Teams and fan bases can have remorse when it comes to players that got away and found success with other organizations. Here are three players the Twins wish were back on their roster for the 2021 season.Lance Lynn, RHP White Sox

Twins Career (2018): 5.10 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 100 K, 62 BB, 102 1/3 Innings

Lynn’s time in Minnesota was unmemorable as he signed late into spring and never really seemed like he wanted to be in a Twins uniform. MLB.com named him as the player the Twins wish they could have back. He has arguably been one of the baseball’s best pitchers before and after his time in Minnesota. For 2021, he will be in a White Sox uniform, so the Twins should see plenty of their former starter. When the team traded Lynn, they were able to get a small return, but it’s clear he would add depth to the rotation. What’s not clear is how much he’d want to be back in Minnesota after his first stint went so poorly.

 

Liam Hendriks, RHP White Sox

Twins Career (2011-13): 6.06 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 100 K, 46 BB, 156 Innings

Some bad news for Twins fans is that two of the players on this list are now going to be key contributors for their top division rival. Hendriks has been arguably the best relief pitcher in baseball over the last two seasons and now he will be closing down games on Chicago’s Southside. Minnesota dropped Hendriks from the 40-man roster when he still had options left and the team hadn’t even tried him out in a relief role. He has resurrected his career and he’d be a great addition to put with Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers at the back of the bullpen. However, the White Sox paid him way too much money and it might end up being a contract they regret.

 

Eduardo Escobar, INF Diamondbacks

Twins Career (2012-18): .258/.308/.421, 63 HR, 138 2B, 284 RBI, 671 Games

When the Twins dealt Escobar, it made sense because the team wasn’t in contention and he was heading towards free agency. Minnesota was able to get quite the haul for Escobar including one of their top pitching prospects and a very good outfielder. Escobar struggled in 2020, but his 2019 season was fantastic, and he brought a lot of positive energy to the team during his Twins tenure. His versatility makes him a potential weapon as he can be penciled in at a variety of positions and still produce. For the 2021 Twins, he had the potential to add some depth to the infield, but Minnesota might have that covered with Andrelton Simmons’ signing last week.

 

Other Options: Aaron Hicks, Eddie Rosario, CJ Cron, Ryan Pressly

Pressly has been a tremendous bullpen weapon since leaving the Twins, but the team got back some very good pieces when they traded him away. Minnesota gave up on Hicks and since joining the Yankees, he has accumulated 9.8 WAR over five seasons. Rosario will be back in the AL Central after signing with Cleveland. Will Minnesota miss Rosario’s leadership and energy? If the Twins don’t sign Cruz, CJ Cron can help fill the void at designated hitter.

 

Which of these players do you wish was still in Minnesota? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

 

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Hendriks is the head scratcher for me since he still had options remaining. Maybe when they designated him for assignment in 2013 the front office thought they might sneak him through waivers. Oops.

Personally, I do not feel any are on their list of wish they had back.  Maybe Hicks, because of giving him up for nothing basically and he has some value.  However, some you got decent players in return of trades, and others failed with Twins, no reason to know they would do well with them had they stayed.  

The glaring omission, especially when you also include the contract is Nick Anderson.

I bet several teams wish they kept Nelson Cruz. The Angels might wish they kept Simmons. The White Sox and Colome . . .

As much as I would like to have Escobar back. Its fun to see how long the Aj Pierzinski trade from back in 2002 will continue to have an impact on our roster. In that trade we got Liriano who we traded to get Escobar and now we have 2 good prospects who will have a roll of some kind the next 6-8 year....