Report: Twins sign free agent Marwin Gonzalez
Update 11:45 A.M.
According to MLB Insider Jon Heyman, the Twins have signed Gonzalez to a two-year deal worth $21 million.
Marwin gets 21M for 2 years #MNTwins
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 22, 2019
The Twins have not confirmed the deal but multiple sources are indicating the super utility man is indeed heading to Minnesota.
Marwin Gonzalez has contract agreement in place with #Twins, source confirms @JonHeyman report. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 22, 2019
Source confirms: #Twins in agreement with free-agent IF Marwin Gonzalez on two-year, $21M contract. First to report: @JonHeyman.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 22, 2019
Original story
It's unclear where Marwin Gonzalez would play if the Twins sign him, but that's a conversation team brass has had, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic (paywall).
"Multiple baseball sources confirmed the Twins have discussed the parameters of a three-year deal for Gonzalez," writes Hayes, noting that Gonzalez has played every position but catcher in his seven-year MLB career.
From afar, the Twins appear to be set everywhere but catcher, with C.J. Cron at first base, Jonathan Schoop at second base, Jorge Polanco at shortstop, Miguel Sano at third base and Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler in the outfield.
Nelson Cruz is also locked and loaded as the everyday designated hitter, so if Gonzalez were to sign with the Twins it would be interesting to see how he's used.
One way to utilize his versatility would be to keep him in the lineup most days while playing different positions, which would force manager Rocco Baldelli to consistently kick any of the aforementioned projected starters out of the lineup.
Marwin Gonzalez would bolster the #MNTwins bench quite a bit. He could play every day, and a quality player would rotate out.
— Ted (@tlschwerz) February 21, 2019
Still think there needs to be more done on the mound. https://t.co/SzMGBzuf1s
The soon-to-be 30-year-old switch hitter hit .303 for the world champion Houston Astros in 2017 but saw his production drop closer to his career averages a bit in 2018.
- 2017: .303/.377/.530, 23 HR, 90 RBI, 34 doubles (515 plate appearances)
- 2018: .247/.324/.409, 16 HR, 68 RBI, 25 doubles (552 plate appearances)
It's also worth noting that hitting at Minute Maid Park, arguably MLB's most hitter-friendly stadium, is a lot different than hitting at Target Field.
The Twins open the spring training exhibition schedule Saturday with split-squad games against the Orioles and Rays. The regular season opener is Mar. 28 at Target Field against the Cleveland Indians.
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