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The free agent market is set to grow this Friday as the MLB non-tender deadline is upcoming and there are a few players likely to be let go by their teams that could fit the Twins' needs for 2023. Image courtesy of Jasen Vinlove, USA Today Sports The deadline for MLB team’s to tender contracts to players is coming up this Friday, November 18. The Twins have as many as two players who could be non-tendered on Friday; Emilio Pagan, and Gio Urshela. With a lot of focus in Twins Territory with the non-tender deadline on Gio Urshela and if the Twins will keep him or non-tender him, there are still many other names from other teams that could be good or better fits for the team’s needs than those currently on the free agent market. The only notable name likely to be non-tendered for the Twins' biggest need at shortstop is the man they traded alongside Josh Donaldson to have money available for Carlos Correa. There are still some names to help bolster the Twins' outfield and pitching rotation depth to avoid the troubles seen in 2022. Here are five players who are likely to be non-tendered on Friday that the Twins Front Office should consider pursuing. 5. Jeff Hoffman A former top prospect that was a part of the deal that brought Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays, Jeff Hoffman had a decent season in the Cincinnati Reds bullpen posting a 3.83 ERA in 34 relief appearances. Hoffman has seen time in and out of the starting rotation throughout his career but had his first full season as a reliever this year. Hoffman does not pop out as a top-quality, high-leverage reliever. He is still someone who fits the model of the current front office’s methods of relievers to pick up off the market. There is potential there for Hoffman to be a strong reliever as he has two breaking balls with a splitter and a slider. The average velocity for his fastball hits 94.5 mph. If the Twins front office takes their time, as usual, this offseason to sign free agents, Hoffman may be one of those late off-season patches to help the bullpen. 4. Lou Trivino Trivino had a very bad season in 2022, at least until he was traded from the Oakland A’s to the Yankees. Just how bad was his time in Oakland this year? Trivino had a 6.47 ERA and 1.87 WHIP in 39 games. While the trade to the Yankees didn’t help his teammate Frankie Montas, the trade was certainly worthwhile for Trivino. In 25 games he posted a 1.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 238 ERA+. Trivino’s season rebound after leaving Oakland could make him a highly-sought reliever if he is non-tendered. The only thing that could keep Trivino from leaving the Yankees is their own belief in him being a boost to their bullpen with the departure of Aroldis Chapman. And given Chapman’s problems with the organization at seasons end, the Yankees will be trying all the relievers they can for the closer role. 3. Brian Anderson Originally drafted by the Twins out of high school in 2011, Anderson opted to go to college at the University of Arkansas instead. Brian Anderson could be a good right-handed bat to add to the Twins' depth chart in 2023. Anderson has often split time between third base and right field throughout his career. If the Twins do non-tender Urshela, he would be a valuable backup at that position to Jose Miranda and fill in well as a much-needed right-handed hitter in the outfield. The biggest concern when it comes to Brian Anderson is his health. Anderson has not played over 100 games since 2019 and in the last two seasons has had significant setbacks with shoulder injuries. The shoulder injuries have also set back Anderson’s offensive production. He has failed to hit more than 10 home runs in the last two years and averaged a .687 OPS in 647 plate appearances in that course of time. Maybe a change of scenery could help Anderson on the field as his health improves over that time. The Twins may consider Anderson as a platoon option between third and right field pending the decision on Urshela this Friday. 2. Elieser Hernandez Elieser Hernandez is an interesting case for the Twins and any team interested in him. The Miami Marlins have touted him on the mound both as a starter and reliever over his five-year career. This season, Hernandez split his time evenly as a starter and reliever this season. He actually saw more success in the rotation versus the bullpen, but his season ERA came to 6.35 with a 1.42 WHIP and ERA+ of 64. Hernandez’s time in Miami is likely coming to a close as he has a 5.04 ERA across the five seasons there. He is a reclamation project for any team that picks him up, and when it comes to the Twins, he levels himself in a similar position to Ronny Henriquez or Cole Sands. These two prospects still have starter potential but are likely shifting into bullpen roles. Hernandez's velocity on his fastball isn’t the highest as it averages out to 91.6 MPH. Many still see the potential of Hernandez to turn his career around as he turns 28 next May. There is a case to be made for the Twins to go out and sign him to a one-year deal and see what comes out of it. 1. Hunter Renfroe This right fielder is the complete opposite of Max Kepler over the last two seasons. Renfroe is known for being a power hitter with little defensive value while Kepler is a top defender at his position but has struggled mightily with the bat. With David Stearns stepping down from the role as the Brewers' President of Baseball Operations, there is heavy speculation the Brewers may tear down their roster. Renfroe hits this list as his salary is estimated at $11.2 million, according to John Bitzer of Baseball Trade Values, and not to mention, the top five Brewers prospects on MLB.com are outfielders. As the Twins limped their way to the end of the 2022 season with their outfielder, right-handed hitting outfielders were missing altogether with Buxton out and Kyle Garlick struggling mightily. Given a good track record of health and posting a .257/.315/.497 (.812) line in the last two seasons. Renfroe would be a good one-year pick-up for the Twins outfield while Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, and Matt Wallner find their footing with good health in the Majors. All five of these non-tender candidates have something to offer the Twins. Whether they enter the free agent market or not is still up in the air until Friday, but there is a good chance one of them could be in a Twins uniform for 2023. View full article

After almost completely ignoring the trade market last winter, the Twins almost surely won’t be able to afford to do so this year. Luckily for the pitching-needy Twins, there are plenty of controllable arms to target. The Twins could easily patch together a rotation by signing a small army of one-year rentals with an expensive front of the rotation starter for several years. Unfortunately, that may be a bit of a band-aid on their pitching troubles. The Twins should be looking for arms that can immediately take the reins in the rotation with several years of control and plenty of upside to grow. While the Twins can surely find a lengthy list of such arms to choose from, I found three that could be particularly interesting. Elieser Hernandez Hernandez has been far from a star in pitching-rich Miami, likely being their #5 starter at best. At 26 years old, his 4.70 ERA through 210 innings pitched doesn’t tell the whole story. Hernandez has posted a K/9 of 9.0 or better the last three years as well as showing impeccable control. He also has the kind of slider the front office loves, as the pitch has annually generated a whiff rate over 30% with a .158 xBA and .267 xSLG allowed in 2021. He’s also been working on a changeup which has a 34% whiff rate as well this year despite getting hit around a bit. The big red flag on Hernandez is the home run rate which nears 2.0 per 9 innings in his career. His fastball gets crushed which is why he’s been working on the changeup. In short, Hernandez is already in the process of trying to correct his biggest issue and the early results are somewhat encouraging. With a pipeline of upcoming pitching in Miami, Hernandez may be out a spot as soon as opening day and therefore would be a low risk high reward acquisition for the Twins who would control Hernandez for the next three years. Christian Javier This may be shooting for the stars but Javier has the kind of upside the front office should be looking to acquire for this winter. Like Hernandez, Javier finds himself overshadowed in an impressive rotation. In this case, the result was a move to the bullpen. Javier owns a 3.30 ERA in his MLB career through almost 150 innings with a 10+ K/9 so far. Walks and homers have been an issue, but the raw talent far outweighs the red flags for the 24-year-old. Javier is likely in Houston’s rotation plans for the 2022 season although not as the front line starter he could potentially develop into. The price would certainly be high, perhaps involving an already established player such as Max Kepler or Mitch Garver. That being said, it’s a chance to buy low on Javier whose price may never be lower coming off a second half in the bullpen. The Twins can get an established, talented young pitcher to mould into their next stud over the next four years. Touki Toussaint Toussaint is probably the most fun pitcher on this list because of his GIF worthy repertoire. A former first-round pick, it’s easy to see Toussaint’s talent in just about every pitch he throws. Unfortunately, the nasty stuff that leads to his near 10 K/9 also accounts for his 5+ BB/9 in his career. Through 145 innings his 5.46 ERA doesn’t inspire much confidence, though the raw talent is as obvious as can be. The Twins reputation for turning around pitchers took a hit in 2021, but Toussaint isn’t Matt Shoemaker. It may just take a small tweak to turn Toussaint into a legitimate rotation piece, and his success in the MLB thus far is likely holding down his acquisition cost. The Twins can target any number of pitchers on the trade market, but these are just three candidates that can be brought in with a good amount of potential payoff. Do you like any one the three more than the others? Is there another pitcher the Twins should inquire on? 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 View full article