Twins position breakdown: third base
Nov. 3—When the Twins signed Josh Donaldson to the richest free-agent contract in team history before the 2020 season, they hoped he could be a piece that would help put them over the top.
Almost two years later, the Twins are much further from that than they were when they brought in the veteran third baseman. In 2021, Donaldson missed out on the playoffs (through no fault of his own) for one of the few times in his career as the Twins plummeted to last place in the American League Central.
And though the season didn't turn out as he — or anyone else — expected, he publicly reaffirmed his desire to stay in Minnesota multiple times down the stretch.
"I signed up for this. This is what I signed up for. I signed up to be a Minnesota Twin," Donaldson said in early October. "At the end of the day, I want to win here. But those decisions aren't always left up to the player, so we'll see what happens."
2021 RECAP
The beginning of Donaldson's tenure in Minnesota didn't start out as anyone hoped. He missed half of the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 with a calf strain — and the playoffs, too — and then strained his hamstring rounding first base during his very first at-bat of the 2021 season.
Despite this season getting off to an inauspicious start, Donaldson wound up being healthy for most of it, playing in 135 games, tied with Miguel Sanó for second most on the team behind Jorge Polanco.
Donaldson hit .247 with a .352 on-base percentage and a .475 slugging percentage (.827 OPS, 127 OPS+) in those 135 games, adding 26 home runs.
While he dealt with another hamstring issue during the second half of the season, the Nelson Cruz trade with Tampa Bay allowed Donaldson to serve as the Twins' designated hitter, keeping his bat in the lineup until he was healthy enough to play the field once again.
When Donaldson was either out of the lineup or not playing the field, Luis Arraez most often was the next man up at the hot corner.
2022 OUTLOOK
Donaldson will be entering the third year of his four-year deal with the Twins, and will be 36 by the time the 2022 season kicks off.
He has an expensive price tag and has a well-documented injury history, but he's still plenty productive, and if the Twins believe they will be competitive in 2022, Donaldson can certainly be part of that.
If they don't sign a full-time designated hitter, Donaldson could once again benefit from being able to slide into that role on occasions.
The Twins also have Jose Miranda waiting in the wings. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Miranda hit .344 with 30 home runs last season. While he didn't crack the majors in 2021, he should in 2022 — and third base is his most natural position. While most of his games (54) came at third base last season, Miranda also played in 34 games at second and 28 at first, while serving as DH 12 times.
It's not outside of the realm of possibility that the Twins explore a trade for Donaldson — they almost certainly would have to eat some of his contract if they can find a taker — and open up the position this offseason.
Arraez, too, should see some playing time at third base as he continues to rotate around in a super-utility kind of role.
This is one in a series of stories looking at each Twins position, reflecting on the 2021 season and looking ahead to the 2022 season.
