AL Central: A mid-season front office assessment of the division
By Bill Felber
Minnesota Twins front office, +1.3
Last-place finishers in 2021 and dogged by most of the experts, the Twins front office adopted an aggressive approach in preparation for 2022. They have made 38 personnel changes, 16 adding value, 15 subtracting value and seven neutral to date. The net impact has been +1.3 WAA.
Several moves got headlines, none more so than the signing of shortstop Carlos Correa to a five-year contract with a series of opt outs effectively making it a one-year deal. They also acquired pitcher Sonny Gray and swung a trade with the Yankees that revamped both their infield and catching corps.
Here are the five most impactful thus far.
March 22: The Correa signing, for a potential $175 million, has been a blessing, although that may not be a good thing. Correa is hitting .298 with an .831 OPS, good for +1.3 WAA. If he keeps that production up, the guess is that Correa will exercise his opt-out and try his luck again on the open market … although forfeiting the sure $140 million through 2026 may be tough.
March 13: The Twins got Gray in a deal with the Reds that also involved an exchange of minor leaguers…in effect it was a salary dump on Cincinnati’s part. In Minnesota, Gray has contributed to the team’s first place standing. He’s 4-1 in 11 starts with a 2.47 ERA and a +1.2 WAA.
April 8: Duran, an imposing 6-5, 230 lb. 24-year-old rookie, made the opening day roster and has been a useful part of the team’s ascension to the division lead. In 27 appearances covering 35 innings he has a 2.06 ERA and has produced +0.9 WAA.
May 14: Maybe this is the year Devin Smeltzer finally sticks. The left-hander, who has had annual tryouts since 2019, was called up in mid-May, sent down a week later, then recalled four days later. His current major league tenure has lasted five weeks, during which he has contributed a 2.86 ERA (and four wins) in 50 innings of starting work. It adds up to +0.9 WAA.
May 2: Jose Miranda failed to make the team out of spring training, but has been up for all but a few days of the past two months. The tenure has been challenging. Alternating at first and third base, Miranda has a so-so .247 average and .700 OPS. But he’s striking out nearly 25 percent of the time and his -0.9 WAA won’t keep him in the majors.