The weeks after Major League Baseball’s regular season wrap up are usually quiet on the news front for teams watching the playoffs from home, but with an organization in transition, the Twins should be making all sorts of news over the next few months.
Before that really kicks off, here’s a primer to get you set on what’s to come this offseason.
Things to look for
There are a number of things that fall into this category, starting with a managerial search that appears to be in full swing. A source with knowledge of the search confirmed Tuesday that the Twins are interviewing New York Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Boston Red Sox bench coach Ramón Vázquez. Once the manager is hired, he will help management piece together a new coaching staff.
Keep in mind that Rocco Baldelli, fired after seven seasons this fall, was hired in October 2018, so the search could be wrapped up this month.
—In November, MLB will unveil its award winners, and while the American League Most Valuable Player race figures to be a close one between Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, the interest for Twins fans involves center fielder Byron Buxton.
Buxton, who posted a 5.0 fWAR this season(Wins Above Replacement per FanGraphs), is in line for a $3 million bonus if he finishes in sixth through10th place. That number would rise if he finished higher.
—The next month, MLB’s annual winter meetings will take place in Orlando, Fla. The draft lottery is of particular interest to the Twins after they finished this season with the fourth-worst record in the major leagues.
Two of the teams who finished with worse records — the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals — are ineligible to receive a lottery pick this season, the revenue-paying Nationals because they had a lottery pick last year and the revenue-receiving Rockies because they’ve had one in each of the past two seasons. That means that the Twins have the second-best chance of landing the No. 1 pick (22.18 percent) in the 2026 draft. Only the division-rival Chicago White Sox have better odds (27.73 percent).
—Another thing to look out for is an announcement on the limited partnership groups that will be buying a percentage of the Twins from the Pohlad family. Information on these groups — one said to have significant ties to the Twin Cities and the other described as a prominent East Coast-based family — has been sparse.
When can trades and free agency begin?
The Twins were the most active team at the trade deadline and the pace could pick up again this offseason. If the team goes into full rebuild mode, they still have valuable players they could trade, such as starting pitchers Pablo López, who is due $21.75 million, which is the Twins’ highest annual payout, and Joe Ryan, who garnered interest at the deadline. Alternatively, the Twins could decide to continue to build around those two as part of what could be a strong rotation next season. Trades can pick back up after the World Series ends, and free agents can officially sign with new teams five days after the Fall Classic concludes.
Do the Twins have any notable free agents?
The Twins had six impending free agents to begin the season but shipped all but one away at the trade deadline. Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Danny Coulombe, Chris Paddack and Ty France were dealt, leaving just veteran catcher Christian Vázquez. Vázquez developed a shoulder infection that cost him more than a month of the season but returned for the final week to play out the end of his three-year, $30 million contract.
Which players must the Twins make decisions on?
The Twins, who tore apart their bullpen at the trade deadline, must first decide if they want to exercise a $2 million club option on reliever Justin Topa or buy him out for $225,000. That will have to be done within five days of the conclusion of the World Series.
After that, they have a number of other players who are arbitration-eligible, some of whom will definitely be tendered a contract — like Ryan, for example — and others who are more of a question mark. Trevor Larnach is projected to make $4.7 million next season, per MLB Trade Rumors, after spending much of the season as the Twins’ designated hitter, and finished with below-average OPS+ (99). With Buxton and Matt Wallner in place, and some young outfield prospects nearing the majors, the Twins must decide if they are ready to move on from their 2018 first-round pick. Others, like relievers Michael Tonkin and Anthony Misiewicz, seem as if they could be possible non-tender candidates.
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