The Twins haven't made a free agent splash this offseason like the one the Padres made with Manny Machado.
But their series of ripples, which included a two-year, $21 million deal for Marwin Gonzalez on Friday, have added up to a stark fact that might run contrary to the popular narrative about the team's management and its ownership.
The deal means the Twins have signed five major league free agents this offseason, committing a total of $48.6 million to Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz, Jonathan Schoop, Martin Perez and Blake Parker.
According to Spotrac, that means the Twins are tied with the Yankees and Angels for the fourth-most free agents signed so far this offseason. Three others are tied for the lead with six.
And the Twins are No. 8 in total free agent spending this offseason with that $48.6 million commitment (most of which is going toward the 2019 payroll since only Gonzalez got more than a one-year deal out of the five).
There are certain factors in play here, including Joe Mauer's $23 million per season coming off the books and giving the Twins some payroll flexibility while the rest of the league is slow to sign free agents.
But if your instinct is to criticize the Twins for not doing enough this offseason, the evidence so far suggests otherwise.
They are, in fact, among the most active and biggest spenders in baseball.
