Last season the Chicago White Sox were seen as a distant threat to the Minnesota Twins. Although they had a strong farm system and big-market dollars to spend, they pushed the Twins, but Minnesota ultimately picked up its second-straight division title.
Even when the White Sox added Lance Lynn and Liam Hendriks this offseason, the Twins still appeared to be the superior team. Of course, that all changed once the season began.
When Yermin Mercedes hammered a 3-0 eephus off of Willians Astudillo, it served as a turning point. A team that was once a speck in the rearview mirror came speeding beside the Twins, flipped the bird, and rocketed toward the top of the American League Central.
After being left in the dust, the Twins were left with several questions to answer even after their first series victory over Chicago. With the main goal changing from contending to evaluating for 2022, the biggest one they have to answer is whether they can copy Chicago’s blueprint.
It started with their evaluation in the draft. Tim Anderson (2013) and Carlos Rodón (2014) were the first two players to land in Chicago before the White Sox selected Andrew Vaughn in 2019.
Anderson has evolved into the unofficial captain in Chicago, while Rodón has had a breakout this year. Meanwhile, Madrigal and Vaughn are just finding their footing in the major leagues but have quickly carved out complementary roles.
Hitting on a quartet of first-round picks is nice but it isn’t enough to turn around a franchise. With their draft providing a base, the White Sox kicked it into overdrive by nailing a series of trades.
In December of 2016, the White Sox traded Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning, and Reynoldo Lopez. While Dunning and Lopez have served as depth, Giolito blossomed into an ace.
The White Sox doubled down on their luck a couple of months later when they traded Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. Moncada has become a fixture in the middle of the Chicago lineup while Kopech has developed into a key arm in the bullpen that could stretch out to become a starter.
Rick Hahn’s hot streak continued the following summer when they sent Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs for Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease. Jimenez joined Anderson and Moncada to solidify the White Sox’s lineup, while Cease is a mid-rotation starter who provides depth.
With the young pieces in place, the White Sox hit free agency hard to complement their roster. While they added several names, they didn’t break the bank for anyone outside of Liam Hendriks, and a contender was born.
This seems like quite the way to build a roster, but the Twins already have part of the foundation set. Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach have already impressed at the major league level. With several pieces of the 2019 Bomba Squad still intact, the Twins could make some moves to build their next contender.
That process has already started with the trades of José Berríos and Nelson Cruz. While both players could have provided value, the Twins were able to add Austin Martin, Simeon Woods Richardson, Joe Ryan, and Drew Strotman in those deals. All four players could play key roles in the future, and that group could be extended if the Twins decide to trade Byron Buxton.
Even if they don’t, the Twins have several players that remain productive from the Bomba Squad. Jorge Polanco has caught fire over the past several weeks, and Max Kepler remains an analytics darling in right field. With those players in the prime of their careers, there’s a chance they could rebound and give the Twins something to work with.
The kicker here is that the Twins need to be smarter in free agency. Instead of getting Matt Shoemaker and J.A. Happ, perhaps the Twins could make a play for Noah Syndergaard or Marcus Stroman to round out the rotation. Perhaps they could get really crazy and tap into a strong shortstop class that includes Javíer Baez, Corey Seager, and Trevor Story.
This could be a process that could take more time than expected. But if the Twins want to compete, they might have to learn from their rivals.
