Dumpster Diving

We are in full swing of the Offseason now, with a few noteworthy trades completed and a handful of free agents off the table. Now, with the Winter Meetings underway, we may see an uptick.

Recently, Ben ranked the Twins top offseason priorities. I had similar sentiments, listing catchers, shortstop, pitching, and corner outfields as positions to address in my Twinkie Town Community Build-A-Team Offseason Plan.

Maybe the Pohlads open the pocketbooks and shell out contracts to Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa, Willson Contreras, and Carlos Rodon. But, if you don’t think adding $100+ million to the budget is feasible, it may be important to look at other options.

Below, I’ve looked at alternative options. In my search, there were a few requirements:

1. Under the radar

• Players not featured on top 50 lists (most lists had similar names so I stuck to FanGraphs’ and MLB Trade Rumors’ lists) or heavily discussed in trade conversations (from what I’ve read).

2. Positional needs

• Positions of need are mentioned above. More specifically, I focused on the following things:
• Left-handed and/or defensive-minded backup catchers
• Similarly skilled players to Farmer but with more positional flexibility. This would be in preparation for a big name signing, pushing the new player to a utility role while Farmer could be traded.
• Right-handed hitting corner outfielders who can play multiple positions (tough to find Buxton insurance but corner infield depth was a bonus).
• Pitching. I focused on relief pitchers with the ability to throw strikes (good K/9 and BB/9 numbers), provide multiple innings (spot starts were a plus), and had a decent fastball and out pitch.

3. Improvement

• Bench: as of now, the last men on the bench are Nick Gordon and Gilberto Celestino. Gordon is out of options so unless the Twins make a major addition, his spot is safe. So Celestino’s predicted .6 WAR is the target number.
• Bullpen: There are several guys on the roster (Jax, Moran, Alcala, Winder, etc.) who project for positive value AND have options remaining. My goal was to find guys with at least one of those “abilities,” while hopefully maintaining last season’s strategy of carousel-ing relievers across the river.

4. Cost and Availability

• Looking for cost effective additions, either in money or prospects. A couple million was the target.

Here are the results of my search:

Catchers:

Free Agent - Tyler Heineman (.5 WAR, 2 options)

Mariners - Cooper Hummel (.4 WAR, 2 options, AND a switch-hitting outfielder)

Padres - Brett Sullivan (.2 WAR, 2 options)

Orioles - Anthony Bemboom (.4 WAR)

Shortstops:

Orioles - Jorge Mateo (1.5 WAR, primarily SS but played OF and 3B/2B in 2021)

Padres - Eguy Rosario (2.0 WAR, SS/3B)

Royals - Adalberto Mondesi (1.3 WAR, some experience at 2B/3B)

Rays - Taylor Walls (.8 WAR, some experience at 2B/3B)

Outfielders:

Free Agent - Miguel Sano (.2 WAR, RHH 1B/3B) *a joke. BUT maybe there IS a case for Sano as a cheap flyer at 1B…*

Free Agent - Brian Anderson (1.5 WAR, RHH 3B/OF)

Free Agent - Cesar Hernandez (.7 WAR, switch-hitting 2B with reps at 3B and OF)

Pitchers:

Free Agent - Trevor Williams (.6 WAR, multi-inning)

Free Agent - Luke Weaver (.9 WAR, multi-inning)

Rays - Yonny Chirinos (.3 WAR, 1 option, multi-inning)

Free Agent - Ryan Yarbrough (.7 WAR, 1 option, multi-inning)

*A post like this wouldn’t make sense without mentioning Super Utility standout: Willians Astudillo who can fill ALL of the roles

Any names that catch your eye? Discuss in the comments.