DETROIT — The Twins used a much-improved starting rotation to win the 2023 Central Division title and break a record playoff losing streak of nearly two decades.
If they want to taste the same kind of success in 2024, there are some major holes to fill.
On Monday came word that Cy Young finalist Sonny Gray and crafty righthander Kenta Maeda will both be departing the Twin Cities after hammering out free-agent deals.
Multiple league sources, including Fox MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, are reporting that Gray is finalizing a three-year, $75 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, returning him to the National League.
The 34-year-old righthander made 32 starts for Minnesota in 2023, going 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA and striking out 183 batters over 184 innings. His record should have been much better, if not for a decided lack of run support early in the season. Gray won a huge game against Toronto in the AL Wild Card series, throwing five shutout innings and helping the Twins take their first postseason series in 21 years.
He finished second to New York's Gerrit Cole in Cy Young balloting and was chosen for his third MLB All-Star Team.
Gray's bulldog mentality and desire to pitch deep into games made him one of the most sought-after free agents in this year's class.
The second reported departure involves fellow free agent Kenta Maeda, who the Associated Press says has agreed to a $24 million, two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers.
A league source spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday night because the agreement was subject to a successful physical and had not been announced.
Maeda, who turns 36 on April 11, spent the past three years with the Minnesota Twins. He was 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA in 20 starts and one relief appearance in 2023 after missing a year while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The crafty Maeda was hit on the left ankle by a 111.6-mph drive off the bat of Boston's Jarren Duran in his third outing on April 20. After giving up career highs of 10 runs and 11 hits against the New York Yankees six days later, he went on the injured list because of a strained right triceps, an injury that sidelined him until June 23.
Maeda worked his way back into the starting rotation and helped the Twins down the regular season stretch. He was moved to the bullpen for the playoffs, making a pair of relief outings in the AL Division Series against Houston, where Maeda allowed three runs in four innings.
He earned $650,000 in bonuses from the Twins this year.
Over his career, Maeda is 65-49 with a 3.92 ERA in 155 starts and 35 relief outings for the Dodgers (2016-19) and Twins (2020-21, '23), who acquired him in February 2020 along with minor league utilityman Jair Camargo for right-hander Brusdar Graterol and first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley.
In Detroit, he is expected to join a starting rotation that should include right-handers Matt Manning, Alex Faedo and Reese Olson. Tigers' left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez opted out of the final three years and $49 million of his contract to become a free agent.
Others who could make the rotation include left-handers Joey Wentz (19 starts) and Tarik Skubal (15) who spent time on the mound for the Tigers, along with right-hander Reese Olson (18).
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist: