I’m back home after two weeks at spring training, where I learned at least 10 things about the Minnesota Twins, interviewed manager Derek Shelton, tried to figure out whether the Pablo López-less starting rotation could still be a strength and examined how many left-handed relievers are too many.
And now we’re fewer than three weeks from Opening Day, so let’s open the mailbag and see what’s on everyone’s minds about the Twins.
Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.
Are any of the young players the Twins got in last year’s trade deadline fire sale ready to contribute major help this season? — Chuck A.
Definitely, in part because the Twins targeted young major leaguers and/or Triple-A prospects in several of their deadline deals.
Taj Bradley, who was acquired for Griffin Jax at the deadline, will almost surely be in the Opening Day rotation. Mick Abel, who was acquired in the Jhoan Duran trade, will either be in the Opening Day rotation or on call at Triple-A St. Paul whenever a starter is needed.
Alan Roden and Kendry Rojas, who arrived in the Louie Varland trade, are likely to see action with the Twins this season. Roden could win an Opening Day job, depending on how the Twins decide to handle their corner-outfield logjam that also includes another trade deadline pickup, James Outman.
And there’s an outside shot Hendry Mendez, who came over as part of the Harrison Bader swap, could hit his way into the Twins’ second-half plans.
I’m sorry to beat a dead horse, but can you offer any insight into the Twins’ decision to tender Trevor Larnach a contract? — Gregory B.
I’ve already been accused of focusing way too much on the Twins’ decision to retain Larnach via arbitration for $4.475 million. It seemed questionable in November because of Larnach’s mediocre production and the logjam of left-handed corner bats, and it looks even less logical now.
I suspect the Twins’ front office assumed there would be a trade market for Larnach, but one hasn’t materialized. My oft-stated opinion is they’d have been better off non-tendering Larnach, clearing space for the minimum-salaried Roden and using the nearly $4 million saved on much-needed bullpen help.
With that said, $4.475 million is hardly some egregious salary for a middling platoon corner outfielder/designated hitter. It’s an issue because the payroll keeps shrinking, the Twins have no shortage of younger, higher-upside lefty bats coming soon and they failed to address obvious roster weaknesses.
Any indication yet how the baseball operations department might operate differently under Jeremy Zoll than it did under Derek Falvey? — Mike W.
There haven’t been any significant signings or trades since Zoll took over for Falvey on Jan. 30, so it’s tough to give a meaningful answer yet. It’s also possible Zoll has and/or will find it difficult to make major moves that can differentiate him from Falvey, given the ongoing payroll constraints.
Zoll had been Falvey’s right-hand man for several seasons, and took on an even more prominent role after replacing Thad Levine as general manager last offseason. I’d be surprised if Zoll’s big-picture approach strays very far from Falvey’s, but small differences will inevitably reveal themselves.
It’s also worth noting the Twins replaced neither Levine nor Falvey with an outside hire, so the front office’s new decision-making hierarchy is familiar voices in elevated roles. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen, but it seemingly reduces the likelihood of substantial changes in approach.
If an obvious shift in approach emerges this year, I suspect it will be driven more by Tom Pohlad than by Zoll. But even that guess is based on Pohlad’s words since replacing brother Joe Pohlad as principal owner, which haven’t been matched by his actions yet in any meaningful way.
How are the Twins coaching players for ABS challenges? — Bigleague C.
In spring training, players are being encouraged to challenge liberally, as a way to get familiar with the ABS system and gain the experience needed to accurately judge which calls are worth challenging once the games matter.
Within that, the Twins are among many teams giving catchers vastly more leeway than pitchers to challenge borderline calls, with hitters likely falling somewhere in between. That’s backed by minor-league data, in addition to a general sense that the emotional bias of pitchers clouds their objectivity.
For years, there’s been lots of talk about the ABS system reducing the value of catchers by making pitch framing a less essential skill, but I’m becoming increasingly convinced the opposite is true. Catchers who master the art of ABS challenges could have a bigger impact than ever. It will change games.
What type of year would you need to see from Brooks Lee to feel confident he’s a reliable long-term shortstop option? — Justin K.
I view Lee as unlikely to stick as a long-term shortstop, in part because of his physical limitations and in part because the Twins’ last two first-round picks, Kaelen Culpepper and Marek Houston, are shortstops who currently project to be superior defenders there. Culpepper might be ready this year.
It’s possible Culpepper will prove better suited to play another infield spot and Houston won’t hit enough to be a starting-caliber shortstop, but even if both of those things happen, the chances of Lee being the Twins’ long-term shortstop are low. He still needs to show he can be a short-term shortstop.
And there’s no shame in that. Many high school, college and even Triple-A shortstops slide down the defensive spectrum in the majors. I believe Lee is capable of being above average at second base or third base, but regardless of position, he needs to show this season that his hitting is starting caliber.
Do the Twins have any plan to improve their international scouting, which hasn’t produced an impact player in years? — Ed L.
They already overhauled the international scouting department two years ago, hiring Roman Barinas from the Los Angeles Dodgers to become their director of Latin American scouting and promoting former Houston Astros executive Kevin Goldstein to vice president of international scouting.
Those changes were directly motivated by the underwhelming results the Twins have gotten internationally. However, because the prospects signed internationally are typically 16 or 17, it can take four or five years to see the tangible impact of those changes, positive or negative.
For example: Emmanuel Rodriguez was signed for $2.5 million by the last international scouting regime as a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic in 2019. Seven years later, he’s a consensus top-100 prospect almost certain to make his Twins debut this season. It’s a slow burn, even when done well.
What do you make of Byron Buxton’s comments about the front office not shutting down trade speculation? Has that blown over? — Jeff P.
I think it’s largely blown over, for now at least.
However, the overall situation remains unchanged. If the Twins continue to test Buxton’s admirable loyalty with another losing season, and another trade deadline fire sale, it would be tough to blame him for wanting out. You can’t tear down the team around a 32-year-old All-Star and expect him to like it.
Buxton has 29.8 career bWAR, which is ninth in Twins history for position players. What’s the likelihood he reaches the top six, passing Bob Allison, Chuck Knoblauch and Kent Hrbek? — Bryce B.
First, here’s how Buxton’s career bWAR in a Twins uniform compares to the eight position players ahead of him:
PLAYERbWAR
Rod Carew
63.8
Joe Mauer
55.6
Harmon Killebrew
53.9
Kirby Puckett
51.1
Tony Oliva
43.1
Kent Hrbek
38.6
Chuck Knoblauch
38.0
Bob Allison
30.6
Byron Buxton
29.8
It’s an extremely hard top five to crack, because all five are Hall of Famers wearing a Twins cap on their Cooperstown plaques. I’d say Buxton cracking the top six is certainly doable, but probably unlikely at age 32.
He’s a good month from passing Allison for No. 8, but rising any higher will require multiple healthy, All-Star-level seasons. Buxton is definitely capable of passing Knoblauch and/or Hrbek if he stays with the Twins for the final three years of his contract — or longer — but that’s an increasingly big “if.”
Injuries will forever be a big part of Buxton’s story, but what an incredible — and incredibly fun to watch — all-around player.
Do you think we’ll see a Twins outfield consisting of Buxton, Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins at some point this season? — Tony K.
Yes. And while we don’t know how Jenkins and Rodriguez will turn out, that has the potential to be one of the top outfields in Twins history on both sides of the ball. And it would be exciting to watch the two highly touted, upside-filled prospects become stars while flanking a late-career Buxton.
That’s a version of the future Twins fans can dream on, no matter how low their morale and expectations are for this season.
Have the Twins done anything exciting this offseason that tops their beer specials at the ballpark? — Dean S.
I’m not exaggerating when I say the Twins announcing $2 pregame beer specials is the most popular thing they’ve done on or off the field since the 2023 playoffs ended. And, honestly, I’m struggling to think of what would be the second-most popular thing during that time. It’s been a rough stretch.
I saw this week that the St. Louis Cardinals, who are also trying to raise fan morale amid declining attendance, have created a section of their ballpark where $29 tickets come with all-you-can-eat food from pregame through the eighth inning. I wonder if something similar is in the Twins’ future as well.
It turns out, making fans feel like they aren’t being ripped off for attending a game is a good thing, especially when the product on the field is lacking.
