5 offseason moves the Minnesota Twins need to make
1. Trade one of Eddie Rosario or Byron Buxton
It would have been a highly-critiqued move, but if the report the New York Mets wanted Buxton for Noah Syndergaard at this year’s trade deadline was accurate, maybe the Twins should have done it. Buxton is just entering his arbitration years, but the Twins have a looming decision on him regarding a contract extension or a move to cut bait. Still only approaching 26 years old, Buxton has potential and a perception of value to go with an inability to stay healthy for any lengthy stretch.
Rosario has become a fringe All-Star, and he set career-highs with 32 home runs and a team-high 109 RBI this year. But he is prone to streakiness at the plate (17 home runs through the end of May this year; 242 average from Sept. 1 on), practically doesn’t take walks (.300 OBP this year) and makes mental errors defensively (though less often than he used to).
Rosario is in line to double his 2019 salary ($4.19 million) in his second year of arbitration this offseason. As confirmation of that, MLB Trade Rumors projects him to get $8.9 million right now. But is a 1.6 bWAR player (in 2019 and 2017) worth nearly $9 million in 2020? I don’t really think so, and even if they hold Rosario in high regard I suspect the Twins don’t want to be tied to that either. So once a salary in the $8-9 million range is locked in for him, or even before, a move to trade Rosario may be on the table.
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A trade of Rosario or Buxton would have to bring the right return — either an upper-end starting pitcher or an upgrade at their respective positions. One or both of them as part of a deal for someone like Syndergaard or Mookie Betts would be a pie-in-the-sky scenario, but there’s some chance the Twins try to really shake things up with a major move like that.