Twins exercise $10M options on Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco for 2024
The Minnesota Twins exercised their 2024 club options on outfielder Max Kepler and infielder Jorge Polanco on Thursday, their two longest-tenured players.
Kepler will make $10 million and Polanco will make $10.5 million next season. Both players had a $1 million buyout, but their productivity this year made those prices market bargains for Minnesota. The Twins signed both players as 16-year-old international free agents in 2009, with Kepler from Germany and Polanco from the Dominican Republic.
Kepler batted .260 with a .816 OPS with a team-high 24 home runs in 130 games as the regular right fielder for the Twins in 2023. He had a .926 OPS in 66 games after the All-Star break for the AL Central champions. Kepler is 12th in Twins history with 153 home runs over nine major league seasons.
Polanco came back from a knee injury to hit .255 with 14 home runs and a .789 OPS in 80 games this season while playing second base and third base. He has the most home runs (112) by a switch-hitter in Twins history, over his 10-year major league career.
The Twins have another club option on Polanco at $12.5 million for 2025.