The Minnesota Twins 2022 season has to be characterized as a massive disappointment, as they were expected to contend for the American League Central crown. And while they did in a sense, they ultimately fell out of the race in September, and ended up finishing the season with a sub .500 record.
The Twins will obviously be looking to ensure they don’t suffer a similar result in the 2023 season, and their offseason work will play a big role in achieving that. Minnesota has some big fish to fry in free agency, and their biggest goal will likely be to find a way to keep Carlos Correa in town on an actual long-term deal after he opted to test free agency again.
While paying attention to the Twins and seeing if they make a play for some of the big name players available is obviously a big part of the offseason, some of the under the radar targets could be the ones that really lead to more wins for Minnesota in the future. Let’s take a look at three sneaky free agent targets for the Twins and see why they could be crucial to helping Minnesota have a better 2023 campaign.
3. Adam Ottavino
The Twins thought they were addressing their bullpen at the trade deadline when they swung a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for their closer Jorge Lopez. And while Lopez may be able to hold onto the closer role in 2023, the backend of the bullpen, aside from Jhoan Duran, needs a lot of help, which is why Adam Ottavino makes a lot of sense as a potential late-innings bullpen addition .
Ottavino hasn’t been overly consistent throughout his career, but he was dominant in 2022 with the New York Mets. Pitching in front of Edwin Diaz for New York, Ottavino had one of the best seasons of his career (6-3, 2.06 ERA, 3 SV, 79 K, 0.98 WHIP) meaning he will likely have a busy market as a result.
Ottavino isn’t a long-term solution to the bullpen, as he is 37 years old, and has had seasons where he has looked nothing like the pitcher he was in 2022. But Ottavino should be a strong option to fill-in in the late innings, and he will likely be cheaper than some of the other options available, making him a very strong target for Minnesota.
2. Christian Vazquez
The Twins, like a large majority of teams in the league, need catching help. Gary Sanchez and Ryan Jeffers didn’t really get the job done last season, and Minnesota will likely be looking to find a more consistent option behind the plate. Luckily, there will be a couple of different avenues for Minnesota to explore at this position this offseason.
Everyone is going to be focused on Willson Contreras in free agency or Sean Murphy on the trade market, but Christian Vazquez will also be lurking as a strong option for whichever team wants him this offseason as well. Vazquez just won a ring with the Astros in 2022, but he wasn’t really a secondary option for them behind Martin Maldonado. Vazquez’s numbers (.274 BA, 9 HR, 52 RBI, .714 OPS) are strong enough that he will find a starting job this offseason, though.
The Twins should focus their attention on Vazquez rather than make a push for one of the bigger options in Contreras or Murphy. Vazquez isn’t a superstar behind the dish, but he does everything well for a catcher, and considering how poorly things went for Minnesota in 2022, they would be wise to make a big play for Vazquez while everyone else isn’t paying attention.
1. Chris Bassitt
The starting pitcher market has already begun to have some movement, with Jacob deGrom jumping ship with the Mets and joining the Texas Rangers. The Mets will likely have an incentive to keep their other big name free agent starter in Chris Bassitt on board now, but he should be the top sneaky free agent target for the Twins this offseason.
Bassitt held together New York’s starting rotation last season, and had another strong season in the process (15-9, 3.42 ERA, 167 K, 1.15 WHIP), cementing himself as one of the most consistent starters in the game right now. Bassitt would typically be drawing a lot more attention, but with big names like deGrom and Justin Verlander also being free agents, he hasn’t been as popular a free target as he should be early on this offseason.
Minnesota needs more top end starters in their rotation, and while Bassitt may not be your most typical ace, when he’s been on the hill over the past five seasons, he’s been ace-like. He could lead the Twins rotation in a way they desperately needed in 2022, and he will likely be far cheaper than other top-end options. For that reason, the Twins should heavily pursue Bassitt in free agency.
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