The Twins have agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Elliot Soto, as announced by Soto’s agent, Marc Kligman (Twitter link). He’s the latest minor league depth signing in the infield for the Twins, who have also picked up Tim Beckham and Daniel Robertson on minor league pacts over the past few weeks.
Soto, 32, has just three games at the MLB level to this point in his career — all with the 2020 Angels. He’s spent parts of six seasons in Triple-A, compiling a career .267/.342/.375 batting line there. He spent the 2021 season in the Dodgers organization, suiting up for 57 games with their Triple-A affiliate.
In addition to his time with both L.A. clubs, Soto has been with the Cubs (who drafted him out of Creighton in the 15th round back in 2010), the Marlins and the Rockies. He’s never been ranked among one of those organization’s top prospects, though Baseball America did label him as the best defensive infielder in the Cubs’ minor league system back in 2012.
In all likelihood, Soto is ticketed for Triple-A work with the Twins. It’s unclear who’ll start the bulk of the Twins’ games at shortstop in 2022, as Andrelton Simmons became a free agent at season’s end and Minnesota seems quite content having shifted Jorge Polanco to the other side of the bag (where he had perhaps his finest season to date). The Twins’ rotation needs are their most glaring at the moment, but they’re still likely to make a free-agent addition or acquire some shortstop help on the trade market whenever transactions are again permitted.
The stove is officially HOT!
Good depth move
Someone had to say it
NEW RULE: If you are not a twin then you cannot sign with the Twins.
This is Twins Territory!!!!
Anyone else think you were looking at a picture of Scherzer for a split second?