Offseason Status Update: Springing Into Action

[Nick Nelson]

After remaining dormant through the first three months of the offseason, the Minnesota Twins finally sprung into action on the doorstep of spring training with a series of free agent signings. 

Let's recap their late moves and how they affect the roster outlook.

Image courtesy of Tommy Gilligan, Jason Parkhurst, Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

As the calendar pages flipped from November to December, from January to February, the Twins front office remained idle, constrained by payroll limitations and a challenging market. Their moves amounted to low-scale additions on the fringes: minor-league signings, meager trades, a Rule 5 selection. 

These offseason status updates I've been publishing every few weeks have not been terribly interesting to write, and I'm sure not to read either. Now, in mid-February, with spring training officially underway, we've finally got some meaningful moves to cover: a relative flurry of free agent signings after ownership reportedly green-lighted a small spending increase on their way out.

 

Let's break down the club's latest acquisitions and their roster ramifications as we close out our offseason coverage and officially flip the page to spring training.

Coulombe Bolsters Minnesota's Bullpen Strength
The team's first major-league signing of the offseason reunited them with a familiar face: left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe. The 35-year-old previously spent parts of three seasons with the Twins before featuring in the Baltimore bullpen in 2024-25. He has posted outstanding numbers when healthy throughout that span.

 

Coulombe will earn $3 million on his one-year deal, making him the second-highest paid member of the Minnesota bullpen behind Jhoan Durán ($4.13 million). While a lefty reliever was one of the roster's most obvious needs coming into the offseason, it was interesting to see such a substantial investment here given the strength of the Twins' relief corps and the question marks surrounding Coulombe at age 35, coming off an elbow injury.

The front office seems focused on building a bullpen with the depth and quality to be an overwhelming strength for the Twins. Not a bad idea, based on what we saw from Cleveland last year. If Coulombe stays healthy and pitches up to his standard alongside the likes of Durán, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands and Louie Varland, this unit could be beyond formidable. But nowhere do these kinds of "ifs" loom larger than in the volatile world of MLB bullpens.

 

Bader Brings His Brilliant Glove to Twins Outfield
Last week, four different righty-swinging outfielders signed within the span of a few days. Harrison Bader got the biggest contract of the bunch, and in the surprise of the offseason, it was the Twins who gave it to him. Minnesota's front office did what it took to land the former Gold Glover, inking him to a $6.25 million deal with incentives and a mutual option. This signing on its own amounted to more than just about anyone expected the Twins to spend in the free agent market.

• Read more: What Differentiated Harrison Bader from the Field of RH Outfield Bats?

Clearly, the Twins were adamant about rostering a true standout center fielder behind Byron Buxton – akin to Michael A. Taylor in 2023 – after last year's reinforcements proved lacking. Bader can play defense at the level of both, which is a rare trait. But the flip side is that he isn't much of a hitter, even against left-handed pitching, which negates the value of his platoon fit.

With their modest influx of available funds, the Twins front office prioritized pitching and defense over offense, despite the lineup being arguably their biggest point of scrutiny and uncertainty. Spending nearly $10 million on Coulombe and Bader left them with little left to address first base, so they bought a lotto ticket.

Twins Acquire France to Compete at First Base
Following a season where Carlos Santana was one of the team's biggest stabilizing forces, producing 3.0 fWAR and winning a Gold Glove at first, the Twins have lined up as his heir apparent Ty France, who produced negative-0.9 fWAR with staggeringly bad defensive metrics last year. He has also posted a .688 OPS over the past two seasons, though the 30-year-old previously showed some ability at the plate as an All-Star with 20 home runs and 83 RBIs in 2022.

France is far from guaranteed to win the starting first base job or even to make the team; his MLB deal was as close to a minor-league contract as you can get, giving him a 40-man roster spot but with a paltry non-guaranteed $1 million in salary. But it seems clear the Twins going to put him at the head of the line given his experience compared to alternative options like José Miranda, Edouard Julien, Mickey Gasper and Willi Castro. "He's going to play a lot. That's really the best way of saying it," declared Rocco Baldelli at Twins camp on Saturday.

 

My friend Giles Ferrell put it best in calling this a "low-risk, low-reward pickup." It's a shame the Twins couldn't have found a way to secure a little more offensive upside at this position, which is already rife with defensive downside. But France at least brings a track record to the table.

Henriquez, Headrick and Helman Are Victims of Roster Crunch
To make room on the 40-man roster for their new signings, the Twins lost two pitchers and a position player. Right-hander Ronny Henriquez was claimed off waivers by Miami, and left-hander Brent Headrick by the Yankees, while utilityman Michael Helman was traded to St. Louis in exchange for cash.

None could be considered devastating losses, but each player had his own level of promise and potential value. Keeping any of the three in the organization would be nice, but I suppose it speaks to the perceived quality of Minnesota's talent that their roster casualties are in demand elsewhere. Here's an updated look at Twins' (full) 40-man with the additions of Coulombe, Bader and France.

Twins 2025 Roster and Payroll Projection
Below you can find my attempt at predicting the Opening Day 26-man roster in the wake of these moves. Barring injuries, I think this is how the Twins would like things to take shape. Lee and France are listed as backups, but I foresee them both rotating through very frequently at different positions (Lee at second and short, France at first and DH) with Miranda seeing time at third and Julien seeing time at first. 

We all know that for this Twins front office, the offseason doesn't end until Opening Day. It's possible there could be more moves to come, although team officials have signaled that they're done in free agency. If the Twins do indeed hold onto all of their current players, they'll be poised to enter the season with payroll in the $140 million range. That's enough to win. Time to go on the field and do it.

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[IndianaTwin]

A question I’ve been wondering, and this seems as good of a place as any to ask it.

Have the Twins themselves actually talked about Julien in the 1B mix? He seems to get a lot of traction there on TD for only having played 5 MLB and 23 MiLB games at the position.

(I’m not arguing for or against, just wondering if I’ve missed something.)

[RpR]

2 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

A question I’ve been wondering, and this seems as a place as any to ask it.

Have the Twins themselves actually talked about Julien in the 1B mix? He seems to get a lot of traction there on TD for only having played 5 MLB and 23 MiLB games there. 

Not likely.

[Blyleven2011]

Julian should not even be considered for the 26 man roster , the way he played on both sides of the ball was terrible in 2024  , AAA bound to work on his mental game and earn his way back ...

Lee or Martin,  will be sent to AAA for more refinement , and we know keirsey Jr don't have a chance to open on the 26 roster , with bader's acquisition  ...

[DocBauer]

Excited that baseball is starting again!

I like the Coulombe signing quite a bit, even though there's some injury risk. He was on my short list of good and affordable LHRP options.

I have no problem with the Bader signing, and even like it IF he's a true 4th OF to cover CF, play a little LF here and there so Larnach or Wallner can DH or have a full day off. I also like him as a PR and a late inning defensive replacement. But if he's a full time starter with that bat I have real issues.

If you don't have the $ to really reinforce 1B, then why not a 30yo who's been good, and started last season decently, on a cheap and non guaranteed deal? But France is nothing special with the glove, and not part of the future. So IF his bat rebounds, use him as a DH and part time 1B but allow Miranda to be the primary option there. As a neutral split, veteran player, I can see him as a decent PH option as well. He's got some potential value. But he's not special, and he's not part of the future, so please don't sacrifice the development of Miranda just because France is a veteran.

Losing Headrick might not hurt, but he was never given an opportunity to just focus on being a RP. Instead, he seemed to bounce back and forth between the pen and the rotation. I thought he might take a step forward this season in St Paul if just used in that role. However, I do think Nowlin might have surpassed him at some point regardless.

Good for Helman to get a shot elsewhere. I'll be rooting for him and watching how he does. 

[Jocko87]

Now sign Jose Iglesias to a minor league deal and let roll. All bases covered.

[NYCTK]

48 minutes ago, Jocko87 said:

Now sign Jose Iglesias to a minor league deal and let roll. All bases covered.

Not gonna leave the Mets for a minor league deal.

[DocBauer]

1 hour ago, Jocko87 said:

Now sign Jose Iglesias to a minor league deal and let roll. All bases covered.

If you look at his career seasons, he's been very much a yo-yo performer with the bat. Poor, average, poor, above average, poor again, etc. I can't recall why he wasn't in MLB in 2023. But his numbers were pretty good in 2021-2022 and 2024. At 35yo, does the glove still play at SS? If so, they should jump on him for a MILB deal as insurance. Guessing he'd want an opt out, but still, it might be a smart flier to take.

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, DocBauer said:

If you look at his career seasons, he's been very much a yo-yo performer with the bat. Poor, average, poor, above average, poor again, etc. I can't recall why he wasn't in MLB in 2023. But his numbers were pretty good in 2021-2022 and 2024. At 35yo, does the glove still play at SS? If so, they should jump on him for a MILB deal as insurance. Guessing he'd want an opt out, but still, it might be a smart flier to take.

He just was kept in the minors for SD i believe. He was doing good, not great. He and the Mets were lucky cause he wasn't all that great in AAA either when they called him up but all their middle infield depth was either hurt or massively underperformed. So hispersistence and consistency in AAA earned him another shot. 

The glove doesn't play well at SS but he was plus at 2B. 

He reportedly has a meeting with the Mets Monday. He was holding out for a 2 year deal but it didn't come so he looks like he's trying to get back the one year deal he passed on, unlikely. But there's no chance he takes a minor league deal elsewhere. He would leave for a one year deal though. But Stearns would gladly give him another minor league deal from the Mets. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jocko87]

2 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Not gonna leave the Mets for a minor league deal.

He might very well have to take a minor league deal to stay with the Mets.

[NYCTK]

28 minutes ago, Jocko87 said:

He might very well have to take a minor league deal to stay with the Mets.

Yep. Don't think that's happening. Which is only to say there's no chance he goes to the Twins on a minor league contract. 

[Wizard11]

Nick, A couple observations on your projections.  I think it is probable that Stewart starts the season on the IL and Castellanos gets that spot.  I also think Martin makes the roster rather than Lee in your scenario.  I think Lee is either a starter in MLB or goes to STP to play FT.  It seems unlikely to me that they would view Lee as a bench player at this point in his career.   

[Fatbat]

Ty France and DH should not be spoken in the same sentence. Headrick may thrive in pinstripes and we still need to find a legitimate 1B guy. Miranda seems to be getting overlooked in that conversation. 
 

Lee and Martin are in competition for 1 of the 26 roster spots. Lee has an advantage because he can play the infield better. Martin only wins that spot as a 5th OF or if he knocks the ball around finally. 

[LambchoP]

Since it looks like we now don't care about defense at 1st base, we should make a trade for Casas as our long term starter. Give BOS Miranda, Castro or Julien plus one of our up and coming SP. I worry about this team scoring runs and Casas would be a huge improvement over France:)

[thelanges5]

2B is the new 1B - Julien, Lee, Martin, and Castro duking it out. 
 

Castro may be the best defender there but that takes away from his Swiss Army knife value. 
 

Seems like the club has soured on Lee? Or maybe I’m just reading into things? I’d like to see him in the lineup. Is 2023 Julien still in there?

[Bob Twins Fan Since 61]

54 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

2B is the new 1B - Julien, Lee, Martin, and Castro duking it out. 
 

Castro may be the best defender there but that takes away from his Swiss Army knife value. 
 

Seems like the club has soured on Lee? Or maybe I’m just reading into things? I’d like to see him in the lineup. Is 2023 Julien still in there?

You're reading into things regarding Lee.  At least for the long term, I think they consider him important piece for the infield.  He has long run away being a number one draft choice.  Who they thought was a steal in the draft.  Only his health (back) could hold in back.

[Doctor Gast]

All our acquisitions were fringe bench players, Castellano & Cartaya have future potential, Cartaya won't contribute this season but hopefully, Castellano will somewhat. Hopefully, Coloumbe will stay healthy & be of some use. Gasper like Camargo are AAAA players & shouldn't see much time. Buxton is our RH CFer, Bader was a waste of money. Bader would ideally be used to replace Buxton when he'd be down against LHPs, which would be minimal. If France can prove that he can hit (which I hope he will), he should be used as DH & secondary 1Bman.

But rest assured that all these new acquisitions will have every opportunity to play, playing too much, especially even if they are bad & take away playing time from more deserving inhouse young players, who in turn would improve our team. Bader will take away precious playing time from Keirsey, as a LH CFer he could be more advantageous to sub Buck while improving himself & the team. Same with France, Twins have shown preference of him being the sole 1Bman. Taking away precious playing time from Miranda again. Leaving to Miranda to fight over playing time over DH with Larnach (how sad). It'll be the same old scenario, Miranda will mash like crazy, to fit his bat in the lineup they'd prioritize him at 3B again & he'll hurt himself again trying to compensate for his shoulder, decreasing his production & shortening his season on the IL. When the intelligent solution is prioritizing Miranda at 1B,

Julien was never an option at 2B, he should be sent down to AAA to reinvent himself as a hitter & finally learn 1B while he's there. Unless Lee really shows he can hit he should be sent to AAA to play every day. The best way to start the 26-man roster is to do the following: Buxton- CF, Wallner RF, Larnach LF/ DH, Keirsey- 4th OF, Bader- UTIL OF, Castro- UTIL, Lewis- 3B, Correa- SS, Martin- 2B, Miranda- 1B, France- DH/ 1B. (1st man up is Lee, hopeful he has his hitting figured out). Rotation- Lopez, Ryan, Ober, SWR, Paddack (Festa & Matthews can rotate in & out as 4th & 5th SP). BP- Duran, Jax, Steward?, Sands, Alcala, Coloumbe, Tonkin, Castellano?, If either Stewart or Castellano is out then the next better option is Varland because he can be used as LRP & spot starter.

But more than likely sadly, Keirsey, Varland & Martin are sent down, Julien is the primary 2Bman & France the primary 1Bman. Poor-hitting Bader has about 1/3 of CF PAs & given every opportunity to break Margot PHing record. IMO making us an inferior team.

[South Dakota Tom]

If you take away the non-zero possibility that a non-roster-invitee makes the team, you have 5 spots for DH/reserve roles and it is safe to say that Castro, Vazquez, and Bader will take up 3 of those and one of Miranda or France with the other at 1b.  That leaves, basically, 2b and 5th outfielder.  I believe in Brooks Lee and would like to see him line up most every day at 2b.  I think the real "contest" here is between Martin, Kiersey, Julian and Gaspar for that last spot. 

Personally rooting for Mickey - some pop, switch-hitter, can see a fairly regular PH/DH/1b role for him against RH pitching.

[Parfigliano]

16 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Excited that baseball is starting again!

I like the Coulombe signing quite a bit, even though there's some injury risk. He was on my short list of good and affordable LHRP options.

I have no problem with the Bader signing, and even like it IF he's a true 4th OF to cover CF, play a little LF here and there so Larnach or Wallner can DH or have a full day off. I also like him as a PR and a late inning defensive replacement. But if he's a full time starter with that bat I have real issues.

If you don't have the $ to really reinforce 1B, then why not a 30yo who's been good, and started last season decently, on a cheap and non guaranteed deal? But France is nothing special with the glove, and not part of the future. So IF his bat rebounds, use him as a DH and part time 1B but allow Miranda to be the primary option there. As a neutral split, veteran player, I can see him as a decent PH option as well. He's got some potential value. But he's not special, and he's not part of the future, so please don't sacrifice the development of Miranda just because France is a veteran.

Losing Headrick might not hurt, but he was never given an opportunity to just focus on being a RP. Instead, he seemed to bounce back and forth between the pen and the rotation. I thought he might take a step forward this season in St Paul if just used in that role. However, I do think Nowlin might have surpassed him at some point regardless.

Good for Helman to get a shot elsewhere. I'll be rooting for him and watching how he does. 

Couldn't agree more on Bader.  I really fear he is going to be far more then CF backup, late inning D replacement, and spot corner OF starter. 

I blame this fear on TC history when acquiring Bader type guys.  Really hope I'm wrong.

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

2B is the new 1B - Julien, Lee, Martin, and Castro duking it out. 
 

Castro may be the best defender there but that takes away from his Swiss Army knife value. 
 

Seems like the club has soured on Lee? Or maybe I’m just reading into things? I’d like to see him in the lineup. Is 2023 Julien still in there?

He's in there and busting out a can of whoopass this season.

[mikelink45]

I am excited that baseball is starting.  I am ready to root for the Twins, but none of these acquisitions add to my excitement.

Lee over Martin - Martin has not shown the promise that all the hype expected.  Julien should prove it in St Paul.  Gaspar and Ford should not make the team.  

I hate how 1B defense is so overlooked.  I watched a section on MLB.com on Keith Hernandez and then had to watch this youtube video.  Yes he belongs in the HOF.  He was the Ozzie Smith, Brooks Robinson of 1B and it makes a difference.  An average 1B has 1200 put outs and 100 assists per year and are part of 100 DPs per year. (I am taking this from Baseball reference and rounding off the numbers.)

With all the left handed hitters in the league this is a great place for someone with range.  And it does not include taking pick-off throws.  

 

 

[RpR]

3 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

2B is the new 1B - Julien, Lee, Martin, and Castro duking it out. 
 

Castro may be the best defender there but that takes away from his Swiss Army knife value. 
 

Seems like the club has soured on Lee? Or maybe I’m just reading into things? I’d like to see him in the lineup. Is 2023 Julien still in there?

Last year Lee showed he was actually good at Third Base, where he will be if he is in the Majors; Martin was not bad at Second Base where as Castro and Julien are both pathetic at Second Base.

[Nick Nelson]

12 hours ago, Wizard11 said:

Nick, A couple observations on your projections.  I think it is probable that Stewart starts the season on the IL and Castellanos gets that spot.  I also think Martin makes the roster rather than Lee in your scenario.  I think Lee is either a starter in MLB or goes to STP to play FT.  It seems unlikely to me that they would view Lee as a bench player at this point in his career.   

I would've agreed with you about Stewart but he's already throwing bullpens on the first few days of camp. He seems healthy.

Despite having Lee listed as technically on the "bench" in that graphic, I don't really view him as a bench player: more like a guy who would start 4-5x a week while mixing in at 2B/SS/3B. The Twins like him defensively everywhere (unlike Julien and Martin) and they don't have a backup SS. You could flip him with Eddy J as the 2B starter if you like, it's all the same.

[Nick Nelson]

19 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

A question I’ve been wondering, and this seems as good of a place as any to ask it.

Have the Twins themselves actually talked about Julien in the 1B mix? He seems to get a lot of traction there on TD for only having played 5 MLB and 23 MiLB games at the position.

(I’m not arguing for or against, just wondering if I’ve missed something.)

Rocco/Falvey have definitely mentioned Julien in the first base mix. I recall him being named alongside Miranda when asked about the position at the Diamond Awards. It's fair to wonder how serious they are about it, when they've shown such minimal inclination to try him out there. The idea that Castro would be even worked in there seems like an indictment of Julien.

[Fatbat]

4 hours ago, South Dakota Tom said:

  That leaves, basically, 2b and 5th outfielder.  I believe in Brooks Lee and would like to see him line up most every day at 2b.  I think the real "contest" here is between Martin, Kiersey, Julian and Gaspar for that last spot. 

Personally rooting for Mickey - some pop, switch-hitter, can see a fairly regular PH/DH/1b role for him against RH pitching.

One can discount Julien, Kiersey and Gasper for several individual reasons. 

[TL]

17 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

I would've agreed with you about Stewart but he's already throwing bullpens on the first few days of camp. He seems healthy.

Despite having Lee listed as technically on the "bench" in that graphic, I don't really view him as a bench player: more like a guy who would start 4-5x a week while mixing in at 2B/SS/3B. The Twins like him defensively everywhere (unlike Julien and Martin) and they don't have a backup SS. You could flip him with Eddy J as the 2B starter if you like, it's all the same.

Not giving up on Julien at all, but I think he needs 3 good months in the minors to find his ‘23 form again. Lee at 2nd (assuming Lewis solves his throwing issues at 3rd) with 2 days/week at SS so Correa can rest or DH feels like the way to go. That gives Castro/Martin backup duties at 2nd and Miranda can work in at both 1B and 3B.