Twins reportedly to sign Marwin Gonzalez

Jon Heyman reported this morning that the Twins have acquired free agent utility man Marwin Gonzalez. The deal is worth $21 million over two years. Gonzalez has spent his entire career with the Houston Astros. Last season, he hit .247 with 16 home runs and 68 runs batted in.

Gonzalez provides some more depth to the Twins lineup, as well as another option for an already pretty dang good outfield. He is also a capable infielder, with experience at third base and shortstop. This gives the Twins insurance for Miguel Sano in case he gets injured or underperforms.

This move sends another message to the rest of Major League Baseball that the Twins are in “win now” mode. With Cleveland selling off a few pieces and the Twins adding on, the American League Central might be a much more interesting race than we had previously thought. Which is a good thing, since the race was pretty much over by July last season.

It’s unclear whether or not the Twins are done with free agent signings at this point, but there are a few more places where depth could be added, such as starting pitching. Even if the Twins don’t add anyone else, one thing’s for certain: the lineup is likely going to be way more intimidating than it has been the past few seasons, and I am looking forward to seeing it.

Edit: Jeff Passan was first on the salary details