The Twins’ offseason problems could be solved with a single move

While finding a playoff-caliber starting pitcher to fill Sonny Gray’s void is pretty clearly Priority Number One for the Twins this offseason, it’s no secret that center field is also a key focus with the looming uncertainty around Byron Buxton and the departure of Michael A. Taylor via free agency.

Many ideas and avenues have been shared for supplementing center field: signing a free agent (one down), making another trade, or simply relying on internal options like Austin Martin, Willi Castro and Nick Gordon. However, another option might be sitting right in front of the Twins, and it’s arguably more appealing than all of the above.

It’s been a while since he’s given it a go out there, but Max Kepler has proven in the past to be a very capable center fielder. He has logged more than 1,000 MLB innings in center, albeit with a bulk of them coming in 2018 and 2019 when he was the primary fill-in for an injured Buxton.

Kepler made 97 starts in center field between those two seasons, but has made only 21 since then, including zero since 2021. He’s ceased to be anything more than an emergency option out there.

“The Twins have shied away from using Kepler in center field the past few seasons,” according to The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman, “believing he wears down physically if asked to play there regularly and knowing that he prefers to stay in right field if possible.”

Okay, but, what if he changed his mind? At least just for one year, given how massively it would benefit the Twins as a team? There are reasons to think Kepler might be amenable to altering his stance here, but first, let’s talk about how it would impact offseason planning.

Right now, the Twins are known to be actively shopping Kepler, who has one year remaining under contract. They have depth behind him – namely breakout rookie Matt Wallner, who was clearly born to play right field – and also, shedding Kepler’s $10 million salary could create flexibility to address other needs. Like … center field.

Well, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a better fit for what the Twins need better than Kepler at remotely that cost – if he’s up for the task. With the club feeling tempered optimism around Buxton’s recovery, the best-case scenario would have Kepler splitting time between right and center to regularly spell Buck, who’d may be ticketed for 80 defensive starts. Not a bad little platoon! If things don’t work out as hoped with Buxton, Kepler likely gets leaned on more in center, but untested or lesser players like Martin, Gordon and Castro are counted on less, representing an improvement over the current scenario.

Meanwhile, Kepler’s time in center would free up right field for Wallner and his cannon arm, giving Larnach, Gordon, and possibly some wild cards opportunities in left.

It’s certainly a short-term solution, as Kepler is only under team control for another year. But that’s all the Twins are looking for right now. In many ways, having Kepler as the Twins’ center fielder for one season would be a blessing.

Let’s start with the first part because there is certainly an argument to be made that Kepler is simply not viable in center field anymore. It’s a difficult one to disprove. His defensive metrics in center were more decent than great, which is about what you’d expect from an excellent right fielder sliding over, and he’s a few years older than last time he played out there.

At the same time, Kepler remains a really good, rangy right fielder, ranking in the 86th percentile for Outs Above Average in 2023. He’s lost some speed but still has quick reactions and tight routes to hunt down balls all over the outfield. Even if he wouldn’t be a standout in center field, it seems likely Max could still hold his own.

Thus we arrive at our final and largest hurdle: would Max do it? Plenty of evidence suggests no. As Gleeman alluded, Kepler’s preference to not play center field is no secret, and it’s an area where management has clearly been willing to defer to the veteran. But for the impending free agent, there would be some clear upside in accepting this assignment.

First of all, there’s the whole narrative thing: Kepler set aside his preferences and did what his team needed, at a time where they were attempting to make a breakthrough push. What a teammate! What a competitor!

More concretely, though, if Kepler can convince major-league front offices next year that center field is actually a valid tool in his repertoire – one that he’s willing to use – his market figures to skyrocket. There’s a huge difference between a right fielder who can post a 121 OPS+ versus a center fielder who can do so.

Maybe Kepler’s aversion to playing center field is strong enough to outweigh monetary gain. Maybe the Twins truly don’t believe he’s a quality option in center field anymore. But given how brilliantly this one simple move would solve a variety of problems facing the Twins this offseason, I think it’s an option that merits discussion.