Last year, the Minnesota Twins had their most exciting offseason in franchise history. The re-signed Carlos Correa to a long-term extension in January, and the saga that led up to it would have been enough. When you throw in the Luis Arraez for Pablo López trade with the Miami Marlins weeks later, it kept Twins fans scrolling through social media to wait for another big move.
Despite the multiple core-altering moves last offseason, the most underrated was what the Twins did outside those two transactions. Depth was the unspoken theme for the front office. The 2022 season was full of injuries, and the lack of capable players behind starters torpedoed the team’s chances of making the postseason. It felt like a mission for the front office to jam in established veterans for the 2023 season.
They added Joey Gallo to an already deep Twins outfield at the time. They signed Kyle Farmer as Correa insurance in case he joined another team. But when Correa re-signed, Minnesota could slide Farmer into a utility role that better suited him. Michael A. Taylor was incredibly important as insurance for Byron Buxton in center field. Donovan Solano signed a $2 million deal a week into Spring Training and became a key platoon at first base throughout the season. Willi Castro was a minor league signing, but he progressed into a super-utility role around the diamond and was Minnesota’s best base stealer.
Payroll crunches this offseason could make that veteran depth the Twins had a year ago too expensive. Outside of Castro and a recently tendered Farmer, Minnesota is losing most of its veteran depth to free agency. Suddenly, depth is a luxury the Twins decided they likely can’t afford in 2024. Pitching depth seems to be serviceable, while the lineup’s capability will be tested. To recreate that depth, the Twins have intriguing young players who could step in and fill the void lost by the veterans.
In the outfield, the Twins need to replace Taylor and Gallo. Replacing the latter will be fairly simple, with Matt Wallner taking over left field. Wallner beat out Gallo for playing time by August and earned a 144 wRC+ in 2023. Alex Kirilloff probably stays at first base due to his shoulder issues. Trevor Larnach was inconsistent, and Nick Gordon missed most of last season with a broken foot. The positional group is still missing a power-hitting right-handed bat. From a production standpoint, corner outfield depth is still in a good spot if all they are losing is Gallo.
Finding Taylor’s successor will be more difficult. With Buxton’s positional future in flux, the Twins need to add a player they can trust to play every day without replacing Buxton as the primary center fielder when he’s healthy. Austin Martin was the headliner in the José Berríos trade in 2021. His Twins minor league career had a shaky start, but he came into form last August, racking up a .884 OPS and a 131 wRC+. Martin, Gordon, and Castro could platoon center field. That would be serviceable, but a low ceiling for the position group that could lose a stable presence and hit 21 home runs in 2023.
Infield depth shouldn’t be a big issue to replace compared to center field. Castro and Farmer are still on the roster. The Twins could trade Farmer to get some value back while shedding his projected $6.6 million salary in 2024. Edouard Julien and Martin could fill in for Jorge Polanco, who started at second last year. José Miranda could back up Royce Lewis at third. Lewis and Twins top prospect Brooks Lee can also fill in all over the infield. It’s a good mix of veterans and young guys and a good balance of right- and left-handed hitters throughout.
First base could be another hodgepodge for the Twins. Kirilloff is the incumbent starter, but he’s recovering from a shoulder injury. Kirilloff would often platoon with Solano and a right-handed first-base option. Miranda is a right-handed hitter, and he will likely become more of a first baseman, with Lewis putting down roots at third base. A platoon role at first is his best option for consistent playing time, but Miranda is coming off a sophomore slump (57 wRC+). Shoulder issues compounded Miranda’s slump, which cut his season to only 40 games. The Twins added prospect Yunior Severino to the 40-man this winter, and he could push for that right-handed first base role.
Overall, the Twins may be just fine without all the veterans they had a year ago. Part of the reason for adding those veterans was to protect the young talent that has broken into the big leagues or is another year closer to doing so. Relying on rookies isn’t Minnesota’s worst-case scenario, especially considering how the Twins got more production from last year’s young guys than most of the veteran depth players. But no veteran barrier means things can fall apart quickly if most of the rookies aren’t quite ready, and readiness is always uncertain with prospects.
There are some free agents whom the Twins can sign under budget; they just have to be selective in who they go after. Trades are also another avenue to acquire talent. However, it would come at the expense of major league players or prospects fans have been waiting to see reach Target Field.
Ultimately, the Twins may not need to be as deep as last year. A full season of a healthy Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa would be huge for the 2024 team, especially if Byron Buxton bounces back from a poor 2023 season. Overcoming the potentially thinner roster is possible if the high-end talent can muscle them through. However, injuries were a concern for all three of Minnesota’s most talented hitters. That’s why having a surplus of capable players ready to step in and play in their place instead of replacement-level guys was so important in 2023.
Depth was an underrated reason why the Twins were able to hang on and clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2020. Payroll cuts will force the Twins to lean on their internal depth to defend their AL Central title. It will require a handful of young guys to step up, which will be a gamble the team needs to pay off.
