Life After Plouffe

After speaking about "very difficult decisions" on Thursday, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine made their first one on Friday, announcing the release of Trevor Plouffe after a dozen years in the organization.

Plouffe was a first-round draft pick out of high school back in 2004, and successfully turned himself into a quality power-hitting corner infielder in the majors. However, after emerging with a breakout 24-homer campaign in 2012, he never really improved.

And so, facing a 2017 price tag that was going to approach $9 million, Minnesota's new braintrust elected to move on.

Let's examine the fallout of this decision:

Who's on Third?

In their Q&A session Thursday, Levine foreshadowed the outrighting of Plouffe by stating that third base was "most logically" where Miguel Sano would end up.

Now there is nothing standing in Sano's way, so it appears that he'll now have the chance to entrench himself at the hot corner. While others like Eduardo Escobar and Jorge Polanco could be in line for occasional starts, Sano is in all likelihood going to be the man at third base for the foreseeable future.

He showed good flashes in his time there this year amidst a medley of errors. Hopefully with a full offseason to focus on honing his skills (and tightening up his physique), the cannon-armed Sano can fulfill his potential defensively at a position where he has spent most his time as a pro.

Replacing a reliably solid commodity in Plouffe with a question mark like Sano does magnify the importance of having a strong glove to the right at shortstop. In my opinion, Polanco should not be an option. We'll see if Falvey and Levine agree.

Dominoes in the Infield and Lineup

With Sano presumably heading to third base while Joe Mauer remains at first, the designated hitter spot is open. Right now Kennys Vargas looks like the favorite to be penciled in as DH. Despite batting just .230 during his limited time with the Twins in 2017, he provided enough power and patience to be a quality producer.

As a switch-hitting slugger who can frequently spell Mauer at first base, Vargas is a good fit in the lineup. With Byung Ho Park coming back from wrist surgery and looking to rebound, there will be healthy competition for the job. The Twins would be ill advised to give up on another talented power hitter after letting Adam Walker slip away to the Brewers last week.

Speaking of power, the Twins are losing some with Plouffe, who could be counted on for 20 to 25 homers when healthy. But pop from the right side is already a strength in the Minnesota lineup with Sano and Brian Dozier (for now) in place. Between Vargas and Park, making up for the loss of Plouffe's thump shouldn't be an issue.

Payroll Implications

Shedding Plouffe's 2017 commitment provides the Twins with dramatically more financial flexibility. Wherever their spending cap lies, the front office now has considerably more room before reaching it.

As you can see in the payroll breakdown below from the Offseason Handbook, releasing Plouffe will free up about $9 million. That would of course be helpful toward signing a free agent like Jason Castro, who has now received an offer from the Twins according to Darren Wolfson.

With Plouffe out of the picture, the current estimated payroll stands at around $90 million, which is $15 million short of where they started in 2016. (Worth noting: it sounds like the Twins are viewing the $4 million they shipped to the Angels along with Ricky Nolasco as an expense toward next year, so the current figure may sit closer to $95 million.)

What's Next for Plouffe?

After accruing nearly 3,000 plate appearances as a Minnesota Twin, Plouffe is now a free agent. He shouldn't have a hard time finding work.

The 30-year-old is a professional hitter who is streaky in spurts but extremely consistent overall. Everyone who has watched him during his time in Minnesota has seen Plouffe light it up during red-hot slugging streaks (most memorably a power surge in 2012 that saw him blast 18 homers in 40 games) and flounder during prolonged slumps.

But year after year, he ends up within shouting distance of his lifetime .727 OPS. Even this season, while injuries forced him to miss nearly half the games and nagged him on the field, he finished with rate stats that were essentially identical to his career averages.

Plouffe made 13 of his 80 starts at first base this year and looked very capable, helping his case as a versatile piece. Plenty of teams are seeking help at corner infield spots and would welcome some extra power in the lineup. His career .809 OPS could appeal to those seeking platoon assets.

Coming off an injury-riddled campaign, it's highly unlikely that the veteran infielder will receive a salary exceeding $8 million, as he would have through arbitration, but he might be able to land a multi-year deal given his age and track record.

What's Next for the Twins?

Plouffe was one of six arbitration-eligible Twins players, leaving five more that the team must make decisions on: Hector Santiago, Kyle Gibson, Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Pressly and Eduardo Escobar. At this point it seems safe to say the front office is planning on keeping all of those players, because otherwise they would have likely cleared out their spaces on the 40-man roster.

The non-tender deadline is a week from Friday, so Falvey and Co. have until then to make those final judgments.

For now, we at Twins Daily bid a fond farewell to Plouffe, who we've enjoyed watching in a Twins uniform for the last seven years.

Share your favorite memories of Plouffe, as well as thoughts on the decision and where he might end up, in the comments.