Minnesota Twins executive chair Joe Pohlad has been hammered from pillar to post since stating last week that the team will not be competing for one of the key free players still to sign this offseason.
“The players that are out there right now, that, probably, a bunch of fans are talking about, we’re not in the market for those players,” Pohlad said, adding that the Twins are still looking for other acquisitions, which will most likely come at a lower cost.
Pohlad’s admission, which was unusually candid for a baseball executive in a wary industry, disappointed Twins fans who had hoped their team would be able to sign Cody Bellinger (who has returned to the Cubs) or add another ace arm like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery.
After a season in which the Twins broke their two-decade postseason win drought, supporters expected more ambition at Target Field, with an opportunity to capitalise on a blossoming batting lineup, a well-above-average starting rotation, and one of the league’s finest bullpens.
Instead, the Twins dealt Jorge Polanco to Seattle in exchange for Anthony DeSclafani, a No. 4/5 pitcher, bullpen arm Justin Topa, and top-100 prospect Gabriel Gonzalez, as well as 38-year-old veteran first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana on a one-year contract. They have also traded for outfielder Manuel Margot.
Meanwhile, the Twins have lost one of last year’s top pitchers, Sonny Grey, to free agency, as well as another reliable arm, Kenta Maeda.
But here’s the thing: the AL Central is not good. The Twins are the clear favourites to win the division this season, with the Tigers, Guardians, Royals, and White Sox all in varying phases of rebuilding or ineptness.
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