Can you hear it?
It’s almost like some eerie music is playing in the background of Twins Territory, and everyone is waiting for the record scratch to signify a pause in the tune. The ensuing madness is a scramble for key contributors to find a place to sit. Otherwise, they could find themselves on the outside looking in.
Musical chairs may be a simplistic metaphor for the situation that the Minnesota Twins find themselves in, but it’s an apt comparison. The epic collapse that derailed what was looking like a highly successful season was alarming enough. However, the club’s self-imposed spending limit makes something abundantly clear this offseason: The Twins can’t afford to run it back and hope for the best, yet they also can’t afford any additions.
So, how is this all going to shake out, and will it be a good development for the club going forward?
Look, every club goes through some change each offseason, and it’s not always newsworthy. But doesn’t Minnesota’s current predicament feel different to you this time? I don’t think fans should expect an addition on the margins here or there. They may not need to go in a completely new direction. Still, they need to make enough of a change, potentially in the field and the clubhouse, if they want to avoid the freezer burn of last year’s talented young roster that couldn’t rise to the challenge when their best players went on the shelf in August.
And now, with a 2025 payroll that is about $10 million pricier than they’d like it to be, it’s like they took away two more chairs before the game even started.
That likely means a trade of one or more veterans who have either played their way out of favor or have in-house replacements ready to hop in. While not a certainty, it’s hard to picture the club willingly having David Festa sitting on Chris Paddack’s lap when the season starts (I mean that metaphorically, as amusing as the visual may be). No, they’re going to need their own chairs.
Then we start looking at the catching corps that has remarkably consisted of just two players for virtually the entire last two seasons (except for one single inning Jair Camargo caught). However, with Ryan Jeffers getting a notable yet modest boost to his salary through arbitration and Christian Vazquez’s less-than-stellar performance since coming to Minnesota, that could mean another player left without a seat come the end of this cut-throat game.
The club would be wise to explore a trade of the veteran Vazquez and as much of his $10 million salary as they can jettison, or they may be keen on trading Jeffers. His salary wouldn’t offset much, but he would bring significantly more talent value back to the organization should another team covet him.
So, there are the two easier calls to make while trying to thin out the crowd of players orbiting the theoretical circle of chairs. How about the harder decisions as the game progresses? Are there two chairs available for both Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran? Even with big Lou Varland coming in hot around the corner, with an eye for nailing down one of the remaining seats?
And that’s to say nothing of the hodgepodge of outfielders gunning for roles. Beyond Byron Buxton, the depth chart is filled with all lefties (such as Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, and the eventual emergence of uber-prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez) or righties who don’t impress much defensively (Willi Castro and Austin Martin).
That even comes with the built-in vacancy of Max Kepler’s departure to free agency. He’s not even playing musical chairs anymore. Soon, he will find himself playing the Hokey-Pokey in New York as Juan Soto’s replacement or something.
Even the front office is circling the shrinking line of chairs. Thad Levine already had to find a chair elsewhere. Dave St. Peter already has one foot on the sideline.
So, with the Winter Meetings starting on Monday, it might be time for a contingent of Twins to face the music before the needle lifts and madness ensues. It remains to be seen who’s left sitting when the dust settles. And if things don’t go so well in 2025, get ready for another round with even fewer chairs to cling to.
