There have been just as many surprises as disappointments in the American League through the first quarter of the 2023 season. Recently, we took a look at some surprises in the National League that have teams at different places in the standings than what some preseason projections had them.
This time, let’s take a look at three AL teams and buy or sell their start to the season.
Minnesota Twins: Buy or sell?
It was a whirlwind offseason for Carlos Correa and the Twins. It appeared that the shortstop was heading to the New York Mets or San Francisco Giants, but neither worked out after both teams did not want to commit long-term to him because of concerns surrounding surgery on his right leg nearly 10 years ago. He ended up finding his way back to Minnesota on a six-year, $200 million contract.
One of the game’s best shortstops, he’s just barely hitting over .200 with six home runs and 23 RBI. Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo have struggled for manager Rocco Baldelli, but somehow, they are sitting in first place in the AL Central. Their pitching is fourth in the majors in ERA at 3.38, which right now is a big reason for them sitting on top in the AL’s worst division.
The Cleveland Guardians are three games back in the standings and the Detroit Tigers are right on their heels. The Chicago White Sox have not been good to start the season hitting or pitching and the Kansas City Royals have just 12 wins. Minnesota is being saved by a bad division.
Buy: There is only one reason to buy the Twins start, the rest of the division is not good. This division will only get one postseason team and there is still plenty of time for someone to catch them, but right now, Minnesota is the best and should separate themselves as the season goes along.