The Twins are considering a full-time transfer to second base for younger infielder Royce Lewis, writes Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Minnesota briefly experimented with Lewis shifting from third base to second base late within the season, however a extra everlasting transfer is into account. Making the shift at the start of a season, when Lewis has a complete spring coaching exhibition schedule to acclimate to his new defensive environs, would presumably profit the 25-year-old slugger versus final yr’s on-the-fly look, when Lewis logged solely eight innings on the place.
Lewis is only one piece of a crowded infield puzzle in Minnesota. The previous No. 1 general choose and high prospect has been taking part in third base in deference to Carlos Correa however was drafted as a shortstop. From the time he was drafted in 2017, some scouts have questioned whether or not he’d stick at shortstop or transfer to 3rd base, second base or maybe heart discipline. A pair of ACL tears in the identical knee in consecutive seasons has most likely impacted that call for the group as nicely.
Along with Lewis and Correa, the Twins can be trying to juggle taking part in time between high prospect Brooks Lee (the No. 8 general choose in 2022), Edouard Julien (who posted terrific rookie numbers in ’23 earlier than struggling in ’24), Jose Miranda (who rebounded properly from a 2023 season ruined by shoulder surgical procedure) and utilityman Willi Castro (.251/.334/.395 with 21 homers, 47 steals in 282 video games with the Twins).
Carlos Santana’s potential departure in free company and the stunning retirement of injury-plagued former high prospect Alex Kirilloff opens some at-bats at first base, which may very well be dealt with by Julien and/or Miranda. Lee, thought of a greater defender at third base than Lewis, would presumably be in line for the majority of the taking part in time on the scorching nook if he makes the roster. Lee missed appreciable time with harm and struggled in his first style of the massive leagues final yr, nevertheless, so if he opens the season in Triple-A, that’d depart Miranda and Julien to share the corners early within the season, with Castro (who has in depth outfield expertise as nicely) mixing in all around the discipline. The Twins even have fast-rising prospect Luke Keaschall to think about; the 2023 second-rounder has performed second, third, first and heart discipline within the minors and at present ranks thirty ninth on Baseball America’s rating of the sport’s high 100 prospects.
One possibility the Twins may discover, in fact, is a reunion with Santana. The 39-year-old switch-hitter is aiming to play at the least three or 4 extra seasons and by all accounts fairly loved his time in Minnesota. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey not too long ago informed the Twins beat that he’s not ruling out the chance, even when it could “create another modifications that now we have to think about on the roster” (hyperlink through Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). Santana hit .238/.328/.420 with 23 residence runs and gained a Gold Glove at first base in 2024 after signing a one-year, $5.25MM deal in Minnesota.
It’s attainable that the glut of infield expertise may lead a commerce of some selection this offseason, although given the crew’s payroll scenario, trades of veterans on considerably notable salaries are thought of likelier. That might embody Castro, who’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $6.2MM in his last season of membership management, however there are different areas the place the Twins have notable salaries they may shed. Catcher Christian Vazquez and his $10MM wage are one possibility, and Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote not too long ago that there’s an expectation that righty Chris Paddack can even garner some calls this winter. (We ranked Paddack sixteenth on our checklist of MLB’s high commerce candidates heading into the offseason.)
Paddack, 29 in January, is signed by the 2025 season and can earn a $7.5MM wage subsequent yr. He returned for his first full season following a second profession Tommy John surgical procedure in 2024 and pitched 88 1/3 innings with a 4.99 ERA. That’s not a flattering quantity, however a considerable portion of the injury towards Paddack got here in a single nightmare outing the place he yielded 9 runs in 5 1/3 innings to the Orioles in April. From that time forth, he posted a 4.38 ERA with a strong 22.3% strikeout price and wonderful 5.1% stroll price. He spent the ultimate two months of the season on the injured checklist as a consequence of a forearm pressure.
A former high prospect who regarded on the cusp of stardom after a dominant rookie season when he gave the Padres 140 2/3 of three.33 ERA ball with plus strikeout and stroll charges, Paddack remains to be one thing of a mission at the same time as he approaches his twenty ninth birthday. That stated, he’s youthful than most free agent pitchers and paid roughly in keeping with what is perhaps anticipated of an older reclamation mission. As an example, Alex Wooden ($8.5MM), Wade Miley ($8.5MM) and James Paxton ($7MM) all signed one-year offers on this vary coming off injury-shortened seasons of their very own final winter.
Paddack’s deal will not be teeming with surplus worth, however the Twins additionally may not must eat any cash in a commerce. Dealing him would skinny out the crew’s rotation provide, however the Twins may nonetheless pursue some more cost effective depth arms to enrich Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson and high prospects David Festa and Zebby Matthews, each of whom made their MLB debuts in 2024 (every struggling to various extents). Prospects Marco Raya and Andrew Morris are additionally on the near-term horizon.
