Plenty of things contributed to the Twins' 10-17 record through 27 games, including slow starts and subsequent injuries to Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton as well as the 80-game suspension for shortstop Jorge Polanco.
No. 1 on the list of why the Twins struggled early, though, was this: Cumulatively, the significant players they added in the offseason were bad. And even the ones who had performed decently had failed at the worst times.
As such, the three victories Friday-Sunday in Chicago must have been more what Twins bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine had in mind when they signed pitchers Lance Lynn, Addison Reed and Fernando Rodney, traded for pitcher Jake Odorizzi and signed first baseman/designated hitter Logan Morrison.
Entering the weekend, those five players added up to minus-0.1 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference. That is to say the five biggest offseason acquisitions for the Twins had contributed less to winning this season than replacement level players (essentially defined as a minor league call-up) would be expected to produce.
All five of those players make the top 10 list of team payroll. Lynn signed late (for $12 million) and struggled mightily with his command — giving up 27 hits and 23 walks in 23⅔ innings spanning five starts. Not surprisingly, he entered the weekend 0-3 and the Twins had lost all five of his starts.
Finally on Saturday he showed evidence of his value and track record, pitching six solid innings with seven strikeouts and zero walks in a victory.
Rodney already had three blown saves as the closer this season, and another game he lost after entering tied. This weekend he had two clean saves, reminding us there is an upside to the Fernando Rodney Experience.
Reed has been about as advertised, but when he's been bad it's been particularly damaging. But he, too, rebounded from allowing recent walk-off home runs with strong relief work Sunday.
