Twins Continue To Add Outfield Depth

Sweeney’s addition is a depth move for the organization, placing him alongside Darin Mastroianni and Joe Benson as candidates for a fourth outfielder role. A once lauded prospect, Sweeney was considered among Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects from 2005 through 2007 and was projected to be a source of power based on his 6-foot-4 frame. Even at the upper levels of the minor leagues that power never manifested but his ability to play all three outfield positions allowed him to maintain steady employment among a variety of teams.

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Injuries, however, cut into his playing time during what should have been his peak years. In 2012, while playing for Boston, Sweeney punched a wall at Fenway Park, required surgery to repair the injury and cost him 59 games. Meanwhile, in 2013, Sweeney found his niche once he was recalled to the Cubs in May. From May until the end of June, he hit .295/.342/.527 with four home runs in 121 plate appearances. However, Sweeney wound up cracking a rib in a collision with Safeco’s wall that took him out of action for six weeks. When he returned to the lineup, he hit just .225/.300/.338. Nevertheless, the Cubs re-signed Sweeney shortly after that to a two-year, $3.5 million contract, betting that he could rebound to his pre-injury production. In a part-time capacity in 2014 Sweeney never hit well enough (.251/.304/.338) to merit more exposure, and a hamstring injury in May sidelined him for an extended stretch.

"I don't know why I pulled my hamstring. I hadn't done it in seven or eight years,” told the Chicago Tribune while rehabbing the injury in Mesa at the team’s training facility. “But I was dealing with other stuff with my leg, so maybe I was overcompensating for it. Any time I've (injured) it, it has been on the base paths. So to do it while running after a fly was new to me."

When the Cubs had to make their final roster decision heading into 2015, they opted to go with an additional infielder in Jonathan Herrera rather than the veteran outfielder, and designated Sweeney for assignment, paying him $1.5 million in the process. While he never played for another team over the rest of the season, Sweeney’s representative said in an email that the seven-year veteran had other playing options for 2014 but choose instead to recover from the various injuries including the hamstring issue and also a case of plantar fasciitis that affected his performance over the last several years. Heading into his age-30 season, Sweeney was committed to coming into 2016 at one hundred percent.

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What does Sweeney’s signing suggest about the team’s confidence in their outfield? There appears to be a glaring lack of confidence in their center field options but not enough commitment to upgrade with a Rajai Davis-type (who was just signed by the Cleveland Indians). Outside of Bryon Buxton, the Twins have Danny Santana and have cited Eddie Rosario as a potential option. They have brought in Mastroianni and Benson. Sweeney certainly possesses a small level of intrigue as he is capable of playing above average defense with an outside chance of contributing with the stick. However, he will battle two known commodities in Mastroianni and Benson. With Eddie Rosario and Oswaldo Arcia ahead of him, Sweeney’s left-handed presence gives him little advantage in a cluttered outfield. That being said, Sweeney can provide depth at the position and can be a recall candidate playing in Rochester if anything goes sour in Minnesota.