Brooks Lee being on the cusp of his Major League Baseball debut is one of the most interesting storylines to watch during Minnesota Twins spring training, because if he really is ready for the big leagues, then the Twins are going to have to make some difficult roster decisions.
Right now, the projected starting infield features Royce Lewis at third base, Carlos Correa at shortstop, Eddy Julien at second base and Carlos Santana at first base.
Lee, who is considered a top-50 prospect by every reputable outlet, plays the infield, and with Correa and Lewis occupying the left side of the diamond, the only logical places to put Lee on the current roster is second base. Obviously, the Twins have a conundrum because that's where Julien is slotted.
"Where does Brooks Lee go? Derek Falvey told me last week at Grapefruit League media day, Brooks Lee is very close to being major league ready. He has been for the most part a shortstop during his minor league career," said insider Jon Morosi on MLB Network Wednesday morning.
"Basically what Derek Falvey indicated to me is that Lee will get some reps at second base. If you have Brooks Lee at second potentially, then you can move Julien from second to first, Correa at short, Royce Lewis at third. That's a really athletic infield if everybody's healthy and productive."
In that scenario, does Lee play every day at second while Julien and Santana, who is 39 years old, rotate at first base and DH? Where would that leave Alex Kirilloff, who if healthy and with Lee in the minors, would undoubtedly be splitting time with Santana at first base.
That's where the next words out of Morosi's mouth get interesting.
"I'm a little bit worried about the Twins' rotation, but the fact that Lee is close to being major league ready, as [Falvey] told me, is a very promising development and it could even create some different options for the Twins to move a position player in a trade to bulk up their starting rotation," Morosi said.
Could that mean Kirilloff is on the trade block?
Kirilloff, 26, was the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft and was long considered to have the sweetest swing in the organization. Injuries have slowed his progression, but in 88 games last season he slashed .270/.348/.445 (.793 OPS) with 11 homers, 14 doubles and 41 RBI.
His career hard-hit rate of 41.6% is above league average (38.8%) and like Lee he has a history of being ranked as one of the best prospects in the majors by publications like Baseball Prospectus, MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, ranking as high as No. 9 overall in Pipeline's 2019 preseason list.
It doesn't take a genius to read between the lines that Kirilloff could be the odd man out if the Twins want Lee playing on a regular basis in 2024.
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