quintessential 25th man, the question revolves around whether or not he can be improved upon. From a construction standpoint, Vargas almost certainly needs to be replaced by a bat first player. Grossman figures to see regular time as the designated hitter, while Adrianza and Escobar have similar skillsets despite Eduardo toting the more capable bat. Garver is entrenched as the backup catcher, and should serve as a platoon option for starter Jason Castro. Bringing in another utility man means Minnesota relies solely on Grossman as the outfield option (which is currently the case), and the lack of a true bat could expose Robbie being heavily reliant on his on-base prowess.

In an ideal world the Twins greatest addition to the bench would be in the form of a right-handed hitting outfielder. Offering the potential to pair with Max Kepler (should his facing left-handed pitching continue to be a detriment) as well as play in rotation across the corner spots makes a lot of sense. Between Adrianza, Escobar, and Garver, each of the infield positions has a true and capable backup. After posting a -21 DRS in 630+ innings in the outfield during 2016, Grossman shored things up somewhat totaling a -3 DRS mark across 350+ innings a year ago. There's still plenty to be desired with the glove there, but he showed that he can be less of a liability if need be.

Among the options, former Twins center fielder Carlos Gomez has an intriguing profile. He would give the club positional flexibility across all three positions, and posted a .340 OBP in 2017 with some pop. At 32 the hope would be that he could be had on a short-term deal, and that could be of intrigue to Minnesota. Another more elder option comes in the form of Jose Bautista. This would be a relative leap of faith given his age (37) and 2017 season. Posting a .674 OPS there's reason to believe that he's simply cooked. Bautista is just one year removed from an .800+ OPS however, and if you could get him on a minor-league deal or something incentive-laden there would be a level of intrigue.

If you want to go more of an unconventional route, a versatile super-utility type could be a fit. Noted as a possible fit by Zone Coverage's Brandon Warne on Twitter, former Minnesota shortstop Eduardo Nunez has some appeal. Nunez played 20 games in the outfield a season ago for San Francisco, and he got some time out there for the Twins in his first stint with the club. His career -3 DRS across 322 OF innings slots in line with 2017 Grossman, and I'm not a big fan of non-traditional outfielders playing the position. That said, Nunez's .801 OPS from 2017 is more than enticing. He's posted a .778 OPS over the last two seasons while playing in at least 110 games during each. It seems given semi-regular playing time, he can be an offensive asset as well.

At the end of the day Kennys Vargas should probably be given a final shot. His career .748 is far from abysmal, and the .833 OPS in 47 games during the 2016 season was exciting. Vargas hasn't proven to be much of an OBP guy (just .311 for his career), and the 251/65 K/BB ratio is more than concerning. All of his eggs remain in the power basket, and if he's not taking free bases then he needs to be accumulating them in bunches. At 27 he's no longer a prospect, and the Twins likely have a significant amount of information to feel comfortable with their evaluation of him.

This seems like a no lose scenario, with a slight opportunity for a win. Vargas is hardly a red flag on the 25 man, and you could do much worse. What Minnesota could also do is look for some competition or even to supplant him completely, and in turn, raise the water level as a whole. There's a few more weeks for us to see how this all plays out, but it'll be a storyline worth watching this spring.

Twins Searching Out A Bat?

Recently on MLB.com, Jon Morosi wrote a trade deadline buyer's guide focused on hitters. I recently wrote a piece regarding the Twins and how they should attack the deadline when it comes to pitching and prospects. I hadn't considered them adding a bat, but there's a name Morosi mentions that could make some sense. Is this the time that Jose Bautista comes to Target Field wearing the home uniform?

There was some talk over the offseason that Minnesota may have interest in the long time Blue Jays slugger. He would join an outfield better suited defensively, but there's a clear path to regular playing time as the designated hitter. Over the winter, he ended up heading back to Toronto on a one-year deal worth $18.5 million. Now on the hook for just a prorated portion, Minnesota could attempt to entice the Canadian AL East club to send him south of the border.

On the season, Bautista has posted a .749 OPS, or his lowest mark since 2009. He owns a poor .234/.349/.400 slash line and has hit just 14 homers. Much of that is directly related to a very slow start to the year however. Since May 12, Bautista owns a .275/.379/.482 line with 11 of his 14 total homers. Having turned it on after a slow start, he's beginning to trend back up.

At 36 years old, and with over 1,000 MLB games under his belt, there was plenty of reason to worry about a downturn in 2017. Now with the season halfway over, the Blue Jays have eaten up most of that risk. Should the Twins, or some other team, trade for him at this point, they'd be getting a player with most of the risk assumed by another organization. Toronto would likely still want a decent return, but unless they are willing to eat most of what's still owed to him, any partner should have strong negotiating position.

Throughout his career, Bautista has enjoyed plenty of success at Target Field. Obviously that comes with the caveat of having faced a good amount of poor Twins pitching over the years. Nonetheless, in 21 games at Target Field, Bautista owns a 1.324 OPS with 14 homers. Obviously playing there full time, those numbers probably decrease some, but having past success to use as a springboard is hardly a bad thing.

Given the Twins current roster construction, Bautista seems to fit as well. While not a good defensive outfielder, he would immediately slot in as the every day DH. He hasn't consistently played first base for some time, but could spell Joe Mauer at the position every once in a while. He also allows Minnesota to upgrade from Robbie Grossman, who while despite being an OBP machine, has gotten exposed with increased playing time.

A lot regarding the landscape of how the Twins attack the remainder of the 2017 season will be determined in the next week or so. With tough series against good teams upcoming, Minnesota will have a much more clear picture as to how they will fair down the stretch. If everything follows along with the status quo however, Jose Bautista remains a name that makes a good deal of sense in Minnesota.

Good Or Bad, Baseball Needs Emotion

Over the weekend, Rougned Odor connected on "The Punch Heard Round The World." A by product of a beanball, a bat flip, a slide, or some other play over the course of the Rangers and Blue Jays recent history, Jose Bautista found himself eating the fist of the Rangers second basemen. Some called the incident good for the game, others didn't, but the lone guarantee here is that baseball needs things like this.

No, I'm not advocating for players to knock each other out to settle on field differences, but the emotion that is so often criticized in America's game is something we should all want a bit more of.

Here's two things I am going to operate in writing this as being absolute truth:

• Baseball players, and athletes in general, are the result of billions of dollars spent to turn a child's game into a form of entertainment.
• Baseball players, and athletes in general, are human beings worthy of the same societal freedoms we are granted, as well as being equally flawed.

I believe it's fair, and accurate, to operate in a way that makes both of those statements equally true, at the same time. That brings us to the topic at hand.

Is Jose Bautista wrong for flipping his bat against those Rangers in the playoffs? Is Bryce Harper out of line for telling another equally flawed human being to "F*** off!" in an emotionally charged moment? Heck, is Odor even wrong for throwing a haymaker at a guy that chose him at his target for retaliation? In my application of the above two statements, I'll suggest that none of those instances are wrong, while they all may be less than acceptable.

Making it to the playoffs in any sport, let alone Major League Baseball, is a feat that shouldn't be overlooked. A 162 game regular season culminates in a small tournament where the "have nots" must look on from the outside. Having battle back and forth in a series that had plenty of highlight moments, Bautista earned every ounce of his bat flip. Far from screaming at his opponent, the emotion was that of a player that had just risen to the level of the moment.

Someone who's often criticized, Harper gave us another moment in the Nationals latest walk off victory. Having been ejected from the dugout in a contest where his team may very well have yet needed him, it was Bryce's teammates that exacted his revenge. In walkoff fashion, the Nationals ended the contest and Harper was within shouting distance of the umpire. He chose to share his displeasure in relation to an umpire turning a game into something about himself, rather than the two teams on the field.

Then we have the latest example provided once again by the Blue Jays and Rangers. A hit-by-pitch that turned into a slide, and culminated in a punch, gets us to where we are today. Odor and Bautista likely aren't going to be friends after the incident, and they really don't need to be. What they reminded us of though, is that emotion is what charges and fuels athletics.

That brings us somewhat full circle on the two statements I wrote down above. While each of these incidents play into the drama that we subconsciously expect in paying to enjoy a sporting event, they also bring full circle the human nature that we must consider in the fallout. I have no problem with any of these situations taking place, and there's also no reason to be up in arms about a suspension or disciplinary action following the event either.

Bautista reveled in his moment, Harper stood up for himself, and Odor took offense to what had happened. None of them were wrong, each of them was serving part of the purpose in a fan paying for a ticket, and all three of them once again remind us that they are no different than you and I. While it's a silly practice to compare your workplace environment to that of a competitive venue, it's equally sad to suggest an athlete being on a level of model or idolization. You're price to observe, enjoy, and partake in the drama and action on the field of play does not somehow elevate any athlete to being more than they are, a human being.

With such a broad subject, and one of such wide-reaching opinions, I'd guess that I rambled some. For that I apologize. What I hope you'd take away from this is that in baseball, and sports in general, our purpose should and can be two fold. The level of entertainment should be expected and welcomed. Greet emotion with open arms. Ask far players to make umpires accountable, celebrate great feats, and take issue with problems. On the same token, understand they are simply the same individuals as you and I at their core, and expecting them to be anything but is an unfair standard.

Athletic competition is a breeding ground for emotion, and rather than stifle it, we should be open to releasing it. Just realize, there's always going to be what comes next, and that doesn't necessarily mean the moment wasn't justified.