Denard

Span

Span, who turns 37 this month, hasn’t played in the majors since 2018 and announced his retirement last summer. He’s a Tampa native and spent part of the 2018 season with the Rays, so the match makes sense as he transitions into this next phase.

Span failed to latch on with a new team after the Mariners declined their $12 million club option on him following the 2018 season. He told MLBTR that he received only league-minimum-salary offers that winter. The 36-year-old outfielder finishes with a .281/.347/.398 career batting line in 5,956 major league plate appearances spread between Minnesota, Washington, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, and Seattle.

Heyman reports that the Nationals are more likely to fill the Michael Taylor (hip,knee) injury internally, as Taylor is likely to be “only” out for about a month. That being said, they’re at least considering external options. We’ve heard talk about the Nationals having interest in Span before, but Jackson may make more sense if they’re looking for someone to stick in center.

Heyman lists the Tigers, Mets, Marlins, Indians and White Sox as potential landing places for the veteran outfielder. He split last season between the Rays and Mariners, slashing .261/.341/.419 with 11 home runs, 58 RBI and nine stolen bases in 501 plate appearances. He may have to settle for a minor league deal but it would not be a surprise to see him starting for some team on Opening Day. The 35-year-old’s defensive skills have waned significantly but he has been an above-average hitter in the majors the last two seasons and can still add value on the basepaths.

Span will get a $4 million buyout and hit the free agent market at age 34 (he turns 35 in February). The veteran outfielder batted .261/.341/.419 with 11 home runs and nine stolen bases in 137 games this past season between Tampa Bay and Seattle. He’ll likely to have to settle for a one-year contract this winter.

The Twins also haven’t ruled out a return. Span is battling migraine symptoms that are related to the concussion he suffered in June. Time is running out on the season, and with the Twins making no discernible effort to field a competitive lineup, it might just be best to shut down the center fielder.

Span sat out Friday’s contest after a car accident re-triggered some of his migraine symptoms. It’s a great sign that he’s back in there the next day, as the worry was that the unfortunate mishap might force the Twins to shut him down. Span has played in only 10 games since originally suffering his concussion back on June 6.

That’s obviously not what you want to hear after his concussion problems last season, but Span said he is fine. The lip should heal quickly, so hopefully this was just a false alarm.

Span suffered a busted lip after running into a chain-link fence Thursday, but he’s fine. Of more importance is that the outfielder to this point hasn’t experienced any concussion symptoms in camp. He’ll be one of the Twins’ regular outfielders this season if health permits.

Span had to be scratched from Sunday’s Grapefruit League lineup after developing some stiffness in his neck. It’s not related to his previous concussion issues, and he’s hoping to gain clearance to return to spring game action by Tuesday. His ability to get ready for the start of the regular season should be unaffected.