As MLB Free Agency Opens, Twins Make Flurry of Roster Moves

[Eric Blonigen]

Image courtesy of © Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

The MLB offseason reached its first interesting phase on Thursday. Qualifying offers were made, National League Silver Sluggers were announced, contract options were picked up or declined, and free agency officially got underway, as players who qualify for that right can now negotiate with all 30 teams. For the Twins, that meant some roster moves—seven of them, in fact. Some of these were expected, but there was at least one small surprise. I'll look at these moves in groups.

The Formality
For starters, Alan Roden was activated off the 60-day IL This move is really just a formality, as the 60-day IL doesn’t exist during the offseason. Roden is expected to be a full go for the 2026 season. That’s good news, because while he didn’t perform well with the Twins in limited action, he is a legitimate prospect and should be (at the very least) in the fourth outfielder mix.

Topa’s Slight Pay Cut
The Twins declined Justin Topa’s 2026 option. It was worth $2 million, and had a $225,000 buyout. His contract is a bit unique, in that he’s still under team control, but will head to arbitration for the final time. The interesting part here is that MLB Trade Rumors estimated his arbitration amount at $1.7 million. Assuming that’s close to correct, that gets his 2026 salary to $1.925 million, for a $75,000 savings. It's possible the Twins will lean on him to accept a bit less than that figure, or non-tender him when the deadline to decide about arbitration-eligible players arrives later this month.

Four Fungible Relievers Cut
Michael Tonkin, Génesis Cabrera, Anthony Misiewicz, and Thomas Hatch were all outrighted and became free agents. There really aren’t any surprises here, as none of the four were impact arms, and all lack upside at this point in their careers.

Tonkin was estimated to make $1.4 million in arbitration, and is not an impact reliever. He was worth exactly 0.0 fWAR in 2025; the Twins can find someone similar within their own system and save $600,000 or so. In the past, Tonkin had durability to recommend him, even when his skills didn't stand out. After an injury-plagued campaign, that's out the window.

Cabrera did not perform well for the Twins, or the other three organizations he played for in 2025. He allowed five home runs in 14 2/3 innings; opposing hitters hit .298 off of him; and he also walked nearly a batter an inning. Similarly projected to earn $1.4 million, he is four years removed from an average or better performance.

Misiewicz signed with the Twins on a minor-league deal and is out of options. With below-average stuff and a 9.64 ERA, he presumably wouldn’t have remained on the roster this long, but for getting injured shortly after his July callup and only returning for one appearance on September 28.

Thomas Hatch is a tinkerer, but unfortunately, his tinkering didn’t get results. His strikeout and walk rates were much worse than average, he gave up too much hard contact, and as a soft tosser, he didn’t bring enough to the table to justify even a league-minimum salary.

As the Twins enter at least a soft rebuild, it will make more sense for these four roster spots to go to younger pitchers with more upside. The Twins will almost certainly need to convert some starters to relievers this offseason, as they have a glut of pitchers presumably fighting for just a couple of rotation spots, with more prospect depth on the way.

Former Top-100 Prospect Outrighted
Jose Miranda’s time as a part of the Twins organization has come to an end. He was one of the Twins' biggest failures in prospect development in recent seasons, as he was unable to find consistency or stay healthy. With elite contact skills, he demonstrated the capability to tie the major-league record for consecutive hits, and at one point, he looked like a building block.

However, the formerly ascendant hitter failed to do that with any regularity, and throughout the 2025 season, he looked overmatched—even after being sent down to Triple-A St. Paul. Lacking defensive chops even at the bottom of the defensive spectrum, and frequently making mental mistakes while fielding or on the basepaths, the writing was on the wall when he failed to receive a call-up after the deadline selloff.

It’s impossible to say how much of his struggles are health-related, as he has dealt with frequent injuries to his shoulder, back, and arm. The most unfortunate aspect of him being cut at this point is that the Twins failed to capitalize on his value while he had some.

The Slightly Curious Move
The one surprise, at least to me, was the Twins waiving Cody Laweryson. With the team needing to fill out almost an entirely new bullpen for 2026 after trading away all of the non-mop-up options aside from Cole Sands, I would have expected them to give him a longer look, particularly since he had six full seasons of team control remaining, and three minor-league options.

He looked decent down the stretch, and the data bears this out. He didn’t walk anyone in 7 2/3 innings, had a roughly average strikeout rate, and FanGraphs rated his Stuff+ at 96, where 100 is average and higher numbers are better. They had his Location+ and Pitching+ as well above average, and he had the look of someone who Derek Shelton could send out in the fifth inning when a starter doesn’t go deep. Obviously, the Twins disagreed. The Angels claimed him, and he will have a chance to develop into a bullpen weapon for them. His slider, in particular, makes him worth watching.

With these moves, the Twins' 40-man roster sits at 33, giving some room to add players to the roster ahead of the November 18 deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. Best wishes to the six players departing the organization on the next legs of their journeys.

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[Doctor Gast]

Most of these moves are routine. But a couple made me sad. One was Miranda; he had great promise, but he was mismanaged, both health & positioning-wise. IMO, he had a lot to contribute to the Twins at 1B. 2nd, Lawyerson, like you said, BP is a huge need; there are many question marks. Lawyerson, unlike many, showed some promise.   

[Whitey333]

Like Baldelli was used as a scapegoat for the teams performance so too Miranda being used as a scapegoat for the Twins failures in developing young talent.  Yes Miranda blew it but IMO had some assistance along the wat from managers and coaches.

[laloesch]

8 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

Like Baldelli was used as a scapegoat for the teams performance so too Miranda being used as a scapegoat for the Twins failures in developing young talent.  Yes Miranda blew it but IMO had some assistance along the wat from managers and coaches.

Baldelli was not a scapegoat, he dirtied his own bed same as Miranda

[old nurse]

10 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

Like Baldelli was used as a scapegoat for the teams performance so too Miranda being used as a scapegoat for the Twins failures in developing young talent.  Yes Miranda blew it but IMO had some assistance along the wat from managers and coaches.

How?

[rv78]

No big losses anywhere. Lawyerson is a bit puzzling. Had a pretty decent career in the minors. Looks like the Twins had him on a slow track taking 6+ years to get a call up. (Didn't play in 2020). At 27 years old and a depleted bullpen, there must have been something they didn't like about him. He'll probably be one those players that Falvey let get away that we all end up shaking our head over.

Miranda is a sad one. He had shown so much promise as a hitter but could never get the consistancy. Maybe he couldn't adjust to the analytical platoon strategy the Twins have fallen in love with. Or the moving from 3B to 1B on the field. Or maybe the off-season he spent with Correa totally messed him up. Whatever it was, it almost as sad as Kirilloff retiring, His defense and lack of fundamentals shows what is wrong with this organization, beit a lack of development, or if he never truely had the ability then it was poor scouting. Either way, something has to change. I hope he gets another chance somewhere else.

[Craig Arko]

I guess I won’t be surprised if Miranda finds his way into the Houston organization, based on a recommendation from Correa.

[Dman]

I think the board here predicted most all of these roster moves.  Some of us were concerned about Lawyerson getting picked off if dropped and it looks like that happened but the Twins have a ton of young arms on the way up so seemed like a worthy gamble to see if they could get him back to AAA.

Miranda still might might make it to AAA.  I don't know what happened to him, but I couldn't see him staying on the 40 man.  Again lot's of young talent coming up and a lot of those can run better than he does and have more position flexibility.

The other guys are pretty replaceable so no reason to keep them on there as they might make it through anyway,  I liked Hatch and bet he gets picked up.  Other than that none of those guys did much to impress.

It will be interesting to see how Rule V shakes out.  Still not enough room for all the adds I have on my list so it looks like some arms might have to out there and just hope they don't get taken.  Hopefully they protect the right players,

[old nurse]

Laweryson getting cut was a head scratcher. 

Miranda making mental mistakes in the field was likely the culprit for his being cut. There is usually a belief you can fix the swing when the batter’s eye is good. That is why the took on Outman and Roden. They have had success in the minors 

[old nurse]

3 minutes ago, Dman said:

I think the board here predicted most all of these roster moves.  Some of us were concerned about getting picked off if dropped and it looks like that happened but the Twins have a ton of young arms on the way up so seemed like a worthy gamble to see if they could get him back to AAA.

Miranda still might might make it to AAA.  I don't know what happened to him, but I couldn't see him staying on the 40 man.  Again lot's of young talent coming up and a lot of those can run better than he does and have more position flexibility.

The other guys are pretty replaceable so no reason to keep them on there as they might make it through anyway,  I liked Hatch and bet he gets picked up.  Other than that none of those guys did much to impress.

It will be interesting to see how Rule V shakes out.  Still not enough room for all the adds I have on my list so it looks like some arms might have to out there and just hope they don't get taken.  Hopefully they protect the right players,

I don’t think they have lost anyone since Wells and Baddoo. Wells in 5 years has had 50 starts and 50 relief appearances. Baddoo had 1 great half season in 5 years. I don’t think they have been missed 

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Most of these moves are routine. But a couple made me sad. One was Miranda; he had great promise, but he was mismanaged, both health & positioning-wise. IMO, he had a lot to contribute to the Twins at 1B. 2nd, Lawyerson, like you said, BP is a huge need; there are many question marks. Lawyerson, unlike many, showed some promise.   

Please explain how the Twins mismanaged Jose Miranda. They moved him to 3B in order to give him an opportunity, and he showed real improvement defensively there. He couldn't stay healthy and completely fell apart at the plate. (It's notable that his decline started not long after getting beaned) That's on the Twins management?

[sweetmusicviola16]

Yet at this moment we are still left with Gasper, Kreiller, Julien and Outman. Meet your 2026 Minnesota Twins.

Lawyerson could have helped this team. Considering his background, and many others like him, he's at a point where he could become a viable piece in an ML bullpen.

[arby58]

7 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Please explain how the Twins mismanaged Jose Miranda. They moved him to 3B in order to give him an opportunity, and he showed real improvement defensively there. He couldn't stay healthy and completely fell apart at the plate. (It's notable that his decline started not long after getting beaned) That's on the Twins management?

Agreed. Every time a player has a promising start but then fails to deliver over the long run, when is it on the player? Outman had a very strong start to his career - is it the Dodgers fault he hasn't lived up to it? 

[LewFordLives]

There's still a few names that should be dropped from the 40 man. 

[bean5302]

Miranda was a 1B the Twins asked to play other positions. Was he mishandled? I think so. Regardless, it's not an excuse for Miranda to play poorly in AAA. I didn't see a legitimate reason not to outright him. Has his time as a Twins player ended? Maybe. He's probably a candidate to come back on a MiLB contract as I don't think there's going to be a lot of interest in him across the league.

[LewFordLives]

"As the Twins enter at least a soft rebuild, it will make more sense for these four roster spots to go to younger pitchers with more upside. The Twins will almost certainly need to convert some starters to relievers this offseason, as they have a glut of pitchers presumably fighting for just a couple of rotation spots, with more prospect depth on the way."

I generally agree with this, although they are going to have to bring in at least a couple guys with some track record to fill out the bullpen. Given their financial constraints, they will have to target guys like Justin Topa, which makes their decision to decline his option somewhat odd. Is the ill will created by going through arbitration really worth the few nickles they might save?

[Doc Lenz]

A 40 man with Gasper on it is not a serious  roster. What in the Wide world of sports is going on?

[terrydactyls]

24 minutes ago, LewFordLives said:

There's still a few names that should be dropped from the 40 man. 

Yesterday's moves remind me of the old joke about what do you call the sudden deaths of 100 lawyers?  A good start.

[jmlease1]

18 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Miranda was a 1B the Twins asked to play other positions. Was he mishandled? I think so. Regardless, it's not an excuse for Miranda to play poorly in AAA. I didn't see a legitimate reason not to outright him. Has his time as a Twins player ended? Maybe. He's probably a candidate to come back on a MiLB contract as I don't think there's going to be a lot of interest in him across the league.

He played 3B, 1B, and DH for the Twins in MLB (I'm not counting the oddity of his one "appearance" at SS). He looked his best defensively at 3B and his worst at 1B. How was he a 1B that the Twins asked to play other positions?

It's a bummer that it's gone to hell for Miranda, whom I liked a lot and was hopeful he could be a dangerous hitter in MLB. But this sure seems like a case of a player whose physical capabilities were reduced as a result of multiple injuries, and wasn't able to compensate. (I do think there's a real possibility the beaning impacted him much more than we realized, especially since he came back quickly. To me, that's an injury the same as pulling a hammy)

I was surprised they let Laweryson go, but he's still a fairly marginal arm. But considering how short we are on bullpen options, why not keep a cheap controllable option that showed a little promise?

[Rufus]

Miranda was not mismanaged he blew it.  The old adage "The hardest thing there is to make it to the major leagues, the second hardest thing is to stay there"   Miranda and Julien were sent to St. Paul at the beginning of last season and Miranda proceeded to hit less than .200 the rest of the season in Triple A.  They should waste a roster spot on him?  Julien at least improved his numbers in St. Paul and was given another shot with the Twins.  It again did not work out.  But I feel both of these players were treated fairly.

[tony&rodney]

Good luck to all of those guys. They have decades of life ahead of them and can excel at their next careers. Also, there are always Senior Mens Leagues looking for guys who like to have fun playing baseball.

[CRF]

40 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Please explain how the Twins mismanaged Jose Miranda. They moved him to 3B in order to give him an opportunity, and he showed real improvement defensively there. He couldn't stay healthy and completely fell apart at the plate. (It's notable that his decline started not long after getting beaned) That's on the Twins management?

I agree with this. Miranda...for whatever reason...was never the same after he got hit in the head. Whether it was something physical, or mental, he never got back to where he was before that. He was never gonna be a gold glover, but he had potential as a hitter. 

[Unwinder]

It's a good thing Miranda never caved to pressure to use that "I am not throwing away my shot" song from Hamilton as his walk-up music, or he'd look a bit silly now. 

[DJL44]

40 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Lawyerson could have helped this team. Considering his background, and many others like him, he's at a point where he could become a viable piece in an ML bullpen.

There will be literally dozens of relievers with as much potential as Laweryson available this offseason.

[DJL44]

5 minutes ago, Rufus said:

Miranda was not mismanaged he blew it.  The old adage "The hardest thing there is to make it to the major leagues, the second hardest thing is to stay there"   Miranda and Julien were sent to St. Paul at the beginning of last season and Miranda proceeded to hit less than .200 the rest of the season in Triple A.  They should waste a roster spot on him?  Julien at least improved his numbers in St. Paul and was given another shot with the Twins.  It again did not work out.  But I feel both of these players were treated fairly.

Miranda was demonstrably frustrated in AAA last season. It was obvious with body language that he didn't want to be there anymore. Lousy attitude and lousy performance. The only surprise is he wasn't released earlier.

[Rufus]

3 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Miranda was a 1B the Twins asked to play other positions. Was he mishandled? I think so. Regardless, it's not an excuse for Miranda to play poorly in AAA. I didn't see a legitimate reason not to outright him. Has his time as a Twins player ended? Maybe. He's probably a candidate to come back on a MiLB contract as I don't think there's going to be a lot of interest in him across the league.

Let's see I remember the Twins had this guy a big prospect......his name was.......SANO.  He was a shortstop when signed, obviously got too big for that position, The Twins moved him to third base,  then to right field, then to third base, then to first base.  I never heard anyone or Sano complain that he was mishandled.   

[Mike h]

I had Lawyerson pegged as a sleeper who could be a difference maker next year.  Hate to see him go.

i only saw him pitch in person once last season; it was an away game against Louisville so most of you probably didn’t see it.  Kendry Rojas started - what a contrast between the two!  Just one game, I know, but I can’t believe Rojas is rated the 8th best prospect while Lawyerson was let go.  In that game Rojas had a deer-in-the-headlights look as he walked to the dugout,; he lasted only 3 innings giving up 3 hits and 6 walks .  Laweryson came in and took charge, getting 4 outs on 12 pitches, 11 for strikes.  What really got my attention though was the very loud pop when the catcher caught the ball. Supposedly he and Rojas throw about the same speed but idk, do radar guns lie?  Again, just one game.  Good luck to Cody.  

[sweetmusicviola16]

24 minutes ago, Mike h said:

I had Lawyerson pegged as a sleeper who could be a difference maker next year.  Hate to see him go.

i only saw him pitch in person once last season; it was an away game against Louisville so most of you probably didn’t see it.  Kendry Rojas started - what a contrast between the two!  Just one game, I know, but I can’t believe Rojas is rated the 8th best prospect while Lawyerson was let go.  In that game Rojas had a deer-in-the-headlights look as he walked to the dugout,; he lasted only 3 innings giving up 3 hits and 6 walks .  Laweryson came in and took charge, getting 4 outs on 12 pitches, 11 for strikes.  What really got my attention though was the very loud pop when the catcher caught the ball. Supposedly he and Rojas throw about the same speed but idk, do radar guns lie?  Again, just one game.  Good luck to Cody.  

When a player finally knows that he has made that break through is impossible for the analytic sheets to show. 

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Dman said:

 Some of us were concerned about Lawyerson getting picked off if dropped and it looks like that happened but the Twins have a ton of young arms on the way up so seemed like a worthy gamble to see if they could get him back to AAA.

Lawreyson didn't get "picked off" by being dropped to AAA.

He has 3 option years remaining (as noted in the OP).

If the Twins wanted him in AAA, all they had to do was keep him on the 40 man. He could spend another 3 years in AAA.

[Dman]

Just now, USAFChief said:

Lawreyson didn't get "picked off" by being dropped to AAA.

He has 3 option years remaining (as noted in the OP).

If the Twins wanted him in AAA, all they had to do was keep him on the 40 man. He could spend another 3 years in AAA.

Sorry yeah I wrote that poorly.  That is what I meant.  He got claimed so didn't make it make it back to AAA after being purged from 40 man.