Twins Video
With a likely opening in LF for 2021, the front office has a decision to make. They have no shortage of options at the position, and in a payroll crunching year across baseball, a full time free agent just may not make sense. The way I see it, there are a few different options we’ll see them choose from:
The Bench Platoon:
Jake Cave, Brent Rooker, and LaMonte Wade Jr. all look to be Major League caliber LF options, but the Twins showed their hand in 2020 whether they admit it or not. In an elimination game, Alex Kirilloff became the first player in MLB history to debut by starting a playoff game. While Rooker was injured, Wade could have been added to the roster in Buxton’s absence or Cave could have simply come off the bench. Instead they showed confidence in one of their best prospects, whose minor league track record clearly outweighed the MLB experience of the alternative options when it mattered most. Pandora’s Box is open. Kirilloff is the best OF option in the eyes of the Twins. It’ll be hard to dismiss claims of service time manipulation if they try to claim otherwise on Opening Day, and their team may be worse off. Don’t do it Twins.
Save Money, Just Bring Him Up:
Maybe the Twins don’t want to spend any more money than necessary this winter. Kirilloff on a league minimum salary leaves a lot of value to be had with a ton of payroll flexibility. It also won’t tie him to the Major Leagues if he struggles and needs to get sent down. In this scenario, Kirilloff gets the full share of LF from day one, Brent Rooker’s big bat can often still be in the lineup at 1B or DH, and Cave/Wade remain as bench depth where they’re better suited. While this sounds ideal, it’s worth noting that front offices rarely follow this thought process when it comes to top prospects as it costs them a year of team control.
Extend Kirilloff:
This is a tactic we’ve seen a few times lately, most recently with the White Sox. Before 2020, they extended Luis Robert for 6 years, $50 million, ensuring 6 years of control of their #1 prospect for a price that already looks to be a steal. While this move takes a lot of confidence, the Twins already showed a great deal of it by bringing Kirilloff up for an elimination game. In this scenario, Kirilloff is happy and starting in left field on opening day for relatively low risk. It eliminates the ugly arbitration process and likely even buys out a year or two of free agency for a player who looks to be a cornerstone in the very near future. Even in a year of reduced payrolls, this is a gamble that won’t break the bank.
Alex Kirilloff represents a lot of unknown, but by now Twins fans should have come around to the idea that this front office knows their stuff. The confidence they showed in him in 2020 should have Twins territory excited and looking to have him playing at Target Field ASAP and for as long as possible in my opinion. That being said, 2021 is going to be a weird year and things may not be so cut and dry. Which scenario would you like to see the Twins pursue for Opening Day? Is there one you’d like to see that isn’t listed here? Let us know below.
— Latest Twins coverage from our writers
— Recent Twins discussion in our forums
— Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email
— Follow Cody Pirkl on Twitter here
MORE FROM TWINS DAILY
— Latest Twins coverage from our writers
— Recent Twins discussion in our forums
— Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email
— Become a Twins Daily Caretaker
Recommended Comments
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.