There’s activity afoot in the American League Central and it’s not being generated by the Minnesota Twins.
Oh, the Twins have cast a few pebbles into the pond, but nothing that’s caused anything beyond a ripple. In Detroit and Chicago, both teams appear ready to ride a slow, but growing wave of potential success.
For the Tigers, they took a page right out of the Twins’ playbook and, well, signed two ex-Twins: second baseman, Jonathan Schoop, and first baseman/designated hitter, C.J. Cron. Both are reliable fielders and both hit 20-plus home runs in 2019.
I want to take a second and thank the MN Twins and their fans for an amazing 2019. Winning over 100 games is no small feat and I am proud to have been a part of it. With that said, there is more work to do. Can’t wait to get out to Detroit!
— C.J. Cron (@CCron24) December 22, 2019
In Chicago — not on the North Side, but the South Side — the White Sox have ponied up $55 million over three years to get former AL Cy Young award winner, Dalls Keuchel. They also added pitcher Gio Gonzalez, which gives them two pitchers with experience alongside rising star, Lucas Giolito.
And in Minnesota… well… it sounds as if the Twins are still in the running, along with the Washington Nationals, to land slugging third baseman, Josh Donaldson. Both teams reportedly are willing to offer four-year deals to Donaldson, while that’s not the case for the other potential bidders, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
It’s not all bad for the Twins. They have retained starting pitchers, Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda, plus fire-breathing reliever, Sergio Romo. They also have added journeyman reliever, Tyler Clippard, and veteran catcher, Alex Avila, who likely will split time behind the plate with Mitch Garver and Willians Astudillo.
The Twins could certainly use an infielder like Donaldson and another starting pitcher, but most of the top free agent pitchers are spoken for, including Hyun-Jin Ryu, who agreed to a four-year, $80 million deal to play for the Toronto Blue Jays. Who saw that coming?
If one of the lesser free agent pitchers doesn’t appeal to the Twins, then perhaps that next arm will have to come via a trade with another team.
Some potential targets, according to Twinkie Town.
Some options they have include David Price, Robbie Ray, Matthew Boyd, Mike Clevinger, Sandy Alcantara, and Chris Archer among many more.