3 key storylines as Twins open camp
This story was excerpted from Do-Hyoung Park’s Twins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Spring Training can be an overwhelming time (and viewing experience), with 59 players running around camp, jersey numbers in the 80s and 90s teeming and even late additions to the roster to be expected -- especially with the Twins.
So as a means to help direct attention, here’s a rundown of the three most important storylines to watch in camp this spring, as manager Rocco Baldelli’s group builds towards a defense of its 2023 American League Central title.
1. Will Byron Buxton be able to regularly play center field?
For all the confidence Buxton displayed in proclaiming at TwinsFest in January that he’d be back in center field in 2024 after not having played defense at all in ‘23, his history overwhelmingly indicates that’s all theoretical until explicitly proven to be the case.
We know that, the Twins know that, and even Buxton himself knows that. That final point was indicated by how Buxton cautioned he’d need to wait to see how his body would respond before he’d be able to gauge the regularity with which he’ll be able to patrol the outfield grass.
But there’s arguably no bigger topic regarding which the Twins need to gain clarity this spring.
Not only does Buxton derive plenty of his value from his elite center field defense, but last season’s results seemed to indicate that his offense performance and mentality suffer when he’s unable to engage with both sides of the game, too, given how much he loves playing on defense. That’s not to mention how the Twins prefer to keep a DH rotation to keep other players on the roster fresh, as opposed to fixing one player like Buxton in that slot.
If Buxton can indeed play center, the Twins need to figure out how often -- and if not, they need to figure out a contingency plan, because Michael A. Taylor remains a free agent, and the current center-field depth within the organization is probably some combination of Willi Castro and prospect Austin Martin.
2. How will the rotation depth shake out?
Last offseason, the Twins built out enough rotation depth that Bailey Ober didn’t start the year in the Majors -- and that proved necessary to weather injuries to Kenta Maeda and Tyler Mahle. This year, the depth is a bit less clear as the Twins round out the back of their rotation.
Though Louie Varland was dominant out of the bullpen late last season and posted a 4.63 ERA overall between his tenure as a starter and reliever, the Twins also acquired veteran Anthony DeSclafani in the Jorge Polanco trade to give them another starting option to fill out their back-end group. That would likely push Varland down to the Minors if everyone is healthy, to allow the Twins to maintain depth.
But with DeSclafani having been held to 118 2/3 innings across the last two seasons, it’s far too early to declare the Twins’ top five set, even as he says he’s entering spring at 100 percent -- and even beyond DeSclafani and Varland, they’ll need to figure out who’s next, whether it’s No. 10 prospect David Festa, a returner like Simeon Woods Richardson or someone else.
3. What more is coming?
President of baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine have never been the type to have their roster set by the start of Spring Training. Keep in mind that the likes of Lance Lynn, Jake Odorizzi, Marwin González, Carlos Correa, Donovan Solano and others over the years have arrived well into Spring Training -- or in the case of Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagán, even as late as Opening Day.
With that in mind (and with the television contract situation with Diamond Sports Group now settled), there’s still need for help on this roster -- right-handed outfield help and pitching both come to mind -- and Falvey hinted in the week leading up to spring that the Twins remain actively engaged with both potential trade partners and free agents.
“We make upgrades when we can, and maybe we still have some more moves to make at this point,” Baldelli said.
Do-Hyoung Park covers the Twins for MLB.com.