ESPN insider David Schoenfield acknowledged that the Minnesota Twins’ decision to trim payroll from $156 million to $125-150 million this season will limit what they can do in the offseason. Therefore, it will be a quiet offseason in Twins Territory. Still, he liked what he saw from Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis last year and thinks Minnesota’s splash move should be signing them to long-term extensions.
The best way for the Twins to accomplish something positive would be to sign their two young infielders. Julien, coming off a .381 OBP as a rookie, looks like an on-base machine. Lewis finally got healthy for a spell and produced a .921 OPS in 58 games. The Twins have already learned that betting on an injury-prone player is risky, but Lewis’ upside may be worth going down the Buxton road anyway — and Lewis might be inclined to get some guaranteed money given his extensive injury history.
Read Schoenfield’s entire post ($) for a trade and a free agent signing that could help every MLB team.