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Minnesota Twins Top 5 Offseason Priorities

By Benjamin Chase

Aug 25, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins hat and glove lays on the field during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 25, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins hat and glove lays on the field during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Catching

Since hometown legend Joe Mauer moved out from behind the plate for Minnesota in 2014, the position has been manned by veteran Kurt Suzuki. The Twins were able to get Suzuki on a cheap one-year deal in 2014 after a disaster of a 2013 season split between the Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics.

Suzuki’s time with the Twins has been solid, but leaving plenty to be desired. He hit .263/.316/.364 over three seasons with the club, but Suzuki offers very little offensively beyond a solid contact bat as he doesn’t walk much and he doesn’t offer much for power. Suzuki also finished short of the plate appearances to vest his 2017 contract, so he’s a free agent.

While the catching free agent crop is numerous, it is also very thin in long-term solutions. Wilson Ramos was looking like one of those before suffering a nasty knee injury in the final week of the regular season. The Astros are beginning to make overtures already to defensive whiz Jason Castro to bring him back behind the plate in Houston. That would really leave Matt Wieters on the market. While Wieters has a well-deserved reputation as a high-end defensive catcher, his offensive skills have eroded significantly since he suffered a major injury in 2013.

In house, the Twins find themselves with minimal options. John Ryan Murphy, acquired from the Yankees last offseason for outfielder Aaron Hicks, has shown excellent defensive skills and the ability to shut down a run game, but his bat is not a starting-caliber bat in the major leagues, even at a position with a low offensive bar like catcher. Juan Centeno was a find for the Twins as a minor league free agent, but he’s already 27 at the start of 2017, so there’s some question as to his long-term viability as well.

The Twins’ best option may be to dip into their depths in their system (power armed relievers and outfielders) and find a guy ready to make his big league debut but held back in another organization due to an elite starter at the catching position or simply just not knowing what they have. One example I have been watching has been San Diego Padres catching prospect Austin Hedges. Hedges is 23, highly regarded as a defender, and he hit .326/.353/.597 in AAA this year. Even if that has some weight of the PCL in those numbers, there is much more to his offensive game than the slight hitting he’s done in his short auditions. Hedges is one example of a number of other similar guys around baseball.

It will be rough to lose Suzuki, but the organization needs to focus on a long-term solution for the position, whether that’s through free agency or trade.

Next: Bullpen

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