Underrated MLB offseason: Minnesota Twins
The BIG move(s): Carlos Correa & Pablo Lopez
After perhaps the craziest individual offseason of all time, Carlos Correa finds himself with the team he ended last year with … the Minnesota Twins. After two deals worth north of $300 million fell through with the Giants and then the Mets, Correa ended up with a 6-year, $200 million contract that could be worth up to $270 million over 10 years if his options vest. Due to being a smaller market in comparison to many other teams, keeping Correa around is hugely important. In my opinion, Correa is absolutely a top three shortstop and, when right, is the top at his position. Two seasons ago, Correa won the AL Platinum Glove, awarded to the best fielder in the American League. Correa also has one of the strongest bats at the position. Losing Correa would have been a devastating blow to a group trying to sit atop one of the weaker divisions in baseball.
Pablo Lopez was another incredible acquisition for the division-hungry Twins. Last season was a tale of two halves for Lopez. Lopez started the season out as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and concluded his first half of the season with a sub-3 ERA. Following a strong start, Lopez accumulated a 4.97 ERA over the second half of the year. While not making excuses, I’m sure the constant trade rumors and uncertainty of his future might have played a role in his disappointing second half. I bet next season we see a Lopez who meets somewhere in the middle between the two halves, somewhere in the mid to low 3s in ERA. Last season, the Twins were the second worst in quality start %. While this is certainly not the end-all-be-all in terms of measuring a team’s pitching, it highlights the need for starting pitching that the Twins had coming into the offseason. The Twins’ addition of Lopez helps fill this hole, and a rotation that consists of Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, and Tyler Mahle looks pretty good to me.
Under-the-radar: Christian Vazquez (C)
Vazquez was signed to a three-year deal worth $30 million. While struggling offensively following his trade to the Astros last trade deadline, Vazquez was pushed into a new role as a backup to Martin Maldonado. Back to an everyday role with the Twins, I believe we will see strong offensive outputs from Vazquez, as he has proven to be an above-average offensive catcher throughout the majority of his career, paired with strong defensive play.
Other small moves: Joey Gallo (OF)
Not too long ago, Gallo was considered one of the top power bats in the game. Following a very disappointing stint with the Yankees and then with the Dodgers, Gallo looks to recover the form that has made him a two-time all star. Gallo certainly still has power, with an ISO of .197 last year and .259 the year before that. However, ISOs that are higher than batting averages usually aren’t a great sign. At the worst, Gallo will provide the Twins with strong outfield defense and plenty of home runs. Especially with the banning of the shift, it’s reasonable for the Twins to hope for a bit more from Gallo.