5 teams that should start saving money for Francisco Lindor

1. Minnesota Twins

The Twins committed long-term to Jorge Polanco in February, covering his arbitration years and his first few years of free agent eligibility with a seven-year deal worth $25 million per year. They also have Royce Lewis and Nick Gordon in the minor league pipeline, which may bring a shift to second base for Polanco within the next few years.

After a strong finish in 2017 (.316/.377/.553 slash-line, 10 home runs over 234 plate appearances), Polanco served an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension to start last season. He was solid upon his return, with a .288/.345/.427 slash-line, six home runs and 42 RBI (27 extra base hits) over 333 plate appearances, but that strike in MLB’s performance-enhancing drug program will hang over him.

Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey had moved out of the Indians’ scouting department by the time Lindor was drafted eighth overall in 2011, but he worked in the organization through the 2016 season and that familiarity will surely linger. The Twins also have an opportunity to fully flesh out an evaluation of Lindor over the next couple years, with increased investment in analytics and playing against him plenty within the AL Central.

It looks like a strained fit, at best, right now. But the Twins have to consider a run at Lindor when he hits the market, and it’s safe to say Falvey will take the lead on shaping a plan in that regard.