The Minnesota Twins and utilityman Marwin González have agreed to terms on a two-year, $21 million deal. Jon Heyman of MLB Network was the first to report the agreement, with Jeff Passan of ESPN being the first to break financial details.
González, who turns 30 in March, was ranked the 16th-best free agent by MLB Trade Rumors at the beginning of the offseason (currently fourth-best among those who remain unsigned behind Bryce Harper, Craig Kimbrel, and Dallas Keuchel), and was projected to cash in on four years and $36MM. Buster Olney of ESPN had written that the Scott Boras client was seeking a deal in the $60MM range.
Toiling at every position with varying regularity across the past three years (pitcher and catcher excluded), the former Astro struggled to replicate his breakout numbers during the team’s World Series run in 2017, when he hit .303/.377/.530 with 23 homers and 90 RBI in 134 games. With a .247/.324/.409 line and 22.8% K-rate that tied a career-high, it seemed unlikely that González would win out in a market that has been stacked against the players for two years running. Even so, he grades out as a neutral-to-positive defender at every position at every position besides shortstop, and remains a solid power threat from both sides of the plate.
Though there isn’t a particular role in which González fits in the Twins’ current lineup, conventional wisdom says that he’ll probably split time with Jonathan Schoop at second base, while potentially spelling C.J. Cron at first on some occasions as well, depending on platoon advantages. His arrival doesn’t bode all too well for former Met Lucas Duda, who already had an uphill battle ahead of him having signed to a minor-league deal. Along with the former three, González makes up a Minnesota roster that has added the likes of Martín Pérez, Blake Parker, and Nelson Cruz.
