MLB's playoffs are in full swing now, but it's officially the offseason for the Twins, whose playoff hopes vanished roughly one month ago. They've already held their end-of-season press conference, where owner Tom Pohlad made vague promises to raise payroll and general manager Jeremy Zoll laid out his offseason priorities.
Over the next few weeks, while the best teams are still competing to determine a champion, I'll be setting the table for the Twins' offseason ahead by writing about their departing free agents, payroll numbers, most likely trade chips, non-tender candidates, biggest roster needs, top free-agent fits, and more.
My goal each year is to get everyone on the same page for what the Twins could do, should do, and will do by the time the MLB-wide wheeling and dealing begins five days after the World Series ends. From that point, teams will have about four weeks to make moves before the lockout halts everything on December 1.
Aaron Gleeman
But first, let's open up the mailbag and see what's on your minds about a 77-win team with a lot of work to do if they want to still be playing this time next year.
Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.
Pohlad has stated payroll will go up. But with the sorry state of this free agent crop, what other spending paths could they take for better ROI? — Thad N.
Well, trades. As always, plenty of veteran players with guaranteed salaries will be on the move this offseason, and some teams will be looking to shed money.
In general, though, I think it's worth noting that this free agent class is viewed as underwhelming due to lacking many star-caliber players and not necessarily due to lacking depth. Since the Twins are far more likely to be in the market for solid regulars and role players than stars, that matters much less to them.
In other words: If you're hoping to sign an All-Star to a huge long-term contract, this probably isn't the offseason to make that happen. But if you're trying to add, say, a couple good relievers, this free agent class looks pretty typical in terms of options. For the Twins' (likely) needs and budget, there's plenty to spend on.