By Steve Adams | February 8, 2022 at 11:05am CDT

The utter dearth of starting pitching for the Twins has been well-documented by now. Out of the 2022 equation are longtime top starter Jose Berrios and 2020 AL Cy Young runner-up Kenta Maeda; Berrios was flipped to Toronto in exchange for a pair of touted prospects at last summer’s deadline, while Maeda underwent Tommy John surgery late last year and hopes for a September return — in a best-case scenario. Also out the door is righty Michael Pineda, a free agent who could yet return but remains unsigned. Thus far, the extent of the Twins’ offseason shopping was a roll of the dice on Dylan Bundy. He’ll join rookie/top prospect Joe Ryan and sophomore Bailey Ober in a thin Twins rotation mix.

For all the focus on the team’s starting pitching, however, Minnesota also lacks an obvious starter at shortstop. Andrelton Simmons’ one-year stint proved largely underwhelming. By measure of wRC+, Simmons ranked second-worst among hitters with at least 450 plate appearances last season (56). His .223/.287/.274 batting line negated much of his defensive wizardry and was one of many reasons the Twins’ 2021 season went south so quickly. Simmons was never brought in to be an offensive force, but he’d at least been competent (and occasionally above average) in the five preceding seasons, posting a combined .281/.328/.394 slash.

In a perfect world, 2017 No. 1 overall pick Royce Lewis might’ve been ready for a run at shortstop this year. An immensely gifted athlete who’s been ranked among the sport’s top 100 prospects since the moment he was drafted — peaking in the top ten, heading into 2019 — Lewis is seen as a major building block for the organization. Unfortunately for both the Twins and Lewis, he sustained a torn ACL while ramping up for Spring Training last year and wasn’t able to make it back to the field in 2021. Couple that with a 2020 season spent at the Twins’ alternate site during the canceled minor league campaign, and Lewis has missed some crucial development time.

By all accounts, the future is still bright — Lewis clocks in at No. 82 on Baseball America’s latest Top 100 ranking — but the lack of recent playing time and a major surgery have both added some extra risk to his profile and slowed his timeline to the Majors. There was always some question as to whether Lewis would settle in at shortstop or wind up playing third base, center field or second base, anyhow, and even if shortstop is still his future home, he’s not ready just yet.

There are similar defensive questions about fellow top prospect Austin Martin, the headliner of the Berrios trade. Martin, the No. 5 overall pick in 2020 who was viewed as a candidate to be drafted first overall himself, is a gifted hitter and on-base machine whose defensive home is less certain. The Twins will continue getting him work at shortstop, though some scouting reports believe he’ll end up at second base or in the outfield. Martin is considered among the 50 or so best prospects in MLB, but he’s had just one pro season and did not advance beyond Double-A last year. Perhaps he’ll be an option this summer if he mashes out of the gate in Triple-A and looks sound at shortstop, but like Lewis, he needs more time.

Up on the big league roster, the Twins have one well-known option who could slide back to the position. Jorge Polanco spent four years as Minnesota’s primary shortstop, hitting a combined .277/.335/.435 in 418 games from 2017-20. However, Polanco was never a good defender there, hence the move to second base and the subsequent signing of Simmons.

The 28-year-old Polanco turned in the best season of his career following the move to the other side of the bag, so the Twins may not want to tinker with a decision that yielded one of 2021’s few bright spots. Polanco erupted with a 33-homer campaign, hitting .269/.323/.503 through 644 plate appearances. He also turned in a positive showing in Defensive Runs Saved (3) and was only slightly below par in Statcast’s Outs Above Average.

[Related: Jorge Polanco’s Bounceback Season]

One could argue that the Twins should focus on pitching, move Polanco to back to shortstop and play Luis Arraez everyday at second base. However, doing so would weaken the defense (thus diminishing the returns on some of the pitchers they do inevitably add). And, whether it was correlation or causation, Polanco seemed more comfortable once freed from shortstop — a position where his -39 Defensive Runs Saved from 2016-20 ranked second-worst in Major League Baseball.

The Twins made some depth additions recently, picking up former No. 1 pick Tim Beckham and former Rays/Brewers utilityman Daniel Robertson on minor league deals. Neither is on the 40-man roster and neither should be seen as a candidate to step up as their primary shortstop. Either could vie for a bench spot, competing against Nick Gordon — a former top-10 draft pick who made his big league debut with Minnesota last season. However, Gordon mustered just a .240/.292/.355 output in 216 plate appearances and was used all around the diamond. A full-time run at shortstop isn’t likely for any of this trio.

Whoever suits up at shortstop on Opening Day for the Twins probably isn’t in the organization yet, so let’s look at some options.

There’s probably not much point in pondering whether the Twins could or will sign Carlos Correa. Minnesota currently projects to about a $91MM payroll next season (per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez). That drops to $61MM in 2023 and $27MM in 2024. Technically, they have the payroll space to sign Correa to a mega-deal. However, starting pitching is likely a bigger focus, and the Twins have never gone anywhere near the Correa stratosphere on a contract. Joe Mauer’s $184MM extension is the largest deal in franchise history, and Josh Donaldson’s $92MM pact is the biggest free-agent splash they’ve made. Signing Correa for north of $300MM would be a legitimate shock.

Trevor Story is more plausible, financially speaking, but it’s likely he’s seeking a nine-figure deal of his own. A salary in the $20-25MM range isn’t the dealbreaker it once was for the Twins, and Story would give them quality defense with far more offensive output than Simmons. Story seems more likely as a fit here if his market just doesn’t come together as hoped. There are teams who might swoop on a one-year deal in that scenario (e.g. Yankees), but if Story isn’t able to secure a five- or six-year deal and still wants to max out, a Donaldson-esque, four-year offer at least seems feasible. A lot of pieces need to fall into place in this scenario, though.

The Simmons deal didn’t work out, but the dismal nature of his 2021 season reduces his 2022 price tag substantially. If the Twins simply want to sign the best glove available and focus on pitching, a cheap Simmons reunion makes sense. There have also been rumors connecting Simmons to the Yankees, who looked into the possibility of acquiring Simmons last summer.

Once upon a time, Jose Iglesias would’ve been viewed in a similar capacity to Simmons. Some may still see him in that light. However, Iglesias’ 2021 season was punctuated by a rather shocking downturn with the glove. Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at a staggering -22, and he posted the first negative Ultimate Zone Rating (-6.1) of his career. Outs Above Average was the most forgiving metric, but even OAA only pegged him as an average defender. Iglesias’ .271/.309/.391 output in 2021 confirmed that his outrageous 2020 season (.373/.400/.556 in 150 plate appearances) was more small-sample fluke than late-blooming breakout. He could be had on an affordable one-year deal himself, but there’s no guarantee the glove bounces back.

Switch-hitting Jonathan Villar remains unsigned, and he’d probably offer the best hope of offensive production from this group. The 32-year-old carries a .259/.327/.408 slash with 58 homers and 104 steals through 497 games over the past four seasons, but Villar isn’t regarded as a strong defender at shortstop. He’s also hit well in two of the past three seasons — 2020’s small sample being the exception — so he could justifiably seek a two-year deal.

There are a handful of other free agents with recent shortstop experience — Josh Harrison, Phil Gosselin, Matt Duffy, old friend Ehire Adrianza — but they profile as bench options (or, perhaps in Harrison’s case, as a starter at second or third base, where the Twins aren’t looking for solutions).

There are a handful of interesting names to consider if, as seems to be the case with their pitching needs, the Twins deem the trade market a more palatable path to finding a shortstop. The Rangers, for instance, have already inked two of the “big five” shortstops this winter, pushing Isiah Kiner-Falefa to third base — at least until top third base prospect Josh Jung debuts in 2022. Minnesota GM Thad Levine was an assistant GM in Texas when Kiner-Falefa was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. There’s no urgency for the Rangers to move Kiner-Falefa, who’s controlled through 2023, but it’d probably behoove the Twins to inquire. Kiner-Falefa owns a .273/.316/.361 batting line with elite defensive contributions over the past two seasons.

The Twins are a natural trade partner for the Reds, who’ll have several starting pitchers available. Minnesota could conceivably look to double dip, adding a shortstop as well as a pitcher. In Cincinnati, that could be utilityman-turned-starter Kyle Farmer, who figures to cede playing time to top prospect Jose Barrero before long. Farmer, 31, hit .263/.316/.416 with solid glovework in a career-high 529 plate appearances in 2021. He’s controlled through 2024.

Some might argue there’s a similar approach to be taken with Oakland, as the Twins could offer to take back some of Elvis Andrus’ contract to help grease the wheels on a trade for a starter. However, as I explored back in December, there are plenty of obstacles in a potential Andrus deal (namely a no-trade clause and a problematic vesting option). He also just hasn’t hit since 2017, and his defensive ratings have cratered. It’d be more sensible to just sign Simmons or Iglesias and focus solely on a starting pitcher in trade talks with the A’s.

Over in Arizona, the D-backs have a well-regarded defender in Nick Ahmed, but the 31-year-old limped through a career-worst year at the plate. The glove still plays, and outside of 2021, he’s “only” been a below-average hitter (.248/.307/.421, 89 wRC+ from 2018-20). The Snakes owe Ahmed $17.5MM combined from 2022-23, and they’ll want to open a spot for top prospect Geraldo Perdomo before too long. If you want to consider two-for-one possibilities here, as with the Reds, perhaps the Twins could try to pry Merrill Kelly away. He’ll be a free agent next winter.

If the Twins and Guardians are both comfortable dealing within the division, Cleveland has a bevy of middle infielders while the Twins are deep in outfield options. Both have a deep supply at an area the other is lacking. Amed Rosario is two years from free agency, while Andres Gimenez is more controllable but less proven offensively. Cleveland has so many middle-infield prospects bubbling up toward the Majors behind that pair, that there’s a natural on-paper fit here. (The Guardians are also deeper in starting pitching than the Twins, setting up additional possibilities.) It’s always tougher to envision division rivals dealing with one another, but Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey was hired out of the Cleveland front office back in 2016.

As with any offseason need, there are boundless possibilities to consider even beyond this list. The Twins could try to buy low on KBO star Ha-Seong Kim — a square peg in a round hole with the Padres — or look into defensive standout Kevin Newman over in Pittsburgh (though he was the only shortstop who was less-productive at the plate than Simmons last season). You can mix-and-match the possibilities to your liking — what else is there to do with no end to the lockout in sight? — but it’s likely the Twins’ next starting shortstop hasn’t yet been acquired.

just give Gordon a chance, at least until Martin or Lewis come up.

They’re both a couple years off. One could end up at SS and the other at 2B, but word is Martin and Lewis had a falling out and don’t get along well.

How would that have happened ?

I think Lewis is, but wouldn’t rule out Martin this year. High-contact guys can move fast.

Nice and subtle! I’d like Martin and Lewis up the middle.

no sex talk allowed….. hahahahahahahaha

There isn’t a worse group of top picks in baseball history than when the Twins had a 4 year run of Buxton, Stewart, Gordon and Tyler Jay.

Really? Pick almost any 4 year period for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Buxton has 16 War in just 493 games. Injuries have derailed his career. Berrios was also a supplemental first round pick the same year Buxton was drafted and has been a strong #2/#3 type pitcher

Kohl Stewart hasn’t been a world beater but he had parts of three seasons in the majors. Nick Gordon was called up last year. Nothing special though. Tyler Jay wasn’t anything.

I’d take that over Sean Newcomb, CJ Cron, Taylor Ward, and Matt Thaiss all day every day.

Buxton has out performed all 4 combined and Berrios was used to add more talent to the farm.

Hard Pass on this Hot Take. The Marlins had 13 first round picks in between 2002 and 2009 and the only players of any real note were Chris Volstad and Chris Coghlan.

There are tons of 4-year combinations worse than that. Three of the four players reached the majors and one is a superstar.

Martin, Lewis, possible. Or this cat. Sam Davis. Think his pops was in the show too, so it’s Sam Junior.

do we have to. I’m tired today.

First let’s find a CBA.

My Magic 8 Ball says Nick Ahmed.

Nobody got that. Oh well.

Dear Twins, Please take Elvis Andrus. I’ll love you forever. Sincerely, A’s Fan

It’s time to put up or shut up on nick Gordon and take advantage of his speed in that lineup. He played great when he first got the call last year from the get go and then he was the after though for whatever reason. He deserves a chance and he’s a better player than we all thought he would be. Just needs the reps and steady play to keep things going.

Wrong link for Austin Martin.

Seems like a better fit at LF. Dude played every position but RF and pitcher in college; played sort and center in AA in 2021. His specialty is walking and hitting. Defense is not his strong point. Probably makes his big league debut this year if you put him in left…

Problem with a corner OF position for him is that it’s not clear if he will develop much power.

Ha – Seong Kim.. Send the Padres Drew Strotman and Cole Sands. Definitely think Kim can be a very good player if given consistent playing time.

I don’t hate that.

As if any of these guys is going to help a team that’s depleted in almost every category. Build us a new stadium and we will be contenders they said. So far one of the wealthiest owner groups has once again let down the Twins fans…big shocker…a Pohlad parting with his money…it’s a given that’ll never happen.

I’m gonna channel my inner Yankee fan here. Pirates give Newman Twins give Lewis, Buxton, Maeda, and Kepler… Seems like a steal for Min!

Pirates decline because that’s too much salery for them to take on.

Buxton has a no trade clause! Otherwise Twins might fall for it!

Entertain Correa. Division is very winnable.

Twins FO have said they aren’t spending big money on pitching.. they have made that move… now they are focused on trading for pitching .. so any trade pieces available are slotted for a pitching deal.. so it seems there is no trade available for a SS… and any SS signed will be cheap.. My hunch is they give Gordon a go at SS .. because he had a very good september.. and bring in Lewis ASAP… I expect this scenario holds if Gordon hits in spring training… but if Lewis Mashes… He’ll be the everyday SS and Gordon will slide to the spot he is going towards… super Utility… and main back-up to Buxton… where any day.. Gordon could be the starter… meanwhile… the other option is another dumpster dive SS..

Like many others in here, I’d give Gordon a chance. He has charisma and good-looks. At least he’ll bring some more ladies to the ballpark. Plus, he deserves a shot.

So, who did you decide upon? Everyone already knows who’s available.

Bring back Niko Goodrum! When he was the everyday starter in Detroit, he was a finalist for the GG. He has speed and power. They just need to get him to put the bat on the ball.

This is a lot of words dedicated to a team who is gonna just see which one of Lewis/Beckham/Gordon/Martin/Robertson sucks the least

Still time for contraction with Florida

Contraction was a false flag by Selig… who owed pohlad money… to force the public to fund a stadium.. it was fraud.. and the MLB was sued for that fraud..

Twins willing to give Beckham a million. He would’ve been a 40-man siging if that could’ve happened. Now he can come to minor league camp and get ready for the season while Lewis, Miranda and Gordon may end up starting the season in the minors. Will be interesting to see how all that plays out.

But, again, Twins are on the cheap. They need to sign more than ONE big player (a corner outfielder/bench bat, shortstop, real closer, and would be nice to have at least one money starter and probably a decent secondary (like Pineda).

Is Royce Lewis still around?

The Twins would probably be fine with Polanco at SS and Arraez at 2B but it doesn’t seem they want to do that.

Iglesias or Villar make sense on one year deals with Martin possibly being ready at some point in ’23 it would make no sense for the Twins to invest in a 10 year contract for Correa or a 4 year contract with Story

Polanco is a defensive black hole at SS… no pitcher wants that.. and Polanco seems to hit better out of the 2B slot….. the smart money is on Lewis or Gordon to be the opening day SS…

If they are willing to trade in division, a buy low on Mondesi would make sense. The Royals would probably seek OF help, which the Twins don’t have a lot of on the farm but could reasonably take on Larnach, which would offset the Mondesi salary this year (he’ll probably fall short of 3m in arb after missing 120+ games again). A 1:1 trade like that isn’t the least likely scenario, but the Royals will probably want back a prospect as well.

Taylor Walls? Franco is locked in for the long haul at SS in Tampa. Walls is solid defensively and bat looks to break even (maybe even slightly above).

Franco is locked on for the long haul, but might play 3b, as Walls is the better SS.

It sounds like it’s the other way around and Franco gets SS preference by management, likely due to the contract. Walls is the better defender, but is getting tagged to play 3B.

A deal for Walls & Kiermeier could be in play with the Twins needing a reliable backup CF with Buxton and having payroll space to use if they don’t sign Story. With Kiermeier in the deal, the return would be less, maybe Matt Canterino & Maciel Urbina.

You notice how none of the other GM’s talk to Al Avila or he is never mentioned in articles? That’s because they’re all afraid he will outsmart them…… Al is really smart.

Tim Dierkes. I think stating the A’s may do a “fire sale” is “overstating the situation”. It may be more like a “competitive auction” Historically it is my understanding that MLB “fire sales” have been edicts from ownership to President of Baseball OPS and/or GMs to dump players/salaries and it was not important to get “value in players” back in return. Examples include (1) the Oakland A’s under Charlie Finley at the very beginning of free agency where Finley broke up a dynastic Hall of Fame loaded team that had won 3 straight World Series Titles in ’72. ’73. and ’74 and then traded everyone but the kitchen sink away to cut payroll and did not receive much in value players in return. (2) And, the notorious 1993 San Diego Padres fire sale by then Padres Owner Tom Werner who ordered then GM Randy Smith to dump players/contracts and slash payroll and not care about the returns. It resulted in the give away of All Star 1B Fred McGriff to the Braves for a bag of low level prospects none of whom ever panned out. It also resulted in the dumping of 24 year old break out superstar Gary Sheffield who challenged for the Triple Crown at age 23 (protected in the batting order by Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and future Hall of Famer Fred McGriff) and many more trades of higher salaried veteran players that returned mid to low level prospects where most of the returning players to the Padres never panned out as major leaguers. One exception to that was that one of the unknown 4 pitchers coming back to San Diego from the Marlins in the Sheffield deal turned out to be Trevor Hoffman (Hall of Famer) which proves that a blind squirrel, even in a “real fire sale” sometimes finds a diamond in the rough. (No one in MLB at the time had Hoffman rated as a future star player and not even guys singing for their suppers at subway stops would have projected him as a future Hall of Famer.

As a big Rays fan and also a big Giants fan, I think the Giants should definitely ask about KK as a way to find out what prospects the Giants should definitely NOT trade. If they could get Margot, 4 years younger than Kiermaier that would work, but not as good as outbidding everybody for Suzuki and keeping the prospects.

Story would be the preferred pick. A SS in the upper minors with talk about moving off the position is almost certainly moving off the position at the majors, except in a part-time role. Guys who stick at SS are projected as such without hesitancy.

If they want a stopgap, Taylor Walls(Rays), Kiner-Filefa, Farmer, or Ramon Urias(Orioles), would be my preferred trade targets, in that order.

Simmons as the fallback if nothing works out in the few days of talks the teams will have before having to complete the roster for pre-season training.

I’d like to see the Twins sign Story, not likely though. Trade for Kiner, Walls or DeJong! They need strong defense at SS!

Bottom line is they need pitching. That is where their focus should be. Any trades should be done solely to acquire starters. Signing Story certainly wouldn’t hurt on me either side of the game but if given a chance Gordon likely very easily out produces Simmons offensively and with steady reps I think he would be serviceable at short. Polonco needs to stay at 2nd. He was comfortable there and he produced with the bat as well. They don’t “need” to go get a short stop but hey absolutely need to put a rotation together.

I like buy low on Ha Seung Kim guy still young and can play defense 2

What they should be finding is pitching….start using their home grown talent like Ryan Mason

I’d like to see the Twins go with Lewis or Martin. Polanco can play 2B and Arraez can be the super utility guy. I’d have Larnach and co. at 1B, 2B Polanco, S Lewis, 3B Donaldson, C Garver, DH Sano, LF Kiriloff and co.,, CF Buxton, RF Kepler and co. Let the young players play and grow asa team. We need to sign two FA SP. maybe Pineda and one other.

Arraez and pitching prospect for Castillo and Moustakas

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