JUST IN: Twins Reacts Survey: Grading Minnesota’s Offseason

Starting Pitchers: Dallas Keuchel, Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda, and Sonny Grey
IN: Matt Canterino (returning from injury), Chris Paddack, and Anthony DeSclafani

Although losing a pitcher who was runner-up for the Cy Young Award is never ideal, the Twins starting staff is still in a strong position with the return of Paddack and advancements from Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober. Regression was unavoidable even if they brought Sonny back, but DeSclafani ought to be able to reasonably take Maeda’s place in the lineup.

With six starting pitchers of Big League calibre (Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Paddack, DeSclafani, and Varland), elite prospects (Canterino, Festa), and intriguing young arms (SWR, Headrick), they make up for their lack of elite performance with depth. The staffs of Ryan, Paddack, and Ober will once again rank among the best in the league if one of them can appear more like a #2 than a #3.

Even though I think poorly of their moves, I still think highly of the group as a whole.

RATING: D+

Pitcher of Relief

OUT: Jovani Moran (TJS), Jose De Leon, Oliver Ortega, Dylan Floro, and Emilio Pagán.
IN: Steven Okert, Josh Staumont, Zack Weiss, Jay Jackson (actual name), Justin Topa
Without a doubt, the Twins’ pen improved; most projection systems place them in the top three in baseball. The core group of the Twins—Duran, Jax, Stewart, and Thielbar—remains strong, but their offseason acquisitions have improved their team’s calibre throughout. Last season, Pagán surprised everyone by showing remarkable ability. The Twins replaced the other departing pitchers with four reliable, experienced relievers.

Taken as a group, Topa, Okert, Staumont, and Jackson don’t really make a difference, but they should prevent the SPs and high-leverage relievers from being overexposed and overworked. It is a major advantage for the 2023 team that the majority of those innings go to the four RP additions rather than Cole Sands or Josh Winder. The Reds also claim that the entire bullpen is making slightly more than $10 million, or around one Emilio Pagán.

Nothing makes keeping pitchers fresh for October easier than having a strong bullpen.

CLASS: A

On-field

OUT: Donovan Solano, Jorge Polanco
INCLUDED: Carlos Santana
For the previous eight seasons, Polanco was a mainstay in Minnesota’s lineups, so losing a player of his calibre is never ideal. But once Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien had complete seasons, he became expendable, which allowed the Twins to reallocate that money to other areas that needed it and still acquire a top prospect.

Conversely, Solano signed late in the spring and ended up playing almost every day. With a.760 OPS and a penchant for producing huge hits when the Twins needed them, he played admirably. Essentially brought in to take Solano’s spot, Santana should play a similar role, starting against lefties and seeing action at first base and designated hitter a couple other times each week. Although they approach things completely differently, the final outcome should be roughly the same.

Although Polanco’s raw replacement for Santana is obviously a step back in isolation, the squad as a whole is doing really well with the young players.

C+ in grade

Outside the field

OUT: Andrew Stevenson, Gilberto Celestino, Jordan Luplow, Nick Gordon, Joey Gallo, Michael A. Taylor, and Kyle Garlick
Manuel Margot and Gabriel Gonzalez, who MLB Pipeline ranks as the Twins’ #4 prospects,.
For me, this group emerges as a wash. Although Margot gives Taylor’s defence a little more offensive punch, losing Joey Gallo is an addition by subtraction. His overall productivity was lifted by a blisteringly hot April, but from May 1 on, he had an unimaginably bad 44.9% K rate and a.662 OPS. The Twins selected Byron Buxton, who can hardly hit, and Andrew Stevenson over Gallo for their postseason squad.

Speaking of Buck, after DHing for the entirety of 2023, one could say he’s a valuable asset to the outfield. Nothing has a greater impact than a healthy Buxton, especially when it means no more pain for the first time in two years. But Margot can cover for him when he does lose time. In terms of overall team feelings, Gordon is a loss, but not in terms of production. Willi Castro had filled in for him in the utility role.

CLASS: B

All-around Offseason Rating
This is the issue. When taken away of context, the offseason is often “meh” in my opinion. Taylor, Santana, DeSclafani, and Margot are in, and the four relievers are out. They should easily win the division because of their strong squad, but they still don’t have a reliable starter for games two or three of a postseason series.

I would give the offseason a B+ when considering the Pohlad’s payroll constraints, but that isn’t the purpose of this exercise. I have to drop it a little lower as a result.

FINAL GRADE: C+