The Twins have reportedly agreed to terms with elite utility man Marwin Gonzalez. According to Jon Heyman, Gonzalez and the Twins have agreed upon a two-year contract that will pay him $21 million.
The switch-hitting Gonzalez, who turns 30 in March, is coming off a 2018 season in which he batted .247/.324/.409 for the Astros with 16 home runs in 145 games. As well, Gonzalez also manned seven different positions last season and spent significant time at shortstop, second base, first base, and left field. Speaking of his bat in tandem with his versatility ...
My favorite Marwin Gonzalez note: In 2017, he became the 3rd player in @MLB history to start 20+ games at first base, shortstop and left field during a year in which he posted an .800 OPS or better. The others were Sherry Magee (1914) and Honus Wagner (1902). @Twins
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 22, 2019
For his career, Gonzalez owns an OPS+ of 103 across parts of seven major-league seasons.
In Minnesota, Gonzalez figures to see heavy use in the infield, what with Jonathan Schoop at second and the defensively limited Miguel Sano at the hot corner. Whatever the specifics, he majorly improves the Twins' bench for 2019, when they figure to have a puncher's chance in the weak AL Central.
Gonzalez joins Schoop, Nelson Cruz, and C.J. Cron as notable additions by the Twins' front office this offseason. Right now, the Minnesota payroll looks to be just a bit over $120 million for the upcoming season, so there's still room in any reasonable budget for additional improvements.
As for Gonzalez's former team, the Astros, they'll try to fill the void he leaves with some combination of Aledmys Diaz and Tony Kemp.
