Minnesota Twins Offseason Gets Dismal Grade From Expert

This offseason was going to be relatively predictable for the Minnesota Twins. The Pohlad family announced intentions to sell the team. They also were not going to spend money on the franchise as they departed.

Derek Falvey had little ability to do much besides sit on his hands and wait for the bargain bin to shake out. He worked through moves to grab Danny Coulombe, Ty France, and Harrison Bader. If that’s uninspiring, it’s because it was always going to be.

MN Twins offseason near-bottom of entire Major League Baseball

Spring Training has kicked off and the Twins play their first game on Saturday. Non-roster invitees joined for full squad workouts this week. That doesn’t mean reflecting on how they got here brings any sort of warm fuzzies.

The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman handed Minnesota a “D” grade. That ranks better than only the Colorado Rockies (F) and St. Louis Cardinals (F) for the winter.

“After three months of browsing in the bargain bin because of the outgoing ownership’s payroll constraints, the Twins signed Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe and Ty France to one-year deals totaling $10.25 million just before camp opened. They’re all useful depth pieces, but the Twins made no other additions to the major-league roster and opted against bringing in a higher-upside replacement for Santana at first base.

No one in Minnesota is shocked by the offseason inactivity, and criticism should be directed more at ownership than a front office with very little spending room, but it would be hard to argue the Twins have made a meaningful effort to improve last season’s fourth-place roster that collapsed down the stretch. Bader at $6.25 million is the Twins’ most expensive pickup, via signing or trade, in the past 25 months.”

Aaron Gleeman on the Minnesota Twins offseason (The Athletic)

On one hand, it’s understandable (even aside from the financial limitations) that the Twins did so little. The bulk of the roster is already decided upon, and strength of their season will be reflective of health and internal depth.

Related: New Twins Hitting Coaches Mandating More Preparation and Structure

On the other hand, it’s disappointing that Minnesota again failed to supplement a team that crumbled down the stretch despite being in postseason contention.

Bader’s addition can’t be worse than what Manuel Margot provided, and should be substantially better. Coulombe should clear the bar that Caleb Thielbar left. The biggest question mark is just where France will land in relation to what Minnesota got from Carlos Santana.

The Twins have spent next to no money after locking down Carlos Correa to a six-year deal. That isn’t the sort of situation he had to believe he was joining. The hope remains a new owner will quickly infuse the organization with a boost of cash.

Not just the Twins came up short

For all of the consternation that gets directed at the Los Angeles Dodgers, their desire to spend isn’t the greatest problem. Of course the amount of significant additions the reigning champions earned them an “A.” The amount of other owners and organizations unwilling to add is lengthy though.

The MN Twins are joined by three other franchises (Milwaukee, San Diego, and Seattle) to earn “D” grades this offseason. Effectively that makes Minnesota’s offseason one of the six-worst across the entirety of the sport.

Related: Harrison Bader’s Main Role with Minnesota Twins Revealed

A greater desire to spend any amount of money would be something of praise. It’s been two years since the Twins carried a franchise-record payroll north of $160 million. It’s probably not a coincidence that the 2023 season resulted in the greatest postseason run in decades.

Jim Bowden previously praised the Twins this offseason for “standing pat.” While they have plenty of talent internally, I’m not sure that’s necessarily something to be admired for.

AL Central leaves Minnesota in the dust

Although Gleeman is a writer for the Twins beat, he has a strong grasp of the AL Central as a whole. Tasked with evaluating the entire division, only Minnesota’s offseason was hit with such a low grade.

Both Kansas City and Chicago were given “C” grades for their efforts. The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians earned “B” marks from Gleeman. The division is currently projected to go through Minnesota, but how much Detroit and Cleveland separate themselves will be worth watching.

Related: Top Projection System Says Minnesota Twins Win Division

The Twins need to lean into their stars and have them healthy this season. As is always the case, the more Correa, Royce Lewis, and Byron Buxton are on the field, the better.