The Minnesota Twins are planning on starting the 2023 season with Max Kepler on the roster, and that might not be such a bad thing despite his offensive struggles.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported the Twins’ odds of moving Kepler before Opening Day have reduced significantly. Initially, the front office believed they would receive good offers for Kepler because of his team-friendly deal and overall production, but that hasn’t been the case.

They aren’t going to trade him just to move him. He’s a valuable contributor to any team because of his defensive metrics.

Last season he finished fifth in baseball in defensive runs saved amongst right fielders. He also ranked in the 97th percentile in outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. Defensively, he’s one of the best in the game, and that holds a lot of value. The pitching staff will have more success/better numbers with him in right field.

These percentile rankings are a little shocking considering his down year, but the advanced numbers like him. The most alarming statistics are his hard-hit and barrel percentage.

Offensively, he’s struggled to hit for power, and he rolls over on too many pitches. His launch angle has dropped, and because of that, we’ve seen a lot of weak ground balls hit to first base.

Since 2019, when he hit 36 home runs, Kepler has combined to hit 37 in the past three seasons. That might not be fair because 2020 was a shortened year, but the point still stands.

If Kepler can return to form and hit .240-260 with 18-22 home runs a season, then he’ll be a valuable piece to this ball club on both sides of the ball.

In 2023 the shift is banned, and we’ll see two players on each side of the diamond. When Kepler is up to bat, the entire field would shift to the right side, leaving the left side completely open.

Shift percentage by year:

• 2019: 72.1%
•  2020: 95.9%
•  2021: 91.2%
•  2022: 89.7%

There’s no denying which player on the Twins roster will benefit most in 2023 from the shift changes.

Kepler is also on a team-friendly contract, making $8.5 million this season. The Twins have a club option in 2024 for $10 million, and I’d expect them to approach that the same way they did with Miguel Sanó.

The free agency market was crazy this offseason, and it’s only going to get worse. Here’s a list of players who received more money than Kepler this offseason (outfielders only):

• Aaron Judge: $40 million
•  Brandon Nimmo: $20.25 million
•  Joc Pederson: $19.65 million
•  Michael Conforto: $18 million
•  Cody Bellinger: $17.5 million
•  Andrew Benintendi: $15 million
•  Mitch Haniger: $14.5 million
•  Michael Brantley: $12 million
•  Joey Gallo: $11 million
•  Kevin Kiermaier: $9 million

You could make a case that Kepler is worth more money than several of those players.

Even if Kepler doesn’t figure out his offensive struggles, he will provide value to the team with his defense. He’s on a team-friendly deal, and you can never have enough depth – just look at last year’s injuries.

This may be the last season Kepler wears a Twins uniform, but it doesn’t hurt to see if he can perform better with the shift getting removed in 2023. Time will tell, but keeping him makes sense for Minnesota.