After trading center fielders Denard Span and Ben Revere
this offseason, the Minnesota Twins are left with a void at the position.
Instead of filling it via trade or free agency, general manager Terry Ryan has
indicated that the team will likely go with an in-house candidate, including
Darin Mastroianni, Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson, according to Rhett Bollinger of
MLB.com.
But Twins general manager Terry Ryan said he expects to fill the position from within, with Darin Mastroianni and prospects Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson competing for the spot.
"They're all pure center fielders," Ryan said. "And obviously, the winter's not concluded yet, so we'll see if we need to fortify it. We still have three in-house options for these guys to earn whatever playing time, and if we see another scenario where we can go out and get another one, we probably could."
The Twins traded Span to the Washington Nationals in
exchange for Alex Meyer, and they acquired Vance Worley and Trevor May from the Philadelphia Phillies for Revere. While they were able to add to their stock of
pitching with the deals, they were left with a hole in center field.
Mastroianni, 27, is the favorite to fill the void after
being a pleasant surprise last season, according to Bollinger. He could be
pushed by Hicks, who currently ranks as one of the club’s top minor leaguers,
and Benson, who was a former top prospect.
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