The Twins Make Decisions On Several Key Veterans
The Minnesota Twins had some decisions to make regarding their 2023 roster and some club options they had.
On Monday, they made them all, with no surprises.
“No surprises here: The #MNTwins have exercised their 2023 club option for Sonny Gray and have declined their options on Miguel Sanó, Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer, meaning those three will become free agents. Carlos Correa‘s opt-out also became official this morning,” Twins insider Do-Hyoung Park tweeted.
No surprises here: The #MNTwins have exercised their 2023 club option for Sonny Gray and have declined their options on Miguel Sanó, Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer, meaning those three will become free agents.
Carlos Correa’s opt-out also became official this morning.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) November 7, 2022
Gray remains a solid mid-rotation stalwart, and had a 3.08 ERA in 119.2 innings in his first season in Minnesota.
He remains capable of limiting runs and getting strikeouts in bunches.
Miguel Sano‘s health has been a concern for a while now, but his inability to make consistent contact is almost as damaging to his long-term outlook.
The Twins Let Several Players Go
After hitting .083 in 71 plate appearances this past season, Sano is free to sign with any team.
With a 4.89 ERA in 140 innings, the right-handed Bundy was a bitter disappointment for the Twins, as was Archer.
Archer had a 4.56 ERA, but is a shell of his early-to-mid 2010s version.
Those two are more backend options than middle-of-the-rotation arms, and weren’t worth the trouble for the Twins.
Star shortstop Carlos Correa made his decision of becoming a free agent official: he still could return to Minnesota, but it’s far from a given.
The Twins are trying to build a competitive roster to return to relevancy.
They fought for the AL Central title until early September before collapsing big time, boosting the Cleveland Guardians’ chances.
With some money to spend and Byron Buxton leading the way, the Twins should be significantly better in the 2023 campaign if they make the right calls.