Free agency
The big offseason drama in Minneapolis-St. Paul involved the winding process by which Falvey and Levine negotiated a contract extension with shortstop Carlos Correa. Correa’s record demonstrates that he is a quality player, but he’s had a bad start to 2023, his WAA sitting at -0.3 as of the halfway point.
Joey Gallo was another prominent signing, and he’s also produced a disappointing -0.3 WAA. When your two big free agent moves both come up negative and you’re still in first place in your division, fortune is smiling on you.
Overall, Falvey and Levine have made nine free agent signings or extensions since the end of 2022, and the two unmitigated successes may have been the two least likely to hit.
In December, the Twins signed Willi Castro as a filler in the event they lost Correa. Castro is a career .245 hitter, and he’s not doing a lot better in 66 games with the Twins. But throw 14 stolen bases into the mix and his numbers work out to a +1.0 WAA.
Brock Stewart hadn’t pitched in a major league game since 2019 when the Twins signed him last July. Called up in late April, he’s 2-0 with a 2.70 in 25 relief appearances, good for a +1.1 WAA.