The same as before

 The Twins have followed a pretty steady pattern of offseason moves for the last few years, and I'm not just talking about their tendency to wait until the tail end of the offseason to act, essentially every year since Derek Falvey moved into the executive suite. For the last few years, the Twins have, in the late stages of the offseason, sought to add just a little bit more to the bullpen, outfield and infield depth.

This season, despite rumors of concerns over payroll that was made louder by concerned fans that it probably needed to be, the Twins have started their shuffle into Spring Training. It's the same course of action that the team took in the past, broadly, but it comes as a bit of a surprise, given all the other things surrounding the team this year. 

In the late winter of 2025, there is a bit of a surprise that none of the moves have come via trade, as payroll seemed to be such a concern. Instead, in the last week the team has, via free agency, signed old friend, pitcher Danny Coulombe, and new face, outfielder Harrison Bader. The word is out there that the team is also looking at another option for depth on the infield, such as Paul DeJong or Luis Urias as well. The trifecta of late offseason Twins maneuvers. 

It suggests a few things. On the obvious financial side, it either means that the payroll limitations were perhaps not as hard and fast as we believed. Perhaps it also means that the Twins are very confident that a trade is very close to happening. I can't imagine that this late in the offseason there is a market for the Twins to reduce payroll while at the same not sharply affecting their future. 

Don't make the team a lesser product right before you sell it. That's been a pretty regular chorus here at the Rhino and Compass all winter. 

The other suggestions are more on the field things. The first is that the Twins were intentional about finding a fielder that could roam the outfield moreso than looking for the right handed bat. Yes, Bader is a righty,  and he is a bit better against lefties, but not THAT much better. In fact, he was markedly worse in 2024. Bader is an elite fielder, however, and is better viewed as Byron Buxton's backup than a platoon option.

Also, it looks like the Twins are going to rely on Jose Miranda, predominantly, to handle first base. Tasked with the role two years ago, he was laughably poor in the field, but if the Twins feel good enough about him being their option, I have no choice but to assume that he'll be better on defense. If the Twins are looking at adding a middle infielder like DeJong or Urias to the mix, that could push Edouard Julien over to first as well, especially if Royce Lewis ultimately takes over at 2nd. 

The Twins in 2025 waited again, nibbled again, and ultimately are going to end up with the three types of players they are always looking for. Maybe it's this type of consistency that helps them be the pick to with the AL Central this season.