Twins’ questions and predictions as calendar turns to ’24
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The market did, indeed, begin to move in earnest following Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking deal with the Dodgers — well, the pitching market, at least.
The position-player market still largely appears static — and given that’s where the Twins have the majority of their big league trade capital, they’ve remained idle as it approaches time for the calendar to turn from 2023 to ‘24. And that’s not altogether surprising, considering this front office has established a tendency to wait out the market before jumping in toward the tail end.
But that means the Twins have plenty of work to do before they head to Fort Myers, Fla., for Spring Training in mid-February.
They have made just one addition — reliever Josh Staumont — to their projected Major League roster as they look to defend their AL Central title, and at this point, their needs have been reiterated enough since the end of the 2023 season: still starting pitching, perhaps a center-field reinforcement and a right-handed platoon bat to help at first base and/or corner outfield.
If nothing else, this front office has found myriad ways to be creative with their roster additions and decisions, and much of their 2024 progress will depend anyway on the continued development of the young core that burst onto the scene last season — and with that in mind, here’s what to keep in mind as the new year arrives.
Biggest question to answer before Spring Training: Will the Twins find a worthwhile deal involving Jorge Polanco and/or Max Kepler?
The answer to that question will likely set the tone for Minnesota’s offseason moves. Without as much spending freedom as they’ve enjoyed in some offseasons past, any transactions to move the needle — particularly on the pitching side — will likely have to come via trade, with their two biggest candidates being their two longest-tenured players.
Kepler is an elite defensive right fielder coming off a resurgent 2023 season, while Polanco has had recent injury concerns but has otherwise been a quality top-of-the-lineup switch-hitter with two years of remaining control in a weak middle-infield market.
One player poised to have a breakout season: Royce Lewis
Is it cheating to put Lewis here? Maybe.
Lewis already announced himself to the baseball world in 2023, when he couldn’t stop hitting grand slams and crushed a pair of homers in the victory that snapped Minnesota’s postseason losing streak.
Lewis has hit for a career .307/.364/.549 mark despite having his two seasons broken up by a second torn ACL — and now, he finally gets a healthy offseason. He was on a 42-homer pace last year, and while that’s definitely a stretch, Lewis has proven the naysayers wrong at every step during this remarkable start to his career.
Prospect to watch in 2024: Brooks Lee
The Twins haven’t traditionally been an organization to advance their prospects at a breakneck pace up their Minor League system, but Lee — the club’s No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline — hasn’t been any ordinary prospect.
The Twins’ first-round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft, Lee was always considered a very advanced hitting prospect in his class and has lived up to that billing as a professional, finishing his first partial season in Double-A before spending the final two months of ‘23 in Triple-A. The switch-hitting infielder’s strong command of the strike zone and ability to drive the ball should bring him to Minneapolis at some point this season.
