Falvey, Twins Look to Make Room for Improvements
The Twins are not expected to cut payroll this offseason, but it would be a surprise if they added much either with the Pohlads supposedly on their way out of town. Max Kepler is the only semi-significant money coming off the books this offseason, how is Derek Falvey going to be able to improve the roster?
Twins to Explore Offloading Some Contracts
Derek Falvey spoke with reporters on Tuesday and indicated that he expects payroll to remain roughly the same for 2025 that it was in 2024. In order to improve a roster that is rife with young talent, Bobby Nightengale of the StarTribune speculated that the Twins may be active in the trade market this off-season.
With so many young players under contract, the team does not have very many large contracts to off-load—Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Pablo Lopez are the only players making over $15 million annually. While the Twins are unlikely to move any of these three stars, the next three largest contracts on the team could be trade candidates for salary relief.
Willi Castro, UT
While Willi Castro has come a long way from being DFA’d by the Tigers to being perhaps the Twins team MVP in 2024, Castro struggled down the stretch and is do for a raise in his final arbitration year this offseason. Early predictions put him somewhere in the low-$6 million range, which is enough that he’s considered expensive, but not so much that another team may be turned off to taking Willi in. While his positional flexibility has been a luxury for the Twins the past few years, young depth in the infield and outfield could make him expendable.
Chris Paddack, SP
Chris Paddack has shown flashes in his time with the Twins, including a dominant stretch in the bullpen during the postseason run in 2023, but his time in Minnesota may have run his course. Due to make over $7 million in the final year of his contract in 2025, Paddack has struggled with injuries and inconsistency, and cannot be counted upon to hold down a rotation spot going forward. Personally, I would love to let Paddack’s stuff play up to its potential in the back end of the bullpen, but for $7 million, the Twins are better off spending their money elsewhere.
Christian Vazquez, C
Christian Vazquez’s contract has proved to be a disaster. Formerly known as a great bat at the catching position, Vazquez is on the wrong side of 30 and has posted a negative WAR both years with the Twins. His veteran presence may be a plus to the pitching staff, but he’s due to be paid $10 million in the final year of his deal, which is far too much. The trouble is that the Twins may have to attach a prospect to Vazquez in order to get a team to take in his salary.
The good news is that the Twins are rich in young talent and have no glaring positional holes going into 2025- banking on young players to improve may not be the most proven recipe for success, but it’s an option for 2025. Supplementing the pitching staff and the positional depth would be a good idea, and trading these players could help accomplish those goals.