Baseball is infatuated with the idea of old friends.
That can mean many different things, from the primary demographic of the game’s viewers to former colleagues who played together in years past.
The latter represents an interesting conversation for Minnesota Twins fans, especially considering potential free-agent additions. There are a handful of old friends who played under current Twins President of Baseball Operations, Derek Falvey when he was in Cleveland’s front office. They may not be perfect fits for this Twins club going forward. But the familiar connection is there, and sometimes it can be the factor that pushes a deal across the finish line.
Below are three free agents that Falvey is familiar with who could theoretically provide some value at the right price.
Carlos Santana
As the Twins continue to look for someone to pair with Alex Kirilloff at first base, they could turn to their longtime divisional foe. Santana will be 38 next season and could be an intriguing platoon option. The switch-hitting slugger got off to a timid start last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, he got back on track when they traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers in July.
Santana had a .249/.327/.478 (.805 OPS) in the second half of last season, roughly 18 percent better than league average, according to wRC+.
He could fill the hole left by Donovan Solano‘s departure, even though Santana doesn’t have Solano’s defensive capabilities. The Twins would strictly relegate him to first base and designated hitter duties. That would be a great complement to Kirilloff, who struggled against left-handed pitching. Santana had a .844 OPS against southpaws last season.
Adding Santana would be a low-cost move that carries the intangible benefit of a respected veteran in the clubhouse.
Mike Clevinger
Whatever Clevinger could bring on the field for the Twins would be heavily dampened by the subtraction of good vibes. With some pretty heavy off-the-field allegations against him, it would probably be best for the Twins to look elsewhere to find a good fit for their rotation.
But Clevinger has connections to Falvey, and Clevinger is a free agent looking to make good, probably on a one-year deal that even the tight-budgeted Twins could afford. Setting aside the allegations but not dismissing them, Clevinger showed some positives on the field for the Chicago White Sox in 2023. He carried a 3.77 ERA across 131 innings pitched over 24 starts. Clevinger’s strikeout numbers were around league average at 20%, and his walk rate was just a tick off his career-best at 7.3%.
Clevinger will be 33 years old next season, and he would slide into the back end of Minnesota’s rotation. His repertoire is appealing, with a hard slider and a solid cutter that he likes to use in put-away situations. But his four-seam fastball has lost a lot of zip since his Tommy John surgery in 2021. At this point, the Twins might prefer to see what they have in internal candidates before promising a spot to Clevinger on a major-league deal.
Corey Kluber
The ace of Cleveland’s World Series staff in 2016 is once again available as a free agent this off-season. The 38-year-old righty may not carry the same aura of a frontline pitcher, but the Twins could add him on a reasonable deal. That’s what happens after you have a career-worst campaign at age 37. If Minnesota is willing to work on a reclamation project, and Kluber is willing to give it one more try in baseball instead of hanging up his spikes, this could be a low-wattage move.
Kluber’s lone season with the Boston Red Sox in 2023 was an utter disaster. He had a brutal 7.04 ERA across 55 innings pitched (nine starts). Opposing batters walloped nearly every one of his pitches. He had a career-worst tally in strikeouts (16.3%), and nearly 20% of fly balls he allowed went over the fence for home runs.
So why would the Twins be interested in bringing him onto their staff? Aside from his affordable price and familiarity with the head of the baseball operations department, Kluber is just a year removed from a quietly strong and healthy 2022 campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays. That season, he had a 4.34 ERA over 31 starts and was worth 3.0 fWAR. If the Twins can get him to what he was in Tampa, he could be a fine fifth starter or even a swingman option if he were open to a bullpen role.
But much like with Clevinger, the Twins are more likely to give their young arms a shot or acquire a front-end starter via trade before dolling out contracts to a veteran who is likely well past his prime.
