26 Questions Facing the 26 Minnesota Twins on the 2025 Opening Day Roster

[Cody Christie]

Opening Day is practically here, and the Twins are heading to St. Louis with a roster that can win the AL Central. What questions remain about each player on the team’s Opening Day roster?

Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

As the Minnesota Twins prepare for the 2025 season, each player on the projected 26-man Opening Day roster faces pivotal questions. Let's delve into these pressing inquiries:

Catchers:

• Ryan Jeffers: Can Jeffers seize the starting catcher role and provide consistent offensive production throughout the season?

The homegrown backstop is only under team control for two more seasons. He’s shown flashes of being one of the league’s best offensive catchers, but he needs to show more consistency at the plate in 2025. 

• Christian Vázquez: Will his defensive reputation make up for his offensive flaws? 

Vázquez is in the final year of his 3-year, $30-million deal. Twins pitchers have praised his game-calling throughout his tenure, and that's arguably the lone reason Minnesota didn’t trade him away this winter.

Infielders:

• Carlos Correa: Can he finally put his plantar fasciitis issues behind him?

Plantar fasciitis has severely hampered Correa over the last two seasons, compromising his effectiveness in 2023 and his availability in 2024. A healthy and productive Correa can be the difference in the Twins making or missing the playoffs. 

• Ty France: How will his transition to the Twins impact his offensive output?

France is filling some big shoes at first base after the departure of Carlos Santana. He’s been one of the team’s best hitters this spring, and the Twins hope that production continues throughout the regular season. 

• José Miranda: Is he poised to build upon his previous successes and emerge as a key offensive contributor this season?

Injuries to Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis will allow Miranda to prove himself in the team’s infield to start the year. Minnesota needs him to live up to the offensive upside he’s previously shown. 

• Edouard Julien: Can he secure a regular spot in the lineup?

Julien was a question mark to make the roster for most of the spring. Injuries to a handful of players have him on the team. Now, he must make the most of the opportunity. 

• Willi Castro: Can he recover from his poor performance in the second half of 2024?

Castro’s OPS dropped from .774 in the first half to .627 after the break. Many Twins struggled down the stretch, but Castro will be even more critical with the team’s infield injuries to start the year. 

• Mickey Gasper: Can his Triple-A success translate to the big-league level?

Gasper led Triple-A hitters in OPS (1.164) from June through August 2024, with a .396 average and a .509 OBP. He's shown the Twins his ability to spray the ball all over the field this spring. He's an interesting bench option for a team that needed more consistent contact in the second half of 2024. 

Outfielders:

• Byron Buxton: Can he play over 100 games for the second consecutive season?

Buxton was relatively healthy this winter, for the first time in over half a decade. He will never be an iron man, but the Twins can hope he matches his 2024 numbers. 

• Matt Wallner: Can he be successful as an unconventional leadoff hitter?

The Twins are set to give Wallner regular at-bats in the leadoff spot, which matches what some other teams have done in recent years. Wallner’s player type can be streaky, though, so it will be interesting to see how long the Twins stick with him at the top. 

• Trevor Larnach: Is he ready to take the next step in his development and become a consistent offensive threat?

Larnach was one of the Twins’ most consistent hitters in the second half of 2024, with an .811 OPS in 52 games. He will be 28 years old for the entire 2025 campaign, and it’s now or never for him to establish himself as a middle-of-the-order bat.  

• Harrison Bader: How will his excellent outfield defense influence the Twins' overall outfield dynamics?

Buxton’s health will significantly impact Bader’s usage this season. Buxton in center and Bader in a corner spot could make for one of the league’s best defensive outfield alignments, which will be especially important if the Twins turn to some younger pitchers and allow more balls in play this year than in 2024. 

• DaShawn Keirsey Jr.: How much playing time will he get this season?

Keirsey beat out Austin Martin for the team's final bench spot. He's third on the depth chart in center field behind Buxton and Bader. His playing time will be sparse for now, but he’s an intriguing defensive replacement.

Starting Pitchers:

• Pablo López: Can he avoid the first-half struggles from the last two seasons?

López has had tough first halves during his first two seasons in a Twins uniform, and this year, his spring training numbers were rough. There are a few areas for him to focus on, including rediscovering his sweeper and prioritizing his changeup. 

• Joe Ryan: Can he continue his upward trajectory and solidify his position as one of the league’s best starters?

Before a shoulder injury shut him down for the year, Ryan was arguably the Twins' best starting pitcher last season. Injuries have impacted him in the last two seasons, so it would be nice for him to get a full season under his belt in 2025. 

• Bailey Ober: Is he a dark horse for the AL Cy Young?

Ober and Ryan can both fit into this category, which is why the Twins have one of the top starting pitching trios in the AL. Ober has been prone to blowups, so calming things just a bit on those tough days could put him in the Cy Young conversation. 

• Chris Paddack: How will he look in his second year removed from a second Tommy John surgery?

The Twins could have traded Paddack this winter, but the front office wouldn’t give him away in a salary dump. Instead, Minnesota is betting on a more consistent performance from “The Sheriff” as he puts his second Tommy John surgery further in the rearview mirror.

• Simeon Woods Richardson: Can he avoid the dreaded sophomore slump?

Woods Richardson saved the Twins' starting rotation last year but ran out of gas in the second half. Plenty of other young pitchers at Triple A will be knocking down the door to the big leagues. To keep his job, Woods Richardson must hold his own and build off his rookie campaign. 

Relief Pitchers:

• Jhoan Durán: Can he adjust more successfully in his second season with diminished velocity?

Durán’s drop in velocity has been a talking point since last spring. However, there are multiple reasons to trust the team’s closer entering the 2025 season. 

• Griffin Jax: Will he get more opportunities to close?

If Durán does struggle, Jax will be the one to take over the closer role. He’s coming off a season wherein he was one of the AL’s top relievers. Now, it’s time for the encore. 

• Cole Sands: Can Sands be counted on as one of the team’s high-leverage arms?

At this point last season, Sands was an afterthought in the Twins' bullpen picture. He developed into one of the team’s most reliable bullpen options, but with relievers who lack elite stuff or long track records, there is always the worry of regression.

• Danny Coulombe: How will Coulombe be strategically used as the team’s top lefty?

Caleb Thielbar signed elsewhere in free agency, leaving the club searching for a reliable left-handed reliever. Over the last two seasons, Coulombe has posted a 2.56 ERA (156 ERA+) with a 0.95 WHIP and a 28.4% strikeout rate. The Twins are hoping for similar production.    

• Jorge Alcalá: Is he ready to harness his potential and deliver consistent relief performances?

Alcalá has a chance to be a breakout player for the Twins. The team’s usage of him last season was confusing at times, but there is a chance he is being trusted in some critical late-inning spots before the season ends.

• Justin Topa: What version of Topa will the Twins get in 2025?

Minnesota hoped Topa would be a critical bullpen arm last season after acquiring him as part of the Jorge Polanco trade. The Twins still have a chance to gain some value from the deal, if Topa can return to the form he showed in 2023 (152 ERA+, 21.9 K%). 

• Louis Varland: Will Varland's transition to a relief role mirror the team’s past successes?

Nearly every great reliever in Twins history began their bullpen transition after failing as a starter (e.g., Griffin Jax, Taylor Rogers, Glen Perkins, etc.). Minnesota has high hopes for Varland as a reliever, and now they can set him loose on the AL Central. 

• Randy Dobnak: How long can he stick at the big-league level?

Dobnak made his triumphant return to the Twins last season after spending multiple seasons dealing with a finger issue. Last season, he limited batters to a .395 SLG and a .739 OPS, 24 points lower than the league average in a hitter-friendly league. He can provide length in the season's early weeks, but when the team's injured relievers get healthy, will Dobnak be the first casualty? Even if (or when) he's moved off the active roster, can he stick on the 40-man roster this time?

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These questions highlight the critical factors that could influence the Twins' success in the upcoming season. Fans and analysts alike will keenly observe how these narratives unfold in the season's early months.

Which question is most critical to the team's success this season? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Mark G]

The day before the first game of the season you go and tell me my team has 26 question marks?  

Aww, why did you have to make me so nervous?  😳

(So, Cody, tomorrow write an article with the 26 answers, please??)

[mikelink45]

27 - can the coaching staff learn from last year, change the PH role now that Margot is gone, figure out how to maximize the roster, steal some bases and stay steady over a full season?

[JD-TWINS]

Ryan’s health is a key concern………can Coulombe pitch anywhere near his last 2 years numbers…….can SWR pitch near the same level as 2024?

As the article states, there are 26 question marks just like all other 30 teams in MLB. Some of the question marks just have to be assumed as small or non-issues.

If the 3 guys I mentioned are OK the Team should be successful. Can group any 3 guys I guess, but to me, these are the real question marks and with low performances from them, it would really sting.

[Fatbat]

Great article! All the kids are a year older and gained some great experience last year with most of the season being successful and then dying too early in late august. That happens to a young team so this year, they should live off the successes and further development of their skills.  

Our pitching staff is top shelf great and poised to be elite. It’s going to be fun watching all the failure of opposing batters. 

The biggest question is about roster spot #27.  Can Lewis ever stay healthy and produce at an allstar rate for than a few weeks at a time. We want to see him get 5-600 ab in a season….. someday. 
 

[Parfigliano]

There are 486 possible games to be  played between Buxton, Correa, and Lewis.  I like the Twins odds to win the division if they can get 360+ combined played out of them.

[Fatbat]

50 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Ryan’s health is a key concern………can Coulombe pitch anywhere near his last 2 years numbers…….can SWR pitch near the same level as 2024?

As the article states, there are 26 question marks just like all other 30 teams in MLB. Some of the question marks just have to be assumed as small or non-issues.

If the 3 guys I mentioned are OK the Team should be successful. Can group any 3 guys I guess, but to me, these are the real question marks and with low performances from them, it would really sting.

I suppose health is always the top question for every player not named Cal Ripken Jr…. 
I agree 💯 on Coulombe. We need a very successful LHP! 
SWR is definitely an important role player but we have 3-4 backup’s for his role. I’m a huge fan of his and would bet he takes a step forward over any possible regression. Place him in the solid #3 SP category. Not over achieving personally but overachieving for his spot in the rotation. He has not hit his ceiling yet. 
 

[Karbo]

Other than injuries, I question whether SWR can avoid the sophomore slump that is so common in MLB, and Paddack, can he be effective enough to hold his spot in the rotation. My other concern is with the field management. Going by stats has its perks, but these are people, not fantasy players on paper. Sometimes, you just got to go with your gut if someone is hot, or cold. That doesn't seem to be Rocco's strength. If I was running the team, if they don't end up with a winning record this year, Rocco would be gone. Another question is about new owners or not. I have a hard time believing this team will draw 2 million fans this year, mainly due to so many ownership flubs!

[Unwinder]

We need to sit Ober vs the Royals for him to have a chance at the Cy Young. Otherwise, I trust him most of the starting trio.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Unwinder said:

We need to sit Ober vs the Royals for him to have a chance at the Cy Young. Otherwise, I trust him most of the starting trio.

Not wrong: Ober had 3 really bad blowups last season and two were against KC (he did dominate them in his 3rd pass, though so maybe he figured something out, stopped tipping pitches, something). If you dropped Ober's first 2 outings against KC and the implosion against Atlanta it would have dropped a full run off his ERA. (If you trim the best 3 by Game Score off as well, he still would have been looking at an ERA of 3.38, which is pretty nice. Interesting to see the impact of the best and worst outings on a starters season, though)

I'm still a Joe Ryan guy (don't that I don't also like Lopez), but with Ober feeling good the Twins have a strong top 3 in their rotation, one that should be able to compete with most anyone.

[IndianaTwin]

39 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Not wrong: Ober had 3 really bad blowups last season and two were against KC (he did dominate them in his 3rd pass, though so maybe he figured something out, stopped tipping pitches, something). If you dropped Ober's first 2 outings against KC and the implosion against Atlanta it would have dropped a full run off his ERA. (If you trim the best 3 by Game Score off as well, he still would have been looking at an ERA of 3.38, which is pretty nice. Interesting to see the impact of the best and worst outings on a starters season, though)

I'm still a Joe Ryan guy (don't that I don't also like Lopez), but with Ober feeling good the Twins have a strong top 3 in their rotation, one that should be able to compete with most anyone.

Yes, a pitcher's bad outings are almost always going to have a bigger effect on ERA than the good ones do. That's in part because the distribution isn't a bell curve around the average. There's only so much better a game can be in comparison to the average, whereas it can always get worse with more earned runs.

[ryanking61]

As a team, Question 27, will they come down on the amount of strikeouts this season? I was shocked when I seen they weren't leading the majors in strikeouts at times last season. 

[Nashvilletwin]

Nothing like the excitement of opening day.  From 5th-7th grade, my buddy Billy and I would skip school to attend.  My mom would drop us at the Thunderbird motel and we’d walk across the parking lot to the old Met.  She’d pick us up 30 minutes after the game. Great mom.

Every year has that excitement.  But I must say that this year the excitement level is at the lowest level in a long time.  Sure, I love the rotation and will look forward to every Ryan and Ober start in particular.  The bullpen is strong, has a few characters, and has me energised.

But the position player situation is, well, boring.  Buxton is always worth a ticket, but let’s see how many. CC is fun to watch hurl the ball across the diamond, but overall I’ve never really warmed to him after the contract shenanigans.  I’ll cheer hard for the youngsters, but it hurts to see them not reach their potential.  There are, as usual, a couple of new faces. But I just don’t feel like getting too invested in the “one and dones” we bring in every year.  And, on a whole, where is the true excitement and energy in this roster?  Is anyone going to hit 40, even 30, dingers? Will anyone hit .300? Will anyone steal 20+ bases?  Heck, will any of them even smell making the All Star team? At this point, you’d have to take the under on all of those.

Of course, another season of Rocco will be frustrating and boring. No bunting, no stealing, no hit and run, no moving the runner over, and the never ending platooning. And the never ending batting order and fielding assignments whiplash. Add in the lack of fundamentals.  Where’s the fun?

Over the past decade I’ve watched over 150 Twins games per season. For some reason, this year I’m just not that fired up to make that level of commitment a priority.

Aah, who am I kidding? Win Twins!

[stringer bell]

26 minutes ago, ryanking61 said:

As a team, Question 27, will they come down on the amount of strikeouts this season? I was shocked when I seen they weren't leading the majors in strikeouts at times last season. 

Strikeouts were way down last year and yet the offense didn’t improve. I think that has to do with personnel that changed from ‘23 to ‘24. Every team strikes out a lot compared to years ago. 
 

I would hope for better PAs with RISP and in game situations. 

[sweetmusicviola16]

Dobnak was rostered for the sole purpose of shuttling other players across town to St.Paul. Nobody better suited to do so. He'll only pitch on his days off.

[Fatbat]

1 hour ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Nothing like the excitement of opening day.  From 5th-7th grade, my buddy Billy and I would skip school to attend.  My mom would drop us at the Thunderbird motel and we’d walk across the parking lot to the old Met.  She’d pick us up 30 minutes after the game. Great mom.

Every year has that excitement.  But I must say that this year the excitement level is at the lowest level in a long time.  Sure, I love the rotation and will look forward to every Ryan and Ober start in particular.  The bullpen is strong, has a few characters, and has me energised.

But the position player situation is, well, boring.  Buxton is always worth a ticket, but let’s see how many. CC is fun to watch hurl the ball across the diamond, but overall I’ve never really warmed to him after the contract shenanigans.  I’ll cheer hard for the youngsters, but it hurts to see them not reach their potential.  There are, as usual, a couple of new faces. But I just don’t feel like getting too invested in the “one and dones” we bring in every year.  And, on a whole, where is the true excitement and energy in this roster?  Is anyone going to hit 40, even 30, dingers? Will anyone hit .300? Will anyone steal 20+ bases?  Heck, will any of them even smell making the All Star team? At this point, you’d have to take the under on all of those.

Of course, another season of Rocco will be frustrating and boring. No bunting, no stealing, no hit and run, no moving the runner over, and the never ending platooning. And the never ending batting order and fielding assignments whiplash. Add in the lack of fundamentals.  Where’s the fun?

Over the past decade I’ve watched over 150 Twins games per season. For some reason, this year I’m just not that fired up to make that level of commitment a priority.

Aah, who am I kidding? Win Twins!

You might not be excited yet but you will be! 

[arby58]

22 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Dobnak was rostered for the sole purpose of shuttling other players across town to St.Paul. Nobody better suited to do so. He'll only pitch on his days off.

That said, the thought of him being the 26th best player on the 40 man roster fills me with dread.

[Nashvilletwin]

35 minutes ago, Fatbat said:

You might not be excited yet but you will be! 

Gosh I hope so!

[DocBauer]

I really like this team, despite a few question marks and the lack of ownership providing the means to  address those question marks. I like the rotation and depth, I like the bullpen and depth...(Let's just drop the "best pen" arguements, that's pundits, not the Twins saying that)... and I like the POTENTIAL of the offense. But as much as I like this team, I like it better with Lewis, Lee, and Stewart healthy.

Not going to break down EVERYONE individually. Buuuutttt....read at your own risk, LOL.

ROTATION: Lopez just needs to get loose/warm earlier than he did in 2024. In 2023 he was damn good after about the 1st month. Ryan just needs to be healthy for a whole season. I stated before 2024 we hadn't seen the best of Ober yet. Other than a couple games, he was even better in 2024. Not sure he can raise his game another level, and not sure he needs to. SWR got better and better, and more and more confident as the 2024 season went along. Then he hit a wall. Yes, he could have a sophomore slump. But he could also improve. He's not a front of the rotation arm, but he's got room to raise his ceiling. Are we sleeping a bit on Paddack? He was up and down in 2024. He's refined his breaking stuff with the Twins, but lost his change. If he can keep his velocity consistently this season and re-discover his change, he could surprise. It's CRAZY to think/realize 2-4 kids at AAA have better pure potential than the current 4-5 starters on the roster. 

BULLPEN: I don't have worries about Duran. He was still really good last year, but was a victim of a bad BABIP. He still throws damn hard and has 2 wicked breaking balls. He's trying to add a 4th offering. He might need a few adjustments and some different sequencing, but let's not pretend he wasn't still good last year. Jax is a stud. Sands could actually regress some and STILL be very good. Stewart is excellent when healthy. His cleanup in the offseason has him saying he hasn't felt this good in years. He looked good in ST. His current injury is a slight muscle issue. Rightly, he's being nursed along. In reality, all he needs is 40 healthy innings, used judiciously,  to raise the pen. 50 innings would be gravy.

After BARELY throwing anything for 2yrs, Alcala was lights out to begin 2024. But for inexplicable reasons other than "someone has to fill innings" he was throwing 30-40 pitches early last year despite barely throwing the previous 2 years. No wonder he wore down. I don't know if his new curveball will make a difference or not, but the previous Alcala has been pretty good. Varland has a real chance to take his stuff to a different level as a full time reliever. He could easily follow the path of past and current converted arms to being good to very good. Hopefully, Coulombe is ready to maintain what he's done the past few seasons and just be that solid LH arm he's been. Topa, IMO, is a 7th or 8th arm despite what he did in Seattle in 2023. But that's still valuable if he's healthy and ready to contribute. Tonkin just shouldn't be dismissed based on his past couple of seasons as a middle man. And there are options at AAA to help.

LINEUP: EVERYTHING changes with Lewis and Lee back. With all the hard work Lewis has put in, EVENTUALLY, you hope his body just adjusts to a pair of knee injuries that has to have thrown his body out of whack and the muscle injuries subside. Based on defense and offensive potential, I'd play a healthy Lee every day and let him figure his bat out at the ML level. Miranda just needs to be healthy for a full season. We've seen what he can be. Julien has performed in college, in the minors, and in 2023. He has an opportunity now to prove 2024 was an illusion and he's ready to be a quality bat again. I just can't let one bad year dismiss the potential of a young player.

IMO Wallner is a stud who has more than established himself despite his poor begining to 2024. He might or might not continue to be a streaky bat. All players have hot and cold steaks. But his production can't be denied.  I understand him being one of the best bats in the lineup. He could do major damage in the #1 slot. I hold out hope that Julien or Keaschall will provide a really good #1 option for Wallner to slide down to cleanup. Larnach slides down with Lewis.  

It's a  POTENTIALLY a good lineup when healthy. It's even better better with better health.

 

[arby58]

4 hours ago, arby58 said:

That said, the thought of him being the 26th best player on the 40 man roster fills me with dread.

Just a reminder of Dobnak's MLB career stat line: -0.2 WAR. 9-12 record. 4.99 ERA. 135 innings pitched. 84 strikeouts. 1.397 WHIP. 

Yuck.