We think about the offseason within a vacuum. Are the Twins better than they were in the previous season? Certainly not from the mound, maybe on offense, because of the natural progression of their young players. The flashy headlines weren't there for the Twins this year, after a couple of years at the center of the baseball world.
We knew there were flaws with the Twins, and they were unaddressed through trade or free agency, while teams like the Dodgers and Yankees took big swings. This is a controversial take, but: It doesn't matter.
The Twins need to win the AL Central to make the playoffs. As of last season, the Twins were 9 games better than their nearest competition. Two teams were more than 25 games out from the Twins, including the Kansas City Royals, who were also active this offseason.
Did the Twins get 9 games worse this off season? I don't think so. The Royals surely didn't get 25 games better even with all their moves. The White Sox aren't any better either, while the Guardians are probably going in the wrong direction. That leaves the Tigers to really be concerned about.
So are the Twins still better than the Tigers? Did the Tigers make up the ground, if the Twins didn't lose that ability? There is something to be said for their youth and natural development of a roster that is mostly under the age of 25, but did they build a better roster too? They lost their top veteran starter in Eduardo Rodriguez and replaced him with Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty.
I would say that the Tigers may be in line for a break out, but so too are many players on the Twins roster. The Twins could certainly be a better team, but to get through the season, they are good enough now.
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