The longest active tenured Minnesota Twins player, Max Kepler, is testing free agency for the first time in his career. After spending the last decade with the Twins organization, the right fielder can now sign with another team. Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic lists Kepler as a complementary player. McGrath notes that Kepler’s 2024 season was marred with injuries and that teams will focus on his 2023 season when he hit 23 home runs and, as McGrath puts it, “…has been a slightly above-league-average hitter for his career.” Playing 105 games in 2024, Kepler had eight home runs, 42 RBI, and a slash line of .253/.302/.380 before having his season shut down from injury the first week of September.
— Twins Daily (@twinsdaily) November 1, 2024
Max Kepler Testing Free Agency for First Time
Potential Landing Spots
Toronto Blue Jays
McGrath goes on to name the Toronto Blue Jays as a potential landing spot for Kepler as they need to add more offense and a left fielder. Primarily used as a right fielder, Kepler would have to adjust to another position in the outfield since George Springer is already occupying right field for the Blue Jays. Adding Kepler to the Blue Jays roster for added offense makes sense. First, Kepler can bring power with his career average of 24 home runs and 77 RBI per 162 games. Also, Kepler’s career on-base percentage of .318 is higher than several of Toronto’s outfielders in 2024, especially Kevin Kiermaier and Joey Loperfido (each at .236). Finally, Kepler has generally avoided double plays, with a career average of six per season. This low rate can help keep innings alive for Toronto, an area they struggled with in 2024.
Other Teams
Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic mention Kepler’s name as a potential signing for the New York Mets. They note that the Mets do not have an everyday DH, and Kepler could also fit this bill as he plays the outfield. Being able to play the outfield and be a DH allows for flexibility in the Mets lineup. Besides the Mets, Britton and Sammon list other teams that also have a need at DH and the corner outfield positions. Potential landing spots include the Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Francisco Giants.
Pros and Cons
Kepler will bring power to the team that signs him. With a career-high of 36 home runs in 2019, even in a down year, he is capable of 20-25 home runs. This potential power makes him an appealing option for teams looking to add offense. He has also shown plate discipline throughout his career with an on-base percentage of .318. Combining the on-base percentage with his potential power creates a career OPS of .746. With the power comes Kepler’s ability to play in the outfield with 1,034 career games in right and center field.
The risk the teams take when signing Kepler involves his history of injuries. Kepler has struggled with recurring injuries over the last few seasons. Limiting his playing time, these injuries have impacted the number of games he’s been able to play, which could be a red flag for teams investing in a player long-term. Also, due to injury, Kepler’s speed has significantly dropped as he only had one stolen base in each of the last two seasons and a total of five over the last three seasons combined. This risk may influence the investment teams make in Kepler. Currently, spotrac.com has Kepler at an estimated annual salary of $10.6 million, with a market value of three years and $31,766,289, making him the 12th highest-paid right fielder in baseball. Paying Kepler as a top-half-tiered outfielder creates risk when considering his injury history.
Kepler will be a strong addition to a team that needs power and defense, but any signing team must consider the risk associated with his injuries. Teams will have to balance his value with his potential contributions to the risk of limited availability.
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