Twins and Jonathan Schoop are closing in on a one-year deal, per report

When the Twins dealt Brian Dozier to the Dodgers, it left a hole on a roster that already had a bunch of holes and/or question marks. While most observers liked what the Twins got in return for Dozier, it was unclear what Minnesota was going to do in 2019 at second base given their payroll/financial constraints and a lot of viable options in the upper minors.

While the Twins will have other questions to ask themselves this offseason including the futures of some of their more talented, but flawed players, they do appear to have their second base conundrum sorted out.

Schoop was a popular name batted around at the trade deadline this past season if for no other reason being that he was a member of the Orioles who looked like they were trying to move anything that wasn’t nailed down to the floor. Schoop did, in fact, get traded to the Brewers where he struggled in his limited time with the team (.202/.246/.331 in 46 games) and he batted .233/.266/.416 overall in 2018 after a breakout campaign in 2017 that saw him post an .841 OPS.

In Schoop, the Twins get a reasonably costed second baseman with real offensive upside (even though the on-base skills are concerning to be sure) who provides real value with his glove as well. While adding Schoop is not likely to be enough to make the Twins competitive next season, it is a set in the right direction.