Twins curiously sign Josh Bell

 Josh Bell looks like a Major League first baseman is supposed to look. Let's get that out of the way first and foremost. The Twins have trotted out a collection of first basement the last few years that have been fairly small in stature, from Donovan Solano to Carlos Santana to Ty France and the heir apparent, Kody Clemens, they have all been a little on the short side. the Twins signed Bell this morning for one year and $7 million in guaranteed salary between the annual salary, a bonus and a buy out. Bell is 6'3 and 261lbs. That is the build of a first baseman. 

It makes sense that the Twins signed a first baseman, one that can hit with a bit of thump. His deal is reasonable, perhaps even half of what many had theorized the Twins would expend on a first baseman. In fact, I would guess that the fact that Bell accepted such a reasonable salory is a primary factor in the Twins agreeing to go with him. Bell is a good player, but an imperfect fit for everything the Twins need. 

Bell is a switch hitter who should be good for about 20-25 home runs this season. His switch hitting bat should get him to play in almost every game, so long as he keeps hitting and stays healthy. That frees Clemens to move around a bit, to fulfill a role he is more aptly suited for. So far, I've said nothing but good things about the signing, and justifiably so! To make it clear, at $7 million in total value, adding Josh Bell is almost something ou have to do. But a few million more may have addressed all of the needs the Twins are looking to fulfill.

Bell, the switch hitter, has historically been a better left handed hitter than right handed. The Twins need someone that can be counted on to hit a few dingers, and Bell is that. The thought was that the Twins were replete with left handed hitters at the typical offensive positions, the corner outfield, first base and DH, and needed a right handed bat to balance the order, and to spell all those lefties. Bell doesn't quite do that. 

It's not even a "if the Twins are really going for it" kind of thing. The team just doesn't make a ton of sense right now with the talent arranged such as it is. There are some hitters on the team that need to be platooned, without much of a platoon partner for them. Matt Wallner will probably play in right field every day, with Bell at first. Against lefties the best choice might be to have Ryan Jeffers as the DH, with Alex Jackson sneaking into the lineup, with Trevor Larnach at DH against righties, and Clemens in the field in left instead of Austin Martin. 

Don't be surprised if this isn't the end of the offseason. There is cash for a few bullpen options thanks to Bell's affordability, but also, there is probably some new impetus to recalibrate the offense. There are a ton of left handed corner outfielders in the organization, and the Twins will need to find someone who can hit from the other side of the plate. 

Good news in a sea of bad news never seems like good news.

It's been an interesting couple of days that seem mildly positive, from a certain point of view. The Twins, who by now you know are a constant disppointment, have signalled that they will not be selling their star players, are looking to add to their roster. Also, there is some inklings that the new partial owners will be named in the next few days, adding a bit of stability in what has been an extremely unstable time. 

We aren't likely looking at the halcyon days of 2019-2023, but this does give the team a little bit of wiggle room, and speaks to the faith that the team not only has in the three players referenced as the core of the roster, but also the young players still developing and ready to emerge. Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Matt Wallner, Luke Keaschall and a slew of high minors arms that are ready to claim spots in the rotation and bullpen. 

There is cautious optimism from many fans and writers about the team. Cautious because they don't expect the payroll to balloon, but now it seems as though the payroll won't crater, either. Basically, the Twins are in the same spot they have been since Carl Pohlad was in charge. In the AL Central that could be a winning hand.

But then, there is La Velle Neal, the venerable Star Tribune columnist who immediately took to the news and said he "isn't buying it" (I'm not linking to Twitter, btw), and further expanded that he expected Joe Ryan to be traded by spring training. To my knowledge, this is the only readable content anywhere from Neal on the subject. That isn't insight, but it does ring true with a lot of long suffering fans, and many that are shorter suffering in the past 6 months or so.

I've thought this since the deadline sell off, and everything Derek Falvey has said since then has echoed my thoughts. They went into the deadline saying they wanted a certain price for Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax, and didn't expect teams to try to match it. Then the Phillies did. The rental players also left, and they got offers they couldn't turn down on an oft injured Brock Stewart and Louis Varland (you don't make that deal unless you REALLY like Kendry Rojas and Alan Roden). Eventually Griffin Jax asked for a trade, and Carlos Correa more or less asked for a deal too. Even then, the Twins tried to get Christian Walker from the Astros as part of a Correa deal. That would have turned the whole deadline narrative around a bit. 

The Twins got a bunch of high minors talent to go along with some high end talent at the lower levels. It was a hopeful reposition for 2026, and now it sounds like Falvey and Jeremy Zoll were able to convince the Pohlads and whomever else is an interested party that this is a group to continue building around. The rotation will be a strength in 2026. The offense is a work in progress. The bullpen has time to develop, because if the other two phases of the game aren't clicking, an elite bullpen is irrelevent. That's where the Twins were at last year.

Now, could a situation like July 31st arrive again this offseason? Maybe. This is the only way I'm agreeing with La Velle, that the Twins could end up trading Joe Ryan: Someone meets their astronomical price tage while at the same time allowing the Twins to remain in contention in 2026. That's a very tall order, but not impossible. It isn't something that would happen over the winter, either. They will need to see something out of multiple arms already in the organization, not just one Joe Ryan replacement. 

Neal reflexive call out of disbelief, however, and how that echoes a fan base that was stung last summer is indicatvie of the reason why I think Falvey was able to convince ownership not to force a further payroll trim. The fans stopped showing up last year, and they are disinclined to trust the front office. More payroll trimming will mean even fewer fans and another low revenue season. This isn't what new investors are looking for. 

The new ownership group and structure is expected to be revealed later this week. I wouldn't be surprised to see Joe Ryan at the press conference. 

The Twins agenda for the Winter meetings

 The baseball winter meetings are around the corner, scheduled to begin in Orlando on Sunday, and given the reports recently coming from Jeff Passan, that Byron Buxton may be willing to waive his no-trade clause for more teams than just the Braves, indications are that the Twins have signaled a further tear down. Maybe this is just Passan reading tea leaves from others, but regardless, it appears as though the Twins are going to be one of the teams to watch, one way or another. 

 But what does the time in Orlando look like? I've got some items for the Twins to check off next week.

- Arrive on December 6th. Get there early to get settled in and ready. Nothing worse than feeling ill prepared because you're tired!

- Attend the draft lottery. The Twins have the second best odds for the #1 overall pick!

- Participate in the Rule 5 Draft. This is one of the staples of the Winter Meetings, and a good way to get someone flying under the radar. 

- Engage in conversations with other organizations and agents

- Wait 3 more months before making any more substantial moves. 

Oh, you thought this was going to be a to do list of things to get done at the Winter Meetings? Yeah, this is the Twins. Even if something crazy is going to happen, the Twins are going to wait until March before anything really goes on.