Josh Donaldson will be 36 at the start of the 2022 season and the Twins will still owe him $50 million, including the $8 million buyout attached to 2024 in the original contract.
Those are dollars that cannot be devoured or traded, so the Twins have a veteran third baseman/DH for the lineup next season, when healthy.
Luis Arraez has been the Twins' second-best player for several weeks, also when healthy. His best position is second base, but that belongs to Jorge Polanco, the Twins' best player, which keeps Arraez in the third base photo for 2022.
There's also Austin Martin, the position player acquired from Toronto in the Jose Berrios trade. Baseball America immediately vaulted Martin to No. 1 on the Twins' prospect list.
Through two weeks with Class AA Wichita, he had started seven games in center field, four at shortstop and one as a designated hitter. Yet, there also have been scouting suggestions the perfect fit for Martin would be third base.
Into this maze of third base possibilities strides Jose Miranda, 23, and in his fifth actual season after being drafted No. 73 overall in 2016, showing a consistency in the high minors that will be difficult to ignore in spring training 2022.
Miranda started the season at Class AA Wichita. He played 47 games, with 218 plate appearances, 13 home runs, 38 RBI, a .345 average and 17 walks compared to 25 strikeouts. Entering Tuesday, he had played 41 games with the Class AAA Saints, with 193 plate appearances, 11 home runs, 28 RBI, a .347 average and 16 walks compared to 29 strikeouts.
The transition took place June 29, which happened to be Miranda's 23rd birthday. He debuted at CHS Field with three home runs, five hits and six RBI.