The Twins made a spring training acquisition this afternoon, bringing in Manuel Margot From the Dodgers. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters that adding a right-handed outfielder has been the team's primary focus over the past two weeks (Link via Aaron Jaliman of The Athletic).
While Falvey did not rule out the possibility of further acquisitions, he implied that the bulk of the team's off-season building process had been completed. “Realistically, with where our team is, with how the roster is built now, and with the way it looks, obviously we'll continue to monitor where our roster is and the health of it. But that's been the primary focus for us over the last little while. I would say that these are very much the big picture items, but we will remain open about the different opportunities that arise along the way.The baseball operations leader said (via Gleeman).
List resources Their payroll is calculated to be in the $127 million range, which is consistent with reports early in the offseason that they were targeting a payroll of between $125 million and $140 million. Margot adds insurance behind her Byron Buxton, who returns to center field after knee injuries limited him to designated hitter a year ago. He also adds a right-handed complement to left-handed corner kickers Valner died And Max Kepler. The twins were recently brought in Carlos Santana — a switch-hitter who usually does better off the right side — to balance out a lineup that was slightly better against right-arm pitching than left-armers a year ago.
They also keep a right-hitting utility man Kyle Farmer For the second season. Minnesota acquired Farmer from the Reds last winter. He had a good year, appearing in 120 games and hitting .256/.317/.408 with 11 home runs. Between league average offense and the ability to handle anywhere on the field, Farmer is a good depth player. However, the high arbitration price has led to speculation that he will be traded or non-tendered, especially with the Twins announcing early winter they were cutting back on spending compared to last year.
Farmer admitted this weekend that he doubts whether he will return to Minnesota (Link via Bobby Nightingale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). “I always saw myself here, but with all the trade rumors and non-tender stuff, I thought I wouldn't be here. It worked well“, said the farmer. He admitted that the deal was not sent until late January Jorge Polanco To Seattle he is confident he will stay with the Twins.
Minnesota and Farmer agreed to a salary of $6.05 million for his final arbitration season. He will likely collect a $250,000 buyout in lieu of a $6.25 million mutual option and become a free agent for the first time next winter. Farmer should fill a multi-positional role similar to what he played a year ago. Edward Julian He steps in at second base alongside Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis And Santana/Alex Kirillov Together all over the pitch.
Lewis showed the kind of talent that earned him the first overall pick seven years ago. He hit a .309/.372/.548 clip in 58 regular season contests and struck out four homers in six playoff games. He's locked in as the starter at third base and looks like a building block for the franchise as long as he can stay healthy after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament twice in his right knee.
The Twins have Lewis under club control for five more seasons. He will play at approximately minimum salary this year and will qualify for early arbitration as a Super Two player next winter. There's no particular pressing need for Minnesota to try to lock him up on a long-term deal, which Lewis acknowledged (Via Dan Hayes of The Athletic).
“I would like to hear anything, but I don't think they are now in a position to do so.Lewis said of the extension. “Especially with the lower salaries and TV stuff, they have some financial things they have to figure out first. I'm last on the totem pole.“The 24-year-old indicated he would be receptive if the organization undertook extension initiatives but downplayed any urgency to secure short-term profits. Lewis admitted that “Definitely financially secure“After signing for a $6.73 million bonus coming out of high school.
His asking price on an extension will only escalate as long as he remains healthy for his arbitration seasons. However, it's understandable that the Twins would want to see out a full year against MLB pitching (not to mention gain clarity on a local TV deal) before seriously engaging in talks. Falvey has spoken widely about being willing to look at extension possibilities with the team's young players but told Hayes and other reporters that the focus with Lewis is “(Making sure) he's on the field all year and (continuing) to build on what he's already scratched in his career.“
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”