Twins reportedly interested in outfielder Mitch Haniger
The Minnesota Twins have been linked to their first free agent as they've reportedly had interest in former Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger.
The report comes from Joe Doyle of Prospects Live who says the Braves and Twins have been the most interested in the 31-year-old's services. Doyle also adds that Haniger has a robust market as the hot stove heats up, and that matches the report from Jon Morosi, who named the Dodgers, Angels and Rangers are suitors.
Haniger is a six-year MLB veteran who has split time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Mariners. He was an All-Star in 2018, hitting .285/.366/.493 with 26 homers in 157 games, but it is just one of two seasons where he has played over 100 games.
Haniger has battled injuires throughout his career and most notably missed the second half of the 2019 season and the entire 2020 season after suffering a ruptured testicle after being hit in the groin by a Justin Verlander fastball.
The injury required three surgeries and nearly two years of recovery but he returned to hit .253/.318/.485 with 39 home runs for Seattle in 2021. Unfortunately, Haniger suffered a high ankle sprain last season that limited him to just 57 games.
Despite the injury risk, Haniger could be a worthy addition for the Twins. Max Kepler had the lowest OPS of his career in 2022 and injuries to Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach were part of the reason the Twins ranked 17th in runs scored.
Even if all three corner outfielders recover, Haniger could provide quality depth for a team that started Mark Contreras and Jake Cave in the outfield a year ago.
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