The Twins remain firmly in rebuild mode, with a bunch of below-average starters and a line-up that is inconsistent, although potent on it's day. It's 62-82 record currently leaves it on target to have a top five pick heading into next years draft which will be a bonus for a team that has a decent number of young players filtering up to the Major League level, and should be able to compete as soon as 2016 or 17. Brian Dozier has been a bright spot on offense, going 20/20 from the second base position, although he has slowed down since the all star break. Phil Hughes has proven to be an astute signing for the Twins, as he has cut his walk rate down to one of the best in the league, and his fly ball tendencies have held up much more favourably in expansive Target Field than in Yankee Stadium. With no other starter able to post an ERA lower than 4.27 however, this has been another disappointing year for Twins fans.
Major Potential Free Agents
Jared Burton ($3.6m option, $200k buyout)
The Twins have a pretty young roster, and the veterans they do have are locked up to long term deals. Burton hasn't had a great 2014 campaign, so it seems unlikely the Twins will exercise this option with their closer Glen Perkins locked up for the foreseeable future.
Off-Season Plan
Hitting: The Twins locked up Kurt Suzuki for the next couple of years a few weeks ago, and so he will presumably share time with Josmil Pinto in 2015. Pinto has shown flashes of offensive ability while Suzuki is a known asset so those two will be at least replacement level for the Twins. Joe Mauer's battles with injury have moved him out from behind the plate, but even at first base he has struggled to stay on the field and his bat has suffered as a consequence. The $23m a year contract he's signed to looks worse and worse every season, but the Twins will continue to roll him out at first base in 2015. Dozier will continue at second base as he remains pre-arbitration while Danny Santana has impressed enough at shortstop to continue there in 2015, with Eduardo Escobar a useful utility guy. Trevor Plouffe will be arbitration eligible once again but should remain at third base for the Twins as the bridge to uber-prospect Miguel Sano who has missed the entire season with Tommy John surgery but could see the Majors by the end of 2015.
In the outfield, Oswaldo Arcia has enough power and promise to be given the right field job once again, but a 30% strikeout rate and .576 OPS against left-handers suggests there are many areas of improvement for the 23 year old left-hander. Aaron Hicks elite walk rate and outstanding center field defense suggests he has a future in the Majors, although with non-existent power this season he remains a long way from the promise he showed as a prospect. With Byron Buxton battling injuries this season, his arrival in Minnesota has been delayed, likely until 2016 but he will be the future face of the franchise. The Twins have holes in left field and at designated hitter, but may choose to go with internal options like Jordan Schafer and Kennys Vargas in order to see what they have for the future, although a veteran signing like Nori Aoki or Jonny Gomes isn't out of the question.
Pitching: Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco will both return, signed to long term deals, while Kyle Gibson has shown enough flashes of potential to have an opening day rotation spot all but secured. Tommy Milone was an intriguing acquisition, not least because his skillset should thrive in spacious Target Field, so he should get a chance to be the teams primary left-handed starter provided he impresses in Spring Training. With both Trevor May and Alex Meyer having impressive seasons in AAA however, the Twins may choose to give their young players a chance in the hope they can turn into front-of-the-rotation starters by the time the Twins are looking to compete. Some bullpen arms like Matt Belisle, Ronald Belisario and Luke Hochevar may be pursued through free agency, but it seems highly unlikely that the Twins will make a major splash.
Trade Possibilities
The Twins have an outstanding farm system, but looking to build for the future, it would make no sense to deal away from that strength. Instead, they may look to deal veterans like Kurt Suzuki, Brian Dozier and Phil Hughes in an attempt to gain more young talent. Obviously they would love to get out of the Joe Mauer contract, but no team will want to take him on, and as the face of the team management wouldn't want to deal him away, as much as it makes sense from a baseball standpoint. Brian Dozier would earn a lot of interest on the trade market from teams like the Athletics, Orioles and Giants and if the Twins could get one of the Orioles big three pitching prospects or Andrew Susac from the Giants they should definitely pull the trigger. Phil Hughes has built up a lot of trade value with his impressive season and team-friendly contract, and so if the Twins can grab a couple of solid prospects they should be open to dealing him away.
Overview
The Twins are in full-on rebuild mode, and they have the farm system to make it work. They should give auditions to as many young players as possible in 2015, and look to deal away veterans when they can. With another solid draft class and some clever deals and signings, the Twins could be AL Central favourites by 2018, with the backbone of a dynasty.
No comments:
Post a Comment