Could Minnesota Twins add another top free agent?
With players reporting to spring training, often teams have set much of their lineup and roster for the season, but just like in 2018, the Minnesota Twins could strike in the late-offseason free agent market.
The Minnesota Twins benefitted from the late-developing free agent market in 2017-2018. From the time the team reported to spring training last February, the Twins acquired Jake Odorizzi and Jake Cave via trade along with signing Lance Lynn and Logan Morrison before Opening Day.
This year’s market could lead to some very intriguing moves developing for the Minnesota Twins yet before Opening Day 2019. MLB.com’s Richard Justice discussed the option for the Twins to target one of the top remaining free agents, Marwin Gonzalez.
With reports of a leaned-down Miguel Sano in camp being a positive development for the Twins defense, but adding in someone like Marwin Gonzalez could be very valuable in the way that the team missed significantly after trading Eduardo Escobar. While Ehire Adrianza and Ronald Torreyes offer flexibility, they don’t provide much with the bat, and if an injury would come to shortstop Jorge Polanco, second baseman Jonathan Schoop, or Sano at third base, their presence in the lineup would be a definite hole, while Gonzalez would be a consistent contributor.
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Gonzalez would also allow for the team to be flexible in how they deploy their roster through the season to keep everyone fresh. Gonzalez could play throughout the field, allowing them to give days off to anyone on the roster and get him 3-4 starts per week.
Minnesota Twins fans may be looking for the team to add pitching right now, and there are still multiple targets the team could pursue on the free agent market, let alone the trade market.
Among those still on the market, the Twins could certainly see a benefit in the 2019 roster from a top starter like Dallas Keuchel or the elite pitching free agent left on the market, closer Craig Kimbrel. The team also could pursue veteran relievers Tyler Clippard, Ryan Madson, or Adam Warren to give length and experience to the bullpen.
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With current 2019 payroll at $111 million and change, and the 2018 payroll estimated to have been $126 million at the end of the season, the Minnesota Twins would have roughly $15 million of salary room to reach the 2018 salary levels. They could deploy some of that in remaining free agents as they did at this time in 2018, further putting them into the conversation competing for the 2019 American League Central title.