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Some of the top free-agent shortstops have already signed, and the Minnesota Twins still have a hole at the position. Let's revisit the top-five remaining free-agent shortstop options for the Twins. Last winter, Minnesota was rumored to be interested in infielders like Marcus Siemen and Didi Gregorious. Both players signed with other clubs, and the Twins turned to Andrelton Simmons on an $11 million deal. At the time, Minnesota touted the agreement as a way for the team to improve defensively. Simmons lived up to his defensive reputation, but he hit new career lows in many offensive categories. The Twins are also in an intriguing position when it comes to the shortstop position. Both of the team's top prospects, Royce Lewis and Austin Martin, have played shortstop in the minor leagues. However, neither player is guaranteed to stick at shortstop for the long term. Each of the players below is still available with the league's shutdown now at hand. Included with each player is his projected salary, according to the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook. 5. Andrelton Simmons TD Offseason Handbook Prediction: $3 million/season Twins fans may not want to hear it, but bringing Simmons back can make a lot of sense for the club. Offensively, he is coming off his worst big-league season, and that is going to significantly reduce his cost. His defensive skills are still near the top of the league and that might be beneficial to whomever the club has in the rotation. 4. Freddy Galvis TD Offseason Handbook Prediction: $3 million/season Galvis is a below-average offensive player who is coming off a career-best awful season (91 OPS+). In 104 games last season, he got on base over 30% of the time, and he collected 30 extra-base hits. Defensively, he's not at the same level as Simmons, but he can hold his own at shortstop. There are some rumblings that he may be headed to Japan, but he seems like a player that is good enough to get a big-league deal for 2022. Galvis may be a good fill-in option until Lewis or Martin is ready to take the reins. 3. Jonathan Villar TD Offseason Handbook Prediction: $5 million/season Villar doesn't have the defensive chops of some of the other players on this list, but the Mets used him at shortstop for a good chunk of the 2021 campaign. Last season, he posted a 102 OPS+ with 38 extra-base hits in 142. He's better than Galvis offensively and worse on defense. Villar can be acquired on a cheaper deal than the team paid for Simmons last winter. 2. Trevor Story TD Offseason Handbook Prediction: $22 million/season Story is one of the top-tier shortstops he's projected to make over $100 million this winter. Colorado surprisingly didn't trade him at last year's trade deadline and instead decided to make him the qualifying offer. Among National League shortstops, he ranked third according to SABR's Defensive Index. Story is a two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner that is one of the game's best shortstops. It would be great for the Twins to outbid other teams, but many large-market teams are looking for a shortstop upgrade. 1. Carlos Correa TD Offseason Handbook Prediction: $30 million/season Correa is one of baseball's best players, and there's a good chance his contract will be close to $300 million. He's hitting free agency at a relatively young age (27), and his contract will lock him up for the entirety of his prime. Correa ranked as the best defender in the American League last season, and he has plenty of playoff experience. Twins fans can dream of a Correa/Polanco middle infield combo, but it doesn't seem likely for the team to allot that much money to one player for a decade. Do you think the Twins will be able to add any of these shortstops? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or emai View full article

The last thing Twins fans want to hear is the benefit of moving forward with a frugal payroll. However, creating an offseason plan around a shoestring budget is at least valuable as a thought exercise. It’s foolish to do all these moves, but identifying a couple could free up money for a more expensive addition. So let’s identify a few bargains to fill some of the holes in the Twins 25-man roster… You can create your own blueprint using Twins Daily's Offseason Handbook, which you can download immediately and name your own price. Middle Infield Philosophy - This is the easiest position to fill. The Twins have a desperate need, but also have several middle infield prospects approaching the majors. The free agent market is deep, especially with second basemen. It makes sense to sign someone to a short contract, filling the need for the present and giving the future the time it needs to develop. Targets - I’d look to the more competitive shortstop market initially, moving Jorge Polanco to second base. Put shortstop Freddy Galvis at the top of the list, who is 29 years old, cost $15M over two years (per the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook) and brings a solid glove to help out the left side of the infield along with a little (13 HR in 2018) pop. I’d also stay involved in the bidding for shortstops Jose Iglesias and Jordy Mercer. If that doesn’t work, there are a ton of second basemen to consider even if the team is determined not to guarantee more than two years at a cost of $7M or so per year. Candidates include Ascrubal Cabrera, Ian Kinsler and even old friend Brian Dozier. (Hey, he and that left field porch were a good match.) This is the one area it’s almost impossible to screw up. The market will come to the Twins. Corner Infield Philosophy - In an ideal world, this is the area that the Twins will spend a lot of money. They need a middle-of-the-order hitter, and with spots open at first base and designated hitter, they should be thinking bat first and figure out where to play them later. Plus, this free agency has some bats, even beyond Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, that fit that bill. (Nelson Cruz seems like an ideal fit.) But this is supposed to be a frugal list, so I’m going to focus on strategy that leads to a couple of budget options. And those options start in-house, because after a few big names, this free agency class falls off a cliff. Targets - I expect the Twins will keep Tyler Austin in their plans for next year. Acquired from the Yankees, he is 27 years old and has posted a 937 OPS against southpaws over his career. Adding a left-handed bat to pair with him makes sense, even if it costs a bench spot. At the top of my wish list is 30-year-old Matt Adams, who slugged 21 home runs in only 306 AB - and twenty of those came against right-handed pitching. ‘Nuff said. He costs about $8M. A backup plan is Lucas Duda (~$4M), who is 32 years old and posted a 813 OPS against right-handers last year. I’ll tell you who I would’ve liked the second name to be: Joe Mauer. I wish him the best in his next career, but it’s a bummer that he is moving on when he was such a good fit for the Twins. He is cheap ($7M), gets on-base, good defensively, a veteran role model and hungry for the postseason. He would've been a nice fit. Instead, I suspect the Twins could just hang onto Robbie Grossman who can be sort of a Joe Mauer Lite: he gets on base (.355 OBP over his career, .367 last year), is just 29 years old, can play outfield in a pinch, and most importantly for this list, is still relatively cheap (~$4M). Those names likely will not generate any High Fives at your favorite watering hole, but such is the life of the bargain shopper. Tomorrow we'll look at two other markets that look promising as well: starting pitcher and relievers. Click here to view the article

With the Minnesota Twins fully focused on the 2019 Major League Baseball season at this point, their goal currently is to construct the best roster to challenge the reigning AL Central Champion Cleveland Indians. Having a literal boatload of cap space there’s plenty of money to be spent this offseason. Needing to address the infield, specifically up the middle, it’s a tale of two types for Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. Do they love the glove, or not?Jorge Polanco is currently the acting Minnesota shortstop. In 664 innings at shortstop in 2018 he was worth -1 DRS with a -3.9 UZR and a 1.4 RngR. Those numbers are all far better than the abomination he was during just 406 innings at short in 2016, but they are a step backward from the 2017 version of Polanco. Whether one understands defensive metrics or not, Minnesota’s current shortstop has a poor arm and limited range. Playing deep in the hole is hardly an option, and it leaves the infield's most important position significantly exposed. The good news is that Polanco profiles as an average to above-average second basemen. His arm would play just fine there, and range factor is less demanding on the right side of the diamond. It’s a role he had essentially been pushed into during the latter part of his minor league career, and only moved back to short as the Twins already had Brian Dozier manning second. When addressing their needs this offseason, I’d imagine the Twins would prefer not to punt on middle-infield defense entirely. Whether at second base or at shortstop, some sort of glove-first player makes sense. The only other option would be to choose some sort of middle-ground type player, with a bat-first emphasis, keeping Polanco where he is and banking on Royce Lewis being adept defensively for that role beginning in 2020. Obviously when considering which path to choose the market factors come into play as well. There are only something like eight available shortstops while there is nearly double that number at second base. In trying to put some pegs into holes, here’s how I see some of those names categorized. Gloves- Manny Machado (SS) Jose Iglesias (SS) Freddy Galvis (SS) D.J. LeMahieu (2B) Ian Kinsler (2B) Logan Forsythe (2B) Bats- Jordy Mercer (SS) Asdrubal Cabrera (2B) Brian Dozier (2B) Daniel Murphy (2B) Daniel Descalso (2B) Josh Harrison (2B) Of the 12 names above, it’s worth immediately ruling a handful out. Manny Machado is a pipe dream, and while the Twins have the money to sign him, there will be no shortage of suitors and plenty more sexy landing spots. Brian Dozier’s time has probably come and gone with the organization, and Daniel Murphy should be both expensive and a significant fielding liability. Each of the remaining nine names presents some intrigue though, so individually they’re worth a look. Jose Iglesias- The former Detroit Tigers shortstop is probably the cream of this crop in the field. While his DRS numbers don’t jump off the charts, he has a strong arm, solid range, and plays a well above-average shortstop. At just 28 years old he would give Minnesota the ability to sign a multi-year deal and feel pretty good about it. Freddy Galvis- A relatively similar player to Iglesias, Galvis separates himself a bit with his stick. He’s hit at least 12 homers each of the past three years and there’s plenty of gap power here. He’s a strong defender as well and will be just 29 next season. He’s also a strong bet to land a multi-year deal. D.J. LeMahieu- Coming off a second straight Gold Glove, the former Rockies second baseman is as sure as it gets in the field. He led MLB second basemen in DRS last season and locks down the right side of an infield. Obviously, his numbers are going to tumble away from Coors, but the question is to what extent. He’ll probably be looking for a bit more than he ends up being worth, but at 30 years old, more quality play should be ahead. Ian Kinsler- Divisional familiarity is at play here after Kinsler spent four seasons with the Tigers. He’ll turn 37 during the 2019 season, and obviously isn’t the player he once was. Struggling to hit much at all last season, he still earned a Gold Glove with his exceptional defense. There’s still some power at the plate and it comes with some on-base ability. Logan Forsythe- Minnesota is obviously familiar with this name, as he was swapped for Brian Dozier down the stretch. Forsythe can play an above average second base, and the defensive upgrade over Dozier was more than apparent. He hasn’t hit for two years, but he could be a decent buy-low target in his age 32 season. Jordy Mercer- Stuck in the middle ground of average on both sides of the game, Mercer has an OK bat and a mediocre glove. He’s not someone you really want to employ at short but isn’t going to hit to the extent of moving positions. There’re on-base skills here too, and he has shown some pop in previous seasons, but this signing would come with plenty of uncertainty. Asdrubal Cabrera- Nothing short of terrible in the field last year, Cabrera has become all bat at this point of his career. He’ll be 33 for his next team and is coming off a .774 OPS in 2018. He wasn’t good for the Phillies down the stretch but posted an exception .817 OPS with the Mets in 98 games to start the year. You’re asking a lot from Polanco in going this route, but maybe the offense makes up for it? Daniel Descalso- Splitting between second and short last season for the Diamondbacks, Descalso was better on the right side. He’s a good contact hitter who doesn’t strike out a ton. While walks haven’t been his game either, Descalso may be a late-developing prime player. The .762 OPS since 2016 far surpasses the .648 OPS in six big league seasons prior. Josh Harrison- Leaving the Pirates for the first time in his big-league career J-Hay is headed for untested waters. He’s been a jack of all trades most seasons but played solely second base last season. He’s average at worst in the field, and hovering around a .700 OPS is a fair expectation. You do worry about him never having played more than 143 games in a season, and there’s nothing he does exceptionally well. In trying to figure out where the Twins might turn it’s not an either-or proposition. Certainly, they could bring in some middle infield depth, but there’s only one starting spot open. Polanco is going to be placed aside of whomever is inserted into the lineup and that makes it critical to get this right. As a long-term play Jose Iglesias seems the best fit to me. He won’t be cheap, but you can’t expect him to break the bank either. Galvis strikes out a bit too much for a lineup filled with them, and Iglesias brings a slightly better form of defense. He can be inserted at shortstop for the next three years, and there then is no pressure for Royce Lewis needing to stick in that spot. Shoot for three years at $25 million and call it a day. Should Minnesota be looking for just a short-term answer to this equation I think the bat-first mentality comes into play a bit more. On a one-year deal, age goes out the window and you’re staring at a trio of Kinsler, Forsythe, and Cabrera. I don’t think you can realistically employ Polanco and Cabrera up the middle without very negative results, and you probably should aim a bit higher than what Forsythe projects as. Welcome Ian Kinsler back to the division. Even at his worst offensively there’s both power and on-base skills to utilize. He’s just two years removed from an .831 OPS and he should be available at less than $10 million for a single season. We’re still a way out from seeing how the Twins plan to address this situation, but it’s one of the most interesting and critical of the entire offseason. Click here to view the article