Around The AL Central: Focusing In On The Minnesota Twins

The Twins were the busiest team in the AL Central, making them a potential divisional contender.

After a disappointing and underperforming 2021, the Minnesota Twins had the busiest offseason in the AL Central. Last season, the Twins surprisingly finished 73-89 which resulted in last place in the division. The Twins are looking to turn the page on last year and made the moves to potentially contend for the AL Central crown. The Twins had some departures such as Josh Donaldson, but they also brought in an abundance of talent as well.

Offseason Acquisitions 

Carlos Correa

One of the biggest surprises of the whole offseason was the Twins signing Carlos Correa to a three-year $105.3 million contract. However, it is a little more complicated than that. Correa has an option to opt-out after each season giving him a lot of flexibility for his future. It also gives the Twins trade options if they feel that he may leave after the season.

Assuming Correa remains a Twin for the entirety of 2022, he helps make them a divisional contender. Correa had a great 2022 season with the Astros hitting .279 and an OPS of .850. He also hit the most home runs of his career at 26 and had 92 RBI, which is the second-highest of his career. 

On the defensive side, Correa had a 2.9 WAR which ranked first in the AL. Correa can be an MVP candidate every year and is a massive upgrade for the Twins.

.@TeamCJCorrea is getting comfortable on his new squad. 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZBgc7EGGv5

— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2022

Gio Urshela

Cleveland fans may remember Gio Urshela from the 2017 season when he started 60 games for the then Indians and helped them set an American League record of 22 straight wins. Ursehla was always a great defender with Cleveland, but when he went to the Yankees his offensive production ramped up as he hit .293 over his three years there. 

Urshela found himself traded to the Twins in the Josh Donaldson deal where he will be the new starting third baseman. Even though his offense has been on a slight decline, Urshela’s defense still makes him a solid option at the position.

Gary Sánchez

Gary Sánchez was the other player that came over from the Yankees in the Josh Donaldson trade. Early on in Sánchez’s career, he was viewed to be a cornerstone piece of the Yankee's future because of his offensive ability. However, his defense behind the plate started to get exposed and turned him into a liability. 

In 2021 Sánchez allowed 50 stolen bases, which ranked second in the league. In 2019 and 2020, he also ranked first in most errors committed as a catcher. The Twins are obviously hoping that his offense outweighs his defense and the change of scenery will help. 

Chris Archer

Credit to the Twins being self-aware and realizing they needed to get pitching help. They are hoping that the signing of Chris Archer to a one-year $3.5 million contract, with a variety of bonuses and incentives, will contribute to this need. 

From 2013 to 2017, Archer was one of the better pitchers in the league but quickly saw his ERA rise. Last season for the Tampa Bay Rays, Archer started five games with a 4.66 ERA. If the Twins get a resurgent Chris Archer, he will quickly become a valuable part of their season and their rotation. 

Sonny Gray 

After the lockout was lifted, the Twins made a trade with the Reds to acquire Sonny Gray. Gray is another pitcher who has had an up and down career. Just in 2019, he had a 2.87 ERA over 31 games started. But in 2021 his ERA almost doubled to 4.19 and struggled to get in any sort of rhythm going throughout the season. The Twins are obviously hoping to get the sub-three ERA Sonny Gray, but will still need to find more pitching help via trade to make them a true contender. 

Strength

Lineup

The Twins can flat-out hit and have a very deep lineup. In 2021, the Twins had a team batting average of .241 but made significant upgrades over the offseason. In 2021 they also ranked fifth in home runs and eleventh in on-base percentage. The Twins have a nice balance of power hitters in Sanó and Sánchez with contact hitters such as Buxton, Correa, and Kepler that will make pitching around anyone in their lineup a challenge. This Twins lineup is going to be trouble for every pitching staff in the AL Central. 

Weaknesses

Pitching

The one area separating the Twins from a good team and a World Series contender is their pitching. Heading into the season, Sonny Gray is expected to be the top guy in the rotation. While Gray is not a bad pitcher by any means, he is certainly not the ace of a team looking at making a deep playoff run. 

Bringing in Chris Archer was a good move by the front office, but it has been a while since he has been an elite pitcher. Pitching is what helps teams win in October. If the Twins are serious about making a World Series run, they are going to have to figure out a way to bolster their rotation. 

Injury History

The Twins have a lot of great players, but those same players also have a history of injuries. One of those players is Byron Buxton, who when on the field plays like an MVP candidate and 2021 was a prime example of this. Last season Buxton hit .306 with an OPS of 1.005 with a 4.5 WAR. However, that was only over 61 games. Missing Buxton for another extended period would be a crushing blow for a Twins team that is looking to play in October. 

Newly acquired Carlos Correa has had a history of lower back issues as well and was reportedly one of the reasons that teams were hesitant to sign him to a long-term deal. If the Twins do not want to repeat their disappointing 2021 season, their star players are going to have to stay on the field. 

Guardians Struggle Against The Twins

In 2021, Cleveland struggled against the Twins only winning eight of their 19 matchups. They also allowed the Twins to score 91 runs against them, which was the most amount of runs allowed by any team they faced. These struggles will likely continue in 2022 with all of the moves the Twins made in the offseason. Even though they finished behind Cleveland in the division last year, the Twins have a much better team on paper, especially on offense. It is likely the Twins will try to improve this roster throughout the season as well. 

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