Dropping the list of Twins 3.0: Carlos Correa changes everything

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As you may have heard, the twins Made a bit of news last week. And one of our long standing bases here at the athlete Is that if a team makes the biggest signing in franchise history, we’ll go ahead and drop a new roster.

Carlos Correa‘s A shocking return to Minnesota on a six-year, $200 million deal that dramatically changes the image of the Twins, now and into the next decade. But there are still questions left to be answered and several areas that need upgrades in less than a month for shooters and hunters to report to Fort Myers.

Do the Twins have enough depth of quality or will they push more chips into the middle after Korea rips? lets take alook.

Catchers (2)

in: Christian VasquezAnd Ryan Jeffers

The others on the 40-man list: no one

Dan Hayes: After suffering depth issues behind the plate last season, there appears to be a concerted effort to ensure there are plenty of experienced options in the minors this year behind Vasquez and Jeffers. Six of the 25 non-roster (NRI) invitees to spring training are catchers, including veterans Tony Wolters, Grayson Griner and Chance Sisko, each with major league experience.

Walters, 30, has played in 360 major league games while also making several appearances at second base, third base, shortstop and left field. He was considered a priority addition among the team’s free agents, as well as the re-signing of 23-year-old Jair Camargo, who had never played higher than Double A but had MLB power.

Aaron Jaliman: When a team that spent most of the season in first place ends up serving a 22-player Sandy Lyon start down the stretch, it makes sense that they would stock up on hunting depth for next season. backup player Kyle Farmer It can act as a third catcher in an emergency. I’m actually a little surprised the Twins haven’t re-signed Lyon, despite the likable 33-year-old coming off knee surgery. He recently secured a minor league deal from notice.

This is one of the most straightforward positions for twins. Vasquez, who She signed a three-year, $30 million deal With the Twins in mid-December, the majority of games will start, probably somewhere in the 55-65 percent range. Jeffers would back him up while starting mostly against left-handed pitchers. And if injuries happen again, they’ll have several veterans holed up in Triple A. On paper, at least, the Twins’ catching depth is among the best in the league.

Enfielders (6)

in: Louis ArazAnd Jorge PolancoCarlos Correa Jose MirandaKyle Farmer Alex Kirillov

The others on the 40-man list: Royce LewisAnd Edward Julien

Jaliman: Korea back changes everything here. Moving from Farmer to Correa as the starting shortstop is about as big an upgrade as possible, and it pushes Farmer into the utility role that suits him best. He’ll back up all four spots, serve as an emergency third catcher and possibly see some action on the field.

It’s a common theme when looking at this list, but depth of field was clearly a priority after injury problems last season. Correa, Polanco, and Miranda shut out at shortstop, second base, and third base, respectively. Arraez and Kirilloff can split time at first base and the designated hitter, with Arraez also playing second base and Kirilloff being an option outfield. And the farmer fills in any gaps as long as only one player needs a day off.

Come midseason, Lewis must re-enter the mix by coming back from back-to-back torn ACLs. And around that time, fellow senior fellows Brooks Lee, Austin Martin and/or Julian were likely pressing for call-ups as well.

Hayes: MLB Trade Rumors has projected a salary of $5 million for Arraez through arbitration, which is exactly what the Twins have offered for the 2022 champion. Arraez responded with $6.1 million, so it’s likely that both parties will be heading into a hearing to determine his 2023 salary.

Not only did Lewis and Lee make it to the majors at some point this season, the Twins added utility man Willy Castro in a minor league deal this winter. Castro isn’t much of a defender in the outfield (the team likely used him in the outfield after he was included there when he announced minor league call-ups), but there’s hope he can rediscover the bat that has yielded . 349/. 381/. 550 career streak with six batters in 140 plate appearances in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Outfielders (5)

in: Byron BuxtonAnd Joey GalloAnd Max KeplerAnd Nick GordonAnd Gilberto Celestino

The others on the 40-man list: Trevor LarnachAnd Wallner died

Jaliman: At the start of the season, the Twins’ outfield depth chart had too many left-handed bats and not enough right-handed bats. Since then, they’ve added another left-handed in Gallo and dropped a right, Kyle Garlick, from the list of 40 men. Right now the only right bats are Buxton and Celestino, though Chief of Baseball Operations Derek Valvey has said That Farmer is a viable outside option that could help fill Garlick’s role.

Something must be given. Even if Larnach and Wallner are in the mansion – which seems like a waste – they still have to find the bats left for Gallo, Kepler, Kirillov and Gordon. Garlick wasn’t a star, but he did fill the much-needed role of starting 2-3 times a week opposite left-handed pitchers. Either the Twins have something planned or they have a lot of faith in Farmer playing left field, or else the field is really lopsided.

Two weeks ago, I thought AJ PollockAnd Andrew McCutcheon or Trey Mancini make more sense, but have since signed elsewhere. Adam Duvall and Tommy Pham are the next best free agent fit options, so the shelves are mostly empty. It seems logical that the Twins would add a good bat and/or trade lefts, with Kepler being The most obvious candidate, but they may not see this as a major weakness. It’s an easy-to-fill gap that has obvious value.

Hayes: when we were occur that dayBuxton indicated that his knee is at 100 percent. Although he was slowed down the entire 2022 season due to his knee, Buxton once again demonstrated how much he can make the difference, hitting 28 home runs in 382 games. Since he was 25, Buxton has hit a home run once every 14 times.

While he will likely see the majority of his playing time at first base, Kirillov can still occasionally play the outfield. What’s more important is the feel of Kirillov’s wrist. All indicators are positive. While Kirillov had to shut it down for a month, there has been no such shutdown for this year.

Valve he said last week which Kirillov lets go of when he swings by, calling it “really good news”. But, the Twins have also tried to slowly build up Kirillov’s wrist this season, which means he’ll likely be behind everyone else when he gets to camp because he doesn’t get quite the same volume of live swings.

starting pitchers (5)

in: Sonny GrayAnd Kent MaedaAnd Tyler MahleyAnd Joe RyanAnd Billy Uber

The others on the 40-man list: Josh WinderAnd Chris BaddackAnd Louis FarlandAnd Simeon Woods RichardsonAnd Brent HedrickAnd Jordan PalazowiczAnd Matt Canterino

Hayes: One of the biggest items on Correa’s wish list is being the starting pitcher on the front line. When I thought he was heading to metsCorrea expected him to play at the back Max Scherzer And Justin Verlander. In truth, there are very few true Aces in baseball, maybe 8-12. None of them are available in free agency right now.

Had the Twins somehow produced a preseason miracle and added one via trade, said ace would join an already solid rotation, albeit one that uses four pitchers who lost time last season due to injury. The twins had discussions with Marlins Around Pablo Lopezbut the price is understandably high.

The real prize in Miami Sandy Alcantarawho’s signed through 2026 with a team option for 2027. He’s the kind of pitcher I’d dump the farm system for, but word is the Marlins have no interest in trading National League winner Cy Young.

Jaliman: If everyone is healthy, this is one of the best and deepest runs the Twins have run in a long time, featuring five above-average starters, with three MLB-ready prospects waiting in the wings in Winder, Varland and Woods Richardson. The problem, however, is that Gray, Maeda, Mahle, and Ober all have some level of injury and/or durability concerns, as does Winder. They have a lot of depth and are sure to need it.

There’s been a lot of Lopez rumors floating around lately, and he’s certainly a good player, but it’s not clear he’s a big enough upgrade on any of the current top five rookies to warrant parting with a multiplayer package that includes a major switch. Patrols and top odds. And it’s not like López is an iron man himself, as the 26-year-old’s 3.94 career-age ERA has a long injury history and faded in the second half of last season.

Like you said, if the Twins want to make another big throw before spring training, this is the place to do it, but I’m not sure Lopez makes it happen given the in-house options. They need to shoot higher than López to provide a clear upgrade and that’s really hard without burning the farm system.

relief jugs (8)

in: Johan DoranAnd Jorge LopezAnd Griffin JaxAnd Caleb ThelbarAnd Jorge AlcalaAnd Emilio PaganAnd Giovanni MoranAnd Trevor Miguel

The others on the 40-man list: Ronnie HenriquezAnd Cole SandsAnd AJ Alexey

Jaliman: Alexi is a right fielder who was acquired in a small trade last week and may not even compete with the Twins, but I will forever remember him because the team sent out a press release about the trade while everyone else was totally outsmarted by the Twins. Korea News. It reminded me of when my mom told me to read a book to calm down during the very long drive to Valley Fair. Alexi is that book.

In any case, the Twins still look like a quality right-handed reliever who lacks a reliable base. Re-signing Michael Vollmer seems like an obvious solution, especially since Lopez and Pagan are… well, let’s say question marks. They can also turn to a young rookie player like Winder. But for me, once you get Correa, you can also do everything possible to add depth of quality, since another win or two could be what gets you into the playoffs.

Hayes: The bullpen sure looks like a place where the Twins could add a standout option like you’re proposing with Fulmer. While injuries lost in September divided the Twins, you can feel it ClevelandConfidence is growing day by day when they rallied to beat the lead five times in eight June meetings. However, it’s too early to suggest that Lopez can’t repeat what he did before he was acquired at last year’s deadline. He’ll be more comfortable with the twins after spending spring with the group.

The relief team has gone deeper with some minor league signings, including running back left fielder Danny Cullum, who looked like he was in 2022 before he had hip surgery. Priority Minor League deals also included Jose de Leon and Patrick Murphy right-handers. It is the sixth organization to take a chance on De León, once a top 40 prospect in the world Dodgersagain when the twins tried to get him in trade talks for Brian Dozier.

(Top photo of Carlos Correa and Luis Aries: Jeffrey Baker/USA Today)

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