2022 Minnesota Twins Season Preview

The Minnesota Twins had a different offseason then most. The team will definitely look different this year. 

​Let me recap where the Twins ended up last year since I never posted a season recap. Minnesota ended the season with a 73-89 record, good for last in the AL Central. The team was far worse then their final record suggests. They couldn't do anything by the midpoint of the season so the Twins shipped off a boatload of talent elsewhere including veteran Nelson Cruz and star pitcher Jose Berrios. Suddenly the Twins starting winning the last couple months, when it was no longer relevant. 

This offseason the Twins made many moves. Lets start with who they said goodbye to.
Twins Offseason Departures:
RHP Alex Colome
C Willians Astudillo
RHP John Gant
RHP Michael Pineda
SS Andrelton Simmons
C Mitch Garver
3B Josh Donaldson
C Ben Rortvedt
OF Jimmy Kerrigan
OF Elijah Greene
LHP Taylor Rogers
OF Brent Rooker

Now lets look at the additions:
Twins Offseason Additions:
P Chris Archer
P Dylan Bundy
P Sonny Gray
P Chris Paddack
P Emilio Pagan
P Joe Smith
C Gary Sanchez
INF Carlos Correa
INF Gio Urshela
OF Gilberto Celestino

While that seems like a lot, lets limit the list down to who was added or subtracted by trade and big signings.
Twins Offseason Trades and Signings:
November: 
Signed OF Byron Buxton to 7 year contract. 
March:
Traded C Mitch Garver to Texas for 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa and RHP Ronny Henriquez
Traded RHP Chase Petty to Cincinnati for RHP Sonny Gray
Traded 3B Josh Donaldson, 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa, C Ben Rortvedt to New York Yankees for C Gary Sanchez and 3B Gio Urshela
Signed Free Agent SS Carlos Correa to 4 year contract with two team options
April:
Traded LHP Taylor Rogers and OF Brent Rooker to San Diego for RHP Chris Paddack and RHP Emilio Pagan

That is a lot of stuff to sift through. Big takeaways: extended arguably the best player on the roster for seven more years. The Twins got rid of some of their bad or not team friendly contracts like Donaldson's and Rogers'. They added some quality replacements in P Sonny Gray and Chris Paddack. Minnesota got a huge get with nabbing SS Carlos Correa, he should help the Twins in the short term. The Twins continue to have one of the best talent systems in the majors, with top prospects Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda starting the year in Triple-A St. Paul. The only issues lie in pitching. The Twins, after this week's trade, have a serviceable pitching rotation. But they are lacking some talent in the starting pitching department, hopefully I am proven wrong. If some key players on the roster can stay healthy and play great (Buxton and Sano) this could prove to be a comeback year for the Twins. Most outlets predict the Twins to finish towards the top of the AL Central but miss the playoffs. That might be the best case scenario, but the season needs to play out first.

I don't have much expectations for the Twins this year. I think they will finish 2nd in the AL Central with a record around .500. An improvement from last season, but still a little ways to go.

Go Twins!