Offseason report: Minnesota Twins

*Photo from Forbes*

   Moving north to the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Twins offseason is profiled.

2019 recap

After winning 101 games with a squad who set the team record for homeruns in a season, the Twins fell flat on their face in the playoffs, getting swept aside easily by the New York Yankees. 

What you need to know

The Twins came into the winter in a good spot because of their 2019 success, but they wanted to avoid getting swept out of the playoffs again, and hopefully play a little deeper into the postseason. It was mostly small transactions in November, but once December started, the Twins started bringing in more recognizable faces. Backup catcher Alex Avila was brought in to pair with slugger Mitch Garver, and Michael Pineda was re-signed for further rotation depth, despite the fact that he's suspended for PED's at the moment. They brought in some bullpen help in Tyler Clippard and brought back Sergio Romo, so the bullpen is still intact. On new year's eve, the Twins brought in extra rotation depth in the form of Rich Hill and Homer Bailey. Once the calendar turned to January, the Twins struck for a big fish in Josh Donaldson to solidify the middle of the order and have one of baseball's scariest lineups. That was it for their offseason. 

Moves I like

Donaldson is obviously the biggest signing. Although 4 years for Donaldson in his mid 30's is a bit risky, he offers incredible talent with both the bat and the glove. Romo and Clippard help solidify the bullpen walls, and Bailey and Hill are starters with upside, and they came on the cheap. 

Moves I don't like

Avila is a good veteran catcher, but his addition likely means there isn't a roster spot for fan favorite Willians Astudillo. Sorry Twins nation. Also bringing in Pineda while he's suspended doesn't make sense to me either.

2020 outlook

The Twins are bringing back the big pieces of their 2019 core, and if everyone still performs at 2019 levels, the Twins will be just fine and will figure to make the playoffs again in 2020. As long as they don't play the Yankees, they should be fine.