Future looks bright for Twins after encouraging ‘23 season

The curse has finally been broken. After 18 losses in a row, the Twins have won a playoff game. Not only did they break the curse, but they won a playoff series for the first time in 21 years.

The last time the Twins won a playoff series, I wasn’t even born yet. This shows the big strides the Twins made in ‘23 and what we can look forward to with this talented squad.

Let’s start with the rookies: Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner. These guys are going to be special, not to mention all three earned All-Rookie honors.

They started producing from the moment they got called up, and they provided many electric moments throughout the year. I hope these guys play in a Twins uniform for a long time.

Speaking of guys I want to see in a Twins uniform for a long time, Pablo Lopez and Jhoan Duran are certainly among that group.

There were a lot of questions around the off-season trade with the Marlins that sent Luis Arraez over to Miami in exchange for Lopez. Arraez had a fantastic year, winning the NL batting title, but Lopez also had a fantastic year himself. Lopez struck out 234 batters this season, ranking tied for third in the majors. He also ranked ninth in the majors in innings pitched with 194.0.

The Twins wouldn’t have gotten as far as they did this year without Lopez, especially with his ace-like performances in the Wild Card Series and ALDS, so it’s safe to say Minnesota benefited greatly from this trade.

The Twins have found their ace in Lopez, and they have him under contract for the next four years. Minnesota is going to win a lot of games with this guy on the mound.

Now let’s look at Jhoan Duran. This guy has some of the most electric stuff in the majors. His combination of an MLB leading 102-mph average fastball, 98-mph ‘splinker’ and an 88-mph curveball absolutely devastated hitters in the late innings.

With Duran being only 25 years old and under team control through 2027, he will be coming out of the bullpen and closing a lot of games for the Twins. Here’s to hoping he stays healthy and his arm doesn’t fall off, because he is a huge part of this team.

Now, looking at decisions this upcoming offseason, the Twins have the chance to keep and add impact players to bring this team to the next level, starting with Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler. Both have team options for the ‘24 season. Keeping Max Kepler is a no-brainer. His option will be picked up.

It’s a bit more complicated with Polanco. With Lewis, Carlos Correa, Julien and the Twins No. 2 prospect Brooks Lee likely to be called up next season, the Twins could decide to move on from Polanco.

I believe Polanco holds a lot of value for this team. He has produced every year for Minnesota, and playing time would certainly still be there for him.

The team may end up making him the starting second baseman and put Julien in the DH spot, as Polanco is the better defensive option at second base. Either way, I wouldn’t be too surprised with whichever direction the Twins decide to go.

Five players on the teams’ playoff roster will be hitting free agency this offseason: Sonny Gray, Emilio Pagan, Kenta Maeda, Michael A. Taylor and Donovan Solano.

I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing all these guys back with the Twins when the team arrives for Spring Training in Ft. Myers in February.