Waiting game marks Winter Meetings for Twins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Hurry up and wait.

That was essentially the theme for the Twins as the 2023 Winter Meetings in Nashville concluded on Wednesday without the organization having made any moves or even having been involved in any rumors -- which was to be expected, especially as part of an all-around slow gathering for the industry, still without any answer to the Shohei Ohtani question.

Nothing really changed over the three days, either, even as the Twins had conversations regarding possible trade fits, because teams just don’t fully know their needs until the market finds destinations for the bigger movers.

“We’ve always kind of been a team that waits out some of the market, in some spaces, and waits to see how things shake out to some degree,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “The team isn’t made at the end of the Winter Meetings, right? So this has never been a key marker for me personally or for us in general.”

BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS

1. Pitching depth

The Twins can, on paper, fill out a five-man rotation, but they’d rather be closer to seven, as has been made clear over the past several seasons -- particularly 2023, when the starting rotation’s depth anchored the success of an American League Central-winning roster. It’s not going to be enough to lean on only Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, a recently healthy Chris Paddack and Louie Varland -- and they know that.

Right now, the Twins don’t even really have a clear next man up. The closest might be No. 16 prospect Simeon Woods Richardson, who hasn’t shown enough to earn a consistent Major League roster spot. But beyond that, they’re waiting for No. 9 prospect David Festa to complete his development with Triple-A St. Paul.

2. Center field

This isn’t even a true vacancy considering the Twins are optimistic that Byron Buxton will be healthier come Spring Training than he was a year ago and should play center field, but it’s never a bad bet to have a strong backup -- and this could definitely be an area of added value if Minnesota wants to avoid significant reliance on Willi Castro and youngster Austin Martin.

Either way, it doesn’t seem likely that the Twins would use even a healthy Buxton in center field every day, and from a preventative standpoint, it would make sense for them to be careful with his usage until there’s some proof of concept that his body can hold up. That would open a larger-than-normal share of playing time in center -- for an internal option or otherwise.

3. Right-handed bat(s)

There are many factors that could play into the quality and quantity of these bats that could ultimately prove necessary, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some options present themselves on Minor League non-roster invite-type deals heading into Spring Training, or late deals like the one that brought Donovan Solano to the Twins following the start of camp last spring.

Some of this will depend on how much of Minnesota’s current roster remains intact through the offseason (particularly with regards to Kyle Farmer) and the corresponding payroll flexibility afforded to the club to make signings in free agency. José Miranda’s health and buildup will also factor in. The Twins would prefer to use platoon partners for Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner, in particular, so there will definitely be room for right-handed bats that can tag lefties.

RULE 5 DRAFT

The last time the Twins selected a player in the Rule 5 Draft was 2017 -- and that remained the case after Minnesota passed on its selection at No. 20 on Wednesday, which came as no surprise due to the organization’s typically aggressive usage of every slot on its 26-man roster. That makes it difficult to carry a Rule 5-type player for a full season, as they would need to do in order to keep that player in the organization.

• 2023 Rule 5 Draft results: Pick by pick

The Twins’ 40-man roster remained at 36 players, and they did not lose any unprotected players from their own organization in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. They selected four players who do not impact the MLB roster in the Minor League phase: left-handed pitcher Rafael Marcano (Phillies High-A), catcher Rafael Escalante (Pirates Rookie-level FCL), infielder Angel Del Rosario (Blue Jays High-A) and right-handed pitcher Sheldon Reed (Cubs High-A).

GM’S BOTTOM LINE

“I think there’s been a lot of interest in a number of different players on our team. What we typically hear is, ‘Hey, if it starts to move, let us know, but we’re still trying to figure out the landscape around free agents, trade partners and otherwise.’ I think we’re still in that early feeling-out phase. It feels weird to say that in December, but that’s just the way it is now.” -- Falvey