The Twins have “kicked the tires” on several free-agent third basemen, including Josh Donaldson and Todd Frazier, according to Darren Wolfson of Skor North. Speculatively, it would seem that Mike Moustakas could also belong to this group, though he wasn’t explicitly named as a target.
One member of the Twins who might not be pleased to hear this news? C.J. Cron. With Miguel Sano currently installed at the hot corner, there’s not an immediate fit there, so adding a pricey third baseman through free agency could force Sano to first base—at Cron’s expense. The 29-year-old is in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and with MLBTR projecting a $7.7MM salary for the 2020 season, he’s a candidate to be non-tendered at the December 2 deadline.
That’s not to say that Cron is not a valuable player. With a .780 OPS and 25 home runs in 125 games for the Twins, he was a nice addition last winter and $8MM is by no means unaffordable, but the front office will certainly consider whether there are other options that could match or exceed Cron’s production at a lower price. It’s the same discussion that surrounded the Rays’ decision to designate Cron for assignment after a 2018 season in which he slugged 30 home runs, rather than pay the approximate $5MM he would’ve earned in arbitration.
And with Sano expected to earn $5.9MM in his second year of arbitration eligibility and coming off a decidedly better offensive season, he may very well represent a more cost-effective replacement for Cron. After rising through the minor league ranks as a third baseman, many have projected a transition to first base in Sano’s future. And after parts of five seasons in the big leagues, it seems safe to say that Sano will never be an above-average defensive third baseman: he was credited with -5 Defensive Runs Saved in 2019, and the stat believes he has cost his team runs in every season since 2015.
The Twins have quietly amassed the financial flexibility to go after the winter’s big fish, so a player of Donaldson’s caliber shouldn’t be out of the question for Minnesota. That said, they likely won’t be players for the best option on the market, Anthony Rendon. Nonetheless, if Cron is indeed non-tendered, the club would find itself comfortably below 2019’s $120MM Opening Day payroll, so the Twins shouldn’t be financially precluded from bringing in Donaldson on the three-year, $75MM deal that MLBTR projected for him. Still, there’s an argument to be made that those resources ought to be allocated to the starting rotation, which is a glaring area of weakness after the loss of Kyle Gibson and Michael Pineda to free agency.
As Wolfson mentions, the team has also considered giving catcher Mitch Garver increased reps at first base. After an offensive breakout in which he hit 31 home runs in just 311 at-bats, one would think his bat could play there. Wolfson is quick to note, however, that that doesn’t constitute a full-time position change for Garver—of course, such a move would only diminish his comparative offensive value, given the dearth of slugging catchers. The Twins still think of him first and foremost as a catcher (indeed, Garver made strides as a defensive catcher this year after a rocky start to his career), though decreasing his workload behind the plate would allow the team to get his bat in the lineup for more games throughout the season. He was part of a formidable timeshare with Jason Castro in 2019, and the Twins seem reluctant to pencil in a single catcher for 130+ games in 2020, so a similar arrangement (whether with Castro, who’s a free agent, or a newcomer) could be in order this year.
The Astros cheated
No more so than any other team. They just got caught. Grow up. Move on. (Giants fan who could care less about the junior circuit)
Ok Boomer
The Astros cheated and Epstein didn’t kill himself,Snowflake
Ahh I think all teams cheat to an extent, but the Astros are probably the most egregious.
Not for nothing, Epstien was definitely murdered.
Lol
You devalue the power of “ok boomer” when you use it in anytime someone disagrees with you. I love ok boomer but you waste it here
What does it even mean? Simply an unsubstantiated insult on a generation? If so, that’s kinda stupid.
Use the google, Boomer
The Astros Cheated!
Your statement “no more than any other team” means nothing without proof.
I have not heard every team has cheated. Where is your source?
Your disinterestedness doesn’t make you right.
What a thoughtless reply. Truly stupid
Sure, we’re developing a culture of looking the other way at selective wrongdoings. All depends on who is doing wrong.
Starts in the White House at the desk of the cheater in chief…..
Please keep your dumb comments to yourself and Save politics for the NFL forums –
Not wrong though
If you could care less, why comment?
@Dodgethis
I’m sure some teams cheat but let’s be 100% honest. Several teams complained of about the Astros cheating. They were so egregious with it that several teams knew what was up. Aside from the Red Sox and their apple watches and the Yanks use of the bullpen phone NO other team has been accused. So if every team did it on a regular basis then we would have others teams complaining too. So it is what it is. The Astros were notorius for doing it and it finally is catching up to them. They are standing alone. Let’s not deflect one bit in their defense. They did it on an institutional level. #thatpart
@southbeach, I agree with you 100%. I also agree that it is likely many other teams have been trying to (successful or otherwise) steal signs. But no one else has been caught….YET. It wouldn’t surprise me if this investigation into the Astros blatant rule breaking will uncover other teams efforts to do the same. Either way, the Astros, on every level from Crane, to GM, to Hinch, Cora, Beltran and players, should get slammed very hard. They must be used as an example so that the practice stops. If the penalty isn’t high enough, the cheating will continue.
Barry bonds cheated
so did Mickey Mantle: https://grantland.com/features/the-last-boy/
Bad bait.
And no one cares about the SF Giants. A team that doesn’t know how to rebuild when they need to.
Sure looks that way. It’s a big deal. Really big.
I don’t know if it’s John Coppolella big, But I agree it’s big.
What does that have to do with this post?
Nada
If they go after Frazier, they better look into a lefty platoon for him. Frazier did pretty bad vs RHP last year.
I get that Sano probably needs to make a move to 1B at some point, but not right now… It may be unlikely, but I think Carlos Santana would be a great fit for the Twins.
I think Castro would be a good platoon-mate with Flowers in Atlanta.
d’Arnaud signed there yesterday
Pitching Falvey! you didn’t see what happened last year to a great batting team with no pitching. We need quality arms, that means no Gibson. Sorry Kyle
The obvious choice is to get Colton Welker (from Cape Coral) who is in the Rockies farm system. He is destined for greatness and playing to the Twins would be the exact energy producing jolt the team needs.
Lol a 22 yr old prospect that had a .721 OPS last year in a full season at AA, so obvious!
@RootedInOakland
In Welker’s defense, He was the youngest player in AA at age 21. It’s very common for a younger-than-most player struggle at a level for the first time and them acc;amate himself and produce at the level you’ve projected them to perform at.
Aaron Hudge had a .680 OPS in 260 AB before turning it around his next year with a .854 OPS.
Giants 3B Longoria for Cron and other Twins salary dumps. Giants 1B Belt gets traded for
Other needs
Nobody wants Longo
I wouldn’t mind, but I really don’t think we need to move Sano to 1B yet. I mean, Kirilloff is close and he plays 1B too. All we need is a stopgap 1B, no 3B.
This is funny as hell. Can giants fans please give up on trying to move Belt, Longo, etc.
That team made its bed, time to sleep in it for a few years
the giants aren’t interested in moving belt – longo yes crawford maybe, but belt doesn’t have too much more on his contract so it is better to wait him out and sell him @ the DL if he can have an up year
I 100% agree that farhan ought to be looking at things like this for longo – even if it is just a straight dump of longo + cash for nothing or a PTNL. The issue with longo isn’t that he is bad or old right now or even the money, he is a average to slightly above average bat with an ok glove, the issue is that he blocks younger or platoon guys and is a curmudgeon about it – if he can go to somewhere where he can have a non rebuilding more traditional role everyone will be happier.
Donaldson to Frazier. That’s quite a range of tire kicking!
Leave no tire unkicked
Cron is terrible— Sano at first and a top third baseman makes them an 105 win team
And will still lose in the first round of playoffs because they have no pitching
Why would the twins invest in more hitting…… didn’t they hit enough HRs last year and it amounted in a first round playoff exit. They NEED pitching. Didn’t they see how the nationals rolled through the playoffs with their pitching the twins already have enough power
Adding a third baseman wouldn’t stop them from adding pitching. It’s not about adding power but also defense. The Twins infield defense struggled last year. Polanco and Arraez aren’t going anywhere so upgrading third would benefit their staff.
Adding a 3B will stop them from adding pitching because they are on a tight budget.
Have you read anything about the Twins? Including this article? Twins have a whole bunch of money to spend. Far from a tight budget
No they are not
Garver & Castro (not a law firm)
combined to strikeout 175 times in 2019. Of course they hit 44 Home runs together!
Castro was born in Castro Valley, California. His own valley! He was destined for greatness…..
Trade sano for pitching… Get a Moose.. sign an ace, keep cron..
Found Cron’s burner
Wonder if Garver will continue the Josh Donaldson career path?
I think the Twins almost NEED to sign either Cole or Rendon if they are serious about making a WS run. They have the room to absorb a big contract so they should just say screw it and go all in. If they’re not comfortable offering 7 or 8 year deals then offer one of them 40mil over 5 years like the Dodgers tried to do with Harper.
The twins don’t have $$$$ like that
They have roughly $60 million minimum to spend. If they really wanted to throw the door wide open, they can afford Cole and Rendon.
yes they do… if you look at payroll by baseball inflation the twins are well below the payroll of 2010.. so much so they could spend $160,000,000 and only reach the same level of spending.. Target field is a cash cow and has been rolling in the dough since year 1.. and the Twins haven’t spent it on players as promised in public hearings… to get public finance
Exactly…….why spend the big bucks if target field is already a “cash cow” they will only make less money then. Twins haven’t and will not spend big money
Because the team could make more money? Lol
That’s not how it works. If the stadium is full and they already made the playoffs spending more on payroll will amount in the owners making less money. lol
Because that brought the Twins how many World Series appearances in the Mauer era? Look what Bryce Harper did for Philly and Manny did for SD. It takes damn near the whole 40 man roster to get to the WS. Twins need pitching and depth at all positions. Sano has underperformed and is a defensive liability at 3rd. I’d trade him for pitching and or prospects, teams will buy on his upside. I think the Nats may need a 3rd baseman.
Too bad for Cron if that comes to fruition. He can’t seem to catch a long term break. I think he’d be decent given a chance to be a regular for more than one season at a time.
Pitching is the big need in Minnesota. Move Graterol into the rotation. Add Bumgarner or Keuchel. Add a secondary SP like Porcello.
Berrios
Bumgarner/Keuchel
Odorizzi
Porcello
Graterol.
What’s going on with the Indians? They lost a World Series they were up 3-1 and instead of adding a little payroll or maybe getting creative with a trade they’ve done nothing but subtract. There are ways to get better without adding payroll. Sometimes you have to move one guy to add two. Trade a position of strength to fill a position of weakness. Trotting out a max payroll team that’s proven it cannot make the postseason doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. It’ll be interesting to see what the Cubs do this offseason they are taking an approach like I suggested with a maxed out budget. It is good to see the Twins are trying to get over the hump though. They will likely have a couple holes to fill with free agents likely moving on but they aren’t resting on a weak AL Central
the twins are giving lip service to getting over the Hump and being a championship caliber team: They need 3 starting pitchers and as this last WS and many world series have shown.. you need 2 if not 3 ACE type pitchers to have the best chance to win it all.. you’ll know the Twins are serious when they sign or trade for 2 Ace type pitchers..
Twins are just exploring their options with an eye on the almighty dollar. (Pohlad philosophy)
OPTIONS:
Keep Cron.
Non tender Cron & Sign a 3B and move Sano to 1B
Non tender Cron & Get a LH hitting 1B and platoon with Garver/Gonzazlez
Non tender Cron & Get any other !B regardless of which side they bat from
Non tender Cron & Get by using Adranza/Garver/Gonzalez/Sano until one of the minor leagers is ready to move up.
I think they should be shopping at the top of the free agent market. Cole, Wheeler, Rendon, Donaldson, etc. Moving Sano to 1B and complimenting him with Howie Kendrick would be a solid move. Bring in a defensive CF like Hamilton or Lageras as an insurance policy on Buxton. Grab a backup catcher (Castro?) and add a solid reliever with closing experience like Cishek or Kintzler. The Twins should be aggressive like the Braves are, especially with the improvements the Sox are making. Cleveland’s window could be closing and with Detroit and KC in all-out rebuild mode, this is the time for the Twins to go for it.
The twins do not have the money to spend like that. Not every team has 300mil to blow like the Phillies on a RF that doesn’t make the all star team or even lead his team to the playoffs.
The Twins owners are billionaires, and MLB is a profitable business. I’m pretty sure a team with under 100mil in payroll obligations and 0 on the books as of 2022 can afford to make a splash, especially with a unique opportunity to make the playoffs and bring a title to the city for the first time in almost 30 years. Tired of hearing people say these small market teams are broke.
It’s easy to talk about spending another mans money. Twins owners have never and will never spend like the big market teams. They are perfectly fine making their profits and fielding “the best team they can” and it seems to be working out for them a lot more then a team like I don’t know….. the Phillies who spend and don’t even make the playoffs
At least they’re dedicated to their fans and putting the best product possible out there.
You can try to take all the shots you want, I’m proud to be a Philly sports fan; win or lose.
but they are not fielding the best team they can: when they came to the public for a subsidy to help finance a new stadium they promised in Public; in a hearing in the MN state Senate; to spend the proceeds from the stadium on PLAYERS, to keep their stars and Add to the team.. they lied.. and now they are still lying… they have money flowing like a river because of the PUBLIC and are failing their obligation to that public that built that stadium..
Congrats, you played yourself lol trusting in the benevolence of billionaires. Fools game
As a Pirates fan, I’d support a one year of Cron services. I’d offer one of the IF up the middle depths and beg them to take Moran (joking of course). It would give the Pirates some “pop” in that lineup that they lack of. 25 HRs in 125 games is interesting.
The Pirates should sign as many dirt cheap players as possible and hope they have 2 or 3 legitimate trade chips at the deadline. Rick Procello, Michael Wacha, Kyle Gibson, Greg Holland, Brad Bach, Jeremy Jeffres & Addison Reed could all be signed to try to rebuild value in a pitchers park with hopes of being dealt to a contender. Guys that have some upside like Cron, Caesar Hernandez, Maikel Franco, Addison Russell and other non-tenders could latch on and get regular AB’s in hopes of putting it all together. The Pirates farm is not exactly busting at the seams with top-end talent. They need to make moves because it’s looking like a long rebuild ahead in the steel city.
… Wait you just said Maikel Franco has upside?
Matt Carp and Cmart for Kirlhoff and a low A guy ?
The Cardinals would have to send more then that to get Kirlhoff.
You mean the Twins don’t want a broken infielder and an expensive reliever for a top-20 prospect in baseball?
If the Mariners can get Anthony Rendon would you take Kyle Seager? He needs to go to the playoffs
No one is taking Seager. That contract is awful
It’s not that bad. Cheaper than Donaldson
Injured thumb was bad luck for Cron.
Deal from that stacked farm for J Bell and C Archer package (Pittsburg could really use some help), sign a Wheeler/Madbum type, and get Avila to replace Castro. Then it’s time for a couple bullpen pieces. Payroll management and a clear upgrade, especially if Wes Johnson can fix Archer.
Todd Frazier is the most overrated player for the last 10 years.
Donaldson is a fighter. He would be a great addition. He’s one of those players, that even if you don’t need him, he’ll still improve the team.
I’m not sure I buy this. To get Donaldson, they’d have to plan on two AAA starters in the rotation. About the same for Moose. Frazier would not be an upgrade and would cost about the same as Cron. I’d like to see Sano move to 1B and put Gonzalez at 3B and focus on filling in the starting rotation. 3 quality starters is a huge task.
Ty France. Ty France. Ty France.
Oh, take Wil Myers along with him.
This article doesn’t really make much sense to me. They make the argument that Sano may represent a better value that Cron while ignoring the salary of the “new” thirdbaseman. You simply can’t have it both ways. The new 3B would have to represent a better value than having Sano there who is a value over Cron at first. I think not. Donaldson would be awesome but he’s not coming cheap, let’s be honest. Frazier would be a disaster, hard pass.
Keep Sano at 3B for now and go sign Kendrick. Or better yet, Carlos Santana.
Carlos Santana is not a free agent.
Unless you mean Carlos Santana the guitarist who does play a great rendition of the national anthem ,but is a little old to play first.
I meant trade for Santana, but signing Santana the guitarist would cool too ig
Don’t see MIN spending big money here. Maybe sign a cheaper FA 3B option like Todd Frazier on a 1 yr MLB deal. I see MIN saving big $ for SP.
Very interesting to read they are looking at big names for the infield. Left side defense needs help. Moving Sano to first would be a plus for him I think. I also think they should resign Castro and keep the catching tandem from last year as it worked out quite well. They have plenty of money to sign a 3b Castro and at least 2 FA starters.