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As the longest-tenured Twins player—he rubbed elbows with Kendrys Morales while sipping his cup of coffee in 2014—Polanco’s presence provided continuity during the great team overhaul following 2016. Rather than start from scratch, the new decision-makers earmarked Polanco (and Max Kepler) as answers to the problem, not sources of the malady, and both players signed extensions before the 2019 season.
Polanco represents the best and worst of Twins position players under the Falvey regime: a skilled OBP and power threat with a worrisome lack of defensive ability whose nagging injuries have capped his upside. His .272/.339/.455 slash line since 2018 makes him the envy of the middle infield ball—those players have hit for a collective .257/.318/.409 over the same period. Yet, despite a move to an easier position, defensive stats remain unamused with Polanco’s glove, constantly ranking him as a poor defender.
Looking around the league, that style of position-less player has fallen out of fashion; the Houston Astros employ a litany of two-way stars who can hit as well as they can field, and the Dodgers only sign a player if they can catch, man shortstop, glide in the outfield, and announce in a pinch if Joe Davis catches a cold. Yordan Álvarez is an exception, but teams tend to ignore fielding gaffes when you’re hitting at a near Bondsian level.
Despite the defensive issues, Polanco’s contract helps buoy his value. That deal from 2019 remains in effect, and assuming that a team will jump at the opportunity to pick up his $12 million club option for 2025, he is effectively good for three years of control at $30 million. That’s an attractive price tag. A team like like the Cubs might happily deal quality prospects or equivalent major-league talent to net Polanco’s offensive consistency for just $10 million a season.
In what we could call “The Edouard Julien Influence,” the Twins may already have a major-league-caliber starter waiting in the wings. Julien spent his 2022 regular season smoking pitches at AA before finding an extra gear in the Arizona Fall League, ramping up his batting to lead the whole darn league in OPS (1.249). Yes, that number is correct. He also stole six bases without a misstep, just for giggles. Minnesota understood his value and added him to the 40-man roster, protecting him from other conniving teams in the Rule-5 draft. Julien’s glove is as detrimental as Polanco’s, which negates the previous defensive argument, but his bat has a good chance at reaching the same plateau.
Or, just as well, the Twins could move Luis Arraez back to his original position, ending the hilarious adventures in having a 5' 10" first baseman with 14 career home runs.
The savings matter. Re-signing Carlos Correa—beyond being the right move—eats up a significant portion of the theoretical payroll cap, enough to make squeezing in a Carlos Rodón type impossible. If the Twins want both a star shortstop and a starting pitcher better than Matt Shoemaker, they need to diligently purge their books, and the Gio Urshela trade does not create enough leeway.
It would be a tough move; few enjoy seeing an old friend go, especially when they are still productive, but Minnesota needs to engage in ruthless efficiency if they want to move forward into the highest tier of teams.
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