When the Twins evaluate their roster throughout the offseason, they recognize they must improve their defense, especially if they hold any illusions of drastically improving their win total.

There might not be a simple solution.

The Twins had one of the worst defenses in baseball this year, and it won’t be easily solved without changing the core of the roster. They were graded by Sports Info Solutions as the second-worst defense in the majors, worth negative-46 runs saved.

StatCast wasn’t quite as critical, but the Twins rated 11 outs below average, ranking 23rd among the 30 teams.

“It’s definitely an area where we can improve as a team, and I could probably have a note or three for every single one of our guys on the defensive side of the ball for the offseason to think about,” former manager Rocco Baldelli said at the end of the season when he was conducting exit interviews with players.

First base and left field were the only positions where the Twins graded in the upper half of the league, according to StatCast and Sports Info Solutions, and those two positions were aided by players who were dealt at the trade deadline (Ty France and Harrison Bader). France was the only Twins player who was a Gold Glove finalist at his position.

The Twins ranked a distant last in shortstop defense, per Sports Info Solutions. Carlos Correa didn’t look as agile in the first half of the season, and the Houston Astros promptly moved him to third base after acquiring him at the trade deadline. Brooks Lee, too, was knocked for his lack of range after he inherited the starting shortstop job.

Lee, the No. 8 pick in the 2022 MLB amateur draft, hasn’t hit well enough to profile as a starter at other positions, so it’s prudent he improves his defensive range. The Twins, meanwhile, don’t have another ready-made shortstop. Ryan Fitzgerald shared time at the position in the final two months, and another first-round pick, Kaelen Culpepper, finished the year at Class AA.