What Twins' 2024 lineup could look like with and without Kepler, Polanco

The lineup gets really debatable if the Twins trade Kepler and Polanco.

Will the Twins trade Max Kepler and/or Jorge Polanco? That's a huge question we'll need answers to before any lineup prediction for the 2024 season can be made with any sort of accuracy, but for the time being, Kepler and Polanco are on the team and therefore need to be included in this story's lineup prediction. 

Assuming Byron Buxton is healthy and starting, which the Twins expect him to be, there appear to be locked-in starters at catcher, second base, shortstop, center field and right field, with left field and first base still up for grabs. Again, if Kepler or Polanco are traded, right field and second base could become competitions in spring training. 

With all of those prefaces, here's what the 2024 lineup could look like. 

1. Eddy Julien, L, DH
2. Jorge Polanco, S, 2B
3. Royce Lewis, R, 3B
4. Carlos Correa, R, SS
5. Max Kepler, L, RF
6. Byron Buxton, R, CF
7. Matt Wallner, L, LF
8. Ryan Jeffers, R, C
9. Alex Kirilloff, L, 1B

The primary backups would be Kyle Farmer and Willi Castro as utility players and Christian Vazquez at catcher. Trevor Larnach, Austin Martin and Jose Miranda could also push to make the Opening Day roster. 

The lineup gets really debatable if the Twins trade Kepler and Polanco. Just for the sake of experimentation, here's what a Kepler and Polanco-less lineup might look like. 

1. Eddy Julien, L, 2B
2. Royce Lewis, R, 3B
3. Carlos Correa, R, SS
4. Alex Kirilloff, L, 1B
5. Byron Buxton, R, CF
6. Matt Wallner, L, RF
7. Ryan Jeffers, R, C
8. Jose Miranda, R, DH
9. Willi Castro, S, LF

The Twins could slide Wallner into right field and give Castro the starting job in left field, or perhaps platoon him with Larnach. Julien could get out of the DH role and start at second base, while the Twins could rotate Kirilloff and Miranda between DH and first base. 

There's also a scenario where Brooks Lee, the No. 2 prospect in the organization, forces his way into the lineup. In that case, Miranda could be stuck at Triple-A while the Twins move Lee, who is a natural shortstop, to second base while keeping Julien as the designated hitter. 

Also knocking on the door to the big leagues is power-hitting infielder Yunior Severino, the 24-year-old who slugged 35 homers in 120 games between Double-A and Triple-A last summer. 

Sep 27, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Edouard Julien (47) celebrates his home run with second baseman Jorge Polanco (11) against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Target Field / Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports