FORT MYERS, Fla. _ The Twins have agreed to long-term deals with two of their young players, shortstop Jorge Polanco and right fielder Max Kepler.
Polanco will get a seven-year contract, sources with knowledge of the transaction said, and the deal is expected to guarantee the Twins' incumbent shortstop $25.75 million through 2023, with team options for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Kepler's contract will be worth $35 million over five seasons with a sixth-year option for $10 million, a source confirmed.
The Twins called a Friday morning news conference to make "a baseball announcement."
"We've had a lot of dialogue about finding common ground on agreements that work for both the team and the players. It takes two sides to find the right numbers on that, but I'm hoping we'll be able to work something out," Derek Falvey, the Twins' chief baseball officer, said last month about long-term contracts. "We have a lot of good young players (who) could turn it into a realistic conversation."
Polanco, 25, joined the Twins for good in late July of 2016, when the team dealt shortstop Eduardo Nunez to the Giants just before the trade deadline. He served an 80-game suspension at the start of the 2018 season for failing a steroids test last spring. He was not eligible for arbitration this winter, so the contract will buy out four years of team control plus his first year of free agency, with team options for two seasons beyond that.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Polanco made his major league debut at age 20. He is a lifetime .272 hitter, and hit 13 homers with 74 RBIs in 2017. He made the major league minimum last year; because of his suspension, that added up to $280,000.
His new deal is worth $3.6 this season, $3.8 million in 2020, $4.3 million in 2021, $5.5 million in 2022, $7.5 million in 2023, $10.5 million in 2024 and $12 million in 2025. The Twins have a $1 million buyout option in the final two seasons, but 2024 would be guaranteed if Polanco has 550 plate appearances in 2023.
Kepler had two years of arbitration eligibility left. The new deal will buy out those years and extend him into a period where he would be eligible for free agency; the final season comes with a $1 million buyout. The 26-year-old native of Germany has been the starting right fielder for three seasons, and is hitting .233 with 56 home runs and 190 RBIs in 419 games.
All-Star pitcher Jose Berrios, outfielder Eddie Rosario and reliever Taylor Rogers are also in line for longer contracts.
Meanwhile, Twins pitchers and catchers took to the practice fields around Hammond Stadium as spring training formally opened. Manager Rocco Baldelli, hired in October to replace Paul Molitor as manager, scheduled two hours of drills and throwing sessions for the 28 pitchers and six catchers in camp, starting with a new "mental drill" in the video room before taking the field.
