If the Los Angeles Dodgers are the future of baseball with an ownership group willing to engage in unprecedented spending in an effort to stack the team with unparalleled talent in a single-minded pursuit of greatness, the Minnesota Twins are… not that.
As Minnesota works through another quiet offseason, the team announced its latest move.
The Twins signed righty reliever Erasmo Ramirez to a minor-league contract, according to the Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale on X. Ramirez’s deal includes an invitation to spring training, giving him the chance to compete for a spot with the big league club.
Ramirez spent the 2024 season with the Tampa Bay Rays where the 13-year veteran posted a 4.35 ERA with an ERA+ of 93. He finished the year with 15 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.
Ramirez was designated for assignment twice by the Rays last season and outrighted off the roster before becoming a free agent in October. He did, however, produce a 1.065 WHIP in 13 appearances. So that’s something.
The Twins came in fourth in the AL Central last season. While Minnesota finished above .500, with an 82-80 record, the team missed out on the playoffs as division rivals the Guardians, Royals and Tigers all qualified for postseason play.
Can the Twins compete in the MLB’s new spending era?
Mar 12, 2024; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Erasmo Ramirez (61) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.
The Twins did make some moves in an effort to improve the team for 2025, although they stuck to short term deals.
The team will bring back reliever Danny Coulombe on a one-year, $3 million contract after a successful two-year stretch with the Baltimore Orioles.
And Minnesota signed centerfielder Harrison Bader to a one-year, $6.5 million pact. Finally, the Twins landed first baseman Ty France on a one-year, $1 million deal. And… that’s it. Minnesota doesn’t plan to make any additional free agent moves this offseason.
In a new era of spending in baseball, the Twins remain unwilling to break the bank – or even really make a modest withdrawal from the bank – content to roll out a mix of homegrown talent and under-the-radar signings to compete with baseball’s new mega rosters.
To be fair, the Twins’ approach hasn’t led to an entirely embarrassing showing. The team has won the AL Central in three of the last six years. Of course, that relative regular season success resulted in Minnesota winning just one postseason series during that stretch – a Wild Card round victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023.
The Twins have won a total of just two playoff matchups since the team beat the Atlanta Braves in the 1991 World Series – that’s one Wild Card round and one Division round win in 33 years. So, the thrifty approach may not be paying off in Minnesota.
