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We’re coming to a point in the offseason where teams must decide which of their arbitration-eligible candidates will be tendered new contracts. More free agents will be added as non-tenders are decided upon. With Minnesota needing some offensive firepower, there are two outfield candidates that could have some appeal. Image courtesy of Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports At this point, we don’t know whether these players will be tendered contracts, but it stands to reason that both Hunter Renfroe and Cody Bellinger could find themselves on the open market. The former played 2022 with the Milwaukee Brewers and would be searching for his fifth team in five years should he be sent out. The latter is a former Rookie of the Year and MVP award winner that has fallen from grace for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Looking at the 2020 pandemic season as an outlier, Renfroe has been a solid major-league slugger. He’s consistently posted an OPS+ well above league average, and you can bank on him hitting nearly 30 home runs during any given season. He doesn’t have a great approach at the plate, and with how few walks he takes, it’s no wonder why he routinely struggles to reach even a .300 OBP. Seeing his projected arbitration number above $11 million, it’s understandable why the Brewers may look to trade or simply unload him. That’s a hefty price to pay for a borderline outfielder with a pretty one-dimensional set of skills. In Bellinger’s case, you have a player that’s projected to get something like $18 million through the arbitration process. Since winning an MVP in 2019, Bellinger seems to have lost all ability to produce. He has dealt with injuries along the way, but this is a 27-year-old with a .648 OPS across the past three seasons. The Dodgers would love to have the 112 OPS+ Bellinger posted in 2020 back, but he’s fallen off an absolute cliff since. In 2021 he was virtually unplayable and looking at a .210/.265/.389 slash line last year as a positive development tells you everything you need to know. There’s no denying that Bellinger has the ability, but unlocking it again and figuring out how to get him right is tough when also paying him nearly $20 million. He was once a consistent power-hitting threat with amazing plate discipline and solid skills in both the outfield and at first base. He still has never lost the defensive ability, but both the production and approach offensively have become all but non-existent. He does seem like the type of player a team would love to work on as a reclamation project. He’s still young and, at the right price, could have plenty of appeal for an organization in the middle ground. Minnesota would provide less scrutiny than Los Angeles, and being able to unlock his potential could give the Twins quite the come-up. Both players should have no problem finding suitors on the open market, but maybe Derek Falvey and Thad Levine would have an interest in dealing for one before they get there. View full article

The Twins want some roster clarity as the calendar flips to 2017. According to a report from the Star Tribune's La Velle E. Neal III, "The club would like interested teams to step up with their best offer in the coming days, or they plan to prepare for the 2017 season with Dozier as their second baseman." Trade rumors have been swirling around the Twins' face of the franchise after a monster season where he belted over 40 home runs. With two-years remaining on his contract at a team friendly price, there are multiple teams interested in acquiring the second baseman. Here's a recap where things are when it comes to a Dozier deal.The Dodgers continue to be the team most likely best-suited to acquire Dozier. Los Angeles has a surplus of pitching prospects and a desire to win now. Jose De Leon's name is the one that has been most associated with the Twins. The right-handed pitching prospect was a top-25 prospect entering last season while making his MLB debut at age-23. According to Neal, the Dodgers have been pushing for a straight Dozier for De Leon trade. The Twins have wanted the addition of another top prospect like first baseman Cody Bellinger or right-handed pitcher Yadier Alvarez. Los Angeles hasn't budged in their offer. Other teams rumored to be interested are the Giants, Cardinals, and Braves. If the Giants want to work a deal, they would likely need to bring in a third team because their farm system doesn't have as many high caliber prospects. They also have Joe Panik to play second base so Dozier could need to move to third base, a position he has little experience playing. Chatter surrounding the Cardinals interest in Dozier peaked last week when KSTP's Darren Wolfson reported that the Cardinals are "very much in it." However, the Cardinals might be hesitant to include their top prospects like right-handed pitcher Alex Reyes or catcher Carson Kelly. Some believe the Cardinals reported interest in Dozier was a ploy from the organization to get more value squeezed out of the Dodgers. Washington was aggressive this off-season by trading multiple prospects to the White Sox to acquire Adam Eaton. This might leave them little in the tank when it comes to dealing for Dozier. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post said the Nationals "haven't made any serious inquiries on Twins' Dozier." She went on to say that there was "no natural fit there." Atlanta has been working on their own rebuild so it doesn't seem likely that they would want to trade away top prospects for the remaining years on Dozier's contract. Dozier would help their current squad make strides in the right direction but their organization is built to win in the future, not in the present. While the Dodger continue to seem to be the most likely fit, Los Angeles is going to have to up their offer for the Twins to take a deal. With multiple years remaining on his contract, the Twins could wait until the trade deadline and hope there are more teams willing to deal away their top talent. This would also require Dozier to continue to play the way he did in the second half. Time might be running out on a Dozier deal. Click here to view the article