The Twins bounce back year

 I think if you asked any Twins fans who the most valuable player on the team last year, I think everyone would easily point to Sonny Gray and Pablo Lopez. It makes the consternation over Gray's departure much more understandable. How do you replace the most productive player on the team? The fact that the Twins seemingly didn't even try is a real puzzler.

Let's look at it from a different angle, though. Do you know who the most valuable position player was, at least in terms of WAR on Baseball-Reference? Would you have guessed Ryan Jeffers? Would you have also guessed that the next 5 players on the list are all returning this year? And further, would the names Max Kepler, Willi Castro, Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner have been the next names on your list?

Jeffers, Julien, Lewis and Wallner are all ascendent players. The last three weren't even on the roster for the better part of the year, and thrived when they got here. Jeffers was expected to be Christian Vazquez's back up. Undoubtedly, with a full compliment of at bats and expectations of productivity, at least half of these players are going to be even more productive in 2024.

Oh, and you know what? Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton didn't even appear on this list. Correa and Buxton of 2022 would have cleared Jeffers. Correa would have even cleared Gray, and Buxton would have slotted between Gray and Lopez, and would have been #1 and #2 most productive on the team. There is a reasonable expectation that with health, and both appear fully healthy, they will augment the lineup this season.

The Twins replaced two other members of the roster more directly. Carlos Santana takes the spot of Donovan Solano, while Manuel Margot replaces Michael A. Taylor. Santana is probably a shade better than Solano, while Margot may take a step back, but that speaks more to the expectations for Buxton's health than anything. 

Depth is a wild card. There are several prospects on the cusp of arriving on the scene. Brooks Lee, Austin Martin and a returning Jose Miranda can all add a little bit of their own input on the lineup. Even healthy Alex Kirilloff, paired with Santana and a splash of Trevor Larnach will help ensure there won't be many protracted offensive slumps.

Even before you start getting to the depth, which is much more of a lottery ticket, consider the roster they do have. consider the very probable bounce back campaign for the two super star players, who are only 29 and 30, and the continued development of the young contributors, and its not hard to see this as a formidable lineup in 2024.