Minnesota Twins: Three good fits for RHP Jake Odorizzi

One of the top free agents on the market, here are three good fits for Minnesota Twins RHP Jake Odorizzi.

It’s been widely speculated that the 2020-2021 offseason would be a long winter with very few teams looking to add big pieces to their payroll after a season of no fans in the stands and the uncertainty of what 2021 will bring, despite the light at the end of the tunnel growing bigger and bigger.

But early hot stove action seems to contradict that. We’re talking about a small sample of moves here but nearly $40 million has already been committed to Drew Smyly, Charlie Morton, and Robbie Ray, and the non-tender market, while big, didn’t quite reach some of the bigger numbers many expected.

We haven’t seen what many of the top free agents will get, like Trevor Bauer and J.T. Realmuto, but with the Winter Meetings getting underway this week and the non-tender deadline behind us, maybe the hot stove gets a little warmer over the next few days before the Christmas holiday.

For one free agent, in particular, landing on the open market in 2020 may end up being a blessing. That would be Minnesota Twins right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi.

The top of the free agent pitching class is Trevor Bauer, with Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman accepting their qualifying offers. That leaves Masahiro Tanaka and Jake Odorizzi next on the list, a thin group for the numerous teams looking for quality pitching help.

That could mean a bigger payday for Odorizzi this offseason than if he would have been available next year. It also likely leaves him with multiple attractive destinations to choose from. Odorizzi wants to pitch for a contender, and a few have already expressed interest in the Minnesota Twins righty.

Here are three good fits for Jake Odorizzi to sign with this offseason.