Minnesota Twins: Slugger Miguel Sano Gets Extended
By Ryan Sanders
Miguel Sano and the Minnesota Twins agreed to a three-year extension that will pay him $30M guaranteed.
The Minnesota Twins decided against going to arbitration with Miguel Sano. Instead, they signed the slugger to a three-year deal that guarantees him $30M ($27M salary, $3M buyout).
It’s an interesting extension for Sano who is locking in a pay-day after having a career year. In 2019, he swatted 34 home runs, had a 137 wRC+, and racked up 2.7 WAR. The former top prospect has been more solid average player than superstar so far. He hasn’t been a model of durability either as the most games he’s played in a season was 116 in 2016.
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One thing Sano does still have is a huge upside with the bat. Sano is in the 100th percentile for Exit Velocity and Hard hit rate. Part of what is holding him back from being one of the top hitters in baseball is a 37% ground ball rate mixed with a 36% strikeout rate. Sano actually ran the seventh-lowest contact rate in all of baseball so a majority of Sano’s offensive value is tied to him hitting the ball out of the yard. He doesn’t add much on defense either, being worth -5 defensive runs saved and in the 8th percentile for Outs Above Average.
If Sano isn’t getting his home runs, he doesn’t have any other way to accrue value and won’t offer much to the Twins. With the Twins looking to sign Josh Donaldson, Sano could be pushed to 1B or designated hitter where he would be a better defensive fit but would only put more pressure on his bat.
This is a smart decision for the Twins because arbitration panels use traditional metrics like Home Runs, batting average, and RBIs. Sano’s lofty home run totals present the chance for Sano to have higher arbitration salaries even though he hasn’t performed to that level. At $10M per year, the Twins are basically paying Sano to be a 1 win player. He was worth his entire deal this past season when he totaled 2.7 WAR.
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Sano hasn’t been what the Minnesota Twins had hoped, but he is still only 26 and has unteachable strength and light tower power. The Twins were smart to lock in Miguel Sano should he unlock his true potential. Until then, the Twins will gladly pay a reduced rate for whatever production Sano can give them.